Hello there. I've been posting on X about this for months, and some of you might already know the Chronicles of Aeres from our 5E books. But I noticed I didn't have a thread about it here. Aeres is a D&D setting with several adventure books attached to it. Our first setting book was strictly 5E and it was our first RPG project ever.
What is it? Old-School Essentials has Dolmenwood; Aeres is the "answer" to Dolmenwood for a wider D&D audience. Here, we cut down drastically on "Forgotten Realms"-isms. It's a Narnia-styled world built with inspiration from the Inklings, with mythopoeic design and an overall atmosphere brimming with influence from not just the old-school, but also myth and folklore. We're writing our new iteration for AD&D Second Edition with a complete appendix of 5E rules to accompany it.
The setting promises mythical high-fantasy, low-magic adventure that will tug on as many strings of nostalgia as it can. We're influenced not just by the usual suspects from Oxford, but also by the classic fantasy media we grew up with, like the Dark Crystal, Legend, Excalibur, the Secret of NIMH, and the like. (Our ratfolk adventure eventually outsold the main book, and we're writing a sequel to go with this!)
Many of our fantasy races are so rare, no human has ever seen them before. Our "core" races are more whimsical versions of the ones from AD&D. New systems are underway that will encourage heroic roleplaying with a chivalrous bent, such as a system of light and shadow inspired by the One Ring Roleplaying Game (which will also bring back a new kind of "alignment language,") new methods of unlocking monstrous races, and a "mythical overworld" worldbuilding approach where every encounter unveils something new about the setting. We even have a new class that can only grow stronger through exploration and uncovering the setting's long-lost secrets.
The core theme hearkens back to Prince Caspian: in Aeres, there's a profound loss of faith--in this case a kind of fairy faith, and a belief in the old ways of magic--and a slow restoration of that faith. The players actions encourage a living world that "awakens" and responds to them. Every region on the world map will be built for heroic encounters, and multiple factions have intertwining stories and important parts to play in the setting. So, be on the lookout for it if this interests you!
What is it? Old-School Essentials has Dolmenwood; Aeres is the "answer" to Dolmenwood for a wider D&D audience. Here, we cut down drastically on "Forgotten Realms"-isms. It's a Narnia-styled world built with inspiration from the Inklings, with mythopoeic design and an overall atmosphere brimming with influence from not just the old-school, but also myth and folklore. We're writing our new iteration for AD&D Second Edition with a complete appendix of 5E rules to accompany it.
The setting promises mythical high-fantasy, low-magic adventure that will tug on as many strings of nostalgia as it can. We're influenced not just by the usual suspects from Oxford, but also by the classic fantasy media we grew up with, like the Dark Crystal, Legend, Excalibur, the Secret of NIMH, and the like. (Our ratfolk adventure eventually outsold the main book, and we're writing a sequel to go with this!)
Many of our fantasy races are so rare, no human has ever seen them before. Our "core" races are more whimsical versions of the ones from AD&D. New systems are underway that will encourage heroic roleplaying with a chivalrous bent, such as a system of light and shadow inspired by the One Ring Roleplaying Game (which will also bring back a new kind of "alignment language,") new methods of unlocking monstrous races, and a "mythical overworld" worldbuilding approach where every encounter unveils something new about the setting. We even have a new class that can only grow stronger through exploration and uncovering the setting's long-lost secrets.
The core theme hearkens back to Prince Caspian: in Aeres, there's a profound loss of faith--in this case a kind of fairy faith, and a belief in the old ways of magic--and a slow restoration of that faith. The players actions encourage a living world that "awakens" and responds to them. Every region on the world map will be built for heroic encounters, and multiple factions have intertwining stories and important parts to play in the setting. So, be on the lookout for it if this interests you!
