In the Pines

Test Drive

Welcome to the Pines test drive. If you have a character you'd like to try out in the game's setting, this is where you can do it. This month, the test drive will reflect the activities from the current event. Anyone can tag in! Just use the information below to get started.

Newcomers. Outsiders tagging in will have just arrived in town, either coming intentionally to Wisconsin for some business or just falling through a hole in reality and finding themselves in a little place called Great Pines, which is surrounded by dense forest on almost all sides. They will notice right away that there aren't many people outside, and that is because of the heavy rainfall pouring over everything without stop. They will also see familiar faces in the storm--coming out of the wall of water are people they know, only they appear to have died in some manner. The phantoms will attack the characters they haunt and try to drag them back into the storm. If they succeed, everything outside of the rain will seemingly disappear, and the ghosts will try to eat them.

It should be noted that the rain ghosts are physical beings, similar to zombies that seem to recognize their friends and call out to them. They'll accuse them of murder or crimes that the characters may or may not have committed, but they will draw on the characters' fears and guilt as they try to convince them to surrender. The only answer is to run inside or fight back. There is no limit to the number of ghost people that can attack, so feel free to introduce your characters' nightmares to the party!

Unfortunately, newcomers will not be armed.

Current members. Your characters might notice people on the streets of Great Pines acting uncharacteristic for locals. They seem real enough, and at least they are aware of the crazy events going on, but they aren't in possession of a journal. Be a good neighbor and lend a hand?

I.
Out in the streets. You're out in the rain, surrounded by friends and ex-lovers that appear to have come from the storm itself. They're angry, hungry, and accusing you of leaving them to die. If you're lucky, you might find a plank with a nail in it or a metal pipe in some pile of trash outside of a building. If you can fight your way out of the circle, you may just survive. But you'd better hurry, because it looks like more ghosts are coming to join them.

II.
Holed up. You just wandered off the main road into town and encountered an army of angry ghosts threatening to tear you apart and eat you. Luckily, you somehow managed to break into the diner only a half-mile in. Unfortunately, the ghosts are still coming after you. Time to build a barricade. The diner isn't a big building, but you can probably keep the intruders out for a while if you work quickly. Just ignore their laments of suffering and wait for the storm to pass. The good news is there is plenty of pie.

III.
Out of the frying pan. Screw the rain! While everyone else was fighting creepy ghost-zombies, you did the smart thing and ran the other way. You noticed that the rain stopped short at the edge of the birch forest lining the main road, and into the trees you went. And just like you expected, the ghosts didn't enter the woods. But there's something there. A tall, thin figure that seems to step right behind the trees. Occasionally you hear children laughing around you, and someone whispers right in your ear: He's watching. But when you turn around, no one is there. Maybe this wasn't such a good hiding place after all.

Test Drive

Welcome to the Pines Test Drive. Curious about the game or want to see if a character would be a good match? Feel free to post a comment below and test the waters. Use one of the optional prompts below if you need an idea, or bring some of your own nightmares along for other people to enjoy. Feel free to run with whatever strikes your fancy.

I.
Inner demons. It starts as an itch. An irritation under your skin that gets worse as the hours pass. That wouldn't be so bad on its own, but then there's the hunger, and the agonizing pressure pushing out through your skin, forming barbs and appendages that just don't belong. Maybe you hide it. You hold it in and try to act normal long enough to seek help. Or maybe it's too late and you're on the run from people in town that want to get rid of the monster you're becoming.

Or maybe you embrace it. After all, they're only human. You never liked those dull people anyway. Pick a side, choose whether to follow your instincts or keep them at bay--but the fight is getting harder. You're hungry, and the voice inside you says only one thing will satisfy you tonight.

II.
An odd collection. The circus is in town! The pier by Shadow Point Lake has come to life with colored lights and piano-organ music. It's not a full-blown amusement park but a carnival aspiring to be a big time circus. Take a stroll along the boardwalk! There are rickety rides and stands that contain food--until you try to purchase some. Then the candy apples and funnel cakes reveal themselves to be blistering red balls and crawling things with too many eyes. The center attraction is a fun house with a maze of mirrors and doors leading to endless tunnels of more doors and dead ends. A tall, thin man dressed as a bright clown is watching you. He smiles every time you make eye contact, but seems to disappear in the crowds and shadows the second you look away. He seems especially fond of the fun house and would love for you to give it a try.
Leave? Oh, there was a ticket stand when you came in. Maybe to the left, toward the "miraculous beasts" tent? By the way, it's almost feeding time. Have you checked it out yet? Ah, the exit... Well, I'm sure you'll dig something up eventually.

III.
Teamwork. You're in a field of plants stretching high above your head. Maybe it's wheat or corn--nevermind the location or the weather. Or even how you got there to begin with. Apparently rules like that don't apply around Great Pines. No big deal, right? Just work your way back to the road.

There's just one small catch--you're chained in some way to someone else. Maybe it's by an arm or a leg, but you can't seem to slip free or break the line between you. It's getting darker, and crows are starting to gather around tall posts in the field, watching your progress. And something else lurks behind the tall grass. Something big, not making any sound as it slips closer and circles like a curious shark. Don't run. You don't know how many more of them there are. Hopefully your new friend is reliable in a tight spot.

IV.
Bring Your Own Death. Have a monster or creepy threat from your canon you'd like to invade the town? Did you really want to reenact a little bit of Alan Wake? Haunting Ground? Make up your own scenario or combine any of the above!