"The hour of my irresolution is past, and the period of your power is arrived. Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness.
But they confirm me in a determination of not creating you a companion in vice.
Shall I, in cool blood, set loose upon the earth a daemon whose delight is in death and wretchedness? Begone! I am firm, and your words will only exasperate my rage". -- Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
Twenty years have passed since the scientist Victor Frankenstein met his end in pursuit of the Creature he had made himself, an abomination crafted from the desecrated parts of a multitude of corpses, both human and animal.
Twenty years since Captain Robert Walton broke his vow to hunt down the Creature and remove its foulness from the world.
The year is now 1819, and a sinister darkness has descended upon the city of Paris. A mysterious benefactor, one with off-putting coloration and an array of ghastly scars, has created a competition to determine which studious soul can unlock the secrets of Frankenstein's research.
The prize? Unlocking the very mystery of mortality. For this secret patron, however, the real prize is of a more personal nature. It wants what its own creator dared not provide: a companion as reviled and abominable as itself, to forever end its miserable solitude.
The participants in this contest are some of the greatest minds from around the globe-though alas, not all are happy to be taking part. Some are victims of blackmail; others face mortal imperilment or worse. And then there are those unclean souls who are delighted to join in this gruesome business, unafraid to build a viable living person from the mouldering remains of dead flesh.
But a certain ship's captain has arrived in Paris, as well. Much older now, Robert Walton has gained a willful determination to finally eradicate a great evil from the world, along with any who would oppose his efforts.
Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein is a competitive game of strategic monster building for 2-4 players, inspired by Mary Shelley's classic novel of gothic horror. In the game, the creature demands your help to accomplish what his own creator would not: to bring to life an abomination like itself, a companion to end its miserable solitude.
Through worker placement and careful management of decomposing resources, you'll gather materials from the cemeteries and morgues around the city, conduct valuable research at the Academy of Science, hire less-than-reputable associates, and toil away in your lab - all in an effort to assemble a new form of life and infuse it with a "spark of being".
Do well, and the creature may reward you during one of its surprise visits; do poorly, and you may come to regret not putting forth more effort. Narrative elements come into play throughout the game, guided by your decisions, leading to potentially unsavory outcomes.
The game ends when you succeed in bringing your creation to life or when the Captain kills the creature, whichever happens first. Then the player with the most points fulfills Frankenstein's dark legacy, becoming his heir, for good or ill...
