Foreword
Hello readers.
There are rare situations in which I personally feel a foreword is needed. This is one of those times. I want to take a moment and talk about some of the things in this story and about the game itself that inspired it.
10 Candles is a Tabletop Roleplaying Game known as a TTRPG. It is a relatively simple game in which players use index cards to write down aspects of their character and those around them while the Game Master (GM) lights ten candles and starts the game. The point of the game is to tell a story of tragedy.
You see, in the base concept of the game, something blocked the sky from Earth: no stars, sun, or light. Solar power stops working. Satellites stopped sending messages to things like GPS, and the power grids failed from the strain. The world was plunged into darkness, with no idea what caused it. Three days later, They came.
They are an unknown concept in the game. Barely defined by an index card a player writes on, the only thing known between everyone is that They have only one weakness, the light. Because of this, They could be just about anything. You could give Them other weaknesses if you wanted. You could make Them vampires, werewolves, zombies, and so many other things, but the point is to make Them an unknown thing. The game is supposed to be a horror story, so you make Them terrifying.
The other aspect of the game, which is hard to swallow sometimes, is that your character, along with the others playing, will die by the end of it. There are few successes, but They always win. At least, that’s what is supposed to happen. If everyone decides otherwise, you can change that rule, but what’s the fun in that?
This story was modified from one of the possible stories mentioned in the game’s rulebook. It takes place in Columbus, Ohio, which my players were fortunate enough to know well, allowing us to roleplay easily. As the game continued and candles were snuffed out, they could quickly make decisions, as they already knew the world around them.
Unlike other roleplaying games, this was one about narrative control. The GM and players fight back and forth for control, to find ways to tell their characters’ stories, while the GM describes the world and provides the conflict They bring. Sometimes, a player can snuff out a candle to seize narrative control, bringing the game closer and closer to its end.
The last part of the game that matters… When the candles are out, the game ends. As the rulebook recommends, you can record a final message from your character at the beginning of the game. During this moment of darkness, where the candles have been extinguished, and no light permeates the room, the GM presses play on these recordings. For extra effect, I had my players record in the bathroom across the house so no one knew what the others would say beforehand. It was pretty chilling to hear after.
The game hits on a concept that I enjoy writing about sometimes and something we don’t see in the media much anymore. The main characters, the players, don’t win. It’s a story about doing everything in one’s power and still failing. It’s about telling a story because a story needs to be told. I know that’s not everyone’s forte, and that’s okay. You’re welcome to put this down now and save yourself from the nightmares They created. These are the same nightmares that inspired me to write this. If you choose to move forward, remember that nothing is off the table for a story like this. The GM and players decide what is allowed and not allowed to be talked about, and my players chose:
- No Harm to Children
- No Spiders
- No Sexual Assault
From there, the players trusted me to follow these rules, and I did. What I did, though, was give them the chance to scare themselves and see what was inside their minds. Then, I gave them a place to put those dark thoughts, fears, and space between those ten tealight candles. When finished, as if a ritual cleansing, the last candle went out, the recording stopped, and I thanked them in the darkness. I thanked them for allowing us to tell this story. I thanked them for being there with me on our journey.
Then, I thanked Them.
