The charcoal devil takes everything from you. It is true, because the neighbour says so. And when you’re seven years old, stuff like that seems very real – especially when your little brother is ill, you’re lonely, afraid and has recently moved into a rural house next to a large forest.

Keywords: Childish horror – loneliness – co-creation

The house is situated just next to the big dark forest. It is the Charcoal Devil’s house and seven year old Agnete and her parents has just moved in to it. Little Brother too, who coughs way too much. This is a place for adventure, at least if you ask Mum and Dad.

But for Agnete it’s no adventure. Out here it seems way too scary, too alien for her, too much something the grownups don’t understand. And when the mysterious neighbour begins to tell stories about The Charcoal Devil, things get worse. He takes everything from you, he says – the same way he took everything from the neighbour.

The Charcoal Devil is a psychological horror story told from a child's point of view. Agnete is the main character who is played by all four players in collaboration. The players also play all the supporting characters, and together they explore and build on to the scary world Agnete lives in. In that way the game is intended for players who like to add on to and co-create within the framework the scenario brings. The game is at the same time both very open and very tight – and don’t worry about keeping focus as a player, the game master’s main task is to keep the game focused on what’s important and what’s not.

Whether the ending is happy or fatal is not defined beforehand. That’s up to the players to decide during play.

About the author:
Mikkel Bækgaard is a Fastaval scenario writing veteran who has written games for the convention since 1997. This year he brings a dark story inspired by the very same forest and house he quite recently has moved in to. A place his own seven year old daughter doesn’t appreciate as much as he does.

Mikkel Bækgaard is a Danish scenario writing veteran who has written plenty of games since 1997. His previous games that have been played at Stockholm Scenario Festival are “Vasen Road” and “Midsummer”. “The Charcoal Devil” is a dark story inspired by the very same forest and house he quite recently has moved in to. A place his own daughter doesn’t appreciate as much as he does.

Kulfanden tager alting fra en. Det siger naboen selv. Og når man er syv år, er den slags ganske virkeligt – især når Lillebror er syg, man er ensom, bange og lige flyttet ind i huset ved skoven.

Stikord: Børnegyser – ensomhed – spillerne som medfortællere

Kulfandens hus ligger lige ved den store, mørke skov. Her er syvårige Agnete flyttet ind med sine forældre og lillebror, der hoster alt, alt for meget. Det er et sted fuld af eventyr, hvis man spørger Mor og Far.

Men for Agnete er det ikke et eventyr. Herude er alting skræmmende, fremmedartet og slet ikke noget, de voksne forstår. Og da den mystiske nabo kan fortælle historier om Kulfanden, bliver alting værre. For Kulfanden tager alting fra én – præcis som han tog alting fra naboen.

Kulfanden på Tinghusevej er en pyskologisk gyser i børnehøjde. Syvårige Agnete er den altoverskyggende hovedperson Spillerne er fælles om at spille hende og scenariets bipersoner, ligesom de er sammen om at udforske og opbygge den skræmmende verden, Agnete færdes i. Dermed henvender scenariet sig til spillere, der elsker sammen at bygge videre på de input, scenariet giver dem. Spillederen skal dog nok sørge for at holde fokus. Scenariet er nemlig både meget frit og meget stramt på samme tid.

Om det ender godt eller tragisk er ikke bestemt på forhånd. Det er spillerne også med til at bestemme.

Om forfatteren:
Mikkel Bækgaard er en af Fastavals mest erfarne forfattere. I år byder han ind med et mørkt eventyr inspireret af det hus og den skov, han selv for nylig er flyttet ud til – og som hans egen syvårige datter ikke altid værdsætter lige så meget, som han gør.