If your group runs horror games, or you have ever wanted an excuse to, The Bad Year is built for you. It is an anthology of system-neutral horror investigation scenarios, 52 weekly cases plus a double-length finale for week 53, so a full year of horror in a single book. The headline draw is the name attached. It comes from Jonathan Sims, the writer and voice behind the hit fiction podcast The Magnus Archives, working with his MacGuffin & Co. collaborator Sasha Sienna.
Stop juggling Meetup, WhatsApp, and spreadsheets. One platform for your gaming group's events, RSVPs, and member management.
See how it worksEach scenario is a tidy two-page spread: a clue map on one side, the mystery's workings on the other, so a games master can read it on the bus and run it that evening. The whole thing is set in Hallowcroft, a fictional, fog-bound New England city in the late 1990s, kicked off by a rare stellar event the locals call the Grand Occultation. Think monster-of-the-week television with a creeping, urban-gothic edge.
Cleverly, it is system-neutral. The scenarios are written to drop into Call of Cthulhu, Monster of the Week or MacGuffin's own The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game, so you do not have to learn new rules to use it. Run one as a palate cleanser between campaigns, or string them together into a full year-long descent.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeThe Kickstarter launched on 28 May to line up with UK Games Expo and has already sailed past its funding goal. It runs until 25 June 2026, so there is still time to back it on Kickstarter.
A scenario a week is a tidy way to keep a group meeting all year. If you need players for a weekly horror table, find your people first.
Sources: MacGuffin & Co. | Geek Native | Kickstarter
