Certain themes and controversies have the peculiar way of gradually expanding, as has happened with the balance between racism and political correctness in the world of RPG. What is just offensive or too much and what is considered part of freedom of expression has been debated for some weeks now.
What trumps the offense and what is instead a legitimately expressed concern? I took some time to reflect on it, and I think it’s time to express my point of view.
But first, a little context.
The issue escalated after the very serious, sad (and very wrong) fate of George Floyd. I consider that fact very serious, but that it should be weighed in a totally different way. The issue has raised myriad reflections, and this is good. I don’t agree with all of them (and you will understand why), but the fact that they caught the attention of the community and pushed it to think is a victory, to me.
But we are here to talk about role-playing games.
RPG, movies, video games: the border between racism and political correctness
These events have created emblematic cases in various sectors, as well as among opinion leaders. In the cinema, you have certainly heard of Gone with the Wind. In the gaming community, you may have heard the controversy about Little Devil Inside. As for the RPG, however, the issues of Political Correctness and racism have greatly influenced D&D5e.
Let’s take a closer look at that last point.
Wizards of the Coast has decided to apologize for the initial approach given to the orcs (and drow) and promised to give them greater depth. So far, their natures within the D&D narrative universe has always been cruel and ruthless, both being the irredeemable offspring of evil.
Is this necessarily a problem? It depends.
If you want to remain faithful to tradition, absolutely not, role-playing tends to create stereotypes among which a tangible concept of “evil” coalesces. On the other hand, one might ask why always them? Their origin has corrupted them and made them what they are, but isn’t this overkill?
Providing a straightforward answer would be counterproductive, I feel, better to break the issue down and deal with individual aspects. That way, this analysis can evolve on several axes.
The axis of history
First of all, note that when those creatures were originally penned, the era was different and the common (lack of) sensitivity, too. Fortunately, society has evolved, but this has created fractures around situations which, for decades, have stubbornly refused to evolve. Does this mean that the RPG was full of racism and the current Political Correctness is redeeming it? Absolutely not. The tradition of certain universes has reason to be respected, but it must not become a rule. Putting elves with dark skin in the The Witcher series for the sole purpose of appearing “correct” can be out of place, as it goes against the laws that govern that world and appear glaringly forced.
In the same way, I would find it sad to see all the classic races in every fantasy narrative universe written with roughly the same characteristics: refined and haughty elves, grumpy dwarves and violent orcs. Why wasn’t it considered racism in the beginning? It isn’t because we’re too critical now, but rather because at the time that was new and original. Creating a world like Tolkien’s Middle-Earth in which orcs are created as evil-soaked creatures is not at all incorrect. Maintaining the same characteristics in any other fantasy work for forty years, however, certainly can be. Historical context plays a very important role in this analysis. A world created with certain ingrained laws has the right to exist without being considered racist, but at the same time it must always feel free to evolve if it deems it necessary.
The axis of the circumstance
This is perhaps the least ideological and most practical aspect. We speak as users of content, but we must consider that those works are the means of support for professionals. How do you blame those who decide to reinterpret their work in a more modern way to ensure that it continues to be appreciated and purchased? Such a choice should not be seen as “selling out”, but rather as trying to meet society’s demands instead of being fundamentalists and seeing one’s work die slowly. Then of course this discussion is much more pertinent to “young” works, since the more dated ones are likely to have a stable fan base.
And let’s not forget that the last word belongs to the author, not the critics. People can more or less agree on a possible smoothing of certain aspects that have become untenable to modern sensibilities, and can choose whether or not to look into a product on that basis. But the author should always have the last word on the work he has created. Although it may seem trivial to some, this has not always been the case in recent years.
In other words, we should always try to analyze choices in relation to society and not as abstract concepts unrelated to any logic. Role-playing often represents an escape route or an alternative version of the reality we live in; not taking this into consideration would be an error in judgement.
The axis of finality
Another decisive aspect is the aim given to a work. If you want to continue a tradition, I have already expressed my opinion on it. But this is not always the case: to fully understand it we must try to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are not in our situation.
To many, it may seem almost absurd to tie the discourse on racism and Political Correctness to RPG, but in my opinion it isn’t. Many of us have known the industry for years or have even witnessed its birth, but few these days have anymore. Let’s try to imagine how it is for a child to enter a world where racism is rampant and it is normal for everyone. A young person who has no way, time and/or desire to recover decades of works and context. The idea conveyed could easily be misrepresented. This doesn’t mean the Political Correctness needs to be amped up: it is enough to have in mind what the target of a work is and make it explicit.
So how do you find a balance between racism and political correctness in RPG?
What it would take to put an end to all these controversies? Classifying.
Make it clear right on the cover for which audience a specific role-playing game was written. As always, balance might be the solution; too many restrictions or too much indifference could be equally harmful. Using this method allows everyone to more easily find and enjoy a product suitable for them, without affecting other participants or limiting the choices of those who want more thorny content. This way, you can choose an approach that suits all participants during “session 0” pitching your new campaign, well aware of what a particular product offers. The importance of this circumstance is also noted in other aspects, not only that of racism. In “session 0”, you can also exclude all other issues that could ruin the gaming experience for some players.
In any case, this discourse hangs on a broader conversation, which also deserves to be mentioned.
Taboos: how to manage them effectively
The idea of obscuring a topic to prevent it from becoming a problem is wrong. For specific reasons like personal trauma, it makes sense, yes, but adopting this mentality across the board for all is damaging to the hobby.
Not wanting to deal with topics because they are thorny or heavy doesn’t help to raise awareness. Much better to face these issues (in-game) and get an idea of how wrong they are, so to recognize them and not to tolerate them even in real life. Denying the existence of horrors does not help in any way to make them recognizable as such and eliminates any possible statement in this regard. And if the discussion were to widen seriously to other topics, the situation would get even worse. Over-zealous Political Correctness as a means of combating racism and other evils risks eliminating great value from RPG – and other entertainment methods.
Try to think if “speech” was extended to books, films, TV series…. No more personal dramas resulting from tragedies, no more horror, no more “controversial” works… No, for me this state of affairs (albeit exaggerated) is not in any away desirable. The idea of “in RPG’s there is more immersion” carries no weight: a vulnerable mind is influenced by a thousand things in modern society.
To conclude, it is much more useful not to fall into excessive prohibition in my opinion; it’s better just to criticize bad taste. In this way, we leave authorship to content creators and the responsibility for what to deal with at the table at home lies with individual GM’s/players.
Transparency, open-mindedness and maturity, that’s all it takes.
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I received a free copy of Spire: The City Must Fall from Isola Illyon Edizioni (which took care of the Italian version of this RPG) in order to write this review. If you are interested in purchasing the italian version of the product, you can do so at their online store at the price of €40 (price including physical copy and digital copy) or €20 (digital copy only). If you are interested in the original language version (English) you can find it at the Rowan, Rook and Decard online store.
Are you looking for something light and joyful? Don’t go further. As you will see in this review, Spire: The City Must Fall is not for you.
The world is dark and cruel, almost completely adrift from moral values. It can be divided into various areas, each exotic in its own way and governed by a different race: Dark Elves (Drow), High Elves (Aelfir), Humans, Gnolls… Each with its own traditions and society. But this RPG is not based on the exploration of wild lands, it will not introduce you to strange monsters and it will not even allow you to choose among all the races. All we need will be within a single city, Spire, but trust me: you will not find anything missing.
Spire: Review of a City Deeper than Many Worlds
Take some elements of the classic dark fantasy (primarily Dark Elves and High Elves), put them in a “dirty” and corrupted urban context; add punk elements, intrigue and a very strong dash of revolt. From this exotic and dangerous mix the city of Spire was born, the focus of this review and of the stories you are going to live!
How the city was born remains a mystery. There are many theories about it (a colossal creature, a relic of an ancient civilization, something extra-dimensional…), but none of these are reflected in extant texts or documents of any kind. Instead, what is certain its character is profound and immersive beyond belief. Its development is vertical, reaching for the sky. Nothing is trivial, each part of it has an evocative name, aspect and function: The Basilica of the Sun, the Ivory Quarter, the Hanging Gardens… And the more you explore, the more you realize how little you know about it!
It is a lively and pulsating place, full of secrets and hidden paths known only to those wily enough to survive them. There is no certainty or morality, even the concept of family provides no safe shelter. The city seeks stability, but not all of its inhabitants agree.
The Inhabitants are the Lifeblood (or Poison) of the City
This city pulsates with energy mainly thanks to two of the ethnic groups that inhabit it: the Aelfir and the Drow. The former represent light, they are the oldest and the most related to the laws. Maybe because they are the law themselves. They rule Spire and treat the Dark Elves as inferior beings, perhaps because they spawned them through a curse. The Drow therefore grow in resentment towards the Aelfir. Their name reflects their tormented nature, which does not allow them to tolerate sunlight. Their life was born out of difficulties and this strengthens them, inducing them to rebel, to raise their heads in this urban jungle. But be careful, changing the situation too much attracts the attention of someone more powerful… And this often ends with the premature death of an aspiring revolutionary.
From here a game of intrigue and alliance arises. Few titles have dealt with this topic with the same depth as Spire: The City Must Fall. There are mechanics to describe power games; the text underlines the importance of watching your back.
Through all this, however, you should not lose sight of the dualism of light / shadow, which is also present in faith. The new and mysterious Our Veiled Lady is opposed to the official religion of Our Shining Lady. Dark, dangerous and unauthorized. Although free, occult magic is opposed to official divine magic. There are also other strange supernatural figures, but it is difficult to classify them in a similar context.
One thing is certain: Spire: The City Must Fallallows us to understand only the Drow.
The Protagonists of the Revolt: The Oppressed
Although the choice to limit PC’s to only Dark Elves may seem contrived, the nature of the setting reveals the necessity. This RPG could not convey the same anger and the same of revolt if it were not framed entirely from the point of view of the oppressed of Spire. All this has a strong impact also on character generation.
The first aspect to be determined in character creation is the Bond, which defines how each character served the High Elf society before they decided to rebel.
The second aspect to be determined is in fact theBond, that is, how each character served the High Elf society before rebelling. There are many options (Adept, Assistant, Manual worker, Guard, etc.), and each provides its own mechanical advantages.
For the second you must select the Class, the professional specialization. These deviate quite a bit from the classic fantasy classes (Azurite, Heretic, Idol,…), giving the work a remarkable originality. They also bring particular advantages, classified as Main Traits (Resistances, Recovery, Skills, Domains, Alliances), Equipment, Proficiency and Advances. The latter represent the advantages derived from one’s actions and replace the classic accumulation of experience. Changing the city more or less incisively guarantees Basic, Moderate or High Advances. If desired, you can also buy Advances from other classes, but they are counted as belonging to a higher category. There are Advances available for all classes, Extra Advances.
At the back of the manual there is a blank, simple and a little generic, but functional character sheet. Alternately, you can download the editable character sheet (in Italian) directly from the Isola Illyon Edizioni website.
But now let’s take a look at the terms that define the characters.
How to Move the Threads in These Shadows
Let’s start from the basics: each resolution check is based on the roll of a d10 and the result looked up on a simple table that shows how this can lead to successes or failures with extra implications. If the test concerns an activity or an area in which the character is specialized, he can use an Ability or a Domain respectively. No more than one per category may be applied and each of them adds an additional d10. There is also the possibility of taking the same Ability or the same Domain twice, in order to unlock a Talent; it allows a Roll with Mastery, which gets the best results. There could be two external factors: the help of an ally to gain another d10 or the danger generated by a difficulty, which instead takes away a d10.
Failure (or just enough success) brings the Stress mechanic into play. It is, in simple terms, a type of damage. It should not be applied to generic “life points”, but to five specific statistics: Resistances: Silver, Mind, Shadow, Reputation, and Blood. Continuing to act despite Stress is possible, but it carries ever higher Complication risks. Complications are path accidents, losses from various points of view or real accidents (up to the departure of the character). To recover, there are specific actions or complete rest. The latter is accessible to everyone, but has the inevitable drawback of making the plot proceed without being able to intervene.
Not Everything is Resolved with Diplomacy
This review has so far painted Spire: The City Must Fall as a dark but almost non-violent game. Fear not: it is not so. But don’t expect a battle map or something equally detailed. Combat does not betray the narrative soul of the title and results in dynamic and flowing scenes. There are no Initiatives; the master decides who acts and the characters describe their actions, matching the appropriate dice rolls. The enemies are not proactive, but the negative consequences of the players’ eventual unfortunate rolls represent the counter-moves of the antagonists. You don’t need a battle map because all distances are divided into only increments: melee, distance and long distance.
Before facing a battle it is good to find the right equipment, but the currency of exchange is Stress. Costs are reckoned as Stress to one’s Silver. The advantage of having armor? Increased Blood Resistance. The effects of weapons? Blood Stress to the target. The weapons also have interesting extra skills (block, stun, concealable,…) that can often be applied together with some character Domains or Skills. Aside from these two categories, there are no real lists of purchasable items. There are only a few examples in the initial equipment of the classes and in some final random generation tables; the rest is left to free interpretation of the master. Obviously to be purchased in exchange for Silver Stress.
Review of the Physical Material of Spire
In regards to the materials used for this version of the manual, there isn’t much to criticize. Its approximately 220 pages are of excellent quality and are very well protected by a very smooth hard cover. Nice to look at, nice to consult. Navigating through its contents is made comfortable by a classic double column layout and the simple and clear font. At the end of the manual there is also a handy index to find the chapters, already rationally divided.
The manual is studded with incredibly beautiful illustrations. Consistency in style is impeccable, the effect is powerful. Thick black lines delimit each figure. Powerful colors give meaning to each illustration. Even just flipping through the pages makes you feel the atmosphere that the game wants to convey. Few times I have seen such a particular setting supported by equally particular but at the same time coherent series’ of illustrations. If I had to make a game comparison, it reminds me a lot of the graphic style of the Darkest Dungeon video game.
Final Thoughts for the Spire Review
The manual also contains various useful tips for the master and for the players, aimed at making the game experience simpler and more enjoyable, always in line with the base tenets, i.e., the revolt against oppression. The support of the project patrons and their trust are also publicly thanked in the manual. For me it means a lot to see that the authors wanted to repay this investment by citing the names of the backers. One of the last pages presents works that inspired this RPG; music, film, books, etc. There are many sources and they could also be useful to better understand the setting atmosphere.
I want to close this review of Spire: The City Must Fall with a thought for the sensations it can evoke. The attention to detail relating to the setting is incredible; reading the manual is like having a sightseeing tour of disturbingly beautiful Spire. Of course, one should not expect complicated mechanics (after all it is a narrative system that is mainly based on the use of the only d10). But if you like narrative role-playing games, I can advise you to give it a chance. The mix of classic and innovative elements is perfectly balanced; much more might be said, but you will probably find the atmosphere it creates really fascinating.
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I received a copy of The Feast on Titanhead from Games Omnivorous in order to write this review. If you like the product, you can find it on their web-store page for €15 in physical copy (limited to 500 units).
This adventure is part of a series called Manifestus Omnivorous, characterized by some very precise rules (you can read them in the following image) that make these products immediate, artistic and very useful. We anticipate that some images contained in this article (taken directly from the product) may be strong for sensitive people.
Horror needs style…
And with stranger aeons, even death may die.
H. P. Lovecraft
The work starts with this sentence and the inspiration is immediately clear. The tones of cosmic horror refer to the famous author H. P. Lovecraft and the topics treated could very well be at the center of one of his stories.
The adventure doesn’t have a precise game system, so the first thought is of living it through the mechanics of Call of Cthulhu and the choice wouldn’t be wrong. Another viable option in order to appreciate its dark and distressing tones is Mörk Borg‘s metal desolation. In any case, there are various generic indications that make the narrative effective in almost any system designed to evoke a sense of horror. The rolls to be made and the situations to be solvedare varied and original andpresented in a generic enough way to be adaptable to any system, giving each element encountered a unique and complex value.
Without spoiling the plot, I can give you some general indications. First of all, the setting is on the European mountains, but for this a master with a minimum of experience can easily transfer it to other places and at other times. In any case, a group of researchers was exploring these mountains when an excavation revealed something disturbing; a titanic skull has been found, so large that it can be visited and inside which deeply disturbing things are hidden. This research team never came back and the characters (for whatever reason) went to check out what’s going on. What will they find? Maybe they won’t even understand it when they see it… Triviality is not part of this work; you will find immersive descriptions and strong scenes, full of meaning.
… And the style must also be aesthetic
The same care is also found in the manual itself. Classical layout in two columns with appropriate fonts. The 28 pages of The Feast on Titanhead are enclosed in a flexible cover of excellent quality; a red band attached to the binding acts as a bookmark. Its color wonderfully contrasts with the palette of the work, which includes only white, black and gray. However, this choice makes for a very appreciable consistency and style; it isn’t “heavy” on the eyes or “tiring” to read.
All its illustrations are wonderfully macabre, twisted without leading to exaggeration. The depravity of the place is faithfully represented, giving greater weight to the text, but without compromising the aura of mystery that stimulates the imagination. The inside of the cover bears a precise and well-made map of Titanhead, with all its passages and areas marked.
Final thoughts on The Feast on Titanhead
The work has the advantage of being useful in various situations; as a one-shot to try new systems, as a filler adventure in an already started campaign, and/or as a method to introduce people to horror-focused role-playing games. The options are many and all are valid. The cost of about €0.50 per page is actually quite high, but perhaps not exorbitant. Quality is not lacking and pays a dividend on the investment. Moreover, the eccentric and delicious aesthetic makes it one of those manuals that deserves a place in the library of our collection.
The impression The Feast on Titanhead left me with is excellent and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates this kind of experience.
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I received a copy of Of Warlocks & Patrons from Sign of the Dragon in order to write this review. For those interested in purchasing, the product is available on DMs Guild‘s website in digital format at a price of $7.95 (about €7).
This is a compendium with a very specific purpose: to focus on one of the most appreciated classes of D&D5e: the warlock! It gives in-depth analysis, along with the additional benefit of expounding on the mechanics and flavor of these
enchanters whose powers are supplied by a superior and mysterious entity.
The contents of Of Warlocks & Patrons
A useful index introduces the topics dealt with, divided precisely into four chapters and two appendices.
The first chapter contains many tables, very useful for deepening the interpretation of this class; links between the warlock and the patron, aims and messengers of the latter, and so on. There are many ideas that can help in quickly creating characters that have a certain depth.
The second chapter describes two new patrons. The first is The Elemental Lord, an entity linked to a particular element and inclined to grant powers related to it to those who serve him/her/it. Instead the other patron presented is The Spirit, an essence linked to death capable of guaranteeing powers normally attributed to ghosts. Both are well-profiled and full of dedicated powers and spells. Be aware that there are some scattered references to Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, so it is advisable to consult it in order to understand every detail.
The third chapter is a collection of valuable Eldritch invocations (particular powers of Warlocks), thanks to which you can give new skills to your characters.
The fourth and final chapter features two new backgrounds, The Chosen and Cultist. They have been designed for Warlocks but can also be applied to other classes without any problem.
The first appendix deals with a by no means trivial topic: how to contact your patron. Here you can find rituals, offers, and everything you need (including mechanics) to try to obtain an audience. However, keep in mind that this isn’t always going to be successful and the consequences of failure may be unpleasant.
Finally the second appendix proposes new monsters. They are well-structured and (even better) useful, since they can be used both as patrons’ servants and as monsters in the classic sense, to be thrown in the adventurers’ paths.
The professionalism of the manual
In Of Warlocks & Patrons, Sign of the Dragon continues not to miss a beat
When it comes to quality of presentation. For all intents and purposes, it seems/feels like an official D&D5e manual. Its 33 pages are made easy to read by the classic double column layout and a nice and spot-on font. Thanks also to panels and tables it is easy to find your way around.
The illustrations inside are not original, but are of excellent quality and very suitable for the contents. They manage to highlight the proposed elements, making it even more pleasant to browse the manual.
Final thoughts on Of Warlocks & Patrons
Compared to other compendiums by the same authors (such as Realm Events), Of Warlocks & Patrons has a slightly higher price, but it isn’t exorbitant and the quality pays a dividend on the investment.
It may not be very versatile, but I highly recommend considering this product for purchase if you want to build original and well-characterized Warlocks.
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I have received a copy of the Pathfinder Second Edition manual from Giochi Uniti in order to write this review. For those interested, this RPG is also available in Italian at the Giochi Uniti store (which we thank for the Italian distribution) at a price of €59.90. This is why all the images are taken from the Italian version of the game.
Back in the now distant year 2009, Paizo released the first edition of Pathfinder, a role-playing game that took all the basics of D&D3.5 and set out to create something even bigger and more complete. Success was not long in coming, and deservedly so in my opinion. In 2010 the work was translated into a number of languages. Ten years after its original release (2019), Paizo released Pathfinder Second Edition. This new edition was created as an independent evolution of the largely D&D 3.5ed-based first edition.
In the Second Edition, Pathfinder has undergone changes roughly comparable to those that occurred in the transition from D&D’s 3.5e to 4e to 5e. In the same manner, the final product is the result of years of analysis and is very different from the first edition. The distance between the two products is considerable, although they still have many details in common.
However, we already anticipate that, given the deep changes, the new version is not compatible with the previous one. The different “numerical approach” and the simplification of the calculations make it necessary to convert any materials that you wish to transpose.
A Look at the Setting
But let’s stop a moment to establish some context for this icon of modern epic fantasy RPG’s. This work is one of the most important exponents of the genre, it has a very rich proprietary setting, that has evolved over the years, thanks to the APs (Adventure Paths, collections of modules that make up long and deep campaigns) written to support it. Players have witnessed (and still do) these evolutionary changes by experiencing these stories as they continue to be released. In this way the events of the first edition (AP’s) have already taken place in the second edition (heralding the current Age of Lost Omens), without requiring the players to play all of them, specifically. Information useful for understanding the current situation in the game world is included in the Pathfinder Second Edition core rulebook (although this review doesn’t contain any spoilers).
The power level is definitely high in Pathfinder 2e; all the PC’s grow considerably in their level-ups and what they are capable of is well beyond human limits. The setting manages to bring the cornerstones of fantasy together in a fluid way. Some areas are more primitive, thick with jungles and inhabited by dinosaurs. Others have a technological level that includes firearms. And the use of cultural templates from the Real World provide myriad opportunities for game play, from Transylvanian vampires or classic empires to Arabian deserts, gateways to other planes, and more from ancient sagas, history, fairytales, short stories, novels, movies – even other RPG’s.
Because the world of Golarion is not the only playable world, you can also find the classic planes of existence, all interconnected by lore and “divine” bonds. All these details are noted in this manual, needing no other reference books.
The “Weight” of the Pathdinder Second Edition Core Book
Are you afraid that some aspects are taken for granted? Absolutely not! This review is based on reading the nearly 650 pages of the Pathfinder Second Edition core rulebook and we assure you that everything is there. Do not be frightened of the page count, however; a perfectly adequate font and an impeccable classical two-column layout make consulting the tome simple and convenient. The precise thematic division of contents and the very useful final glossary with attached index allows you to navigate its pages without getting lost. On the side of each page, the thematic subdivision of the contents it belongs to is clearly marked.
The last pages contain an empty character record sheet. I admit, it’s one of the things I liked the least. Don’t get me wrong, it’s complete and usable; the problem is that the graphics are pedestrian, especially when compared to the quality of the rest of the book.
All the materials used for the manual are excellent; the hard cover properly protects the tome, the pages are sturdy but at the same time serve to enhance the images. The illustrations and artwork are a huge point in favor of this work. There are many, all original and all to be admired. The style sometimes a little irreverent has remained, but here it is even more interesting. A very real leap forward in quality is evident when compared to the first edition, the style more mature and intriguing.
But a book shouldn’t be judged by the cover, right? Let’s dive into the contents! The first point of note is the idea behind the work, the order. If the first edition seemed well done, here lovers of rational order will melt like an ice mephit hit by a red dragon’s fiery breath.
The New Order of Mechanics
The use of Traits for each concept reveals the first instance of the application of the new order. They are “labels” attached to almost every element (item, spell, creature, etc.) in order to define it. This classification eliminates any doubts regarding when to use a certain mechanic or which targets are valid for a certain effect. I personally love this stylistic choice. Another type of classification is that given to items. In addition to having their own traits, they are also characterized by a number that indicates the ideal minimum level that the characters should have to obtain them.
The task resolution dice tests are carried out with the classic d20, but acquire a greater depth. To highlight sensational successes, rolling 10 or more over the Difficulty Class (DC) yields a Success with Additional Benefit(s) or a Critical Success. Likewise, a very unfortunate die roll can lead to a a Failure with Complications or a Critical Failure. These extra consequences are clearly specified for each circumstance.
In addition, the degrees by which skills are distinguished have been eliminated in favor of a more dynamic approach that reminded me of a mix of D&D5e and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Each skill is measured by a level of training that ranges from Trained to Legendary. This level (in addition to unlocking new Actions) adds an additional bonus to the basic bonus provided by a given discipline, the sum of the key attribute modifier plus the character’s level. Not being trained allows you to use only the key attribute modifier. Furthermore, the opposing tests are no longer present; simply the one who undergoes the action has a fixed DC that the one who performs the action must pass. Finally some tests are expressly to be done in secret, to discourage the meta-gaming.
The Protagonists of the Game: Constructing the PC’s
To the casual eye, character creation might seem a bit more sparse than previously, but this impression isn’t accurate. In the core manual of Pathfinder Second Edition there are a good number of classes and races (now called Ancestries, but more about that later in this review). They are not yet comparable in number to those of the first edition, but it is only a matter of time until additional support manuals are released to remedy this.
The first choice is character “Ancestry”,whichdiffers from the classic race concept. its modularity distinguishes it: each Ancestry has different bonuses to attributes, languages and heritages. The latter represent the different varieties that make up a specific Ancestry (Arctic elf, Woodland elf, …) or race hybrid (half-orc, half-elf). Each Ancestry also has a unique set of Talents from which players may choose at level-ups. Rejoice in the fact that each member of a particular Ancestry can be well modeled and distinguished from the others!
Background is selected next. This personalization greatly stimulates role-play and provides PC’s with training in skills and another Talent.
Then there is Class selection. Each Class includes a whole range of skills that the character may wield. Weapons, armor use, saving throws, and skills in which he/she specializes, any spells, and everything that characterizes him/her in terms of viable Actions available. Here, too, we encounter Talents; they actually combine the old class abilities and also incorporate the Pathfinder First Edition archetypes’ functions. Level-ups allow you to unlock new Talents, making the character even more unique. It is also possible to select some aspects of other classes and progress in their development. This aspect removes the classic multi-class, replacing it with something more fully satisfying (here called Archetypes).
How Fantastical Can It Be without Magic?
Pathfinder Second Edition certainly wouldn’t please its audience (and this review) if it didn’t provide those oh-so-satisfying fireballs we’ve come to expect, don’t you think? Magic is often the key element that makes fantasy RPG worlds special. I was genuinely worried about not finding anything new. That would have made me sad. I’m not saying that the magic in first edition worked badly, but it needed an evolution. Luckily, I was not disappointed!
The spells are many, nothing is missing of what one might expect and they have a whole new dynamism. They can be intensified. That is to say, they may be cast from a higher level slot than the native one it would normally occupy. In this way, they acquire extra effects or those already present are intensified. Have you always dreamed of creating a twentieth level magician specialized in Magic Missiles and still performing them? Well, now you can! And you’ll have fun throwing a swarm of Magic Missiles prepared with a tenth level slot (yes, the maximum level of spells is now 10) — as big as ballista’s stones!! Spells are divided into four Traditions, based on their origin: Arcane, Divine, Occult and Primal. Then there are special formulas, namely Rituals. They are powerful but little-known spells that allow multiple spellcasters to work together to try and produce special effects.
Finally, a note of merit also goes to the magical items, now much easier to manage. The enchanted weapons and armor are particularly well-made and allow you to assemble them in an interesting yet balanced way.
Combat of Pathfinder Second Edition
In Pathfinder Second Editioncombatis one of the most prominent and important original aspects of tabletop RPG’s and also among the ones I like most.
Each turn focuses on the management of three Actions (in addition to free actions). This approach avoids having to remember which tactical options are feasible together and which are not. Every possible activity costs from zero to three Actions.
As long as a character has Actions available, he/she should generally be able to engage in activities. In addition, certain activities classified as Reactions allow characters do things outside their normal turns.
For the rest, the fight follows the classic mechanics of the game, giving its best with a battlemap on which to calculate the range distances and areas of effect. This also facilitates management of most peculiar situations, such as fighting in water, on horseback, or in flight. These circumstances are dealt with explicitly in the text, meeting the needs of less experienced GM’s.
Other subtleties significantly streamlined the time combat takes, which I also appreciated. First of all, damage is divided into types (Physical, Energy, Aligned, Mental, Poison, Bleeding, Precision), each explained in detail.
In addition, the Conditions that may afflict characters are clearly defined, as if they were additional Traits. Even the combat maneuvers are elegantly resolvable through simple d20 tests of skill; the almost total absence of attacks of opportunity made the combat more dynamic and not even the Summoners will be able to overwhelm the battlefield, needing Actions to control their beasts!
Some words must also be said about death; reaching 0 Hit Points represents fainting; then a series of dice rolls causes the life of the character to oscillate between various steps of gravity, until the definitive departure. However, Hero Points allow you to re-roll and save the situation.
The Right Space for Other Activities, too
Although combat is certainly one of its strengths, Pathfinder Second Edition is also very attentive to other types of play. Elements that were previously neglected are recognized with precision
Two concepts in particular I appreciated:
The Exploration Mode has precise mechanics for traveling, geared to the pace the PC’s adopt. In fact, a variety of possibilities are highlighted, including searching the area as they move, constantly on the look-out for magic or following some expert guide. Many gaming groups already use similar dynamics, but they are finally, clearly spelled out in this manual.
The Downtime Mode proposes rules for various activities during rest periods. Those actions/activities make much more sense than in first edition, where they were almost useless; and yes, we are talking about common town-based activities (the old Profession), building useful items for the party (the old Craft), hunting in the wild lands and taking care of wounded companions. Another very useful function of these Downtime rules is Retraining. Finally, there is a set of rules in the basic manual to replace the disappointing progression choices.
Final Considerations on Pathfinder Second Edition
The sessions flow smoothly on both the player and GM sides. For the latter, the situation is even more pleasant, as the manual is full of ideas and help. There are more than 600 pages of reading, but it is absolutely worth it. Whether for the beautiful writing, the beautiful images, or the excellent content, it is one of those manuals that you will never tire of reading. Creating a PNG is much easier and faster than creating a PG. Furthermore at the end of the manual there are even ten-ish pages describing dozens of types of traps (called Hazards), all different and some very funny. Farewell to dungeons dotted only with the usual pit with spikes!
Despite the fact that I have compared Pathfinder Second Edition to the first edition several times in this review, this should not be seen as a competitive comparison between the two. My comparisons are aimed at better explaining certain concepts, as the two games can coexist very well. Both of these two products absolutely deserve to be tried on their own merits – and what better time to dive into the second edition than now? Considering also the possibility of participating in official sessions with the Pathfinder Society, I would say that thought deserves consideration.
I conclude by saying that this RPG in my opinion will be one of the most played in the coming years and it deserves this success. It manages to be technical without being a grind. It offers a lot of material, but is well-structured and ordered. I would like to write more about it, but now I have a new character to create – nothing conveys the wonder better than trying it for yourself!
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I received a free copy of Curse of the Lost Memories from Griffon Lore Games in order to write this review. For those interested, this product is available from the authors’ store at a price of $39.99 (printed copy) and $19.99 (digital copy).
This module represents the first chapter of an extensive and complete campaign: Chronicles of the Celestial Chains. This does not preclude the possibility of playing it as a standalone adventure or as part of a homemade campaign. Two versions are available: one for D&D5e and one for Pathfinder, but the content was created to be easily adapted to other systems, too.
I had the opportunity to speak with the creators of this work and it became abundantly clear that the project was born in the best way, that is from the genuine passion of a group of players; players who wanted to take the adventures they’d enjoyed across years of gaming sessions and set them down in black and white. And there isn’t a single paragraph of “filler”; each element is described with love, so the protagonists can engage with it right down to the fine details.
Walking around the Kingdom of Lothmar
This attention to detail is noted first of all in the original and engaging plot. The campaign takes place in the Kingdom of Lothmar, a vast territory born from the aforementioned years of gaming. As a result, every corner of this place has a story behindit. Lothmar isn’t a substance-less facade, beautiful only on the surface. There are even difficult-to-find places full of character! If this may seem a difficult balancing act, but don’t worry. Every location you will visit in Curse of the Lost Memories is broken down into various facets, together giving you a complete picture. History, inhabitants (with related stat blocks), secrets, factions, and social situations. The history of the kingdom is summarized and recapped at the end of the book, thus making it easier to tie important places to important events of the past (no specifics here, no spoilers).
In the Curse of the Lost Memories, each character is tied in some way to the past of the kingdom. After meeting, they all have strange memories of some of the events that shaped part of this territory. These seem to focus on the aftermath of a terrible demonic invasion. The only problem is the PC’s never participated in those events, as they occurred more than a century and a half ago. Thus, they understand that perhaps together they can unravel the secrets behind these memories of the past. They will experience many vicissitudes along the way, visit fascinating places and meet charismatic characters. All this occurs in a fluid and dynamic way, in spite of the fact it is a pre-made adventure. The PC’s actions have a very real impact on the game world. In this way the variable outcome of the many quests provides opportunity for great immersion.
The protagonists of Curse of the Lost Memories
But who are these characters? I will not reveal too much about the “lost memories” (no spoilers), but they are special. There are some guidelines for some pre-generated characters, and ideas for creating new ones. There are very few limitations on character generation, aside from the exclusion of a few races that are out of context. We note the the creator’s intent, not to restrict too many possibilities and finding an excellent balance between authoring adventure plots to offer and allowing their free exploration.
Character creation follows the normal rules, with a couple of small additions. First, everyone gets bonus skills, for free. Everyone also has good infiltration skills and this underlines the fact that Curse of the Lost Memories wasn’t created to be a succession of fights, rather, it rewards different approaches. In addition to the skills, each player must choose a “boon”, an advantage given (in some way) by those fragments of memories that distinguish him/her. This, however, translates into advantages which, in my opinion, are much too potent and almost overshadow features painstakingly gained by earning levels. +20 on Wisdom / Will saving throws? Too much, even after a pause to properly consider the context.
Finally, this campaign seems to be focused on creating long-lived characters the players can become attached to, in order to be able to play them in a comprehensive and satisfying way. To reflect that (and for necessities of plot), when one of the protagonists dies, they mysteriously awaken near a specific tree, returned to life …. The reason? You must play to find out! In any event, there are penalties to prevent the abuse of this mechanic.
A presentation full of professionalism
Qualitatively, this manual is very good. Functional and beautiful in structure, adequate font, perfectly suited color palette and excellent first impact. Navigating inside is simple and pleasant, thanks to a professional, classic (two-column) and intelligent layout. The materials feel durable and pleasant in hand. Also the solid, hard cover itself conveys an impression of good value.
The illustrations are also beautiful and accompany the paragraphs well, giving life to their contents. They are images created specifically for this manual and that shines through. Even the many and very useful maps are very well made. The only flaw in my opinion is the color choice; to be honest I would have preferred them slightly clearer, in order to facilitate their consultation. Let’s face it, they are still very beautiful; it’s just my personal taste. The most important of the maps are also available for purchase in digital format, so you can easily use them in online games or conveniently print them to play live.
Final thoughts on Curse of the Lost Memories
In general, this adventure left a very positive impression. The professionalism that distinguishes it is truly noteworthy, so much that it can keep up with some of the products of the bigger RPG publishers. Compared to them, however, it seems to me that, while they do not spoil the gaming experience, the work isn’t as well balanced. Graphically it is very beautiful and I’m sure you will feel the need to browse it just for its own sake.
In conclusion, I am very satisfied with Curse of the Lost Memories.
I recommend it to anyone who appreciates deep, immersive campaigns, intent on rising above being just another massacre of monsters. This doesn’t mean that the “action” is missing, however. On the contrary, the balance between role-play and action is simply very well thought out. The story is original and not trivial, something not so common recently. This product is proof that even lesser known publications deserve our trust, deserve a fair read through.
Keep following us to learn more about the sequel to Curse of the Lost Memories and the other Griffon Lore Games products!
I state that I received The Wanderer’s Legacy from the author in order to write this review. All the images are in Italian just because I received the Italian version of the book.
In the world of role-playing games, it often happens to accumulate interesting ideas, characters and circumstances. Sometimes they (unfortunately) fall by the wayside, sometimes they take shape. This is the case of The Wanderer’s Legacy, a systemless compendium available in both English and Italian, containing various tools that can facilitate the life of many masters and provide fresh and brilliant ideas. The lack of a reference game system is, in fact, an advantage and allows you to use it with any fantasy RPG.
The author Diego Pisa (we have already spoken about him in an article dedicated to The Sky Archipelago 2) has also written a very pleasant introduction that can immediately put the reader in the right mood. It lets us understand the value of this manual through the words of one of its protagonists, also mentioned in the title of the work itself.
Quality (and quantity) content
In its fifty pages, The Wanderer’s Legacy presents very varied and unconventional contents, capable of stimulating the imagination of even the most experienced players. Inside we find:
A divinity: The Forgotten, a superior entity who grants blessings to heroes; characters get increasingly powerful favors in relation to their heroic deeds.
3 NPCs: Three mysterious entities, usable in various contexts. A Wanderer, a hermit who loves travels and knowledge; a Legendary Blacksmith, severe but with incomparable skills; The Gatekeeper, a taciturn guardian. Each of these characters is defined by background, fame, ability, requests, heroic profile, race and philosophy. Nothing is missing.
5 monsters: these creatures are very different from the “usual fantasy monsters” and, although there is no reference game system, there is no shortage of technical ideas. Their story is very interesting as it also contains stories of those who discovered them. I particularly appreciated the presence of the possible revenues generated by their defeat.
9 adventure hints: When you need side quests, longer adventure interludes or quality one-shot material, here you will have a lot. Each is provided with a name, plot hook, story and rumors. I’m just struggling with the absence of a development or a conclusion to the stories. After all, however, this aspect leaves complete freedom to the master and this, in general, is positive for this kind of work.
30 artifacts: the section dedicated to magical objects is certainly the most extensive. Each has a detailed history (from creation to subsequent events) and very useful technical details, especially for a systemless manual. The variety is truly immense and the originality makes each artifact unique.
The uniqueness of the artistic form
After all, even the aesthetic side has a decidedly important relevance and this aspect fully satisfies. The artistic vein of Diego Pisa is present in every line and embellishes all the elements. The passion with which he created the work is evident and perfectly embodies his style. It is extremely particular and difficult to find it elsewhere. I struggle to find a precise definition, but I could say that it is a peculiar union between classic fantasy and anime/manga style. These lines are enhanced by bright and full of meaning colors. Before judging this choice, I suggest you take a look at some of his works and get an idea. I sincerely like it and now I could recognize its trait at first sight.
For the rest it is a soft covered manual with a precise and well-made layout. The pages are full of content, the attention of the viewer moves between large illustrations and text arranged in an original but suitable way. The font is varied, but never out of context. In some points it’s more gothic and less legible than the other parts, but neither this is a problem; it is used with great common sense and enhances an already excellent work. The display of the page number is particular, positioned in the center near the binding.
Conclusions on The Wanderer’s Legacy
Even this journey into fantasy is (unfortunately) over and the time has come to draw conclusions. Does this product deserve to be in your role-playing library? In my opinion, yes, for various reasons. The most practical feature is certainly the fact that it does not have a reference system and is therefore useful for anyone and any project. An additional value is given by the visual impact that, alone, would justify the purchase.
About the purchase: the cost varies between about €5 of the digital version to about €15 of the physical version and this makes it very accessible. Considering this detail, I can only recommend it!
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Let’s start by contextualizing the product; Tails of the City is a compendium for Pathfinder (first and second edition) and D&D5e which opens up the possibility of having a modern world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. The material revolves around this fulcrum, giving many new customization options (useful for both the player and the master) and never goes off topic. So don’t expect introductory adventures, a specific lore from the game world or even just a specific setting. Silver Games LLC give you the tools, the rest is yours.
A modern world between technology and magic
However, a genre is suggested, a “mood” to be given to the adventures lived thanks to this work: pulp action. In various passages the strong advice is shown not to penalize the players too much, but to reward their imaginative ideas so that the action and adrenaline will benefit. Mentions are made to ancient civilizations and ruins hidden under modern skyscrapers, as part of an interconnected world full of ideas. Too many details are never given about which ancient civilizations and which skyscrapers, leaving total freedom as regards the setting (although there are reference to modern-day America, as an example). We therefore imagine adrenaline adventures, research of artifacts and struggle against unscrupulous corporations.
The society is presented and contextualized and it’s very different from the classic fantasy Middle Ages to which the reference game systems have accustomed us. We will therefore find explanations on how to manage the cardinal mechanics of modern society: earnings, possessions, crimes, diet and more. We will also have a section dedicated to firearms, obviously much more common and accessible.
This dualismbetween technology and magic assumes a central role. The first one has reached a level of development that has become something absolutely stunning, almost inexplicable for those who are not familiar with it. The second one has the same aura of mystery, but having fewer explanations it is considered more unstable, more difficult to manage and in fact remains rarer within the work. This subtle boundary made me think that the authors were inspired by the brilliant thoughts of Arthur C. Clarke.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Arthur C. Clarke
Horses are NOT terrible people
A large part of the manual is dedicated to the inhabitants of this world, anthropomorphic animals with a varied appearance. The difference between animal races is seen as the difference in ethnicity in the real world, with all that follows. There may be racist species, others mentally more open; this introduces very interesting scenarios that may push us to deal with a very heavy issue, that of racism, in a lighter but no less significant way. Tails of the City also takes into consideration the possibility of including famous people who really exist in their games; in this case, the breeds of anthropomorphic animals to be attributed to them are not provided, leaving the narrator free choice.
Speaking about the rules, a main race is introduced, customizable both aesthetically and mechanically based on the type of animal you want to interpret. This includes a wide range of options, all available in three versions: D&D5e, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2. New backgrounds, talents, skills, spells, traits… there is something for everyone, also valid in terms of balancing. This great freedom in the creation phase risks letting implausible combinations, but this, as always, depends on the maturity of those who sit at the gaming table.
But the most attentive have already asked themselves a question: what happened to humans? This is another question left in the hands of the master. They can be fantastic creatures that never existed (generating a pleasant sense of “reverse” compared to the classic connotation of fantasy), they may have died out for some reason, they may have changed in the current inhabitants of the planet or they may have literally left for the stars. Everything is possible!
First impressions on Tails of the City
Summing up, does this title deserve a chance? In my opinion, yes, if you like this kind of elements. What impressed me most is probably the union of the modern society with anthropomorphic animals. And the chance to see a Trump pug or a Beyoncé panther, of course.
In general, Tails of the City offers what was promised, without overdoing it. I am a bit sorry not to see an introductory adventure included to be used as a reference point for narrators who approach this genre for the first time, but who knows if it will be added later.
This is all that emerges from an initial analysis of the project and sincerely gives us hope! We also advise you to take a look at the video on the Kickstarter page, very bright and in full spirit of the project.
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In the past weeks we talked about One Page Lore and LEXICON, so we decided to interview the author of these works: Jesse Galena. Let’s find out something more about his life and his way of working!
On your site there are many ideas to make unique, original and alternative encounters, monsters and classes. Where does all this creative vein come from?
Truthfully, it all spawns from my need to impress people so I feel like a real writer and game dev rather than a fraud.
Most of those ideas come from my fever dream scribblings trying to make something to engage and surprise my players. Then after refining it a bit or throwing it at players and seeing what happens, I edit it to make it actually readable, then post it. Sometimes I expand on it and usually offer additional info and related ideas based on what players did or what I feared they might try.
Which readings, both in RPG and narrative, have influenced you the most? What readings would you recommend to RPG enthusiasts looking for a book perhaps far from the most famous titles?
That’s a multi-answer question.
One is a quantity over quality sort of thing for me. The best influences have been playing and learning many different systems and seeing how each one works. Where it excels and where it flounders. How it’s original or derivative. I’d be far less inventive if I’d only played the most popular system and tried to make something different than that. Also playing those games with many different DMs and players. No two groups are the same. Heck, sometimes even the same group with a different game isn’t the same.
While it’s got some major differences since it’s group storytelling, learning how to be a good storyteller and writer is extremely helpful. Learning pacing, stakes, and character design is all critical.
Learning social skills is important. Reading a room, improve, and learning people’s individual ticks and quirks so you can better include them are all important. Also being socially conscious of what people are comfortable and uncomfortable with, how players are interacting with each other and how you can or shouldn’t intervene, and how to herd cats.
Reading/watching interviews with developers of tabletop RPGs, board games, and video games is incredibly helpful. GDC talks about narrative design and game design are helpful as well. Extra Credits has a boatload of great videos on applicable game design topics.
Running games has influenced me as much as every other factor combined. I’ve learned about the overlapping layers of all of those things along with the social skills like reading the room and trying to work with people. The small details like breaking narrative bait into free-floating chunks to improve the story for the players and myself without abandoning the main story are skills that develop through use. Studying is important, but isn’t enough. You have to do it to get better at it.
Oh, and confidence, real or faked. It’s important.
With this extreme propensity to create in-depth situations and backgrounds, what is your approach to the game table? How do you feel when you have to interact with flatter characters on the other side?
If I feel a player character (PC) is flat, I try to have their actions put them in a situation where their normal tactics won’t save them. The character who just wants to punch has to negotiate. The shy person in the party is the only one a key NPC is willing to talk to. I try to introduce situations that give them the chance to expand on their character.
In my experience, a lack of depth usually results from one of three things:
A lack of communication. The person isn’t sure what they can do, so they play it safe.
A lack of confidence. They don’t believe in themselves or understand the dynamics of the other people at the table, so they play it safe.
The person is selfish and doesn’t care about the story, the DM, or the other players at the table. They’re just an asshat.
Most of the time, it’s one of the first two, so I try to figure out which and help them. If it’s the last one, I try to work with them to get them to be a team player, since RPGs are cooperative stories.
With One Page Lore: Fantasy Folk you try to offer points of view to better characterize but also understand certain races, also trying to remove problematic stereotypes and social restrictions. Is your intent to make the game smoother and more inclusive? Do you think that your work also has a social and didactic purpose?
All of the above.
In addition, I want Fantasy Folk to showcase how different folk can actually play differently without social restrictions. Why does a naga feel different from a halfling, even if they were neighbors in the same city and grew up together?
Your extreme creativity has also led you to create two very nice and interesting random generators, WTF and Cuisine. How long did it take you? How much fun and how much satisfaction has it given you to create them?
Haha. I love those generators.
The WTF Is My Ridiculous Magical Item Generator took around two months of work. We had to create a unifying syntax for each section that could work with the variety of ideas we had. That was probably the hardest part.
After that, we all (all being everyone credited) shared a Google doc and threw out ideas as a group during group sessions and individually when we had time. Then the final edit to make sure they’d work, trial and error with coding, and boom.
The What’s the Local Cuisine Generator only took around a month, since we’d already worked out the details with the Ridiculous Item Generator.
They were an absolute blast to work on. The items and recipes they generate still crack me up, and I use them in my games. My satisfaction level is very high with those.
Which RPG do you prefer? In which system do you find your work best applicable?
If I didn’t say LEXICON, I’d be a bad game designer. But the roleplay-driven characters and endless creativity along with the ability to make an entire game with encounters and characters in less than 30 minutes makes it perfect for DMs who don’t have a lot of time to prep but don’t want that to limit their games. And for those who just want to reward creativity that won’t break the game.
There are other great systems I’d play more of if I wasn’t constantly working on LEXICON. Savage Worlds is a personal favorite. FATE is great. World of Darkness games like VtM and Mage are an absolute hoot to play. And I’m trying to find a group playing the Genesys system so I can try that out.
You also write narration as well as material for RPG. What do you prefer to write about? What are your works that in your opinion have succeeded best?
I don’t have a preference. I need to write both.
Success is a weird metric since it happens in stages. Getting hired for a job writing something is one level of success. Completing something on my own is another. Releasing it is another. Making $1 off something I wrote is another. Making $2 off it is another. The goalposts are constantly moving.
I just want to keep writing, entertain people, and make enough money to sustain myself and give back to my community.
Let’s talk about your next work, Lexicon. What can you tell us about it? How was it born and what are its pillars?
It started because I had two huge problems:
I wanted to create every NPC, encounter, monster, spaceship, spell, superpower, and every other idea for my RPG games.
I had a very limited amount of time to prep a game.
Those conflict with each other pretty hard.
So I designed a system that could do both, which led to the creation of qualities.
Qualities are the motivations, traits, and skills a character has. Each quality is a word or short phrase that describes something about them.
So if I think of a combat encounter with an NPC who’s an orc bodyguard who carries a dozen daggers, uses magic to manipulate the daggers, and has an axe to grind against the mayor, I’ve done most of the work of character creation already.
“Bodyguard” means they excel at combat, especially if it requires protection
“Carries a dozen daggers” shows their weapon of choice
“Uses magic to manipulate the daggers” shows how they fight: constantly throwing and retrieving daggers via magic.
“An axe to grind against the mayor” shows their motivation and a means the players might be able to use to get them on their side.
Whenever a character does any action, they get a +1 for every quality they’re using. So if they’re fighting someone by magically throwing their daggers (Bodyguard, Caries a dozen daggers, uses magic to manipulate daggers), they get a +3. If this action plays into their motivation- axe to grind against the mayor- that makes it +4.
Same thing for a social encounter. An uptight know-it-all noble with deep connections, a perfect memory, and a superiority complex gives me a lot to work with in a short amount of time. When talking, using those social traits in their actions gives them more bonuses and a better chance of success. This makes playing into a character’s strengths and personality important, which encourages roleplaying by tying mechanical bonuses to it.
The more powerful a person is, the more qualities they have. A starting player character has ten qualities, and they add a new quality when they level. This allows them to become better at something they’re already good at, gain a quality that lets them do something new, or add some synergistic quality that works with multiple tasks.
Tl;dr: LEXICON is an RPG designed so DMs can create an entire adventure from scratch in 30 minutes or less, they can have new players playing in ten minutes, and reward roleplaying so people will play campaigns for years.
After this interview, continue to follow us to stay informed about the works made by Jesse Galena!
First of all, I would like to specify that I received a copy of Mörk Borg from the publisher Fria Ligan to review it. And I will never stop thanking them. I also want to start by saying that, although I do my best to be objective in what I write, personal tastes always affect the evaluation of a product.
But let’s keep calm and start from the beginning. This artpunk RPG (available in English and Swedish) was born from the creativity of Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell, thanks to the talent of artists such as Johan Nohr and Pelle Nilsson. These authors are not yet too well known in the role-playing landscape, but with products of this type I can only wish them to ascend to the Olympus of the dice. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say in Hell.
The unique atmosphere of a twisted decay
The most important aspect to understand this role-playing game are the sensations it conveys. Many other products promise the earth and then offer works that, in fact, always have something trivial. Here no, here you can breathe the air of perdition and the end of time. The only (desolate) land that can be encountered is imprisoned by an eternal sea and the sharp and crackling peaks full of tombs and restless undeads.
Mörk Borg presents itself through concepts. First of all it is linked to a musical genre, the doom metal, which perfectly accompanies the game sessions thanks to its bleak and decadent style. This never falls into ridicule and indeed manages to maintain a solemn and evocative tone. Personally, for those who appreciate the genre, I recommend trying a session with this background music.
The proposed setting is not a place for the faint hearted. The known world is at the end of time. Powerful entities known as the two Two-Headed Basilisks are revered by men, left orphaned even by the gods (there is only one more that represents the darkness that swallows everything). One of the heads spoke and his words became prophecies of the end of the world. It is not known how it will happen, but now there is little less to do. This means that the values are missing and that the world is becoming increasingly sick and ruthless. There are no salvations, one shouldn’t try to save anything or anyone. The sentence is certain, one can only “live” until the imminent end of everything. Every day can be the right one for one of the Miseries predicted by the Basilisks to occur. And when seven will happen… Oblivion.
Mörk Borg‘s horror theater
And the world itself takes on a central role. The authors masterfully excluded generic places, always showing something unique, important and significant in the spotlight. So there won’t be the usual forests, plains and coasts. The setting is characterized by specific scenarios, such as a gloomy dark and animated forest, a black royal palace in the center of a cemetery and a valley where the dead never rest. To complete the picture, as anticipated, there is a sinister Endless Sea impossible to cross and a haunted mountain range behind which is not known what there is.
The peninsula is divided into kingdoms and each has an absurd and gothic ruler. A Shadow King that nobody ever sees, a sovereign with an unquantifiable power who is said to want to steal the “color” left in the world,… The ideas are original and the lore behind these elements is also taken up by the mechanics, creating a silent narrative form. By putting the fragments together, you get a general picture with an incredible characterization.
This narrative technique will not be new to many of you, or at least to those already passionate about the genre. The references to the Dark Souls videogame series seem many; not in content, but rather in style. Lost characters within a dark, fairytale and cruel world inhabited by mysterious and unique creatures. All the laws that govern the world are deliberately vague and cruel, so that those who live there never feel “at home”. The same concepts of space and time are distorted; the end of everything is near, collapse is imminent, the most basic physical laws begin to lose meaning. There are no libraries or collections of information, only sporadic knowledge, often without confirmation.
The protagonists of the (mis)adventures
Such a scenario cannot contemplate classic heroes. The character creation fully follows the spirit of the work and, given the high mortality (Dark Souls intensifies), pushes towards a random generation. You can proceed with or without including a class system and my advice is to use them. They can give a unique touch to the characters, making them special without stealing precious time to peris… play. This choice takes place through a dice roll on a random table, as well as the choice of characteristics (Strength, Toughness, Agility and Presence), physical and behavioral peculiarities and initial equipment. Omens must also be established; they are token to spend to try to survive a little longer. They will be your only friends, trust me.
Magic has an uncertain origin and is difficult to classify. Some characters will have spells (called Powers) that can be used by reading ancient scrolls. Do you think they can be a lifeline? No! Failing using them can cause tooth loss, evocation of demonic entities, instant death or many other interesting effects. Welcome to Mörk Borg!
On DriveThruRPG the character sheet is free to download. The authors also made available a convenient site for the random creation of characters. At first you may find it superfluous, but you’ll learn to love the possibility of generating yet another unfortunate person with a click.
In the vague possibility that the first skeleton encountered won’t end your life of suffering, there is also the opportunity of “getting better” (similar to level-up). The master will tell you when you’llll improve, often in conjunction with important events. What will it provide? A handful of extra Hit Points (perhaps), an increase in characteristics (if you are lucky, otherwise they may also go down) and the rare finding of something useful.
Threats are never absent
However, you will crave any crumb of power, trying not to feel overwhelmed by every enemy. They are described by only four characteristics, very easy to understand. This system based on Hit Points, attacks, defenses and Morale gives the narrator great freedom without being too narrative. The possibility to add special capabilities prevents monotony and keeps tension high. Any enemy can be lethal, the character improvement never gives the feeling of being safe.
As if they weren’t enough, the dangers can also come from the environment; traps and threats of all kinds risk wiping out adventurers without mercy. Slipping into a pit jeopardizes the life of the victim, without giving him too many chances of salvation.
And how do you recover life? The spells are very rare, so you have to hope to find some healing kit or to camp having the necessary rations to be able to feed. Actually there are two types of rest, but only the longer one allows you to recover the Omens and Powers used too.
In order to test many of these misfortunes by hand, the authors also provide us with an introductory adventure in the manual. Although simple and very old-school, it summarizes in a comprehensive way what this RPG wants to be; it does not pay too much attention to the plot, after all it is good for one or two sessions, but it knows how to involve the players in an excellent way.
The game system of Mörk Borg
Ok, we understood that content abounds… But the engine? Now let’s analyze the mechanics that move these dark threads like tendons of a rotting giant.
The game wants to be immediate and keep the players under pressure, without breaking the metal rhythm that keeps it going. It follows therefore that the game system is simple and straightforward, while managing not to becoming trivial. Each test is based on overcoming a variable Difficulty Rating (DR) with the roll of a d20, to which to add the modifier given by the characteristic used. Any circumstance modifiers change the number to be reached, not your score.
Combats follow the same rule as regards character hit rolls. They also have to perform tests to avoid attacks, almost eliminating the dice rolls to be made by monsters. This subtlety allows you to lighten the tasks of the master (speeding up the pace) and makes players always feel at the center of attention. A different die represents the damage done by weapons; it is very simple: the more the weapon hurts, the higher the dice. On the contrary the armor is worth a die and, when hit, the result of that die represents the damage absorbed. The shield either increases absorption by one or cancels an attack. Even if it may seem simplistic, this method actually allows you to experience compelling, rapid and lethal combats, without interrupting the narrative.
And as far as lethality is concerned, it is enough to say this: ending below the 0 of life is instant death; ending exactly at 0 risks being an impairment or, again, instant death.
This game system may seem “old”, but in fact it is not. The appearance may be that of a narrative system, but in reality the technical aspects are very satisfying.
The artistic value of the physical material
If you still had doubts about the quality, I bet they will now disappear. Really, I find it hard to believe that someone could not remain enchanted in front of the artistic side of Mörk Borg. The manual has a compact size, hardcover and has almost 100 color pages, half of which are illustrations. And what illustrations! Each page is a small work of art, a panel that boasts unique layout, style and colors. The main palette is made up of white, black and yellow, but fuchsia and red also carve out a space of considerable importance. The font changes countless times and in none of these cases is it out of place. Each line reflects the spirit of the game and exalts it to the nth degree. I don’t want to waste too many words: aesthetically it is probably the best manual I have ever held in my hand.
If you think that this beautiful facade is made to cover other gaps, you are wrong. Inside the content that can be found includes the summary of the rules inside the cover (to underline its usability), many explanations of the game world, all the necessary rules and the introductory adventure.
Final thoughts on Mörk Borg
I don’t think words are needed: Mörk Borg has captured me from the first moment, enveloping me in a black embrace of eternal perdition. Its mix of content, lore and aesthetics has an almost perfect balance and can give incredible satisfactions. Being so quick to learn and manage, it does not even have that initial “block” given by having to “read too much”.
I also joined the community through the Discord server (which I highly recommend) and this made me understand how much passion there is behind. Seeing is believing. There are various thematic channels, including for example ideas for the master, aid for new players, sharing of themed images and songs or even discussions regarding the material created by users. And here I open a small parenthesis. Everyone can try to create something to be included among the available content, going through the supervision of the creators of the game. Among them are new objects, classes, traps, spells, monsters; of the latter I got to see a set dedicated to the videogame The Binding of Isaac, another great passion of mine. Some of these creations could also be included in the first expansion manual, which will soon arrive on Kickstarter.
So what are you still doing here? Run to try Mörk Borg before the prophecies of the Two-Headed Basilisks come true!
Keep following us to stay informed about Mörk Borg and its expansions!
I received a copy of Volo’s Guide to Ghosts from Sign of the Dragon for free to write a review. We already know the authors for other works such as Vault of Magic and Achererak’s Guide to Lichdom, of which we have already spoken positively; let’s see if with this new work they have maintained the same high quality level.
Volo’s Guide to Ghosts deals with the theme of the paranormal, the ghosts, the infestations and communication with these entities. Its contents add valuable material for D&D5e, both for horror and epic scenarios. In general I found the hooks to the various official settings of Wizards of the Coast very useful, so that I could easily use this manual with scenarios such as Eberron and Ravnica. But now let’s see in detail what can be found inside!
Autopsy of an ectoplasm
First of all it must be said that the title does not deceive: each page concerns the specters and the similar creatures, but this certainly does not make it boring or repetitive. The topic is treated analytically and precisely, so everything looks varied and above all useful. Both the narrative and the mechanical parts are smooth and ready for use. It is divided into three chapters and two appendices for easy reference.
The first chapter is devoted to the classification of types of ghosts. How did they become such? What is their appearance? What prevents them from passing through? This section offers very valid ideas for creating situations and encounters out of the usual stereotypes, avoiding that every infestation of your campaign always seems similar to the previous ones.
In the second part of the manual the special actions that can perform these entities are shown. Thanks to these mechanics, each specter can be unique, fearsome and evocative in the way of acting. I liked this approach to the point of imagining a similar manual dedicated to each major fantasy creature. How nice would it be to be able to assemble antagonists by giving them a set of capabilities of your choice? Thus one would never have the impression of meeting the “usual monster”.
The third chapter introduces the figure of the Medium. Its job is to understand the ghosts and get in touch with them. It explains in detail how it works mechanically but also how society can consider them. It also represents the only element that players can use: a feat that allows their PC to do these things.
In the last part of the work we can find two appendices. The first introduces some “famous” specters, explains their background, statistics and inclusion in official settings. The second proposes a ghost ship and its operation, both as a being in itself, and as regards its crew.
Structure of the manual
The 24 pages of this manual are well laid out, do not show problems of any kind and the graphic style is very reminiscent of the official manuals of D&D5e. The double column structure and the font confirm this. Here and there you can also read some nice text boxes containing thoughts of the famous wizard Elminster; they don’t add content, but make reading even more enjoyable.
Even from a graphic point of view there are no lacks: the text alternates with high quality images, which already creates the desire to start an adventure with a paranormal theme.
Conclusions on Volo’s Guide to Ghosts
As I think you already understood, I liked a lot this product. We must not expect a work that deals with too many topics, after all it keeps the promises of the title; the low price (about €3) also justifies its relative brevity; but be careful, at the end of the reading you won’t feel the lack of anything and the sense of satisfaction will be great. It has a very specific target, he sets himself a goal and reaches him with flying colors.
Speaking of votes, on DM Guild (where it is available in digital format in English and Italian) Volo’s Guide to Ghostshas already received some awards despite being on the market for a few days. For example now, as I write this review, it has the title of Best Copper Seller, it is first in the ranking of products under €5 and fourth in the general ranking; and, in my opinion, it deserves this success.
Keep following us to know our opinion on other products like Volo’s Guide to Ghosts!
Griffon Lore Games offers a new but ancient setting designed for D&D5e and Pathfinder: the highly detailed Kingdom of Lothmar. The authors, however, want to specify that, not containing specific mechanics or statistics, it can be used with any game system. This product is offered through the Kickstarter platform and integrates perfectly with other publications of this American team that we will analyze later in this article.
What is interesting about this realm?
In its more than 200 pages, the manual contains everything you need to set your adventures in a fascinating kingdom. There are no pre-made adventures (we will talk about this later), but every geographical and political aspect is analyzed in detail.
First of all his history is explained: a legendary paladin named Lothmar unified these lands, creating the current kingdom. It is vast and therefore difficult to manage. Still unexplored and hostile places, mysterious ruins and political intrigues; there is no shortage of ideas and they are able to satisfy everyone’s needs.
The division into regions and organizations is then presented, with the relative characteristics. Each one has a different way of living and seems to create a remarkable heterogeneity. To enrich this aspect, Kingdom of Lothmar also promises to describe the main races present and the demographic distribution.
A detail that intrigued me a lot is the name of the person in charge of the maps: Anna Meyer. For those unfamiliar with it, she is the author of the maps of the Flanaess, a region of the Greyhawk setting. The peculiarity of her works is the fact that each map represents a large area of a territory, but if zoomed it contains a very high number of details, so much so that it can also be used as a local map. On her site you can find various examples.
Kingdom of Lothmar and parallel works
The offer on Kickstarter is very varied: around €14 ($15) for the setting OR the maps, €24 ($25) for both; the hardcover physical versioncostsaround €38 ($40). There are also more expensive pledges including personalized and printed maps, interesting possibilities for this kind of products.
Stretch goals are many and interesting: some add further variety to the setting, others bind it more to the most common game systems (D&D5e and Pathfinder) thanks to a Player Guide and an adventure.
Kingdom of Lothmar should not be taken as an isolated product: Griffon Lore Games is a team that has decided to produce these manuals after years of sessions that have helped to create the material. All their work is driven by a strong passion and Kingdom of Lothmar is only the basis. They already have in mind a wider project: to write a mega-campaign with the events they have experienced over the years. And let’s face it, this is the dream of almost every game group. The campaign is called Chronicles of the Celestial Chains and the first module (which is Curse of the Lost Memories) is already available on their website, DriveThruRPG (5e– PF1) and Amazon (5e – PF1).
Keep following to stay informed about all the works set in Kingdom of Lothmar!
Jesse Galena, author we already knew for One Page Lore, revealed his new project: Lexicon. Certainly first he will have to complete the latest practices related to the Kickstarter just mentioned; but after that he said he wanted to devote himself to this new work. However, the idea was not born just now; the dedicated website has been online for more than a year and a half and this suggests that this work is something he cares a lot.
The game system
Jesse Galena does not hide the nature of Lexicon: a narrative system, light and suitable for bending to satisfy the imagination of the players. In particular, this role-playing game is based on three principles:
Be fun for both the players and the narrator.
Put the roleplay at the center of attention.
Let it be learned in ten minutes.
How to do all this? With a system that always requires only the launch of 2d4, with modifiers (in increments of +1 or -1) based on “how” you decide to perform an action.
The character sheet is minimal and elegant. Inside it contains the name of the character (and of the player), the role in the story, the Motivations, the Traits, the Skills, the Possessions and a section for things that he needs to remember. As it is easy to understand, these characteristics outline the character for who he is, what moves him and what his means are (qualitative and practical).
These features can give bonuses to the tests we talked about earlier. In fact, first you need to describe the actions of your character, then the relative modifiers are assigned, so the dice is rolled and finally the result is described. But the successes are not easy to obtain: the fixed threshold is equal to 7.
Even the fights, the distances, the magic, the economy of the actions, the progression of the character and many other aspects are made deliberately light. The intent of Jesse Galena is clear: Lexicon does not want to waste time on excessive technicalities.
Where will Jesse Galena take us with his Lexicon?
Strictly speaking, this RPG can take us anywhere, literally. The author even brought examples that show very distant narrative universes: epic fantasy and crazy science fiction.
If, on the other hand, we refer to its development, we currently know little else. We will continue to follow the project, hoping to be able to bring you news about a launch window and a platform where to find it. In any case, the contents linked in this article are all official material; by following the Lexicon website you can see all the news introduced by Jesse Galena.
It must be said that at the moment the rules and the character sheet don’t have illustrations yet, but only the essential data. At the same time we are sure that, by trying the available material, each of us could give his opinion and help the author in the creative process.
Keep following us to stay informed about Jesse Galena’s Lexicon!
The Cthulhu artwork drink coasters arrived at our place and we decided to tell you what we think about them through this review.
A few weeks ago we told you about their Kickstarter campaign, praising their good inspiration and low price. Today we can touch them by hand and also give you our opinions regarding their quality.
The strengths…
The visual impact is excellent. Detailed and smudge-free graphics, vivid and well-matched colors… Aesthetically really nothing can be contested! Do you know the emotion of being able to sip a nice cold beer? Know that with the face of Cthulhu on the bottom it will be even more satisfying!
In addition, Miskatonic Woods Trading Co. claimed to also work on other themed graphics. This could make the product even more varied and interesting.
… And weaknesses
To tell the truth there is only one flaw, more correctly defined as a lack. The material is a very good reinforced cardboard, resistant even to beer. Even after being wet for a long time, it can be dried and show almost no signs.
But I admit that I would have preferred also a deluxe version in rubber or a similar material, completely immune to liquids. In this way it would also have been possible to wash them and drastically increase their durability. The current Cthulhu artwork drink coasters are in fact cleanable only with a wet cloth, to avoid damaging them.
Final thoughts on Cthulhu artwork drink coasters
So what is the verdict? In my opinion, the Cthulhu artwork drink coasters are promoted with flying colors and deserve to be purchased. After all, the cost of each is only €1… A real bargain! By investing less than €10 you have coasters for everyone during the game sessions!
I would also like to make the managers of pubs think; personally I would see very well these coasters in their activities, they could personalize an element that often falls quite anonymously.
After reading our review, let us know what you think of the Cthulhu artwork drink coasters!
In the last weeks had the opportunity to review Monster Families, a set of miniatures by La Louve 3D, and now we decided to interview them. Their work is so interesting that we were curious about their team too. Here you can read their words:
Why did you choose the name La Louve 3D?
It is the nickname that my companion gives to me ^^’ because the wolf is a wild animal and difficult to approach. It is also an animal very linked to the fantasy and mystic world.
How long does each miniature take to design? How many drafts do you do before the final project?
A miniature can ask me between 25h and 70h. It was only from one year that I am doing 3D modeling (evenings and weekends because it is not my full job) and I hope to gain speed with experience, I am still in the learning phase! My tests, before a final project, are at least two passes at printing and sometimes much more, 5 or 6 on a tough model. As I’m modeling in order to print without slicer support, this necessarily requires more thinking and testing to verify that it works well.
How did you come up with the idea of making monster families?
The monsters families were very inspired by Monstrueusement Mignon of Blackbook Edition, which explains, in the context of role-playing, how to take care of your baby monster. In addition, baby monsters make it possible to bring interresting variations by putting players in the face of moral choices. What to do with the baby after having killed the parents following an attack or if they find him an orphan? After all at this young age it is neither good nor bad but could become what the player will do with it…
Which is your favorite miniatures among those you have you created?
Wow it’s a difficult choice ^^, I would say that I particularly like the Mushroom family and the baby Dragon.
Which was the most difficult miniature to make?
I think the most complicated to achieve is the Dragon with the wings spread. There was the challenge of creating the wings and cutting the head for printing it in PLA without addtional support.
How did the Kickstarter experience go? Did you feel comfortable on this platform?
The KS website is well done and offers a lot of resources to help get the campaign going. I found good advice there and it also pushed me to run a more structured campaign and not to hesitate to contact well known people in this circle.
Do you have other future projects related to the world of role-playing games? Whether they are miniatures or not.
Yes, we have a lot in mind. We would already like to develop accessories linked to the role-playing (dice tray, box, resin dice set), our website is also under construction. And a next KS would please us but we will rest for a moment after this one!
Let us know if, after this interview, you still have some curiosities about La Louve 3D!
Recently we had the plasure to make an interview with Mike Myler, author of Vast Kaviya. In the last weeks we presented his latest Kickstarter campaign and talked about it in preview. His work tickled our curiosity and we wanted to know more about it. Let’s see his answers!
Vast Kaviya is a really cool idea. Where did you get inspiration from?
Thank you! This is my last major D&D5e project partly because I’ve already covered so much ground—cyberpunk and superheroes in Hypercorps 2099, then apocalyptic science fiction with 2099 Wasteland, eastern fantasy noir steampunkin Mists of Akuma, and Book of Exalted Darkness gets decopunk while thoroughly exploring the themes of both good and evil; and with that behind me, I figured if I’m going to go out I ought to do it big. This final setting needed to be vast and that’s where I got the idea for the core tenet upon which all of the book rests.
Beyond that I’ve always been a big fan of Conan the Barbarian (check page 273 of the core Vast Kaviya book ?);then there’s the fact that my settings tend to have a lot to do with technology (whether it’s reviled or holy or whatever, it’s prevalent). I wanted to provide something for folks that didn’t have that metallic baggage and a sword-and-sandals setting definitely fits that bill. There’s also the 2099 Wasteland angle—like Vast Kaviya it’s a campaign setting *generator* with warlords, and fans of that book had been asking for more warlords for a while.
If we had to pick one particular thing that had the most influence however, it’s the fantastic animated 1983 film Fire and Ice by Ralph Bakshi. Rent it and give it a watch if you aren’t familiar (or maybe give it a rewatch if you’ve already had the delight).
How long did it take to create Vast Kaviya?
Just about a year from inception to publication. I kept chipping away at it as a side project throughout 2019; after I had a good amount of it written down, other designers joined my team and further fleshed things out with more races, class options, and of course warlords and regions.
Is D&D5e your favourite system or do you have other preferences?
D&D is such a strong fallback and the current edition is pretty damn good, but there are so many other worthwhile games. I think the d20 3.0/3.5 general design mechanic was best done by the Star Wars d20 RPG; I’m going to be converting my IPs over to What’s Old Is New (which is online for free); the first edition of Mutants & Masterminds was also a brilliant, beautifully produced set of books. However if this were a desert island situation, I’d be taking home The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen RPG.
You seem very expert of RPGs. When did you start playing? And when have you decided to create contents too?
My first game was before I was in the double digits, but I didn’t really understand what was going on or fully grasp the rules until my teen years (which at this point was a terrifying two decades ago). It never occurred to me personally to sell any of my RPG material; about 6 years ago my girlfriend (now wife) suggested I see if anyone would buy it and sure enough folks did. The feeling I got from that first gig was addictive and I’ve got zero ability to resist it, so this work is all I’ve been doing since!
Which of your works are you most proud of?
Vast Kaviya is a gorgeous book and I’m very, very pleased with how it came out. However as for what evokes the most pride it’s a toss-up between Mists of Akuma and Book of Exalted Darkness. The former is great because there’s so much lore for it and my well of creativity never runs dry when working on it; but the latter is d-e-c-a-d-e-n-t and the final presentation of the highly contrasting themes and styles at its core was SO DIFFICULT to get right. Mind you Mists of Akuma is pretty excellent in its own right, it’s just not drop-what’s-in-your-hands-and-curse gorgeous.
Do you have any other project in mind for the future?
Yes I do! Since Judge Dredd already uses What’s Old Is New I’m converting Hypercorps 2099 to that RPG (it should make a good supplement for folks running Dredd games). Otherwise I can’t really say much yet other than that #ProjectCrescendo is gradually being revealed and should be in full effect by this summer!
Today is finally the day: Norse Grimoire officially lands on Kickstarter!
In the last weeks we have spread the news of the beginning of the project, a compendium aimed at faithfully recreating the ancient Norse magic in D&D5e. Still full of curiosities, we decided to interview the guys from Mana Project Studio and ask for some details in preview. A few days ago the team unveiled the date and now we can finally see what they propose.
A great work is born from great minds
Some of the most talented Italian writers and artists participated in this project. Among them we can mention:
Michele Paroli: author of Journey to Ragnarok and Historia, founder and lead designer of Mana Project Studio.
Marco B Bucci: author of the fantasy comics Magna Veritas (for Soleil) and Nomen Omen (for Panini Comics).
Mila Fois: author of many mythological tales and the series of books Meet Myths.
Andrea Guardino: Journey to Ragnarok artist and illustrator.
The content of the manual
Questo forse era l’aspetto che più eravamo ansiosi di scoprire: cosa conterrà il manuale? Prima di tutto possiamo dirvi che sarà un corposo manuale di 160 pagine a colori con due possibili copertine, una standard e un’elegantissima edizione speciale. Per quanto riguarda i contenuti veri e propri troveremo:
This was perhaps the aspect we were most eager to discover: what will the manual contain? First of all we can tell you that it will be a full-bodied manual of 160 color pages with two possible covers, a standard one and a very elegant special edition. As for the actual contents we will find:
Runesof Knowledge. A historical essay about the Runes, how they appear in Norse Mythology, and their role in the Divination.
Encrypted Runes. How to read them and how to use them for your secret message.
24 Runes of the Elder Futhark. Their meaning, their story and their use in Divination.
Icelandic Magical Staves. A historical essay about Iceland Mythology, the ancient grimoire, and the warlocks.
36Galdrastafir. Their origin, their rituals, and their magical effects.
Tattoos & Ritual Paintings. Game mechanics of the effects that Runes and Galdrastafir have on the skin of your characters or on the items.
Extensive Bibliography of the research that led us to this book.
The structure of the Norse Grimoire Kickstarter campaign
Now let’s see the available pledges. The most accessible one on the Kickstarter page guarantees the digital PDF copy of Norse Grimoire for €12. The physical copy instead costs €44. Moreover there are some offers that also include the highly requested reprint of Journey to Ragnarok, including Adventure and Setting, The Gray Wanderer, Battles beyond the Sea, The Rune Thief, Maps, Tokens and Pre-made Characters. These bundles range from €49 to €199, based on which products you want in physical copy and which in PDF.
Note that in most of these packages, the highly coveted 24-sided RuneDice is also proposed. If it is not included, you can always buy it as an add-on, as well as other inserts such as the Journey to Ragnarok game master screen.
At the moment the team has revealed only one stretch goal, a gold foil design on the standard cover. As already happens for many other projects, the others will be revealed only when the previous one is reached.
Questa campagna Kickstarer sembra molto ben pensata, visto che permette di portarsi a casa Norse Grimoire (e i vari prodotti annessi) con un risparmio tra il 20% e il 30% rispetto al prezzo di listino.
This Kickstarer campaign seems very well thought out, since it allows you to take Norse Grimoire (and the various products attached) home with a saving of between 20% and 30% compared to the retail price. The confirmation? The requested funds were reached in about half an hour from the start of the campaign!
Keep following to stay informed on the most interesting Kickstarter campaigns, such as Norse Grimoire!
In the last weeks we have followed a Kickstarter campaign, also managing to interview the authors and now we have finally been able to review two of the twelve role-playing games in the An Indie Game Anthology collection and we can tell you our opinion about it. Specifically, these are The Wicked Sisters and We Die Here, received free of charge in PDF format.
Preview of the general characteristics of An Indie Game Anthology
The RPGs of An Indie Game Anthology that we received in preview have common features, able to give coherence to the whole work. I really liked this approach, because it manages to make harmonious a collection of very heterogeneous products.
First of all, the creative process is always the same: one of the two authors writes and the other revises. The roles often reverse, effectively giving half of the credit to both. From this it follows that the twelve RPGs are only in English.
The two authors prove to be sensitive to thorny issues, always proposing a paragraph to underline the importance of deciding in advance if there will be themes that it is better not to touch in session. Excellent idea, often overlooked even by bigger projects.
At the beginning of each game (only after the list of supporters and the index) there is a table in which its main characteristics are contained, in order to give the right context without having to read all the mechanics. It is very concise but equally useful and contains: the need for a master or not, the number of players, the duration of a game, the perfect food to accompany it and the most evocative place to better appreciate the proposed themes.
This information anticipates the main characteristics that these RPGs have in common: very slender narrative systems that mainly aim to create deep, intense, bizarre and almost mystical scenes. All of this is contained in the next part, which explains what each game consists of.
At the end you can find any accessories to include in the game, such as the character sheets (where necessary).
The Wicked Sisters
A story of women chosen by fate…
The Wicked Sisters tells the story of some ancient women who received gifts, each from a different entity. These gifts are powers they can rely on, but be careful not to exhaust them. These abilities make them appear different and weigh heavily on their fate.
The women, so united as to be almost sisters, begin a boat crossing to reach new lands. The reasons can be varied and looking into the murky waters and each of them receives a Dark Prophecy. One or more sisters could end up in the water and drown: the visions are difficult to sustain.
Once docked, the real adventure begins: a spiritual journey. Each woman will have a scene dedicated to her, in which the other characters also participate. In each of them there will be moral dilemmas and situations that will make you choose between the individual and the coven, without neglecting the ethics regarding the characters encountered. If you want you can also increase the number of scenes dedicated to each woman, but not if you want to keep the duration of the game suitable for a one-shot.
The session ends in two circumstances: when at least one sister ends her journey (to pass on the descendants) or when all leave the scene. It’s impossible to have a narrative death: women are protected from fate and therefore can be injured, but never killed. The only case in which this occurs is when you run out of power. When this happens, the player decides how to get the character out of the scene, also leaving narrative “signs” of her passage. In this case it can be a death or an abandonment of her path. The manual specifies that those who lose their character can observe the session or assist the master.
… Through cards that mark their path
The game system is based on reading a tarot deck. Their use covers every mechanic present, from the background of one’s character to the use of his powers, even to the description of any death circumstances. Each card has a particular meaning (also based on whether it is straight or upside down) which is explained in the manual.
The tarot deck is also provided in PDF along with the manual, but honestly the graphics seemed far too flat. Fortunately, any Tarot deck in our possession can be used. To be honest, the aesthetic quality of the manual itself is at least rough. The layout and font are appreciable, but the absence of images is not so good for me. The only two graphic inserts are the beautiful cover and a low resolution motif that decorates every other page.
At the bottom of the work there are the characters sheets, five valid choices for the players. Each one has to select a different sister; not even a name will be required: an epithet will be enough to describe the character in an evocative way. After the selection, it is necessary to choose which aspect and which power you want from the three alternatives proposed. Finally you have to fill in the last required fields (Dark Prophecy and reading of the Past, Present and Future) with what the tarot cards reveal.
We Die Here
The events of a claustrophobic town…
This role-playing game is deeply inspired by a particular sub-genre of films and TV series to which, for example, Twin Peaks, Dark and It belong. We Die Here narrates the events of a group of characters confined in a small inhabited center. This approach enhances horror tones, always making players feel trapped. The sense of claustrophobia is given by this community in which everyone knows each other, but never completely.
The characters (both players and non-players) are all built in the same way: they are describe physically and temperamentally and defined through three key points. The Need indicates something that the character cannot renounce, a constant concern of his; his Want represents what he would like to achieve or do; the Secret indicates something unknown to him throughout the community. The latter is the only one not to be shared among the players. And in case you can’t find the right ideas, a handy table suggests valid options for the three characteristics.
An additional character must be defined with at least the same accuracy: the town. The aim is to make it alive and participate in the events narrated, as if it had its own will. It will also have the three key characteristics of the other characters, but also a peculiarity that prevents the inhabitants from leaving. The secret of the city is often something shady and dangerous, maybe even a mysterious and lethal monster.
Needs, Wants and Secrets do their best when they intertwine with each other, creating a web of human relationships and creepy backgrounds. In this regard, the narrator is also advised to graphically keep track of these relationships.
… Whose danger emerges with each die roll
The game system is very quick and narrative: for each test a certain number of d6s is thrown (minimum 2, maximum 5) and each result of 5 or 6 corresponds to a success; more successes can lead to further benefits. The number of dice to be used depends on various factors, including the influence of your Needs, Wants and Secrets, collaboration with other characters or any obstacles. A convenient table summarizes all the cases.
There are no further rules, not even for combat. The reason? Mortality is very high; failing a test to avoid being hit by a chainsaw simply causes death. And this also helps to increase the sense of tension. Those who wish to have more margin of error can adopt the Three Strikes rule; it provides some negative consequences before the definitive departure of the character.
Although the game is designed for one-shot lasting 2-4 hours, this lethality could push players to have a spare character in case their main one dies early in the session. The game is divided into scenes and all together they compose the entire narrative arc. If desired, it is possible to create longer campaigns, in which each session represents an episode. This opportunity further increases immersion in this claustrophobic context.
The manual ends with a nice scenario already built, Discordia Dreaming. It already contains everything you need to play, including five pre-made character sheets.
For the rest there are very few illustrations, repeated several times and whose quality is nothing exceptional, although it always remains in theme with the contents. A motif decorates each page, but not in a memorable way. For the rest, pagination and fonts are clean and functional.
Continue to follow us to know in preview our opinions on RPGs such as those of An Indie Game Anthology!
Some role-playing games may also serve to deal with important social issues and Red Rook Revolt is one of them.
It will also be due to the fact that the author Magnus T. Hansen is a scholar of philosophy with clear political ideas, but all his enthusiasm can be found in the spirit behind this work. Both he and the rest of the development team are fairly novice in role-playing game creations, but this seems to have given a good initial boost to the project. To be precise, Magnus had already created another Kickstarter project in the past: Titan Hunt.
The progress of the Kickstarter campaign
This aspect seems to me a bit clumsy. The presentation page is precise and full of explanatory material about the game, but some details in my opinion could have been done with more care.
Let’s start with the pledges: they are few, but not uninteresting. The most convenient one seems to be the €10 one; it is a really good price for the full version of the manual of 90-100 pages in PDF format. Even the more expensive ones are interesting, providing the possibility of having the printed manual or a bundle also containing Titan Hunt.
However, this choice probably weighed on the low interest generated by the stretch goals. The first is the character sheet (with some pre-made characters): why not include it in the basic manual? It would have been quite important. Subsequent stretch goals are payments for the development team. This is not to be understood as an amoral attempt to get rich; the low pledge prices probably almost wiped out the creators’ initial earnings. In any case, seeing stretch goals that, in fact, do not offer anything, not even symbolic, is not too much pleasure.
The Red Rook Revolt scenario
But let’s get to the point: what is the proposed product actually?
Red Rook Revolt tells the story of the commune of Red Rook fighting for its freedom, fed up with the tyranny of the central empire of Alarum. The latter, also known as the Empire of the Wings, usually annexes territories to “free” them, but then begins to punctually exploit them for resources and for the workforce.
Thanks to the importance of the community and the help among companions, players will be able to use more or less conventional means to escape the grip of an apparently much more powerful and organized force. Among the tools available there are also magic and demonic powers, but their use should not be taken lightly. The first represents a precious legacy of the ancestral spirits of the sky and can be manifested in various forms; demons, on the other hand, are tied to arms, but their mental influence risks clouding the user’s will.
The means of the rebels
The author created a very simple game system which however seems to embody the spirit of the whole work. All the tests are carried out with the launch of a single d6; collaborations take place by giving your d6 to your adventure companions, giving a special value to your personal dice, a brotherhood value.
The combat wants to be dynamic and is based on some main mechanics. Melee attacks always hit and serve to “charge” demonic powers. Instead they manifest themselves through the use of firearms, each with its own particularities; be careful though: reckless use could lead to isolation or to the impossibility to distinguish companions. Finally the magical talismans allow you to give dynamism and freshness to the fight, thanks to skills such as teleportation and projectile deflection.
Great importance is then given to both the individual and the community. Some mechanics demonstrate how union is strength and how fighting for one’s mates is never a bad choice. The Red Rook commune as a whole serves as a safe “lair” in which to heal physical injuries as well as frictions between companions. But be careful: failing your missions will remove this opportunity and impose the need to fight to repel the invasion!
Keep following us to stay informed about Red Rook Revolt!
We recently talked about the Kickstarter campaign for Omega Horizon, but having some doubts about it, we decided to make an interview with the author. Here you can read what they added about their work:
Why have you chosen the name Omega Horizon?
I knew I wanted the word “Horizon” in the title from the beginning because its one of my favorite words! It evokes a sense of adventure, exploration, and the unknown. We went througu a few variations of the title (Infinity Horizon, Ultimate Horizon, etc.) but ultimately settled with the greek “Omega” to mean “Last Horizon” or “Ultimate Horizon”. Part of the discourse we hope players will have is “What exactly is the final horizon for humanity?” Is it the nature of humanity? Is it the conflict between the natural world and the artificial? Or is it simply the physical horizon of space exploration? You decide!
What are your sources of literary and cinematographic inspiration?
Honestly, there are too many to count, but there are three that come to mind which served as the initial inspiration for the three major factions: Starship Troopers (the Sentenium Empire), Bladerunner (the Yamato Empire) and Firefly (the Free Colonies). Regarding literary inspiration, the Foundation trilogy by Asimov is a big one for me.
What role-playing games inspired you to create Omega Horizon?
I’ve been playing ttrpgs since I was a kid, and have played so many different games, so I’m not sure which one(s) directly inspired me to become a publisher, but the mechanical inspirations for the game can be traced to a few in particular. Character development is somewhat inspired by the World of Darkness system. The roll and keep dice mechanic was inspired by the Legend of the 5 Rings system. Everything else is sort of an amalgamation of all my ttrpg experiences.
In such a massively explored universe why there are only five playable races offered initially?
That’s a great question. I debated adding many more to the core rulebook, but I was concerned that I was adding species for the sake of adding species. The 5 playable species in the core rulebook are all given proper attention and detail, and I felt the book would become too unwieldy if I was designing around too many more. That’s why I decided to publish the Expanded Horizons supplement right away, which will add even more species, and give them proper detail and attention.
How many pages will the manual consist of?
We are hoping to keep the core rulebook to 200-250 pages. Expanded Horizons we are shooting for about 150 pages. Having said that, the real deciding factor will be based around content. I know what I want to include in each book, and if I can do that in the aforementioned amount of pages, great. If it causes the books to run over a bit, I would rather do it right and include what I feel the books need to make the game great.
Generic sci-fi games always need many variables to consider in order to be plausible. New races, futuristic weapons, genetic and cybernetics improvements. It is not always easy to balance everything. How was the process of creating and balancing these elements for Omegha Horizon?
Balancing is always tough, especially when designing a new system from the ground up. Our general philosophy was to create fun choices, and to make choices meaningful. How that translated for the game was that every weapon or piece of tech needed at least one meaningul advantage, and at least one meaningful disadvantage or weakness. As a result, at face value some things apear unbalanced (androids are way more resistant to physical damage than humans, for example) but with the proper tools or items, balance is restored (androids are incredibly vulnerable to electric-based weapons, for instance). In other words, use the right tool for the right job!
Will you provide support material such as adventures, cards or tables?
Yes, we are planning to release adventure modules alongside the base game, and will continue to support the game with additional material after release.
Speaking of the pools and mentioning the Mind Pool, you mentioned psionic powers. Is there therefore also room for the supernatural?
That is something we’ve discussed as a team, but we haven’t reached a consensus yet. Our general feeling is that we want to keep this game more rooted in science (even if we take certain liberties with that science). What I will say is “any form of science that is sufficiently advanced will seem like magic to a less advanced species”.
You wrote that Expanded Horizon is the first of several supplements. Do you still have a lot of material to disclose?
I am also torn on this topic because on the one hand I respect games that try to be all inclusive in a single book, but on the other hand I also love games that produce many supplements and keep supporting the game and adding to their universe. Realistically, I would like to do a standalone supplement for each of the major factions that explores them in their minutia. Beyond that, I’m not sure how many additional setting books we would do, or if we will keep it to publishing adventure modules, but we do plan on supporting Omega Horizon for a long time.
Still speaking of supplements, Expanded Horizon seems to have additions on all fronts. Races, weapons, careers, spaceships, rules. So do you plan to publish supplements always aimed at adding few details to many topics or even focusing on a specific field?
As I mentioned previously, I would like to focus additional supplements on the major factions, but even so the plan is currently to have each supplement book enhance every facet of the game. For instance, if we do a Sentenium Empire supplement, it would include more info on their society (culture, fashion, entertainment, etc.) but it would also focus on their technology which would add more weapons, equipment and starships/vehicles to the game, would likely add some faction specific species and careers, etc.
Let us know if this interview with the author of Omega Horizon solved your doubts about it!
Su Kickstarter è attualmente in corso una campagna dedicata a Omega Horizon, un gioco di ruolo che promette di rivoluzionare l’esperienza della vita tra le stelle.
Gli autori del lancio
Il progetto è stato creato da Paleo Gaming, una società molto giovane, nata proprio con questo progetto. Nonostante ciò il fondatore Daniel Prisco-Buxbaum sembra essere riuscito a mettere insieme una squadra molto promettente; ne fanno parte autori e artisti già affermati, come ad esempio Chris Allen (Onyx Path Publishing).
Le idee alla base di Omega Horizon
Questo GdR narra di un futuro distopico in cui l’umanità si è diffusa nell’universo, fino a diventare la razza dominante. La situazione però è più complicata di quanto sembri e i giocatori dovranno scontrarsi con tematiche di un certo peso.
Innanzitutto il rapporto tra uomini, macchine e natura risulta decisamente intricato e trovare un equilibrio non sarà sempre possibile. Con a disposizione un’infinità di pianeti da colonizzare, quanta cura si metterà ancora nella natura?
Un altro tema caldo sarà quello delle intelligenze artificiali. Non sarà forse originalissimo, ma rimane sempre attuale. Con una tecnologia sempre più sviluppata, dove finisce la macchina e dove inizia la mente umana?
Infine la vastità dello spazio crea molteplici situazioni in cui l’individuo si sentirà solo e perso e la sua sopravvivenza sarà messa a dura prova. Riuscirà ancora a distinguere più il limite oltre cui non spingere le proprie azioni?
Ovviamente l’ultimo punto non è sempre applicabile; l’umanità si è organizzata in corporazioni, dalle quali dipendono le maggiori scelte politiche, sociali ed espansionistiche. Tra gruppi di mercenari e cartelli della droga ce ne sono innumerevoli, ma spesso sono sotto l’ala protettrice di tre grandi fazioni (o comunque sono riconducibili a esse).
Sentenium Empire: impero teocratico militarizzato che viene governato dall’intelligenza artificiale Imperatore Sentenos, conosciuta anche come Il Dio Macchina, che ha quasi schiavizzato l’umanità.
Yamato Empire: resistenza umana al dominio di Sentenos che, accortisi della degenerazione del Dio Macchina, sono fuggiti ricreando una socità basata su libertà e capitalismo, in modo da dare all’individuo la possibilità di affermarsi nel cosmo.
Free Colonies: lo smodato controllo delle prime due fazioni ha originato questa, che nasce con lo scopo di liberarsi del loro giogo. Infatti è formata da vari gruppi unificati, ognuno con il proprio sistema di governo.
Un sistema di gioco tutto nuovo (o quasi)
Gli autori sembrano molto orgogliosi del sistema di gioco creato per Omega Horizon e ne esaltano alcuni elementi per la loro originalità. Prima di tutto il gioco dovrebbe essere sia narrativo che tecnico. Esiste infatti la possibilità di variare il comparto regolistico e plasmarlo in modo da assecondare i gusti dei giocatori.
La creazione del personaggio passa attraverso la scelta di Specie (razza) e Carriera (classe). La prima indica ovviamente la nostra natura, scegliendo tra Umano, Androide, Rigellian, Yuanji e Zonoan; la seconda rappresenta principalmente il proprio ruolo all’interno della fazione e può ad esempio essere Scienziato, Soldato o Pilota. Si devono poi scegliere le Abilità del proprio alter ego cartaceo, sviluppate attraverso un albero a requisiti; ne esistono sia di generiche che di specifiche, in base al tipo di caratterizzazione che vorremo dare. Per sviluppare il personaggio sono necessari i Punti Personaggio.
Le interazioni avvengono tramite il lancio di d6; non tutti quelli usati però vengono conteggiati: il numero esatto dipende dalle proprie specializzazioni. La collaborazione tra personaggi non è espressa tramite uno sterile numero fisso, ma attraverso un sistema più coinvolgente per tutti.
Il combattimento è a turni e, all’interno del proprio, ogni personaggio può liberamente spendere i propri Punti Azioni per fare le quello che desidera.
La campagna Kickstarter di Omega Horizon
A meno di 10 giorni dal termine, Paleo Gaming ha raccolto più della metà dei fondi richiesti.
I prodotti proposti sono principalmente due: il Rulebook e l’Expanded Horizons. Il primo è il manuale che contiene le regole, le Specie, le Carriere, le Abilità, una mappa spaziale e altro contenuto utile per il narratore. Il secondo invece aggiunge materiale a quasi ogni sezione del manuale base, introducendo anche delle Carriere Avanzate (classi di prestigio).
I principali pledge propongono il manuale base in PDF (25$ – 24€) e in copia fisica (60$ – 56€); ne esistono poi altri due che includono il manuale base in copia fisica e Expanded Horizons in PDF (90$ – 83€) o anch’esso cartaceo (120$ – 111€). Esistono anche offerte più costose per copie aggiuntive o per creare del materiale insieme agli autori.
La campagna Kickstarter prevede anche degli stretch goal; principalmente saranno mappe, un dado e la colonna sonora.
La consegna del prodotto ultimato è prevista verso la metà del 2021.
Continuate a seguirci per rimanere informati su Omega Horizon!
We recently told you about Vast Kaviya, an interesting setting for D&D5e which has successfully landed on Kickstarter and now we decided to review it. We decided to tell you our opinion about it so that you can erase the doubts that you still have and decide if you too want to venture into the dangerous Vast Kaviya!
Let’s start to point out the main content of the offer: these are two manuals in English, The Adventurer’s Handbook (132 pages) and the Campaign Setting (322 pages). The first is aimed primarily at players, while the second was designed for masters.
Two volumes, one style
These volumes have many elements in common and the graphics certainly stand out among them. The classical layout mainly on two columns, the motif that surrounds each page, the “dirty” and parchment-like background are clear examples. Also the font is classic, although this is not necessarily a virtue; the one used for the text is pleasant, while the one used for some main titles is difficult to read and stylistically out of tune with the other elements. The quality of the illustrations is on the same level: some of them are beautiful, some are a little less beautiful. This swing is a pity given the quality of the content. The maps in particular didn’t convince me too much. These aspects, on balance, do not penalize the work; it is only a pity that they cannot raise it to an even higher level.
The contents, however, are truly remarkable. They are not something never seen before, but they are well organized, coherent and know how to mix simplicity well with mysticism. In general, the reader has the impression of being able to find every imagery linked to wild lands and nature in its purest and most feral state. It never falls into the ridiculous: technological deficiencies are compensated by a mystical link with the elements of the world. In addition, the various chapters are separated by pages of text that contain lore and stories related to this world, excellent for getting into the right atmosphere even before sitting at the game table. But let’s not delay any longer, let’s dive into specific contents!
Vast Kaviya Adventurer’s Handbook
The manual immediately offers us a fully illustrated cover followed by a convenient index of contents.
Chapter 1: Global Rules
The first real section of Vast Kaviya‘s Adventurer’s Book is related to the reference system, D&D5e, and explains how it differs from it.
The approach to society is completely different. Being a wild and primordial world, heavy armor is absent, but the author managed to propose a valid alternative by adding the proficiency bonus to the Armor Class given by medium armor. This doesn’t mean that it is a world of cave dwellers, indeed society is advanced in many aspects. Technological development is simply backward and this, for example, also affects the commerce.
And the lack of technological evolution also makes people see magic with fear; it’s an art so feared that it’s almost prohibited. It is not the result of study, but of connection with the world itself and becomes mysticism. For this the Wizard class is not present. Divine magic is also different: in the absence of gods, divine spellcasters derive their power only from the domains. Being so peculiar, magic is even more complicated and rituals need hours instead of minutes. Furthermore, some classic spells are absent here; mainly they are those that would favor a too simple survival in wild lands, such as Create Water or Goodberry.
The world is wild, full of beasts and strange races. The seasons are marked by the lunar calendar, created by observing over one hundred moons. Its vastness is such as to prevent mapping and travel is characterized by very high survival risks.
Chapter 2: World of Vast Kaviya
Here, in addition to hanging on to themes that have already emerged in the first chapter, we go further into the peculiar mechanics of this setting. First of all, however, a mention is also made of how history is handed down; being of oral tradition, it is not easy to find information about it. It’s also often linked to the only events that can mark civilizations and be remembered: cosmic events such as shooting stars and the destruction of moons.
The connection between the individual and the forces of the world is then made clear, possible through the mechanics of the Mana. This energy also allows you to take advantage of existing elemental energies to gain benefits through elemental powers. Vast Kaviya presents the following elements, absent in the basic system of D&D5e: Water, Air, Fire, Evil, Holy, Earth.
We then return with our feet on the ground and, given the high costs of trade, read about the importance of finding materials. Those known in this world are: horn, bone, bronze, iron, obsidian, steel and stone. Each of them has peculiar characteristics and some correspond to the magical weapons of the classic fantasy settings.
Chapter 3: Primordial Adventures
This chapter is related to the approach to have to fully appreciate Vast Kaviya, taking D&D5e as a reference point (even if it also contains notions already mentioned previously).
For example, the almost total absence of comforts is highlighted. The classic taverns? Don’t hope for them. Being able to dominate nature by levelling up a bit? Not even in your dreams, prepare to be devoured in sleep by some strange predator. Finding incredible treasures? Don’t be fooled, even a simple iron sword will make a difference here and will be treated almost like a unique object. You will prey on every killed enemy, wondering what his femur can do or how much poison you can extract from his glands.
The difficult fate of the spellcasters is reiterated: people do not understand magic and consider it something dangerous. But perhaps it would be more correct to call it “spirituality”; power arises from the bond of the individual with the forces of the world. This is done through the six elements: the characters bind to one and their characterization should be linked to it.
Chapter 4: New Races
The primordial world is an excellent excuse to be able to insert many exotic races without having to give too many explanations. In this way the players will have a wide choice and the world will be varied and alive. Here are the new races introduced by this setting:
Aasimar: graceful humanoids with angelic traits.
Alai: small humanoids linked to the wildest nature.
Boggard: anthropomorphic frogs and toads.
Genasi: humanoids who embody a blatant elemental lineage.
Gnoll: feral anthropomorphic beasts.
Kanca: anthropomorphic insects.
Mist Subraces: “foggy” humanoids that are divided into mistdweorg (deriving from dwarfs) and mistling (related to halflings).
Mongrelfolk: humanoids composed of parts of various beasts.
Ottunni: pure psychic energy hosted by bodies that act only as a “shell”.
Taino-kar: lizards with almost dinosaur traits.
Chapter 5: Class Options
This part of the Vast KaviyaAdventurer’s Book is very large and offers many more possibilities for players than the basic D&D5e ones. Aside from the basic idea of the setting, this is probably the richest section of material and the one that intrigued me most.
First of all, in Vast Kaviyaevery base class of D&D5e gets at least one new archetype. They all seem interesting and very well connected to the world lore; Here they are:
Barbarian: with the Path of the Psion-Primal he draws special powers from a creature chosen among dragon, goat and lion.
Cleric: The Lunar Domain allows you to tune in to the moons and gain powers from them.
Druid: the Burning Circle establishes a connection with primordial fire and allows you to draw power from it.
Warrior: the Primal Leader is a fighter specialized in inspiring companions and in doing feral maneuvers in combat.
Monk: Pyrokine Monastic Tradition infuses character attacks with the power of the Fire element.
Paladin: The Oath of the Webs significantly redesigns this class, connecting it to the spirit of the world and giving it a strong propensity for stealth.
Ranger: the Primal Hunter specializes in chasing prey and being able to knock them down effectively.
Rogue: the Savage Pioneer develops a huge talent in the use of poisons.
Sorcerer: the Animator Bloodline allows to infuse life into objects, while the Dreamer Bloodline gives you control over the sleep and dreams of creatures.
Warlock: has two new patrons; The Grandmother offers ancestral protection, while The Hivemind focuses on group mind control.
There are also two completely new base classes, able to further increase the variety in the options when creating the character. They too seem well structured, but now let’s look at them specifically:
Gemini: plays on doubles, on opposites, on imitating and multiplying.
Monster Tamer: specialized in breeding and controlling a type of creature among animals, monsters, oozes, aberrations and dragons.
The chapter ends beautifully with four prestige classes, each with the related requirements to enter and ten levels of progression. They can already be undertaken around level 5, thus allowing you to discover them at a still fairly early stage of character development. Here they are described:
Elementalist: He specializes more and more in exploiting a specific element (on which the prerequisites depend) until he can become an expression of that element himself.
Fractured Soul: his unstable inner nature allows him to control and apply the same mutability also to his body; this allows him to get to be able to change his shape into that of any living creature.
Magic-Eater: it is the highest expression of the reluctance and non-acceptance of magic; he learns to oppose it in every way until he denies it with his mere presence.
Primal Shaman: studies the spirits of the world and expands the powers of the mind to tune into everything; then learn to express these links with powers such as telepathy and mind control
Miscellaneous
The penultimate chapter is a collection of new elements useful to embellish the characters. Specifically we will find magic items (raw mana of different colors and sun stone), spells, feats (to have undead slaves, blessings of ancestors and more), a material (titanic scale), a weapon (a cleaver), a disease (savage vampirism), a condition (fogged), an affliction (mongrelization, or the intake of mana powder with the risk of physical changes) and a background (amnesiac).
These elements are many and can make up for the lack of some classic counterparts that would not be suitable for this setting. In particular, I appreciated the presence of the Raw Mana. It has a strong narrative meaning, connecting man to the world, but at the same time it has various practical uses.
Pregenerated Heroes
This very short final section includes six pre-generated characters, in order to offer valid examples of inhabitants of Vast Kaviya and allow players who do not like creating characters to immediately throw themselves into the adventure. In addition there is also an empty character sheet related the setting. The parts that compose it are not very different from those of the base character sheet, but graphically follows the style of the manual.
Vast Kaviya Campaign Setting
Also this second volume has a fully illustrated cover; the subjects are different, but the style is the same. Good choice! Then follows a handy index that allows us to orient ourselves in the large amount of material proposed.
Chapters 1 – 5: Déjà-vu
As for the first five chapters, go and reread what was said for the Adventurer’s Handbook, they are the same thing. Really, they are the same contents reproduced in the same way. Nothing is added or deepened, nor anything changed.
I am very perplexed about this choice. If on the one hand it can be useful as it allows you to buy only the manual you need between the two proposed (the first is for players and the second for the master), on the other hand there are still many repeated pages that are in fact useless for those who want to have both manuals. On balance, I would have preferred a much shorter Campaign Setting but only contain information useful only to the master; in this way it could also have had a reduced cost. But don’t get me wrong: the price of all the offers designed by the authors is totally honest. Especially with regard to the Campaign Setting: at a slightly higher cost you have almost all the contents of the Adventurer’s Handbook plus much more material.
Chapter 6: Warlords
Vast Kaviya is a difficult world to live in and, to try to increase the chances of survival, people gather in tribes. They often form an ancestral and increasingly rooted linkwith the place they choose as a home. Here they begin to develop, build, cultivate and defend themselves from the dangers of the world.
Each of them is governed by a Warlord (21 in total), who is introduced here together with his relations with the other ones. In this chapter we also find a description of the various regions and many interesting notions about them. The territories are also represented through maps and images. Each area is characterized by a dominant element that influences its inhabitants. We can also find both the monsters that inhabit these lands and are still a threat, and the prominent personalities of the various tribes. In addition, this chapter also introduces the magic items and other novelties already present in the Adventurer’s Handbook, but giving them a more precise context.
Green plains and fearsome volcanoes, deep forests and mysterious peaks. These pages of the Campaign Setting are essential to fully understand the game world and can also offer interesting ideas for Dungeon Masters who want to create their own stories.
Chapter 7: Bestiary
Here all the other creatures are gathered, those nice encounters that we can do almost everywhere inVast Kaviya. And the world is beautiful because it is varied; or at least until that variety tries to chop you up, eat you and digest you.
To be precise, we are talking about thirty creatures, each with an image, a description and a technical data sheet of the characteristics. They are not so many, but they are enough to give a lot of originality to our adventures. Also, given the wild nature of the world, I find it quite easy to include creatures found in other manuals.
Chapter 8: Adventure – Scorpion Sea Temple
I really appreciated the presence of a complete adventure, which allows players, even beginners, to pick up the manual and start playing immediately. Going into detail, this is an introductory adventure suitable for 4/5 second or third level characters.
It has everything is needed: initial hooks, parts to read, explanations for the narrator, characteristics of the enemies, available treasures, various illustrations and maps of the places that can be visited. In practice, nothing is really missing to enjoy this journey!
But let’s not make too many illusions: it’s not a long or articulated adventure, the twists and turns are few and linearity is high. Its purpose is very good, that is to introduce new players to Vast Kaviya and maybe also to D&D5e, but nothing more.
Chapter 9: Otherworlds
The world of Vast Kaviya works very well in its entirety, without the need of any other setting for D&D5e. It can be plausible in all its aspects and the various regions interact organically. In fact, the whole of the various regions can very well represent all the “civilized” and known areas.
However, some masters may want to widen the boundaries and bring Vast Kaviya to other D&D5e worlds. The author has not overlooked this possibility and has indeed provided important ideas for using all the material of this manual in four other settings: Medieval Fantasy, Hypercorps 2099 Wasteland, Mists of Akuma and Book of Exalted Darkness. But pay attention, these are not general advices; for each system there is a paragraph dedicated to each region of Vast Kaviya and how to transport it in that context. A precise and very useful job!
Random Encounter Tables
The rough aspect must not deceive you: they perform their function in a simple and effective way. Each type of climate has its own table and each table offers twenty possible antagonists ready to put the sticks in the wheels at the party.
From this, however, it is easy to understand that the d20 can give the same result at low levels as at high levels. On the one hand, this shows once again how dangerous and ruthless these lands are, but on the other hand, it risks proposing very unbalanced challenges; meeting an ancient blue dragon at level 1 or a giant weasel at level 20 is not very satisfying, even if for different reasons. Of course, a master has the last word on the encountered creatures, but in this case the tables would lose utility and speed of consultation.
Character Sheet
Here too there is an empty two-sided character sheet, ready to be printed and filled out. The graphic style and contents are in all aspects identical to that of the Adventurer’s Handbook. In this case, however, it is not preceded by the pre-generated characters.
Continue to follow us to stay informed about Vast Kaviya and other settings for D&D5e!
After the curiosity aroused by our article on The Elephant & Macaw Banner RPG, we decided to interview two important personalities who allowed the realization of this work. We are talking about Christopher Kastensmidt and Tom McGrenery, respectively author and translator/project manager. Let’s listen what they added said about this Kickstarter project!
How important is it having read the stories to be able to enjoy the game?
You don’t need to have read the stories to play the game, but they can give some insight into the spirit of the project and lots of ideas for adventures. A lot of people call The Elephant and Macaw Banner (EAMB) the “Brazilian Witcher” and I think that´s fairly accurate. If you look at the stories, both of them take inspiration from local folklore (Poland vs. Brazil), both of them have characters going through the wilderness and hunting monsters, both have dry senses of humor, and both treat every encounter as a very real danger, no matter how supposedly “weak” the foe.
Of course, EAMB is set in 16th century Brazil, a “muskets and magic” setting. Imagine The Three Musketeers or Alatriste fighting monsters in the Brazilian wilderness and that will give you an idea.
The complete stories are available as a novel, published by Guardbridge Books, and available digitally on several platforms (Nook, Kindle, Kobo, iBooks) for $4.99.
Chris, how useful is the experience gained from video games when creating the role-playing game of Elephant & Macaw?
I’ve been working with video games since the 90s, and I definitely put that knowledge to use with EAMB. I learned a lot about game design over the last decades, and the most important lesson of all: learn from your audience. I ran a six-month playtest with over 40 players and went through three major revisions before arriving at the final version of the rules. My experience with video games taught me how to organize that level of testing and synthesize all that feedback into a usable form.
At the same time, I´ve been working as a writer since 2005, and during that time I´ve written and published short stories, novels, poetry, episodes of animated series, video games, comics, an upcoming full-length movie and of course, RPGs. I brought in a lot of storytelling baggage to this project, along with my background in game design. That gave me a lot of insight into mechanics and setting. This RPG really is the culmination of everything I´ve learned during my career.
Apart from the original setting, are there other aspects in which Elephant & Macaw differs from other role-playing games?
The mechanics are my own system, which are a combination of several factors. One was making an easily accessible system that anyone, anywhere could play. That’s why the game uses only six-sided dice, which even the remotest of players can access. Another factor was starting from scratch and letting my own philosophy dictate the rules. For example, there are no attributes or classes in the game. To me, people can acquire whatever skills they want and shouldn’t limit themselves into set “boxes” based on their career or other factors.
This reflects my own life a bit, since I’ve worked as an engineer, screenwriter, video game producer and college professor over time. I never let my diploma limit my career. I went out and learned what I wanted to do, one area at a time. And that´s how characters progress in the system: one area at a time..
Even though I was limited to using six-sided dice, I did try out a lot of different possibilities (exploding dice, using more or less dice) but I ended up with a very simple 3d6 system that worked mathematically with what I wanted to accomplish. I made a video about it in Portuguese and hope to make one soon in English as well.
Which role-playing games do you prefer and which have inspired you the most?
My favorite at the moment is Numenera, but the ones that I played most during my formative years were Dungeons & Dragons, MERP and Star Frontiers. I think that role-playing games had more of an impact on me as a person than on the system itself. I learned to create characters and tell stories, as well as research to develop interesting worlds.
The original stories were highly influenced by Sword and Sorcery. A lot of people comment on how the stories feel a lot like Fritz Leiber´s Lankhmar series, and they´re right!
The setting is fascinating but also far from the knowledge and experience of the average non-South American player. Apart from the books in the series, are there other sources, including films, to recommend to get familiar with the worlds of Elephant and Macaw?
One of the things that inspired the book were the 16th century chronicles written by visiting Europeans. A lot of them have been translated to English, look for:
Preo de Magalhaes Gandavo (in “The Histories of Brazil”)
Hans Staden (in “Hans Staden´s True History”)
Jean de Lery (in “History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil”)
Anthony Knivet (in “The Admirable Adventures and Strange Fortunes of Master Anthony Knivet”)
Hans Staden in particular inspired Gerard van Oost, one of the protagonists in the original stories.
Also look for references about some of the most important figures from the time: José de Anchieta (a Jesuit missionary and now a saint), Francisco Orellana (leader of the first trip to navigate the entire Amazon River), and Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon (founder of Antarctic France). That´s a whole lot of material.
In terms of movies and miniseries, try Red Brazil (2012), Hans Staden (1999) and The Conquest (2000), if you can find them with subtitles.
In the game description, some monsters are referred to as “almost invincible”. Elephant & Macaw involves the creation of characters with important abilities but within human limits or real heroes who overcome these limits? And the progression of the character is such as to make him slowly capable of performing unthinkable acts and facing “almost invincible” enemies or even improving does he remain an aura of verisimilitude with human abilities?
There is a constant character progression in the game, but the characters never become “superhumans”, like in D&D and other systems. As I mentioned above, the books and RPG are much more inspired by sword & sorcery than epic fantasy. Danger is always very real.
As a minor spoiler, the protagonists of the novel face one of these “almost invincible” creatures in the book´s last adventure and the price is extremely high. I think that´s the idea with these kinds of creatures. Mere mortals shouldn´t be messing with them. If you do, you´ll pay the price.
Chris, how does the author of a book (who has a sort of authorship about the characters and a particular world) feel about leaving the creation of new elements of all kinds in the hands of other narrators?
Not just narrators, I´ve left the creation with other authors. I´ve already published adventures and supplements from four authors: Luciano Campos Tardock, Joao Beraldo, Luciano Paulo Giehl and Jan Piertezoon. The experience has been phenomenal. I spent the first 11 years of this process writing alone, and it has been great to take a little of that weight off my shoulders. The community has also published an enormous amount of non-official content: adventures and blog articles and such.
The results have been amazing, lots of new ideas I would never have come up with myself. I look forward to publishing many more authors down the line.
Tom, will be there additional publications for this role-playing game?
The Player’s Guide (which is the 1st two chapters of the rulebook, but as a free PDF) and the adventure “The Legend of the Golden Condor” are already available in English. Next in the pipeline for translation will be the setting book “The Royal Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro” because I think that many people will want to have more background in which to anchor their games. Soon after that we will have two more adventures – The Curse of Ipauna and The Mysterious Demesne of Dom Perestrelo.
I don’t want to promise too specific a timeline beyond that, but there continue to be new materials coming out for EAMB in Portuguese, which I hope we can get to English-speaking audiences very soon. For example, just a month or two ago saw the release of “The Abandoned Island”, which is the first part of an epic five-part adventure called “Flagellum Amazonis” (The Scourge of the Amazon).
Let us know if you still have doubts after this interview with the people behind The Elephant & Macaw Banner RPG!
Are you tired of the embarrassing silence that arrives during the session when there is a moment of pause or when you have to look for some notion on a manual? Darkraven Games seems to have the right solution for these circumstances: Musicians of Ravensburg.
What do the Musicians of Ravensburg play?
The product offered is articulated. It is in fact a series of music and sound effects set in various locations and therefore suitable for many situations typical of role playing. To be precise, these are 43 unique songs played in 8 different environments, including The Green Dragon Tavern, the World Famous Wizard’s Festival and a noble feast. It is 16 hours of material recorded in high definition and it seems a lot for us.
Darkraven Games has worked on this project for a couple of years and seems very confident in its quality. The team also proved to be kind, releasing 45 tracks (ten hours of material) that can be downloaded for free, so that people can get an idea of the quality and evaluate a possible purchase.
The files will be distributed in digital MP3 format at 320kbps via a download link sent by email. These products are intended for home use only and cannot be used for profit.
Is this content not enough for you yet? No problem: the creators offer many packages with many possible additions.
The Kickstarter campaign so far
The creators have decided to undertake a Kickstarter campaign lasting only 14 days and now we are already in the second and last week. There are many supporters and it is already certain that the project will be successful.
As for the proposed pledges, it must be admitted that there are not so many cheap ones. The cheapest costs €55 ($59), but the price seems justified; after all, there are really many hours of soundtracks and they correspond to a couple of years of work. It then goes up to the mega complete collection of €350 ($379), for those who do not want to miss even a note. Among the various intermediate steps it seems right to point out the one which costs €157 ($169); it allows you to have €64 ($68) of extra material included.
All this extra material obtainable with high level pledges includes other works by Darkraven Games, other music to embellish the sessions. For more information, please visit their Kickstarter page.
It should also be mentioned that, with a minimum support of €55 ($59), two extra music collections are also obtained: Cthulhu and Fantasy Orc Zombie Assault.
Keep following us to stay updated on Musicians of Ravensburg!
During the Disney Pixar’s Onward World Premiere, a statement made both Avengers and Dungeons and Dragons fans exult. Let’s start by saying that the phrase, told by Tom Holland (our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man), does not concern something already established, but a strong desire of some of the members of the most famous superhero team in the world.
To IGN‘s microphones, Tom said he never role-played; but, talking about it with Chris Pratt (the charming Star-Lord), the desire to play a session of Dungeons & Dragons with the cast of the Avengers emerged. The idea would be to register and upload it, but here are the exact statements made by Tom when asked if he had ever tried a RPG:
I haven’t, no, but Chris and I have been talking about setting up an Avengers D&D session, which would be amazing. We actually want to like film it, because it would be really fun. Not livestream it, because I don’t do…is this live? It is live! Oh ok, I’m really stressed now.
Tom Holland
A game session with the two of them, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and maybe other cast members could definitely be spectacular; it could redefine the meaning of “Avengers, assemble”!
Avengers and Dungeons and Dragons: straddling fantasy and reality
As RPG lovers we let our imagination fly; although nothing has been said about it, we have the strong feeling that, if it should happen, it would be with D&D5e. Once again this system demonstrates how its greater simplicity compared to previous editions allows new people to get closer to role-playing.
We are also curious to find out if it will be an attempt to bring the same protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the game system or not. Here we are more likely to think that it won’t be so. The system actually has a personalization system too tight to be able to recreate the powers of characters like Iron Man. We are therefore more inclined to think that the actors will have different characters (if not completely disconnected) from the MCU superheroes. If, on the other hand, they were really characters linked to those present in the films, we could have the opportunity to discover some unpublished background.
Maybe this session will never happen or maybe it will be the pretext to create even a collaboration between these two narrative universes. If that causes enough enthusiasm, maybe Wizards of the Coast will decide to create an Avengers-themed starter set for Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition; after all the same happened for Stranger Things and Rick and Morty.
Keep following us to receive updates on the project that links the Avengers to Dungeons and Dragons!
If you love D&D5e but you feel the need for an Italian, funny and fairytale-like setting, we have found something that is right for you: Brancalonia!
Do you want to get an idea of what it can be? Imagine mixing the chivalrous and courteous tradition (medieval poetry, Renaissance epics), some Italian cult films (Armata Brancaleone, Il Mestiere delle Armi, L’Arcidiavolo, Attila Flagello di Dio, Bud Spencer and Terence Hill…), the works of the most important Italian writers of the twentieth century (Pederiali, Eco, Buzzati and Calvino) and Italian fables and folklore (Le Piacevoli Notti di Straparola, Cunto de li Cunti, Pinocchio di Collodi, Pitrè and Calvino collections,…). If all this has not yet aroused your curiosity, you are unforgivable!
This work was born thanks to the collaboration between Zappa and Spada‘s “Spaghetti Fantasy” (anthological series published by Acheron Books) and the “Menare Fantasy” by Ignoranza Eroica. At the moment it is possible to stay updated on this project only through its Facebook group (besides following us, of course!), but important news will arrive soon. And we can’t wait!
A Kickstarter at the gates, let’s prepare for the siege!
The Kickstarer campaign of Brancalonia for D&D5e (in collaboration with Officina Meningi and LudiBlood) will begin on March 23, both in Italian and English. We still don’t know nothing about the prices, the possible pledges, the stretch goals and the add-ons, but frankly we are very anxious to discover them! Fundraising will end on April 12 and, in our opinion, will be a triumph. In its extension it will also include the important PLAY: Festival del Gioco and this choice is not accidental. During this italian event it will be possible to meet the authors and artists, try Brancalonia directly and purchase the Quickstart in physical copy.
However, we advise you that it is also possible to subscribe to the mailing list to receive updates and above all, from March 1, a free copy of the Quickstart in PDF. Inside you will find: a general presentation of the setting, the world map, six premade characters and the adventure Il Tesoro del Bigatto.
We also find interesting that the authors have shown themselves open to the possibility of being contacted to organize official events and game demonstrations in associations, shops and clubs. In case you are interested, do not hesitate to tell it!
What will the setting for D&D5e Brancalonia contain?
We can however anticipate that the manual will have 192 A4 pages, in full color and with hard cover. Inside you will find:
A general description of the Regno di Taglia, both historical and geographical. The territory extends from the Pale Mounts in the north to the Cariddi sea in the south, from the barbaric city of Tergesta in the east to the coast of the Zigano sea in the far west. Some other places of interest are Penumbria, the Pagan Plain and Borgo Stricchiano. The shape of this kingdom is that of the real Italy, but “reversed”; this represents the sense of “up side down” that governs the setting.
5 new playable races (in addition to the Human) taken from Italian tradition and folklore: Dotato, Malebranche, Marionetta, Morgante and Selvatico.
11 new subclasses, one for each of the basic classes, each of which adapted to the setting and strongly imbued with Italian traditions and folklore. Among them we can mention the Benandante, the Jettatore, the Brigante and the Fratacchione.
New Backgrounds, Character Traits, Ideals, Bonds and Flaws typical of the Brancalonia adventurers.
New Talents, Spells, Treasures, Diseases and Poisons.
Secrets, threats, curiosities, places of interest, rumors, monsters and game ideas for the master; among them there are a generator of inns, a generator of memorabilia and a generator of streets that go nowhere.
New Setting Rules, such as those for the brawls, the management of the gang, the den, the companions, the bounties and the prophecies. In short, everything you need to create a gang and climb the ranks of your company.
A Introductory solo Adventure, created to familiarize yourself with the setting before offering it to the players (or to enjoy it in the absence of them).
The Soldati di Ventura Campaign, in 6 Episodes.
12 new monsters and 12 typical antagonists of Italian history, tradition and folklore. For example, there will be the Tarantata, the Eyes of Santa Lucina, the Vilupera, the Torontola, the Squallidorso, the Tordogo, the Pellicagna, the Aquistrige, the Corvoragno, the Garatto,…
What we expect from the Fratelli di Taglia
The Regno of Taglia is only a geographical expression.
Clemente Pomponio, Chancellor of Altomagna
We sincerely look forward to venturing into the Regno di Taglia, a secondary possession of the Empire of Altomagna ceded as a vassallatic benefit to Queen Menalda of Catozza. A century after this event, this territory was never recovered from central power, despite the fact that the royal lineage has now been lost. The reason for this yielding? The dangerous Buemondo the Fat of Aurocastro opposed the empire, refusing to pay tributes; he brought together an organization of bandits and thugs in the southern part of the kingdom. And his head is worth the crown. But given the current uncertain political situation, a dozen regions have been formed, each of them divided into local governments.
This caricature of Italy promises a light and carefree mood, which will not fail to make you smile. During the vicissitudes experienced it will also be fun to look for all the references to the Italian culture, getting to know it even in its most folkloristic aspects. So we can just say good luck to the authors!
Keep following us to find out more about Brancalonia, the new setting for D&D5e!
Eldritch Foundry is a miniatures project born in 2019 on Kickstarter that has completed its campaign by collecting ten times the initial amount requested. Success was followed by the opening of the current site, the heart of their work.
Miniatures for all tastes … Or almost
Thanks to their platform it is in fact possible to do what all of us role-playing players love: create our personalized miniature! The layout of the site is very attractive and reminiscent of classic video games, such as Baldur’s Gate. The selection among the available parts includes numerous races, weapons, armors, clothes, various accessories and even poses. To be honest the choice is vast even if not exaggerated but, being Eldritch Foundry still young, we expect a continuous evolution in this sense.
A useful section of the site allows you to save your models for future orders. At the moment the only available format is the 34mm one, but here too we expect a greater choice in the future. The cost of each miniature is $35 (approximately €31.50), an honest price for this type of product.
According to what they say, one of their strengths is precisely the quality of the print, presented as superior to that of the competition. In fact, the team uses 3DSystems‘ devices, which is one of the main American companies in the sector. Thanks to the latest generation 3D printers, they promise 32 micron miniatures, insted of the 50 micron among most services of this type (for about 40% higher quality).
In addition that each piece is inspired to wonderful 2D images (visible on the site), granting a truly remarkable artistic sector.
Real people, not abstract presences behind a screen
The team behind this project immediately proved to be very friendly, serious and close to users. Their approach is based on transparency and they keep in direct contact with their followers also through their Facebook page.
Alternatively, they also offer an affiliate program with the requesting shops. In this way they can allow to customize and sell the miniatures even in non-virtual environments and the shopkeepers can offer unique customizations such as the logo of their business.
To confirm their “social” nature, on the site you can also read about collaborations free of commercial interests. To strengthen the community they also offer to establish relationships to bring this wonderful passion to schools or other environments. Commendable!
Keep following us to find out more about Eldritch Foundry miniatures!
For a few weeks we have been talking with curiosity about the Kickstarter project An Indie Game Anthology and we have therefore decided to find out more about it with an interview with the two authors.
Elisabeth Chai-Pra-Dit-Kul and Steffie de Vaan have kindly answered our questions and below you can read their statements.
An Anthology of Indie Games seems to be a very personal work, in which you put a lot of yourself. Is it right? Is this your main purpose when you create something? Sharing something about yourself?
The anthology definitely has a lot of us in it. All the games were ideas we had simmering, but never brought to fruition for one reason or another. It was a great creative exercise to just create without having to worry about if something would be commercially successful or not. Not all work I create has to be about me in some way, but everything I do does have a hint of my personality in it. It is hard to completely scrub yourself from the work, in fact I would say it’s impossible.
This work was made by the authors, but the impression is that they are so close that their styles is almost the same. Did you do it on purpose or is it your natural similarity?
Steffie and I like a lot of the same things, but we do have different styles. However, we worked together and edited each other’s games, so it makes sense that they feel unified in some way. Our goal was to create unique games with a similar format, in layout and introduction at least, so our Patrons knew what to expect from month to month.
Can you tell me something about how you two met and how you realized that you could work together so well?
We both met freelancing together and I realized that she lived in the Netherlands too. The Netherlands is a small country so I was excited to meet someone else in the same field as myself and the same circles. After that I hired her to work for my company and the relationship grew from there. I guess when you meet certain people you just know you are a good match and Steffie and I mesh creatively very well together.
12 games for 12 months. Have you started 2018 with this idea in mind or you just wrote when you felt and the natural result was it?
Before we launched our Patreon we had a few games already written, which we indeed did in 2018. The goal was to give ourselves some lead time later in the year to create the other games. We wanted to make sure what we released reached a certain level of quality and that often takes more time.
Why 2019? Is there any specific reason why you chose to celebrate every month of that year with an RPG?
No reason to be honest. Steffie and I just wanted to keep working together in some meaningful way and so it turned out 2019 was the year!
Some of the twelve RPGs are very particular. Did you take inspiration somewhere or is it just your creative talent?
We drew from a lot of places, for example I wrote Bloody Demon Slayers as a response to another RPG supplement I wrote about menstruation being destroyed–that made me angry so I thought why not turn it around and create another game about menstruation? We’re also inspired by TV and popular media, for example Steffie was inspired by the TV shows Dark and Twin Peaks for her game We Die Here, she took the essences of those shows and boiled them into an amazing gaming experiences.
Some of our followers were hoping for an italian translation. Will it be possible? A girl also told us that could do this work.
Right now we don’t have any plans on translating the anthology, that said if someone wants to talk to use about localization we are certainly open to it.
What are your plans for the future? Any other RPGs project?
We will be continuing our Patreon together. Also, my company will be coming out with a new supplement for our game Afterlife: Wandering Souls and a new game for our WITCH: Fated Souls game line. You can find more about on our website.
If after this interview you still have curiosities about An Indie Game Antholgy, do not hesitate to let us know!
One Page Lore is a publication that offers brilliant characterizations of races far from the usual racist stereotypes. This Kickstarter project is called Fantasy Folk because it treats exotic races such as nagas, elves, gnolls, fairies, dikarya (mushroom people), lizardfolk, halflings, kobolds, quericu (tree people), orcs, dwarfs and goblins.
The contents are suitable for any role-playing game that includes these creatures and can be used for both playing and non-playing characters. There is also information that aims to dispel even some myths related to these races, providing original ideas for adventures.
If you have doubts about this work, you can already consult the pages relating to some races: dwarfs, dikarya, fairies, elves and halflings.
The success of the Kickstarter campaign
The end of this Kickstarter campaign is just a few days away and the funds requested have already been widely collected and doubled. This also allowed to unlock a stretch goal, that is the presence of a new breed: the winged harpies. If still more funds can be collected, a second (and mysterious) stretch goal is foreseen.
If you decide to contribute, there are only three pledges available:
$4 (about €4): digital copy
$7 (about €7): digital and physical copy
$30 (about €28): digital copy, physical copy and creation of an extra race to be included in the final work
We like this clarity, this simplicity and the possibility of actively participating in the choice of contents; all at a price that is not exaggerated at all.
The author behind One Page Lore… And not only
The good premises underlying this project are to be found in the talent of the author Jesse Galena. His works are many and for simplicity we invite you to consult them on his official website.
In addition to all this, Jesse has also collaborated on some free tools that are as bizarre as they are useful to the world of RPGs:
We all know, roleplaying sessions wouldn’t be the same without food and drinks! There have always been relationships of love and hate between role-playing games and drinks. The sessions have another flavor if accompanied by a thirst-quenching drink, but what a nuisance to see the table, character sheets and grandma’s doily stained by such liquids!
Their wonderful Cthulhu artwork drink coasters promise not to miss a drop of drink … And who are we to question the words of the Great Old Ones!
Simple ideas are sometimes the best ones
Aesthetically they present themselves in a very captivating way: gorgeous graphics and beautiful colors. The idea is simple, but you know: Lovecraft’s works always arouse a lot of curiosity.
To evaluate their effectiveness, however, we wait to be able to try one of them. But one thing is certain: we can’t wait to admire the great Cthulhu staring at us from under our glass of beer! In this way perhaps R’lyeh will have an even less Euclidean geometry…
These graceful creations have a diameter slightly less than 10cm(3.7 inches, to be exact) and are 1.5mm(0.06 inches)thick. Miskatonic Woods Trading Co. also ensures that the final yield is truly remarkable on this type of material.
Simple projects are sometimes the most successful
Pledges and their prices are really simple: $1 (about €1) for a coaster, $2 (about €2) for two coasters and so on. Clear, cheap and tempting.
The simplicity of the project has been rewarded by supporters; the funds raised amount to $450 (about €400), much higher than the required amount of only $50 (about €45). This obviously guarantees to all those who decide to participate in the campaign to receive the proposed product.
The best thing is that the creators say that the coasters will be in the hands of customers within two weeks of the end of the Kickstarter campaign, so we won’t even have to wait long to try them!
Keep following us to stay informed about the Cthulhu artwork drink coasters!
There are only a few hours left to participate in a Kickstarter campaign that seems to promise very well: Mythexplorers IV. In summary, the offer includes various packages of miniatures, perfect for giving a face to our heroes or increasing our reserves in view of the most crowded battles that we will propose to our players.
The winning team does not change: it expands
The Spanish team of RN Estudio can boast various other Kickstarter projects successfully supported and created; among them we can mention the previous releases of Mythexplorers, Chaos Pact Team, Humans VS Orcs, 4 New FF Teams, Revenants VS Ancestrals and more. This certainly denotes a remarkable experience which, probably, also guarantees reliability and quality to the customer.
This is also confirmed by the fact that RN Estudio has its own online store where you can buy their other miniatures, including those of previous Kickstarter campaigns. They also offer alternative services, such as 3D sculpt, 3D print, resin cast and miniature painting.
The miniatures proposed with Mythexplorers IV
But now let’s go into details: what does this Kickstarter project offer? So many tasty possibilities. The strategy of RN Estudio is clearly to propose pre-made packages of thematically linked miniatures. So, to give you an idea, you can find starting sets, thematically different pieces, miniatures of various sizes (from 15mm to 75mm), busts and more. The best way to get an idea about it is certainly to take a look at their project page.
In general, the level of detail seems very good; however, in order to evaluate this aspect and the quality of the materials in a technical way, it would be necessary to have one in our hands. At the moment we are pleased to note that not all miniatures have the same style, so that everyone can be satisfied. Epic, tender, sensual, funny characters… It will be easy to find something suitable for your tastes!
But beware: the pieces are limited. This choice was made to guarantee the shipment of the products within 7 months from the end of the Kickstarter campaign. We imagine that the same products will then be available on the aforementioned online store, but the prices will not be the same.
Possible extras and costs
The great success of this Kickstarter campaign (almost €20,000 collected against an initial request of €500) has also allowed the release of interesting stretch goals. The first is universal and valid for any chosen pledge: an artbook with beautiful illustrations that inspired the miniatures. Other stretch goals instead are extra miniatures added to certain packages; who doesn’t like paying the same amount but getting an extra miniature?
If all this material is still not enough, the guys from RN Estudio also offer further possible additions through interesting add-ons. They are mainly single miniatures, which can be inserted in any package. Their cost is €10 or €20 each.
Otherwise, the prices of the basic packages seem very fair, given the amount of material offered. The price ranges vary greatly according to the desired product; the basic material can be taken home with only €20, while for the complete super-mega-package you will need €600. A positive note, however, is given by the fact that the shipments are all free.
Keep following us to receive updates on Mythexplorers IV miniatures!
An Indie Game Anthology presents is a collection of many narrative role-playing games, all written by the same two people. The RPGs were born on Patreon, but now they have also landed on Kickstarter to raise funds and create an anthology. This is reassuring because it clears away any doubts about the actual realization of the final work.
In addition, the campaign has already largely exceeded (and dubbed) its minimum target, so you can be sure that, if you contribute, you will receive the product. Although fundraising is going so well, there are only two stretch goals; they are not even particularly original (inside cover printed and new chapter art). The hope is to see new stretch goals, even if it will not be simple since the product is already completed and only needs to be printed.
The final product will be abook of about 200 pages in A5 format, with a soft cover. This cover will be in color, while the interior will be in black and white. Its cost is €25, but you can also select a €15 pledge if you only want three role-playing games in digital format.
An authorial work requires personality authors
An Indie Game Anthology was born from the minds of two girls residing in Holland: Elisabeth Chai-Pra-Dit-Kul and Steffie de Vaan. The two authors met during a work in which they both were involved and then decided to produce something of their own. However, it should be noted that both Liz and Steffie participated in the creation of many other role-playing games.
I don’t know these two girls in person, but from the presentation it transpires that they put a lot of them into this job. Every game and every theme seems like something they firmly believe in and would be willing to fight for. The collection that comes from these ideas gives the impression of being the “mental playroom” shared by them. I love it.
The stories promise extravagant contexts, between the tender and the macabre
Inside An Indie Game Anthology we will find 12 different narrative role-playing games, each complete with all the rules and the right context to be ready for use. Their total number is not random, as they were developed in 2019, one per month.
The authors present them as extravagant and original ideas, ranging from being tender to being frightening. In my opinion, they seem to want to touch on various hot topics, such as women’s emancipation, capitalism and death, without however renouncing an ironic side. Each game contained in this collection also has its own game system; some use dice, others use tarot cards, and others use much less conventional mechanics. Really LITTLE conventional.
The games are also available individually on DriveThruRPG, priced at around $7 (€6.35) each; the link to find them is attached in the following presentation round-up (which follows the order of the months of creation of the RPGs):
Return to Wonderland (January): the players take the role of Alice (and her fantastic friends) who returns to Wonderland, finding herselves in front of a much darker world dominated by a tyrant to be defeated.
Bloody Demon Slayers (February): the characters are fighters who face the forces of evil thanks to the moon influence that gives them powers based on the phase of their menstrual cycle.
Keepers of Antarra (March): Players play powerful entities that control lines of magical power in the land of Antarra; these crystalline veins guarantee control and the possibility of shaping the world.
Guardians of Aimsir (April): unicorns must be colored to create the characters; the aim of the game is to color the adventure book together to fight the threats of your fairy tale kingdom.
Het Tijdschrift (May): Players must read the memoirs of some unrecognized heroines of World War II and make them echo at the end of the conflict, through the people they saved.
We Die Here (June): inspired by various TV series, this game let players interpret the inhabitants of a remote and disturbing town, making them live human relationships and giving the place itself a central role.
The Wicked Sisters (July): this RPG lets players live a story in remote and ancestral times; at least one of these sinister female figures must be able to reach a new land to continue the descent.
Kitten Witches (August): magical little kittens (who will one day become the familiars of a good witch) must save the children during the Sabbath night, while the witch is out.
The Everlasting (September): the protagonists of these stories are the guardian spirits of some families (in their extension over the centuries) and must collaborate to protect them from the dangers of their specific time.
Camp Pleasant (October): the characters spend one last night of holidays together and they do it by telling stories and secrets around a fire; it’s up to them to decide whether to give space to a horror side with a murder.
You and I at the End of the World (November): two players experience what will happen after the end of the world; after living alone for years, they make contact and rediscover the values of a human relationship.
Haven AE (December): the protagonists are the digital avatars of the last men who survived in a cyberpunk scenario; their role is to rebel against capitalism and move the revolt against the code.
Keep following us to receive updates on An Indie Game Anthology!
The end of the Kickstarter campaign dedicated to The Sky Archipelago Episode 2 is just a few hours away; this is a RPG setting in English adaptable to any game system. Or to be precise the second part of the setting, the first had been introduced with another successful Kickstarter project.
Are they both indispensable for having a complete setting? Yes. How can this be remedied? We will see it soon. For now, let’s focus on the content of the two works. The former contained geography, politics and some important PNGs from this new world. The second episode will focus instead on antagonists, dangers and secrets. Each episode of this series count between 24 and 36 pages.
A great project comes from a great hand
If you are curious to see the type of layout and the graphic style of the first episode, you can find them here. In any case, in our opinion this work is visually wonderful, with colorful and captivating designs. The credit goes to Diego Pisa, a talented Italian artist. Perhaps this name will be familiar to you, as it has already participated in other works of a certain level, also through other Kickstarter projects.
An inexpensive and affordable Kickstarter
First of all, the project has already reached the minimum threshold, thus confirming its realization. It also received enough funding to already unlock interesting stretch goals.
The idea behind this Kickstarter is certainly excellent, as it allows you to choose between various solutions and none of them are expensive. With only €2 you can get the digital version of the product and this already seems explanatory to me. As anticipated before, there is also a solution for those who had missed the first episode: a comfortable 4 € package includes both.
Then there are the MASTER versions of the previous pledges, which increase their cost by €7 to appear among the Episode Masters, that is those who want to stand out for the support dedicated to the project.
At the moment there isn’t a physical edition, but Diego Pisa has already used the “buy at cost” formula several times in his works and will propose it again for this too, but only when the last episode is published.
Instead a juicy Treasure Chest is available, a €22 pledge (but still available for a lucky few at €19 in Early Bird!) also containing an adventure and a compendium of various grafts adaptable to any game system. Even this pledge has a “deluxe” version from €27 which also includes a mention in the product itself.
Keep following us to stay informed on The Sky Archipelago and other works by Diego Pisa!
On the occasion of the launch on DriveThruRPG of Symbar – Mother of Darkness, the authors decided to offer for free (for a single day) the Core Rulebookof its game system, Symbaroum. Through our links you can download the free manual and learn about the new adventure.
The old: Symbaroum Core Rulebook
Symbaroum is a dark fantasy role-playinggame born from the minds of talented Swedish authors.
It is set in the kingdom of Ambria. The characters will have the opportunity to explore the mysteries, dangers and secrets of the nearby dark forest known by the name of Davokar.
This RPG has been able to distinguish itself thanks to both the immersive setting and a simple but satisfactory system of rules.
The new: Symbar Mother of Darkness
The newly released manual is the fourth chapter of the Chronicle of the Throne of Thorns campaign.
This book lets the characters explore the dangerous ruined city of Symbar. In particular there are two maps of the ruins that can also be used as standalone adventures. In addition there are also specific rules for exploring this region of Davokar, with all the mechanics for explorations and hunts. To conclude, a chapter presents new traits, new artifacts and new creatures.
Keep following us to stay informed about Symbaroum publications!
Modiphius Entertainment recently announced the RPG dedicated to the narrative universe of the Dishonored videogame series. The title is expected to be available in the summer of 2020, but a precise date is still missing.
The basics: Dishonored‘svideogame series
Video games in this saga are made by Arkane Studios and are currently two: Dishonored (from 2012) and Dishonored 2 (from 2016), accompanied by their DLC. The turbulent political situation of the Empire of the Islands and more precisely of the city of Dunwall is the focus. The events of the first chapter begin on year 1666. It creates the atmosphere of an industrial city in which steampunk, occultism, magic and court intrigue are mixed. The gameplay alternates between action and stealth phases, without sparing strong role-playing elements.
The team: Modiphius Entertainment
Publisher Modiphius Entertainment started this project with the aim of remaining as faithful as possible to the original works, without however missing some news. In order to do it they collaborated from the beginning with Harvey Smith (creative co-director of Arkane Studios) and other writers and artists who had collaborated in the creation of the video games. In this way the attempt is to not disappoint fans’ expectations.
The system: Momentum System
The award-winning developer Nathan Dowdell (known for Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of and Star Trek Adventures) has worked on adapting the 2d20 System to embrace the needs of Dishonored, creating the Momentum System. These changes are dictated by the need to be able to better express the rapid narrative rhythms and express in a proper way the powers related to the Void and Chaos.
To complete the project, Modiphius Entertainment has formed a creative team led by Federico Sohns, creator of Nibiru.
The contents of the Dishonored RPG proposed by Modiphius Entertainment
But the most practical question remains: what will the product contain? In summary this:
The 300-page manual
A special dice set
Cards
Other accessories
Nothing is known about the last three items on the list. To get into the specifics, however, we can tell you something more about the manual.
Its large number of pages first of all gives space to an introduction on the history, people and situation of the Empire of the Islands.
It continues with a guide to the creation of the Protagonists, the characters; they may be devious criminals and rebels or intrepid explorers and supporters of the crown.
After that various enemies and plot hooks are presented to inspire storytellers; these ideas are related to various geographical regions, such as the cold Tyvia or the sunny Karnaca.
The next chapter delves into the discourse linked to the Void and the powers that, by exploiting it, can bend reality.
The next content is a mini campaign in four acts: The Oil Trail; it is perfect for introducing newbies to the city of Dunwall.
Finally the manual ends with a quick and narrative version of the 2d20 System adapted for this work.
Keep to following us to receive Modiphius Entertainment updates on Dishonored RPG!
Some days ago we presented2D6 Adventures: a new way to play, a mysterious Kickstarter project. We couldn’t tame our curiosity so we decided to do an interview with the authorChris Robertson. Let’s read something more about his work.
What information can you give on the physical copy of the manuals? Will they be softcover or hardcover? Will they be in color or black and white?
The manuals we have created are softcover, with just plain text black and white interior.
How many pages will the manuals have, more or less? Will there be illustrations? Will you collaborate with a particular illustrator?
The manuals as we speak right now range from 40-70 pages. We have tried our best to cut out as much “fluff” as we could and deal just strictly with the mechanics of our system, which in themselves are fairly simple so there is no need to make them any larger than they have to be.
Currently there are no illustrations in any of the manuals, we are a three member team of just regular guys with regular jobs, who have an amazing passion for this game we have created, but we just don’t have the finances or artistic ability ourselves to add anything like that in at this time. I know sometimes illustrations can be a deal breaker for some, but I have always believed that Role playing is more about the story and imagination, than artwork.
How long have you been developing 2D6 Adventures? How much percentage of the manuals is already ready? What is still missing to complete the job?
We have been playing this system for over twenty years now. It wasn’t until two years ago, that I felt the need to create manuals, to keep the rules in place. We have a lot of players in my area and it has been a blessing for most to finally have the rules down in black and white.
The first four manuals are pretty much finished, just trying hard to polish them from the basic guide that they were at first into a more structured rule book. We are also adding new beasts and spells to the game manuals specifically for this release.
When did you invent the 2D6 system? What made you do it? What systems are you referring to when you describe 2D6 Adventures as “faster”?
The system itself was created over twenty years ago. It is a hybrid between the old Fighting Fantasy and Dungeons and Dragons ways of playing. I used to love how in Fighting Fantasy both combatants would roll the dice and the higher score does the damage, yet I always liked how Dungeons and Dragons had more stats. It felt like with the extra stats you were able to give your character more personality. As for how we are faster, it is just simply less dice rolling that allows for the combat to move along at a quicker pace.
On Kickstarter you said you want to present a new system, but you have not provided any further information. What can you tell us about basic mechanics?
Like I’ve said previously what we have come up with is a hybrid of FF and D&D.Each character is given twelve stats with which to play. They are Combat skill, Ranged skill, Magic skill, Life skill, Dexterity, Strength, Charisma, Luck, Health, Magic aura, Intelligence, and Awareness. You roll two dice for each one except Health and Magic aura, for those you roll two dice twice, and those are your starting values. Scores obviously will range from two to twelve, which then change slightly based on the race you choose. More on that later.So obviously someone with an Intelligence of two is not going to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, as someone with a Dexterity of two won’t be able to run, climb, or jump very well.
So just to give an example, if a player tries to jump over a pit. They have a Dexterity of 8. They have to do a Dexterity check, which is simply roll two dice, if the number is equal to or lower than their score of 8, they succeed. If it is above, they do not, and they will then perform a Luck check following the same method. If they pass, they are lucky and maybe grab on to the ledge as they fall, if they are not, they simply fall into the pit.When searching a room, players are asked to test their Awareness, if they pass or fail that check dictates what they find. If they fail, they will miss out on treasure, secret doors, and such.
Any of the spell casting classes use Intelligence checks to learn their spells. If they want to learn Lightning rope, a level 1 spell, they will test their Intelligence if they pass, they learn it, if they fail they do not.The only ways for any spell casters to learn them in the game, is by seeking out others of their class and learning from them or perhaps finding scrolls or spell books dedicated to their class.
One of the things we do differently, is that a spell caster can learn any level of spell, regardless of what character level they are, there are just penalties while trying to learn it. If you have a level 1 Wizard, with an Intelligence of 10, and they want to learn one of the level 6 spells, it goes like this. The spell is 5 levels above where they are so they must subtract 5 from their Intelligence before performing the check, so for this check their Intelligence will now be at 5, which is what they will need to roll, or lower, in order to learn the spell.
Ranged skill is another exception from the basic rules. If you have a Ranged skill of 9, and you want to shoot an arrow at someone, you roll two dice. You simply subtract the difference to see how much damage you do with your shot. If you roll a 4, you have done 5 damage, if you roll a 6, 3 damage. If you roll above your score of 9, you miss. Rolling exactly your number is considered a critical hit and means that you killed your enemy.
Combat skill is your hand to hand. It works like this, let’s say you have a Combat skill of 8, and your enemy has a Combat skill of 6. You roll two dice and add it to your Combat skill, we’ll say you rolled 9, so now your total is 17. They roll two dice and add it to theirs, lets say it was 7, so their total is 13. You had the higher score, so you subtract the two, the result being 4, and that is how much damage your character did to the enemy. Conversely, if the enemies total was higher, then you subtract and the character takes the damage. If both results end up the same, it is considered a parry.
That’s the basics of our system, obviously there is a little more to it, but as you can see, it is easy to learn for even a novice player.
Is it expected that a character can have more than one class, simultaneously or subsequently?
Character classes vary widely in 2D6 Adventures, ranging from common classes such as Wizard and Thief to some that are created specifically for 2D6. The classes are based around your stat rolls. All classes have a prerequisite score you need to hit to qualify for the class. It goes like this:
Combat skill of 10 opens the Barbarian, Berserker, and Warden classes. Ranged skill of 10 opens the Defender, and Shadow archer classes. Life skill of 10 opens the Adventurer and Dungeoneer classes. Magic skill of 10 opens the Animage, Arcane archer, Dark magus, Geomancer, Holy Knight, Priest, Time mage, Wild Mage, and Wizard classes. Intelligence of 10 opens the Appraiser/Auctioneer, Chemist, and Trapster classes. Charisma of 10 opens the Acolyte, Beastmaster, Monk, Motivator, and Pirate classes. Dexterity of 10 opens the Assassin, Athlete, and Thief classes. Awareness of 10 opens the Enchanter, Guardian, Hunter/Tracker, and Wildling classes. Strength of 10 opens the Blacksmith, Giant killer, and Warrior classes.
Each class has its own unique abilities. As well, each Magic class has it’s own complete set of spells as they are not able to learn from other schools of magic, only their own. If none of these scores are above 10 when you first roll your character, then you start the game as a commoner. Every level you gain, you get to add one point to a stat of your choosing, building either towards a class you want, or just making yourself more powerful.
It is up to the Game Manager whether they will allow multi-classing or not. I personally don’t allow it in my games because they always turn out the same. The player almost always picks one fighting class and one magic class so they have the best of both worlds in one character. I have found that our best games have had the most unusual and unlikely combinations, because the variance creates an amazing dynamic.
You talked about classes but not about races. What races will be available? How much will race impact on character customization?
As for races, there are currently eleven races to chose from in 2D6 Adventures. Each race alters stats in its own way. Each race having positive and negative changes. If you play as a Human, then your stats stay as you rolled them. The races are: Catperson, Darkling, Dragonborn, Dwarf, Elf, Half Elf, Half Fae, Half Giant, Half Orc, Halfling, and Human. Race impacts your character in a big way. If you had your heart set on becoming a certain class, there is probably a race that can bring your score up enough to qualify for it. Unless you have rolled very low initial score.
You never talked about the setting. Is it a system without setting or will one be provided, even if only hinted at?
We do have an island/continent as a setting. The land of Asclin has been ravaged by wars for the last century, and is constantly being used as a battleground by neighboring lands. It has seen uprising after uprising, yet no Empire has managed to grab a permanent foothold on the land. Nature and wilderness prevail here, allowing Bandits, and nightmarish creatures roam free, day and night. However, many treasures and amazing finds are available for adventurers who are brave enough to attempt to journey and search for them. The few towns that remain, do what they can to survive. Of course a custom setting can be created by anyone.
Will there be an introductory adventure in the Game Managers Guide?
The first campaign is a series of five adventures taking place over a good chunk of the land. The first of which is included in the Game Managers Guide.
Speaking of design and not of popularity or sales, a role-playing game that you wish you had invented? Your favorite RPGs?
If I had to pick something I wish I had invented it would have to be the two that I drew the inspiration from. Fighting Fantasy game books, and the king of them all, Dungeons and Dragons.
One of the manuals that you are going to publish in this Kickstarter is entitled “Spells Enchantments Potions”. What difference will there be between spells and enchantments?
In 2D6 Adventures we differentiate spells from enchantments, simply: Spells are something that one of the many magic user classes can cast at any time, Enchantments are embedded into items. For example, Turge’s Double War Axe of Wind: Enchanted with the power of wind, on a successful hit in combat the player will roll 1 dice. If the result is a 1, the enchantment activates and a blast of wind comes from the weapon doing an additional 2 die damage while pushing the enemy back. There are offensive and defensive enchantments to be found.
Are other other manuals planned for 2D6 Adventures?
Right now the first four are finished (minor tweaks still being done). We are also working on Gods and Demons, The Book of Amazing Things, Spells Enchantments Potions II and the Beastiarum Vocabulum II. We are also moving forward with putting our full campaigns together.
Moreover the author added some other interesting words:
We have a lot of things in the works for 2D6 Adventures and we are pushing forward with all of it regardless of what happens with the Kickstarter. We’d love to get the funding we are asking for, so that we could share our system with the world. We believe in it wholeheartedly and would love for others to experience playing it.
Chris Robertson
These statements should make clear the basis of the project: the passion. Maybe Chris doesn’t have a great publishing experience or a high budget, but his work is moved by the desire to share something with the world. And this is always a good starting point.
Keep following us to stay informed about 2D6 Adventures: a new way to play!
A few weeks ago, Mana Project Studioannounced Norse Grimoire, a manual for D&D5e completely dedicated to Norse ritual magic. Until now very little was known about it, but we managed to snatch an exclusive interview with Marco, one of the authors, in order to reveal some juicy anticipation. Many still obscure aspects of this highly anticipated manual will be revealed below, but it is not over here. At the bottom of the article you will also find a surprise…
In the drafting have you also referred to the original texts or only to the (very valid) analysis of Mila Fois?
The challenge is to provide as many sources as possible, keeping two very important factors in mind. The first is that it is an oral tradition that has rarely left direct documentation behind it; it has been reported more often by other peoples and widely fictionalized by them. The second factor is that a level of fantasy interpretation of Norse culture is added to Mila’s historical documentation. Not dissimilar to what was done in Journey to Ragnarok.
Will it be proposed through the Kickstarter formula?
The initial idea was a Kickstarter, although at the moment we are also evaluating the opportunity to publish it with our own forces, an idea that has difficulties but that would perhaps allow an early exit of the book.
Norse Grimoire has been developed for D&D5e. How much is related to the system? How easy is it to take a cue from the content to properly export it to other games?
There is so much history of Norse magic and so much lore inside it that it will certainly be possible to export it to other games. We are in any case working very hard on bringing all the runes and symbols of power into play while respecting the intent of the DnD gameplay.
If I understand correctly, it will fully replace the magic of the Player’s Handbook, right? So does this mean that, using Norse Grimoire, the new spells will totally replace the original ones? And in this case how will the player have to adjust the class features that depend on the spells?
In reality, the use of sacred tattoos, the technique of reading the runes or the art of engraving the equipment will not affect the original magic of the system. These are mainly magical traditions that increase the player’s opportunities to customize their character. This manual has the intent, together with Journey to Ragnarok, to complete a fantasy setting with a Nordic taste that respects that type of tradition but does not want to replace the basics of the game, such as classes and features.
Will the very personal material components you spoke of be necessary for all spells or only for a few? Will they be so bulky and/or rare that they have to be handled with care when traveling? Can they be used multiple times without consuming them or will they be single use?
There is a very interesting point about the components. To use the power of certain symbols/spells, such as the Icelandic Galdrastafir, there is often a need for specific components or sometimes a list of materials to combine together. The ritual must be officiated by the character at the best of his ability; depending on the rarity of certain elements or the duration of the ritual, he will obtain a more or less powerful effect. Often, at the end of these rituals, one ends up creating amulets or real magic objects. It is a crafting work that distinguishes Nordic magic very much. Create an object to fix the magical intent in reality.
How does this manual correlate with Journey to Ragnarok and how compatible are they? Will it be possible to use Norse Grimoire also with the new JtR mechanics, such as the Master of Runes class and the daily Futhark die?
Norse Grimoire was conceived and developed to be fully compatible with Journey to Ragnarok, its rules and adventures.
The seid, given the scarcity of historical material that has come down to us, will be completely absent among the proposed mechanics?
We suffered a lot for the seid. I admit it. It’s one of the most fascinating things of the Nordic magical tradition. But attaching this witchcraft practice of shamanic origin to this manual would have led to creating a whole world of spirits and presences to relate to. For the way this book was created, introducing what we suppose shamans could do would have been very difficult; the reason is that we couldn’t explain how these shamans did it. Difficult and perhaps a bit far from our initial purpose, which wants to bring something historically accurate in a game world that we make real.
In conclusion, will the novelties brought by Norse Grimoire also be applied to all pre-existing monsters in D&D5e with magical abilities (whether they are innate or a normal spell casting)? Will the same happen to all magical objects, their abilities and their method of creation?
I believe that this is one of the aspects that only the narrator can evaluate. Although it is very difficult that monsters and creatures far from the gods or from the Norse tradition can “activate” powers that draw their foundation precisely in the relationship between man and the divine.
Moreover we’re happy to share with you some exclusive images. These wonderful illustrations are a juicy leak of what we’ll find in this manual:
Keep following us to stay informed about all the news regarding Norse Grimoire for D&D5e!
In D&D5e, as in many other systems, one of the most valued aspects is the creation of the character and, to take into account its development, an adequate character sheet is required. The first version is, as always, the official version released by Wizards of the Coast in the basic manual. Later the more artistic players (and the developers of some settings) create a large number of alternatives, sometimes very remarkable.
This article was created with the intent to collect those that we believe are most valuable and offer them to help you in your sessions. By clicking on the name of each of them you will have access to the free download.
Official character sheet: little else to add, this is the original and fillable version, published by Wizards of the Coast
Character sheet against dyslexia: on Reddit Inuyasharuls and Axelle123 have created a character sheet aimed at facilitating use for those with dyslexia. This is a disease that makes reading more difficult, giving the impression that words are moving. The choice of colors and fonts help against these problems.
Character sheet for the little ones: the passion for RPGs can be born very soon, but the right means are needed. A too intricate character sheet could discourage younger players, so this could be a more appropriate choice in those cases.
Character sheet for Vikings: this character sheet was created for the Norse setting Journey to Ragnarok; for this reason it presents some changes in the contents compared to the standard one. Despite this, it can also be used in other campaigns.
Keep following us because we will periodically update this list by inserting each new interesting character sheet for D&D5e!
Yesterday, Thursday 16 January 2020, it will unfortunately be remembered as the day of Christopher Tolkien’s death. Although this has no direct connection with the world of role-playing games, in our opinion a tribute was a duty. His work, in support of that of his father, has allowed many people to develop a passion for classic fantasy. A passion so strong that could push someone to try to live similar adventures in first person, perhaps thanks to the RPGs.
The journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it… White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings – The Reuturn of the King)
A long and successful life
Christopher John Reuel Tolkien was born in Leeds on 21 November 1924, together with two other brothers and a sister (Priscilla, the only one of the four still alive). Their parents were Edith Bratt and the famous J. R. R. Tolkien, mainly remembered for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. During his lifetime he joined the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and then became an English language teacher. Later he mainly dealt with the management of his father’s immense literary heritage. This until 16 January 2020, when he died at the age of 95 at the Dracénie hospital in Draguignan.
A contribution to the pillars of modern fantasy
The most fascinating aspect of his life is certainly the literary one. Until the day of his death, Christopher Tolkien contributed to his father’s wonderful work. Even during the young age he assisted and advised him in the drafting of the works. Since the death of his father in 1973 he has also dealt with the management of copyright and the revision of many writings. They sometimes had inconsistencies and unclear or missing parts; and who better than he could know how to fix it? Thanks to his work, a great number of texts are available for us. Among them we can mention: The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-earth, The Children of Húrin, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún and more.
Now the most thorny and confusing question: copyright. With the death of Christopher Tolkien there is nothing certain about what will happen to the ownership of the literary empire founded by his father. As long as he was alive, Christopher helped to complete and spread them, but now the situation will have to change necessarily. The hope is that his sister Priscilla takes care of it in a similar way, without giving birth to shameful family wars for mere economic issues.
A rolistic tribute to Christopher Tolkien’s death
We would like to recommend some role-playing games that pay homage to this great man and to Middle-earth. It won’t be much, but dedicating a session (or even a campaign) to him could be an ideal method to thank him for his precious work. The most famous options that we suggest are: Adventures in Middle-earth, The One Ring (TOR) and Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP).
Keep following us to stay informed of the repercussions of Christopher Tolkien’s death!
Role-playing games have proven to have gained increasing importance within society. If they usually do so by offering us leisure and adventures in our free time, today Chaosium has confirmed that can also take advantage of this wave of popularity to do good deeds for Australia.
The terrible situation in Australia
But let’s take a step back, probably everyone already knows the terrible situation of Australia: a magnificent land, full of unique natural beauties, which in the last period has unfortunately been devastated by huge and irrepressible fires. The causes are probably related to climate change, but the fact is that vast areas of vegetation are disappearing and over half a billion animals are victims of this catastrophe.
The true heroes of the situation are the firefighters and the volunteers who are struggling with all their might to try and save the salvable, as far as possible. And a note of merit should also be made for all fundraisers and donations aimed at making this intervention more effective.
A great little hand from the world of RPGs
In this scenario Chaosium, a well-known company in the sector, has decided to make its RuneQuest Glorantha Bestiary manual “pay-what-you-want” (usually the price would be $19.99). The proceeds will go towards trying to save Australia’s beloved animals.
RuneQuest Glorantha Bestiary cover
If you are interested in contributing (and obtaining the manual at a tailor-made price), you can purchase the manual by donating whatever you deem appropriate on the DriveThroughRPG page. In this case, we advise you to hurry up: the initiative will last only one week.
The product is an interesting RuneQuest bestiary containing more than 200 creatures from the Glorantha region and neighboring territories.
Finally, if you would like to donate to another specific association for the crisis in Australia, you can find the links proposed by Chaosium on the bottom of the previously linked product page.
Continue to follow us to stay informed about the support of RPGs for the situation in Australia!
Two Little Mice recently announced their next manual: Inferno (an italian setting for D&D5e produced in collaboration with Mana Project Studio). Until now we just knew some details about it, but thanks to an exclusive interview we managed to discover something more. Here’s what they revealed to us!
Is it the first time you work with the guys from Mana? And how do you think this will change the way you work? Or what will they add to your team?
Yes, it is the first time that we collaborate with Mana Project. We are excited to work side by side with a group that has repeatedly demonstrated its knowledge of both crowdfounding mechanisms and the fifth edition of the most famous roleplaying-game in the world. We have a very similar approach to work and we all believe very much in this project, we just have to give the best of us together.
What are the percentages of the manual that you intend to dedicate respectively to the setting, the rules, the characters and an eventual adventure?
The setting will have a lot of space in the manual and we can already anticipate that there will be a very substancial adventure. For the rest I can’t say anything else yet.
The characters will be the Lost, living people who find themselves in Hell. Will the bewilderment also be internal? Will a mechanic actively contemplate it? For example, will the only race be the Lost Human?
Inferno players will all play as the Lost. The dynamics of inner loss will be present in the game and, as in the case of Dante, will play a central role in determining why the characters are in Hell and what they will have to do. I can’t go into specifics yet, but previews will come soon.
You have declared that you intend to “bring Dante’s journey through Hell back to life in an extremely and incredibly faithful way”. Dante’s Inferno is a masterpiece of world literature, therefore a quality adaptation for roleplaying will require a profound knowledge of the work. Someone on the team is a particular expert on the subject with titles in this regard? Do you intend to contact any scholar or else? Or if it were “just” passion, what is your secret?
Two Little Mice was born from the meeting of two people who are first and foremost artists. We have both dealt with Dante’s work several times in our personal, scholastic and, precisely, artistic paths. We can’t boast specific titles on the subject, but we are eager to carry Dante’s words with passion and faithfulness into this new incarnation.
How did you come up with this project? What aspects frighten you most?
Like many of our other projects, we started from the desire to take our italian roots and make the most of them, fighting the esterophilia that has always characterized our debates. To do this, we want to translate one of the most italian works, unanimously considered a pillar of human history, in a playable setting of a world-famous roleplaying game. Certainly, in addition to the original material, we will inevitably have to deal with numerous transpositions of Dante’s work, many of which are interesting and successful. Aware that whatever choice we make in the various phases of this project will meet the favors of some and the skepticism of others, we will only try to do the best we can and we know by focusing on the affection we feel for the Divine Comedy.
From what I understood, you are going to go through crowdfunding. What are the reasons behind this choice? How are you going to manage the stretch goals? Will you focus more on adventures, on expanding the setting, on graphics or on physical material such as DM screens, dice, cards and other similar add-ons?
The crowdfounding will allow us both to create a setting that, hopefully, will have nothing to envy to other products that have far-reaching international productions behind them, and to spread the product globally. If we had opted for a more classic production method we would certainly have had to make many more sacrifices. Once again on stretch goals I can’t say anything else.
A characteristic of the Comedy was the presence in Hell of famous personalities, contemporary or antecedent to Dante, whom the Poet judged and included in the various circles. Will you also do the same thing? Will you make the ranks of sinners contemporary by adding new ones between the thirteenth and twenty-first centuries? Or will your Hell be populated only by canonical and mythological characters? And to which historical era will the Lost belong before entering Hell?
The peculiarity of Inferno is that it takes place after the journey that Dante describes in the Divine Comedy. Then the characters will find signs of the passage of the writer between the various circles. All the “classic” characters will be present where and how Dante placed them (I refer to the various Ulysses, Achilles, Chiron, etc…), accompanied by some others who are not mentioned in the original work, but which we will talk about later.
You talk about reviving Dante’s journey. Will the product therefore be focused on travel, exploration and journey tales or will there be elements for any kind of interaction with the environment and its inhabitants? Will the trip proposed in the manual (if any) be classified as a sandbox, free adventure or story-driven one?
We can state that the Hell proposed in the manual is not a fantasy-like kingdom with villages populated by demons that have their everyday lives. Dante’s hell is a much more supernatural setting, whose sole purpose is to trap and punish the damned, and as such it will follow its particular rules. The proposed journey will obviously be a trip that aims to cross hell, as the poet did, to reach the exit beyond Lucifer.
Most of the most famous fantasy role-playing settings have one or more pantheons and the game system you have chosen has, by birth, a polytheistic model with powerful but not omnipotent divinities. The setting of the Divine Comedy, on the other hand, presents an omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God and a Hell with very clear boundaries and with a very rigid hierarchy and structure. How do you plan to maintain the rolistic structure of characters and adventures in an environment with characteristics in some ways so opposed to the classic canons of the game? Can clerics and religious characters refer only to this one God?
In the game there will be a single divinity responsible for hell and for the laws that send souls to be tormented in this or that circle. The Lost will have peculiar archetypes that will help them interface with this divinity. The concept of alignment normally presented by other settings will have little sense of existing in this particular place.
We imagine that you have all read the original Dante’s Inferno. What are your favorite circle and character? Or do you have a strong passion for some usually forgotten aspect of the original work?
Simone opts for Barbariccia and the Malebolgie, while Rico prefers the Circle of Poets and Limbo.
Keep following us to stay informed about all the news regarding Inferno!
During the Adventurers Con Milano 2019 held last weekend, the italian team Mana Project Studio revealed important news for the upcoming new year. In 2020, in fact, the boys behind Journey to Ragnarok and Historia will move mainly in two directions.
The former concerns the creation of new own projects and, in particular, of a very fascinating work: Norse Grimoire. This manual for D&D 5e was presented as a compendium that will deeply change the way of treating magic.
The second path taken by the team is supporting projects made by other authors and here the announcement was really incredible: Inferno. This setting for D&D 5e will bring players into Dante’s infernal circles, pictured as faithfully as possible.
If you were interested in the complete announcement video, you can check it out here:
A few days have passed since the announcement of Inferno and Mana Project Studio and Two Little Mice have already released some interesting news about it.
First of all they confirmed that the manual will be a setting for D&D 5e. It will be proposed through the winning formula of the Kickstarter, as already happened for Journey to Ragnarok and Historia. This will allow the buyer to get extra benefits if he decides to finance the project. And I, personally, will not hesitate to do so, according to the quality of the previous works and the premises for this one.
Where and when will we travel?
First of all, the approach used by the authors should be pointed out: this is not an “American-style” vision of the work of the Supreme Poet, as already happened in various videogames, but a reinterpretation as faithful as possible to the original. Hell will not be some strange futuristic structure, but a simple hole in the earth, able to contain the souls of the damned. The original work has been read, understood and re-proposed. The events take place after the passage of Dante, so after the events of the Divine Comedy. This means that his passage has in some way altered the situation of the circles he crossed. Moreover, not all the same characters will be found: those that are uniquely and personally linked to the figure of the florentine poet are to be excluded. They will therefore belong to christian mythology, but also to the classical one. It is not yet very clear whether they will be figures related to a precise historical period or not.
Who will we meet?
However, a very important distinction must be made: the figures encountered during our journey will be Shadows, what remains of the souls of the damned. They are already dead and therefore can be destroyed, but they will return cyclically. However, it is not yet clear how this mechanism fits into the setting. Unlike Dante’s journey, we will not be protected by Divine Providence and we will not have guides, so we will have to face alone these threats.
Who will we be?
On the contrary, the characters we will interpret and who will descend into Inferno are living people who have “lost” themselves in life and come to this place for the most diverse reasons. Our alter ego will therefore belong to an original race, the Lost Ones. What distinguishes these creatures is the obligatory passage through Hell, seen not as a goal but as the only way to reach something higher, like Paradise. Mechanically at the moment we know little, if not the value of the archetypes. They represent the corruption (perhaps the dominant sin) that will represent our Lost One. Only a conceptual example of them has arrived:
Tyrant: archetype of the Warrior, a Lost One who is dominated by immoderate lust for power.
It should also be remembered that copyright has (obviously) been free for some centuries now. This therefore translates into the possibility of using the original names of the places and characters encountered without any problem. Theoretically, therefore, there would also be the conditions for developing similar works that depict Purgatory and Paradise, but we must first see if this is part of the authors’ programs.
Stay tuned in order to being informed about the development of Inferno!
Apparently 2020 will be a very prolific year for Mana Project Studio, also for its own productions. After the great success and the multiple awards of Journey to Ragnarok, the italian team decided to stay on the same subject and produce the Norse Grimoire.
What are the conceptual foundations of Norse Grimoire?
This work will be a compendium for D&D 5e that will completelyfocus on magic. What is revealed by the creators suggests that it is not an expansion of the basic manual and its spells, but rather a completely new way of understanding them. This choice is linked to the creative process behind Norse Grimoire: it is not a fantasy reinterpretation of the viking (and icelandic) magic, but a real historical study of them. This was possible by consulting the sources that have come down to us, thanks also to the work of universally recognized authors, such as Mila Fois. This tome will therefore not only be a compendium for the most famous of role-playing game, but can practically be considered a real historical treatise. Mana Project Studio has in no way linked its publication to Journey to Ragnarok, but my personal impression is that it would give an extra improvement to that already excellent setting.
But what exactly could be found inside the Norse Grimoire?
Not much is known about the specific content, but some anticipation has been leaked:
Runes: the Norse runic alphabet, the Futhark, will be present, both in its ancient and more recent version. They represent the direct connection with the divine.
Galdrastafir: combinations of seals that create formulas, or the real spells. They represent magic on a human level: the single person manages to create mystical effects thanks to his study. These symbols often requires very specific and personal materials.
Engravings: spells can be “fixed” on objects or people, and in this last case we talk about tattoos. They will be very similar to rituals and will highlight the value of blood. The culmination of their power will be close to their creation (for this it will be both useful and evocative to do them during important events) and from time to time they will have to be revived to reawaken their power.
Sejd: this is the most obscure kind of magic and, therefore, least treated in this work. Rather than inventing parts, the authors preferred to reproduce only what has come down to us.
In order to understanding that, the creators have made a practical exemple:
Spectral Steed: an enchanter needs the skull of a horse, on which he must engrave the seals of the Galdrastafir. To complete the formula he must also combine the blood of a foal with his own blood and, with them, wet the skull. The spell correctly completed will give rise to the spirit of a horse that will listen to the will of the caster.
Given the highly historical and realistic nature of the work, there will be no other content such as archetypes, races or other similar personalizations.
Stay tuned in order to be informed about the development of Norse Grimoire!
At first the viking age, then the renaissance and now… The Divine Comedy!
A few hours ago, Mana Project (creators of the award-winning Journey to Ragnarok and promising Historia) and Two Little Mice (authors of the role-playing game of the year Household) announced Inferno – Dante’s Guide to Hell for 5e.
As you can easily guess from the title, this work will be a setting for D&D 5e in which the player can live Dante’s fantastic vision of hell. At the moment no further details have been revealed, not even the precise content of the product. If the format is similar to the one proposed for the other works of Mana Project, it could be a manual with new customizations and new mechanics (classes, archetypes,…) related to this world, accompanied by a themed campaign. The type of project remains to be defined: if it will be available on the Kickstarter platform, we can imagine that there will be many succulent extra contents to be claimed with considerable saving. In this case the work would probably deserve great confidence: the two teams that will deal with it have shown great seriousness and passion. But I repeat: these are only assumptions.
The only clue we have about this work is a date, or rather a year: 2020. Now we just have to wait for more news through official channels, like the project’s Facebook page.
Stay tuned to keep on being informed about INFERNO – DANTE’S GUIDE TO HELL FOR 5E!
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