Mysteries of Montreal

As I mentioned ever so briefly here, back in the review of games played for last year, I have been involved in the playtesting of FiveEvil. This is a game based on the d20 system of the "fifth edition of the most popular TTRPG on the market", aka 5e. FiveEvil takes this base game that many people know and love, and modifies the system and rules to allow the game to work for a horror setting.  The game is currently under development through Handiwork Games . 5e is often used as a system to run any type of game. Mostly because it is the biggest game in the TTRPG space, and has therefore has the largest player base. However, any time the though of using 5e to run a horror game comes up online, this raises the hackles of the horror game community, as at its heart, 5e D&D is a heroic fantasy game where character  agency is front and centre, whereas horror games require putting that character agency on the back burner, and put them in situations where they do not feel in contr...

I don't post about every Kickstarter I back, but I think this one needs a little signal boost. " John Silence is a complete rpg plus a shared-universe story/poetry anthology about psychic people of color saving the Earth from invisible monsters." The name comes from a set of stories by Algernon Blackwod, so those are something I'll have to look up and get my hands on. Go check it out, there's plenty time left to back, and it hasn't yet made it's goal.

I had a rather large box arrive in the post last week, much to the chagrin of my better half. Inside was contained some beautifully horrendous artefacts of power. In that it was the resutls of the Props Of Nyarlathotep New York and Kenya Kickstarter . I'll write up an "unboxing" post up in the near future, once I've taken some pictures of the props that do them justice. They are worth getting the light box out for! These have been squirrelled away beside the Eye of Light and Darkness  for future use in a Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign. That campaign might be a little ways away, as we have just left Sophia in our current Horror on the Orient Express game, where the Simulacrum, also made by Delphes has been a beautiful centrepiece throughout.

Just backed another Kickstarte r. " Children will always be afraid of the dark ." - H.P. Lovecraft Do you remember what it was like to be a kid?  When in every shadow there might lurk a monster?  When a nightmare might be escaped from by diving under your blankets?  When the morning light brought escape from all your fears... for a little while? In The Dare , players take the role of a group of average kids who are forced by their neighborhood bully to spend the night in the dreadful (and haunted!) Barnaker house.  This being Call of Cthulhu, there are actually things in the house far more dangerous than even the most terrified child might imagine.  The kids must then work together to explore the nightmarish old Barnaker house and investigate its mysteries if they hope to survive until the morning. This has a few things going for it that made it a no brainer. A one shot adventure, written by Kevin Ross, based in the 1980s (so getting in on that retro ...

I have mentioned the work of this artist before, and backed her first Kickstarter, the results of which I'm using at the table right now in my HotOE game. As as her 3rd Kickstarter is nearing a successful close, I thought I would post to tell you all of the latest work by Delphes Desoivres on the  The Props of Nyarlathotep, New York and Kenya Kickstarter. I'm not in a position to drop too much money on this one, but I thought the tattoos were a wonderful idea, and I might yet go in for the Scar of the Bloody Tongue latex prosthetic. I love the Mask of Hyama she has designed here, this version of the artefact is unique, and the idea of making a latex version that fits to the players head when they inevitably try to wear the mask is inspired. There are 4 days left on the clock on this one, so still plenty of time to get in on it!

Question 29: What has been the best-run RPG Kickstarter you have backed? There are a couple that come to mind. The Sedefkar Simulacrum , was without a doubt the best produced Kickstarter I have backed, and they came through with what they promised. I have backed a couple of RPG books and adventures that have not yet been fulilled, ut look to be on track, including two by Stygian Fox ( Fear's Sharp Little Needles , and Hudson and Brand ), Pax Cthulhiana by Two Starving Gnolls, Cold Warning by Golden Goblin Press, and The Star on the Shore by Dark Cult Games. I have not yet recieved any of these products, but in terms of communication and being on time with what they have offered, I can fault none of them. I think most kickstarters these days have learned from the mistakes of others, and not stretched themselves too thin on the stretch goals, and kept things tight and reasonable, so as to be able to finish the product they are actually selling.

What's that? Three posts in as many days? Why yes, I am being rather productive over here, though it as, as it must be, at the detriment to my other areas of hobby interest. I have been on the lookout for a paper copy of Kenneth Hite's book, Tour de Lovecraft: The Tales , for some time now, but it is out of print, and I am not looking for it so much that I'm willing for pay over the odds for a copy. yes, I could buy an eBook, but quyite frankly, I never get round to reading those. This has now been remedied, in spades, with the launch of a new Kickstarter my Atomic Overmind Press . Where they are looking to print the second volume of Tour de Lovecraft: The Destinations. With this, the first stretch goal is the re-release of The first volume: the Tales. Problem solved! Needless to say, I have backed this Kickstarter, and look forward to it's success. This also means that I now have the pdf version of the original book, to read through before Neconomicon in Aug...

So, I can't help myself. I just backed another Call of Cthulhu Kickstarter, The Star on the Shore . There have been a couple that have passed by that I let go, as the price point was a bit too high, but for $25 US for the softcover book, plus the stretch goals was just about right for me (I couldn't justify the extra $15 US for the hardback. The exchange rate is ok, but not that great). This is a sandbox type adventure for Call of Cthulhu classic era, released by Dark Cult Games, and licensed by Chaosium. The sandbox is really my preferred type of game to run, but there are not that many adventures written in this style, as most published adventures are shorter and more succinct. I'll be very interested to see how that works out. I was really taken by the artwork and layout on the cover too. So clearly inspired by the 80s modules and adventures that Chaosum released. How could I refuse. I'll be sure to let you all know how this one runs, once it arrives and I ge...

One of the great things about the Call of Cthulhu community is the gusto with which they enter in their prop making. From the print outs of newspaper handouts to full blown resin props. I was a backer of the Kickstarter by Delphes Desvoivres to make the Sedefkar Simulacrum , and am eagerly waiting to use it in the Horror on the Orient Express Campaign which I intend to start this year (after finishing the Time to Harvest Campaign I am currently running) I already have the Eye of Light and Darkness that is pictured in the video, but I really like the look of the other props. The necklace is a nice touch, and it is nice to see that not all the props will be made out of resin. The Mirror is larger than I thought it would be, which means all in these are going to take up a lot of storage space in my gaming cupboard, but how can I not be tempted? The Kickstarter will go live this Sunday (the 22nd), at 10pm GMT.

What a wonderful title to a games supplement. I've just backed the Hudson and Brand Kickstater . It looks like it's going to be a very well put together supplement Hudson & Brand: Inquiry Agents of the Obscureis the first in our ‘Safe House’ series where players of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game (published by Chaosium, Inc), have a home-base for their characters to work out of. At hand, they will have resources, a gun range, a collection of monographs on various subjects, a small library, three members of staff, and property consisting of offices and lodgings in the very heart of London. One of the new options in 7th edition Call of Cthulhu that I have yet to use, but I see great promise in is the Organisations from the Player's handbook. Groups of researchers with a common goal, that provides an infrastructure for the Investigators to fall back on, and a means of easily introducing new Investigators without too much trouble. This has not been an issue for ...

As my last post was rather long-winded and ranty , I decided to cut it off before getting round to what I had planned as the main event, that is the unboxing of the Sedefkar Simulacrum, as delivered to me last week. Each set came with a letter from Delphes, the campaign organiser and artist, as well as a certificate of authenticity. A packing error meant I got two copies of the letter and certificate, but as the certificates are not numbered, this isn't an issue. The Box First off, the box itself. Aged to look like it has sat on a shelf for some time (even the hinges are rusted), and labelled on the outside as part of the Miskatonic University collection. Inside, the Simulacrum is hidden in wood shavings/straw, and on the inside of the lid is a faded and slightly warped insignia for the Simplon Orient Express. As was mentioned by Delphes on the KS page, the box is a touch too short to lie the Simulacrum flat, due to a later change in the positioning of the leg mag...

What's in the box? I'm a little lost for words, I just received a package, from a Kickstarter, that was delivered on time.  Okay okay, this may happen all the time with some kinds of Kickstarters, in fact, I have rather a good record of this with two other Kickstarters I have backed. So let me be clearer. I received a Call of Cthulhu based Kickstarter, on time!  I have backed a total of five CoC Kickstarters, and this is the first to have arrived on time, and indeed the second to have arrived at all, which is quite a big deal considering it was the last one of these five to be funded. Indeed, the Curse of Cthulhu Kickstarters meant I was very hesitant to back this one at all. As it stands, the Sedefkar Simulacrum has arrived here in Montreal. Of course, I the Horror on the Orient Express box set did arrive, if indeed it was only 21 months late. This campaign was to sculpt and produce the Sedefkar Simulacrum, which is the statue that players in the HotOE campaign...

Last year I noticed, too late, an Indigogo campaign by a French Artist to make a3D prop version of the Sedefkar Simulacrum, which is the artefact that the players collect as they trek round Europe as the Horror on the Orient Express campaign progresses. The campaign original ended without being funded. Fortunately for me, if not for my wallet, the campaign has been relaunched, now on Kickstarter . The project has the official backing of Chaosium, and is such a licensed product. This is not, however, a Chaosuim Kickstarter, as we all know by now to keep those puppies at arms length! This is also another chance to get a copy of the Eye of Light and Darkness prop for the Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign, as was made for Ben Patey's prop set Kickstarter, which I have backed, but not to the extent of getting the clay props, only the paper ones. So, a twofer really on the props front. I am sorely sorely tempted to go for this one. I'll let you all know if I do.

I went along to the post office yesterday, to pick up a package that had been waiting for me since the day before. It was indeed the long awaited Horror on the Orient Express kickstarter. There have been a great many unboxings of this package already online, so I won't bother with all that faff, but I may go through the contents in the near future and post what I have, as some of it is very pretty. So, I'll just leave you with this. A picture of the boxed set itself, which alone comes in at 3.9 kg! It's a beast! There is of course a lot more nick-knacks to go with that too! Watch this space...

I have previously posted on the Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign companion , as written by the good people over at yog-sothoth.com . Well, it seems the pdf of that companion is no longer available through the site directly. This is not the bad news it first seems however, as the reason it has been taken down is so that the book can be published through funding raised on this Kickstarter project , with the very generous support of Sixtystone Press . As of this post, there are 19 days left to go on the campaign, and the project has been easily funded (within 3 hours of launch), and marched through all but one of its (rather unadventurous) stretch goals. I have yet to place my support, but I will do, very shortly. One good thing about the lack of stretch goals is that the deadlines given for the project should be relatively easy to keep to, which is a good thing. If I were in charge though, I would change the artwork on the cover page. Not that it's bad, I just feel it's not gre...

Just as I get an email from Chaosium saying that the Horror on the Orient Express Kickstarter has been shipped, and other details released for the 7th ed. Kickstarter suggest an early 2015 delivery, I am sorely tempted by another Kickstarter that is just about to close. This time, for wonderful reproduction handouts and props for the Masks of Nyarlathotep Campaign . Helpfully, they have recently posted a summary of what you get for each funding level. Click to enlarge, and read what each level currently offers. This Kickstarter has been fully licenced by Chaosium. Ok, so I am swithering whether to enter at the $65 or $85 mark. The difference being a few photos and the soundtrack. I have not been one for using soundtracks in game, but with modern technology, it becomes easier to manage, and therefore I am considering in as an option, plus of course the $10 international shipping... and maybe an eye of Light and Darkness for another $75...