Tragedy Looper: Cosmic Evil Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Prime Evil
  • Major Rule Changes
    • Victims
    • Mob Incidents
    • Curse Cards
  • Comment on Powers
  • Rule Clarification
  • Main Plots
  • Subplots
  • Roles
  • Incidents
• Cosmic Mythology
  • Major Rule Changes
    • Extra Gauge: Mythos Knowledge
  • Main Plots
  • Subplots
  • Roles
    • Note About the Wizard Role
  • Incidents

Prime Evil

Prime Evil is a standard Tragedy Set. It is fully playable for players who have played Basic Tragedy and Midnight Zone at least once each and are used to how Tragedy Looper works. This stage's difficulty is medium, about the same as Mystery Circle. Many Roles and Incidents overlap and will be easily understood by players who have played the other sets, so the threshold should be fairly low. The key words for this set are "Death" and "Monsters".

Major Rule Changes

Victims

The horrible corpse that covered all the newspapers. The calling from the other side, that fell upon an unsuspecting victim. Never would we have guessed that this would fall upon ourselves. Every Intrigue on locations counts as a corpse with the role Person. If such a corpse is revived by the power of the Alien, it is simply removed from the board.

Mob Incidents

After several deaths, the people panicked. No one would have thought that they would do such a thing. But once the spiral starts, no one can stop it. The tragedy comes nearer, as if attracted by the noise...

This is a type of Incident that only exist in this set. These Incidents do not specify a character as a culprit, but a location (like Mob: School or Mob: City). The culprit is the mob in this location. The mob isn't aroused by paranoia, but instead by body count. If there are enough corpses (as specified by the Incident in question) on the specified location, the Incident happens. Don't forget the "Victims" rule: Intrigue count as corpses. Also, just like for normal Incidents, you cannot have the same culprit for two different Incidents.

Curse Cards

Evil intent, such as hate, sorrow, and anger, remain. They linger. They could take the form of many things, such as a doll, a car, a painting, a video tape, etc. Or it might not even be discernable, but still be there, like a ghost. This can travel, from person to person, and spread death. In this set, the Extra cards are treated as Curse cards. These will be placed on Locations and will have several effects. Curse cards can be in one of two states: Placed on a board or attached to a character or a corpse. When placing Curse cards, be careful to make a distinction between these two states. If attached to a character, the Curse will move when the character moves. At the end of each day, before everything else, even before Mandatory effects, each Curse card will apply its effect:

• If a Curse is on a location, the Mastermind attaches that Curse to any character in that location (if applicable). A character may have more than 1 Curse attached.
• At the same time, any characters (who are alive) with an attached Curse are killed. Then, the Mastermind moves the Curses from all corpses to their current location.

At the end of each loop, all Curses are removed.

Comment on Powers

This power has existed before, but in this expansion, it's used often, so it is shortened:

Unkillable [Mandatory] [Always] This character cannot die.

Rule Clarification

Here are a few details regarding the priority of resolution of the Mastermind abilties: Some abilities are Mandatory and others are Optional. If several abilities that should happen at the same time conflict, in this case, the Mandatory abilities happen before Optional abilities. If several Optional abilities that should happen at the same time conflict, the Mastermind chooses freely in which order to apply them.

Main Plots

Main plots are the core of the script, normally containing the loss conditions.

The Noble Bloodline

• Roles to add: Key Person, Vampire (Key Person and Vampire must be of opposing sex)
• Plot rule: none

The Ones from the Grave

• Roles to add: none
• Plot rule: All corpses that had the role Person, Coward or Show-Off change into having the role of Zombie.

Moonlight Beast

• Roles to add: Werewolf
• Plot rule: none

The Cursed Land

• Roles to add: Ghost, Show-Off
• Plot rule: At the start of each loop, you may place a Curse on the Ghost's starting location. [Optional] [Day end] Unless all Location curses can be attached to characters, you may kill the Protagonists.

Night Mist Nightmare

• Roles to add: Nightmare
• Plot rule: none

Subplots

Subplots work in the script's background. They might add other loss conditions or rules. The subplots are comparatively easy to find out. The Mastermind should try to bluff his way through in order to gain an advantage in loop count counts.

Those with Habits

• Roles to add: Ghost, Serial Killer, Loved One
• Plot rule: none

A Love Affair

• Roles to add: Lover, Loved One
• Plot rule: none

Witch's Curse

• Roles to add: Conspiracy Theorist, Witch
• Plot rule: At the start of each loop, you may place a Curse on the Witch's starting location.

The Key Girl

• Roles to add: Key Person (must be a Girl)
• Plot rule: none

Monster Intrigue

• Roles to add: Conspiracy Theorist
• Plot rule: [Optional] [Mastermind ability] You may place 1 Intrigue on one location where a character with Goodwill Refusal is.

Panic and Obsession

• Roles to add: Serial Killer, Coward, Witch
• Plot rule: none

People Who Don't Listen

• Roles to add: Show-Off, Conspiracy Theorist, Coward
• Plot rule: none

Roles

What the characters are hiding.

Key Person

• Max limit: none
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Always] When this character dies, the Protagonists immediately lose and the loop ends.
• Appears in plots: The Noble Bloodline (main plot), The Key Girl (subplot)

Werewolf

• Max limit: none
• Optional Goodwill Refusal
• Ability: [Optional] [Day end] If Night of Madness occurred this day, you may kill the Protagonists. [Mandatory] [Mastermind Action step] The Mastermind cannot place cards on this character.
• Appears in plot: Moonlight Beast (main plot)

Vampire

• Max limit: none
• Optional Goodwill Refusal
• Unkillable
• Ability: [Optional] [Day end] If the Key Person has at least 2 Intrigue and is in this character's location, you may kill the Key Person. [Optional] [Day end] If there are at least 2 corpses in this character's starting location, you may kill the Protagonists.
• Appears in plot: The Noble Bloodline (main plot)

Nightmare

• Max limit: none
• Optional Goodwill Refusal
• Unkillable
• Ability: [Optional] [Day end] You may kill one character who is in this location. [Optional] [Day end] If there are 3 or more Intrigue on all corpses in total, you may kill the Protagonists.
• Appears in plot: Night Mist Nightmare (main plot)

Ghost

• Max limit: 1
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Mastermind ability] If this card is a corpse, place 1 Paranoia on a character here, or any character in the Ghost's starting location.
• Appears in plots: The Cursed Land (main plot), Those With Habits (subplot)

Conspiracy Theorist

• Max limit: 1
• Ability: [Optional] [Mastermind ability] You may place 1 Paranoia on a character in this location.
• Appears in plots: Witch's Curse (subplot), Monster Intrigue (subplot), People Who Dont' listen (subplot)

Show-Off

• Max limit: none
• Unkillable
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Always] If this character has 2 or more Paranoia, (s)he loses the Unkillable aspect and gains Mandatory Goodwill Refusal.
• Appears in plots: The Cursed Land (main plot), People Who Don't Listen (subplot)

Serial Killer

• Max limit: none
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Day end] If there is exactly 1 other character in this location, that character dies (regardless of the number of corpses).
• Appears in plots: Those With Habits (subplot), Panic and Obsession (subplot)

Coward

• Max limit: none
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Mastermind ability] If this character has 2 or more Paranoia, pick a neighboring location, and move that character there.
• Appears in plots: Panic and Obsession (subplot), People Who Don't Listen (subplot)

Loved One

• Max limit: none
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Always] If the Lover dies, this character gets 6 Paranoia. [Optional] [Day end] If this character has at least 3 Paranoia and 1 Intrigue, you may kill the Protagonists.
• Appears in plots: Those With Habits (subplot), A Love Affair (subplot)

Lover

• Max limit: none
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Always] If the Loved One dies, this character gets 6 Paranoia.
• Appears in plots: A Love Affair (subplot)

Zombie

• Max limit: none
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Day end] If there is a location where there are more zombies than non-zombies, kill one character in that location (only once per day, for all zombies). [Optional] [Day end] You may move one zombie corpse to a neighboring location (only once per day, for all zombies).
• Appears in plots: The Ones from the Grave (subplot)

Witch

• Max limit: none
• Mandatory Goodwill Refusal
• Ability: none
• Appears in plots: Witch's Curse (subplot), Panic and Obsession (subplot)

Incidents

Accidents and horrors during the script. Is it fate or merely circumstance?

Sacrilegious Murder

• Effect: Either kill another character in the same location as the culprit, or place 1 Intrigue on the culprit's location.

The Executioner

• When determining whether this Incident triggers or not, treat the culprit's Paranoia limit as 1 less than its printed limit.
• Effect: The Leader chooses one character. That character is killed.

Increasing Unease

• Effect: Place 2 Paranoia on any character, then 1 Intrigue on any other character.

Dark Rumor

• Effect: Attach a Curse on the culprit.

Missing Person

• Effect: Move the culprit to any location. Then place 1 Intrigue on that location.

Barricade

• Effect: For each other character in culprit's location, pick any other location and move the character there.

Evil Contamination

• Effect: Place 2 Intrigue on the Shrine.

Night of Madness (Mob Incident)

• Necessary corpse count: 0 (will always occur)
• Effect: If there are 6 or more zombies when this Incident occurs, the Protagonists will die after the day has ended.

Evangelium of the Dead (Mob Incident)

• Necessary corpse count: 2
• Effect: Kill all characters in the culprit's location. Then, if that location has 5 or more corpses, the Protagonists are killed.

Awakened Curse (Mob Incident)

• Necessary corpse count: 1
• Effect: Place a Curse on the culprit's location.

Fountain of Filth (Mob Incident)

• Necessary corpse count: 2
• Effect: Place 2 Paranoia on any one character, and 1 Intrigue on any location.

Cosmic Mythology

Cosmic Mythology is a standard tragedy set, and is fully playable for players who have played Basic Tragedy and Midnight Zone at least once each, and are used to how Tragedy Looper works. The difficulty level is medium, and about the same as Mystery Circle. Many Roles and Incidents overlap, will thus be easily understood by player who have played the other sets, and the threshold should be fairly low. The keywords are "despair" and "resistance".

This set emphasizes the hopelessness in the face of unsurmountable odds. All plots, roles and incidents are frighteningly evil and will easily trample the poor Protagonists. If the Mastermind plays correctly, the Protagonists will feel the weight of impossible puzzles as their minds drift into the chasm of insanity. Dear Masterminds, smite the Protagonists with the crushing hammer of madness.

The Protagonists are, however, not defenseless. Not only can they travel in time, they can use this knowledge to learn more; this is magic left over from the Old Ages. It surpasses human understanding and resist the most insane cosmic evil. But do not forget, this knowledge is not one that should be known. If you peer too long, you might see what you must not see, and fall into the pits of madness!

Major Rule Changes

Extra Gauge: Mythos Knowledge

This set uses the Extra Gauge, which measures how much of the mythology that the Protagonists know. Prepare the Extra markers, and use them as stated below.

1. Prepare the Extra Gauge

At the start of each game, the gauge should be at zero. This does not reset, even in a new loop.

2. Increase when madness is touched

Wherever a Goodwill ability is refused, immediately increase the Extra Gauge. In this set, Goodwill Refusal has become an ability of true madness. To touch the Extra Gauge, the Protagonists trade their sanity for greater knowledge of the mythos. The Extra Gauge can also be increased by roles and abilities. For example, the Wizard can use his ability to teach magic to the Protagonists.

3. Learning magic

Once the Extra Gauge reaches a certain point, the Protagonists learn the below spells:

• Extra 1 or more: Spell of Sympathy. At the start of the first day, if the Extra Gauge is 1 or more, the Leader may place 2 Goodwill on any one character of his choice. It was a strange spell. Water in a vase, a strand of hair, and moonlight. That was all it took to get close to your loved one. But we used it to stop the endless loop.
• Extra 2 or more: Reminiscence of the Forefathers. At the end of the loop, if the Extra Gauge is 2 or more, the Protagonists get to know the first subplot. Suddenly, it just swam into my mind. An old stone building, a strange, giant statue, a scripture that was highly ornate. And so, I understood one of the links of this world.
• Extra 3 or more: Ancient Seal. As soon as the Extra Gauge is 3 or more, for the remainder of the game, the Protagonist's "Forbid Intrigue" cards are no longer nullified if more than 1 of them are played in the same day. It was much heavier than it looked, and it felt strange to the touch... I held it towards the thing that had crept out of the darkness, and then...
• Extra 4 or more: Madness. If the Extra Gauge ever reaches 4, at the end of that day, the Protagonists die. This happens after everything else. Also, at the end of that loop, any remaining loops are lost, and the game goes immediately to the Final Guess. I... I didn't want to know...

Main Plots

Main plots are the core of the script, normally containing the loss conditions.

Choir to the Outside God

• Roles to add: Key Person, Sacrifice, Immortal
• Plot rule: At the end of the loop, if there are at least 5 characters with Intrigue on them, the Protagonists lose.

Giant Time Bomb Again

• Roles to add: Witch, Deep One
• Plot rule: At the end of the loop, if there are 2 or more Intrigue on the Witch's starting location, the Protagonists lose.

The Sacred Words of Dagon

• Roles to add: Key Person, Cultist, Deep One
• Plot rule: At the end of the loop, if there are as many or more Intrigue on the Shrine than the Extra Gauge shows, the Protagonists lose (if the Extra Gauge is at zero, the Protagonists always lose).

Bloody Rites

• Roles to add: Witch, Immortal
• Plot rule: At the end of the loop, if there are as many or more corpses as the Extra Gauge shows, the Protagonists lose. If the Extra Gauge is on zero, the Protagonists automatically lose.

The King in Yellow

• Roles to add: Sacrifice, Cultist
• Plot rule: At the end of the loop, if the Extra Gauge has increased at all this loop, the Protagonists lose.

Subplots

Subplots work in the script's background. They might add other loss conditions or rules. The subplots are comparatively easy to find out. The Mastermind should try to bluff his way through in order to gain a loop count.

An Unsettling Rumor

• Roles to add: Conspiracy Theorist
• Plot rule: [Optional] [Mastermind ability] The Mastermind may add 1 Intrigue to a location of his choice.

Whispers from the Deep

• Roles to add: Deep One, Paranoiac
• Plot rule: [Mandatory] The Paranoiac gains all the abilities of the Key Person.

The Resistance

• Roles to add: Conspiracy Theorist, Wizard, Serial Killer
• Plot rule: none

People Who Saw

• Roles to add: Conspiracy Theorist, Witness
• Plot rule: none

The Faceless God

• Roles to add: Faceless, Wizard
• Plot rule: none

The Profound Race

• Roles to add: Serial Killer, Time Traveler
• Plot rule: none

Twisted Truth

• Roles to add: Paranoiac
• Plot rule: On script creation, the Informer must be included. The script writer then chooses one "extra" main plot. At the start of the loop, if the Extra Gauge is on 2 or more, during that loop, the original main plot is deprecated and the extra main plot is activated instead.

Roles

What the characters are hiding.

Key Person

• Max limit: none
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Always] When this character dies, the Protagonists immediately lose and the loop ends.
• Appears in plots: Choir to the Outside God (main plot), Sacred Words of Dagon (main plot)

Cultist

• Max limit: none
• Mandatory Goodwill Refusal
• Ability: [Optional] [Card resolve] You may ignore all "Forbid Intrigue" effects on this location and on all characters in this location.
• Appears in plots: Sacred Words of Dagon (main plot), The King in Yellow (main plot)

Witch

• Max limit: none
• Mandatory Goodwill Refusal
• Ability: none
• Appears in plots: Giant Time Bomb Again (main plot), Bloody Rites (main plot)

Sacrifice

• Max limit: none
• Unkillable
• Ability: [Optional] [Day end] If this character has at least 2 Intrigue and at least 2 Paranoia, you may kill all characters and the Protagonists. [Mandatory] [Incident step] When determining whether an Incident of which this character is the culprit will occur or not, treat also Intrigue as Paranoia. [Mandatory] [Script creation] This character must be the culprit of an Incident.
• Appears in plots: Choir to the Outside God (main plot), The King in Yellow (main plot)

Paranoiac

• Max limit: none
• Mandatory Goodwill Refusal
• Ability: [Optional] [Mastermind ability] You may place 1 Intrigue or Paranoia on this character.
• Appears in plots: Whispers from the Deep (subplot), A Twisted Truth (subplot)

Deep One

• Max limit: 1
• Optional Goodwill Refusal
• Ability: [Optional] [Mastermind ability] You may place 1 Intrigue on this location or on any character in this location. [Mandatory] [Always] When this character dies, reveal the role and increase the Extra Gauge 1 step.
• Appears in plots: Sacred Words of Dagon (main plot), Giant Time Bomb Again (main plot), Whispers from the Deep (subplot)

Wizard

• Max limit: 1
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Loop end] If this character is dead, the Protagonists lose. [Mandatory] [Goodwill ability step] When this character's Goodwill ability is used, reveal this role after resolution. Then, the Leader may increase the Extra Gauge one step.*
• Appears in plots: The Resistance (subplot), The Faceless God (subplot)

Note About the Wizard Role

A Goodwill ability may be considered as used if its conditions are fulfilled (e.g., a legal target is present), even if the end result has no visible effect (e.g., the target has no Paranoia counters on him).

• Example 1: The Girl Student is in a location where there is no other student. Her ability cannot be used.
• Example 2: The Girl Student is in an location where there is another student, but that student has no Paranoia. In this case, the ability will have no effect, but it will still be considered as used. In example 2, if the Girl Student was the Wizard, she would reveal her role.
• Example 3: The Shrine Maiden is at the Hospital. Her ability cannot be used.
• Example 4: The Shrine Maiden is in the Shrine, even if the Shrine has no Intrigue, her ability is considered as used. In example 4, if the Shrine Maiden was the Wizard, she would reveal her role.

Witness

• Max limit: none
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Day end] If this character has 4 or more Paranoia, this character dies, and the Extra Gauge increases with 1 step.
• Appears in plot: People Who Saw (subplot)

Serial Killer

• Max limit: none
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Day end] If there is exactly 1 other character in this location, that character dies (regardless of the number of corpses).
• Appears in plots: The Resistance (subplot), The Profound Race (subplot)

Faceless

• Max limit: none
• Optional Goodwill Refusal
• Unkillable
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Always] If the Extra Gauge is 1 or less, this character gains the abilities of a Conspiracy Theorist. [Mandatory] [Always] If the Extra Gauge is 2 or more, this character gains the abilities of a Deep One.
• Appears in plot: The Faceless God (subplot)

Time Traveler

• Max limit: none
• Unkillable
• Ability: [Mandatory] [Card resolve] The effects of "Forbid Goodwill" on this character are ignored. [Optional] [End of last day] If this character has 2 or less Goodwill, you may declare a loss for the Protagonists. If you do, the loop ends.
• Appears in plot: The Profound Race (subplot)

Immortal

• Max limit: none
• Unkillable
• Ability: none
• Appears in plots: Choir to the Outside God (main plot), Bloody Rites (main plot)

Conspiracy Theorist

• Max limit: 1
• Ability: [Optional] [Mastermind ability] You may place 1 Paranoia on a character in this location.
• Appears in plots: An Unsettling Rumor (subplot), The Resistance (subplot), People Who Saw (subplot)

Incidents

Accidents and horrors during the script. Are they intentional or fated to be?

Insane Murder

• Effect: Kill any one character in the same location as the culprit.

Evil Contamination

• Effect: Place 2 Intrigue on the Shrine.

Mass Suicide

• Effect: If the culprit has at least 1 Intrigue, all characters in the culprit's location are killed.

Hospital Incident

• Effect: If the Hospital has at least 1 Intrigue, everyone in the Hospital dies. Also, if the Hospital has at least 2 Intrigue, the Protagonists die.

Increasing Unease

• Effect: Place 2 Paranoia on any character, then 1 Intrigue on any other character.

Uproar

• Effect: If there is at least 1 Intrigue on the School, everyone in the School dies. If there is at least 1 Intrigue on the City, everyone in the City dies.

Missing Person

• Effect: Move the culprit to any location. Then place 1 Intrigue on that location.

Fire of Demise

• Effect: The first time this Incident happens this game session, all characters and the Protagonists are killed.

The Executioner

• When determining whether this Incident occurs or not, treat the culprit's Paranoia limit as 1 less than its printed limit.
• Effect: The Leader chooses one character. That character is killed.

Hound Dog Scent

• Effect: When determining whether this Incident occurs or not, count Intrigue instead of Paranoia. For the rest of the loop, if another Incident occurs, the Protagonists are killed after the Incident step.

Discovery

• Effect: Increase the Extra Gauge 1 step.