Eclipse Night ShiftHow to Play
How a run works
- Draw a Lot — Spend wages to draw a night shift. The location, the lot’s luck, and any attached curse set the difficulty of the night.
- Read the slip — Check the rules before the shift. Once you’re on shift you can still peek at the slip, but only so many times, and Dire lots or worse forbid peeking.
- Check them — Everyone has a countdown (the clock at top right). If time runs out before you decide, it counts as a wrong call.
- Decide — Let in, refuse, or, when a rule says so, throw salt at their feet.
- Clock out — Survive until dawn and your wages are paid at the lot’s hourly multiplier. Buy gear, then draw the next lot.
The five lots
| Lot | Pay multiplier | Shift length | Rules | Time per visitor | Slip peeks | Extra hazards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | 20x | 5 hours | 3 | 13 s | 2 | — |
| Middling | 40x | 6 hours | 4 | 11 s | 1 | Salt rules, tonight’s list |
| Ill | 70x | 6 hours | 5 | 9 s | 1 | Rules that take effect after 3 AM, the same visitor appearing twice, 1 curse |
| Dire | 120x | 7 hours | 6 | 8 s | 0 | Plus “exception” rules |
| Doom | 200x | 8 hours | 6 | 7 s | 0 | Plus one fake rule, 2 curses |
The odds of drawing Ill or better are low, and a pity counter kicks in if you keep missing.
Rules you’ll see on the slip
| Rule | How to check |
|---|---|
| Wearing a certain color | Just look. Watch for near colors: yellow vs. orange, red vs. pink, white vs. gray, and green vs. blue are there on purpose to trick you. |
| Shows no shadow under the flashlight | Shine the flashlight at the shadow (or tap the floor). |
| Red-eyed | Lean in on the face (or tap the face). |
| Ear-to-ear grinning | Lean in on the face. |
| Name-knowing | Ask a question. |
| Backward-footed | Look down at the feet (or tap the feet). |
| ID photo doesn’t match / ID expired / name not on tonight’s list | Check ID (or tap the body) and compare it against the list below the slip. |
| The same person appearing a second time tonight | Remember who came before. |
Rules are read top to bottom, and the first rule that matches wins. “Exception” rules are written before the rule they override. Fake rules claim some kind of “them” is one of ours: don’t believe them.
Five night-shift locations, five kinds of weirdness
From the second night on, each location has one strange event that belongs only to it, and the slip gains a matching rule.
| Location | Weirdness | What the slip says |
|---|---|---|
| Convenience Store Night Shift | The automatic door goes “ding-dong” | If no one is there, say “Come again soon.” If there’s someone, or a cat or dog, say nothing. |
| Old Block Milk Run | Someone knocks from inside a door | Three knocks means a resident, so answer. Any other number, back off to the stairwell. |
| Midnight Amusement Park Gate | The carousel starts playing music on its own | Turning forward: turn around and count to ten. Turning backward: cut the power at once. |
| Hospital Night Watch | The call light comes on | If it’s an occupied bed, go take a look. If an empty bed rings, don’t go. |
| Funeral Wake Vigil | The vigil lamp changes color | Green: add oil. White: don’t touch it, back out the door. |
On a rookie’s first night the slip has only one rule. The other two come by phone from the agent at 2 AM and 4 AM, and the first night only shows the investigation buttons the current rule needs.
The six kinds of “them”
The Shadowless
No shadow under the lamp. The flashlight gives them away.
Red Eyes
Red eyes. You can’t tell from far away, so you have to lean in.
The Grin
They imitate our smiles, the mouth stretched all the way to the ears.
Backward Feet
Toes pointing backward: they walked in backward.
Faceless
No face on the ID photo, or a face that doesn’t match the person.
Effigy Guests
A paper figure in the clothes of the living. When a rule tells you to throw salt, you have to throw salt. Handle it wrong and it comes back two hours later.The six investigation actions
Flashlight on the shadow, ask a question, lean in on the face, look down at the feet, stare them down, check ID. You can also tap the scene directly: tap the floor for the flashlight, the face to lean in, the feet to look down, the body to ask for ID.Stare too long and it stares back — That’s when it presses in close. With a lot of Ill or worse (not the Daily Lot), the flashlight only covers 2 checks (staring doesn’t count) and you have to gamble on the rest.
The Tall One at 4:44 AM
From the second night on, every night at 4 AM (except on the Daily Lot) the Tall One, taller than the door frame, stands outside and asks you: Your money or your life?Money: this hour’s pay doubles, but there’s a chance you lose a life, and each time you ask, the next time is more dangerous (its mouth stretches wider). Life: they take half an hour’s wages out of your drawer.
Rookie tips
- Check only the items the rules mention. Don’t tap every action or you’ll run out of time.
- Color rules are the easiest to get wrong: orange isn’t yellow, pink isn’t red.
- Play a few Fair runs to learn the actions, then go for Dire lots for the big money.
- Relics change the rules: Night Goggles and Demon Mirror Shards save you a whole check.
- The Daily Lot is always Dire, with no peeking. Come back once you’re comfortable.