It's Worse Than That!

Free. Start here.

It's Worse Than That! is a practice tool for GMs and Keepers who want to get sharper at delivering consequences fast, under pressure, without hesitating when the table needs you most.

Think of it as an improv dojo. Short, high-pressure situations where you make a call, set a consequence, and keep things moving before the moment goes cold. The goal is reps. The point is that it gets easier.

What you get

Three files, free to download:

Night Move Sampler. Six situations drawn from Brindlewood Bay and Public Access. For each one, you read the setup, make a call, and pick a response that escalates rather than deflects. Multiple player options push you toward the harder answer.

Devil's Bargain Sampler. Five situations built around one of the trickiest improvisational skills at the table: offering a consequence that's external, seductive, and still makes sense in the fiction. These are reps. Run them until it becomes instinct.

Katas 4 Keepers. A short piece on the practice philosophy behind the whole project. Worth reading before you run your first scenario.

Who this is for

If you've ever frozen up when a player looks at you expecting a consequence (in any game, any system), this is probably useful to you.

The scenarios span Carved from Brindlewood, Forged in the Dark, and Rooted in Trophy games. The skills transfer anywhere you're improvising under pressure. Consequences, escalation, keeping things moving before the moment goes cold: that's the work.

"Creative scenarios… great prompts for flexing your GM improv skills — while having fun." — Adrenaline Games

"The intersecting point of this Venn diagram of GM mischief is a small target to hit — but practice makes perfect." — Marsh Davies, Teeth RPG

The "It's Worse Than That!" series

It's Worse Than That! - Winter 2025 collects 24 ready-to-run scenarios across four CfB games. Two dollars. Basically a tip jar.

It's Worse Than That! - Spring 2026 focuses entirely on Devil's Bargains from Forged in the Dark and Rooted in Trophy games. Tempting offers, ugly costs, trouble players accept with a grin. Three dollars. Winter 2025 owners get a dollar off.

Both volumes are available together for four dollars: It's Worse Than That! is better in a bundle

Follow along here if you want to know when the next one drops.

Where these scenarios come from

The Night Move scenarios are drawn from Brindlewood Bay, Public Access, Rosewood Abbey, and Teeth. The Devil's Bargain scenarios come from As the Sun Forever Sets and Bump in the Dark.

Several situations were developed during active playtesting of Beneath Ahknoor, an OSR-flavored megadungeon for Carved from Brindlewood.