Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, despite its innocent origins, has become a popular setting for horror and dark fantasy content in both the TTRPG and video game spheres. It is easy to see why, as the setting’s disconnection from reality can be used to create a deeply unnerving atmosphere. On top of this, its inherent flexibility allows writers to have the landscape change and warp to visibly reflect the story’s core themes or the thoughts going through the characters’ minds. Escaping Wonderland by Starhaven Games follows in this storied tradition, utilizing the weirdness of Wonderland as the basis for a story about the struggle to run away.
Escaping Wonderland is a TTRPG for one storyteller and a minimum of two players. The game uses both a D20 die and several decks of playing cards (one for each player, one for the storyteller, and an extra deck).
Building A Wonderland
The game begins with the players devising their characters. In Escaping Wonderland, all of the characters are running away, meaning that the main thing players have to decide is what their character is running from and why. Alongside this, the player gives their character three skills and a few items before drawing a card from their deck. The value and suite of this card will give the player questions to answer about their character (helping to define their personality and backstory) and an ability that can help them on their adventure.
After this, the main flow of the game begins. For the first scene, the storyteller guides the players through the day they decided to run away from whatever was bothering them.
After this, the TTRPG session transitions to Wonderland. When players arrive in Wonderland, a card from the spare deck is placed face down on the table, acting as the starting point for Wonderland’s map. When players are ready, the card is turned over. The players consult the suit and then roll on that suit’s roll table to discover what they find in that area of Wonderland.
Should the area have a challenge that the players must overcome, the player has two choices. They can either play a card from their hand (with certain abilities and locations allowing players to add or remove cards from their hand) or draw the top card of their deck. Then, the storyteller draws the top card from their deck. If the player’s card is higher than the storyteller’s, it counts as a success. However, if the player’s card is lower, they fail. After this, the players pick which direction to move, and a new card is added to the map before the process repeats.
The only exception to this rule is if the card exactly matches the value and suit a player picked for their character at the start of the game. When this happens, no roll is made. Instead, that player gets to describe an area themselves, one based on their character’s personality or fears.
However, players must be careful as a creature called The Abandon stalks Wonderland. When players first encounter this creature, it only takes a single success to get away from it. However, every time the players draw Joker, the number of successes needed to escape its grasp increases, meaning that the longer players linger in Wonderland, the harder it becomes to escape.
The game ends in one of two ways. When all four cards of a certain value have been added to the Wonderland map, players consult the roll table to find what they have to do to escape Wonderland. Alternatively, if all players take 6 harm (acquired by failing challenges or losing to The Abandon), the game ends with all players stuck in Wonderland.
A Wonderland Full Of TTRPG Wonders
Escaping Wonderland is a memorable game with some really interesting design flourishes. I’m a big fan of the game’s decision to start proceedings with a non-Wonderland introduction scene, as it gives players the chance to immerse themselves in their character and their motivations, something which leads to more intense scenes down the line.
I also like how the exploration is structured. Having each card have a specific prompt means that the game maintains a consistent pace, as the storyteller isn’t forced to create hundreds of locations on the fly. However, the prompts are written in such a way that storytellers can easily put their own spin on them, meaning that each game of Escaping Wonderland will feel unique.
Having players create their own locations when they land on certain cards guarantees that every character gets spotlight time and ensures that the game’s overall story remains focused on the characters’ unique collective journey. These moments also allow the storyteller to know which elements of the characters’ story are currently resonating the most with players, making it easier for storytellers to set up emotional scenes and guide the game to a satisfying conclusion for all parties.
However, one of my favourite touches is the book’s description of The Abandon. The book notes that while the Abandon could be a violent entity, the storyteller could opt to play it as a nurturing entity, one that will stop at nothing to convince the players to remain in Wonderland forever (making it function like a Lotus-Eater Machine). Not only is this a unique setup for a TTRPG relationship, but it is also a great way to explore both the characters and the events that led them to Wonderland, leading to many deeply emotional scenes. Because of this, I would 100% suggest that any storytellers hoping to run Escaping Wonderland take this route, as it led to some really profound moments I’ve not had in other TTRPGs.
My only slight complaint with this game concerns the layout. Most of the book has a nice, easy-to-follow layout. However, some pages feature several long paragraphs close together. This means it is very easy to lose your place while reading (especially if you’re glancing at the page to remind yourself of a rule mid-way through a session). A few extra line breaks to break up these blocks of text would help make the game easier to follow and prevent players from getting overwhelmed while learning the mechanics.
Escaping Wonderland is a fantastic exploration and map-making TTRPG. It takes the Wonderland concept to tell moving and emotionally resonant stories about stress, pain, and how hard it can be to keep pushing on when everything seems to be going against you. Its mechanics strike an excellent balance between being easy to follow while giving players and storytellers space to craft narratives that speak to them, meaning that every trip to Wonderland will feel like a unique but well-crafted experience.
