THE DAMNED FILES // 004: Eleanor “Nellie” Ashford. Meet Nervous ‘Nellie’ in Rock, Paper, Severed
Indie developer Buzzin' Games continues The Damned Files, its character reveal series for Rock, Paper, Severed, with the introduction of Eleanor “Nellie” Ashford (aka Nervous Nellie), the fourth and final playable character brought together by The Old Sire.
A psychological horror tabletop strategy game that puts a dark, horror-infused twist on the classic hand game Rock, Paper, Scissors, Rock, Paper, Severed challenges players to outwit their opponents in a deadly game where every throw you lose costs you a finger. Each character arrives at The Old Sire's table carrying their own secrets, guilt and reasons for being there.
THE DAMNED FILES // 004 Eleanor “Nellie” Ashford (aka Nervous Nellie)
Eleanor Ashford grew up in Liverpool under the control of an abusive father who believed pain was discipline. An unlicensed electrician, he fitted crude electrical nodes to Nellie's temples as a child and used them to punish her whenever she displeased him. The abuse became so severe that Nellie spent much of her youth hiding in her bedroom, often too frightened to leave even to eat.
Then she met David.
When David proposed, Nellie's father forbade the relationship. The argument that followed ended with him dragging Nellie into the cellar, strapping her into his chair and preparing the equipment he had used on her countless times before.
But this time, Nellie fought back.
During the struggle, she seized the wiring and forced the current through her father instead. She kept it flowing until he was dead, leaving the electrical nodes permanently fused into her skull.
For the first time in her life, Nellie was free.
Six months later, she married David. Within a year, he had become just like her father. The insults came first, followed by violence, until Nellie eventually killed him too.
As David died, Nellie saw a towering figure standing silently in the corner of the room. Something inside her broke.
For the first time in her life, she felt no fear. Instead, she collapsed into hysterical laughter beside David's corpse.
The killings that followed quickly spread across Liverpool. Men began disappearing from pubs, bus stops, train stations and alleyways, with bodies later discovered covered in electrical burns and surrounded by strange ritualistic symbols. The press gave the unknown killer a name: The Black Widow of Liverpool.
Nellie believed each murder was a sacrifice to her new God. The timid woman who had once hidden from the world had become a manic zealot, laughing through her killings and chasing visions only she could see.
By the time police identified Eleanor Ashford as the Black Widow, she had already vanished. The Old Sire was calling her elsewhere. And Nellie answered.
Check out the latest The Damned Files character reveal press kit to meet Eleanor “Nervous Nellie’” Ashford and discover more about the woman behind the Black Widow of Liverpool.
The Rules Are Simple. The Tools Are Not.
At the heart of Rock, Paper, Severed is the classic hand game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, with one horrifying difference: every throw you lose costs you a finger. Players must read their opponents, manage the risks and make every decision count as the game becomes increasingly desperate.
A collection of items gives players another way to shift the odds, allowing them to bend the flow of the game, outmanoeuvre their opponents and survive a little longer. Use them wisely.
Across the single-player and multiplayer experiences, players encounter the game's cast in different configurations, gradually learning more about the people sitting around The Old Sire's table. Their stories are seeded throughout the experience for those willing to look deeper, but the focus remains firmly on the strategic gameplay, risk and survival at the heart of every game.
Rock, Paper, Severed will be playable for the first time at gamescom 2026, with members of the development team on hand throughout the show to walk media and players through the game, discuss its characters and offer hands-on sessions.
NEXT FILE: The Old Sire - Opening soon