A Midsummer Night’s Darkness

A Midsummer Night’s Darkness is an unabashedly feminist romp through the wilds of Shropshire in the summer of 1909. A group of Suffragists are caravanning through the region, leafleting and making speeches in support of the right to vote for women. Their idyll is soon shattered, however, by forces beyond mortal ken. And a pair of power-hungry misogynists.

After engaging in some light political agitation in the town of Damsleigh the players depart (possibly at the behest of an angry crowd) and set up camp in a nearby forest glade. On the way they meet Lizzie Ardley, a local woman, anxiously looking for her son, who is late coming home. Spoiler alert: he’s not going to.

Back at the camp, the players have the opportunity to relax for a while. They will be made aware that their campsite is on the property of Dameron House and can visit and meet the (creepy, male) occupants before retiring to their camp for the evening.

During the night, a massive storm hits, and mother nature herself seems to rebel as the animals of the forest go mad with fear. Soon after, Lizzie Arden runs into camp from the forest, bloodsoaked and shrieking about her dead son and a thing in the forest. Suddenly, a car roars into the clearing and the men from Dameron House save the players from certain death (or do they?).

After arriving at Dameron House, the gentlemanly saviours kindly spike the players drinks with narcotics, and they come to in a locked room. It’s business as usual at the patriarchy. As it turns out, the two men are cads of the highest order, and while the players were resting back at camp, they were busy sacrificing the missing boy in a ceremony to summon a Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath. Unfortunately for them, Lizzie Arden interrupted the ceremony and now the Dark Young is running wild. Our man-tagonists are desperate to sacrifice someone else to bring the beast to heel, and all eyes are on the players. Meanwhile, the Dark Young arrives and chaos ensues. Surely now is the time for our Suffragists to put their Suffrajitsu training to good use (it’s a real thing). Where will the players go? What will they do? The rest is up to them.

The actual scenario is more nuanced and has more options than I described, but that should give you the gist of it.

A Midsummer night’s Darkness runs for 27 pages, and includes 6 pregens, and 2 maps. There are 3 main locations: the town (for the opening scene), the campsite, and the house. Some aspects of the scenario are a bit railroady, and it might be better for the Keeper to remove the illusion of choice if, in fact, no choice exists (e.g. a path being there that players can’t actually explore). There is also the possibility of massive player SAN loss, with the worst possible scenario being a whopping 38 points (!). That’s worth keeping an eye on, for sure.

Quibbles aside, A Midsummer Night’s Darkness is just fun. The opportunities for wry roleplay and satire seem endless. It’s a short scenario, suitable for a oneshot, but the mantagonists are so deliciously horrid that they would make an excellent basis for a longer-running game. While the scenario is historical, the same tensions exist in today’s world and the themes running through the scenario will resonate with a great many. Recommended.

Get it at Drivethrurpg in pdf and softcover

By Jane Routley

Cover design & Artwork: Alex Guillotte

Interested in the history? Read Ju-Jitsu’s Role in the Fight
for Women’s Suffrage by David Waldron and Zeb Leonard, below: