table of contents
Intro, Entr’acte & Outro ⬩ Locations ⬩ Encounters ⬩ Passage of Time ⬩ Playing Cards ⬩ Survival ⬩ Wounds and Pain ⬩ Fighting ⬩ Side Characters ⬩ Immersion ⬩ Ending
Intro, Entr’acte & Outro
Each chapter of Unhola has a three–part structure: Intro, Entr’acte and Outro.
The Intro is a brief introduction, which sets the scene for what is to come. It is followed by the Entr’acte, during which you are free to play at your own pace — this stage makes up the majority of your gameplay experience. To conclude a chapter you must complete its Outro(s), which you must discover on your own over the course of your play.
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Locations
At the end of the Intro, you arrive at your first Location. Each Location has its own page with a description of the area, and a list of various Encounters you can play out.
Locations typically have a few landmarks to them, such as buildings or other notable features, which the Encounters center around. Sometimes these Encounters may introduce changes to the Location, such as a prowling monster or an odd change in weather – it is up to you if you want these changes to affect other Locations as well, or be localised to specific landmarks rather than the Location as a whole.
You must complete at least one Encounter before you may travel to an adjacent Location for the first time.
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Encounters
Throughout the game you are presented with playable Encounters. They are pre-written scenes in which you engage with the world around you, not too unlike in a “choose your own adventure” story.
There are three different types of Encounters, each functioning in different ways – click them to read more:
► ➙ Arrow — To move onward
“Arrow” options represent you moving onward in the story, or within the Encounter itself. If you are presented with more than one “arrow” sub-option within an Encounter, you may only choose one of them, and you may not walk back on your choice.
► ⦿ Eye — To learn more
“Eye” options present you with the chance to learn more, such as by paying additional attention to something or by asking for more information. There is a time and place for being nosy, however.
► ❋ Star — To introspect
“Star” options allow you to reflect further on the moment you are in, and write in your journal about it. You may uncover something within yourself when you pause for a moment – for better or for worse.
Sometimes you must meet a specific requirement to be able to play an Encounter.
► ➙ I want to proceed { Daytime }
If there is { bracketed text } on right end of the Encounter’s title, it means that the requirement listed there must be met, before the Encounter can be played.
Most Encounters can be completed only once. Depending on the Encounter’s outcome, you may use your own discretion to determine whether or not you can return to it at a later time. For example, if you do not have the required card to gain an Item at the end of an Encounter (using cards is explained in a later section), you may return to the same scene when you finally have the right card. Or, if you leave an Encounter unfinished because you have to flee a hostile Entity, you can decide how long the Entity would stalk the area, and re–attempt the Encounter again at a later time. An Encounter left incomplete this way still moves your clock ahead by one hour.
Rather than just reading the Encounter text, speeding through the situation it presents and running onto the next Encounter, it is encouraged that you instead take your time within each scene, and make notes about your experience after the fact. The more you give of yourself to the experience, the more you will gain in return.
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Passage of Time
Time in Unhola is measured by a symbolic 12-hour clock. Time only passes by playing Encounters – each Encounter played moves time forward by one step, unless stated otherwise. In total, you have 12 Encounters’ worth of time within one in–game day. Dedicate one page in your journal to this clock, and ensure it is large enough so that you can mark the passage of hours/Encounters upon it, as well as make notes when needed.
If you imagine a clock face, the hours between 1–5 are daytime, and 7–11 are night-time. The hours 12 and 6 are “twilight hours”, and it is up to you whether they count as daytime or night-time. Some Encounters can only be played during a specific time of day, and some Entities’ behaviour may differ depending on whether it is daytime or night-time. Be aware, that you will need a light source in order to complete Encounters in the dark of the night, unless otherwise specified.
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Playing Cards
In Unhola, playing cards fulfil the same purpose as dice typically do in other games. They are used to introduce chance to your game, so that no two people will ever experience Unhola the same way.
Within Encounters, you are often called to spend a card to achieve something. For example, an Encounter may read as follows: “You enter an abandoned house, in search of something, anything, of use. You may use a 6 of Hearts or 3 of Clubs here to find Items.” If you have either or both of these cards in your hand, you may look up the Cards ➚ page to see which Items they correspond to, and then decide if you want to spend your cards to gain said Items.
Important! Please note that you may not draw a card to replace the one you have spent! The only way to regain cards to your hand is by taking care of your sustenance, explained in a later section.
Suits, colours & numbers
Cards in Unhola go from 1 (Ace) to 13 (King). Each card corresponds to an Item, an Entity and a Flora, according to their suit and their number: a Queen of Hearts, therefore, may give you a Bandage, allow you to encounter a Wolf or a forage a plant called Lifeline. It can even act as a card of Hearts, a red card, a court/face card, or number 12, depending on the context. You will find the whole list of correspondences on the Cards ➚ page.
Sometimes you are called to spend a card of a certain color or suit, in which case there is no correspondence to a specific card. For example, the earlier Encounter could continue as follows: “Suddenly, you hear a sound behind you – you are no longer sure you’re alone in this abandoned house. Spend any card of Clubs to add an Entity.” In a situation like this, you are free to take a look at the Cards ➚ page and choose which Entity to bring forth – if you have more than one card of Clubs in your hand, that is – else you must play the one card you have, or search the draw deck for the first card of Clubs you can find, and play it instead.
Having a full hand, therefore, offers you an advantage in giving you more options to work with.
using cards from the draw deck
If you have no cards in your hand, or you want to save them for later, you may draw the topmost card from the draw deck instead. This card is used and placed into the discard pile instantly – you cannot add cards to your hand this way.
In the example Encounter with the two Items inside the abandoned house, you may draw only one card, and hope that it is either one of the cards the Encounter calls for. If it is, you may gain the corresponding Item as normal, but if not, you place the card into the discard pile and leave the scene empty-handed.
In the second example with the Entity of Clubs, this Entity ambush is effectively forced upon you – you must keep drawing cards until you find a card of Clubs. All cards in-between are placed directly into the discard pile, as is the card that determines which Entity you encounter once it is spent.
discard pile
All spent cards are placed in the discard pile. Once all cards have been spent from the draw deck or you find yourself unable to find a card you must play, the discard pile is reshuffled to make a new draw deck.
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Survival
You have not arrived to Unhola to die, and so you must ensure proper sustenance and rest, each and every day of your journey, in the face of all the hurt and illness you will suffer along the way.
rest
As much as there is for you to do in a day, you must mind your rest. 4 Encounter’s time spent resting is enough to keep you going, provided you can find shelter as to avoid being ambushed. For a place to be fit for resting, it must be in a safe indoor space, or else your rest is disrupted by a random Entity played from the draw deck.
If you go on 12 ”hours” without resting, you will become Exhausted – it, and other Afflictions will be explained later.
thirst & hunger
You must mind your Thirst and Hunger on a daily basis – for the only way to regain cards into your hand is through eating and drinking. For each food or drink consumed, you regain one card to your hand – but can never hold more than the size of your hand allows, which is 5 in the beginning of the game.
Consuming unprepared food and drink – that is, water that has not been not boiled and raw food that has not been cooked – always results in you suffering Illness. Likewise, going an entire day without food and drink causes you to become Languished.
afflictions
Afflictions are persistent ills which significantly worsen your wellbeing. Most of them wear off over time, but others require special care to overcome. You need not study them now, for you will become well-acquainted with them in due time.
► I. Chill
You feel the cold seep to your bones, and the burning pain as your limbs begin to still and stiffen. You suffer from Intense Pain and if you cannot find warmth in 3 Encounters’ time, you will freeze to death.
► II. Exhaustion
Your limbs feel heavy, and your eyelids heavier yet. You can only go through one more Encounter before you must rest – whether by finding a suitable place for it, or by crashing on the spot. Exhaustion is cured by resting for at least 6 Encounters’ time.
► III. Illness
Illness puts your whole body to test, and you must tend to yourself in hopes of overcoming it. You must eat and drink twice as much as normally, for you to regain cards in your hand. Illness resolves itself in 3 days’ time.
► IV. Infection
Infections are gained from unclean Wounds, turning them festering, wet and hot. Curing an infected Wound takes twice as many medical supplies – for example, patching up a Moderate Wound would require two Bandages, instead of just one. Infection resolves itself in three days’ time.
► V. Intoxication
Intoxication temporarily diminishes your Instinct down to 1, but increases your Insight by 1, as your body turns clumsy but your inhibitions lower. Intoxication resolves itself in 3 Encounters’ time, after which it is replaced by an Illness that lasts for a day.
► VI. Languish
You feel slow and weak, the weight of the world heavier than before due to your lack of sustenance. Each Encounter completed while Languished moves your clock ahead by one additional step. To regain your strength, you must fulfil your Thirst and Hunger, as well as rest for 4 Encounter’s time.
► VII. Lost
When you become Lost, all the things around you which may have been familiar only a moment ago, are now unfamiliar, intangible and strange to your mind. You may not proceed until you have found your footing again. The feeling of being Lost is resolved by finding an Ace of any suit. Each card you draw in search of one corresponds to one Encounter’s worth of passed time.
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Wounds & Pain
In Unhola, it is important to mind the Wounds and the Pain you accumulate. They build up over time, leading to your death if left untreated.
wounds
Wounds diminish your physical ability – actions that require strength and stamina eventually become impossible, as your body breaks down. Treating Wounds requires both medical supplies and time. There is no limit to the number of Wounds you can suffer, but once your Physique falls to 0, you are dead.
► I. Minor Wound
Minor Wounds are small cuts, scrapes, and bruises – though they sting for only a moment, they are an annoyance all the same. They do not diminish your ability to function.
► II. Moderate Wound
Moderate Wounds are almost never deadly, but they will leave a hindering, painful bruise in their wake. They inflict Intense Pain, and until the end of the next Encounter, your Physique is 1 point lower.
For each additional Moderate Wound you suffer, your Physique is diminished for 2 Encounters longer. When you have suffered 3 Moderate Wounds, replace them with 1 Major Wound instead.
► III. Major Wound
Major Wounds are severe – whether they leave you to bleed profusely or result in broken bones, they quickly take you to the death’s door. Major Wounds inflict Severe Pain, and your Physique is 1 point lower until the Wound has healed.
For each additional Major Wound you suffer, your Physique is diminished by 1 point more.
► IV. Lethal Wound
A Lethal Wound devastates your Physique so that no points remain. The result is death.
infected wounds
Depending on how you acquire your Wounds, they may become Infected. Your Wounds will always risk Infection when they are caused by the fangs or claws of animals and you do not clean them with disinfective Items or Flora within the same day. If you neglect your hygiene for several days, your otherwise clean Wounds will turn Infected.
pain
Pain is usually the result of suffering a Wound, but there are innumerable other ways to be hurt in this world. It is a fleeting guest, whose departure you can hasten by either medicating or numbing it. Pain does not accumulate the way Wounds do – instead, any Pain you suffer can only be replaced by even greater Pain.
► I. Mild Pain
Mild pain does not diminish one’s ability to function – it is a lingering reminder of a close call, or a more severe pain subdued… for now.
► II. Intense Pain
Intense Pain is distracting, and hinders your ability to focus. The number of cards you can hold diminishes to 3. Intense Pain remains for 6 Encounters’ time.
► III. Severe Pain
Severe Pain consumes your mind, leaving you barely able to focus on anything but your own agony. Your Instinct, Knowledge, and Insight decrease by 1, and the number of cards you can hold diminishes to 2. Severe Pain remains for 3 Encounters’ time, after which it diminishes to Intense Pain.
► IV. Debilitating Pain
While in Debilitating Pain, you are scarcely able to function. Your Instinct, Knowledge, and Insight all decrease to mere 1 point remaining, and you may hold no cards at all. Debilitating Pain remains for 2 Encounters’ time, after which it diminishes to Severe Pain – if this pain isn’t treated, you must also permanently decrease one of the three affected Attributes by 1 point.
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Fighting
Fighting in Unhola is a last resort – the final struggle in an utterly hopeless situation. It is dangerous, punishing and often unfair, which is why you should avoid fights whenever you can.
But when a fight begins, you have a few options. The simplest of them is to try to inflict enough Wounds to decrease your assailant’s Physique to 0, killing them. This is very risky, however, because if you cannot kill your opponent right away, they will get to assault you as well. For example:
“You encounter two hostile Hollow – empty husks of people, incapable of thought. They are weak, as their Physique score is only 1, but not harmless, as their attacks inflict a Moderate Wound. You hold an Axe, and one Major Wound by its hefty blade easily puts one of them down. However, because there are two of them, you cannot kill one without leaving yourself open to the other – you will suffer a Moderate Wound from the other Hollow. You may have survived now, but your chances of survival are worsened going forward.”
The best way to deal with fights is to avoid them altogether. Use your wits: be aware of your surroundings, of the cards in your hand, and attempt to play both of these to your advantage. Luck is a fickle mistress, and encountering hostile Entities is inevitable. All Entities can be dealt with in a non-violent manner. Read the Entity’s description with care and consider your options. For example:
“The two Hollow approach you fast. However, they are not intelligent: you can toss your coat at them, and they will attempt to kill your coat instead of you, giving you time to get away safely. Their Physique score is 1, so anyone with a score higher than this can outrun them.”
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Side Characters
You are not always alone in Unhola, as there are Side Characters who accompany you on your journey, whether to your benefit or to your detriment. When you come across a Side Character, they are distinguished by their name linking to a profile page, which opens up a variety of possible interactions with them.
On their profile, you can find out more information about them, view their Affinity towards you, play Encounters involving them and even have brief discussions about a variety of topics. If you are lucky, you may even earn yourself a companion, giving you safety in numbers. The way you treat Side Characters determines how they’ll regard you, which is why you must mind their Affinity score.
affinity
There are five different stages of Affinity a Side Character can have towards you: Friendly, Favourable, Neutral, Unfavourable and Hateful.
No two Side Characters are alike, and they each start at their own default stage of Affinity towards you – your actions will determine whether they end up developing a more favourable or unfavourable attitude toward you, over time.
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Immersion
While your experiences in Unhola are largely guided by Encounters, you are still free and even expected to engage with your surroundings outside of them. This means that anything mentioned within the text of an Encounter is available to you, as you have seen and noted it, and that you can use your own imagination and discretion to decide what else is out there for you in the world.
Let’s take an example scenario such as this: you are in a wooded Location without any obvious shelter, and night is falling in an Encounter or two’s time. You feel like making a campfire would be a wise decision, and because you are in the woods, it is fully reasonable for you to find firewood here, even if dead branches lying around have not been explicitly mentioned. You do not need to spend anything to find these branches, except perhaps time, if you feel like it’ll result in a more interesting experience.
You can explore this “freedom of interaction” to make the game easier or harder for yourself. For example, were you to come across an animal carcass, could you take meat from it? Would it be edible? If so, would it make sense for you to risk Illness for partaking in it? The deeper you delve into your own imagination, the more ways you will find to use the rules and content of the game to make it more engaging for yourself.
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Ending
To end a game of Unhola successfully, you must complete the chapter’s Outro.
The only way to lose in Unhola is by dying. This happens only when your Physique drops to 0. Your other Attributes falling to 0 does not kill you.