[NEWS] Castle Xyntillan: Announcement and Preview

Castle Xyntillan (cover by Peter Mullen)

“The immense, rambling complex of Castle Xyntillan has stood in its mountain valley for many years. Built over several generations, it has now been deserted by its former owners, and left to time and the elements. However, that is not the end of the story, for Xyntillan’s fabulous treasures and Machiavellian deathtraps continue to fascinate the fortune-seekers of a dozen lands – and never mind the ghost stories!”

I am happy to announce the (now truly) forthcoming publication of Castle Xyntillan, a funhouse megadungeon for the Swords&Wizardry game. Xyntillan will be a 132-page hardcover, describing the three massive levels of the eponymous haunted castle, from the soaring tower of the Donjon to the inky depths of the Oubliette (and beyond). The module will ship with four map sheets with both GM’s and player’s cartography by Rob Conley, cover art by Peter Mullen (whose work, above, should speak for itself), and interior illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, Peter Mullen (again), and The Dead Victorians. The hardcover set should sell for $40 plus shipping, and should be available at the end of November or very early December – allowing ample time for delivery before Christmas. And now, the details!

With Castle Xyntillan, my goal was to create a classic-style megadungeon based on the following design principles:

• Versatility: The dungeon should be suitable for different game groups and play styles. It can make for fun one-off expeditions and convention games, it can be played as its own campaign, or ­it can become the tentpole dungeon of a broader campaign setting. It can be played with permanent groups, or a “West Marches”-style player and character pool. It is designed for levels 1 to 6, but otherwise, anything goes – from smaller parties relying on stealth and infiltration to more hack-and-slash affairs involving a small army of disposable flunkies, Xyntillan should offer a fun experience – at all levels of experience.
• Open-ended exploration: The dungeon should accommodate many different approaches to exploration. Multiple entrances and an open structure built around interconnected sub-levels provide several possible paths through the Castle, including two- and three-dimensional exploration puzzles, hidden sections, and fabulous rewards secreted in secret places. Of course, openness also involves a healthy level of risk management: dangerous areas are not usually cordoned off from nosy characters, and the dungeon is not broken down into neat “levels” of difficulty; rather, it is the players’ responsibility to decide when to push their luck, and when to retreat to safety.
• Open-ended gameplay: Groups (and players) with quite different interests should all find something to their liking. Whether they relish combat or prefer furtive exploration; confront Xyntillan’s denizens with sword and holy water in hand or play them off against each other; go for the choice treasures or seek the castle’s deeper mysteries, it should be possible. Likewise, GMs with different ideas should be able to customise it to their liking with little effort. Nothing is prescribed, but many things are possible – and Castle Xyntillan is a framework that enables and invites experimentation.
• Complexity and interactivity: Rooms should offer many things to discover and mess with. While some are straightforward puzzles or traps, there are many which involve (or benefit from) a bit of lateral thinking and experimentation. They also have a depth that should not be overwhelming in play, but offer opportunities to come up with daring plans and unexpected combinations – especially when the players start leveraging multiple things in different rooms to their advantage.
• Variety of challenges: While it does not pull punches, Xyntillan is not a hardcore killer dungeon – it is deadly, but resourceful groups who think on their feet should do well, and, if things go bad, have opportunities to cut their losses and run to fight another day. Not everyone and everything in Xyntillan is out to get you – or, at least, not immediately. However, those looking for trouble will soon find it.
• Ease of use: The material should be easy to understand and use at the table, and the GM should never be lost in a sea of information. Accordingly, the room key uses a nested bullet point structure, starting from an overview of each room and proceeding towards the finer details and interaction possibilities (a two-page example is provided below). Bolded keywords are used to help navigate the text, which is also carefully cross-referenced for easy navigation. Map slices are placed close to their point of use to reduce page flipping. The map is extensively labelled for ease of use. Finally, the physical book and the accompanying maps are planned to be sturdy and user-friendly. It is printed and bound locally where me and my printer can oversee the production process at every step.
• Surrealism: Xyntillan is founded on dream logic and loose association instead of strict realism or full narrative consistency. It should be entertaining, fascinating, and always a bit mysterious. As a funhouse dungeon, it is full of the improbable – but there is a method to the madness. Likewise, it is not a serious affair, but it is not a “joke module” either – it is intended to be a storehouse of the macabre and whimsical, where the jokes write themselves – there is no background laugh track.

Careful... careful.....

In summary, the goal was not to make the biggest dungeon (a goal I have, frankly, always considered stupid), but one that’s just the right size, comfortable to use, good to handle, and built to last. Castle Xyntillan also has a (perhaps unfair) advantage: in one way or another, I have been working on these materials since 2006, from my sections of a never-published Tegel Manor manuscript to the finalised module, and there has been abundant time to contemplate, revise, add to, remove from, and playtest the adventure. It has been tried in many different contexts, and with many different groups. It has taken a long time, probably more than it is rational to develop a dungeon. It is, in one word, polished. It is, also, that thing I have been rambling about all these years. And I hope you will also find it to your liking.

For now, here is a two-page example from one of the easier-to-find sublevels: Castle Xyntillan Sample (4 MB PDF).

Q&A (Additions)

"Sounds good but I see nothing about factions. I want factions!"
"Xyntillan has no formally spelled out "factions", but it does have the remnants of the eccentric and corrupt Malévol family, who have their own agenda (represented by a global escalation mechanic) and internal disagreements. There are also (very loosely described) outside parties with their own interests in Xyntillan.

It is up to the GM and the players to decide what to do with this, but the emergent potential is there, and some suggestions are offered in the Introduction. During our playtest, reaction rolls and morale played a significant role, and negotiation with the dungeon denizens became an important source of information, shady bargains, and allies of convenience."

"How large is the dungeon?"
"WRT the size of the dungeon, it is large enough to sustain its own campaign, and to feel like you are exploring something substantial. It is large enough to result in emergent complexity, which is a major appeal of megadungeons. But it is limited in the sense that it should not take over your gaming life (something that has frustrated me about other megadungeons), and it is basically built around three large, loosely "levels" (a sprawling ground floor, various upper floors, and a dungeon level - all with more or less hidden sub-sections and plenty of interconnections). I had a second dungeon level under development but scrapped it because it felt too much." 

[MODULE] Castle Xyntillan (NOW AVAILABLE!)

Chocolate coins not included

“The immense, rambling complex of Castle Xyntillan has stood in its mountain valley for many years. Built over several generations, it has now been deserted by its former owners, and left to time and the elements. However, that is not the end of the story, for Xyntillan’s fabulous treasures and Machiavellian deathtraps continue to fascinate the fortune-seekers of a dozen lands – and never mind the ghost stories!” 

I am happy to announce the publication of Castle Xyntillan, a funhouse megadungeon for the Swords&Wizardry game (and broadly compatible with other old-school systems). With cartography by Robert S. Conley, cover art by Peter Mullen, and interior illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, Peter Mullen (again) and The Dead Victorians, Xyntillan is a 132-page hardcover describing the three massive levels of the eponymous haunted castle, from the soaring tower of the Donjon to the inky depths of the Oubliette (and beyond). Four map sheets, featuring GM’s and player’s cartography of the labyrinthine complex, chart the passageways and hidden rooms, providing ample opportunities for exploration, confrontation, and subterfuge. Castle Xyntillan has been designed to be versatile, open-ended, complex, and accessible (more detailed thoughts are found in this post). It is above all, a fantastic place – built on surrealism and dream logic, yet a place which makes a certain amount of sense if you look at it sideways. It should be entertaining, fascinating, and always a bit mysterious. Whether you would like a dungeon for one-off expeditions and convention play, or repeated forays and full campaigns, Castle Xyntillan should suit the demands and particulars of your campaign!

The hardcover set (book and four map sheets) sells for $40 plus shipping, and is available from my Bigcartel store. This is a larger and heavier product than the previous zines, and requires a sturdier cardboard envelope. Thus, it has a flat shipping rate of $18 (Europe) and $22 (Worldwide). As before, adding further items to your order does not increase shipping. Shipping times should be 3-7 days for most European destinations, 8-12 days for the US and Canada, and up to two weeks for Australia. (At the time of writing, all orders submitted this week should arrive before Christmas!)

A PDF edition will be published through DriveThruRPG with a few months’ delay (early or mid-April). As always, customers who buy the print edition will receive this PDF version free of charge.

Three free downloads are also available for this product:

• A two-page sample describing a section of The Upper Quarters, and showcasing the approach taken in presenting these materials.
• A GM’sWorksheet, used to track time and characters as the company explores the depths of Xyntillan. Adapted from Dungeons and Companies, a Hungarian retro-clone, this is a highly useful play aid for dungeon scenarios.
• A set of blank player maps, ready for printing (if you need spares).

385 out of 500 copies

[NEWS] Judgement of the Postal Gods & A Day in Xyntillan (Double Feature)

Oooops

About two weeks after mailing them, copies of Castle Xyntillan are now arriving at various US destinations. That’s part reassuring and part frustrating. Reassuring because, in spite of what my lizard brain tries to tell me, the postal services of the world are not dumping mailed packages right into a flaming ditch filled with ravenous crocodiles. Well, not wilfully, not while laughing, and not en masse, at least. But let me tell you, oh frustrated customer who is still waiting for your promised copy (you know who you are), that I made foolish time estimates on the basis of previously solid shipping times, and the only thing I forgot was to correctly factor in the effects Christmas season would have on postal traffic. “In the end, they may receive their books a day or two later,” I thought. Well, that was optimistic.

In other words, to all those who have not received Castle Xyntillan yet: I am sorry some of you have had to wait longer than promised – and I hope the book you will soon hold in your hands will make the wait worthwhile. May the Postal Gods be gracious, and may thy packages make their saving throws vs. crushing blow!

Also, if you have received your book, I appreciate a confirmation message – puts my mind at ease, and makes these final days of frantic office work before Christmas go smoother.

***

In other Xyntillan-related news, we held an official launch event for the book last Sunday. We organised a whole-day OD&D game in a small, private game club, and played two expeditions’ worth of Xyntillan in a group of seven players and one GM. Ironically, the players were friends who had not actually experienced the module before, at least beyond the odd convention one-shot (the original playtesters will get to play something entirely new and different, as is the way with RPGs).

The following report contains spoilers, so proceed at your own risk.

[BLOG] Castle Xyntillan

Once upon a time (more precisely, ten years ago), I was invited by Necromancer Games to produce a revised and expanded edition of Judges Guild’s classic Tegel Manor. Despite producing two draft versions of the manuscript and a whole lot of playtesting, the project fell through, and my take on the dungeons was never published. However, that is an old story, already told elsewhere. The manuscript mostly languished in my archives, although I occasionally took it out for a ride on tournaments and one-offs, where it ate up a generous amount of characters, and some of it (my key for the dungeons as well as two wilderness sites) ended up in Cloister of the Frog God, a side-adventure published in Frog God Games’ edition of Rappan Athuk. However, the bulk of it was never seen by anyone except a circle of close friends who received a PDF of the first draft (some of them ran full campaigns with it, too),

Castle Xyntillan

However, the project was still on my mind. Tegel Manor is fascinating not just because of its terse key and ingenious encounter system, but even more so because of its dense, compact map. The dungeon mainly consists of rooms that map well to a square grid, but create interesting and complex spaces due to the way they connect. “Crossword mazes” are usually not very entertaining to explore in D&D, but Tegel Manor manages to walk the fine line between a mapping puzzle and a more content-oriented dungeon. It looks deceptively simple at any specific decision point (there are rarely more than three or four ways to go), while hiding the more obscure sections behind twisting corridors and apparent dead ends. While the dungeon’s bulk is one sprawling level, there are towers and other extensions which further complicate path-finding – some of the rooms are effectively and very cleverly isolated from the others via 3d tricks and even non-standard connections (e.g. an extra layer of rat tunnels).

Castle Xyntillan came from a 2013 attempt to consciously recreate a “Tegel-style” dungeon map using the ideas summed up in the previous paragraph, with a late French gothic theme instead of the English manor house of the JG classic. This was a pure mapping exercise, more to see if I could do something different from my usual mapping style than to follow any deliberate plan. The results replicate some of the patterns you can find in Tegel:

• Easy to map at specific decision points, rooms are typically rectangular or follow simple shapes.
• Long, twisting corridors connecting room complexes, but hiding certain rooms and sections.
• Misdirection and obscuring elements based more on layout (2d/3d) than secret doors.

However, there are also notable differences:

• The overall footprint of the castle is smaller, and the courtyards serve to separate the lightly themed dungeon sections more accurately than you can find in Tegel. (Although Tegel has similar elements within the complex, like the Grand Dining Hall, the Torture Chamber or the Throne Room, which serve as nexus points you are likely to cross multiple times).
• It is deliberately more 3d, with four larger upper levels and two towers, all of which follow different layout principles. The “Gothic I” and “Gothic II” levels are mazy, “Core II” is a more simple hub-and-spokes place, the NE “Lake Tower” is compact, the “Donjon” has obstacles before progression, and the “Occult” section combines an accessible exterior with a more obscure and deadly core.
• The dungeons (which were added much later, in 2016, and are still to be keyed) are one single level, and more traditional.

After some vacillation, I made a first pass attempt to map the key of my “un-Tegeled” manuscript to the dungeon, redistributing rooms where they seemed to fit. The result was pretty good, although during keying, it turned out that most of the empty space got eaten up, resulting in fewer unkeyed/empty rooms than common dungeon design wisdom suggests.

Megadungeon mapping

This is where Castle Xyntillan stood from 2013 to 2016, when I finally decided to stop procrastinating and turn it into a functional, playable funhouse dungeon. The idea is to combine the whimsical and often startling ideas of the odder old-school modules (beyond Tegel Manor, I also drew on the mood of one of my favourites, the eerie and “off-key” orange Palace of the Silver Princess) with accessible presentation – easy to get into, while allowing for deeper and more complex environmental interaction than either Tegel or some of the ultra- minimalist dungeon keys you tend to see around the OSR.

In my mind, some of the most interesting moments during dungeon exploration come from the moments when the players start to connect the dots and come up with their own interpretations and ideas to deal with the environment – sometimes by combining the elements of one room, and sometimes by drawing connections between rooms to create an even bigger picture. The Xyntillan dungeons provide plenty of content and ideas for the first option, while leaving much of the second to the GM and the players.

To achieve these goals, the room descriptions start from a terse and essential “first glance” base to get the GM’s and players’ bearings and get the action started, then add more detail and exploration opportunities through nested bullet points presented in order of importance. For instance…

==================SAMPLE KEY==================

H12. Overlook Suite. (30’x60’) Peeling paint and mossy wooden panelling, humid smell of earth. Scorch marks mar the beauty of a row of marble vases full of rank vegetation. The dissected cadaver of a dead horse lies under fallen beams and debris, its innards meticulously removed.

• Half-buried in the earth of the vases are a bunch of chewed up bones, rotten meat still clinging to them.
• The dead horse rises to stand upright on its hind legs, howling, “Why hast thou forsaken meee? Feed meeee!” Unless sated with meat, bones and blood, it attacks.

Dead Horse: HD 3; AC 7; Atk #2 kick 1d6 and bite 1d6; Spec double hit knocks down for trample attack +2d6; ML 10; AL C.

Hp          17

H13. Parlour. (50’x40’) Colourful glass panes cast shifting lights on the interior. Comfortable armchairs and couches have been gutted. The dancing flames of a large copper brazier hiss and whisper as a skull sizzles within.

• 1:2 the wraith of a bearded mountebank studies a glass globe suspended in mid-air, looking at the small humanoid figures dancing within. If he stops his concentration, the globe falls and its prisoners escape in all directions. 
• The armchairs and footstools are an inviting place to relax; save or fall into dreamlike state, where a short doze of 3 turns restores 1d6 Hp, and may cure ailments 1:6. 1:6 of waking up next to slumbering family member.

Wraith: HD 4; AC 3; Atk touch 1d6 + drain; Spec energy drain, incorporeal, magic missile  from eyes 1/3 rounds (2 missiles); ML 10; AL C.

Hp          27

H14. Rattling Room. (40’x40’) Long row of skulls is placed on the fireplace and on ledges around it. Several bones are scattered on the parquette, or are caught on an intricate crystal chandelier (800 gp if transported, but bulky and fragile). Stray purple bubbles, size varying from plum to watermelon, float gently in the air.

• 1:6 of Guillemette Malévol the Enchanted (#42), drifting among the bubbles in somnolent reverie. If present, also check 5:6 for 1d6 glitterclouds.
• The bones animate and rattle, assembling into fantastic configurations and scattering apart. They will coalesce into what is expected of them – a terrible monstrosity if they are attacked, a sinister oracle if spoken to, a treacherous guide if asked for directions... sinking back on floor in disappointment if ignored.
• The bubbles reflect spells cast on them, and 1:6 one is caught in trajectory by accident if targeting others.

Bone Monstrosity: HD 6; AC 5; Atk #2 gore 1d8; Spec rush 3d6 Hp (save avoids); ML 11; AL C.

Hp          21

H15. Round Gallery. (50’x20’) Four portraits hang in the low arched passage, blackened by some kind of mouldy decay. A heavily corroded suit of full plate stands in the corner. 1:6 of the rolling boulder from H25. coming down the hall.

• The paintings depict:

• Hortensia Malévol the Lovely (#17): offers gift of flower bouquet to party (harmless, useless, clueless).

• Jerôme Malévol the Meticulous (#41): waves his bloody hacksaw, asks viewer to “hold out hand” in rasping voice, grins.

• Merton Malévol the Encyclopedian (#4): asks “Have you seen my book? It must be here somewhere...”

• Reynard Malévol the Relapse (#19): offers to cast bless on company... for a little service.

• The armour falls apart on a mere touch with a loud clang, releasing its mace and metal shield. More careful investigation reveals someone has stuffed heavy bags of gold inside the breastplate (6*100 gp).

==================SAMPLE KEY==================

Just like Tegel Manor and Castle Amber (which I always took for the first Tegel homage module), Castle Xyntillan is centred around an eccentric and sinister noble family. The Malévols, a bunch of disreputable degenerates, schemers and outright evildoers, are the masters of a backwater province located somewhere in the French Alps (or anywhere else the GM wants to place it), and some of them still haunt their old family nest... whether alive or dead. Like with the room descriptions, the Malévols offer more than combatant encounters or window dressing (although they fare well as such): they are a treacherous and unpredictable lot, a rich source of information, temporary aliances, double-dealings and missions. For instance...

==================SAMPLE NPCs==================

41. Jerôme Malévol the Meticulous. Distant relative, ragged drifter carries sack full of discarded, soiled clothing and tremendous rusty hacksaw. Toothy grin, cheeks reddened with makeup, 1:3 of 1d6 hacked-off hands.

Jerôme Malévol the Meticulous: Thief 4; AC 9; Atk hacksaw 1d6; Spec backstab, +2 vs. traps and devices, thievery; ML 5; AL C; bottle of cognac, silver mirror (15 gp), golden comb (35 gp), inaccurate musical pocket watch (110 gp), rouge.

Hp          12

42. Guillemette Malévol the Enchanted (H14). Barefoot and wearing only a flower wreath and a white nightcloth, her ghost drifts through Xyntillan, listening to the tune of music only she can hear. No reaction if encountered or attacked, but 5:6 of 1d6 glitterclouds trailing behind and attacking anyone who would harm her.

Guillemette Malévol the Enchanted: HD 3; AC 2; Atk –; Spec incorporeal, immune to mind-affecting and caster must save or go insane; ML 12; AL N.

Hp          11

Glitterclouds (1d6): HD 3; AC 8; Atk osmosis drain 1d4/round; Spec drained blood heals monster, hypnosis 1/day; ML 10; AL N.

Hp          14, 14, 6, 14, 9, 18

43. Uncle Montfort Malévol the Bygone (I1). Kelps and algae cling to the green, water-soaked corpse of this rotting old sack of evil, stalking through Xyntillan in oversized wooden shoes and an outmoded tailcoat. 1:3 offers first character a handful of candy (save vs. severe hallucinations, but see secret things not normally found in room key), 1:3 offers live fish kept in his pocket in exchange for other item, 1:3 attempting to grope most handsome character. Those who don’t humour Uncle Montfort for his senile cackling and unpleasant eccentricities will quickly find him a resentful, vicious old coot.

Uncle Montfort Malévol the Bygone: HD 6+3; AC 4; Atk #2 claws 1d6 and bite 1d10; Spec regenerates 3 Hp/r unless destroyed by fire or acid; ML 10; AL C; hallucinogenic candy, live fish with a golden key in its belly, pearl cuffs 2*130 gp, sapphire locket 900 gp, bag of severed rotten-black fingers.

Hp          41

==================SAMPLE NPCs================== 

Castle Xyntillan is rounded out by a small town section, and perhaps a wilderness (although we haven’t yet explored it during play, and it will probably be relatively limited), a dungeon level (mapped but not yet keyed), and a few extras.

We are currently playtesting the castle with a regular group and at the occasional one-off session – it will also make an appearance at The Adventurers’ Society, a Budapest-based mini-convention next Spring. So far, 12 player characters and 19 followers have set out from the mountain town of Tours-en-Savoy to brave the gates of Xyntillan (and there are multiple gates!), of whom 3 player characters and 15 followers never returned to tell the tale. Right now, the main group is in a bit of a bind, since rumours of the heavy turnover are making even the most adventurous travellers reluctant to join their company... and soon, rival adventurer groups may turn up to make their lives even more interesting.

Our campaign uses Kazamaták és Kompániák (Dungeons and Companies), a light Hungarian old-school system perhaps closest in complexity to Swords&Wizardry. Beyond its simple rules, K&K has some desirable qualities which make it a natural choice for our game: it has a very interesting system for tracking NPC morale and making retainers an integral part of the gameplay, and it takes full advantage of game procedures like surprise and reaction rolls (an essential part of megadungeoneering). These elements will be presented in a short recap of our “table rules”.

I have plans to publish Castle Xyntillan as a standalone supplement when it is ready – fully written, thoroughly tested with multiple groups, and decently polished. It will either be a self-published version that’s going to be a bit rough around the edges (i.e. it will feature my maps and artwork), or something released through an existing publisher – this will be a question after writing’s done. Since I am also working on the English edition of Helvéczia, my picaresque fantasy RPG (on which I will post later), it may take some time – but we will get there, eventually. It has been a long ten years, but sooner or later, even a golden baby may fly.

[ZINE] Catalogue

Echoes From Fomalhaut #08: Welcome to Castle Sullogh

Welcome to Castle Sullogh

A 52-page fanzine featuring adventures and GM-friendly campaign materials for Advanced old-school RPG rules, with cover art by Stefan Poag, and illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Graphite Prime, and the Dead Victorians. This issue contains...

Yrrtwano’s Repose: The great hunter Lord Yrrtwano sleeps uneasy under the ruined husk of Varorlum Manor – if you dare disturb his rest, his enchanted horn may be yours! Dungeon module for 3rd to 4th level characters, 15 keyed loations.

You Meet in a Tavern…: and then what? Start campaigns with a bang using a tried and true cliché!

Castle Sullogh: A fabled castle reputed to be as old as mankind has lived on the Isle of Erillion (and perhaps older), now ruined but not at all abandoned. Four levels with 55 keyed areas containing challenges for 5th to 9th level characters, including a strange museum created by a famous adventuress, a tower of three powerful witches, and an old mystery. Beware the sullogh!

Thasan: Beyond the City of Vultures: Hex-crawl guide to the strange lands of Thasan surrounding the sinful city, describing its burning wastelands, glittering seas, ruined cities and bizarre phantasms in 103 keyed locations.

Two map sheets: one with a map of Castle Sullogh, one with the lands of Thasan – and a separate sheet with a colour player’s hex map of the Isle of Erillion!

Baklin: Jewel of the Seas

Baklin: Jewel of the Seas

A 72-page setting guide and adventure module for low to mid-level player characters, Baklin: Jewel of the Seas describes a medium-sized merchant city, including its rulers, criminal underworld, establishments, and three-level Undercity. Baklin is meant as both a campaign hub a party can depart from and return to (with numerous hooks for wilderness adventures), and as a complex adventure location of its own. It can be used along with the materials published for the Isle of Erillion mini-setting (Echoes #02–05), or it can double as almost any neutral-aligned port town in your own setting.

In any case, Baklin is meant to be played: it is focused on city intrigue, exploration, and dungeon crawling. Go shopping for great deals in port or at the stores of the reclusive Masters’ Guild; be careful not to fall afoul of the Sea Laws or anger the Knights of Yolanthus Kar; discover what lurks in the Tower of Gulls; and brave the Shrine of Roxana and the Thrones of Judgement!

This is two identical-length modules in one: a city guide with 39 major locations and a dungeon setting with 112 keyed areas, connected and bound together via multiple secret entrances, plot threads, and NPC agendas.

“Oh Baklin, Jewel of the Seas, great gateway of Erillion! Minstrels sing of its wealth and marine power; and of the refinement and taste of its magnates and nobility. Minstrels of all kinds, of course, are prone to grandiloquence; and perhaps Baklin is neither as mighty nor as fair as the ballads claim. And yet, there is reason the minstrels sing so, for Baklin has wealthy patrons, its fleet is not inconsiderable – and are its streets not the loveliest within so many weeks of travel? Indeed, those who brave the high seas often believe so… and they will gladly pay for a song to remember their visit. This booklet presents a complete city supplements describing the streets, personalities, and conflicts of a bustling port town, from the heights of power to the deepest undercellars. In Baklin, all streets lead to adventure – and a single life would not be enough to complete all of them.”

This supplement has been illustrated by Denis McCarthy (who also did the cover), Stefan Poag, Graphite Prime, Jerry Boucher, and the Dead Victorians.

Trail of the Sea Demon

Trail of the Sea Demon

Trail of the Sea Demon is a 32-page collection of three loosely connected weird fantasy scenarios for 3rd to 5th level characters. These mini-adventures revolve around a secretive mystery-religion, and the hidden paths which lead to it in a fantastic, labyrinthine city. They can be inserted into any gloomy fantasy metropolis, and may be smoothly integrated into an ongoing campaign. The three scenarios are:

The House of Rogat Demazien: The mysterious sculptor and magician is out of town, and his house lies unguarded. What treasures and dangers are to be found in the Beggars’ Quarter, and where does it all lead to? 37 keyed areas.

Temple of the Sea Demon: Hidden somewhere in the city, a strange temple awaits. Who will outwit the secretive priests and magical guardians to claim its treasures, and who will risk the wrath of the Sea Demon doing so? 19 keyed areas.

Shadow Court: a true bazaar of the bizarre where shadowy merchants mingle with those looking for exotic wares – and deceit lurks around every corner. Yet why does nobody here speak of the abandoned garden shrine and its nightly visitors? 20 keyed areas, and the strange merchants of Shadow Court are revealed in this module!

“The Temple has stood in an abandoned plaza since time immemorial. It is part of the city, but no known street or alleyway leads to it. Only those who wait for the appointed time can embark on a pilgrimage of shadows and dreams to walk new ways through the silent and dark city. It is said that only a select few know the way except for the fanatical priests who worship the destructive powers of the sea. Those who have sought the Sea Demon’s advice seek it rarely; those who seek its riches have never returned to tell the tale. But now, the city’s past may grant a key to solve an occult mystery… Trail of the Sea Demon is a collection of three short adventures concerning the way to the Sea Demon’s sinister temple, the secrets and perils that await therein, and what may follow afterwards.”

Originally published in Fight On! magazine, these adventures have been revised and expanded based on further play, and presented in an accessible, user-friendly format in the current edition, with new illustrations by Peter Mullen (whose cover is one for the ages), Graphite Prime, Jerry Boucher, and Stefan Poag.

In the Shadow of the City-God

In the Shadow of the
City-God

A 32-page adventure module for 3rd to 4th level player characters, In the Shadow of the City-God combines urban intrigue, cloak-and-dagger action, and dungeon crawling in a single package. Visit Mur, a city-state worshipped and forever constructed by its citizens as a living god, and discover the secrets the scheming noble families do not want you to know. Inspired by Shakespeare and the bloody renaissance authors who had preceded him, Mur is one of the great charismatic locations in fantasy RPGs, and an excellent place to set your own adventures – after you have played this one. Visit Mur’s sights, and descend into three dungeons crisscrossing its convoluted undercity. Also included is The Valley of the Skull, a wilderness adventure taking you to a lost world designed by a mad emperor, and a fold-out player’s map of the city of Mur.

“Mur’s fortunes have been built on tear salt, and merchants from distant lands travel to the city for this healing elixir. There are two tear salt springs in town, owned by two rival patrician families: the Falconi and the Capullo. Mur’s laws forbid open conflict, and like most crimes against citizens, the punishment for breaking the peace is severe: live entombment within the living city’s ever-growing walls! Nevertheless, cloak-and-dagger intrigue always claims new victims, and discord between the two families has now escalated into almost open warfare after the elderly Ercol Falconi’s young wife has disappeared. Time is ticking away, and only a bold company of outsiders can resolve the feuds and discover the masterminds behind it all… under the watchful eyes of the City-God!”

This module by Istvan Boldog-Bernad has been translated into the English, with illustrations by Denis McCarthy (who also did the cover), Stefan Poag, and the Dead Victorians.

Reviews:

Bryce Lynch, Ten Foot Pole: "I’m ending this review early to go pass out. It’s the day after election, I’ve been ignoring all of the news channels and instead drinking."

Echoes From Fomalhaut #07: From Beneath the Glacier

From Beneath
the Glacier

A 40-page fanzine featuring adventures and GM-friendly campaign materials for Advanced old-school RPG rules, with cover art by Matthew Ray, and illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, Graphite Prime and the Dead Victorians. This issue contains...

From Beneath the Glacier: Venture into the ice caves underneath a melting glacier, and discover the source of the nighttime raids on the mountain valleys. Dungeon module for 5th to 7th level characters, 21 keyed loations.

The Hecatomb of Morthevole: Morthevole has skeletons in the basement, and he needs to have them cleared out. Fun side job soon turns into horrible slaughterfest. Mini-dungeon for 2nd to 4th level adventurers (or plucky first-levelers!), 12 keyed locations.

The Tomb of Ali Shulwar: An article presenting one of the major Underworld complexes beneath the City of Vultures. Two entrance levels, three main levels and multiple sub-levels, from the hideouts of fantastic conspiracies to locked-away secrets and an enchanted forest beneath the face of the earth! 4th to 6th level (mostly), 66 keyed areas.

The White Hand: Crime-fighting vigilante organisation or armed thugs carrying out extrajudicial killings? Or something much worse? Look behind the face of this secret society and those who seek to control its every movement in this article.

Review:

Bryce Lynch, Ten Foot Pole: "The preview, at ten pages, shows you sixteen of the glacier rooms as well as the map. It’s a great preview."

Castle Xyntillan

Castle Xyntillan

“The immense, rambling complex of Castle Xyntillan has stood in its mountain valley for many years. Built over several generations, it has now been deserted by its former owners, and left to time and the elements. However, that is not the end of the story, for Xyntillan’s fabulous treasures and Machiavellian deathtraps continue to fascinate the fortune-seekers of a dozen lands – and never mind the ghost stories!”

A 132-page hardcover describing the three massive levels of the eponymous funhouse megadungeon, Castle Xyntillan has been designed for the Swords&Wizardry game, and is suitable for 1st to 6th level characters. Built on surrealism and dream logic, Castle Xyntillan has been designed to be versatile, open-ended, complex, and accessible - and always a bit mysterious. From the soaring tower of the Donjon to the inky depths of the Oubliette (and beyond), this module should provide ample opportunities for exploration, confrontation, and subterfuge. Whether you would like a dungeon for one-off expeditions and convention play, or repeated forays and full campaigns, this book should suit the demands of your campaign!

With cover art by Peter Mullen, and interior illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, Peter Mullen (again) and The Dead Victorians, Castle Xyntillan ships with four map sheets featuring GM’s and player’s cartography of the labyrinthine complex (the work of Robert S. Conley).

Reviews:

Grodog, From Kuroth's Quill (part 1, part 2): "Castle Xyntillan is a brilliant product, and it achieves what I wish T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil had turned out to be---a living, breathing large-scale adventuring environment with a distinct flavor of its own that calls out to me to fill it out further!"

James Mishler, Adventures in Gaming: "Castle Xyntillan goes a step beyond mere homage, and creates a new pinnacle from which to measure "Fun-house Dungeons." It is the Ultimate Gothic Fun-house Dungeon; it is an instant classic. It is the kind of game book that you can lose yourself in for hours, as you trace all the interconnected characters and situations presented in the adventure. It is so thorough -- and yet, still so eminently and easily playable -- that one must assume that Gabor Lux discovered some lost classic of Gothic horror and cribbed off of it to create this huge, ruined pile of awesomeness."

Bryce Lynch, Ten Foot Pole: "A perfect OD&D product, with whimsy and wonder without going off in to Funhouse territory."

The Byzantine, Espharel: "The content inside doesn't disappoint. It oozes flavor, and there's no shortage of ideas I've already stolen. Joseph Manola, in the ever-useful post 'Conceptual Density', asks how many actual ideas there are on each page. For my money, Castle Xyntillan maintains a solid rate of at least one per page. (...) The real draw here, especially for analysis, is the layout."

Echoes From Fomalhaut #06: The Gallery of Rising Tombs

The Gallery of Rising Tombs

A 44-page fanzine featuring adventures and GM-friendly campaign materials for Advanced old-school RPG rules, with cover art by Stefan Poag, and illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, and the Dead Victorians. This issue contains...

The Wandering Glade: A wilderness module for (mostly) 4th to 6th level characters, describing an enchanted forest that may be found in different corners of the land, and hides lost treasures and the mysteries of bygone eras. For some, the challenge is getting in… and for some, it is getting out in one piece! 26+13 keyed locations.

The City of Vultures: Visit the decaying metropolis of the City of Vultures, domain of the great Mirvander Khan, where every street conceals a lure for the unwary, and where fabulous wealth and grinding poverty exist side by side! This primer introduces the City and its subjugated rivals, its coterie of gods and mystery cults, its peculiar customs, and the conspiracies which lurk behind the façade of its crumbling buildings.

The Gallery of Rising Tombs: An article presenting one of the four great Underworld complexes beneath the City of Vultures. Three entrance levels and numerous sub-levels combine for dungeoneering over 81 keyed areas; from a seedy caravanserai to the under-temple of the rat god, the domain of a damned warrior yearning for his lost love, and more! Characters level 4 to 6 (but sufficiently open-ended to accommodate greater power differences).

The Armoury: A storehouse of 30 enchanted weapons. Confound your foes with The Sword of Barriers, master the treacherous Axe of Many Runes, or take up the choice of champions, mighty Frogbringer!

Also... a double-sided players' map of the City of Vultures, as well as the arid lands of Thasan!

The Nocturnal Table

The Nocturnal Table

A 60-page game aid dedicated to city-based adventures, lavishly illustrated by Matthew Ray (cover), Peter Mullen, Stefan Poag and Denis McCarthy. This is a game aid designed for regular table use, and formatted to be comfortable and accessible, offering a handy guide to design and run adventure scenarios in a large, sinful city filled with action and intrigue.

“The City is a maze. A labyrinth of alleyways, plazas, shortcuts and hidden thoroughfares, it isn’t any less treacherous to navigate than a dungeon. At least during the day, the worst one can expect is a greedy patrol of guards eager for a shakedown, or a thief in the crowd, ready to make a grab and run for it. At night, the sensible and the timid hurry home and bolt their doors. Ecstatic revellers, madmen, assassins, religious fanatics, thrill-seekers, enigmatic apparitions and tiger-headed opium nightmares prowl the streets. And the guards are still not helping. The Nocturnal Table is a supplement intended to bring you this city by way of an encounter system, random inspiration tables, NPC and monster statistics, as well as a giant nighttime random encounter table, whose three hundred entries can serve as interludes as well as springboards for complicated investigative scenarios and fantastic conspiracies.”

At the core of The Nocturnal Table is a 300-entry table of random encounters and odd events you can run into at night in a busy fantasy metropolis. From a patrol of guards carrying a slain comrade, to a sinister beggar-catcher soliciting the aid of dishonest adventurers, or a skeleton covered in grey ooze, its eyes glittering gemstones shambling towards the party, all the wonder and menace of a city-crawl are at hand. But that is not all. With The Nocturnal Table, you can…

• ...create general encounters with the aid of a comprehensive encounter system…
• …generate merchants selling strange and fantastic goods (as seen in Echoes From Fomalhaut #01)…
• …find out what’s in their pockets…
• …generate local colour on the fly…
• …stock warehouses with exotic goods to plunder…
• …and set up secret meetings and investigation sites!

Guidelines are also offered to re-use the encounters and chart contents for the construction of bizarre plotlines and sinister conspiracies which rule from the shadows… while the City sleeps. All that, and more are at your disposal in… The Nocturnal Table!

Echoes From Fomalhaut #05: The Enchantment of Vashundara

The Enchantment of Vashundara

A 40-page fanzine featuring adventures and GM-friendly campaign materials for Advanced old-school RPG rules, with cover art and illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, and the Dead Victorians. This issue contains... 

The Enchantment of Vashundara: An otherworldly adventure module for 3rd to 4th level PCs. Explore the fabulous palace of a god in peril, brave its dangers and outwit the invaders who have seized it for their own evil purposes… or die trying. 21 keyed locations. 

The Divided Town of Tirwas: Once an overgrown village governed by communal customs, and now a small town divided among a group of feudal Landlords, Tirwas is a place of perpetual tension. Can it be changed for the good, or can its hidden conflicts be exploited for personal gain? The answer lies in your scenarios, and your players’ decisions. 18 keyed locations. 

Plunder of the Stone Sacks: Formerly a set of communal shelters under the town of Tirwas, now a half-abandoned set of storerooms and a repository of discarded things. A dungeon module for 3rd to 5th level characters, 45 keyed locations. 

All is Well in Sleepy Haven: An idyllic, quiet little coastal town – an ideal springboard for adventures on the high seas, or in the monster-haunted wilderness. Or does something more insidious lurk in this friendly community? Is Sleepy Haven’s peace and quiet a comfortable illusion? You be the Judge. 8 keyed locations.

The Lost Valley of Kishar

The Lost Valley of Kishar

A 32-page adventure module for 6th to 8th level player characters, The Lost Valley of Kishar is a wilderness scenario with multiple mini-dungeons spread out over 28 keyed locations. Venture into a lost world of savage beasts and ancient sorceries – and discover an old mystery from beyond the stars! Whether you have come for the strange fruits of an enchanted tree, in pursuit of a great winged ape, the gold of a lost temple or a magic mirror, glory and death await in equal measure in… The Lost Valley of Kishar!

“Somewhere, only a few days’ travel from a busy trade route, there lies a valley surrounded by untamed wilderness. It is surrounded by cliffs forming the shape a ring, unnaturally steep and tall, as if they had been wrought by human hand. No one remembers who had originally erected the ruins standing within the valley, and who had nurtured the wondrous tree which had once drawn pilgrims from distant lands. Kishar’s priestesses have been long forgotten – but the tree’s blessed radiance persists. As if under an odd compulsion, all manner of beasts have been drawn to the valley, and in time, there emerged others. Those who came from far beyond human imagination, and were already here before the first priestesses…”

This module by Gabor Csomos was originally written for a 2018 adventure writing contest, where it won first place. This edition has been translated into the English, with illustrations by Peter Mullen (who also did the cover), Stefan Poag, and Denis McCarthy.

Reviews:
Edgewise, Artifacts and Relics: "There are a lot of different genre elements that manage to hang together well - winged apes, science fantasy, liches and curses - it's all there. And the organization is tight; Lost Valley gets in and out in 36 pages. It's not dry and it never overstays its welcome, and its all digestible enough for a GM to quickly get the big picture."
Jeremy, OSR News and Reviews: "The Lost Valley of Kishar represents both the best and worst of the OSR. It's clearly a labor of love, but at the same time, also really pretentious, cliched, and overpriced. Most importantly, there's really no legitimate reason for the players to get involved, as there is really no reward, just misery tourism. But that's something much of the OSR seems to love for some reason, so YMMV. "
Bryce Lynch, Ten Foot Pole: "I might liken it to an older Judges Guild product, like Dark Tower. You have to fight the text a little to get the big picture of whats going on and that makes immediate understanding suffer. But, in both cases, the content is worth it. (...) Still, it’s a pretty good lost valley adventure. Lots going on. The setups are understandable, easy for the DM to grok. They interact with each other. It’s got a lot of tough shit running around to overcome. (And may be a little light on the treasure for a 1E game …) It’s also taken the single-column format about as far as it can go. I don’t think you could make some of the encounters any longer and preserve usability. "

Echoes From Fomalhaut #04: Revenge of the Frogs

Revenge of the Frogs

A 40-page fanzine featuring adventures and GM-friendly campaign materials for Advanced old-school RPG rules, with cover art by Matthew Ray, and illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, and Andrew Walter. This issue contains... 

The Technological Table: Destructive futuristic weapons and sinister technological artifacts from Fomalhaut’s fallen utopias and underworld realms. 

Revenge of the Frogs: A wilderness adventure module for 3rd to 5th level PCs. Certain doom awaits the dying port town of Silvash, and its only chance of survival lies in the marshlands, a place of bizarre inhabitants, labyrinthine waterways, and lots and lots of… well, let’s not spoil it. 16 keyed locations.

Arfel: City State of the Charnel God: Dominated by a great temple-complex that forms a vast necropolis, death looms over Arfel like a funereal shroud. Yet beyond the haunts of the veiled priests and the silent palaces of a reclusive aristocracy, the alleyways are busy both day and night, and adventure awaits those who would explore the city’s mysteries. 20 keyed locations.

Erillion, West: an article describing the western half of the Isle of Erillion, from lost places of pilgrimage to brooding manor houses, and lowly bandits’ nests to sites of high wizardry. 

Also... a detailed fold-out players’ map of the City State of Arfel!

Echoes From Fomalhaut #03: Blood, Death, and Tourism

Blood, Death, and Tourism

A 44-page fanzine featuring adventures and GM-friendly campaign materials for Advanced old-school RPG rules, with artwork by Stefan Poag, Denis McCarthy, and more. This issue contains... 

The Great Wheel: A mighty 50’ wheel rolls through the wastelands of Fomalhaut, destroying all in its path, and followed by a ragged host of raiders, fanatics, desperate camp followers and wily opportunists. What purpose drives this great device, and who are its followers? 

Terror on Tridentfish Island: A 3rd to 5th level sword&sorcery module set on a formerly wealthy resort island, dotted with ruined pleasure palaces, enigmatic caverns, and the relics of a bygone age. 17 keyed locations plus two mini-dungeons. 

Monsters of Wizardry: a collection of monsters adapted from the excellent CRPG, Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant. 

Erillion, East: an article describing the eastern half of the Isle of Erillion, from the city of Baklin to the island kingdoms of the Northmen, and from gloomy highlands to enchanted forests. 

Also... a detailed fold-out GM’s map of the Isle of Erillion!

Reviews:
Pookie, Reviews From R'lyeh: "Overall, Echoes From Fomalhaut #03: Blood, Death, and Tourism pulls away from the ‘vanila’ fantasy of previous issue and in doing begins to give the fanzine more of a focus, more of an identity, and more of a reason to want to read future issues. That can only bode well for future issues."

Echoes From Fomalhaut #02: Gont, Nest of Spies

Gont, Nest of Spies

A 44-page fanzine featuring adventures and GM-friendly campaign materials for Advanced old-school RPG rules, with artwork by Denis McCarthy, Matthew J. Finch, Stefan Poag, Andrew Walter and more. This issue contains...

The Four Wives of Xantun: fantasy scenario in the Dreamlands for 2nd to 4th level characters – what haunts the city-state of Hlanith, what does it have to do with lost love, and what is it about those flowers?

A Guide to Erillion: an introduction to the Isle of Erillion, a vanilla fantasy mini-campaign setting.

Eldritch Experiments: what happens when the PCs find an abandoned laboratory and start experimenting?

Does Energy Drain Suck? (and what to do about it)

Gont, Nest of Spies: all is not what it seems in the port town of Gont. Features adventure hooks, 21 keyed locations, treacherous NPCs and a lot of ways to get into trouble.

Down the Smugglers’ Walk: the tunnels and dungeons beneath Gont, and the secrets they harbour. 40 keyed locations from underground fighting rings to gateways to other worlds!

The Swine Lord: a small wilderness scenario for 4th to 6th level characters, featuring a valley with an unwholesome reputation, and those who aren’t bothered by it. 11 keyed locations.

Also... a fold-out players’ map of the Isle of Erillion, and of the town of Gont!

Reviews:
Pookie, Reviews From R'lyeh: "Echoes From Fomalhaut #02: Gont, Nest of Spies is certainly lives up to the author’s aim of it being designed to present ‘good vanilla’, that is, standard fantasy, but with a heart. It presents good material in the main, but it feels just slightly bland, as if there should be stronger hook or reason for a gamer to want to use that material."

The Barbarian King

The Barbarian King

A 20-page adventure module for 4th to 6th level player characters, The Barbarian King pits the company against the ruined empire of the mountain barbarians... and the evil that still slumbers therein! This gloomy wilderness and dungeon scenario features deals with malevolent and ultra-powerful spirits, the burial places of a now defeated people, shadowy hosts and deadly traps. 

First published in 2002 as a standalone mini-module and in 2011 in an expanded version in Fight On! magazine, The Barbarian King has seen quite a lot of play in those sixteen years (and held up rather well at the table). It has been disassembled, reassembled, bootlegged on the DM’s Guild (no kidding) and put back together again. This edition has been re-edited for easy use, and includes illustrations by Matthew Ray (who also did the cover art), Stefan Poag and Denis McCarthy.

Reviews:

• Bryce Lynch (2011 version): "This is a decent adventure; I was pretty happy with it."
• Bryce Lynch (2018 version): "It’s got a GREAT vibe going on, and Gabor takes things just a little bit further than usual for an adventure, thinking about things just enough more to make things make sense. It’s a good adventure."
• Prince of Nothing: "Barbarian King is a module with a feel so classic it should have been written with a typewriter and printed on cheap paper."

Echoes From Fomalhaut #01: Beware the Beekeeper!

Beware the Beekeeper!

A 40-page fanzine featuring adventures and GM-friendly campaign materials for Advanced old-school RPG rules, with artwork by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, and past masters. This issue contains...

Bazaar of the Bizarre: a 1d100 table to generate strange merchants, with caravan guidelines.

The Rules of the Game: sets out the conventions followed in the zine.

The Singing Caverns: a two-level cavern system with 49 keyed areas, inhabited by orcs, bandits, and the mysteries of a bygone age. 2nd to 4th level.

Philtres & Dusts: a sampler of magical potions and dusts.

Red Mound: a mysterious adventure location found in the wastelands.

Morale & Men: a simple, fun set of follower and morale rules, written by two guest-authors.

The Mysterious Manor: the dilapidated manor house of an extinct noble family, now with new occupants... or is there more to it? 23 keyed areas, 2nd to 4th level.

Also... an unkeyed city map! (extra fold-out supplement)

Reviews: 

• Steve C, Google+: "This is a great example of what I love about RPG zines and the DIY OSR community: creator-written and published gaming material with a unique flavor and feel to it."
• Pookie, Reviews From R'lyeh: "In setting out to offer ‘good vanilla’, that is, standard fantasy, but with a heart, the issue has certainly achieved that. (...) Echoes From Fomalhaut #01: Beware the Beekeeper! is an assured first issue whose teething problems will be easy to overcome for the second issue."
• Vorpal Mace: "Don't let the small size fool you: this baby is jam-packed with actually useful articles."
• Ynas Midgard: "Gábor aims for "good vanilla", and it is indeed some very sweet vanilla."
• Bryce Lynch: "Terse writing, interesting encounters and a good map all combine to create a delightful little complex to explore … reminding me more than a bit of Thracia. Could there be a higher compliment?"
• Ben L.: "While I have more nuanced things to say below, the basic message is: it's packed to the gills with fantastic stuff. It has the spirit of the best early Judge's Guild stuff and a quirky sword & sorcery flavor. If you like that sort of thing you would be a fool not to buy it."
• Plus One Longsword: "Echoes From Fomalhaut has a lot to offer those ready to delve into its fun, and unique content. Multiple adventures with a surprising amount of care and consideration put into them, as well as useful tables and great art, this zine rolled a natural 20 for sure. I thought this to be a great first installment to a successful zine."

Yes, there is a downloadable sample!

You can buy these items at my Bigcartel store. They are also sold as PDFs on RPGNow with a delay of a few months.

Please note that your print order also makes you eligible for free PDF copies of your ordered items when they become available (should be a few months after the print edition). PDFs will be delivered via RPGNow to your regular e-mail address, unless you request otherwise.

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