Welcome back to our weekly look at tabletop roleplaying game, and accessories, crowdfunding roundup! This week we take to the stars with a Traveller box set and a big book of sci-fi maps, fight the end of the world, see a Megadungeon get a 5th Edition upgrade, and a lot more! If you have anything you’d like us to cover, or questions about anything we talk about, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact me directly.
Rappan Athuk: Reborn for Fifth Edition! Go down the Well by Frog God Games
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 31st March 2018; 01:48 UTC)
The Rappan Athuk Megadungeon is now back for the Fifth Edition but it’s megacharged with a host of improvements and extras. Rappan Athuk, The Dungeon of Graves returns in this 500+ page full-color hardcover (or softcover or PDF depending on your pledge level) with all new artwork, three new levels of the Dungeon itself, three new Wilderness locations (including a three-level castle), a new three level satellite dungeon, a sea-cave of terrible shark-men, updated maps, scores pf new NPCs and Monsters, dozens of Magic Items and Spells, and the legendary Dung Monster!
“Characters will test their mettle against puzzles, tricks, and traps a-plenty; test their grit and steel against monsters and foes lurking around every corner; and at the end of it all awaits the Big Daddy himself, Orcus. These are truly adventures worth winning.”
Weighing in at over 500 pages, Rappan Athuk for Fifth Edition is an instant classic in the Mega-Dungeon genre, featuring 100+ keyed and color mapped areas with over 56 dungeon levels, several satellite dungeons (almost 20 additional levels!), the village of Zelkor's Ferry, 22 wilderness areas (ways to die before you ever reach the dungeon) and seemingly countless groups of bandits and monsters that prey on those fortunate enough to escape the halls and caves of Rappan Athuk with treasure in hand!
With decades of playtesting and use in campaigns across the globe, the Dungeon of Graves can be a foundation of any campaign or eviscerated into pieces and blended into any campaign!
Once upon a time, there was an idea—an idea formulated by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974 and published in a little paperback book called Underworld Adventures. The idea was simple: it is a lot of fun to go into a dungeon and kill evil monsters. Why is the dungeon there? No one knows. Why do the monsters usually fight rather than talk? We aren’t really sure. Why are there 16 trolls in a cave with a jug of alchemy? No one cares. What do all the monsters eat? We don’t know that either (although “adventurer” probably tops the list). And we don’t have to know these things. This isn’t an ecology experiment, it’s a dungeon—the quintessential setting for pure swords and sorcery adventuring.
This adventure pays homage to that original idea. True, there are opportunities for role playing, but most of this module is dedicated to “roll playing.” Hopefully, while exploring the halls of Rappan Athuk, you will recall the thrill of discovery, the terror in your heart when you fought your first skeleton, the joy of rolling your first natural 20, and the despair you felt when that 1 came up for your poison save. This module, Rappan Athuk—The Dungeon of Graves, is nothing more and nothing less than a good, old–fashioned, First Edition dungeon crawl updated for the 5th Edition Roleplaying Game. Very difficult, it should strike fear into the hearts of the most stalwart adventurers. It offers an abundance of traps, tricks, and monsters. We hope that you find this module as fun and exciting as those thousands of players who have ventured into (and not as often out of) the endless caverns and mazes of Rappan Athuk—The Dungeon of Graves. Rappan Athuk is a difficult dungeon. Even the upper dungeon levels should not be attempted by a party of less than six mid-level characters.
Only truly veteran players should attempt this dungeon with lower level characters. In light of this, we added the satellite dungeons, including Bill's very first work (from 1977), Tunnels of Terror! This 9-area dungeon was used as the introduction to his campaign and led his players to Rappan Athuk through play.
Traveller RPG: Element Class Cruisers Box Set by Matthew Sprange
(Campaign Ends : Sunday 18th March 2018; 08:59 UTC)
Mongoose Publishing’s new Kickstarter is worth a look if you’re a sci-fi fan, let alone if you are actually a Traveller fan. The Element Class Cruisers Box Set is a detailed look at one of the mainstays of the Imperial Navy and details the three main classes of cruisers within the Element cruiser family, together with 10 massive double-sided blueprints that detail every deck of the featured ships.
As well as the ten 28” x 40” maps the set will also come with a full-color 64-page book covering each of the three main crusiers along with full High Guard game rules and optional ship equipment.
The accompanying book sets the scene for cruisers and how they are used in Charted Space in general and the Imperial Navy in particular, then follows the design process of the Element family, from initial navy specification to maiden voyage.
The Element cruisers have a highly flexible 'pod' system that allows them to be configured for specific mission roles, and we have covered them in this book - from the 'standard' missile pod fit most commonly used on these ships, to long-ranged strike craft, light carriers, troop transports, and orbital assault ships, all are possible with the Element cruisers and have been included.
A second 64-page book has been unlocked through a stretch goal and added to the set. This book supplies the referee with everything they need to know to create and run a navy bridge campaign, with the players in command of an Element cruiser, or any other capital ship, as they “explore the galaxy and become the frontline of defence for the Third Imperium.”
The Demonplague – A 5E Campaign With Sandbox & Hexcrawl by Johnn Four
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 17th March 2018; 22:00 UTC)
Every millennium, a terrible evil trapped in the heart of the Luna Valley awakens to wipe civilization out — and the last awakening happened 1,000 years ago….
This time, if the heroes don't stop the evil, more than just the Luna Valley will die.
Welcome to The Demonplague, a rocking campaign that will take your players on a wild adventure rife with intrigue, secrets, and grim sword and sorcery action.
With equal parts classic adventure, sandbox, hexcrawl, and old-fashioned dungeon crawl, The Demonplague lets you GM with little prep time while at the same time offers your players total freedom and choice.
The Demonplague adventure comes in four parts and, combined, will form a full-length 5th Edition campaign taking characters from 1st to 20th level. Written to allow Luna Valley to be dropped into any fantasy campaign, the series also provides 21 new monsters, 27 NPC write-ups, over a dozen dungeon and adventure sites, and a fully-stocked village. A 12 hour video course on “ how the epic adventure was built, step-by-step, for GMs interested in building their own such adventures and for getting deeper design insights into how to GM this campaign.” is also included.
The Demonplague Part I: The Frozen Nightmare (Levels 1-5)
Hook players immediately when a natural disaster nearly destroys the Luna Valley. Icetongue, the thousand-year-old glacier, melts overnight. The deluge wipes out all but one community, Tomar's Crossing, which now faces food shortages, monsters dis
lodged from lairs, and deadly ancient secrets uncovered with the ice's passing.
Your players must help the people of Tomar's Crossing survive, battle their enemy through three dungeons — Fort Frostfell, Gardong Marhold, and finally, the Duladarin Star Elf Barrows — and confront Ralekai the necromancer in his underground laboratory.
The Demonplague Part II: The Winter Druids’ Legacy (Levels 5-10)
The actions of the PCs in the Frozen Necromancer shape the political climate of Tomar’s Crossing and the ever-stronger dangers crawling the Luna Valley for the second part of The Demonplague campaign.
In this sandbox adventure, the PCs delve into ancient ruins, temples to forgotten gods, dark tombs, and secret meeting places to find the words and components of a lost ritual that just might save the world...or end it.
The Demonplague Part III: Icefall (Levels 10-15)
In this hexcrawl adventure the PCs head out into the uncharted wilderness of the ruined valley.
They'll face undead demons, fiends from the Abyss, mutated wildlife, deranged druids, and starving giants.
If they’re lucky, the adventurers fight their way to the entrance of the prison meant to hold a mighty plague demon…and discover the walls are cracking.
The Demonplague Part IV: Xancrown’s Prison (Levels 15-20)
The grand finale draws the PCs into a magic prison that holds the plague demon Xancrown.
As the adventurers negotiate, deceive, and battle guardian factions within the prison, they struggle with the ultimate question:
Should they sacrifice the Luna Valley to ensure the world’s safety for another thousand years, or attempt to kill Xancrown and end his terror forever, which risks destroying their entire plane of existence if they fail?
Extinction Event Campaign Guide for Champions Complete by Mad Ferret LLC
(Campaign Ends : Tuesday 20th March 2018; 04:11 UTC)
Extinction Event is a table-top roleplaying campaign guide for Champions Complete that introduces the alternate Earth of 2045 — a world in the grip of shadowy conspiracies. Over millennia a strange and secret alien invasion has been shaping the destiny of humankind. From the demise of the Neanderthals to the rise and fall of great cities and cultures, the invaders have sown chaos and confusion.
Now, in 2045, their dark plans near fruition. Fractured, distracted, and deceived human societies are almost ripe for conquest. In these twilight years before the coming storm, a new breed of humans with psychic powers walks the earth. They are the soldiers of PALADIN, the acolytes of the Illuminati, and hunted outcasts of society. It’s the stories of their lives that power the adventure that is Extinction Event!
The Extinction Event campaign guide provides everything players and game masters (GMs) need to play exciting science fiction conspiracy adventures fraught with military, espionage, and underworld threats. You can become heroes with the special skills, specialized gear, and psychic powers needed to take on the New World Order!
Extinction Event makes that easy to experience with Champions Complete compatibility, guidelines that speed-up play, resources for reducing GM prep-time, and art/story elements that can be used with any roleplaying rules.
DCC RPG compatible adventure: Greenwood of the Fey Sovereign by C. Aaron Kreader
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 21st March 2018; 15:05 UTC)
This 20-page stand-alone low-level adventure for the DCC RPG is an adventure into the domain of the wild elves of an ancient woodland.
War is looming. The Earl of Nanch and his neighboring elven kingdom are sharpening the spears of aggression. Those on the border are split between two dangerous dynasts.
Pressed into duty for lord and country, the peasants and gong farmers of Nanch find themselves in a strange and unnerving forest full of denizens older than the practice of naming.
In this new world, the rules of life and death are a game of whimsy practiced by fantastic forces, and bizarre ancient feuds re-ignite in the chaos of war. Those errant attendants of Nanch will be fortunate to survive the madness of either ruler!
The adventure spans a series of strange and otherworldly encounters with the magical and surreal denizens of Greenwood—while under the incompetence, cowardice, and bullying of Pertrub (one of the King's footmen).
As the encounters continue, signs of the Earl's fate are everywhere. The players must pick up clues and begin to grasp the realities behind them!
The adventure features a number of visual puzzles with handouts to help the players solve them.
Players will need courage to face an assortment of unsuspected and cunning enemies, wits to survive the magical forces and clever snares, and a silver tongue to make quick friends out of foes.
The Big Book of Maps (Volume 2): Science Fiction by Justin Andrew Mason
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 21st March 2018; 17:14 UTC)
Hot from fulfilling the successful The Big Book of Maps Volume 1 Justin Andrew Mason is offering us Volume 2! Switching from Fantasy (Volume 1) to Science Fiction, this volume is a collection of over 166 full-color high-resolution (600dpi) maps available in PDF, print and also for Virtual Tabletops!
The maps are being created twice a week throughout the creation phase of the project (April 2018 to March 2019). “Most maps will be geared towards a futuristic setting, though a few will likely have potential of crossing genres. The focus of this collection will be various science fiction locales such as space stations, planetary outposts, asteroid mining colonies, futuristic cities, science labs, spaceship deck plans, alien locations, and interplanetary waypoints, but will also include offerings for subgenres such as cyberpunk, science fantasy, and neo-noir.”
Summerland Tabletop RPG Second Edition by Greg Saunders
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 24th March 2018; 10:56 UTC)
Summerland is an intriguing game, and one I published years ago whilst at Cubicle 7. Now author, Greg Saunders, has revamped the game with new full-color art, and a new system, for a second edition and is using Kickstarter to raise funds to produce it. “Summerland is a game about desolation and redemption in a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by a vast supernatural forest. The game was first published nearly ten years ago, and has since been translated in to French, Catalan and Spanish.”
In Summerland, players take on the roles of Drifters, characters who travel beneath the Sea of Leaves, the vast supernatural forest that has devastated the works of humanity. They are driven to constantly move on due to a past trauma that while protecting them from the Call, the siren-song of the forest, prohibits them from being accepted in to what's left of society. Instead they must confront their past, resolve their trauma and at last join the remainder of humanity. Like my last game Exilium, also funded via Kickstarter and delivered earlier than anticipated, this new version of Summerland uses mechanics specifically to model the process redemption, giving the game a clear 'end-game' linked to actual play.
The original version of the game came out around ten years ago, quickly followed by a revised and expanded edition. I'm now raising funds for a new full colour second edition of Sumerland, with new mechanics based on the Open D6 rules set as used in Exilium, so still rules light, but modified to fit the themes and goals of Summerland.
Far Away Land Tabletop Role-Playing Game by Simian Circle Games
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 28th March 2018; 13:00 UTC)
Far Away Land (FAL) is a “rules-lite fantasy science fiction weird gonzo lighthearted setting that incorporates simple mechanics, colourful artwork, and pop culture into a unique tabletop rpg with an old school feel.”
The Setting of the FAL Universe
FAL is quirky, lighthearted, and highly imaginative. The color artwork, although sometimes humorous, hides a dark and malevolent world. While there are some classic fantasy tropes, much of it is unique and specific to FAL. For example, Soracans are giant floating construct heads that shoot lazers and speak dubstep. Angry telepathic nuns riding grizzly bears battle interdimensional Abraham Lincoln clones. A race of symbiotic sideburn sporting, jumpsuit wearing humanoids soar into battle atop giant three-eyed birds. Wizards and necromancers seek power and knowledge. Heroes try not to die. Villains are evil. Far Away Land is a world twisted by an ancient war. The effects of that old war and the portals it opened continue to shape the world.
FAL Game Mechanics
FAL uses a simple d6 mechanic. Players roll a handful of dice and take the high roll. That roll is then compared to target numbers or opposed rolls to resolve conflicts. The core of the game is basic and optional rules allow the core mechanics to be expanded as GMs and players see fit. Character creation takes only a few minutes. Combat is brutal and death is always on the horizon.
There are five books in the campaign, all full-color, available as PDF, soft or hard cover. Over 800 pages of content that has already been written, edited, laid out, extensively playtested and fully illustrated. Each book is digest sized (5.5” x 8.5”).
The books are the Tome of Awesome, a 300 page core rulebook that contains all the rules you need to play and run Far Away Land. It includes the Core Rules (70 pages), Creatures Vol 1 (80 pages), Companion Rules (60 pages), and Tales of Awesome (90 pages) which is full of lore, history, peoples and conflicts of the Far Away Land.
Seas of Far Away Land is a 150+ page expansion that supplies players and GMs everything they need to run sea adventures.
Creatures Vol. 2 adds to the 70 creatures found in the main rulebook by giving you 100 new creatures in this 120+page book. It also includes chapters on animals, plants and random generators for customizing characters.
Creatures Vol. 3 brings an additional 100 creatures to the game in another 120+ page book. It also includes chapters on creating constructs, custom plant generators, and generators for creating random dungeons.
Adventure Awesome is a 130+ page collection of 14 Far Away Land adventures.
RPG inspired enamel pins
(Campaign Ends : Friday 30th March 2018; 17:01 UTC)
This weeks look at RPG Pins is a campaign courtesy of Rachel Quinlan who is producing a range of iconic monster pins, with each monster holding (or absorbing…) dice.
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If you like what we do here at EN World (the Forums, Columns, News, ENnies, etc) and would like to help support us to bring you MORE please consider supporting our Patreon. Even a single dollar helps Thanks!
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If you have a forthcoming Kickstarter, or see one that excites you, please feel free to drop me an email on angus.abranson@gmail.com You can follow me on Twitter @ Angus_A or on Facebook where I often post about gaming.
Until next week, have fun and happy gaming!
Angus Abranson
Rappan Athuk: Reborn for Fifth Edition! Go down the Well by Frog God Games
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 31st March 2018; 01:48 UTC)
The Rappan Athuk Megadungeon is now back for the Fifth Edition but it’s megacharged with a host of improvements and extras. Rappan Athuk, The Dungeon of Graves returns in this 500+ page full-color hardcover (or softcover or PDF depending on your pledge level) with all new artwork, three new levels of the Dungeon itself, three new Wilderness locations (including a three-level castle), a new three level satellite dungeon, a sea-cave of terrible shark-men, updated maps, scores pf new NPCs and Monsters, dozens of Magic Items and Spells, and the legendary Dung Monster!
“Characters will test their mettle against puzzles, tricks, and traps a-plenty; test their grit and steel against monsters and foes lurking around every corner; and at the end of it all awaits the Big Daddy himself, Orcus. These are truly adventures worth winning.”
Weighing in at over 500 pages, Rappan Athuk for Fifth Edition is an instant classic in the Mega-Dungeon genre, featuring 100+ keyed and color mapped areas with over 56 dungeon levels, several satellite dungeons (almost 20 additional levels!), the village of Zelkor's Ferry, 22 wilderness areas (ways to die before you ever reach the dungeon) and seemingly countless groups of bandits and monsters that prey on those fortunate enough to escape the halls and caves of Rappan Athuk with treasure in hand!
With decades of playtesting and use in campaigns across the globe, the Dungeon of Graves can be a foundation of any campaign or eviscerated into pieces and blended into any campaign!
Once upon a time, there was an idea—an idea formulated by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974 and published in a little paperback book called Underworld Adventures. The idea was simple: it is a lot of fun to go into a dungeon and kill evil monsters. Why is the dungeon there? No one knows. Why do the monsters usually fight rather than talk? We aren’t really sure. Why are there 16 trolls in a cave with a jug of alchemy? No one cares. What do all the monsters eat? We don’t know that either (although “adventurer” probably tops the list). And we don’t have to know these things. This isn’t an ecology experiment, it’s a dungeon—the quintessential setting for pure swords and sorcery adventuring.
This adventure pays homage to that original idea. True, there are opportunities for role playing, but most of this module is dedicated to “roll playing.” Hopefully, while exploring the halls of Rappan Athuk, you will recall the thrill of discovery, the terror in your heart when you fought your first skeleton, the joy of rolling your first natural 20, and the despair you felt when that 1 came up for your poison save. This module, Rappan Athuk—The Dungeon of Graves, is nothing more and nothing less than a good, old–fashioned, First Edition dungeon crawl updated for the 5th Edition Roleplaying Game. Very difficult, it should strike fear into the hearts of the most stalwart adventurers. It offers an abundance of traps, tricks, and monsters. We hope that you find this module as fun and exciting as those thousands of players who have ventured into (and not as often out of) the endless caverns and mazes of Rappan Athuk—The Dungeon of Graves. Rappan Athuk is a difficult dungeon. Even the upper dungeon levels should not be attempted by a party of less than six mid-level characters.
Only truly veteran players should attempt this dungeon with lower level characters. In light of this, we added the satellite dungeons, including Bill's very first work (from 1977), Tunnels of Terror! This 9-area dungeon was used as the introduction to his campaign and led his players to Rappan Athuk through play.
Traveller RPG: Element Class Cruisers Box Set by Matthew Sprange
(Campaign Ends : Sunday 18th March 2018; 08:59 UTC)
Mongoose Publishing’s new Kickstarter is worth a look if you’re a sci-fi fan, let alone if you are actually a Traveller fan. The Element Class Cruisers Box Set is a detailed look at one of the mainstays of the Imperial Navy and details the three main classes of cruisers within the Element cruiser family, together with 10 massive double-sided blueprints that detail every deck of the featured ships.
As well as the ten 28” x 40” maps the set will also come with a full-color 64-page book covering each of the three main crusiers along with full High Guard game rules and optional ship equipment.
The accompanying book sets the scene for cruisers and how they are used in Charted Space in general and the Imperial Navy in particular, then follows the design process of the Element family, from initial navy specification to maiden voyage.
The Element cruisers have a highly flexible 'pod' system that allows them to be configured for specific mission roles, and we have covered them in this book - from the 'standard' missile pod fit most commonly used on these ships, to long-ranged strike craft, light carriers, troop transports, and orbital assault ships, all are possible with the Element cruisers and have been included.
A second 64-page book has been unlocked through a stretch goal and added to the set. This book supplies the referee with everything they need to know to create and run a navy bridge campaign, with the players in command of an Element cruiser, or any other capital ship, as they “explore the galaxy and become the frontline of defence for the Third Imperium.”
The Demonplague – A 5E Campaign With Sandbox & Hexcrawl by Johnn Four
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 17th March 2018; 22:00 UTC)
Every millennium, a terrible evil trapped in the heart of the Luna Valley awakens to wipe civilization out — and the last awakening happened 1,000 years ago….
This time, if the heroes don't stop the evil, more than just the Luna Valley will die.
Welcome to The Demonplague, a rocking campaign that will take your players on a wild adventure rife with intrigue, secrets, and grim sword and sorcery action.
With equal parts classic adventure, sandbox, hexcrawl, and old-fashioned dungeon crawl, The Demonplague lets you GM with little prep time while at the same time offers your players total freedom and choice.
The Demonplague adventure comes in four parts and, combined, will form a full-length 5th Edition campaign taking characters from 1st to 20th level. Written to allow Luna Valley to be dropped into any fantasy campaign, the series also provides 21 new monsters, 27 NPC write-ups, over a dozen dungeon and adventure sites, and a fully-stocked village. A 12 hour video course on “ how the epic adventure was built, step-by-step, for GMs interested in building their own such adventures and for getting deeper design insights into how to GM this campaign.” is also included.
The Demonplague Part I: The Frozen Nightmare (Levels 1-5)
Hook players immediately when a natural disaster nearly destroys the Luna Valley. Icetongue, the thousand-year-old glacier, melts overnight. The deluge wipes out all but one community, Tomar's Crossing, which now faces food shortages, monsters dis
lodged from lairs, and deadly ancient secrets uncovered with the ice's passing.
Your players must help the people of Tomar's Crossing survive, battle their enemy through three dungeons — Fort Frostfell, Gardong Marhold, and finally, the Duladarin Star Elf Barrows — and confront Ralekai the necromancer in his underground laboratory.
The Demonplague Part II: The Winter Druids’ Legacy (Levels 5-10)
The actions of the PCs in the Frozen Necromancer shape the political climate of Tomar’s Crossing and the ever-stronger dangers crawling the Luna Valley for the second part of The Demonplague campaign.
In this sandbox adventure, the PCs delve into ancient ruins, temples to forgotten gods, dark tombs, and secret meeting places to find the words and components of a lost ritual that just might save the world...or end it.
The Demonplague Part III: Icefall (Levels 10-15)
In this hexcrawl adventure the PCs head out into the uncharted wilderness of the ruined valley.
They'll face undead demons, fiends from the Abyss, mutated wildlife, deranged druids, and starving giants.
If they’re lucky, the adventurers fight their way to the entrance of the prison meant to hold a mighty plague demon…and discover the walls are cracking.
The Demonplague Part IV: Xancrown’s Prison (Levels 15-20)
The grand finale draws the PCs into a magic prison that holds the plague demon Xancrown.
As the adventurers negotiate, deceive, and battle guardian factions within the prison, they struggle with the ultimate question:
Should they sacrifice the Luna Valley to ensure the world’s safety for another thousand years, or attempt to kill Xancrown and end his terror forever, which risks destroying their entire plane of existence if they fail?
Extinction Event Campaign Guide for Champions Complete by Mad Ferret LLC
(Campaign Ends : Tuesday 20th March 2018; 04:11 UTC)
Extinction Event is a table-top roleplaying campaign guide for Champions Complete that introduces the alternate Earth of 2045 — a world in the grip of shadowy conspiracies. Over millennia a strange and secret alien invasion has been shaping the destiny of humankind. From the demise of the Neanderthals to the rise and fall of great cities and cultures, the invaders have sown chaos and confusion.
Now, in 2045, their dark plans near fruition. Fractured, distracted, and deceived human societies are almost ripe for conquest. In these twilight years before the coming storm, a new breed of humans with psychic powers walks the earth. They are the soldiers of PALADIN, the acolytes of the Illuminati, and hunted outcasts of society. It’s the stories of their lives that power the adventure that is Extinction Event!
The Extinction Event campaign guide provides everything players and game masters (GMs) need to play exciting science fiction conspiracy adventures fraught with military, espionage, and underworld threats. You can become heroes with the special skills, specialized gear, and psychic powers needed to take on the New World Order!
Extinction Event makes that easy to experience with Champions Complete compatibility, guidelines that speed-up play, resources for reducing GM prep-time, and art/story elements that can be used with any roleplaying rules.
DCC RPG compatible adventure: Greenwood of the Fey Sovereign by C. Aaron Kreader
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 21st March 2018; 15:05 UTC)
This 20-page stand-alone low-level adventure for the DCC RPG is an adventure into the domain of the wild elves of an ancient woodland.
War is looming. The Earl of Nanch and his neighboring elven kingdom are sharpening the spears of aggression. Those on the border are split between two dangerous dynasts.
Pressed into duty for lord and country, the peasants and gong farmers of Nanch find themselves in a strange and unnerving forest full of denizens older than the practice of naming.
In this new world, the rules of life and death are a game of whimsy practiced by fantastic forces, and bizarre ancient feuds re-ignite in the chaos of war. Those errant attendants of Nanch will be fortunate to survive the madness of either ruler!
The adventure spans a series of strange and otherworldly encounters with the magical and surreal denizens of Greenwood—while under the incompetence, cowardice, and bullying of Pertrub (one of the King's footmen).
As the encounters continue, signs of the Earl's fate are everywhere. The players must pick up clues and begin to grasp the realities behind them!
The adventure features a number of visual puzzles with handouts to help the players solve them.
Players will need courage to face an assortment of unsuspected and cunning enemies, wits to survive the magical forces and clever snares, and a silver tongue to make quick friends out of foes.
The Big Book of Maps (Volume 2): Science Fiction by Justin Andrew Mason
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 21st March 2018; 17:14 UTC)
Hot from fulfilling the successful The Big Book of Maps Volume 1 Justin Andrew Mason is offering us Volume 2! Switching from Fantasy (Volume 1) to Science Fiction, this volume is a collection of over 166 full-color high-resolution (600dpi) maps available in PDF, print and also for Virtual Tabletops!
The maps are being created twice a week throughout the creation phase of the project (April 2018 to March 2019). “Most maps will be geared towards a futuristic setting, though a few will likely have potential of crossing genres. The focus of this collection will be various science fiction locales such as space stations, planetary outposts, asteroid mining colonies, futuristic cities, science labs, spaceship deck plans, alien locations, and interplanetary waypoints, but will also include offerings for subgenres such as cyberpunk, science fantasy, and neo-noir.”
Summerland Tabletop RPG Second Edition by Greg Saunders
(Campaign Ends : Saturday 24th March 2018; 10:56 UTC)
Summerland is an intriguing game, and one I published years ago whilst at Cubicle 7. Now author, Greg Saunders, has revamped the game with new full-color art, and a new system, for a second edition and is using Kickstarter to raise funds to produce it. “Summerland is a game about desolation and redemption in a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by a vast supernatural forest. The game was first published nearly ten years ago, and has since been translated in to French, Catalan and Spanish.”
In Summerland, players take on the roles of Drifters, characters who travel beneath the Sea of Leaves, the vast supernatural forest that has devastated the works of humanity. They are driven to constantly move on due to a past trauma that while protecting them from the Call, the siren-song of the forest, prohibits them from being accepted in to what's left of society. Instead they must confront their past, resolve their trauma and at last join the remainder of humanity. Like my last game Exilium, also funded via Kickstarter and delivered earlier than anticipated, this new version of Summerland uses mechanics specifically to model the process redemption, giving the game a clear 'end-game' linked to actual play.
The original version of the game came out around ten years ago, quickly followed by a revised and expanded edition. I'm now raising funds for a new full colour second edition of Sumerland, with new mechanics based on the Open D6 rules set as used in Exilium, so still rules light, but modified to fit the themes and goals of Summerland.
Far Away Land Tabletop Role-Playing Game by Simian Circle Games
(Campaign Ends : Wednesday 28th March 2018; 13:00 UTC)
Far Away Land (FAL) is a “rules-lite fantasy science fiction weird gonzo lighthearted setting that incorporates simple mechanics, colourful artwork, and pop culture into a unique tabletop rpg with an old school feel.”
The Setting of the FAL Universe
FAL is quirky, lighthearted, and highly imaginative. The color artwork, although sometimes humorous, hides a dark and malevolent world. While there are some classic fantasy tropes, much of it is unique and specific to FAL. For example, Soracans are giant floating construct heads that shoot lazers and speak dubstep. Angry telepathic nuns riding grizzly bears battle interdimensional Abraham Lincoln clones. A race of symbiotic sideburn sporting, jumpsuit wearing humanoids soar into battle atop giant three-eyed birds. Wizards and necromancers seek power and knowledge. Heroes try not to die. Villains are evil. Far Away Land is a world twisted by an ancient war. The effects of that old war and the portals it opened continue to shape the world.
FAL Game Mechanics
FAL uses a simple d6 mechanic. Players roll a handful of dice and take the high roll. That roll is then compared to target numbers or opposed rolls to resolve conflicts. The core of the game is basic and optional rules allow the core mechanics to be expanded as GMs and players see fit. Character creation takes only a few minutes. Combat is brutal and death is always on the horizon.
There are five books in the campaign, all full-color, available as PDF, soft or hard cover. Over 800 pages of content that has already been written, edited, laid out, extensively playtested and fully illustrated. Each book is digest sized (5.5” x 8.5”).
The books are the Tome of Awesome, a 300 page core rulebook that contains all the rules you need to play and run Far Away Land. It includes the Core Rules (70 pages), Creatures Vol 1 (80 pages), Companion Rules (60 pages), and Tales of Awesome (90 pages) which is full of lore, history, peoples and conflicts of the Far Away Land.
Seas of Far Away Land is a 150+ page expansion that supplies players and GMs everything they need to run sea adventures.
Creatures Vol. 2 adds to the 70 creatures found in the main rulebook by giving you 100 new creatures in this 120+page book. It also includes chapters on animals, plants and random generators for customizing characters.
Creatures Vol. 3 brings an additional 100 creatures to the game in another 120+ page book. It also includes chapters on creating constructs, custom plant generators, and generators for creating random dungeons.
Adventure Awesome is a 130+ page collection of 14 Far Away Land adventures.
RPG inspired enamel pins
(Campaign Ends : Friday 30th March 2018; 17:01 UTC)
This weeks look at RPG Pins is a campaign courtesy of Rachel Quinlan who is producing a range of iconic monster pins, with each monster holding (or absorbing…) dice.
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If you have a forthcoming Kickstarter, or see one that excites you, please feel free to drop me an email on angus.abranson@gmail.com You can follow me on Twitter @ Angus_A or on Facebook where I often post about gaming.
Until next week, have fun and happy gaming!
Angus Abranson
