Mirkasa is a cold, bleak place. A jagged mountain range dominates the northern coast. The isolated islands beyond are almost impossible to reach, being surrounded by vicious seas and dangerous whirlpools; but it is said the island of Jakabol, birthplace of the giants, can be found there. The northern range is capped by Gnolgorroth, one […]
Strange rumours abound of odd folk and freshly-discovered treasure amidst the quiet fields of Middenvalley. What can be found in the ruins below? Who are the ratty-folk, and why do the Middeners want them dead? What became of the village of Sorrowchurch? Let’s play to find out. Thank you to everyone offering their input on […]
So it’s a bit after Christmas… but if you’re still tucking into Turkey and enjoying the holiday season, you could do worse than have a go with this stocking filler, designed for all good OSR or Dungeon-Crawler titles! Ho ho ho! …Wow. That came out a lot more sales-pitchy than I expected. In all seriousness, […]
It’s the end of an era and your doom is at hand. Your hated foes have infiltrated the city from below; even now set the watchtowers and barracks aflame while the city sleeps. If there is to be any chance, you must run the gauntlet of the streets and ring the alarum bell, rousing the […]
Image credit: Knightess by Typesprite (DeviantArt) Klare is already there when I arrive for our interview. We meet in Bryne, in a quiet cafe in the artist’s quarter. Bryne is a prominent university town, known to be suffering from a blight of mutant creatures the locals call half-breeds.
Years ago, Azulgund was lost to Goldbane Greasetooth and his greenskin hordes. Its people were forced to abandon the city. In their wake, the elf ranger Khulorien “volunteered” to plumb the depths in their name, claiming he would return with Greasetooth’s head or not at all. Of course, only the most naive believed Khulorien – […]
Since it was released, I’ve run and played a fair few games of Chris McDowall’s Into the Odd. It’s fast, simple, and the rules for character creation are probably my favourite out of any RPG. In fact, I’ve played enough games to warrant making an easy reference document merging the basic rules with some of my own ideas – namely what […]
“There were twelve of us, at first. They got Leland, his wound wouldn’t stop bleeding. He kept keening, like a dying pig. Swarund put him out of his misery, but his wailing was enough to signal more. They came from the dark. They howled like dogs and smelled of copper. I would swear the one that got my leg used to be […]
The giants were dead, victims of their own barbaric hungers. In time, the men of the northern mountains uncovered their legacy. They used their spells and relics to raise the dead, corrupt the living and bind the souls of free men. So began the reign of the Kang Admi, the first necromancers, whose very name […]
A quaint farmstead of wood and old iron, surrounded by rotting wheat. You might come here investigating strange tales of witches up to no good, or the cursed wheat getting up at night and terrorising the neighbourhood. Where is it? The hinterland region of Mirkasa, a few leagues north of the Umberto border. From Nosjad […]
Everyone knows the magi council can’t give sage advice, because they are power-hungry, incestuous and cunning.So when the young caliph needs an honest answer, he asks a wazir. When the caliph asked “why do the tarpits of Rhamdesh still bubble, even after so long in the summer sun?” seventeen wazirs went to find the answer. […]
Named for a pub in Oxford where Tolkien and a few friends used to meet for a book club – I’ve re-purposed it as a meeting place and ‘secret’ award for some of Chalcedon’s more eccentric inventors! (These ideas were originally meant to fit in Vectis 1769, but I ran out of space & time last month. […]
So! The Forest of Dust. A dusty ruin in the heart of the desert. Ghosts and bandits abound. In the centre, a man of fire cries out for release. Will you free Fire-Lies-Contained? Will you return to civilisation burdened with the riches of a lost civilisation? Or will your bones be eroded to powder, like the long-dead ghosts of the Forest of Dust?
This venerable island-city has been plunged into economic depression, following the assassination of its most prominent guildmaster. More than 1000 craftsmen have lost their jobs. Many of them roam the streets, living in shacks cobbled together from junk. The guildmaster’s granddaughter was last seen living in a hovel in Lavender Park. With so many clever but desperate folk on […]
I’d not heard of it before now, but I just bought it and read it off the back of this post (and that gorgeous cover.) I liked it. I found it easy to read, and Van Oop and his pals sounded like they could cause a good amount of trouble in any campaign. I also […]
When the distillery was sold, its factories were mothballed. Dozens of workers lost their jobs. The new owners partially converted the building; the new cafe and museum is generally agreed to overpriced and underwhelming. The old owners have questions, and need someone smart to find their answers. While desperate fools scrounge through piles of rubbish, the savvy plan to infiltrate the old complex to find better treasures inside. […]
150 leagues north of Mirkasa (near the mythical lands of Jakabol) lies Stormania, one of the world’s northernmost islands. Through some quirk of magic and geography, the island is prone to frequent and extended eclipses. During the long, dark months, all manner of monsters freely roam the land; the locals have learned to keep their doors bolted and pray for a fast sunrise.
If you’re an avid Patreon follower like me, you may have seen Dyson Logos recently hit the $300 mark on his Patreon. That’s great news for two reasons – his work is great, and every map released at that level is available under a CC-BY license. So to commemorate this, this month’s first adventure is […]
So here we are for February – I’ve done a few playtest games this month, and not everything I’ve played has stuck. But I know a few of us enjoyed playing in Nosjad recently, so I’ve written some fresh info going into more detail about this strange, “elektrik” city. Enjoy!
So this is off the back of last night’s Indiemeet, which was a very fun and productive meeting indeed. I talked a bit about several things related to design and layout, so I thought in the cold light of day I’d elaborate on those quickly. Fonts: Google Fonts has a great selection of free fonts to use, […]