Terror in the Streets is perhaps one of the most mundane scenarios written for Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay in recent times. In fact, there is nothing outré, weird, or even profane in the scenario, that is, unless the Game Master decides that is what she wants it to include. In which case, the scenario provides options to add aplenty. Otherwise, the Game Master could run it simply as a straight historical scenario and her players would be none the wiser that it is written for a fantasy roleplaying game with a certain reputation. Similarly, the author of Terror in the Streets breaks his track record of doing bad things with typically big things inspired by his childhood toys to English villages in the 1630s. Instead, he shifts the action to Paris and sets it against the background of the city’s political and religious turmoil as the Player Characters are hired to investigate the disappearances of a number of children from across the city. Yet despite that mundanity, Terror in the Streets is a terrific scenario, rich in historical detail background—decent enough to serve as the backdrop for further adventures in the city during the seventeenth century—and rife with real and interesting historical figures for the Player Characters to interact with, including the greatest and most powerful political figure of his age. However, Terror in the Streets suffers from a truly terrible problem of its own, one that can be almost, but not quite completely, be blamed upon the author. It cannot, though, be forgiven.

Terror in the Streets is published by Lamentations ofthe Flame Princess and fulfils a brief that was given to the author as, “Jack the Ripper, but 250 years early.” It is a murder mystery—inspired by historical events of thirty years before, the ‘Werewolf of Châlons’—involving the disappearances and then deaths of initially, four children from the streets of Paris. It is quickly followed by more as the rate of disappearances and deaths accelerates, driving the Player Characters to investigate ever deeper in an attempt to stop further murders and whatever it is that the murderer is planning. Clearly, Paris has a serial killer stalking its streets and alleyways, one who like Jack the Ripper did in London two-hundred-and-fifty-years later, taunts the authorities with a series of letters that hint at his motivations. Ostensibly, the Player Characters are hired by a Deputy Provost, one of several city officials reporting to the Provost of Paris, the king’s representative and governor of the city, though other set-ups are possible. The adventure opens on November 7th, 1630, and will be over by November 18th. The Player Characters have the freedom of the city to investigate as they like, first the deaths and then the letters. Similarly, the players are free to approach the investigation how they want and the scenario facilitates that with a very clean layout that makes everything easy to find by the Game Master and by not having the players roll for their characters to find clues. Instead, the focus is on interpreting them and using them to further the investigation and the story.

However, there is one issue that will hamper the Player Characters’ investigation—Paris. Getting around Paris is difficult, a city just two square miles, but threaded through with narrow streets and alleyways that makes getting anywhere slow and occasionally difficult, and this despite the fact that there are numerous taxi services that run throughout the city. Then there are the Parisians, who will grow increasingly fractious and give themselves over to mob rule, which will ultimately lead to city offices closing, Paris being shut down, and martial law being declared. This tension is measured through an ‘Unrest Die’, a large—ideally, the largest that the Game Master has—six-sided die which sits in the middle of the table where the players can see it. As the tension rises, the Game Master will adjust the die to the new face indicating the increase in tension. Thus, the players will be aware of the tension in both narrative terms, as portrayed by the Game Master, and in mechanical terms. It is, as the author acknowledges, very similar to the ‘Escalation Die’ used to track the degree of action in Pelgrane Press’ 13th Age.

The investigation is neatly organised into tautly detailed little scenes that are clearly presented on the page making each and every easy for the Game Master to run and expound upon as necessary. The smaller scenes are typically with the families of the missing children and thus pertinent to the exploration, whilst the longer, more detailed scenes and locations tend to be red herrings—a potential werewolf attack and the search of a townhouse belonging to the wizard, Alain de la Mare.* Much like the rest of the scenario, these scenes can be played mundane or magical. Thus, for the encounter with the werewolf if magic factors into the campaign, this yes, it is werewolf, but if the campaign is mundane, then the werewolf is a fake. The Author does give advice on the Player Character use of spells to gain information, in case they decide to go down that route. Ultimately, the efforts of the Player Characters’ investigation will reveal that Armand Jean du Plessis, First Duke of Richelieu, also known as Cardinal Richelieu, is connected to the murders, but how? There is potential at the end of the scenario for the Player Characters to actually gain a degree of influence over the most powerful man in France, for good or ill. They could actually change history here if the ‘Day of the Dupes’ does not end in the way it did in our history! That said, apart from these scant few hours when the Player Characters can leverage their knowledge into a proper favour, Cardinal Richelieu is described as constantly playing fourth dimensional Chess and will always be a step or three in front of whatever they have cooked up.

* Yes, this really is who you think it is meant to be. Just not living in Northampton.

The scenario is very well appointed and the Game Master ably supported. Besides the description and map of Paris, there are full stats and details of Cardinal Richelieu, details of the various taxi companies operating in the city, and a full discussion of the possible outcomes to the scenario.

There are also the various letters sent by the perpetrators as handouts, rare in a fantasy roleplaying game, and a table of encounters. For the most part, there are no stats provided for these, so the Game Master will need to provide these herself.

Lastly, Terror in the Streets closes with a quintet of appendices. The first, ‘La Perfide Angleterre’ provides an optional event involving an English spymaster who wants the Player Characters to smuggle a ring out from a prisoner currently being held in the Grand Châlet, which is also the headquarters of the Provost of Paris. The English spymaster simply calls himself ‘W’, so could be Sir Francis Walsingham as the appendix suggests. Which is odd, because Walsingham has been dead for forty years when the scenario starts. The second appendix gives a full description of the Grand Châlet, whilst the third is potentially the most fun. ‘Musketeers’ gives stats and details of the main characters from Alexander Dumas’ The Three Musketeers for use with Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay and thus other retroclones. It opens up the possibility of Terror in the Streets being as a one-shot as an investigation in the style of The Three Musketeers using the given characters, but it also suggests that Terror in the Streets could be run using other roleplaying games set in the swashbuckling period, such as Musketeers vs. Cthulhu: A Simple Nightfall RPGBook, AllFor One: Régime Diabolique, Swordpoint: A Swashbuckling Roleplaying Zine, and Miseries & Misfortunes – Book 1: Roleplaying in 1648 France, though the scenario will require some historical adjustment as it is set in 1648 rather than 1630. The fourth appendix, ‘Comment t’appelles-tu?’ provides a list of ready names for NPCs in the scenario, whilst the firth appendix, ‘Maison Richelieu’, which describes the home of Cardinal Richelieu, should the Player Characters ever need to visit (or break in).

Physically, Terror in the Streets is very well presented. The artwork has a slightly scratchy, cartoonish quality to it, but is still decent, and the cartography is good.

So, what of its utterly awful problem? Terror in the Streets—beginning with the acronym for its title—contains a profusion of puns and bad humour that in places does not so much veer as leer into slightly poor taste. To be clear, this is no Asterion or Beware the Mindfuck, so not utterly tasteless, but the schoolboy humour and dad jokes of Terror in the Streets gets wearisome very quickly. That said, in comparison to both Asterion and Beware the Mindfuck, let there be no doubt that Terror in the Streets is a work of profound genius and skill.

Humour aside—and there is a lot to put aside—Terror in the Streets is a very good scenario, an engaging murder mystery with lots of historical flavour and detail and options to run with or without magic, depending on how fantastical the Game Master’s campaign actually is. The scenario is well written, well presented, and well, one of the best scenarios for Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay.

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DISCLAIMER: The author of this review is an editor who has edited titles for Lamentations of the Flame Princess on a freelance basis. He was not involved in the production of this book and his connection to both publisher and author has no bearing on the resulting review.

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Lamentations of the Flame Princess will be at UK Games Expo which takes place on Friday, May 30th to Sunday June 1st, 2025.

Johan Nohr has had an almost unparalleled effect upon the roleplaying home. Together with Pelle Nilsson, he created Mörk Borg, the pitch-black pre-apocalyptic fantasy roleplaying game which brings a Nordic death metal sensibility to the Old School Renaissance, designed by Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell and published by Free League Publishing. Since its publication in 2019, has gone to become the basis of several other roleplaying games, such Cy-Borg, Pirate Borg, and Death in Space, as well as a host of other supplements, scenarios, fanzines, and other third-party content. It has not only retained its popularity, but become a firm fixture of the Old School Renaissance hobby, even if it does not share the same origins. In particular, Johan Nohr created the look of Mörk Borg, beginning with the distinctive chromium yellow of its cover to the swathes of deep black and neon pink inside. The look and style of Mörk Borg is art punk, inspired by the post-punk rock sophistication that drew on the theory of art.

Art by Nohr, subtitled ‘Drawings and Doodles by Johan Nohr, Made Between 2006 and 2033’ and published by Stockholm Kartell following a successful Kickstarter campaign, is part retrospective, part showcase of the graphic designer and illustrator’s work from before, during, and after Mörk Borg. It is a coffee table artbook, that in truth is dominated by his art for Mörk Borg and other roleplaying games, but there is more than that just here, some it of simple sketches, some of it more. Some of it is simply annotated, most left to speak for itself. From the beginning there is always a jagged edge to Nohr’s style, figures and monsters lurking in the gloom, such as ‘The Skull Crone. Malevolent forest spirit I made up when living in the woods’, the annotation a story in itself, the old woman caught in the shadows of the tall trees, clawed hands reaching out, the skulls piled atop her head hiding her face in their shadows as green flames flicker from their eye sockets. Others seem to stagger at the viewer, whilst other images draw on classic heroic heavy metal fantasy, great horned helmets and mighty weapons, but here the weapons are cracked and stained through use, the helmets keeping the warriors anonymously inhuman. Witches wail and goblins cackle, strange figures stare accusingly at the reader.

‘Barkhäxan’ looks at an earlier collaboration with Pelle Nilsson, a folk horror roleplaying game, a startling simple black and white suggestion of horror and the unknown that contracts sharply with the more widely seen Mörk Borg style. This is widely showcased in the book, with covers and internal illustrations from titles both official and third-party. Some are accompanied by fuller explanations, such as that given for ‘Wickheads’ who have lanterns for heads and who lurk in the dark only for their lights to blaze and blind, before going dark again and striking at the temporarily sightless. They are shown in four images, charting the development of the creatures. For the Mörk Borg there are interesting images of books that have never appeared, such as ‘The End’ which would have depicted the ‘36 Miseries’ which marked the end of the world. The illustrations for third-party both show how popular Mörk Borg has been and act as an illustrated catalogue. The artwork for Cy_Borg is given a similar treatment, but typically less monochrome and more frenetic in its use of colour and energy, but clearly a Mörk Borg-style game.

Nohr changes tack for Into the Odd Remastered with a more subdued style that consists of collages that depict a world of industrial horror and mystery. There is a subtlety to this not seen in the punchiness of the illustrations elsewhere in the book. It is a shame that there is not more of this, both here and in other roleplaying games. ‘Other Projects’ covers a range of promotional posters, album covers, and other roleplaying products. Other sections highlight the other sometimes near illegible typography employed in Mörk Borg, whilst the most fun are the ‘Cardboard Drawings’ that Nohr decorates packages he sends out, whilst the artbook comes to a close with some of the maps he drew for Mutant: Year Zero – Roleplaying at the End of Days and its predecessor.

Physically, Art by Nohr is an imposing book. All of the artwork is crisply reproduced and it is fantastic to see so much of it presented in double its original size given that its typical format was digest-sized. It also provides an opportunity for the reader to see a lot of art that can only be found on the covers of hard-to-find books and fanzines. Fans of the Old School Renaissance and fans of the artpunk will both enjoy this book, but ultimately Art by Nohr is definitely a book for fans of Johan Nohr and for Mörk Borg, who will appreciate seeing the collection and development of the artpunk style.

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Stockholm Kartell will be at UK Games Expo which takes place on Friday, May 30th to Sunday June 1st, 2025.

 I am starting this in the early Winter of 2025, but I suspect it will take me a bit to finish it. I want to set up some reasons why the newest edition of Dungeons & Dragons, called the 2024 Edition by Wizards of the Coast and the 5.5 edition by me really needs it's own new campaign world.

I have spent most of this year talking about how you can, and maybe should, try out other games besides D&D 5.5.  But I get why many would not. 

Today I want to take a different track. That D&D 5.5 (2024 edition) should have it's own game world and embrace the changes they have made.

D&D is Becoming Creatively Stagnant

Let’s face it. Wizards keeps returning to the same old wells: the Sword Coast, Ravenloft, Planescape, Greyhawk. Some of it’s great, a lot of it, even. But the nostalgia engine is starting to sputter. At what point does reverence for the past become a chokehold on the future?

Look, I get it. There is 50 years' worth of lore and backstory and things people can do in D&D that rest on what has come before. It would be foolish to think D&D would abandon all of that. That would be the same as DC saying they are rolling out a new comic line that has nothing to do with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. 

But. The overreliance on nostalgia is becoming creatively thin, if not stagnant. I can buy into Iggwilv saying the hell with it all and running off to hide in Feywild. I get that. I can sorta see Bigby being transformed into a gnome or whatever. Hey, the world is weird and weird things happen. Though would it not be better to just make a new gnome character? I don't know.

I will say this by way of example. A while back, I had a 20-something explain to me who Kas was and his importance to Vecna's lore. Instead of being a dick and saying shit like "don't quote the deep magic to me..." I just let them be excited and share something that was obviously new and exciting for them. Maybe that is why we keep going back to the Keep, the Sword Coast, and Wild Space. 

Sure, it’s fun to reimagine Bigby or retcon Kas and Vecna’s ancient grudge. And I love that new fans are discovering these stories and making them their own; that’s part of the magic. But do we really need to keep dragging the same characters through the multiverse like Weekend at Bernie’s NPCs?

Where’s the creative risk? The bold new mythology? The chance to start over without decades of canon stacked like bricks around the game?

The Grogs who loved those settings will puff out their chests (and then cough a lot because, well, we are getting up there aren't we) and loudly proclaim they don't buy "WotC D&D." Fine. Then D&D should be made for the people who do buy it.

A new setting, unburdened by layers of TSR-era geopolitics and decades of novels, would give writers, designers, and players room to breathe.

Human-centric is No Longer the Norm

When D&D began, the assumption was largely a human-centric worldview with some elves, dwarves, and maybe some halflings thrown in. Each edition expanded the selection of species choice. This has largely been a benefit to the game since people can play what they want. But, many of these new options are not well mapped onto the worlds in use. The Forgotten Realms has made some strides to explain why there are dragonborn and tieflings and for the most part that works for me. But it is harder to see all of these folk in, say, Greyhawk. Interestingly enough, this is exactly the sort of thing I feel Mystara does well. 

D&D’s playable species have exploded since 1974. We now have playable angels, rabbitfolk, genasi, tieflings, dragonborn, and more. The world of the player is no longer a human one with some elves and dwarves in the margins. It’s a multicultural multiverse and that is a good thing.

And yet, the game keeps returning to campaign worlds built for that older paradigm.

I am playing a my first ever tiefling in Baldur's Gate 3 now. It is interesting. There are dialog choices that were not there before, most around "will I be accepted as a tiefling?" Larian Studios at least gets some of the issue with adding some new species in lands with a ton of lore that doesn't include them. But again, maybe the Forgotten Realms was just better at this than say Greyhawk.

A new setting could make this diversity the foundation, not the patch job. 

Look how Star Wars does it. Aliens everywhere and each one is more interesting than the last. In movies and TV shows, humans are cheaper to do obviously (no CGI or makeup) but RPGs should not have that limitation. 

D&D 5.5 is Brighter than Previous Editions, And Its World Should Be, Too

The tone of the game is more hopeful. You are not really murder hobos, you are heroes. The art is brighter, too. The world is more escapist fantasy where the Grim Dark is now found in the Non-fiction and Current Events sections of the library.

Characters aren’t just delvers of dungeons or looters of crypts, they’re agents of change, defenders of ideals, aspirants to legend.

You can see it in the art. It’s vibrant, inclusive, and dynamic. You can see it in the rules, as well with an emphasis on collaboration, character backstory, and narrative arcs.

But many of the older campaign settings were built on a darker foundation. Political cynicism, gritty realism, moral ambiguity. That’s great for some stories. But it’s not the dominant tone of 5.5.

I am running an AD&D 1st Ed game on Tuesday nights set in the Forgotten Realms. I mentioned that at the time of the game's writing (1987 CE) and the time I am setting it in (1357 DR) that there were not a lot of the species running around. I said I wanted to keep the spirit of the original rules for this. I compromised and allowed a "good" Drow and a Kitsune. This is what the new players want and why should anyone tell them no?

Let’s give this new era a world that fits its heart and implied vision.

A New Setting Would Be a Statement

The release of a new setting wouldn’t just be a product; it would be a signal. A declaration that this isn’t just another iteration of D&D. That D&D is evolving and ready to explore new myths, new cultures, and new stories, in new ways. Yeah, if you want, you can still go out and commit orc ethnic cleansing if that is your desire. I'll point out that you should stick to the older editions because, honestly, they do that better than the current one.

It wouldn’t negate the old settings. Greyhawk will always be there. So will Eberron and Mystara and the Realms. But just like 3e had Eberron, 4e had the Nentir Vale, and even 2e had Birthright, 5.5 deserves a world it can own. 

Something new. Something bright. A place where all these design choices of the last 15 years can come home and say "this is our world."

I’m not saying Wizards must make a new setting to make 5.5 a success. But if they want to inspire a new generation the way Greyhawk inspired Gygax’s table or the Realms inspired Ed Greenwood’s then they might consider lighting a new torch instead of holding onto the old ones.

Next time I'll talk about what this would could be.

Photo by Ferdinand Studio

 Working on a new project. It should be pretty obvious, but I will wait for the full announcement. Among some of the features of this new project is the notion of "Advanced Classes." You have already seen these kinds of classes before. They are the Bard (PHB), Thief-Acrobat, the Archdruid (UA), and the Wizards of High Sorcery from the Dragonlance Adventures book. 

Mine, however, are all occult-based. I have already been play-testing a couple of them, some for a while, but today's is brand new. Based quite honestly on a dream I had Monday night/Tuesday morning. Though, the idea of the class has been running around my head for many years now.

Presently, I have four of these Advanced Classes worked out. Three for Witches and one for Magic-users.  I am toying around with about three-four others for other Advanced-era Classes/Sub-classes. 

ARCHWITCH

Advanced Class for Witches

The Archwitch is the culmination of a witch's arcane and spiritual mastery. Unlike common witches who deepen their craft through occult rites, the Archwitch transcends the circle, walking the border between witchcraft and wizardry. She gains insight into the deepest mysteries of magic and the cosmos, weaving both witch spells and high arcana into her grimoire. Figures such as Iggwilv, The Simbul, and Sagarassi exemplify this path. While many label them as mere magic-users, their roots lie firmly in the traditions of the witch.

Only those witches who have proven themselves through trial, wisdom, and power may take on the mantle of the Archwitch. This path is rare, and most witches never reach such heights.

Requirements

To become an Archwitch, a character must:

• Be a Witch of at least 7th level.
• Have an Intelligence of 17 or higher.
• Complete a Great Working, an act of magical significance witnessed by their Patron or coven. Examples include banishing a demon lord, opening or sealing a planar gate, the construction of a powerful magic item or new spell or ritual, or binding a major spirit.
• Be acknowledged as an Archwitch by their Patron or a gathering of at least three witches of 7th level or higher.

Restrictions

The character ceases to gain new Occult Powers granted to witches at levels 7, 13, and 19. These are replaced by Archwitch abilities.

Spellcasting

The Archwitch retains her full Witch spellcasting progression.

In addition, starting at Archwitch level 7, the Archwitch may select one Magic-User spell per spell level, beginning with 5th level magic-user spells and advancing with her own level. These are treated as bonus spells known, castable once per day each, and are cast using her own spells cast per day.

At level 11, the Archwitch gains the ability to cast one 9th-level Magic-User spell per day, chosen from a written copy in her Book of Shadows or from a scroll. This simulates her mastery of the highest arcane knowledge.

Note: There will be spell advancement tables for magic-user spells 1 through 9.

Archwitch Abilities

Mastery of the Veil (gained at level 7): Once per day, the Archwitch may combine two spells of 4th level or lower into a single casting. The casting time is doubled and both material components must be used. The effects occur simultaneously but must be directed at the same target or area.

Arcane Communion (gained at level 9): Once per week, the Archwitch may enter a trance to commune directly with her Patron or a cosmic force, gaining insight similar to the Commune spell. Additionally, she becomes immune to confusion and feeblemind effects.

Unbound by Circles (gained at level 11): The Archwitch may cast a 9th-level Magic-User spell once per day, provided she has access to the spell in a written form. This spell does not count against her daily limit of learned Magic-User spells. This ability reflects her transcendence of mortal limitations and entry into the ranks of true arcane legends.

Role and Influence

The Archwitch is no longer bound to any single coven, though she may lead one. Her word carries power in the witching world. She is often sought for advice, feared by enemies, and respected by peers. Her Patron may grant visions or quests of great import. In some traditions, the appearance of an Archwitch heralds the turning of an age.

Only a handful of witches per century achieve this status. Their names are remembered in spellbooks and whispered in ritual.

Experience Progression and Saving Throws

The Archwitch continues to use the Witch's experience table, attack matrix, and saving throws.

Multi-Class and Dual-Class Use

The Archwitch path is only open to single-classed Witches. Dual-classed characters must complete all level requirements before entry. Elves and other multi-classed races may not become Archwitches unless the campaign permits exceptions.

Optional Rule – Ritual Ascension: At the DM's discretion, the transition to Archwitch may require an in-game ritual, quest, or magical confrontation. This may include astral travel, defeating a rival Archwitch, or recovering a lost grimoire.

Beleriand toy Soldiers ("BTS") just keeps making more and more amazing figures.  The magi figures make good druids.  

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can be original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?Feast of the Forest is a scenario for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition.

It is a full colour, thirty-one page, 16.28MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is reasonably illustrated.

Where is the Quest Set?Feast of the Forest is a one-shot (or potential campaign starter) scenario for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. It takes place in East Anglia during the Anarchy Period.
Who should go on this Quest?
Feast of the Forest includes six pre-generated Player-knights.
What does the Quest require?
Feast of the Forest requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set. The Hunting, Folklore, and Horsemanship skills will prove useful during the play of the scenario.
Where will the Quest take the Knights?
Feast of the Forest opens with the Player-knights ambushing a Saxon convoy containing a silver-laden wagon. Barely do the Player-knights have time to celebrate their success before they are presented with a moral dilemma—do they let the survivors go or do they put them to the sword? In other words, are they Merciful or are they Cruel? There are benefits to either course of action, but there are also penalties too. This is the first of many such tests in the scenario as the Player-knights first discover that the wagon was not carrying taxes, but tithes for the church and that has its own repercussions… They are forced to flee from the scene of the crime and deeper into the fens as first they are pursued by angry Saxons, and then by a creature out of Myth that literally hounds them and drives them into fear and hauntings.
The middle part of the scenario involves a radical shift in the point of view as the players roleplay villagers under attack by bandits. The realisation should come at the end of these scenes that the bandits are no mere NPCs, but the Player-knights of the previous scenes, and that the Player-knights are neither heroes nor embody chivalric ideals. Although jarring, this shift is a good way of showing how villainous the Player-knights actually are, rather than forcing their players to roleplay them committing immoral acts. Nor are they anti-heroes. They are the villains of the piece, morally compromised and very far from the oaths they took as knights. Already, the Player-knights’ decisions and actions will have had serious personal consequences. Mechanically, their acts of cruelty, sacrilege, cowardice, and so on, have earned each Player-knight ‘Curse Points’, representing his spiritual corruption and penalising skills, Traits, and ultimately his Honour. It is possible to find a path of Redemption by committing merciful acts, making confession, and the like. This is what the last part of the scenario is about. The Player-knights are given the opportunity to undertake a number of tests that will lead to a great battle, all of which will put them on the path to atonement, though the exact details of that path lie outside of the scenario. That path—and even getting to that path—is not certain and no Player-knight is under any obligation to follow it.
Feast of the Forest does require some set-up. The scenario works best when the players begin unaware exactly as to the true nature of the knights they are going to play. This requires some adjustment to the character sheets to keep that information hidden until after the scenes in the village where the players take the roles of the villagers being attacked by the knights. That way, the players and their knights can come to the conclusion that they are not heroes rather than being informed of it right from the start. The scenario is also quite complex and there is a lot to keep track of by the Game Master with the various tests, the accumulated Curse Points, and the big battle at the end to keep track of.
Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?Feast of the Forest is a short, but far straightforward adventure that does something that Pendragon typically asks the players never to do. That is, play the villains. It neatly sidesteps the issue of having to roleplay villainous acts, instead focusing in the immediate consequences of said acts. Primarily, it is a one-shot, though one that is slightly too long for a single session or convention scenario given its complexity, but has potential as a campaign starter where the Player-knights are on the path to redemption. It would be interesting to see such a path explored in a sequel. Fear of the Forest is the antithesis of a classic Pendragon scenario, presenting a rare and intriguing exploration of the anti-Chivalric knight whilst suggesting that there might be a path of out of The Anarchy and the darkness.

 Getting back to an old favorite of mine. My AD&D 1st edition Forgotten Realms game is still going great. The characters are still on a stolen boat and will land soon. I already know what is waiting for them.

PIASA BIRD

Frequency: Very Rare
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: –2
Move: 9" / 24" (Flying, Class C)
Hit Dice: 11 + 6 (55 hp average)
% in Lair: 50%
Treasure Type: Nil
No. of Attacks: 5 (claw/claw/horn/bite/tail)
Damage/Attack: 1–4 / 1–4 / 1–6 / 2–8 / 1–6
Special Attacks: Shriek (fear)
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Low (5–7)
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Size: H (20' long, wingspan 40')
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
XP Value: 3,200

DESCRIPTION

The Piasa Bird is a terrible predator, said to haunt river cliffs and lonely forested bluffs. It combines the scaled body of a giant fish or serpent with the wings of a bat, antlers like a stag, claws like a dragon, and a monstrous human-like face complete with beard and gore-slick teeth. Most sages believe it to be unique, a living myth given form either by ancient curse or dark magic.

Legends trace its origin to a painted bluff near the Mississippi River, where the Illini people spoke of "the Bird That Devours Men." It is feared for its physical strength and its unearthly scream, which has driven entire camps mad with terror. It hunts mainly for pleasure and meat, especially favoring children and young adults.

COMBAT

The Piasa swoops upon its prey from above, initiating combat with its terrifying shriek. This is followed by a flurry of physical attacks: claws, horns, bite, and lashing tail. It can engage multiple foes at once, often striking with claws and bite against one target while sweeping others away with its tail or gore.

Shriek (Fear Effect): Once per day, the Piasa may emit a horrifying shriek. All creatures within 30 feet of the creature and of 5 Hit Dice or fewer must save vs. Spells or flee in panic for 1d4+2 rounds. Those above 5 HD must save or suffer –2 to hit rolls for the same duration due to overwhelming dread.

Only one Piasa Bird is known to exist, though superstitious accounts claim it disappears and reappears across generations. It lairs in a high cliffside cavern overlooking riverlands. It has no use for treasure, discarding anything it cannot eat. Its hunting cycle includes long periods of dormancy.

The Piasa feeds exclusively on fresh meat. It is a solitary apex predator. Due to its grotesque appearance and violent habits, it is considered a dire omen and subject of local legend. Some arcane scholars believe it to be a cursed spirit or manifestation of fear or ancient blood magic. Capturing one alive would be nearly impossible, but if somehow achieved, its display would command a king’s ransom.

Its shriek functions similarly to a fear spell but has a sonic origin.

Due to its chaotic nature, it may sometimes slaughter creatures without feeding, simply to instill dread.

--

I debated on whether to make him Chaotic Evil or not. I went with it since he his described as an evil monster and eater of humans, especially children. Plus tales of the Piasa used to scare the crap out of me as a little kid.

Much like the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha and The Companions of Arthur for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon, the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition is a curated platform for user-made content. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

—oOo—
Name: Fear Jet 1975 – Hijack!Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Andy Miller

Setting: 1975 USA and beyond...Product: Expansion to Fear Jet
What You Get: Thirty-four page, 31.94 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: A flight into The King in Yellow via hijack-horror horror!Plot Hook: When fear of flying takes you out of this world with a gun to your head...Plot Support: Staging advice, six pre-generated Investigators, six Investigator portraits, and one handout.Production Values: Decent
Pros# Mad Men meets the Mythos# Can be run as a convention scenario
# Can be run over and over until some Investigators escapes...# Easy to adapt to other periods during the Age of Flight# Pre-built tension and secrets# Extensive playtest notes# Xanthophobia# Aerophobia# Katagelophobia
Cons# Very similar sequel to Fear Jet# Challenging to run as a convention scenario# What happens next?
Conclusion# Mad Men meets the Mythos in mid-air# Character-driven re-iteration that a group might not want to play again

The Vaterländer Empire is in purgatory. The Holy Empire of the Sanguine Church is rent by a schism of faith. The Church of Holy Blood, governed by the Grand Magister from the Holy City of Mars, has administered to the faithful for a thousand years. The Church has launched rituals of bloodletting and the imbibing of sanguine sacraments in honour of the Torn Prophet and launched crusades upon the unfaithful. However, some call it decadent, accuse it of corruption, and there arose schisms when some wanted worship to be less excessive and more ascetic. They were called heretics and put to the torch by the Inquisition, yet they found a voice in Luther Martin, who taught that the God of Light and the Torn Prophet’s teachings be taught and experienced by the common man as well as the clergy. To that end, the text of the Torn Prophet was printed in the common tongue, the first of what the Church of Holy Blood regarded as acts of high blasphemy… As Luther Martin’s words drew an ever greater flock, the Church of Holy Blood declared them and Luther Martin to be heretics and he was assassinated. Those who followed his teachings broke with the Church of Holy Blood and from the schism arose two faiths—the Orthodoxy of the Church of Light and the Puritans of the Church of Light. As the Emperor of the Holy Empire of the Sanguine Church led his armies into the Vaterländer Empire to put down the heresy of the Puritans. The peasantry and the zealots of the Puritans of the Church of Light rose up in the city of Deliverance and rounded up the tax collectors and the priests and burned them alive in what was once Festival Square, but is now Execution Square. The Vaterländer Empire split into the Holy Confederacy of the Puritan Church and those loyal to the Church of Light and Holy Emperor.

As religious war spread, cities burned, thousands died, and neighbouring powers took advantage of the weakened Holy Empire of the Sanguine Church. Svea and Orla funded the Puritans and as one city and town after another declared its allegiance to one side or the other, one faith or the other, or even none, no army could protect them all. So out went the call for mercenaries on all sides, and as long as they are paid, such free companies will serve their paymasters, but if not, they become as much of a threat as the enemy extracting the pay they are owed, in the process, making the populace suffer further. The Inquisition and its witchfinders scour the broken land in search of corruption, signs of the dark arts, and demons, ready to torture, burn, and hang all it suspects, all in service of the Orthodoxy of the Church of Light, yet almost as fanatically as the Puritans. The Inquisition cannot be everywhere and where a witch would be burned where the Puritans hold sway, a wise woman would be revered where the Orthodoxy remains, and demons frolic, come to Vaterländ to revel in the pain and suffering. Worse, even worse than the plague and famine that rolls back and forth across the land, is the Staggering Pox that blights the dead of the battlefields in their shallow graves and forces them to walk again… Another year of Purgatory and winter seems longer and colder than the last…

This is the setting for Black Powder and Brimstone, a roleplaying game which is very obviously inspired by the events of the Thirty Years’ War, the civil war which tore the Holy Roman Empire apart between 1618 and 1648, born of the Reformation that divided Christendom in Western Europe. Published by Free League Publishing following a successful Kickstarter campaign, it is compatible with Mörk Borg, the Swedish pre-apocalypse Old School Renaissance style roleplaying game designed by Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell and also published by Free League Publishing. This is a setting in which the Player Characters not only have to survive the horrors of war, but also the fanaticism of the faithful, the unnatural and the occult as well as the attentions of the Inquisition in ferreting out signs of apostasy and heresy. Vaterländ is a land where demons lurk and cultists skulk, flagellants scourge themselves into apoplexies of piety and pain, mercenaries and armies tramp the land taking what they want when they feel they have not been given what they are owed, the night folk dart out of the black swathes of forest at night in search of human flesh, the Bandersnatch takes lost children to who knows where, and the Staggering Pox casts a sickly green shadow... They may simply survive or they may form free companies, mercenaries for hire by either side, and so gain employment and responsibilities.

A Player Character in Black Powder and Brimstone has four stats—Strength, Agility, Presence, and Toughness. These range in value between -3 and +3. The values are determined by rolling three six-sided dice, modified by the character’s Archetype and Subclass. The five Archetypes are Mercenary Deserter, Bounty Hunter, Witch, Opportunist, and Practioneer. The Subclasses for the Mercenary Deserter are Rifleman, Greatswordsman (who comes with a Zweihander) and Grenadier; for the Bounty Hunter they are Pistolier, Master Trapper, and Beast Hunter; for the Witch, they are Woods Witch, Herbalist, and Hexen; those for the Opportunist are Adventurer, Sneak Thief, and Silver-Tongued Trickster; and for Practioneer, they consist of Vow of War, Vow of Healing, and Vow of Sustencance. Each Archetype provides the Stat bonuses, some gold, and a little background, whilst the Subclasses provide equipment and a special ability. A set of optional tables provide various character traits including a background skill.

Ottilie Schönlein
Archetype: Witch
Subclass: Hexen
Abilities: Curse (-2/+2 penalty/bonus), Black Candles, Deck of Cards
Strength 0 Agility 0 Presence +3 Toughness +1
Hit Points: 12
Background: Running from a deal gone wrong
Spells: Invisibility, Befuddlement
Character Traits: Ottilie is sullen; Ottilie wants to write a book; Ottilie’s setback is rudeness; Ottilie is good at dancing; Ottilie’s passion is being creative; Ottilie most notable physical feature is her jewellery

Collectively, the Player Characters can form a Free Company. This costs a lot of gold to register, but the members should have a shared goal and will share both treasure and income. If a Player Character is killed whilst a member of a Free Company, a new one can enlist at the same Level and degree of income. Beyond that, being a member of a Free Company does provide any benefits. It is supported with rules for hiring mercenaries and a very light means of handling combat between detachments.

Mechanically, Black Powder and Brimstone is, like Mörk Borg, player-facing. In other words, the players roll the dice, not the Game Master. This particularly applies to combat whereas as well as rolling for his character to stab a witch, a player also rolls avoid being bitten by the witch rat familiar. To have his character undertake an action, a player rolls a twenty-sided die, aiming to roll equal to or over a Difficulty Rating from six and simple to eighteen and impossible, with an average Difficulty Rating being ten or twelve. To this he adds the value of the stat.

In addition to setting the Difficulty Rating of a task, the Game Master can determine the Position and Impact based upon the situation. These do not adjust the Difficulty Rating, but set out the consequences of the action, Position the outcome if a failure, Impact if a success. Position can either be ‘Shaky’, ‘Risky’, or ‘Dire’, that is, not as bad as it could have been, as bad as expected, or worse than was imagined. There is scope for the player to negotiate with the Game Master as which degree of Position or Impact applies to the situation and a player can even trade Position for Impact, making a task easier to complete, but not be as effective. Position and Impact are also applied to negotiations, a player typically having his character attempting to shift an NPC’s disposition from Hostile/Strong through Indifferent/Fair to Positive/Strong.

Combat uses the same core mechanic. Initiative is simply determined by who acts first, but combat order is rolled with any Player Character with a positive Agility stat at an advantage. Mêlée combat uses the Strength stat, both magic and ranged combat use Presence, and Defence uses Agility. The rules cover stealth, the breaking of morale, cover, attacks of opportunity, grappling and stunning, and more, including simple chase rules for mounted combat. There are a handful of possible outcomes given for rolls of natural one or twenty in combat for mêlée, ranged combat, and using magic. If a character is reduced to zero or negative Hit Points, his player must make a Toughness check. If successful, the character is simply Broken, but fail and he might fall unconscious, suffer a wound, or bleed to death. A wicked scar might be small or might be missing nose or a limb. Worse, there is a chance that rusty, unclean weapons will cause an infection beyond the wound itself…

Most of the weapons have special rules. For example, on roll of eighteen plus, a zweihänder will cut a man in half, whilst its cumbersome nature means that it is at a penalty to use in enclosed spaces, whilst a club will knock someone out on a roll of sixteen or more. All black powder weapons have a misfire die, an eight-sided die rolled in addition to the attack roll. On a roll of two, the weapon misfires, one a roll of one it explodes and injures the wielder—the aarquebus is worse! All take a round to reload, but the advantage of these black powder weapons is that they ignore armour. Armor simply reduces damage for other attacks.

A Player Character also has access to ‘Devil’s Luck’. This can be spent to either lower the Difficulty Rating of a task or to activate a Dark Power. A Dark Power might be to deal maximum damage, neutralise a critical roll or a fumble, allow a reroll of any die, or ignore all damage dealt to a Player Character. However, it has its consequences, as the Player Character might gain a mutation, like small bony horns sprouting from his head or growing an extra finger on his hand.

A Witch can cast between one and four spells per day. Casting a spell is a simple Presence roll, but if failed, the Witch is left temporarily dizzy and whilst dizzy cannot successfully cast another spell. Only a Witch can learn spells, although other Player Characters can consume various potions for similar effects. Spells include Cursed Ammunition which hits easier and harder, but the wielder suffers damage; Wound Eater causes the target to suffer all damage temporarily that the caster would otherwise suffer; Back from the Brink brings a fresh corpse back to life, but reduces his total Hit Points. The spell list is not extensive and includes three spells—Spectral Skeletons, Raise the Dead, and Death Glare—that can only be learned from Gothel, the Mistress of Twilight. A mishap will occur if the Witch’s player rolls a one on the spell casting roll.

For the Game Master there is revelations about the setting and some decent advice on running the game and creating scenarios. The former includes applying ‘Yes and…’ and ‘No, but…’, using failed rolls to make something happen rather negate the action, and the use of countdown clocks, all very modern for an Old School Renaissance-style roleplaying. The latter is backed up with some short frameworks around which the Game Master can build a plot, some sample plot hooks, and a set of tables to generate adventures, locations—and inns in particular, and even dungeons. There is also quite a large bestiary, of which mutants, bandits, free company mercenaries, and puritan martials are the most mundane. More outré monsters include the Grave Colossus, walking graveyards with a hatred of grave robbers, Dryads, and a host of demons. There is even a weird swerve into Science Fiction in the form of the Watchers, cowardly aliens which conduct experiments in secret. There is also a full gallery of villains, friends, and adversaries, some of which more than a little tongue in cheek, like the world-renowned thief, Carmen San Dominira, and Lord Flash, a British mercenary with a silver tongue and a lot of luck, unlike those he leads into battle.

Rounding out Black Powder and Brimstone is a short scenario, ‘The House of Pain and Loss’. The Player Characters arrive in the town of Koch. It is rundown due to the war and the higher taxes, but the town noticeboard has several notices nailed to it asking about the whereabouts of several missing women. There is little to learn in the town except that the local nobleman, Count Lethgar, has not been seen since the death of his wife and that the wife of the innkeeper is missing. The inference is that there might be a creature of the night abroad and it might be the count. It is an easy assumption to come to since the plot to the scenario is underwhelmingly straightforward, ending in an investigation of the count’s manse and discovering his secrets. Annoyingly, the Game Master has to ‘read to find out’ what the plot is as there is no explanation at the start of the scenario, which can played in the same session as the players create their characters.

Physically, Black Powder and Brimstone is stunning. The artwork has a cartoonishly grim and gothic style that is really eye-catching and pivotal in conveying the sense of the game and its world, enticing the viewer to look, find out, and want to play. Black Powder and Brimstone really is a cool looking book. However, it does need an edit.

There is a lot to like about Black Powder and Brimstone. The setting—and the artwork are enthralling, since this is one of the few roleplaying games to specifically draw upon the Thirty Years’ War for its key inspiration. There have been other roleplaying games to do the same, most notably Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, but that does not draw so directly upon the religious schism and the resulting war. Indeed, it could be argued that Black Powder and Brimstone is the Old School Renaissance answer to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, but the historical parallels between the setting of Black Powder and Brimstone and the Thirty Years’ War and the emphasis upon horror rather than fantasy in Black Powder and Brimstone suggests otherwise. (In fact, it could be said that the parallels between the setting of Black Powder and Brimstone and the Thirty Years’ War are a bit too on the nose, such as naming the instigator of the Reformation, ‘Luther Martin’.) Yet Black Powder and Brimstone is not a wholly satisfying design. Mechanically, it is underdeveloped, in the main, the ‘Position’ and ‘Impact’ mechanic feeling bolted on and being more narrative in play, at odds with the Old School sensibility of Mörk Borg. As an extension of that, the social mechanics are best described as a statement of intent rather than a set of rules. Other issues are more minor, but Black Powder and Brimstone seems to be trying to be modern, yet old and not quite right as either.

The other issue is the setting and what to do with it. That the included scenario is so uninspiring is the coda to the issue of what the Player Characters are going to be doing in setting. There are some plot hooks and advice, but there is no discussion of long term or campaign play.

Black Powder and Brimstone is a really fantastic looking book with what looks to be a very gameable setting, but unfortunately it does not deliver that setting or that game as easily as it should have done. Its lack of development is going to leave the Game Master with some work to do and a lot of rulings during play to successfully run it. Hopefully a companion volume or some scenarios will go a long way to fixing that.

—oOo—

Free League Publishing will be at UK Games Expo which takes place on Friday, May 30th to Sunday June 1st, 2025.

Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist expands the divided world of Fyera. ‘The Ruination’ divided it into three when it ceased to spin on its access. The ‘Lands of the Old Days’ faced the sun, waters and rivers boiled away to leave only sand and heat. ‘The Darklands’ will never face the sun, frozen and withered, now home to beasts and beings of the darkness unknown before The Ruination. Between them runs a narrow band around the world, the ‘Penumbra’, where the survivors have to live with no diurnal cycle, no night and day, always at the mercy of attacks from deep within The Darklands. From the Penumbra, the peoples of Freya launched expeditions into The Darklands and once there, constructed Cressets of Vigil, towering portable beacons of light that revealed once again the lands and secrets lost to the darkness and advanced warnings of attacks upon Penumbra. These attacks bare cease, as if the very darkness would reach out and swallow the last of the light. Many of the survivors of The Ruination would find themselves changed, granted ‘The Gifts of Fyera’ that enabled them to hold back the Darkness, yet facing the ever-present danger of falling into the Darkness as a result of committing or witnessing sins done in the name of the Light, of their souls being scarred by both the Light and the Dark. Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist is the first supplement for Soulmist: A Journey from Darkness to Light, a dark fantasy setting compatible with Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition. Published by Black Lantern following a successful Kickstarter campaign, this is the first roleplaying game and setting to be published by a Greek publisher and reach the English-speaking market.
Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist leaps straight into the world of Fyera with introductions by the authors of the ‘Tenebris Cordis’—the ‘dark heart’—a treatise that presents some of the threats emerging from The Darklands. These are scholars and participants in reclamation expeditions into the Darklands whose voices give an engaging verisimilitude to the supplement, one that continues throughout the supplement with marginalia that annotates and adds commentary to its content. Yet it does leave the reader slightly adrift to quite wonder what the supplement is and what its content consists since there is no introduction from its designer. Once past the introductions—which actually could be used as handouts for the players—and the Game Master will discover that Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist is a grimoire of monsters and demons supported by new rules and advice for creating memorable antagonists and stories suited to the pitch-black half of Soulmist’s world and the shadows that the Player Characters’ light can cast upon it.
The Dark Saints are the natural and spiritual leaders of the forces of The Darkness, some ancient, some new, some native to the world, some foreign. Some were martyrs of the Light who fell to Darkness, others struck down previous Dark Saints, but they all wear the legendary ‘Black Halos’, the ‘Dark Crowns’ that are the symbols of their authority and power. Fortunately, only ten Dark Saints are known, each embodying a different aspect of the Darkness and each perusing their own agenda. Each of the ten is accorded a description that includes a lengthy history, details of its lair, the Dark Endowments—major and minor—that it can bestow on its followers, and the lair actions it can take within its domain. Full stats are also given. These include not just its standard actions, but also bonus actions, legendary actions, and abilities. The least of the Dark Saints is Sixteenth Level, the highest Nineteenth Level, whilst one is listed as its Level being unknown.
For example, Nycta, the Dark Saint of Voracity was once an inquisitive young noble woman who paid to be taken on an expedition into The Darklands. Unfortunately, her naivety and poor choice of expedition led to everyone being captured by a dark raid and imprisoned. Refusing to be left to starve, she horrified the other survivors by consuming the flesh of one of their number who had died. This attracted the attention of the demon lord, who, enraptured by her beauty took her as his wife and on their wedding night, literally offered his bride his heart of magma. In seducing and taking him to the heights of ecstasy, she took his power and his ‘Black Halo’. Since then, despite many suitors and many rivals, she has seduced and consumed them in order to protect her position and make herself more powerful. There remains though, a void in her that she cannot fill, even as she continues to slake her desires. Although scholars have identified who the young noble woman who became Nycta was, an injunction has been placed by the Judiciary Order on the Legislative Order to prevent it from becoming public knowledge.

Mechanically, Nycta is a Seventeenth Level Undead Demonoid. She has a Charisma of 26 and her standard include include using Heartrender, a whip that inflicts more damage on those she has Charmed; blowing a ‘Kiss of Surrender’, that if the recipient fails the saving throw, forces him to drop his weapons and divest himself of both armour and all combat gear, before going on in subsequent rounds to extoll his allies to do the same; and with ‘Insatiable Hunger’, drain the Hit Points from the willing and the Charmed to keep for herself or her allies. Her ‘Damsel in Distress’ Reaction calls on a Charmed ally to rush to her defence. Her Abilities consist of ‘Thief of Hearts’, which makes it harder for those charmed by her to break that charm and ferociously compete for her attention; as the ‘Foil of Hearts’, appear as an innocent maiden to the pure of heart, making it hard for them to attack her; ‘Destiny Consumed’ turns her followers into zealots who gain attacks of opportunity if anyone attacks her; her ‘Innate Spellcasting means that amongst other spells, she can cast Charm Person at will; and her Crown of Voracity hungers for what desires lie in the hearts of men, forcing those nearby to attempt to fulfil them and even forces those who fight near it to swap their allegiances!
Nycta also has the Legendary Actions of Charm Person (though she can already cast this at will, so…), ‘Foerender’, which enables her to swing her whip, Heartrender, in a thirty foot radius, and ‘Voracious Command’ that gives her allies an extra action or move. As her lair actions, her very presence can drive the residents of the city to her location, drunk on desire and impulsiveness, call ruination black warriors and then an alastor knight to her, and raise a cloud of the ethereal dust that covers the city into the air causing any charmed creature in the cloud to randomly attack someone else! Last she has Dark Endowments. The Major Endowments grant advantage on saving throws against being charmed—except by Nycta, the ability to cast Charm Person three times a day, and the temporary ability to steal the appearance of someone they have charmed. The Minor Endowments make them permanently charmed by Nycta, increase two attribute scores, and grants them a Dark Spark when they complete one of her commands.
All ten of the Dark Saints are given a similar and as powerful a treatment, from Acheron, the Dark Saint of Corruption and Asmodae, the Dark Saint of Void to Sagha, the Dark Saint of Fear, and Varna, the Dark Saint of Madness. These are all major NPCs and thus significant challenges for the Player Characters to overcome and Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist makes clear that they sit atop a very simple hierarchy in the realm of Darkness—might makes right. And that percolates all the way down to the bottom. The supplement provides several ways in which to populate this hierarchy. One is to add a template like ‘Hollows’ or ‘Umbrus’ to an existing creature, another to use the extra creatures given in the supplement. These range from the ‘Yormoth’, the most common creature, known as ‘flesh hunters’, in the Darklands to the ‘Wandering Qualms’, former ordinary men and creatures whose regrets and shame ate them from within and turned into masses of stings and tentacles bound in iron. They also include the Guardians of the 2nd Legion, a unit so brave and so stubborn, that when they were recognised by the Dark Saint of Vengeance, they had to be resurrected through their armour, so worn were their bodies. With the legs of a carnivorous bird, the body of a wolf, and wings of bats, the Septigore is the major flying predator in the Darklands, flying in packs form buildings and caves big enough to accommodate their flock. They are often fielded as aerial guards or scouts. The Ruinetarians are the natives of the Darklands, the descendants of those who did not flee to the Penumbra in the wake of the Ruination, but survived enslavement and subjugation. They have advantage on Stealth rolls and can see in darkness as if it were daylight, but are sensitive to sunlight. None of the monsters in Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist is below Tenth Level and all of them are challenging opponents.
Lastly, Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist discusses a means in which any one of its Dark Saints could be in a campaign. This is as a nemesis for one or more the Player Characters, who can be introduced at the start of a campaign, as part of the ongoing play, through the nemesis itself deciding that the Player Characters are his enemy—either from their actions or their fame, or simply player choice. Once introduced, they can be used to enhance the theme of a campaign and develop drama via the ‘Nemesis System’. The relationship between the Player Characters and a nemesis is measured in Edge and who has it. Effectively, this is the narrative advantage that one side has over the other, gained through scoring victories, learning information, and so on, that will push the story on to the next Challenge or episode in the campaign. Only one side can have the Edge and it can only be used once before the turn of events might mean that the Player Characters overcome a Challenge and regain the Edge over their nemesis, or they fail and the nemesis gains it. In play, it is spent by the players to advance the narrative, for example, finding a map showing all of the entrances to a fortress where the nemesis is holding some of the Player Characters family hostage or a captured prisoner is willing to reveal information in return for help. The players take it in turn to spend their characters’ Edge and the Game Master then incorporates their suggestions, if not necessarily their desired outcome of those suggestions, into the campaign.
What the nemesis can do when it has the Edge is less clearly defined, but what it can do is overcome minor challenges in going after the Player Characters. If the Player Character take too long in using their Edge, they can lose it to their nemesis. Ultimately, both sides are working towards a confrontation with each other, and whilst the campaign can progress to this narratively, it is possible to initiate a confrontation using Edge. The side which has used the most Edge will be at advantage in the ensuing confrontation. The confrontation need not be campaign-ending or result in the final defeat of one side or the other, so that it is possible to go through several cycles of Edge swapping back and forth, a confrontation taking place, and then starting again before the final, final battle. The Nemesis System is slightly lose and woolly, though far from unworkable, adding a narrative element that is not always found in Dungeons & Dragons-style roleplaying games.

Physically, Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist is a dark, grim-looking book as befits the setting. The artwork is decent, but the book does need another edit.

Soulmist: A Journey from Darkness to Light introduced an interesting setting that really did not detail the nature of the threat at the heart of the game. Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist does that, showcasing the monsters and other horrors, including their vile leaders, to be found within the Darklands. Any one of the Dark Saints would be a grand threat or nemesis in a Soulmist campaign—or indeed in any other grim dark roleplaying game—and Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist supports that too with the Nemesis System. Ultimately, Darklands – A Dark Sourcebook For: Soulmist is the bestiary—the horridly dark bestiary—that Soulmist: A Journey from Darkness to Light needed.
—oOo—

Black Lantern will be at UK Games Expo which takes place on Friday, May 30th to Sunday June 1st, 2025.

In the mile-high tower of the Spire, the Aelfir—the High Elves—enjoy lives of extreme luxury, waited upon by the Destra—the Drow—whom they have subjugated and continue to oppress the criminal revolutionaries that would rise up and overthrow them. In the City Beneath, where heretical churches have found the freedom to worship their forbidden gods and organised crime to operate the drug farms that supply the needs of the Spire above, the Aelfir find themselves free of conformity, the Destra free of repression. They are joined by Gnolls and Humans. Some simply live free of the stifling Aelfir control, whether by means lawful or unlawful, others are driven to beyond the Undercity, delving ever deeper into the bowels of the world in search of the fabled Heart, or perhaps their heart’s desire. There are also those who use the Undercity as a sanctuary, as a base of operations, from which they lead the rebellion against the Aelfir. They are members of the Ministry of Our Hidden Mistress, both a faith and a revolutionary movement, and outlawed for both reasons. As the Ministry of Our Hidden Mistress foments and funds rebellion and unrest in the Spire above, it sends cells of its black ops paramilitary wing, Throne Division, scurrying up the Spire to conduct assassinations, acts of sabotage and blackmail, abductions, extractions, and more. The City Beneath then, is a home to many, sanctuary to some, a base of operations to others, a stepping stone to elsewhere for a few, and a thorn in the side for even fewer. What though, would happen if the City Underneath was threatened from somewhere else, perhaps a means of escape?
Doors to Elsewhere is a supplement for Heart: The City Beneath, a roleplaying game that explores the horror, tragedies, and consequences of delving too deep into dungeons. Published by Rowan, Rook, and Decard Ltd., like the other supplements for Heart: The City Beneath—Sanctum, Vermissian Black Ops, and Burned and Broken—it explores other ways in which to roleplay in its world underneath. Where it differs is that it actually takes the Player Characters away from the City to explore another place and from there, potentially, whole new dimensions. This opportunity comes when dozens of doors that were not there before suddenly appear and open. On the other side is a strange land between the dimensions. This is the City Elsewhere, home to untold numbers of people, who live in buildings that reach four or five storeys into the sky, the upper levels connected by wrought iron bridges, their homes connected to markets and workshops by warrens of alleys and streets. By day, the vast city is a blaze of colour, noise, and light, but at night, only the light remains, fizzing and fizzling in the streetlights that provide sanctuaries against the dark. And such sanctuaries are needed, for no one walks the streets voluntarily now. Between the light of the lamps and darkness beyond, there is no shadow, there is only a darkness that is home to the Interstitials, pools of liquid darkness that smell of curdled milk whose mandibles click at locks to unpick them, whose claws clack on the cobbles and so make you realise that your companions number more than you can count, and who want to eat you and spread the darkness. They abhor the light and something or someone is stealing the Power Crystals that fuel the lights of the City Elsewhere. Citizens of Elsewhere remain inside and lock their doors at night, but many have begun fleeing the city, leaving via the many passageways that lead to doors to other dimensions—and that includes the City Beneath. Can the City Beneath provide them with sanctuary as it does others, or now that the doors are open, will the Interstitials follow and bring their eternal death and darkness with them?

This is a campaign framework which begins in the City Beneath rather than away from it as do the other supplements for Heart: The City Beneath. Its set-up presents an immediately intriguing mystery, one almost on the Player Characters’ doorstep. The framework really consists of that beginning and its possible endings, leaving what happens in between in the hands of the Game Master and her players. This includes the culprits behind the theft of the Power Crystals, Doors to Elsewhere suggesting multiple options, some of whom might be surprisingly close to home for the Player Characters. After that, it explores the nature of the City Elsewhere, the main factions in the city and their notable personalities, various locations or landmarks that the Player Characters might visit, the dimensions that the Player Characters might find themselves in if they take a wrong turn, and a set of tables for bringing the City Elsewhere and its inhabitants to life.
Some of the flavour of the difference of the City Elsewhere comes through in the small details. For example, one possible door from the City Beneath to the City Elsewhere is described as a corpse, slumped over, through coral has blossomed to form a doorway, whilst potential means of overcoming the language barrier is solved by everyone smoking from the same hookah to temporarily understand each other or a book, when handed to the Player Characters by an NPC, reveals in exact detail, the conversation they would have if they spoke the same language. At the Crowdswallow Market—where the bustling crowds over seven streets never quite seem to buy anything, the Player Characters might want to buy a Fighting-Rope, since bloodshed is forbidden in the City Elsewhere or a Light Bomb, as it is one of the few things that harms the Interstitials. Other locations include the Café De L’Autre Monde, which always remains a café no what happens in the City Elsewhere and serves a delightful menu of cakes; the Desert Maiden, a ship lost at sea that crash-landed atop an artist’s workshop and become a bar; and the Street of Doors, the City Elsewhere’s central street lined with stable doors to other dimensions, allowing travel to and from Approved Realms—if the toll is paid, of course.
The City Elsewhere’s major factions include the City itself and only the one guild, the Guild of Cartographers, which seeks to catalogue and control every portal. Surprisingly, the Vermissian Collective has a presence in the City Elsewhere. The group of scholars and explorers who map and examine the transport network which runs up and down the Spire to the City Beneath and beyond, maintains an embassy in the City Elsewhere. It has become much busier since the doors to the City Elsewhere began opening. Not all of the factions are happy to see the Doors open. The Hounds—or the Glorious 33rd—are dedicated to finding every door, closing the ones they can, and boobytrapping the ones they cannot.
Doors to Elsewhere also has discussion on ‘Dimensional Theory’ and descriptions of some of the major dimensions that have multiple, stable links to the City Elsewhere, along with several minor ones that are harder to reach. A favourite from the latter is ‘The Place Where Cats Go When No-One’s Watching’, a constant twilight labyrinth of rooftops, alleys, airing cupboards, bins with fish in, and more, that all cats can access if nobody is watching. Sadly, non-cats are not allowed and to them it is anything other than a feline paradise. The SS Freebird is ship that sails on the aether between dimensions, the collective of shamans, magi, fringe scientists, de-frocked priests, and occult oddities that make up its crew working to maintain and improve their vessel when not docking at other dimensions and partying hard—really hard!
Rounding out Doors to Elsewhere is a list of the (story) beats—minor, major, and zenith—that the Player Characters can hit whilst in the City Elsewhere and the advances available. There is some advice on how running as different a campaign in the City Elsewhere compared to the City Beneath, but it is relatively light. It is backed up with a set of random tables for creating details in play at the table.

Physically, Doors to Elsewhere is a slim, very well-presented book. It is lightly illustrated, but the artwork is excellent and the book is easy to read and understand.

Much as with Sanctum, Vermissian Black Ops, and Burned and Broken before it, Doors to Elsewhere presents a different campaign focus and set-up for Heart: The City Beneath. In fact, a very different campaign focus and set-up for Heart: The City Beneath, one with an external rather than an internal focus. It enables to the Player Characters to explore and contrast their existence in the City Beneath with the City Elsewhere and beyond, but as much as it is filled with lovely little details and intriguing secrets as you would expect for a supplement for Heart: The City Beneath, ultimately, Doors to Elsewhere does feel like an outlier.

—oOo—
Rowan, Rook, and Decard Ltd. will be at UK Games Expo which takes place on Friday, May 30th to Sunday June 1st, 2025.

The Hum has been heard for weeks now, a near-constant source of pain that has been affecting the tribe’s hearing-sensitive mutants and manimals and impeding their ability to invoke their divine gifts. The leaders of the tribe sent out parties of its young Seekers to locate the source and whilst they failed to find it, what one Seeker learned revealed an even bigger threat to the tribe. Her party was ambushed by a gang of Ascended Ones—a violent sect of three-eyed mutants who believe that Pure strain humans were responsible for the destruction of the planet and bringing about Terra A.D. She learned from them that the Ascended Ones were on a quest of their own, to find The Temple of Mutant Alpha: the first known mutant on Terra A.D. or ‘Terra After Disaster’. Does The Temple of Mutant Alpha really exist? If so, if the Ascended Ones find it, there can be no doubt that they will turn it into a site of holy pilgrimage that will further their aims. In response, a stronger and more experienced party of Seekers is to follow up on the information. This is the set-up for Mutant Crawl Classics #15: The Mutant Menace of Lab 47, the fifteenth release for Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game – Triumph & Technology Won by Mutants & Magic, the spiritual successor to Gamma World published by Goodman Games. It is designed for Third Level Player Characters and will take deep into the history of Terra A.D. to reveal some of its secrets with a big dose of Area 51-style ufology thrown in.

Mutant Crawl Classics #15: The Mutant Menace of Lab 47 begins with Player Characters near the source of the Hum in the glow desert, an oasis of the Ancients. After some exploration of what are nearby tourist facilities a la Rachel, Nevada (the nearest settlement to Area 51), the Player Characters can break into the facility, which reveals itself through notices and announcements to be the Trevino Research Base. There is some knowing fun to be had here, since the adventure assumes that any Player Characters of the Shaman Class or of sufficient Intelligence will know the Ancient Tongue. This means that the players will quickly grasp what is going on at the facility, but their characters will not, effectively adding an element of metaplay as the players have their characters explore the facility in search of conformation of what they know and their characters can understand. The adventure also emphasises classic Gamma World-style play in which obtaining the correctly collared com-badges will allow the Player Characters access to different areas of the facility. Alternatively, the Player Characters can use brute force or Security Systems checks of various difficulties, but the simplest and easiest method of exploring the facilities is to find and use the com-badges.

What the Player Characters find in the Trevino Research Base are clear signs that the Ancients obtained—from a place called ‘Glossop’—alien technology and survivors that scientists were conducting research on, including gene research. Plus, the results of the research may well indeed, have led to the creation of the first Mutant. This research was kept well hidden from the outside world, although of course, conspiracy theorists and UFOlogists thought otherwise, hence the UFO-themed tourist facilities outside of the base. The Player Characters do have plenty of opportunity to learn about this research and even conduct a little of it themselves, but perhaps the most entertaining part of the scenario is the fact that they discover living results of that research begun long ago that will trigger their parental instincts. Consequently, the latter half of the scenario is likely to consist of the Player Characters exploring the rest of the Trevino Research Base whilst caring for squalling, wailing, defecating babies! Although their players will have been alerted much earlier in the scenario, eventually their characters will discover that the base’s self-destruct system has been triggered and they will need to find a way to deactivate it. The scenario ends in a genre classic showdown t the bottom of a missile silo!

In addition, Mutant Crawl Classics #15: The Mutant Menace of Lab 47 suggests some possible sequels if the Player Characters survive the scenario and three appendices. One details the various artefacts that the Player Characters can find in the scenario and make use of, such as the Biomesh Com-Badge Jumpsuit—colour-coded, of course, Illuma-Drones for lighting, and NuEarz, jaunty, animal-shaped hearing devices with various modes, some of them useful. The others describe the new monsters in the scenario and the new Mutation, ‘Binary Voice’, similar to Achroma’s Artificial Intelligence Hack, but without the need to bond with the A.I.

Physically, behind a very suggestive cover, complete with a metallic logo, Mutant Crawl Classics #15: The Mutant Menace of Lab 47 is cleanly and tidily laid out, clearly written, and decently illustrated. The maps are decent too, although a little scratchy towards the end.

Mutant Crawl Classics #15: The Mutant Menace of Lab 47 is a short adventure with an emphasis on exploration and combat. As with other scenarios for Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game – Triumph & Technology Won by Mutants & Magic, it is self-contained, but with plot strands to develop, and so is easy to add to a Judge’s campaign. Overall, Mutant Crawl Classics #15: The Mutant Menace of Lab 47 is solid and entertaining.
—oOo—

Goodman Games will be at UK Games Expofrom Friday 30th May to Sunday June 1st, 2025.

 Yeah, I said I wasn't going to do many more of these, but here we are. Though this week has some real treats and none of them really need my help.

Wandering Blades

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tonyatplusoneexp/wandering-blades?ref=theotherside

Daniel Kwan , of the Asians Represent! podcast and many RPG books, is doing something I have been wanting him to do for a while now: make a Wuxia action RPG. This one also combines that with Japanese Animation action, so yeah, I am looking forward to it. 

Just three weeks left on this one and I am looking forward to seeing it hit more stretch goals.

The Necromancer's Game: A Complete Boxed Set

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/necromancergames/the-necromancers-game?ref=theotherside

I certainly don't *need* this game, but I rather like the looks of it. I am sure it will be fun.

Heroes of Might and Magic TTRPG

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lmpublishing/heroes-of-might-and-magic-ttrpg?ref=theotherside

From Mōdiphiüs and based on Heroes of Might and Magic video games. This one should also be fun. And they have a native Witch class, so you know that has my attention!

OSRIC 3

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mythmere-games/osric-3?ref=theotherside

Ah. The big one. This game caused quite a stir on the old Open Gaming Foundation lists back in the day. It would go on to be one of the biggest names in the OSR scene.

All three aim to give you a similar experience. All three are currently killing it in their respective crowdfunding campaigns. 

I am sure there is something here for you all. 

This one is partly a "Witchcraft Wednesday" post and partly "In Search Of..." and a whole lot its own thing.

For the last couple of years, I have been rereading all almost all the books listed in Gary Gygax's Appendix N. 

In case you don't have your DMG handy, here is the list.

Anderson, Poul. Three Hearts and Three Lions; The High Crusade; The Broken Sword
Bellairs, John. The Face in the Frost
Brackett, Leigh.
Brown, Fredric.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice, Pellucidar series; Mars series; Venus series
Carter, Lin. "World's End" series
de Camp, L. Sprague. Lest Darkness Fall; Fallible Fiend; et al.
de Camp & Pratt. "Harold Shea" series; Carnelian Cube
Derleth, August.
Dunsany, Lord.
Farmer, P. J. "The World of the Tiers" series; et al.
Fox, Gardner. "Kothar" series; "Kyrik" series; et al.
Howard, R. E. "Conan" series
Lanier, Sterling. Hiero’s Journey
Leiber, Fritz. "Fafhrd & Gray Mouser" series; et al.
Lovecraft, H. P.
Merritt, A. Creep, Shadow, Creep; Moon Pool; Dwellers in the Mirage; et al.
Moorcock, Michael. Stormbringer; Stealer of Souls; "Hawkmoon" series (esp. the first three books)
Norton, Andre.
Offutt, Andrew J., editor. Swords Against Darkness III.
Pratt, Fletcher. Blue Star; et al.
St. Clair, Margaret. The Shadow People; Sign of the Labrys
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit; "Ring Trilogy"
Vance, Jack. The Eyes of the Overworld; The Dying Earth; et al.
Weinbaum, Stanley.
Wellman, Manly Wade.
Williamson, Jack.
Zelazny, Roger. Jack of Shadows; "Amber" series; et al.

This is not the first time I have talked about this list, but this series is likely going to be the most in-depth.

I talked about "Reading Appendix N" and what books I have added to it. My own "Appendix O" of occult and other supernatural-type books that have influenced my own games. I have that page linked under the banner for this blog. And last year, I mentioned I was getting started on this project.

With this new feature I want to go back to these books and talk about the witches who have appeared in them.  I am not going to talk about every book. I am not going to talk about every witch, even. Just the ones that spoke to me. 

There are many ways to do this, but I'll just jump in and go with the ones I remember the best and work around that.

Tolkien, J. R. R. 

Let's start with the heaviest hitter on the list. I should not have to explain the level of influence Tolkien had on D&D to anyone reading here. So let go past that and on to the topic at hand.

Where are Tolkien's witches?

Well, they are there, if you don't mind squinting a little. 

The Necromancer. This guy shows up in The Hobbit and is the reason the Dwarves have to go through Mirkwood instead of around it. Now we know that this guy was later retconned to be Sauron in The Lord of the Rings Lore. But for a moment, for me, before reading The Lord of the Rings, I had *ideas* about who or what The Necromancer was. So much so that "the Necromancer" has become a consistent villain in many of my games, D&D and others. 

But he is not really a witch is he? Reading The Silmarillion, Sauron certainly has aspects of a witch or a necromancer, including the ability to turn into a large vampire bat. 

Witch-king of Angmar. Now this guy has "witch" in his name. He is introduced in the Lord of the Rings and he is the captain of the Nazgûl. We is set up to be the counterparts to Gandalf in many respects (but not "overmatched") and Aragorn, but he is not a Wizard. Are there differences between Wizards (immortal) and Witches (mortal)? Maybe. He could be called "witch" because of the parallels with his fate and what Shakespeare writes in Hamlet; "No Man may slay me." "Not of Woman born." 

He is interesting, for certain. But is he a witch? Reading some of Tolkien's letters it would also seem that the Witch King was associated with necromancy.

Galadriel. Sometimes referred to as a "witch" of the Elven woods, Galadriel is not exactly a witch, but she isn't not not exactly one either. What do we know about her that is witch-like? She has magic. She has her pool where she can see things beyond time and space. She acts as a guide to Frodo, a role similar to that of Circe or Calypso. She is one of the wise. Or even one of Wise. If you can catch my meaning of the difference there. She gave out magical gifts as well. The Phial of Galadriel, the dirt she gave to Sam, the "cloaks of elvenkind," and even her hair had magic. Just ask Fëanor.

In Peter Jackson's movies, ok not a perfect source, but bear with me, her witch-like qualities are even more pronounced. 

Is she a witch? Not really...her powers are due to being a really old, really powerful elf. Though we don't see anyone else doing this.

Melian and Lúthien. On the topic of elves, I have to mention Lúthien (elf) and her mother Melian (Maia). Melian was a Maia, so the same as Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast. Pretty much every power she has screams "witch." She could cast enchantments, magic "circles" of protection ("Girdle of Melian"), and while she was of the Light, she loved the Shadows. 

Lúthien Tinúviel was by every account a complete bas ass. I mean she was not out there defeating armies or slaying ancient evils. But she was powerful. When Morgoth had stolen the Silmaril her lover Beren (a human man) went to go get them to prove his love. He got captured. Not taking this lying down, Lúthien rides Huan, the Hound of Valinor. Confronts Sauron while he is in the form a great vampire bat, breaks into Morgoth's stronghold, sings everyone to sleep, saves Beren and gets a Silmaril from his iron cown. She later dies, comes back to life, and then goes off to the West.

She might not explicitly be a witch, but I think she should get honorable mention.

Hobbits. Wait, what? Ok, hear me out on this one. How does Tolkien describe hobbits?

Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more numerous formerly than they are today; for they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt. They do not and did not understand or like machines more complicated than a forge-bellows, a water-mill, or a hand-loom, though they were skilful with tools. Even in ancient days they were, as a rule, shy of ‘the Big Folk’, as they call us, and now they avoid us with dismay and are becoming hard to find.

- Concerning Hobbits, The Hobbit

Sounds rather Pagan to me, and their magic sounds very much like Hedge Witchcraft. Hobbits are supposed to be the "everyman," the sensible Englishman/Englishwoman, the everyday folk. The same people were talked about by Gerald Gardner when he was creating Wicca. I am NOT trying to draw a connection between Tolkien and Gardner. Tolkien was one of the greatest authors ever to draw from his Christian upbringing, and you can find evidence of it in all his works. But their heroes are the same people.  In my games, halflings are completely pagan in their lifestyle and practices. I even say in my The Witch that every halfling village has a witch, and she is seen as a source of wisdom. 

I am currently reading "The Fall of Gondolin," which was one of the reasons I picked Tolkien for today. It is interesting on how much closer to Old English faerie lore Tolkien's work started out as. The Noldor were originally gnomes, and their name comes from gnomes and gnōsis. Though he later abandoned this idea. This also happened with his idea of "Fairy." Though there is still a reference to that in The Hobbit with one of Bilbo's ancestors described as a fairy, and the rather frivolous elves in Rivendell.  

Letters and Other Details

We know from Tolkien's letters that he envisioned two types of magic in Middle-earth, using the Greek words μαγεία (mageia "ordinary magic") and γοητεία (goeteia, "witchcraft"). While there are some good-evil connotations, Tolkien points out that Elves use "witchcraft." Hmm. Maybe Galadriel is a witch.

I think one thing is overly clear and that is magic has a price. Abusing it leads to evil and corruption.  It would have been interesting to see this difference in magic played out a little more in his works, I think.

There are more examples, but these are good enough for me for now. 

While I could dive more into his letters, other books and even other RPGs about Middle Earth, I think a rule I should establish for myself is to limit these posts just to the books mentioned. With the occasional step outside. For example I can't imagine talking about Fritz Leiber and not mentioning "The Conjure Wife."

Maybe Leiber will be my next post.

 I am sure if you have spent any time on the internet, you have seen a meme that has had you scratching your head in utter confusion. This is one of those times. 

Now, to be fair. This looks like someone was having a bit of a laugh. "Satin," "Syantasts," yeah you should read this and naturally think that no one is going to believe that.

Well. You would be wrong.

I have seen people sharing this unironically and even posting stuff like "I have read about ecneics..." or my favorite "I have done my research into ecneics..." The fuck you have.

So if they can have their laugh, so can I.

The Ecneics Wand

Wondrous Item

In the hands of a Left-Hand Path, Mara, or a Pagan witch, this wand can be used to focus their spell casting, granting a +2 penalty to saving throws against that witch's spells. If the target of the spell is a Lawful (good) Cleric, then the penalty is +3.

Additionally, any magic circles created by the Ecneics Wand also grants an appropriate ± 2 or ± 10% bonus where appropriate to the witch or ±2/10% penalty to anyone needing to save vs spells due to the witch's magic. This is particularly helpful when used to summon demons, devils or other spirits.

There is a Greater Ecneics Wand that in addition to above powers can also summon a Lithobolia once per day. 

Witch Finders can recognize the Ecneics Wand on sight and will act accordingly.

 

 A while back, there were three games called Night Shift. There was ours, NIGHT SHIFT Veterans of the Supernatural Wars. Another RPG, which became Nightbound when they discovered our trademarked name. And another, a board game about exotic dancers.  I already had Nightbound, and last week Nightshift came in the mail.

The box and contents are great. High-quality material with a really sturdy game board. Rules are fun and easy to learn. Exotic Cancer also lets you have the rules for free.  There is even a "How to Play" video.

The game pieces are your characters in the game. Each has their own personality, advantages, and goals.  You can meet them all here: Ruby, Topaz, Emerald, Sapphire, and Amethyst.

The minis are a bit taller than your average D&D mini. Reminds me of that couch meme. Just don't spill my coffee, ladies.

I can't help but think this would be a perfect representation of my own Mayfair's Gentlemen's Club from our NIGHT SHIFT.

It would work more or less exactly the same way. Only my version the dancers are all demons, vampires, and fae creatures. Amethyst is certainly a vampire. Topaz is fae. Sapphire is some sort of daimon or spirit of gnosis. Emerald is a demon. And Ruby? Ruby is human. The fact she can hold her own may make her the most mysterious of all!

But the game is great and the creator, Exotic Cancer, knows her stuff. This is another example of Kickstarter working out fantastically. 

Yes. There will be a Plays Well With Others post for all the Night Shifts! Maybe I can grab Exotic Cancer's Tarot set for it. 

You can find this game and the designer here:

• Night Shift Game
• Exotic Cancer site
• Instagram
• Patreon
• Twitter/X

 Today is Cino de Mayo! Which is ... well, nothing really. It is a made-up holiday (ok, all holidays are made up). It is not Mexican Independence Day; that is September 16th. Celebrates the Mexican victory over the 2nd French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 (see below). Also around here in Chicagoland it is a great excuse for some Mexican food (and we have some great choices here) and have people drive around with Mexican flags on their cars and trucks. It's a lot of fun really. 

It is also a good day to feature one of my favorite Latin American Cryptids, the Chupacabras or Chupacabra. 

Chupacabra

Small Beast, Very Rare

Armor Class: 8 [11]
Hit Dice: 3d8 (16 )
Move:  90’ (30’)
  fly*: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 2 claws, 1 bite + drain
Damage: 1d4 x2, 1d3
Special: Blood drain, darkvision, enhanced senses (smell)
To Hit AC 0: 16
No. Appearing: 1d2 (1d6)
Save As: Monster 3?
Morale: 6 (8)
Treasure Type: None
Alignment: Neutral (True Neutral)
XP Value: 75

Languages: None

S: 11 I: 10 W: 10 D: 15 C: 15 Ch: 8 

Chupacabras are small reptilian creatures with large yellow eyes, long claws, and long teeth.  They remind one of a large, upright lizard about the size and weight of a gnome.  They have spines running down the length of their back.  Some chupacabras have wings and are capable of flight.

Chupacabras are nocturnal creatures found on the fringes of society where they feed on the blood of livestock, typically goats and sheep.  They are not above attacking large prey and will even attack a humanoid if they can get the surprise.  Their attacks are often thought at first to be wolves or wild dogs until it is discovered that all victims have been drained of blood.  Then, usually, vampires are blamed.

If the chupacabra makes two successful claw attacks and a bite attack, it is attached to its victim and begins to drain blood at the rate of 1d3 Constitution points per round, starting on the round it is attached.  The victim will need to make a strength check (roll under their strength score) to free themselves.  If the chupacabra takes more than 10 points of damage in a round, it will let go.  If the victim is drained to 0 Constitution, they will die.  Constitution can be regained at a rate of 1 point per week of complete bed rest or via a Clerical Restoration spell.

Chupacabras take no treasure and have no interest in weapons or magic.  A nest of chupacabras will have two adults, 2 juveniles and 1d6 unhatched eggs.  Unhatched chupacabra eggs will sell for 100 gp each or up to 500 gp in some areas (100 gp + 1d8 x50gp).

--

Given the successes (so far!) of my recent Myths & Monsters Vol. 3 - Lilith & Lilim (1st Ed) and Monstrous Maleficarum #4 - Lilith & the Lilim (5th Ed) I am thinking a volume on cryptids might work out well.

On the tail of Old School Renaissance has come another movement—the rise of the fanzine. Although the fanzine—a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon, got its start in Science Fiction fandom, in the gaming hobby it first started with Chess and Diplomacy fanzines before finding fertile ground in the roleplaying hobby in the 1970s. Here these amateurish publications allowed the hobby a public space for two things. First, they were somewhere that the hobby could voice opinions and ideas that lay outside those of a game’s publisher. Second, in the Golden Age of roleplaying when the Dungeon Masters were expected to create their own settings and adventures, they also provided a rough and ready source of support for the game of your choice. Many also served as vehicles for the fanzine editor’s house campaign and thus they showcased how another DM and group played said game. This would often change over time if a fanzine accepted submissions. Initially, fanzines were primarily dedicated to the big three RPGs of the 1970s—Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller—but fanzines have appeared dedicated to other RPGs since, some of which helped keep a game popular in the face of no official support.

Since 2008 with the publication of Fight On #1, the Old School Renaissance has had its own fanzines. The advantage of the Old School Renaissance is that the various Retroclones draw from the same source and thus one Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG is compatible with another. This means that the contents of one fanzine will be compatible with the Retroclone that you already run and play even if not specifically written for it. Labyrinth Lord and Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay have proved to be popular choices to base fanzines around, as has Swords & Wizardry and the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game from Goodman Games. Some of these fanzines provide fantasy support for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game, but others explore other genres for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game. One such fanzine is Legends of Uganda.
Legends of Uganda Issue #2 was published in August 2024 for Gen Con. Published by Sanctum Media, this a collection of lore and legends from the Republic of Uganda following on from Legends of Uganda Issue #1 the previous year. Written by Ugandan game designer Ashraf Braden, it expands upon the content of the first issue with more patrons, magic, and more. The patrons begin with ‘Bihogo, Patron of Cattle’, the Queen of Cattle associated with the fall of Ankole, the second largest of Uganda’s kingdoms. Her adherents are sworn to protect their herds and eat no beef, and when invoking her, her gifts include Horns of the Ankole, which gives an adherent nasty horns that can be used in combat, or the Milk of Bihogo, which the adherent weeps and has healing properties. The second of the Patrons is ‘Musoke, Worm of the Rains’. It is important to the Baganda tribe which favours small gods and spirits, and so Musoke appears as a humble-sized caterpillar who can be called upon at the end of a drought to bring rain. When this happens, he will often appear as a rainbow. His patron effects are all rain related. The description of also includes the Children of Musoke, a ‘Rain Elemental’, and a Third Level Patron Spell, Kaharas Deluge, which transforms the caster’s body into a living rainstorm. The third Patron is ‘Lubowa’, the master of the land and the way in which people live upon, who is so powerful that he is only called upon crimes such as murder, witchcraft, and similar need to be adjudicated and settled. His patron effects enhance investigation, find hidden truths, and so on. Lubowa often manifests as soot, so his ‘Soot Elementals’ embody his swift judgement and consuming wrath.

The ‘Ndyamuhaki’ is the primary monster detailed in the fanzine. It is a trickster spirit, that can be turned by the Cleric, but is primarily known for its ability to shapeshift—including beast, bird, humanoid, mist, and shadow, and its curses. These are nasty. They include ‘Curse of Half-Sight’, which affects several victims, forcing them to pluck one of their eyes out! The other is ‘Curse of the Wandering Fool’, which is not cast by the Ndyamuhaki, but parents or elders upon their wayward children, imposing a penalty to both Luck and all navigation checks until they return home, apologise, and admit the error of their ways.
In comparison to Legends of Uganda Issue #1, there is less content in Legends of Uganda Issue #2. The content is not only decent, but interesting. The backgrounds to all of the entries are very good, but the case of the three Patrons, they do feel as if there should be more to them. Some do have spells and associated monsters, but not all. There is no discussion or development of how the Player Characters might relate to them, or as a Wizard or a Cleric, what spells they take to adhere to the strictures of their patron. This is the core problem with the issue, the lack of game development in terms of application. So, no hooks or adventure seeds, no suggested spell lists, and so on. It means that the content of Legends of Uganda Issue #2 is harder to use.
Physically, Legends of Uganda Issue #2 is a plain, simple affair. The artwork is black and white, consisting of what looks like traditional depictions of the various entities described in its pages.
Like its predecessor, Legends of Uganda Issue #2 really is a fascinating read, an opportunity to read about the monsters and legends of another country and not only that, but have them translated into game terms—and all that by an indigenous author. Yet the content, as interesting as it is, it is not as developed or as supported as it could have been to best help the Judge—who will really have her work cut out to get the best out of Legends of Uganda Issue #2.

On the tail of the Old School Renaissance has come another movement—the rise of the fanzine. Although the fanzine—a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon, got its start in Science Fiction fandom, in the gaming hobby it first started with Chess and Diplomacy fanzines before finding fertile ground in the roleplaying hobby in the 1970s. Here these amateurish publications allowed the hobby a public space for two things. First, they were somewhere that the hobby could voice opinions and ideas that lay outside those of a game’s publisher. Second, in the Golden Age of roleplaying when the Dungeon Masters were expected to create their own settings and adventures, they also provided a rough and ready source of support for the game of your choice. Many also served as vehicles for the fanzine editor’s house campaign and thus they showed another Dungeon Master and group played said game. This would often change over time if a fanzine accepted submissions. Initially, fanzines were primarily dedicated to the big three RPGs of the 1970s—Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller—but fanzines have appeared dedicated to other RPGs since, some of which helped keep a game popular in the face of no official support.

Since 2008 with the publication of Fight On #1, the Old School Renaissance has had its own fanzines. The advantage of the Old School Renaissance is that the various Retroclones draw from the same source and thus one Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG is compatible with another. This means that the contents of one fanzine will be compatible with the Retroclone that you already run and play even if not specifically written for it. Labyrinth Lord and Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay have proved to be popular choices to base fanzines around, as has Swords & Wizardry. A more recent Old School Renaissance-style roleplaying game which right from the start of its appearance started being supported by fanzines, is ShadowDark, published by The Arcane Library. ShadowFolk is one such fanzine.

ShadowFolk Issue One was published by This Is The Weird in April, 2025. It describes itself as an ‘Obscure Folklore Toolbox’ and the first issue is inspired both Ukrainian and Slavic Myth, but has the feel of cosmic horror. It is broken down into three sections, ‘Player Tools’, ‘GM Tools’, and ‘Hex Tools’, but much of the content in ShadowFolk Issue One is actually connected.

The ‘Player Tools’ offers two new Classes. The ‘Kazhennik’ is a member of a species that originated on a strange world of crystallized wood and strange cosmic winds, now lost to them. They have crystalised skin for slightly higher Armour Class, wield a weapon of crystalised wood that inflicts greater damage, and can summon a strange bluish-purple wind that works as a Feather Fall spell. Their strangeness affects others and themselves, such that they avoid civilisation in favour of nature. They give a Close ally a bonus to any roll, but the Kazhennik suffers a penalty when this happens. The other Class is the ‘Netlenne’, a survivalist who can use some nature magic. They have been blessed by nature deities and by teenagers eyes of white orbs and amber colored hair. They loathe reptiles of any kind and at advantage when attacking them, and also have advantage for all nature-related rolls. Their major ability is that they can cast the Shapechange spell to change into any non-reptile creature. They can learn nature-related spells, but not often.

These are odd Classes, outsiders and suitable for campaigns away from urban areas. Mechanically though, what marks them out as different is that they are not Classes that can be taken in addition to an Ancestry. Instead, what they do, much like Basic Dungeons & Dragons did ‘Race as Class’ rather than ‘Race and Class’, is ‘Ancestry as Class’. ShadowFolk Issue One suggests two ways in which this can be done with the Ancestries presented in ShadowDark. One is a hybrid between the Ancestry and the Class in which the Player Characters gains the benefits of another selected every other Level, whilst the other is more of a hodgepodge method that needs some adjustment to the Talent Charts to work with any ease. Both are detailed in ‘Ancestry As Class (AAC)’ in the appendix at the end of the issue.

The ‘GM Tools’ consist of several connected monsters. ‘The Gentleman’ is a dapper demon who who helps forge alliances and agreements between the unlikeliest of groups and deadliest of enemies that always looks so good on paper—and prove to be in the short term. Invariably they go wrong, one side—or both—is betrayed, and so on, so that the chaos of before, is even worse. The Gentleman is always accompanied by two ‘Vyrovik-apes’, undead-like, pony-sized apes that protect their master by being able to teleport between shadows and uttering soul-wrenching howls. They are also unerringly able to track any mortal who gives up his soul to their master. Such souls are transformed into ‘Vyrovik-ki’, short, pig-faced undead chaos fiends that undertake simple tasks because otherwise they can get distracted. Their entry includes a nice table of what they might do when distracted! The other servants of The Gentleman are the ‘Vyrovik-pel’, semi-corporeal winged demons that understand all languages and lurk on rooftops and in allies, collecting all manner of gossip and rumour. What the Game Master has here is suite of demons that can lurk in a city, collect rumours and information that The Gentleman can use to his advantage. The monsters could have done with a few hooks or ideas on how to implement them in a campaign, but these are reasonable tools to start with.

The ‘Hex Tools’ continue the support for the earlier content in the fanzine. ‘Korrine Village’ provides a settlement for the Kazhennik, grown from the forest floor from dead wood turned into a crystalline substance. It is more an overview, but in a page it manages to pack in a quick description of Kazhennik culture, three personalities, and a couple of hooks. There is not a great deal of detail, but it could serve as a rest stop or the home of a Kazhennik Player Character. More attention is paid to the ‘Isle of Mt. Smersh’, the home of The Gentleman from one world to the next. It is heavily mountainous, The Gentleman’s sanctuary, a castle of white obsidian sits atop the island’s highest peak and is marked with endless mazes and tunnels, the whole complex guarded by clockwork machinations and chaos fiends. It is littered with the remains and sometimes devolved descendants of civilisations that The Gentleman has manipulated into their destruction. The remainder of the island consists of thick jungle broken by standing stones, temple of the rain gods, and a silent statue that appears different to everyone who looks upon it. The Game Master will need to develop the specific sites herself to really make full use of them, although the two included monsters—the Mayan Warrior and Child of Zorro—give the island more of a Pulp action Central American feel rather than an ancient island of Chaos.

Physically, ShadowFolk Issue One is a good looking first issue. The very nice artwork contributes towards that appearance, the issue does need an edit.

ShadowFolk Issue One is an ambitious first issue, providing an interesting pair of Classes that do not fit the pattern of traditional Classes in ShadowDark, as well as a setting and a great villain that the Game Master can add to her campaign. However, it is not apparent until quite a way into the fanzine that the various articles are connected and designed to be used together. Perhaps some time could have been spent explaining this at the start? Similarly, ‘The Gentleman’ feels underwritten in terms of actions and motivations and again, more time could have been devoted to developing that for the benefit of the Game Master. Overall, ShadowFolk Issue One does show promise, but the content needs a little more development.

On the tail of the Old School Renaissance has come another movement—the rise of the fanzine. Although the fanzine—a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon, got its start in Science Fiction fandom, in the gaming hobby it first started with Chess and Diplomacy fanzines before finding fertile ground in the roleplaying hobby in the 1970s. Here these amateurish publications allowed the hobby a public space for two things. First, they were somewhere that the hobby could voice opinions and ideas that lay outside those of a game’s publisher. Second, in the Golden Age of roleplaying when the Dungeon Masters were expected to create their own settings and adventures, they also provided a rough and ready source of support for the game of your choice. Many also served as vehicles for the fanzine editor’s house campaign and thus they showed another Dungeon Master and group played said game. This would often change over time if a fanzine accepted submissions. Initially, fanzines were primarily dedicated to the big three RPGs of the 1970s—Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller—but fanzines have appeared dedicated to other RPGs since, some of which helped keep a game popular in the face of no official support.

Since 2008 with the publication of Fight On #1, the Old School Renaissance has had its own fanzines. The advantage of the Old School Renaissance is that the various Retroclones draw from the same source and thus one Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG is compatible with another. This means that the contents of one fanzine will be compatible with the Retroclone that you already run and play even if not specifically written for it. Labyrinth Lord and Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay have proved to be popular choices to base fanzines around, as has Swords & Wizardry. A more recent Old School Renaissance-style roleplaying game that fanzines are being based upon and inspired by is Mörk Borg, the Swedish pre-apocalypse Old School Renaissance retroclone designed by Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell and published by Free League Publishing.

Book of Misery Vol. 2 is a fanzine for Mörk Borg written and published by Gizmo in February, 2023. It contains a mix of options for both players and the Game Master. This includes new Classes, weapons, monsters, and a dungeon that can be easily brought into play and all done in the artpunk style that Mörk Borg is notorious for. It opens with the first of four Classes. The ‘Wise Zealot’ ardently spreads the word of the two-head basilisks, driven by a key belief such as ‘The End is near. Nothing can stop it. However, it is needed for the vitality of the world.’ or ‘Any written word that doesn’t see the basilisks in a positive light in heresy.’ With him, he carries a holy relic, such as a gem-encrusted drinking cup that turns any liquid placed in it turns into pure drinking water, or a terrible amulet that mocks passersby mercilessly, but lets the ‘Wise Zealot’ cast powers at an advantage. The ‘Witch Hunter’ is a version of the classic Puritan figure, agile and with good reason to hunt witches like, “At the age of ten, a witch named Hela, killed your dog in your ritual. He was your best friend. You took up arms to hunt and kill, her easiest way to find her? Kill every witch.” He is armed with such things as a crossbow or silver stakes and flashpowder or a silver sword, the latter good versus hags and witches.

More monstrous is the ‘Renegade Sanguine’, essentially a vampire for Mörk Borg. The Class has higher Toughness and Presence and also a Renegade Sanguine ability. This includes fangs as natural weapons that inflict a six-sided die’s worth of damage or with ‘Raise Thrall’, which grants the ‘Renegade Sanguine’ the ability to raise a corpse for several hours per day. The oddest of the four Classes is the ‘Reborn Fungus’, a mushroom given human form, perhaps created by a witch in a ritual gone wrong and abandoned or sacrificed by the cult his family belonged to. ‘Reborn Fungus’ might emit an ‘Ominous Glow’ of faint blue light or commit ‘Mind Theft’ by releasing spores to temporarily control others. The four Classes offer a mix of the ordinary and the outré. The weirdness of the ‘Reborn Fungus’ and the creepiness of the ‘Renegade Sanguine’ are in keeping with the styles of Mörk Borg, whilst the ‘Wise Zealot’ and ‘Witch Hunter’ are more direct in how they are likely to be played.

‘Monsters and Beasts’ describes thirteen entries, but gets off to an underwhelming start with the Amphiptere, a simple flying lizard. Fortunately, the other entries are more interesting. The ‘Runner’ has the body of a dog, demon’s claws, and a misshapen human skull for a head, that stalk the land and have to be killed in blow of their screams will summon more! ‘The Flail King’ is arrogance personified, accidently summoned by an egocentric scholar, which then killed him. ‘The Flail King’ always attempts to persuade everyone that they are the evil ones. Besides a flail attack, it also has a disorientating eye beam and a nasty bite. The ‘Lamia’ is a creature of legend that poses as a malformed building and fires magic missiles. Why? This is a question never answered in too many of these monster entries, and so they are only slightly more interesting though and feel like they are monsters simply for being monsters’ sake, with little to them to really warrant the Game Master using them in her game. The collective ‘Creatures of the Woods’, which include the ‘Will-O-The Wisp’, ‘Bark-eating arachnid’, and ‘Scorned Spirit’ are simple and easy to use. More detailed and thus actually more interesting are the ‘Rot Mana Drinker’ is an obese, lich-like creature obsessed with magic to the point that they eat it—and those that carry it, and the ‘Demön Lörd of Törture’ (or is it pain, the entry is not quite clear), who descends upon towns and villages and divides them into cultists who worship him and then torture those who refuse to. Overall, a disappointing selection.

‘Places To Go, People To See’ is more useful. ‘Sheila the Crafter’ is a combined trader and quest giver who will buy all manner of bodily remains and can upgrade black powder weapons and other interesting things. The problem is that the description is all about the sales, but not about the quests. So the Game Master will need to extract them from what she has on sale as best see can, such as goblin blood for the goblin blood poison. ‘Rurik IV’ is a warrior for hire, Kash a ‘Pirate Demon’ who has given up her piratical ways and come travelling inland to look for something, although the description does not say what. Unfortunately, and again, these suffer from being underwritten and will need some development upon the part of the Game Master.

The ’Magic Items’ include the ‘Book of Fungus’, a dangerously compelling book that grants the user the ability to cast a fungal spell each time they read it, but fail to cast the casting once too often and they have to eat the book. The ‘Flail of the Great Devil Lord’ was created and wielded by a forgotten warrior, who defeated a demon and attached its head to a chain. It is incredibly heavy, so harder to hit with, but it can do a lot more damage. These are all decent enough.

Rounding out Book of Misery Vol. 2 is ‘The Slaughter Tunnels of Pumpkin Valley’. It details of band of wildfolk who have devolved after years of being cut off in a dungeon below a pumpkin swamp. The Player Characters wake up to find themselves prisoners and have to escape, so this is an easy one to add to a campaign, even to the point of their waking up first thing to discover themselves in this predicament! Effectively ‘dungeon of the cannibals’, this is a serviceable affair.

Physically, Book of Misery Vol. 2 adheres to the artpunk style of Mörk Borg. For the most part it works, but some of the founts selected do make the titles difficult to read.

Book of Misery Vol. 2 is even more of a mixed bag than Book of Misery Vol. 1. The Classes are decent enough, but rest is too underdeveloped and too underwritten to be of immediate use to the Game Master. If she puts some work into the content, then it might be another matter, but why should she have to?