Category: Game Systems

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Project Scimitar

Project Scimitar has been known by many things over the years. It’s roots started in variations of Darkest of Tales, Gate Punks and Malefica, and whilst those things still exist as work-in-progress projects, they have all evolved into a game using what I am calling the multigenre Scimitar System, and this is its first game Project Scimitar (until I get closer to a commerical release and rename it).

Project Scimitar is a medieval fantasy setting in the lands of Nagor Kadir. It still needs more playtesting and fleshing out with more equipment, adversaries, spells, magical equipment, religions, and guilds. Note that some of the art is still not yet ready, and we have used some existing art as plceholder. All that said, the game core is here, and we LOVE it!

What are the bullet points?

  • Multigenre capable system design.
  • 10 Ancestries.
  • 40 Professions.
  • 6 Core Attributes (Strength, Agility, Endurance, Personality, Cognition, Occult).
  • 6 Secondary Attributes (Hand-to-hand, Ranged, Thrown, Manifesting, Crafting, Handling).
  • Core Mechanic is a d10-based success system for tests (9+ on a d10 = 1 success). Attributes determine number of dice rolled. Favoured Attributes treat 10+ as 2 successes.
  • Areas of Knowledge: Grant rerolls and modifiers to test dice.
  • Casting potentially available to all characters at any stage of character progression.
  • Crafting system for mundane and magic equipment.
  • Follow Religions, Join Guilds, or Train Familiars.
  • Handling system for vehicles/mounts.
  • Optional Game Mode to vary rules on death/Level point rewards for each individual session.

You can grab the rules in the link here: https://forms.gle/CozDGvhnJTNToNa8A.

And don’t forget to leave some feedback on your experience!

So why not roll up a character and see why we love this system?

Happy New Year and have a fabulous 2026!

Glynn and the team!

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Press Release: The Gaia Complex

+ + + PRESS RELEASE + + +

MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing are pleased to announce that Hansor Publishing’s amazing cyberpunk/sci-fi RPG, The Gaia Complex, as well as its supporting products, are now available on the MonkeyBlood webstore!

What Is The Gaia Complex?

The Gaia Complex is a cyberpunk RPG set on earth in 2119. At the end of the 21st century, the third world war, known as the Resource War, pushed mankind to the brink of destruction and  ruined the Earth’s atmosphere. Small pockets of humanity survived this horrific war and eventually formed the eleven metropolises . These grew and prospered due to the development of atmospheric processing and significant advancements in technology. Now cut off from each other, these heaving urban landscapes must each face their own difficulties and hardships.

The Gaia Complex focuses on the largest of these metropolises, New Europe. This single sprawling city covers much of what we currently know as mainland Europe. It is a place of street violence, corporate espionage, and vampiric uprisings. Added to this, an overzealous A.I., known as Gaia, functions as the city’s governor and the protector of its citizens.

The Gaia Complex is a dystopian world of urban violence, exploring the age of cybernetic enhancement through a vision of Earth that is somehow ‘changed’. This vision of the future injects both vampires and a strange species of people known as ferals, who are able to enter the minds of animals. In this is game of conspiracy and brutality, players take on the roles of Mercs. These former police officers, hackers, and street-savvy dealers  fight back against the system and ultimately unravel the secrets of The Gaia Complex.

Recommended products

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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!!

ENDS SOON! Back Now 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…

ENDS SOON! Back Now on Kickstarter
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MASSIVE Webstore 25% Off April 2024 Sale

Promotional image for a webstore sale offering 25% off on selected products, featuring various titles such as 'Erzine' and 'Chewer of Souls'. Includes coupon code 'ryecroft25mania' and a note about the expiration date linked to the Ryecroft Kickstarter campaign.

We are having a HUGE 25% OFF sale on loads of physical titles on the webstore!
Sale ends when the Ryecroft Kickstarter ends (26th April 2025)

Use code: ryecroft25mania

A Selection of Must Have Webstore Products…

We have got some great products in the webstore worthy of your attention.

Recommended products

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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.

Sign up to get notified on Kickstarter

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
Sign up to get notified on Kickstarter

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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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The Encyclopaedia of Incredible Artefacts

I’ve had the pleasure to provide the artwork for 76 unique items for the Encyclopaedia of Incredible Artefacts.
Two volumes of incredible magic weapons, armour, items, and trinkets, usable in any 5E setting!

Presented in two volumes, the Encyclopaedia of Incredible Artefacts is designed to be a tome of legendary magical items for use in any 5E fantasy setting. These items are created so as to be befitting of a campaign’s ‘big bad’ or a fitting reward for the most deserving of heroes.
Rather than simply providing a table of stats and rules, these books provide a rich and detailed look into the heritage, background, and journey of these items. Each item is presented alongside beautifully crafted fiction telling that item’s journey through time. Though each of these stories take their own twists and turns, each is designed to inspire Dungeon Masters/Game Masters to find ways in which to include these incredible artefacts in their games.
Need a valuable treasure for your party to stumble over? Take your pick.
Need a cursed blade for the campaign’s big threat to wield? The following pages have you covered.
Want something that gives high risk for high reward? Pick something that poses the risk of possession and see how the character handles the presence of a dark entity!
Whatever you need, the Encyclopaedia of Incredible Artefacts seeks to inspire!

Launches on Kickstarter 2nd July 2024. Get notified here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thegaiacomplex/the-encyclopaedia-of-incredible-artefacts-for-dandd-5e?ref=e8uf00

More info can be found at Hansor Publishing here: https://www.hansorpublishing.com/eoia

Check out these amazing spreads and product mockups:

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Fighting Folk of the Haven Isles: ENDS This Sunday!

Fighting Folk of the Haven Isles: ENDS This Sunday!

An old school roleplaying supplement for warriors and fighting folk. Fighting Folk of the Haven Isles is a roleplaying supplement for old school role-playing games. Its focus is on warriors and fighting folk. The book is written for Swords & Wizardry and therefore can be used in all retro-clones and old school roleplaying games with little or no work.

Check out the Kickstarter page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/fighting-folk-of-the-haven-isles?ref=deumhw

mailtimers.com

Physical Product Specification

  • An A5-sized hardcover (148mm wide x 210mm high OR Approx. 5.8″ wide x 8.3″ high) containing 100+ interior pages comprising 20+ pages of evocative, full colour illustrations.
  •  17 Fighting Folk sub-classes, such as the Arfurian Knight, Barber Surgeon, Coastal Corsair, Fisher Knight, Kiltic Hero, and Queensgrave Club Member. These sub-classes are  ‘overlays’ that are intended to be used in conjunction with the fighter class, giving them benefits, drawbacks and flavour.
  •  11 Fighter backgrounds such as the Battlefield Scavenger, Gloomdelver, and Snake Cult Survisor.  Unique and flavourful micro-stories that make your fighter unique and explain how they came to practice magic.
  •  20 Weapons such as the Boohoomian Ear Spoon, War Scythe, and Duckfoot Pistol.
  •  10 Magical Weapons and Armour such as Old Bog Iron, Bloodthirsty Spear of Old Lugg, and Lambtown Spiked Armour. Usable in any old school game.
  •  5 Legions of Legend. Elite and unusual military units of the Haven Isles.
  • Fighting Folk Superstitions
  • A Glossary
  • Open Gaming License (OGL)

A typical Fighting Folk subclass provides:

  • Flavour text,
  • Rules for play such as requirements, alignments and level-related abilities,
  • Roleplaying Suggestions,
  • Fighting Style and,
  • Suggested Starting Equipment.

Imagery

Check out the Kickstarter page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/fighting-folk-of-the-haven-isles?ref=deumhw

mailtimers.com

We’d love to have your support!

Many thanks,

Glynn [MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing], Richard and Pookie

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The Midderlands for 5E ON SALE!!

The Weekly Deal from the Frog Pond Frog Face — Hop on this deal before it’s gone!

Frog God Games continues its course of sales that are running throughout 2022. For this week’s sale (through October 30), we feature The Midderlands (for Fifth Edition) for just $24.99 (regularly $44.99)!

Click below to select and save!

The Midderlands is an award-winning, weird world setting for fifth edition (D&D) — a green-hued, dark-fantasy setting and bestiary set in a twisted middle England. It’s late middle ages/Tudor England seen through a looking glass, filled with strange creatures, insidious threats, and the color green. It’s edgy, it’s twisted, and the first thing you should expect is the last thing you’d expect. Looking for a 5e setting completely different from anything you’ve seen before? You’ve found it – now let’s see if you can survive it…