Camp Lore

This page contains information from the event from 2022. It may be subject to change and has not yet been updated for 2025.

Camp Uncanny

Rumor has it that strange things happen in Uncanny Valley. The area is remote, and the forest is prohibited to any and all trespassers... with one exception: the campers and staff of Camp Uncanny, the summer camp that has been running in Uncanny Valley for years. Only they have access to hike the trails, explore the views, or investigate the strange rumors of Uncanny Valley. Moreover, campers are only allowed to attend Camp Uncanny once in their lifetime, which has led to much speculation about the mysteries of the Camp.

The Counselors

There are eight camp counselors at Camp Uncanny, two for each Branch and one for each of the cabins.

The Branches

It's an old tradition at Camp Uncanny to split its campers into different factions: Branches, named after trees native to the region. Each Branch's counselors have different priorities and opinions about the ideal camp experience. That said, campers aren't required to stick with their Branches outside of the required check-ins. They can always join in on activities or adventures with other Branches.

Black and white leaf from a White Oak tree. The stem points to the right. The leaf is entirely black except for white lines forming the veins of the leaves.

Oak Branch

The counselors of Oak like to encourage their campers to be more daring, adventurous, and to seek out thrills. They love to drag campers along on midnight hikes or scary stories around the campfire. Spooky sounds coming from the woods? Go check it out!

Birch Branch

The counselors of Birch love to see their campers tackle a good puzzle. They try to encourage their Branch to tackle solutions logically, and seek out the mysteries of the world. Something weird going on? Get to the bottom of it!

Black and white image of a Paper Birch leaf, stem pointed to the left. The leaf is entirely black except for white lines forming the veins of the leaves.
Black and white image of a Sugar Maple leaf, stem pointed up. The leaf is entirely black except for white lines forming the veins of the leaves.

Maple Branch

The Maple counselors insist that camp is all about fun and relaxation. They make sure that their campers have ample opportunities for good times, and really lean into the traditional camp activities. Camp is supposed to be an escape, after all.

Pine Branch

The counselors of Pine are big proponents of the value of interpersonal interactions. Unfortunately, there's a little camp legend that Pine Branch - especially the counselors - is cursed with bad luck. Somehow, the activities these counselors run always seem to involve drama of some sort.

Black and white image of a cluster of needles from the Eastern White Pine. The needles are black on a white background, bunched at the bottom and spreading out into a group of five as they go up.

Game Design Note:
Branches are the groups campers are placed in for ease of logistics. They represent four different playstyles: 

Maple: Players who want to relax and have light-hearted or hijinx-oriented stories;  Birch: Players who want to dig into mysteries and solve puzzles;  Oak: Players who want danger and adrenaline;  Pine: Players who want angst and interpersonal drama

Player preference will be considered as much as possible when assigning Branches, though for balance some players may be placed with their second choice. Once assigned a Branch, you'll stick with that Branch for the whole weekend (barring exceptions for out of character circumstances). That said, you can absolutely attend any in-character activities that interest you, even if they are run by a counselor of another Branch. Similarly, being in a Branch doesn't exclude you from other styles of play - it merely indicates one that you enjoy.

Each branch will have at least 1 Embedded Role counselor. These counselors will be in charge of specific activities. The assigned counselor will indicate the primary playstyle for the activity. Campfire Sing-Along with the Maple counselor? Exactly what it says on the tin. Campfire Sing-Along with the Oak counselor? Something spooky or dangerous is probably going to happen.

The Camp Director

Definitely kinda shifty, but the owner of Camp Uncanny is a generally laid back guy. Literally. You can usually find him reclining in a hammock rather than doing any work. If he IS doing work, it's probably trying to trick someone into doing the work for him.

Persons in Black

Mysterious people in suits and sunglasses that are definitely not associated with Camp Uncanny, so how and why are they in Uncanny Valley?

Keeper