GHOUL

GHOUL is a game similar to BINGO created by GM Zythica and introduced at the 2015 Ebon Gate Festival. It was originally hosted by Master Boring, and Goblyn took over the hosting duties in 5117 (2017).

Beginning in 2017, a service pass was required to play GHOUL at Ebon Gate.

Supplies

In order to play, one must have a dauber and a simple GHOUL card, and silvers are required to buy the card. These will be sold in the room outside of the game room. For example:

[Murk Manor, Garden Courtyard]

Sprawling grounds radiate out from the courtyard past a ramshackle greenhouse to the west, while the eastern edge of the courtyard is backed by an expansive abandoned manor. Scattered around -- and sometimes toppled over in -- overgrown hedges adorned with dried out seaweed and sea fans, rusted wrought iron benches provide ample viewing spots for a four-poster bed frame that partially covers the remains of a battered and broken fountain. Shading a meandering pathway, several spindly trees spread their barren branches out overhead. You also see a stone pedestal with a simple GHOUL folio on it and a wooden placard.

Welcome to GHOUL In The Greenhouse, not-so-original home of the original GHOUL game!  You can purchase game cards from the folio, and don't forget to buy a dauber to mark your cards!

See the rules sign within the greenhouse for more information on how the game is played.

>buy dauber
A sales clerk accepts your note and gives you a new one.
A sales clerk makes a quick trip to a back storage area and returns with an eel-capped dark fel dauber.  Handing it to you carefully, a sales clerk says, "Here's your dauber.  Hope you enjoy it."

>buy folio
You toss 2500 silvers next to a simple GHOUL folio, and they quickly shimmer out of existence.  The folio becomes transparent at your touch, and you jerk your hand back when a small spark jumps out at your fingers.  You find yourself holding a simple GHOUL card as the folio becomes opaque again.

How to Play

Game Card

In order to play, one should be familiar with the game card. Only fresh cards purchased the day of the game or during the appropriate festival may be used at that game. The card must be fresh and unused before a game starts to be eligible. Only the person who purchases a card may use that card if they want to be eligible to win.

LOOK at the card to see the numbers. Always use LOOK MY CARD because there may be old ones on the ground or in the trash.

LOOK >l my card Cut from thick parchment, the square card has been precisely stamped with a black-outlined grid. The contents of each cell in the grid have likewise been stamped in blue ink, but in a more hastily done manner, with some markings being crooked or unevenly applied. Messily written in the upper left corner of the card is "Purchased by: BUYER". |==================================| | G | H | O | U | L | |==================================| | 10 | 20 | 39 | 52 | 72 | |----------------------------------| | 02 | 29 | 35 | 47 | 74 | |----------------------------------| | 04 | 23 | FREE | 50 | 62 | |----------------------------------| | 06 | 22 | 31 | 54 | 64 | |----------------------------------| | 05 | 16 | 44 | 53 | 70 | |----------------------------------| | WINNING CARDS ONLY REDEEMABLE | | BY THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER. | |==================================|

Analyze You analyze your GHOUL card and sense that the item is largely free from merchant alteration restrictions, but the creator has stated that "The item type should not change." The creator has also provided the following information: This card is from a festival game and cannot be altered during the time the festival is running. Should you wish to alter it later, it must remain a card of some sort, and it supports both a long description and a show. The letter headings on the card and writings on the card can be altered, but there are some parts which can never be changed. An extremely talented merchant may also be able to change the numbers or location of the FREE spot as well. You can mark spaces on this card with the DAUB verb while holding a dauber item. Type DAUB HELP for more information. You can FOLD the card to crease it to make it alterable, but doing so also makes it ineligible for gameplay. If you no longer want this card, you can freely THROW it away. You get no sense of whether or not the card may be further lightened.

Case and Sign

Besides the card and dauber, the case and sign are also important to be familiar with.

[Murk Manor, Greenhouse]

Rusted wrought iron inset with panes of glass rises up in a circular shape, gradually curving into a lofty dome crowned with an elaborate cupola. Suffocating and darkening the rear half of the structure, wilted vines climb through the open spaces to hang down over rotted planters and crumbling pots that have been shoved up against the walls. Dead leaves, plant matter, and ocean detritus litter the floor. At the front of the greenhouse, a verdigrised bronze-backed chair sits next to a glass-set plain wooden case and a small dented wastebin. You also see a very important RULES sign.

The sign describes the game options and general rules:

GHOUL is a traditional BINGO-style game.  In order to play, you must be holding a valid game card and dauber.  You can type DAUB HELP to get more information on how to mark your card with the dauber.

GAMEPLAY:
On your GHOUL card are 24 random numbers out of 75 total possible numbers, laid out in a 5x5 grid, and with each number corresponds to a certain letter - 01-15 for G, 16-30 for H, 31-45 for O, 46-60 for U and 61-75 for L.

Before each game, the host will announce a winning pattern, prize and number of winners.  Then, the game will start by numbers randomly being selected by the host.  When a number you have is called, you can DAUB it in order to mark it on your card.

RULES:
* You must DAUB your card only with numbers which have been called and are marked on the case.  Cards marked with numbers not called are ineligible to win.
* Only patterns which are listed on the case or announced by the host are valid to win.
* You must call 'GHOUL!' when you have won.  In case of multiple winners, whoever has the most daubed spaces on their card wins.
* You can use GHOUL cards purchased at any time during the current festival.
If unmarked, GHOUL cards can also be reused as you like.
* You can only play one GHOUL card at one time.
* Prizes will be announced before the game commences.  No refunds; all payouts are final.

WINNING PATTERNS:
Each game will have a different winning pattern and may or may not include the FREE space as applicable.

SINGLE LINE - This pattern is any line of 5 numbers, either vertical, horizontal or diagonal.
DOUBLE LINE - This pattern is any two single lines of 5 numbers; they may or may not be able intersect.  Some games may require certain intersections like the X- or L-patterns.
BLACKOUT - All numbers on the card must have been called.
4 CORNERS - This pattern is simply the four corners of the 5x5 grid.
OUTERFRAME - This pattern is the outer ring of numbers on the edge of the card - the inner 9, including the FREE spot, will not count.
Z-PATTERN - This pattern consists of three lines, two of which must be on opposite sides and the third a diagonal betwixt them, and can be rotated either way like the letters Z or N.

The case describes the current game, including pattern, prizes, number of winners, and the amount of numbers called. LOOK at the case to see the status. Each time a number is called, the corresponding number on the case (callboard) will turn yellow (or whatever color your front end is set to display monsterbold--see Options, Highlights, Creatures to change in Wrayth).

Fresh case:

After many numbers called:

Gameplay

The pace of the game is controlled entirely by the host. In addition, the room will typically be silenced (with speaking allowed). Make sure the dauber is in one hand and a fresh card is in the other BEFORE THE ROUND STARTS. Also, it is preferable that all pets and items that make ambient noise are silenced, and spells are STOPped to avoid spamming the room.

In the case of ties, the person with the most legitimate spots daubed will be the winner. If that is also a tie, the two (or more) winners will roshambo and the best 2 out of 3 (and/or round robin) will be the winner.

A number call looks like this:

A painted wooden ball floats out of the opening of the plain wooden case's hopper and comes to a stop in front of Goblyn.  An ethereal voice calls out, "G 14" before the ball drifts back into a silver bin located within the plain wooden case.  A corresponding rune on the case's callboard lights up with a sickly green glow.

If your card contains the called number, use DAUB {G/H/O/U/L} {#} to mark the card, and the number will change to monsterbold when you LOOK at the card, just like the case with the called numbers changes.

>daub g 14
Using your dark fel dauber, you daub a space on your card.

If your card is marked to match the pattern, YELL GHOUL to announce your win. Your card will be checked by the host, and it had better be correct. If you are averse to dying and losing, do not make an incorrect call.

>yell ghoul
The silence pervading the area prevents that.
You belt out, "ghoul"

Once the game is over, if you do not wish to keep your card, THROW it away.

>throw my card
Are you sure you want to throw your a simple GHOUL card away?  If this is something you mean to do, please repeat this command again in the next 30 seconds.
>throw my card
You throw away your card.

Schedule

• Evermore Hollow Information
• Caligos Isle information

Tips

Windows users can use the built in Snipping Tool to capture their card and mark it as their card is daubed to avoid having to look at the card over and over.

Subpages

• 2018 general prize options
• 2019 general prize options
• 2022 general prize options
• 2023 general prize options
• 2024 general prize options
• Caligos Isle information
• Evermore Hollow information
• saved posts

Resources

• Saved posts
• GHOUL Gaming Hall