The Witch of the Westmoreland

A knight lies dying, and only one person in the land can save him. The Witch of the Westmoreland is a tarot-driven tabletop roleplaying game of Arthurian quests and old-world folk horror. You play the wounded knight’s loyal companions, carrying him through deep, enchanted woods to find the Witch of the Westmoreland before his time runs out. The forest is hungry, and not everything on the path wants you to arrive.

Laurie O’Connell designed the game, which draws on Archie Fisher’s folk ballad “The Witch of the West-mer-lands” and on the eerie creatures and cruel bargains of English and Welsh folklore. It feels like a story sung by a fireside, beautiful and melancholy, with something unsettling moving between the trees.

You play with an ordinary tarot deck. The cards lay out the winding forest path, shape what your company meets along the way and decide how conflicts turn out, so no two journeys are the same. One player takes the role of the GM and guides the group through the woods. Players can choose to draw a different card if an event isn’t something they want to explore, so the table stays in control of the story. The game is built on Grant Howitt’s Royal Blood framework and is quick to learn, ideal for an atmospheric one-shot on a dark evening.

The physical zine is printed on 100% recycled paper, with a black-and-white interior full of folkloric atmosphere and a colour cover.

Inside you’ll find:

Tarot-based rules for building the forest path and resolving conflicts
A complete quest to carry the wounded knight to the Witch of the Westmoreland
Folk horror encounters inspired by English and Welsh tales
Player-driven card choices that let the group steer away from unwanted content

Specifications:

Designer: Laurie O’Connell
Publisher: Twelve Pins Press
Format: Softcover zine, black-and-white interior with colour cover
Pages: 28
Size: A5 (5.8 × 8.3 in / 14.8 × 21 cm)
Paper: 100% recycled
Players: 2–5 (one acts as GM)
Language: English
Requires: A standard tarot deck (not included)