The Conservatory

The Conservatory is an ominous & enigmatic institution. It could be a magical college, a mysterious church,  an inscrutable greenhouse, a cursed performing arts academy, a shadowy spy agency, a haunted film studio, a spooky hunting lodge, a notorious corporation, a terrifying martial arts gym, a bizarre hospital, or any sort of organization doing the Work, a craft influenced by otherworldly forces. The Conservatory is a tarot-based collaborative storytelling game for 1-5 players about founding a powerful, esoteric, & occult institution, setting it in motion, & tracing its history as it becomes shaped by & embroiled in havoc, leaving a perilous impact on the world. The game plays out in a series of eras where players draw cards & answer prompts about the institution & its members, as well as its practices, plans, & influence on the local environment and community, each culminating in a dramatic bookend that will define its future. It works as a stand alone experience or as a world building game for another system. A zine edition is available from Plus One Exp: https://plusoneexp.com/products/the-conservatory The Conservatory was originally conceived as a prequel world-building game to Major Magicka , a game about bizarro magic college. ~~~ Front & back cover art by Jack Taylor . Additional art by Thomas E. Whitney and Devin Nelson. The layout is designed for spreads but a single page version is also available.