Ten Candles ("Tragic Horror" TTRPG) by Stephen Dewey

First, the premise: the sun, moon, and stars have been blotted out of the sky. Players are a part of a group of survivors looking for safety both from the aftermath of society’s fall and from Them, the antagonistic force that helps drive the narrative. Perhaps there is salvation in the light. Perhaps.

What differentiates Ten Candles from other tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs), though? The game is described as, “tragic horror,” (as opposed to survival horror). At its core, this distinction is made because the players’ characters will not survive the telling of the tale. The last “scene,” of the game is called, “The Final Stand,” after all. As far as mechanics, this ruleset encourages players to to tell the best possible story they can together, not to min-max or find the “right” / “best” way. This (potential) shift in playstyle is also facilitated by the game’s single-session design (as opposed to games like Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder which have the potential to take place over the course of many game sessions).

As far as my bone fides are concerned, I’ve been playing TTRPGs and board games on and off for over a decade. The majority of my experience is with Dungeons and Dragons (3.5 and 5th edition specifically), but I’ve dabbled in other systems, from Honey Heist to Sleepaway Camp, as well. With that in mind, what are the pros and cons of this system (in the eyes of player who loves story but has also generally focused on more mechanically complex, longer-term games)?

Pros:

The system is rules-light, meaning no character sheets or complicated mechanics are required. This means the mechanical barrier to entry is low. (This may not be a great first gaming experience however, in part because of the subject matter and in part because some new players are unaware of / struggle with the “social contract” that goes hand in hand with most successful TTRPG games.)
The game specifically encourages the use of props to build tension (e.g. actually having the eponymous “10 candles,” around the table so they can be interacted with / snuffed out as the game progresses).
The game includes many potential scenarios, including a few “user submitted,” options.

Cons:

Though the game includes a number of potential scenarios, some seem more ready-to-run than others. The user submitted content, for example, seems to vacillate pretty wildly in tone (from teen slasher to prehistoric rituals). Also, a lot of the scenarios boil down to “you’re running out of supplies / can’t stay where you are, so try to get to this other, presumably safer place.” Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that most of the scenarios are no more than 2 paragraphs long. Oof.
The rulebook doesn’t include a lot of art. To some this might be just a nit-pick, but I think art can help establish the tone / “feel” of a setting and inspire GMs and players. In short, having more is almost always a plus. In its current state, the game includes 5 pieces of art over its 100-ish page run (if you include the cover).
Given the dark tone of the game’s premise, I wish the manual would’ve done more to discuss TTRPG “safety tools,” like the “X Card.” Moreover, I think the game would benefit from a section on how to “debrief,” after the game wraps up, especially given how heavy a given session is likely to be.
This isn’t a con, per se, but it’s more-or-less a foregone conclusion that the game will have a dark tone. The players are asked to be both an “advocate and an antagonist,” to their characters, and the GM is explicitly instructed to inform players that their characters will die in the end. Basically, I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who wanted something lighter for game night.

Conclusion:

I think this game has a lot going for it, especially for those looking for a game that’s shorter to run and darker in tone than many other mainstream options on the market (e.g. D&D, Pathfinder, etc). While I don’t think it’ll ever be my go-to game because of the tone and abbreviated storytelling style, I have no doubt that it’ll make for great one-shots and changes of pace when my friends want something different than the typical fantasy fare. Perhaps the biggest compliment I could give this game is that I could totally see playing it as a Halloween tradition.

Check it out here.