Leechwyves & Bonesetters is an active roleplaying game in which players combat plague in medieval Europe. Play groups work collaboratively to make their fiefdom the wealthiest and least plague-ridden in the land. Players are assigned characters with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each round, they must balance the goal of working their manor lord’s land with the need to visit the leechwyfe or the bonesetter to keep themselves plague-free. At the end of each round, players seek an audience with their lord to entreat him to pass decrees that would better their living conditions and improve their ability to avoid maladies.
Leechwyves & Bonesetters was unveiled at the 2013 Come Out and Play festival in New York City, where a select group of peasants died from plague while striving to harvest grain and feed their families. The etchings below commemorate their struggles.
