"October has always been a strange month in Oakhaven. This year, something is waiting for the thirty-first."

The October Game is an original supernatural mystery set in Oakhaven, inspired in part by the wonderfully strange premise of Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October — a secret game, mysterious participants, animal familiars, strange objects, and one very important night at the end of October.

But this is Oakhaven.

While everyone else is worrying about university assignments, autumn weather, Halloween parties and the usual small-town gossip, something much older is quietly unfolding beneath the surface.

On Thursday, October 1, 2026, the first players begin arriving.

They look like ordinary visitors and residents. A folklorist. An antique dealer. A gardener. A university lecturer. A travelling magician. Others follow during the first days of the month.

They are not ordinary visitors.

They are participants in a hidden game whose opposing sides have very different ideas about what should happen on Halloween.

The Openers want to open a rift between our world and whatever waits beyond it.

The Closers intend to keep that rift shut.

Neither side necessarily knows everything. Alliances can change. People can lie. Objects can change hands. Someone you trust may have very different plans from the ones they have told you.

There is just one problem.

You aren't supposed to be on the list.

Somehow, you are an unlisted participant in the October Game.

No one seems to know why.

Fortunately — or perhaps unfortunately — you have a familiar of your own.

Louie the Fox is intelligent, observant, sly, and entirely capable of forming his own opinions about the increasingly suspicious people wandering into town. He can accompany you, disappear into the countryside, eavesdrop on what he can, investigate things that catch his interest, and return with observations that may or may not be useful.

He isn't your quest marker.

He has his own life.

And he certainly isn't omniscient.

Throughout the month, the participants seek out a collection of unusual objects associated with the Game.

An antique key. A brass mirror. A silver bell. A pocket watch. A black glass bottle. A storm lantern. Objects that appear to have very different purposes — yet each can ultimately be used to either open the rift or keep it closed.

The objects themselves don't choose sides.

The person holding one does.

And one of the ten objects hasn't been found.

No one knows where it is.

No one even knows exactly what they're looking for.

Everything leads toward October 31 — Witchfire Night.

By then, the participants may have made alliances, betrayed one another, lost or stolen objects, discovered secrets, or simply decided that they want nothing more to do with the Game.

Some may not even make it to the end.

But those who do will eventually face the final ritual.

If the Openers succeed, the rift will open.

And something eldritch will be able to cross through.

If the Closers succeed, the boundary between worlds will remain intact.

Which side ultimately prevails is not predetermined.

Neither is your role in what happens.

You can investigate the Game.

You can pick a side.

You can deceive everyone.

You can help someone you trust.

You can steal an object.

You can try to find the missing one.

Or you can ignore all of it and enjoy your rented holiday cabin.

Oakhaven still has classes to attend, shops to visit, people to meet, autumn traditions to enjoy, and Halloween celebrations to prepare for. The Game doesn't stop simply because you aren't paying attention.

Louie may wander off and return with a strange story. A participant may appear at the café. Someone might suddenly leave town. An unfamiliar face might turn up on campus.

October keeps moving.

And somewhere beyond the ordinary world, something is waiting for the door to open.

Inspired by the premise and atmosphere of Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October. This is an original Oakhaven scenario with its own characters, setting, lore, mechanics, and story.

Author's note:

A Night In The Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny is my yearly October read. One chapter every day, 31 days. With this bot I would like to reproduce the fun of reading the book while making it something new.

Content Warning:

Tagged Dead Dove for possible death, eldritch monsters overrunning a quaint little town. The participants in the game won't always play nice.