‘Our Brilliant Ruin’ Makes Existential Horror Beautiful… Sort Of
The monsters outside are frightening, but the lavish parties inside are almost enough to pretend they don’t exist in Our Brilliant Ruin.
We’ve played dark post-apocalyptic games. And we’ve played dramatic games of upper crust revelry… So why not combine them? Our Brilliant Ruin does just that, with a world that’s both horrible and beautiful. And somewhere right between those two- or maybe in both worlds at once- is where your stories will live.
Our Brilliant Ruin
Like many games, Out Brilliant Ruin found its start on Kickstarter. Created by Studio Hermitage, and written by Justine Achilli, Rachel J Wilkinson, and Pam Punzalan, it saw a great deal of success, nearly doubling its $25,000 goal with 821 unique backers, and earlier this year we saw the game come to life.
The setting is Dramark, and it is one of the final remains of society in an otherwise dying world. ‘The Ruin’ is a fource that befouls everything it touches; sometimes turning living beings into monsters, sometimes causing physical items to rot and decay. And there’s not much to be done about it.
So what do you do in this world? Well, if you’re poor, you suffer. And if you’re one of the social elite you pretend the world is fine and continue to throw your lavish parties as the world burns around you.
I’m not going to say it, but I assume we’re giving each knowing looks through the screen.
This is an upstairs-downstairs drama in a world of existential horror. It’s Bridgeton if Cthulhu was quietly tapping on the manner’s windows. And personally, I’m obsessed. Will today’s session be more ballgowns and dances, or more fending off the horrors for one more night? Who knows!
Gameplay
Our Brilliant Ruin isn’t a game that goes by hard numbers and statistics. Characters feelings, motivations, and fears are very important in this world, and the dice reflect that.
Players chose a personality attribute and a skill attribute to create a pool of D6. And if it makes sense narratively, players can use any personality and skill combination. Obsession and Fight? Sure, Benevolence and Intuit? Also fine. It’s up to the player and the GM to determine what the character is doing and feeling in that moment.
When taking an action, players the number of D6 equal to their personality and skill attributes. On a dice roll each rolled 6 is a “brill” and each 1 is a “gloom.” If more brills are rolled than glooms, it’s a success. None of either is a failure. More glooms is a catastrophe.
And of course, this is a world of tremendous wealth and poverty. So some characters may be able to use the power of their deep deep pockets by calling up on their “portfolio.”
Honestly though, I don’t think the monsters on the edge of your property are all that interested in money, but maybe. We’ll see.
If you want to learn more about Our Brilliant Ruin or play for yourself, you can find more information on the official website.
