Maléfices

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Maléfices is a French horror role-playing game first published in 1985 by Jeux Descartes, known for the subtitle “The role-playing game with the scent of sulphur.” It blends horror fantasy with Jules Verne–style technology and is set in France during the Belle Époque (1870–1914). Players are members of the secret society le club Pythagore in Paris, a group inspired by occult societies like the Golden Dawn, and they take on quests or investigate strange happenings.

How the game works:
- Character creation: Players choose a profession (women are limited to era-appropriate jobs). They roll for age and Constitution, then assign points to four physical traits (Strength, Dexterity, Education, Perception). They also allocate 20 points to two spiritual traits, Reason and Faith, with at least 6 in each. The GM secretly assigns a Flow score (5–20) for the character’s paranormal power, which is adjusted by three magic types: White Magic, Black Magic, and Other Magic. Flow and its modifiers are kept secret.
- Tarot and magic: Each player draws five Tarot cards (Hand of Destiny): four are visible, one is hidden. The cards can grant bonuses or penalties to abilities and influence outcomes. The magic system uses a reverse result, meaning players often aim to fail on purpose because a failure can have fewer or different consequences than a true success.
- Resolving actions: The game uses two ten-sided dice and a custom Tarot deck. A Tables of Levels grades results with letters (A to E for positive or negative outcomes), allowing degrees of success or failure rather than simple pass/fail. The Fool and Death cards affect luck, sometimes nullifying a bad result or bringing bad luck at critical moments. The fourth edition will switch to twenty-sided dice and a redesigned 22-card Tarot deck.

Contents and editions:
- The first boxed set included the core rules, non-player characters, creatures, and eight adventures plus a bestiary.
- A revised second edition appeared in 1988. In 2006, a much larger third edition (about 290 pages) was published by Editions du Club Pythagore, followed by a 2007 reprint by Asmodée Éditions, and the rights were later acquired by Arkhane Asylum Publishing.
- In 2018, Arkhane Asylum crowdfunded to start work on a new edition and new adventures, with plans to revise older supplements. In 2021 they launched L'Étoile du Matin (The Morning Star), a periodical to support future adventures.

Reception and impact:
- Critics praised the mix of horror with Belle Époque steampunk and the distinctive Tarot-based action resolution as original and engaging for game masters and players.
- The game is noted for keeping supernatural forces largely hidden, reinforcing the mood of a world where occult danger lurks beneath everyday life.
- It is recognized for introducing more complex, narrative-driven storytelling to role-playing games in the 1980s.