My eyes strain both from the combative effort to write this missive by flickering candlelight, and from the exhaustive weariness of long days. I am in desperate need of rest, but fear of losing this malignant contest drives me on. By day, I must traverse through Parisian life as if aught is well, but only the sweet shadows of night can provide the cover required to safely conduct my work. My flesh cries out for want of respite, but my labors cannot cease, for I know, should I fail and another emerge victorious, that more than my health shall be forfeit.

You are locked in a contest brought forth by a mysterious benefactor. The purpose of this execrable competition is to wield the research of the late Victor Frankenstein, and use it to create life. The winner of this contest will emerge with unparalleled knowledge and mastery over medical science. The losers? Well, it is best not to dwell on such unfortunates...

Players can choose between six exceedingly talented, if not frightfully amoral scientists. Each character possesses different abilities which will prove crucial in scoring the victory points needed to determine the ultimate winner at game's end.  

Marie Freeman

The daughter of an escaped Creole slave and natural healer, Marie served as housekeeper for a sympathetic doctor in Louisiana, soon becoming his assistant when he realized her quick mind and steady hands were better suited to medicine. When the doctor was later conscripted by famed pirate Jean Lafitte to tend his men during their exploits in Barataria Bay, he took young Marie with him as his nurse. One night she appeared to bring a bosun’s mate “back from the dead,” prompting some superstitious crew to label her a witch and force her off the ship. Fleeing for her life, she gained passage to Europe, where her reputation for witchcraft followed her, along with something more dark and ominous.

Marie will start the game with 2 knowledge. She also spends 1 less material when building a monster part. Perhaps those rumors of the dark arts were more than just gossip?

Tanaka Hikaru

The son of an accomplished surgeon in Japan, Hikaru reluctantly followed in his father’s footsteps, though his talent for putting knife to flesh never truly materialized. Loath to let his father down, he traveled to the West, where he discovered that many Europeans perceived him as both exotic and mysterious. Soon Hikaru began draping himself in the faux trappings of Oriental mysticism, performing dissections in auditoriums filled with anatomy students, where his theatrical use of galvanism and the macabre nature of his deceased subjects helped disguise his own failings. His bold claims caught unwanted attention, and now he must put on his greatest show yet, or else his family will learn of his shame—after they learn of his death.

Tanaka starts the game with three reputation. Yes, he is that great of a thespian. He earns one reputation every time another player bumps him from the Academy. If people see you at a place of study, they’ll naturally assume you’re studying too. Such a clever man.

Annita Bessini

The only child of a prosperous architect, Annita spent most of her early years in Bologna studying medicine in defiance of her father’s wishes. His untimely death left her a sizable endowment, and she travelled to Philadelphia to continue her education. After making a name for herself in the practice of trepanation to drain abscesses of the brain, she returned to Italy where she published several papers diagramming the human brain and detailing its functionality. The unexpected invitation to Paris was more than her curiosity could ignore. While her patron’s monstrous form is unsettling, Annita is far more concerned with unlocking the final mysteries of the human body.

Annita can dip into her endowment if she ever starts a round with less than 2 francs. And research cards that earn knowledge will gain her an extra point of knowledge when played. Coming from wealth really pays off. 

Prisha Chatwal

Prisha studied medicine in Calcutta under the tutelage of Major Alistair Prescott, a surgeon tending to the needs of British officers. After his transfer to London, Prisha opened her own clinic for children, though the supplies she needed were impossible to acquire for one of her status. When she was caught stealing from a clinic in 1816, she was savagely beaten and imprisoned. Fearful of what would become of her young patients, she was surprised when a mysterious patron had managed to secure her release, and moreover offered a generous donation to her clinic. The price for such charity was her unqualified participation in a horrific competition thousands of kilometers away...with a much more dire price for refusing.

Prisha begins the game with her humanity set at two. She gains one victory point for each humanity she receives when at a max of ten. Will compassion lead her down the path to victory? 

Sir Reginald Graham

A highly touted graduate of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, most of Sir Reginald’s past is cloaked in mystery. What is known for certain is that he returned from his expedition to the Americas in triumph, albeit with one less eye, having successfully identified several new genera of South American animals. He also amassed a modest collection of electric eels, transporting them all the way home in custom holding tanks of his own design. Despite the secrecy, frightened whispers followed Sir Reginald’s adventures, rumors regarding inhuman tests performed on unwilling locals. Such hearsay led to a personal invitation by the Creature to continue his work in Paris.

Reginald may roll one extra grey dice when throwing the switch to bring his body parts to life. Or he can charge one Leyden jar any time he wants. He’s really using those eels to his benefit.

Baptiste Rousseau

Born in Saint-Domingue to French colonialists, Baptiste's early years were a confusion of wealthy privilege and unchecked cruelty. Protected by his father's money, but tortured by his father's rage, he often inflicted violence on the feral dogs living on his island home, a troubling habit that spooked the locals. When the Haitian Revolution forced his family to flee, he was sent to Paris to study medicine in hopes of giving his dark inclinations a more productive outlet. After his inevitable expulsion, Baptiste continued to foster his newfound passion in private, earning the attention of the Creature by committing several daring acts of cadaver abduction from Hôtel-Dieu.

Untroubled by his actions, whether good or evil, Baptiste's humanity cannot change. Each time you place a second police marker on this card he loses one reputation. Better to embrace the darkness than deny one’s true self.

We dearly hope you have enjoyed this insightful, if not vulgar, look at our contestants. In our next preview we will be discussing those locations across Paris that these scientists and their assistants will be visiting to acquire those gross materials needed for their research. Abomination will give a disquieting lurch into stores as the summer of 2019 begins to fade from memory. Those of moral impurity will find it available for pre-order now.