The Howling Wilderness: Hunting Horrors in the Cursed New World

 A curse has fallen upon the colony in the New World. The ground has grown barren, the game has fled the familiar woods, and desperate hunters must venture into the stygian forests to secure the colony's survival.

Welcome to The Howling Wilderness, a 16th and 17th century horror hunting tabletop game designed by Jayson Gardner!

In this test game after action report, four players each command a hunting party of three Hunters, each with their own weapons, talents, and special abilities. Some are expert trappers, while others possess knowledge of local plants that can help treat wounds. Their shared mission is to bring game back to the struggling colony, but only one player can claim victory!

The game combines semi-cooperative exploration and hunting with competitive victory points. Players must locate, kill, and dress their quarry while navigating a dangerous wilderness controlled by a matrix system that determines where creatures are spotted, what they are, and how they react to their environment.

The forest holds more than ordinary game. During our test game, the Hunters encountered everything from beavers and squirrels to a Mastodon, Smilodon, skinless bears, and a terrifying Sham bling Horror. These unnatural creatures force Hunters to face Fear tests, risking madness when their Will cannot withstand the horrors before them.

Several Hunters were killed or wounded during the expedition, but the hunting parties collectively secured more than 100 points of game for the colony's future.

Will the colony survive? And what horrors still lurk beyond the trees?

Join me for this after action report as I review the gameplay, memorable encounters, and lessons learned from this test of The Howling Wilderness.

More to come,

Doc