Check Out The Cover of Swords of the Serpentine From Pelgrane

Swords of the Serpentine is an upcoming GUMSHOE-powered fantasy game by Kevin Kulp and Emily Dresner. Publisher Pelgrane Press has just shared the cover!

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"Swords of the Serpentine is a sword & sorcery game of investigation, heroism, sly politics and bloody savagery, set in a fantasy city rife with skullduggery and death. The rules adapt the GUMSHOE investigative roleplaying system to create a fantasy RPG with a focus on high-action roleplaying and investigation inspired by the stories of Fritz Leiber, Terry Pratchett, Robert E. Howard, and others.

Your characters will discover leads that, if followed, propel them headlong into danger and forbidden knowledge. A lead might point the way to sunken treasure, jungle ruins, the missing key to a sorcerous trap, or the true identity of a notorious murderer. The GUMSHOE game mechanics ensure that you’ll always notice leads if you look for them. It’s up to you to choose which one you’ll follow into whatever perils lie ahead, in hopes of fortune, glory, justice, or just staying alive another day.

If you want to track down foul sorcerers in a corrupt and decadent city, clamber through underground ruins to sneak into an enemy’s home and rob them, or wage a secret war against a rival political faction, you’re in the right place."

I'm not sure when the release date is, but the product page says "forthcoming".

 

[Umbran]

I believe the release date has not been set, and I think there may be a playtest version available in the not-too-distant future.

I have had a chance to play and run the game a little bit while Mr. Kulp has been working on it, and it is excellent!

 

[unnatural 20]

I'm excited! It will be my first foray in the Gumshoe system, as well.

 

[Henry]

Kev ran a fantasy GUMSHOE game at a previous NC Gameday (This year's, I think?) so I shouldn't be surprised. Given TimeWatch's quality, this should be a lot of fun.

As for suitability, I've stolen GUMSHOE's core "proficiency gating" mechanic many times for other games, pathfinder and 5e included, to avoid the whole "well, you failed to find the incriminating stationary wedged behind the dresser, so adventure's over" thing.

 

[Morrus]

I’ve played a session of Timewatch at a convention. I’m assuming this is a fantasy version of that? Same core ruleset?

 

[Seule]

I've also played Timewatch at a convention and given that and the general solidity of the Gumshoe rules I expect this to be similarly fantastic.

 

[trancejeremy]

People climbing without gloves always bothers me, though not as much as people using ropes (especially sliding down them) without gloves.

Also, very strange right hand. Looks like her thumb is on the right side of it

 

[Wrathamon]

the amount of photobashing in art these days is appalling

 

[Morrus]

the amount of photobashing in art these days is appalling

What's appalling is the number of people dropping little nastygrams about the work of creators.

 

[Umbran]

I’ve played a session of Timewatch at a convention. I’m assuming this is a fantasy version of that? Same core ruleset?

It is based on the same core ruleset. But Timewatch (like most Gumeshoe games) is at its heart an investigative game. Swords of the Serpentine has given it a lean towards the cinematic action adventure you'd expect from Conan or Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. In most Gumshoe games, you spend points of investigative skill pools to find things out. In SotS, you do more spending points to *do* things.