House of Small Woes

You didn’t choose the house. It opened.

The house notices before anyone speaks. The light moves across the kitchen table as if it remembers something. A drawer opens when a name is spoken aloud. A photograph curls at the edges when the truth settles into a room.

House of Small Woes is a magical realism roleplaying game set in a place shaped by feeling. The house holds what others leave behind. A box no one remembers packing. A song that plays too quietly to name. A letter addressed in familiar handwriting. These aren’t puzzles. They’re answers already waiting.

You take the part of someone who arrives at a moment of change. A cousin returning with unfinished thoughts. A friend who promised never to come back. A stranger carrying someone else’s memory. They enter the house without being called. They stay because something shifts. Not through force, but through recognition. The hallway grows longer when a conversation’s avoided. The door sticks until someone’s ready. The weather changes when a feeling takes shape.

This book’s got everything you need to begin. Inside are the rooms of the house, each marked by memory and motion. The rules follow the Simple Approach, a character-first structure built for emotion, intimacy, and the unspoken. You’ll shape your character through memory, longing, silence, and response. Seasonal patterns guide each story. Visitors, forgotten objects, and impossible moments provide direction without removing choice. The house offers what’s needed. The rest’s up to you.

The house doesn’t explain itself. It waits. And this time, it opened because of you.

The Simple Approach

This game uses The Simple Approach, a trait-based storytelling system that centers character intention, narrative choice, and emotional cause-and-effect. There are no hit points or rigid mechanics here. You’ll use Traits rated from 1 to 5 to describe who you are, what you can do, what drives you, and what complicates your life.

The Book Contains

Inside you’ll find the following and more:

• A House That Responds: Explore the house’s layout, history, and influence. Learn how rooms shift, doors react, and weather mirrors emotion. The house shapes the story by listening.

• A Story Built from Feeling: Use seasonal rhythms and narrative beats like The Repetition, The Favor, and The Watching to guide each session. Let emotion set the pace.

• Characters Made from Memory: Create characters using traits built from silence, longing, and lived experience. Each character includes strengths, weaknesses, and a driving force that ties them to the house.

• Rules That Stay Out of the Way: Use a few traits, a handful of six-sided dice, and a focus on intention. The Simple Approach keeps mechanics light so emotion stays central.

• Ways to Run Without Controlling: Learn how to support tension, focus scenes, and follow what matters to the players. Use prompts instead of prep. Let the story breathe.

• Tools to Support the Table: Includes full trait lists, object and room inspiration, glossary terms, and narrative structure guidance. Everything exists to support emotion, tone, and choice.