Witch Hunt (role-playing game)

Witch Hunt is a historical/horror system set in Salem in 1692.[1] The PCs are witches (with actual magical powers), or magistrates determined to hunt them down.[1] The rules cover witches and magic, magistrates and the law, the town crier, life in 1692, etc.[1] The game includes an introductory miniscenario based on a historical incident.[1]

The front cover of the boxed set features a full color painting, its main booklet includes both the game rules and an introductory adventure, and the set also comes with a double A4 paper size black-and-white map of the village of Salem, Massachusetts, a blank double-sided character sheet, and two micro D20s from Gamescience.[2]

Witch Hunt was designed by Paul D. Baader and Roger Buckelew, and published by StatCom Simulations in 1983 as a boxed set containing a 48-page rulebook, a sample character sheet, a map, and dice.[1]

Witch Hunt was reviewed by Jon Sutherland in issue 61 of White Dwarf magazine (January 1985), rating it a 5 out of 10 overall.[2] Sutherland concludes the review by saying: "Witch Hunt is interesting in a limited way, in fact 'limited' is a good word to sum the game up. There are precious few innovations in evidence and I couldn't imagine players wanting to bother playing it more than once or twice. It is neither 'realistic' nor comprehensive enough to merit recommendation."[2]

Lawrence Schick comments that "This is a strange one".[1]

• Different Worlds (Issue 35 - Jul 1984)
• Fantasy Gamer (Issue 5 - Apr 1984)
• The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games[3]