Betrayal at Bendworth Manor is a horror-based one-shot in which the players are drawn to Bendworth Manor, a now ruined mansion previously built and occupied by a pair of adventurers. However, one of those adventurers, the sorceror Gargorast, was tricked by a night hag into cheating on his wife Irael and subsequently haunted by his guilt and her and her sisters. In time, he became more withdrawn and cruel, eventually refusing to allow Irael to leave the mansion, where they both died. The ghost of Irael is desperate to leave but, until she knows why her husband changed, she cannot. Gargorast cannot leave until his soul is released from the hag's soul bag. Players must then enter the mansion, overcover the mystery, exorcise the ghosts, and, if possible, root out the coven of hags.

Betrayal at Bendworth Manor is atmospheric, and the portrayals of the NPCs and mansion contribute to a genuine feeling of sadness and horror. The mansion is suitably difficult to navigate, and there are quite a few combatants and clues for the players to uncover. The adventure itself is not quite as well organized as I would prefer. For example, NPCs are introduced in their sections instead of in a list at the beginning, and the narration is quite long. There also isn't a map which, while not prohibitive, nonetheless requires the DM/players to draw their own. Typically, if I'm exploring a closed area like a dungeon or large house, I prefer a map and my players do too. We started out by playing in theater of the mind and eventually just drew our own map -- it made things easier to contextualize.

However, if you'd like a creepy one-shot to play this month (or any month), Betrayal at Bendworth Manor is a good option. It has lots of things to explore, good atmosphere, and hags, which are always awesome. It's definitely worth trying.