Overview
of play

This is the alpha playtest of Apawthecaria. You will play as a beast in the Bristley Woods, going on a journey and making remedies.

This is an overview of what you can expect to experience in the full game:

The end of one Journey is just the start of another! In the full game, you can start another Journey with the same character, or create a new one. Explore the Scottish landscape as seasons change, and different reagents bloom and fade.

Character Sheets

These are character sheets for the alpha playtest of Apawthecaria. You can download them by right-clicking or long-pressing on each one, and opening the original image in a new tab.

These sheets are drafts only, and will improve with feedback!

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introduction

Welcome to Apawthecaria: A Poulticepounder Adventure. This is the public Alpha of a journaling game set in the Bristley Woods, a wild Scottish forest from the Beast Fables setting. This game is a collaboration between Blackwell Games and Dungeons on a Dime, revising the Apothecaria system for you to explore the massive forests of post-human Scotland as a tiny beast.

How Do I Play?

Journaling games are usually played on your own. You will need something to write in that you can regularly update (such as a book, or a notes app), and a standard deck of 52 playing cards (or an app that can pick cards for you).

As you go on adventures through the Bristley Woods, record your characters' thoughts and escapades in your Journal, so that you can reflect on them later.

Here are some tips for you to follow as your play:

Can I Break The Rules?

The short answer is “Yes, if you want to”.
If a prompt from the game doesn’t fit the story you want to tell, no one will be looking over your shoulder to make sure you follow it.

That said, some of the Tools, Upgrades and Locations are harder to get to or more dangerous to traverse. This is intentional. Not every journey will be easy, and not every story has a happy ending. If you want to explore those themes with us, push on through the bad times, alongside the good.

Cultural Inspirations

This game merges two passion projects; the whimsical Apothecaria and the reflective Beast Fables. Our goal when writing this game is to inspire complex stories, with all the highs and lows of a cross country road trip. The aim of Apawthecaria is not to ‘win’, but to uncover stories that speak to you.

When writing this game, these pieces of media were in our hearts:

Legal Information

This document is a public preview and not reflective of a final product.

No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form (except excerpts for review purposes) without written permission from the publisher.

All written works in this document are copyright Brian Tyrrell & Dungeons on a Dime, and Anna Blackwell & Blackwell Games.

creating
your
poulticier

You're sitting by the side of a well-trodden road, surrounded by twisting oak trees and the trilling of work shanties from songbirds in the branches overhead. A strong breeze hassles rain clouds away and over the horizon, allowing dappling shafts of sunlight to flit through the oaks’ canopy above.

Nearby a puddle ripples with anticipation -- look into its depths, and find out who you are.

Who Are You?

Beasts of all shapes and sizes live in the Bristley Woods. The smaller live amongst the bigger, helping each other to survive and thrive. Together they can fend off the Behemoths that cast long shadows across the wooded landscape.

Draw from the deck, or choose one of the following beast descriptors.

How Do You Travel?

There are many important qualities a beast can have. In Apawthecaria, the two most relevant characteristics of your beast are Speed and Carry.

Carry determines how many tools and spare reagents you can take with you, while Speed affects how far you can travel as you move around the Bristley Woods.

Draw from the deck, or choose one of the following character styles. Record your Move and Carry scores on your character sheet.

How Did You Start Out?

Beasts such as us are practically minded. Our origins aren’t often with idle dreams, but with actions. Who or what first helped you onto your path as a Poulticepounder?

Journal about your origin. Draw from the table below if you need inspiration.

familiars

Journeys can be long and lonely experiences. Many Poulticepounders bring along a friend or write to a pen pal as a way of keeping their spirits high.

In the full game, you will be able to bring a Familiar with you on your Journey or write to one whenever you enter a Settlement or City.

This Familiar won't just be a trusted friend, but also an invaluable ally who will help you create remedies and navigate the dangers of the wild.

The Guild

You are a member of the Poulticepounders, a loose association of beasts who cure.

They forage for strange reagents, brew curious teas, and wander the Bristley Woods as often as they settle in it. The actions of any one Poulticepounder can change the reputation of the guild as a whole- for better or worse.

Reputation Score & Level

The guild’s Reputation is tracked with a score that can rise and fall as the consequence of your actions.

The Guild’s Reputation score starts at 5 on your first journey.

Gaining And Losing Reputation

In Apawthecaria, you can pass the mantle and play as many different characters. However, the Guild’s Reputation Score remains consistent across all journeys.

As the score reaches certain thresholds, new ailments, tools and story options will unlock for all Poulticepounders.

Equipment

All professionals carry with them tools of their trade, and Poulticepounders are no different.

You can hold as much Weight as your Carry stat.

Reagents

These are special ingredients with curative properties. Reagents usually contain enough for use in a single remedy and have a Weight of 1.

Tools

You use Tools to prepare different remedies and forage for reagents. Tools come with special rules (such as how they help you, and how much they weigh). All Poulticepounders start with the following tools:

Trinkets

The Bristley Woods knows no currency- instead, beasts trade in favours, stories. When you help beasts on your journey, you will most likely receive Trinkets from them, which you can use in the future to upgrade your tools, barter for reagents and complete special story events.

Trinkets do not have a Weight, and do not affect how much you can Carry.

When you receive any number of trinkets, Journal about one of them. You can draw on the Trinkets Table in the Almanac for inspiration.

You start your first journey with a single trinket of your own.

Journal about what this trinket means to you.

Embarking on

Seasonal
Journeys

Poulticepounders are rarely stationary. The requirements of their profession pull them into dew-laden fields, through dark forests and atop wind-swept peaks. Their patients are equally as far-flung, living in isolated communities in treetop towns and rootbound villages. Therefore, it makes the most sense for Poulticepounders to undertake a grand journey every season that brings them on a full tour of the Bristley Woods.

Understanding Journeys

Journeys are broken down into the following pieces of information:

In the full game, you will be able to chart your own journeys around the Bristley Woods, with your own story evolving over the passing seasons.

For this public Alpha, you can choose from a selection of curated journeys instead.

Taking Your Time

Each Journey comes with a set Journey Timer. It will decrease as you move around the Bristley Woods, and certain events can cause it to fall further.

If this timer reaches 0, your Journey isn't over. Continue moving towards your final Destination, but bear in mind that the conclusion of your story may have an unexpected or negative outcome.

QuickStart
Journeys

A - Setting Roots

What’s good for the goose, is also good for the geese! Without your fellow Poulticiers, you could never have gotten as far as you have as fast as you have. It’s your turn to uphold your Guild’s good standing in the woods.

B - A Collaborative Effort

A curious Stitcher has asked that you sketch the ailments of your patients while on your regular tour of the Bristley Woods so that they can better understand the diverse anatomy of the woods’ beasts.

C - Wounds Across The Water

Something severe has happened, and a beast is in dire need. However you make it to your journey’s end, you need to find something that will guide this patient from the roads Elsewhere, or otherwise ease their passage.

Understanding

Ailments

As a Poulticepounder, you know the different signs and symptoms of Ailments that afflict the beasts in your community.

Ailments are recorded in the Almanac. Each entry contains information that you will use at different steps of play.

Example Ailment - Paw Rot

Minor ~ [INFECTION ＊] [PAW ⁑] ~ Timer 6
After walking one too many days on sodden soil, the webbing in-between this beast's paws is itchy and swollen. Something applied regularly every day for a few weeks should clear it up…

Outcome: If the remedy is PRESERVED - with this long-lasting unguent, this infection can be treated reliably when it shows up again. Next time you come through this location, gain 1 trinket from a grateful patient.

Consequence: While a minor issue on its own, this beast is rather popular. Who else have they spread their Paw Rot to? The next time you visit this location, the only ailment you can try to resolve is Paw Rot.

Understanding

Reagents

The Bristley Woods are full of curatives that you can grind, chew and brew into remedies for different ailments. Like Ailments, you can find these Reagents recorded in the Almanac with their own special information:

What Can I Prepare?

All Poulticepounders have access to these preparation methods, and can purchase new tools to access more:

Example Reagent - Goosegrass

Goosegrass | PLANT| Forest (3) -- Meadow (2) | Spring
An interminable nuisance for furry beasts, the difficulty isn’t in finding this Reagent but in removing it from whoever it’s stuck to!

Identifying
an ailment

As you travel across the Bristley Woods, you will earn food, shelter and supplies from the beasts you meet in exchange for helping them with their problems.

To do this you need to identify what is wrong, by establishing who the patient is, what symptoms they have, which local reagents could help, and finally setting a timer to complete your remedy before.

1 - Who Is The Patient?

Draw twice from the deck to find out who your patient is.

In the full game, you will have access to a whole host of tables to generate patients from, ready for you to pick and choose as you like!

2 - How Serious Is The Issue?

Draw from the deck to find out how severe the ailment is.

If your result is above the Reputation level of the Poulticepounders, instead take the highest level of responsibility you can handle.

3 - What Are The Symptoms?

Draw from the Deck and consult the relevant Ailment Severity table in the Pounder’s Almanac.

In the full game, there will be over 50 exciting ailments for you to face, with consequences ranging from minor inconvenience to so ground-shaking, they permanently change the forest you will play in.

4 - Research Reagents

Note down your current location and any locations that are adjacent (linked by a single path). For each of your ailment’s [TAGS], go through the Almanac and find any reagents with the same [TAGS] and equal or greater potencies.

Each of the Ailment’s [TAGS] needs to be addressed by at least one reagent. A reagent will have to be gathered twice if you plan to prepare it for two different [TAGS].

Reagents that can be prepared for [a TAG] and [a second TAG] can satisfy both tags with a single gathering.

5 - Write Your List

On your list, write down the reagents’ names, and rarities. Then, make adjustments to each reagent’s rarity depending on any modifiers given from your local and adjacent Regions, the current Season, and any Tools, Companions or Familiars that are helping you.

When writing your list, the highest rarity a reagent can have (including modifiers) is 13.

6 - Set The Timer

Lastly, make a note of the ailment’s timer. If there isn’t one, set the timer to 13.

foraging

With your patient’s ailment identified, and your list grasped firmly in your paw, you are ready to go foraging for reagents!

As you forage you will choose locations to search for reagents, drawing from the deck to see how successful you are. As you find reagents and accrue foraging points, you will also have to resolve foraging encounters that change depending on the region you are in and the current season. The timer will change as you forage and resolve events.

1 - Choose A Location

To start foraging, choose a location to forage in. You can forage in your Current location, or in an Adjacent location that is linked by a single unbroken path.

2 - Draw From The Deck

With your location locked in, draw a card from the deck and set it to the side.

3 - Forage

Compare the value of the card to the reagents.

4 - Encounter

After foraging, compare the same card to the encounter table of the region you are in. Follow the instructions of your card’s entry.

5 - Check Bags

After completing an encounter, if you have foraged enough reagents you can move on to creating a remedy.

6 - Decrease Timer

If you cannot create a remedy after an encounter, instead of decrease the Timer dependant on where you foraged:

Continue choosing locations to forage in for reagents, accruing foraging points and completing encounters.

If the timer reaches 0, you should Prepare To Leave.

Bartering

Little settlements and thriving cities dot the landscape of the Bristley Woods. Here, beasts of all shapes and sizes work together to make life easier for one another.

In the full game, their pantries and markets will be an invaluable source of off-season and far away reagents.

Creating a remedy

Once you have enough correct reagents, you can create a remedy.

Review your ailment and your reagent’s different preparation requirements.

Create a recipe for your remedy, record it in your Journal, and write about the process of inventing or repeating this recipe.

If all of your current ailments have a remedy prepared to solve them, you can begin Preparing to Leave. Otherwise, go back to Foraging or Bartering for more reagents.

Something Unexpected!

You can draw on the following tables for scene prompts and inspiration when journaling your remedies.

Preparing
to leave

When you have concluded your business at a location (or have outstayed your welcome), you can
prepare to leave. Set your Foraging Points to 0, and complete the actions in this list as relevant.

1 - Trading Remedies

If you have successfully created a remedy for your patient’s ailment, they will reward your hard work with trinkets from their own collection.

2 - Building Rapport

Successfully treating an ailment will raise the guild’s reputation by 1 point per difficult level of the ailment.

For example, a Serious ailment raises the guild’s reputation by 3 points.

3 - Resolving Outcomes

Some ailments have optional Outcomes. If you create a remedy that matches one of the criteria, follow its instructions when resolving that ailment.

4 - Scrounging

If you have any leftover time, you can Forage for extra ingredients to Carry with you. You can decrease your remaining Timers by:

5 - Leftovers

If you have gathered any reagents with multiple uses, you may choose to carry the leftovers with you.

6 - Facing Consequences

If an ailment’s timer reaches 0 and you don’t have sufficient reagents to create a remedy, face the consequences of that ailment. If an ailment has no consequences, lose 1 reputation instead.

7 - Civilised Services

Whenever you leave a Settlement or City, you can browse the local markets and trade Trinkets for Tools and Upgrades. Check the Tools & Upgrades section of the Almanac for more details.

In the full game, you will be able to hire the services of local Guilds whenever you are in Settlements or Cities to aid you on your way.

8 - Moving On

Once you have completed the relevant steps, you will be able to move to a new location on your Journey towards your destination.

Travelling

Your map of the Bristley Woods is filled with Locations joined together by Paths. Each location is colour coded to show what kind of Region it is in. You Travel along these paths to a new location, completing a Travel Encounter depending on the region you move into. As you move towards your journey's destination, your Journey Timer will decrease, and a sense of urgency will grow!

You can use this restricted map of the Bristley Woods with the Alpha Playtesting Kit.

The full map contains over 200 locations, 40 settlements and 6 customised cities for you to explore!

Locations

Each spot on the map that you can stop at is called a Location. There are four kinds of location:

Regions

There are six Regions that summarise the kinds of landscape you will travel through. Each location is colour-coded to show which region it is:

In the alpha, you will explore Forests, Meadows and Lochs, but the full game allows you to explore over 30 square kilometres of Scotland's landscape.

Paths

Locations are connected by Paths, which can be travelled in both directions. When two paths meet and form a junction, they count as a single path in either direction.

Waterways

Waterways are special paths. They are blue with a small wavy line through them and connect to Loch region locations.

You cannot end your movement in Loch locations unless you have special tools.

The exception to this rule are Loch Settlements. Notice how the Loch settlement is connected by a Path to the Wild Meadow and Forest; residents have helpfully built bridges for travellers, allowing access to all beasts.

How To Move

When you are ready to leave your current location, you Move. You can travel along a number of paths equal to your Speed score, which is determined by your Travel Style and modified by certain tools, upgrades and events.

In the example above, setting out from the Mountain City with a Speed of 3 you could stop in either of the Wild Meadows or the Meadow Settlement. The Wild Forests would be too far to reach in a single Move.

Resupplying. After completing a move, you will need to stop at your location to resupply. Resolve a remedy to be able to move again.

Swimming. You can cross along two waterways during a single move. However, you cannot stop in a Loch location, and any carried reagents you have will be ruined by the soaking and must be discarded.

Travelling freely over the water is ‘loched’ off until you get a waterproof bag or bark coracle!

Travel Encounters

Each time you move into a location, you will encounter something new, exciting or dangerous.

Wilds and Titan Ruins. Draw from the Travel Encounter table in the Almanac to find out what happens. The region you are travelling into and the current season will determine which tables you will use.

Settlements and Cities. In the full game, settlements and cities will have their own custom encounter tables, to represent the diverse lifestyles in the Bristley Woods. For the alpha, instead, draw from the Wild Travel Encounter tables.

Just like with Ailment Timers, each time you complete a Travel Encounter you should decrease your Journey Timer by 1.

Soaring

In the full game, you will be able to travel through the Bristley Woods by Soaring, either by using your own wings or contraptions or by hiring the services of friendly eagles.

Soaring is both freeing and highly dangerous. There is nowhere to hide in the sky, and birds of prey hunt for a quick lunch.

Ending a
Journey

Your paws have trodden many paths, and your almanac has been thoroughly thumbed for all manner of ailments, reagents and potent remedies. It's been hard work, but you've finally reached your destination. What next?

In this final stage of the game, take time to reflect on your previous journal entries. Consider the questions ahead, and conclude your Journey.

The Last Stop

When you complete your last travel encounter and arrive at your final destination, do not move on to diagnosing an ailment and foraging for reagents.

Instead, consider these questions:

Significant Outcomes

If you think any of the answers to the previous prompts would have a significant impact on your future journeys as a Poulticepounder, you may choose to follow one or more of these outcomes.

Downtime & Relaxation

You will no doubt be tired after reaching your destination and resolving your goals.

In the full game, in the downtime between journeys, you will be able to commission new wagons, establish clinics across the Bristley Woods, and take time to recover from your trip. There are cities to explore, beasts to meet, and winters to hibernate through.

Your responsibilities and a sense of wanderlust will always call you back to the road. However, right now you can relax and enjoy all the pleasures the woods and its changing seasons can offer.

Friends Old and New

After completing a journey in the full game, you will be able to reunite with beasts you have met in your travels, bringing them with you as Familiars on your adventures.

New Horizons

In the full version of Apawthecaria, your journeys across the Bristley Woods can span seasons and multiple Poulticepounders.

For now, you can restart with a different journey back at Odoak.

Almanac:

TAGS

[TAGS] are used as a shorthand to describe either the symptoms of an Ailment or the different properties of a Reagent. The following is a list of all tags used in Apawthecaria.

Almanac:

Ailments

As a Poulticepounder, you know the different signs and symptoms of Ailments that afflict the beasts in your community.

Minor Ailments

A - Firstfever

Minor ~ [TEMPERATURE ٭] [INFECTION ٭] [SLEEP ٭] ~ Timer 7
A mild enough disease that many cubs and kits catch. Having fought it off they gain immunity to many more dangerous fevers they could contract later in life. Many parents host 'fever partys', to promote herd immunity.

2 - Dullsweats

Minor ~ [BREATH ٭] [SENSES٭] [JOY ٭] ~ Timer 6
After too long spent burrowed under sweaty blankets away from the world, this beast is looking to set themselves back onto a happier path. They want something to clear their nose, open their eyes, and lift their spirits.

3 - Anxious Scratching

Minor ~ [MOOD ⁑] and [FUR ٭] or [FEATHER ٭] or [SCALE ٭] ~ Timer: 7
Something has this beast under a tremendous amount of stress and they’ve started to moult uncontrollably.

Consequence: The beast moults completely. What physical or social pressures do they face now? Lose 1 Reputation.

4 - Forge Clawed

Minor ~ [BURN ٭] and [WOUND ٭] ~ Timer: 4
Whether working directly on hot metal or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, this beast has been speckled with hot sparks. Small angry burns cover their pelt, and the hide underneath is exposed. A simple poultice should do the trick.

Consequence: The beast leaves their burns untended, and in your absence they become infected. Now they weep with puss, and may even scar. Lose 1 Reputation.

5 - Safety Stench

Minor ~ [SCENT ⁑] and [NERVES ٭] or [INSTINCT ٭] ~ Timer 10
A beast wants to ward off all unwanted company by making the entrance of their barrow stink of something frightening, like a giant behemoth.

Consequence: The Titans had an apt phrase; ‘Hell is other people’. How does this irate beast lash out at passersby? Lose 1 Reputation.

6 - Waen Drops

Minor ~ [PAIN ⁑] and minimum [Fair 3] ~ Timer: 8
This beast’s litter are all old enough to start teething in their big fangs, and they whinge constantly about the ache. This tired parent wants something that will soothe their jaws a little, and distract the ankle-biters, if only for an hour or two.

Consequence: An infectious case of whinging has spread from the little beasts to their parents. Lose 2 Reputation as they gossip about you at the market.

7 - Paw Rot

Minor ~ [INFECTION ＊] [PAW ⁑] ~ Timer 6
After walking one too many days on sodden soil, the webbing in-between this beast's paws is itchy and swollen. Something applied regularly every day for a few weeks should clear it up…

Outcome: If the remedy is PRESERVED - with this long-lasting unguent, this infection can be treated reliably when it shows up again. Next time you come through this location, gain 1 trinket from a grateful patient.

Consequence: While a minor issue on its own, this beast is rather popular. Who else have they spread their Paw Rot to? The next time you visit this location, the only ailment you can try to resolve is Paw Rot.

8 - Tickbitten

Minor ~ [FUR ⁑] [PARASITE ٭] ~ Timer : 8
These parasites aren’t so bad if you get them early but removing them incorrectly can lead to all manner of diseases and infections. Always remember to do a tick check after being out in long grass!

Consequence: The ticks have jumped ship, and are now bothering everyone in the village. What gossip is spreading about your patient?

Mark the nearest Settlement. When you next pass through, instead of drawing you must solve two cases of Tickbitten with concurrent timers.

9 - Fond Farewell

Minor ~ [ELSEWHERE ٭] [JOY ٭] - Timer: 4
Johnny Hop-legs the Third, esteemed pet grasshopper and treasured friend, has journeyed on Elsewhere. A litter of saddened cubs want to hold a wake.

Consequence: With no ceremony to commemorate their friend’s passing, what memories of Johnny Hop-legs the Third will fade as these young cubs grow up?

10 - Sunstuck

Minor ~ [SLEEP ٭] [SENSES ⁑] and [FEATHER ٭] or [HIDE ٭] ~ Timer: 8
This hardworking Moonmessenger, normally nocturnal, has been flying extra messages during the day. They need a soothing tonic to help get their circadian rhythm back to normal.

Consequences: “Don’t fly tired!”- if only this messenger had listened to their basic training. Write about a mistake they made on the job. Lose 1 Reputation.

J - The Runs

Minor ~ [STOMACH ٭] [POISON ٭] [PARASITE ٭] ~ Timer: 8
After wantonly drinking from random puddles, this patient can’t keep something from rushing right out the other end after eating. The beast’s partner wants some medicine to clear up their sickness (with a regrettable flavour to teach this puddle drinker a lesson).
Outcomes:

Consequences: Puddle drinking was just the start. Poor hygiene and a disregard for dirt are in this beast’s future.

Mark the nearest Settlement. Next time you arrive at this location, instead of drawing you must resolve the intermediate ailment Woeful Waters.

M - Monthly Chore

Minor ~ [SCALES ⁑] [PAIN ٭] ~ Timer: 6
This lizard is rubbing up against every hard surface they can find to soothe the itching of their scales. It’s almost time for them to shed, but if they can’t find a way of soothing it soon they may rub the new skin underneath raw.

Consequences: There are flakes of dead skin everywhere, and the lizard is too sore to clean up. You can stay to help clean (reducing your Speed to 1 for your next Travel), or slink off and Lose 1 Reputation.

Almanac:

Reagents

These are special ingredients with curative properties. Reagents usually contain enough for use in a single remedy and have a Weight of 1. The section is a list of all forageable reagents in the Alpha Playtest.

In the full game, there will be hundreds of reagents ranging from mundane to truly alien for you to pound into poultices!

For these many reagents, there will also be comprehensive and efficient tables to quickly find the reagent you're looking for!

Beast

Animal Sheddings
BEAST | All Regions (3) | Spring
One beast's sheddings can be another beast's treasures. The best time to forage for old matter is in spring when new coats grow in and the forest floor is cool but dry.

Big Fish
BEAST | Loch (7) | Spring and Autumn
Wide tailed and long of body, many varieties of larger fish swim in the depths of the Bristley Woods' waterways. Salmon, Trouts and Pike are just some of them.

Behemoth Droppings
BEAST | All Regions (8) | Summer and Winter
Wolves, bears, herds of deer- the behemoths of the Bristley Woods are too large to care about the whims of smaller beasts. They eat who they like and trample where they please. That isn’t to say that an opportunistic Poulticepounder can’t find some use for them...

Bird Leavings
BEAST | All Regions (4) | Summer
When you fly everywhere, one can be a little careless with what is left behind. Bird’s especially!

Frog Slime
BEAST | Loch (5) - Bog (7) | Spring and Autumn
Not exactly a secret, but more of an impolite thing to mention; frogs secrete a slime that is effective at suppressing diseases and deterring ticks from their prefered aquatic domiciles. It’s always a little awkward asking to scrape one down.

Small Fish
BEAST | Loch (5) | Spring and Autumn
Loach, Minnows, Chubs and Graylings are just some of the sleek freshwater fish that can be found in the rivers and Lochs of the Bristley Woods. Their tiny darting forms are highly sought after by Herons and Dippers alike.

Toad Venom
BEAST | Loch (10) - Bog 7) | Spring and Autumn
Until very recently, toads have isolated themselves from the other beasts of the woods. The venom they emit when stressed tastes vile, and when ingested causes victims to froth at the mouth and go numb, or delirious in severe cases.

Earth

Clay
EARTH | Forest (9) - Bog (3) - Loch (5) | Seasonless
Dense and heavy, most beasts fire this in kilns to make pottery. Only Poulticepounders know of its more immediate properties...

Dense Charcoal
EARTH | Forest (4) - Meadow (7) | Seasonless
Beavers like to set up kilns in clearings near their rivers, burning spare branches from their lodge-building to make this versatile resource. It can also be found in the wild, where behemoths have made camp.

Fine Sand
EARTH | Loch (7) - Mountain (10) | Seasonless
Washed of silt and dirt, these tiny grains of silica are great for filtering remedies and removing impurities from liquids.

Insect

Beehive
INSECT | Forest (11) - Meadow (8) | All Seasons
Made from chewed bark, this natural hive contains a busy colony of honey bees. They can be aggressive if startled, but slow measured movements and a little woodsmoke will facilitate safe harvesting.

Beetles
INSECT | Forest (3) - Meadows (4) - Mountain (6) - Bog (4) | Spring, Summer and Autumn
Stout, with shiny carapaces and strong mandibles, they eat detritus from the forest floor and love dark, damp places they can hide in.

Honey Bees
INSECT | Forest (5) - Meadow (3) - Bog (7) | Spring, Summer and Autumn
All-female, these fuzzy workers can be seen swooping from flower to flower as they collect nectar for their hive.

Maggots
INSECT | Forest (6) - Meadow (9) - Bog (4) | Spring and Summer
Flies like to lay their eggs on rotting carcases and piles of waste. Gathering maggots before they hatch is a grim endeavour, with suitably potent rewards.

Slugs
INSECT | Forest (7) - Meadow (5) - Bog (3) - Mountain (7) | Spring, Summer and Autumn
A favourite of frogs and toads, these slow-moving livestock are ideal for equally patient herders.

Spiders
INSECT | Forest (3) - Meadow (5) - Bog (7) - Mountain (9) | Spring, Summer and Autumn
Master spinner in their own right, spiders are a common pet kept by mice and voles. They help keep other insects out of their homes and like to live in the tall nooks and crannies these smaller beasts often struggle to reach.

Wasps
INSECT | Forest (5) - Meadow (4) | Spring, Summer and Autumn
These insects are almost permanently in a foul mood, and only the Hivewardens with the strange pheromones seem to be able to tame them.

Plant

Beech
PLANT | Forest (5) - Meadows (7) / Winter and Spring
A towering tree bearing tasty seedy nibbles, hidden within an outer brown shell.

Blackcurrant
PLANT | Forest (5) - Meadow (6) / Spring and Summer
In the height of summer, this shrub produces dark berries with a distinctly earthy flavour. Young cubs crave their sweetness, but Poulticepounders value the whole bush!

Brambles
PLANT | Mountain (4) - Forest (7) - Meadow (6) | Summer and Autumn
Barbed canes shelter sweet clusters of sticky jewels that are perfect for baking fruit crumbles and creating fast remedies.

Burdock
PLANT | Forest (4) - Meadow (3) | All Seasons
More commonly called ‘Stray’s Pleasure’, burdock presents beautifully big leaves to shelter beneath during showers of rain, and its roots are delicious when sauteed with honey, similar to parsnips. A perfect treat for pastoral beasts.

Catnip
PLANT | Meadow (7) - Mountains (9) | Spring and Autumn
A favourite among felines, this minty plant gives a sense of peace and relaxation when eaten ( at least, so the cats claim).

Chillies
PLANT | Forest (7) - Meadows (5) - Titan (4) | Spring and Summer
A bright red plant from far off climes, these plants burn the mouth but ease aches and pains if applied correctly.

Crab Apples
PLANT | Forest (6) - Meadow (6) - Bog (5) -- Mountain (8) | Autumn
Highly acidic and very sour, these small-yet-plentiful fruits are a staple in the homes of farming beasts, as they help set jams and jellies.

Dandelions
PLANT | Forest (4) - Meadow (2) - Bog (3) - Mountain (3) | Spring and Summer
A common sight in fields, meadows, hills and forests all across the Bristley Woods, and far beyond. These delicious flowers are well-loved for their many uses.

Goosegrass
PLANT| Forest (3) - Meadow (2) | Spring
An interminable nuisance for furry beasts, the difficulty isn’t in finding this Reagent but in removing it from whoever it’s stuck to!

Horse Chestnut
PLANT | Forest (5) - Meadow (4) - Loch (6) | Autumn & Winter
These massive trees are a tried and trusted home to many birds and beasts. They also happen to drop delicious seeds, with spiky shells!

Lavender
PLANT | Forest (9) - Meadow (5) | Spring & Summer
Fragrant when rubbed between claw and paw, this soporific shrub can be spotted easily for its purple flowers.

Marigold
PLANT | Forest (5) - Meadow (2) - Loch (5) - Mountain (4) | Summer & Autumn
Vibrantly yellow, these little flowers are flush with nectar that attracts bees, butterflies and other insects.

Rhubarb
PLANT | Meadow (2) - Forest (5) - Mountain (5) | Spring & Summer
An invasive weed to some, while a delicious perennial to others. Rhubarb's massive leaves and tart stalks make it a staple in many rural beast's larders.

Ribwort
PLANT | Meadow (3) - Bog (2) - Forest (6) | Spring & Summer
Easily confused for simple grass, Ribwort anchors its short spikey green leaves using a long taproot. In the summer, brown flowers wave from their tallest stalks.

Strawberry
PLANT | Forest (6) - Meadow (4) - Bog (8) | Autumn
Small red diamonds with a fragrant scent that invokes a longing for blustery summer days. They flourish under the care of a farmer, but are so popular amongst foragers that they are hard to find in the wild.

Tansies
Meadow (6) - Forest (8) - Loch (7) | Spring
A captivating sweet scent oozes from alluring button-like flowers, shielded by ferny foliage. Tansies are beautiful; but if mishandled, their toxic oils can kill.

Wild Garlic
PLANT | Forest (2) | Summer
Easy to find thanks to its incredible stench, Doughfellows love them but Poulticepounders know their true use is in cleaning the blood and clearing the lungs.

Yellow Wort
PLANT | Meadow (5) - Forest (7) | Summer
Seemingly delicate, this flower thrives in rough chalky soil. Neighbouring Bee-orchids and Rock-roses, it is a favourite of moths and butterflies.

Titan

In the full game, all sorts of discarded titan relics await the paws of your Poulticepounders. Mysterious Firegizzards grow hot at a touch, Ironslugs can be squeezed for potent serums, and Hidelendings will hold together the direst of wounds.

Almanac:

Travel Encounters

Each time you move into a location, you will encounter something new, exciting or dangerous.

Which Tables To Draw From

When you need to resolve a Travel Encounter, use the Base Table of the Region you are moving into, and the Modifier Table of the current season. Complete the suggested action.

E.G. Base (Forest) + Season (Forest, Spring)

Understanding Encounter Tables

Each encounter comes with up to three pieces of information:

While all encounters will have an event, some may have only questions, only actions, or neither.

Forest

Forest Travel in Spring

Meadow

Meadow Travel in Spring

loch

Loch Travel in Spring

Almanac:

Foraging Encounters

Which Tables To Draw From

When you need to resolve a Travel Encounter, use the Base Table of the Region you are moving into, and the Modifier Table of the current season. Complete the suggested action.

E.G. Base (Forest) + Season (Forest, Spring)

Understanding Encounter Tables

Each encounter comes with up to three pieces of information:

While all encounters will have an event, some may have only questions, only actions, or neither.

Forest

Forest Foraging in Spring

Meadow

Meadow Foraging in Spring

Loch

Loch Foraging in Spring

Almanac:

Trinkets

The beasts of the Bristley Woods will reward your skilful solutions with their spare possessions, called Trinkets. You can use these trinkets to barter for new tools, upgrades and reagents, and resolve problems in the world.

When you receive any number of trinkets, Journal about one of them.

You can draw three times from the trinket table for inspiration about what you have been given.

Almanac:

Tools & Upgrades

You use Tools to prepare different remedies and forage for reagents. Tools come with special rules (such as how they help you, and how much they weigh).

While Preparing To Leave a settlement or city, you can browse its market stalls and trade trinkets you have collected for any of the following upgrades:

Companions, Wagons and Clinics

In the full game, you will be able to befriend insects who will keep you company on your journeys, commission the construction of Wagons which will greatly expand what you can take with you, and establish Clinics for the beasts of the Bristley Woods to visit!