Before the Dark Catches Us
Venture into the cursed woods and bargain with the forest guardian for your village’s safety from the impending winter. Return before monsters stalk you from lengthening shadows. To play, you’ll take an actual walk in a real-world forest.
This game, which can be played solo or as a group, centers around taking a walk in the woods. The walk itself determines the events of the mission your character(s) have embarked on: encountering local flora and fauna aids you on your quest, while coming across litter or pollution forces you to face the dangers of the enchanted woods. Fail to overcome these dangers, and you'll remain trapped for eternity. Best to find the guardian quickly and return to your village before night falls and monsters begin to prowl...
The game itself is contained on the front page of the PDF. Optional adjustments for different seasons are available on the reverse side.
Originally created as a Kickstarter stretch goal for the Fascination anthology, which was edited by Rhonda Parrish.
Accessibility
The PDFs have alt text, and a plain text file is available for download. Please let me know if you need additional info or accommodations.
Preview image alt text: A bird flies to the left, trailing a stylized swoosh of vines and leaves. Before the Dark Catches Us. A 1-Page TTRPG by Julia LaFond. [Black and white version of the yellow knight] Calenmir's RPGs.
Legal Info
Before the Dark Catches Us was written by Julia LaFond (© 2026) and is an official product of Calenmir's RPGs under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. Noncommercial sharing and adaptation permitted only with attribution. The commercial fonts “Exquisite” and “Freaky Paper Cutouts” were created by Darrell Flood (AKA dadiomouse), and are used via the license granted by the HawtPixel Bundle. This game features border 3 from Borders 1 by Art SilverGlass Sophie Grunnet - used with permission. The following art from Alderdoodle was used with permission: Border and Page Divider 1 from the Page Décor Set — Autumn; Bird Divider from Flash Sheet — Traveller; and Divider 5 from Page Décor Set.
The following public domain silhouettes were sourced from PhyloPics: Senecio by Ferran Sayol, Coprinus comatus by Lauren Otolski, Passer domesticus by Andy Wilson, Pliocervus matheroni by Oscar Sanisidro, Sciurus vulgaris by Ferran Sayol, Raorchestes hassanensis by Vijay Karthick, Achatiniae by Fernando Carrezzano, Heterodon platirhinos by Mason McNair, Peltocephalus dumerilianus by Johann Baptist von Spix, Mauremys rivulata by Beth Reinke, and Gekko gecko by B Neale. Peltocephalus dumerilianus is available under a Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal license; the rest are available under a CC0 1.0 Universal license.
