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Ryecroft – An Unforgettable Adventure Ends Soon!

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are all doing well.

The Ryecroft Kickstarter is into the last few days of the campaign and it’s not too late to pledge. We are already funded and have pulled out all the stops to get this product printed and out to backers as soon as humanly possible.

For our loyal US customers: We don’t produce books in China, so you don’t need to worry about getting stung on high tariffs. At time of writing, there is no tariff impact on fulfilment.

Please feel free to share!

Ryecroft: A Dangerous Cemetery Crawl for OSE and B/X TTRPGs

A dangerous cemetery crawl location for Old School Essentials (OSE) and B/X retroclones. Suitable but challenging for Levels 1 and above. We promise there aren’t a lot of undead!!

Ever since the plague and consequent razing of the abbey over one hundred and eighty years ago, Ryecroft has been left to its fate. An overgrown and unearthly place, most that have heard of it, do their best to avoid it. Some say that the dead roam its memorial strewn grounds, but the knowledgeable believe otherwise… Before her savage death, the old abbess swore that the dead would never rise within its boundaries, and she was mostly right. It is not the dead that trespassers should fear. It is the things below…

  • Main Book: An A5-sized hardcover, 224 pages, 120 gsm uncoated interior, smythsewn binding, black ribbon, black endpapers, containing 224 interior pages. Containing:
    • A timeline of events.
    • The detailed village of Woodchurch Eaton from which your PCs can make forays into the cemetery and recuperate.
    • Adventure hooks table.
    • Handling movement around the overgrown cemetery and random wandering monsters.
    • Desecration and atonement rules for disturbing burials.
    • Collectable items: Blueglass shards, Bones of the Saint, and Tombs of the Lost Crescent items.
    • Factions within the cemetery: Woodlings, maggotkin, wormkin, the old abbess, and the golems.
    • Notes on Gamemastering the cemetery.
    • 34 detailed above ground locations.
    • 133 detailed below ground locations.
    • 27 brand new bestiary creatures.
    • 5 new magic items and 1 new spell.
    • 3 bestial playable race-classes: Grubkin, Protector Lice, and Wormancers.
    • 12 tables for generating memorials.
  • Collectables Record Booklet: An A5-sized softcover, 8 pages, 120 gsm uncoated interior, stapled binding, matt laminated softcover.
  • Memorials Record Booklet: An A5-sized softcover, 8 pages, 120 gsm uncoated interior, stapled binding, matt laminated softcover.
  • Maps: Folded to A5. Printed full colour both sides. 150gsm uncoated paper stock.
    • Referees Map: Detailing the above and below ground locations for the referee.
    • Players Map: Detailing the above ground map for the players, as well as the village of Woodchurch Eaton and some cool mood artwork.
  • Card Deck & GM Screen Inserts: Level 3 Reward Tier backers will also get access to ‘at cost’ coupons for the following print-on-demand items:
    • 120-card Memorial Card Deck (Premium US Poker-sized cards)
    • 11-page Portrait GM Screen Inserts (Premium 8.5 x 11” cards)

Our Level 3 Reward Tier…

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Ryecroft is Live Now on Kickstarter!

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are all doing well.

We just wanted to let you know that we have a new Kickstarter campaign now running which might interest you.

Please feel free to share!

Ryecroft: A Dangerous Cemetery Crawl for OSE and B/X TTRPGs

A dangerous cemetery crawl location for Old School Essentials (OSE) and B/X retroclones. Suitable but challenging for Levels 1 and above. We promise there aren’t a lot of undead!!

Now LIVE! on Kickstarter.

Ever since the plague and consequent razing of the abbey over one hundred and eighty years ago, Ryecroft has been left to its fate. An overgrown and unearthly place, most that have heard of it, do their best to avoid it. Some say that the dead roam its memorial strewn grounds, but the knowledgeable believe otherwise… Before her savage death, the old abbess swore that the dead would never rise within its boundaries, and she was mostly right. It is not the dead that trespassers should fear. It is the things below…

  • Main Book: An A5-sized hardcover, 224 pages, 120 gsm uncoated interior, smythsewn binding, black ribbon, black endpapers, containing 224 interior pages. Containing:
    • A timeline of events.
    • The detailed village of Woodchurch Eaton from which your PCs can make forays into the cemetery and recuperate.
    • Adventure hooks table.
    • Handling movement around the overgrown cemetery and random wandering monsters.
    • Desecration and atonement rules for disturbing burials.
    • Collectable items: Blueglass shards, Bones of the Saint, and Tombs of the Lost Crescent items.
    • Factions within the cemetery: Woodlings, maggotkin, wormkin, the old abbess, and the golems.
    • Notes on Gamemastering the cemetery.
    • 34 detailed above ground locations.
    • 133 detailed below ground locations.
    • 27 brand new bestiary creatures.
    • 5 new magic items and 1 new spell.
    • 3 bestial playable race-classes: Grubkin, Protector Lice, and Wormancers.
    • 12 tables for generating memorials.
  • Collectables Record Booklet: An A5-sized softcover, 8 pages, 120 gsm uncoated interior, stapled binding, matt laminated softcover.
  • Memorials Record Booklet: An A5-sized softcover, 8 pages, 120 gsm uncoated interior, stapled binding, matt laminated softcover.
  • Maps: Folded to A5. Printed full colour both sides. 150gsm uncoated paper stock.
    • Referees Map: Detailing the above and below ground locations for the referee.
    • Players Map: Detailing the above ground map for the players, as well as the village of Woodchurch Eaton and some cool mood artwork.
  • Card Deck & GM Screen Inserts: Level 3 Reward Tier backers will also get access to ‘at cost’ coupons for the following print-on-demand items:
    • 120-card Memorial Card Deck (Premium US Poker-sized cards)
    • 11-page Portrait GM Screen Inserts (Premium 8.5 x 11” cards)

Our Level 3 Reward Tier…

Please feel free to check it out here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/ryecroft-a-dangerous-cemetery-crawl-for-ose-and-b-x-ttrpgs?ref=c4vnji

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Ryecroft nears…

It’s finally coming…

On Friday 28th of this month, we finally launch Ryecroft, a dangerous cemetery crawl location for Old School Essentials. It’ll run in most B/X systems easily and nicely in Swords & Wizardry.

What is it?

A dangerous cemetery crawl location for Old School Essentials (OSE) and B/X retroclones. Suitable for Levels 1 and above.

Ever since the plague and consequent razing of the abbey over one hundred and eighty years ago, Ryecroft has been left to its fate. An overgrown and unearthly place, most that have heard of it, do their best to avoid it. Some say that the dead roam its memorial strewn grounds, but the knowledgeable believe otherwise… Before her savage death, the old abbess swore that the dead would never rise within its boundaries, and she was mostly right. It is not the dead that trespassers should fear.
It is the things below…

We avoided most of the undead tropes and for the most part, undead don’t really play a part.
Also, there’s no AI involved in the project either.

You can get…

  • A 224-page smythsewn A5 hardback
  • Two A5 softcover booklets for tracking collectables, and recording memorials
  • Two A2 posters (folded to A5), one for players and one for referees.
  • In addition, there will be an option for grabbing a deck of memorial cards and also some GM screen inserts (to make the Referee’s life a little easier at the table).

There will be three pledge tiers:

  • (£15) Level 1: Digital files
  • (£40) Level 2: Physical rewards and digital files
  • (£50) Level 3: Physical rewards and digital files, as well as the option to get the cards and GM screen inserts

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Ryecroft: A Dangerous Cemetery Crawl for OSE and B/X TTRPGs

I’ve been working on this project over the years, but life kept getting in front of it. The pandemic, moving house, lots of freelancing, etc. It was close but needed a push over the line and NOW, the Kickstarter prelaunch is finally up.

With an expected lanuch of January 2025, this should finally get MonkeyBlood Design back to doing what it does best…. creating great and memorable products. Bring it on! This is a cemetery like no other!

Click any of the images to take you to the Kickstarter prelaunch page and get notified when it goes live!

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ENDS VERY, VERY SOON!

Rancid Canyons of the Floating Death Sheep
on KICKSTARTER has just a few days remaining!
Don’t get backer envy, secure your pledge now!

An adventure with versions for 5E, Swords & Wizardry, and Dungeon Crawl Classics. Now LIVE! on Kickstarter.

Rancid Canyons of the Floating Death Sheep is a low level adventure available in three rule variants: Fifth Edition (5E), Swords & Wizardry* (S&W), and Dungeon Crawl Classics** (DCC) and therefore can be used in all retro-clones and old school role-playing games with little or no work.
The adventure features the following.

  • The detailed village of Yarrowbone featuring NPCs and 22 locations (can be used as a base for any future adventure).
  • Immersive NPC and building art.
  • Six pieces of cool cartography.
  • Three new juicy magic items.
  • Seven tricky new adversaries.
  • Five engaging mapped encounter locations.
  • Table of additonal adventure hooks.
  • Table of NPC names.
  • Information on fitting the adventure into the Lost Wyrld setting of The Midderlands.

* Swords & Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games are trademarks of Matthew J. Finch. Glynn Seal, MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing are not affiliated with Matthew J. Finch, Mythmere Games™, or Frog God Games.

** Dungeon Crawl Classics and DCC RPG are trademarks of Goodman Games. For additional information, visit www.goodman-games.com or contact info@goodman-games.com.

Click here to head to the Kickstarter page and make your pledge:

Many thanks,
Glynn over at MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing

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Rancid Canyons of the Floating Death Sheep NOW LIVE on Kickstarter!!!

An adventure with versions for 5E, Swords & Wizardry, and Dungeon Crawl Classics. Now LIVE! on Kickstarter.

Rancid Canyons of the Floating Death Sheep is a low level adventure available in three rule variants: Fifth Edition (5E), Swords & Wizardry* (S&W), and Dungeon Crawl Classics** (DCC) and therefore can be used in all retro-clones and old school role-playing games with little or no work.
The adventure features the following.

  • The detailed village of Yarrowbone featuring NPCs and 22 locations (can be used as a base for any future adventure).
  • Immersive NPC and building art.
  • Six pieces of cool cartography.
  • Three new juicy magic items.
  • Seven tricky new adversaries.
  • Five engaging mapped encounter locations.
  • Table of additonal adventure hooks.
  • Table of NPC names.
  • Information on fitting the adventure into the Lost Wyrld setting of The Midderlands.

* Swords & Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games are trademarks of Matthew J. Finch. Glynn Seal, MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing are not affiliated with Matthew J. Finch, Mythmere Games™, or Frog God Games.

** Dungeon Crawl Classics and DCC RPG are trademarks of Goodman Games. For additional information, visit www.goodman-games.com or contact info@goodman-games.com.

Click here to head to the Kickstarter page and make your pledge:

Many thanks,
Glynn over at MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing

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Rancid Canyons of the Floating Death Sheep

An adventure with versions for 5E, Swords & Wizardry, and Dungeon Crawl Classics. Coming to Kickstarter in early 2022.

Rancid Canyons of the Floating Death Sheep is a low level adventure available in three rule variants: Fifth Edition (5E), Swords & Wizardry* (S&W), and Dungeon Crawl Classics** (DCC) and therefore can be used in all retro-clones and old school role-playing games with little or no work.
The adventure features the following.

  • The detailed village of Yarrowbone featuring NPCs and 22 locations (can be used as a base for any future adventure).
  • Immersive NPC and building art.
  • Six pieces of cool cartography.
  • Three new juicy magic items.
  • Seven tricky new adversaries.
  • Five engaging mapped encounter locations.
  • Table of additonal adventure hooks.
  • Table of NPC names.
  • Information on fitting the adventure into the Lost Wyrld setting of The Midderlands.

* Swords & Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games are trademarks of Matthew J. Finch. Glynn Seal, MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing are not affiliated with Matthew J. Finch, Mythmere Games™, or Frog God Games.

** Dungeon Crawl Classics and DCC RPG are trademarks of Goodman Games. For additional information, visit www.goodman-games.com or contact info@goodman-games.com.

Click here to head to the Kickstarter pre-launch page and get notified when it launches:

Many thanks,
Glynn over at MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing

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Against the Darkmaster Adventure

The fabulous folks over at Open Ended Games asked me if I would write an adventure for Against the Darkmaster (also known as VsD). I said yes of course! So keep your eyes peeled for The White Watchtower as part of a campaign series coming soon.

I pixellated this so you wouldn’t spoil the surprise!

Already having backed the KS for the glorious hardback, and having read through the Core Rules, I LOVE this system and setting! Let’s hope the hardback gets a reprint soon too.

Mockup of the Hard Cover Full Rules Core Book
Image (c) OpenEnded Games

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ENnies 2021

The close date for submission to the ENnies 2021 is for packages post-marked 1st May 2021. My ENnie performance in previous years has been as follows:

  • 2018 – Gold ENnie for Best Cartography for The Midderlands
  • 2019 – Nomination for Best Cartography for The Midderlands Expanded.
  • 2020 – Nothing

I deliberated on whether to enter this year on account of not finding time to do the leg work to get the correct submissions in, and also the increasing costs of submission.

Six copies of each of the submitted products have to be sent off, and the judges are NEVER in the United Kingdom, so the cost to send the packages by a tracked service is not for the feint-hearted. This year’s postage cost alone was £181.55 (just over $250 USD). Adding on the cost of the products, I need to ensure that enough sales are generated by the publicity to at least cover the postage, product cost, and my time. That’s going to be around $400-$500 USD. If it doesn’t, then there’s not much point in submitting.

I recall last year that based on the analytics, sales generated via the ENnies website were less than a product review by Ben over at Questing Beast… Sales via the ENnies is a bit nebulous to interpret though.

As the reminder for entering came in, I realised that the products we release are the work of a team, and that I wanted to allow the great folks in the team that supports me to also get a chance to have their efforts rewarded in an industry-acknowledged way.

Richard Marpole, Jim Magnusson, Pookie, and all those fine people in the credits deserve to have their work recognised, and I can help that along, and hopefully reward them with a medal.

I sent off three sets of products last week. They were:

  • The Bats of Saint Abbans
  • Chewer of Fingers
  • Folk Magic of the Haven Isles

I say this every time the ENnies come around, but if you are a fan of MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing, AND we get nominated for anything, then the support of fans like yourself is invaluable.

So, fingers and toes are crossed for a result in 2021.

Take care, Glynn

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Two New Products in Webstore

Two new products have hit the UK webstore today!

The Bats of Saint Abbans written by Richard Marpole and Dancing with Bullets Under a Neon Sun by Apollyon Press. Check them out on the webstore here:

Check out all the juicy pics!

Dancing With Bullets Under A Neon Sun

The Bats of Saint Abbans