Red Carnations on a Black Grave

A storygame of resistance

Since it seems that all hearts which beat for liberty only have the right to a bullet, I demand it for myself! If you let me live, I will not cease to cry out for vengeance…I am finished…if you are not cowards, kill me…

—Louise Michel

For just over two months in 1871, the Paris Commune tried to make an egalitarian, socialist state a reality despite disagreement within their walls and attacks from outside it. This is the story of a community caught up in a sudden revolution, their messy personal lives and their attempts to create a utopia in the face of impending death. How far would you go for what you believe in? Would you stand firm even if it meant your death?  

Red Carnations on a Black Grave is a freeform roleplaying game for 4-6 players that brings to life the 72 tumultuous days of the Paris Commune.  A game is playable in a single session of four hours or less. Each player portrays two characters during the two months of the Commune, one of whom must die during the French Army’s all-out assault on Paris in the last week of May, 1871. Special cards guide your play, providing questions about how the characters are related to each other, historical incidents to serve as the basis of scenes in the game, and the ultimate fate of your surviving characters.