If you liked the idea of Crypts and Things, but yearn for the simpler days fo 1st edition when the book only had the four basic character classes (Barbarian/Fighter/Thief and Sorcerer) and Zarth was just an example setting?  Or perhaps you are after a nice concise Swords and Sorcery game that use the Black Hack as rules base?

Then Swords Against the Shroud is now available for you in pdf and preorder in print from the D101 Games Web store.

• Get Swords Against the Shroud via the D101 Games Web Store

It comes in two versions.

The Standard softcover with a black and white cover by John Ossoway

Swords Against the Shroud standard cover by John Ossoway

and a limited edition colour cover hardback with the 1st Edition cover by Jon Hodgson.

Swords Against the Shroud limited edition cover by Jon Hodgson

Just putting the final touches on Swords Against the Shroud (a Black Hack version of Crypts and Things) – that will go out to From the Shroud #2 Kickstarter backers (either today or tomorrow), & then be available to order pdf/preorder print via D101 Games website shortly after 🙂

This is Crypts and Things rebuilt using The Black Hack 2nd Edition as a base, instead of Swords and Wizardry.  It’s similar in scope to C&T 1st Edition. It only has the four core classes: Barbarian, Fighter, Theif and Sorcerer, the introductory guide to Zarth, a small selection of the creatures in the full bestiary (but all the Swords and Sorcery essentials) + the adventure The Halls of Nizar-Thun. Systems for Corruption and Sanity are based on The Black Hack. All in all, it comes in at 86 A5 pages versus 145 pages of C&T 1st ed which was US Trade (8″ x 11″).

It was mainly an experiment on my part, funded by From the Shroud #2 Kickstarter. If you’ve not picked it up as a stretch goal as part of that campaign, it’s worth your time if you want a short and concise version of the game and you are a fan of The Black Hack.

The upcoming Lost Lands of Grungamesh, will have stats for both C&T and Swords Against the Shroud.

Now rampaging on general release, is the thirty-foot tall three-headed monster lizard called Grogzilla. Originally put together to honour Grogmeet 2019 ( a meet up of old school gamers run by the Grogsquad of Grogpod fame) it was enhanced during Kickstarter’s ZineQuest 2 which brought it to a wider audience.

• Read more about the Making of Grogzilla

This being a review of a bit of everything that D101 does, both present and upcoming, there’s a fair bit of fantasy in it. The beast of the zine in OpenQuest and C&T stats, five more fiends for Crypts and Things, a preview of what I’m going to be doing for Mythras, a follow up the scenario to the OSR Road to Hell.

Its available as cheap as chips pdf only (£3) and I’ve a limited number of print copies from the print run for the backers (£5).

• Grogzilla #1 at the D101 Webstore.

The Brave of Gatan is the Empire’s 5th Legion. Despite its barbarian traditions, it is one of the most loyal and was dispatched to subdue the peoples of the Theocracy of Kus. A savage realm Kus is a joint partnership between the humans and the lizardfolk that live there. Imperial Command misunderstood the nature of this relationship. They saw the humans as oppressed unwilling sacrifices to their lizardfolk overlords and thus easily brought into the Empire. In fact, the reverse was true. The humans of Kus happily and willingly took part in the country’s religious system which empowered the lizardfolk ruling classes, who in turn ensured Kus flourished. Therefore after five years of being under the Imperial yoke as they see it, Kus is in open revolt in what the natives call the “Great Eating”. The Legion has been defeated on the open field and in the streets of the cities and, most of its leaders have been eaten by the Lizard Warriors. You’ve been summoned by the surviving commanders.  They acknowledge the 5ht is doomed, but want you to take the Legions regalia back home, resurrect it and descend upon Kus in a campaign of sacred revenge sanctioned by the Emperor himself! 

This is an episodic campaign, which should run for about ten sessions. The first session will be four hours long, and subsequent sessions will be two hours each. Its a playtest of the new OpenQuest 3 system, where the players will get to see the entire system in action. It is set in the Old Empire setting, that pre-dates the Empire of Gatan setting in OQ2 by a good 500-1000 years. The player’s actions will define the new setting (an updated Empire of Gatan) as they travel around the Empire’s provinces seeking to get home.

The player character’s start as members of 5th Leigon, and will be soldiers of various flavours. As the campaign progresses they will move on from these humble beginnings as the players desire.

I’m looking to get a dedicated pool of players who can meet up online once per week. You don’t have to be at every session, although you’ll get the most fun out of it if you are.

If you are interested please comment below, with the days you are available. Apart from the first session, which will be four hours long, sessions will be two hours and held between 8-10 pm GMT.