zondag 14 juli 2013

Free download Shadows of Esteren Book 0 Prologue


 No worries, this is a completely legal download. The kickstarter of Book 2 Travels has reached one of its stretch goals which has made Book 0 Prologue available for free download as of now. 

Book 0 Prologue provides an introduction to the setting of Shadows of Esteren, a quick overview of the rules system, six pre-made characters, and three introductory scenarios. 

It's a great way to get a feel for the setting, the rules, and the game's beautiful artwork.


donderdag 11 juli 2013

Shadows of Esteren Book 2 : Travels Kickstarter



The new kickstarter for Shadows of Esteren is online. Book 2 Travels consist of 196 pages of Shadows of Esteren goodness. I already have the pdf and I can tell you, this book looks as amazing as the others. Stunning artwork all over the place.

The first chapter Cartography takes a look at several noteworthy places of Tri-Kazel. It takes an in-depth look at Gwidre, Reizh, and Taol-Kaer but it doesn't stop until about 45 pages are filled with setting material and descriptions of locales the players can visit or encounter.

The chapter continues with information on travelling in Tri-Kazel, the meaning of several Varigal signs, and advice on storytelling a travelling scene. After overland travel, the chapter takes a look at sailing the seas surrounding the peninsula, information on different ships and navigation.

Chapter 2 Canvasses features five short scenario's for 2-3 hour play.

Chapter 3 A life choice is a short campaign about a Magientist mother who finds out her long-lost child and husband are now living in an ultra-traditionalist community in Taol-Kaer and organises an expedition to save her child from a dogmatic upbringing. The campaign is split up in different scenes with hints throughout on which music to use for a particular scene, tips to enhance the setting, indications on where to add (optional) gore or suspense, all illustrated with clear signs we've come to know from the previous books.

Chapter 4 Figures of Tri-Kazel takes a look at 18 memorable non-player characters the players can encounter on their travels through the land.

Finally chapter 5 Bestiary explores several common place creatures that can be encountered and 10 much stranger creatures from Loch Sniomh, the sea wyrm to the majestic Siren of the Taelderoth.

Check out the Shadows of Esteren Book 2 Travels Kickstarter !!

For those in doubt what to expect, check Martin from Grognard Games unboxing his package from the previous kickstarter.




dinsdag 18 juni 2013

Miskatonic River Press on indefinite hiatus

A few days ago Tom Lynch of Miskatonic River Press contacted Paul at Yog-Sothoth.com to talk about the fate of Miskatonic River Press. During their 45 minute long interview Tom explains the reason behind his decision to put Miskatonic River Press on indefinite hiatus.

I'm quite sad as this means one of the, in my opinion, top publishers of Cthulhu material will now cease to publish (except for a few projects which are near completion it seems). Although Tom and I have had our differences regarding customer service/the replacement of books damaged in the mail, I can only praise the quality of their releases. Both the gaming books and fiction anthologies have been great reads and are works I wholeheartedly recommend to everyone interested in the Mythos.

Be sure to check out a number of their releases :

zaterdag 15 juni 2013

Cthulhu Wars gameplay overview by Sandy Petersen


The Cthulhu Wars kickstarter ride has been wild! The initial goal of $40.000 was reached in little over an hour. I was lucky to get into the Father Day's special offer getting pretty much the best deal.

We're currently at $560.000+, all the current Great Old Ones have been unlocked, an expansion bundle and map bundle has been added as add-ons, and a mere three stretch goals haven't currently been reached yet.

If you're still on the fence on whether you'll like the game or not, check out Sandy's gameplay overview in which he explains the different stages and possibilities of Cthulhu Wars.



In addition to that you can also check the Cthulhu Wars Rules Summary and/or the Cthulhu Wars Rulebook.






Cthulhu Wars -- Kicktraq Mini
Looking at the Kicktraq website, a projection is made based on the current pledges and has the kickstarter end at $2.000.000!! While I think that might be a bit optimistic, I have no doubt that Cthulhu Wars will reach half of that, and by doing so unlocking the Dreamlands monsters and hopefully lots and lots of free Great Old Ones and additions.  

vrijdag 7 juni 2013

Cthulhu Wars kickstarter is live!

In my previous post about Cthulhu Wars, Sandy explained the basics of the game. On the Cthulhu Wars Facebook page, the team has been sharing beautiful artwork and miniature close-ups and then came the countdown.

The Cthulhu Wars kickstarter just went live and is already close to being funded. I'm a bit surprised they decided to start this one while the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition kickstarter is also still in full swing but hey, Cthulhu cultists are loyal fans and they'll eat dry bread and water to get these games.

Ok, so it has been funded while I was typing this. I'm sure Sandy is pretty excited right now !




Make ready for the end of the world and join the Cthulhu Wars kickstarter.