Posted on December 10, 2020 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

The Bats of Saint Abbans Kickstarter ENDS in just a few days!

A vertigo-inducing adventure inside a crumbling cathedral. For all OSR games.

Check out the Kickstarter page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/the-bats-of-saint-abbans-an-osr-adventure?ref=43rt29

We have unlocked 2 Stretch Goals already for the Special Edition Print pledge, with the 3^rd being very close and sure to be unlocked in the closing days. We might even get all 5, which will make this a bargain! Please don’t miss this opportunity to grab it all at a snip.

This is what all the unlocked goals will look like for the Special Edition Print pledge reward (posters and bookmarks are shown with reverse sides also)!

What Is It?

The Bats of Saint Abbans is an old-school adventure written by Richard Marpole and intended for The Midderlands setting suitable for Levels 1 to 3. The adventure is written for Swords & Wizardry and therefore can be used in all retro-clones and old school role-playing games with little or no work. The book may contain occasional swear words and mature themes.

The once-respected Abbey-Cathedral of Saint Abbans has stood at the top of Wellholy Hill for centuries.

Revenue is scarce and the abbey is falling into disrepair. To make matters worse, church bats have now infested the upper reaches of the building. They are causing a dangerous nuisance and further damaging the precarious structure.

Abbess Jessamine is looking for brave souls without fear of heights to ascend the cavernous cathedral and bring the problem under control.

Maybe, just maybe, that’s you?

The adventure contains:

Details about the town of Saint Abbans, some of its useful NPCs, the Abbess and the monks that reside at the abbey-cathedral.
A random generator for creating additional abbey monks.
Adventure Flow and NPC Relationship charts.
Details of the abbey locations.
4x Handouts, 15x pages worth of maps.
Appendices of Ecclesiastical Time and all the encounters that could happen during those times.
New class, spells, and items. 8 New creatures, including a Church Bat Generator.
NPC and Creature quick reference tables, NPC Gallery.
Books 1 to 3 are fully indexed. Play Notes.

Check out the Kickstarter page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/the-bats-of-saint-abbans-an-osr-adventure?ref=43rt29

Many thanks,

Glynn and Richard!

Posted on October 29, 2020October 27, 2020 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

Sevens Sisters Ark Expansion

The players in JamesCORP’s Mutant: Year Zero campaign have expanded their Ark! See my previous post here: https://monkeyblooddesign.co.uk/2020/10/16/sevens-sisters-ark/

The upgrades we talked about in the previous post have started to be constructed so we now have the additions of:

Sundial
Temple. The temple is built in a newly excavated area ready for the group’s further expansion of the Ark.

Check out some screengrabs of the new additions:

You can check out the live-streamed games here: https://www.twitch.tv/jamescorp, And this is where you can see the map reveal, and the players picking their hovels 🙂

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/767558174?t=00h47m36s

Thanks to James and his players!

You can also subscribe to the YouTube playlist here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdcO9C8ZuNs8jU_6bVUkzmRjVtCFJKR8

Over and out, Glynn

Posted on October 27, 2020October 27, 2020 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

Only 48 Hours Remaining

After almost 30 days of crowdfunding, we are approaching the final gates. The Midderlands for Fifth Edition Kickstarter ends this Thursday at 2:42PM UTC+0. The project is now counting down in hours not days!

Less than 48 hours remaining!

This may be the best 5E setting book you will purchase this year.

As I write this, we are at 308 backers and just under $12,500 USD in funding (that’s just under £9,600 GBP). As always, I am humbled by the support and pledges offered for what I believe to be the finest third-party setting book for 5E that I have seen. But then, I would say that.

It’s worth owning, even if you have the Swords & Wizardry version, as there is enough difference in its presentation to continue to inspire adventure.

There is still enough time to get on board, and with most of the work completed, it should be fulfilling pretty quickly!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/necromancergames/midderlands-setting-and-bestiary-for-fifth-edition

To whet your appetite, here are some secret screenshots from the PDF…

Posted on October 25, 2020 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

Krysonia & Leng Commission

In between working on my own projects, doing commissioned art/map/writing/layout works is a great way to top up the income so the bills get paid.

I was approached by Ken Swope to look at updating his own personal campaign world maps for the regions he calls Krysonia and Leng, opting for a full colour approach (US Letter at 300dpi).

We adjusted a few water flows and I think we created a lovely looking set of maps which join together at the ‘Karim Desert’ seam. We created both colour and mono versions. Check them out by using the slider…

The maps join together such that the hexes continue between maps

If you have a personal campaign and need some cool maps, why not get in touch? Rates are here: https://monkeyblooddesign.co.uk/schedule-of-rates/

Cheers, Glynn

Posted on October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 by MonkeyBlood Design — 1 Comment

Sevens Sisters Ark

I love post-apocalyptic games. I plan to create my own one day when I get chance. So , I was really excited when James approached me about drawing a map for his Mutant: Year Zero campaign. I’ve run MYZ myself, as a one-shot session for my no-longer-very-face-2-face group, so I understood the gist of the setting.

The visual goal was an Ark–a sanctuary for the player’s characters. It would be based on the actual underground station of Seven Sisters in Tottenham, North London. It needed to have locations for the relevant NPCs and be in a 3D/isometric style usable on VTT. Isometric works best for this as it has a consistent grid for placing tokens.

We would also include ‘upgrades’ to the map such as watchtowers, windmills, generators, lighting, and such for unlocking by the players as they level up their Ark. The basic map would not show these upgrades. I also wanted the map to have an old blueprint feel… (ah! the smell of ammonia!). Drawing in isometric really takes me back to my technical drawing and draughting days!

The thing I love about doing maps like this is having free reign to add some fun little details.

Anyway, feast your eyes upon the Seven Sisters Underground Ark for James.

Check out the live-streamed games here: https://www.twitch.tv/jamescorp, And this is where you can see the map reveal, and the players picking their hovels 🙂

Thanks to James and his players (hey, pookie!) for the opportunity!

You can also subscribe to the YouTube playlist here:

Over and out, Glynn

Posted on July 7, 2020 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

Against the Darkmaster Maps

I’ve had the great pleasure and privilege of working on the maps for an adventure in the core rulebook for Against the Darkmaster.
I am so looking forward to this coming out!

You can still hop on the pre-order if you are quick!

https://www.vsdarkmaster.com/#the-game

Posted on June 24, 2020June 24, 2020 by MonkeyBlood Design — 2 Comments

Now Stocking Orbital Intelligence Products for DCC

We are now holding stock of Dungeon Crawl Classics products from Orbital Intelligence!

Hi Everyone!

We are excited to announce that MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing are now stocking some Orbital Intelligence physical products for shipment from our UK-based webstore.

Sean Richer of Orbital Intelligence develops fantastic content for Dungeon Crawl Classics working with fantastic artists, writers and editors.

Checkout the new products here:

Let me at it!

Here’s what we’ve got for you…

We hope you enjoy looking and if there is anything you’d like to see in the webstore please let us know.

Many thanks, Glynn & Sean

And if all that isn’t enough…
[Disclaimer! I am involved in this project and feature as a stretch goal!]

Orbital Intelligence are running an active Kickstarter for more glorious DCC content!

2 WORM 2 FURIOUS:
A DCC RPG FUNNEL & MINI-SETTING
A level 0+ adventure & mini-setting for 4-6 players.
CHASE A MUTATING GOD GRUB! For Dungeon Crawl Classics!
With Art by Scrap Princess!

Check out more about the project in this blog post over at MonkeyBlood Design:
https://monkeyblooddesign.co.uk/2020/06/13/what-is-2-worm-2-furious/

But more importantly, check out the Kickstarter!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stratosfiend-2-zine/2-worm-2-furious-a-dcc-rpg-funnel-and-mini-setting?ref=8m3b3n

Posted on June 13, 2020 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

What Is 2 Worm 2 Furious?

GUEST POST ALERT!!

Hey, Sean over here at Orbital Intelligence (with great hits like Stratosfiend 1, Stratosfiend 1.5, Stratosfiend 2, Ternwillow, and Necrotic Edifices of Iron and Moon; the depth of time untold).

I’ve got a new Kickstarter live for my next book….

Writing by Sean Richer
Art by Scrap Princess
Editing by MRC
Layout by MonkeyBlood Design

What Is It?

It’s a funnel, specifically a Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure for groups of 3-4 level 0s per player. For those not in the know, these can be meat-grinders… worm-grinders of adventures that reduce 24+ characters down to 4 adventurers ready to take on anything!
It’s a tiny worm, that grows and grows and grows, and rampages, and bursts into a colossal Doombringer Moth that’s a Patron, a Deity, and a raging behemoth. It grows and grows, its growth unlocks new abilities and reactions. It rarely acts the same way, and eventually it will rule. WORSHIP IT OR RUN FROM IT, IT DOESN’T MATTER!
It’s a mini-setting. A God-Queen, her throne-maidens, the legions of Sky-Knights (on their Worm-Hawks), Stilt-Walkers, and Knights that strike with the fury of a thousand hammers. In addition there’s a couple important NPCs stirring things up and causing problems. Ranging from a veteran sky-knight to turned bartender, to a Jester that loiters in the streets spreading whispers to those that live below.

What Inspires Me For This Adventure?

Deep Carbon Observatory: I loved the chaos of the introduction and the relentless pursuit by the Crows. I hope that I’ve been able to channel some of this chaos.
Inferno Road: Again with that chaos theory, absolutely loved the perpetual mutation (and of course, the worms)
Fever Swamp: It’s a beautifully well constructed book, it’s easy to reference, tells you everything you need to know, and is a great introduction to the Hex Crawl as a medium. Also… Printed endpapers!
Crypts of Indormancy: Adventure prose as an artform. I like the puzzles that it presents, and while the premise is simple enough at first, it has a fair amount of triggers and events that happen as a result of preparation, and the lack thereof. Also it’s beautiful.
Hobonomicon: It’s a funnel? It’s chaos? It’s beautiful tables and strange happenings. It’s also a rocket launch.
Wet Grandpa: I love that everything isn’t just spelled out for the players, or the DM, that you get to explore the adventure together.
Worm Witch: Need I really say more? I love the worm magic, worm witches, and the random encounters on the island.

Why Do You Want It?

You want a weird new adventure, something your players likely have not seen or played. Can they tame the worm?
You want a new mutating beast the likes of which you’ve likely not seen in this likeness, and you like keeping track of WORM DIE, CHILL DIE, and RAGE DIE
You want a neat tool-kit of knights, worms, villagers, bandits and encounters.

COME GET 2 WORM 2 FURIOUS

Posted on December 17, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

HandyMaps Buildings & Structures – Kickstarter Ends This Saturday

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are all doing well!

The roaringly successful HandyMaps Buildings & Structures Kickstarter ends this Saturday.
Over 750% funded, funded in 3 hours, and two of four stretch goals unlocked, with the third in easy reach. Don’t miss out on these really useful cards.

Please feel free to check it out here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/handymaps-buildings-and-structures-a5-card-handouts-for-rpgs?ref=2lqh6v

The project is creating a set of twenty-two (22), double-sided A5 cards showing illustrative elevations and floorplan layouts for buildings/structures. The map cards can be used as player handouts or tools for game planning by Game Masters.
Stretch goal unlocks currently have the set increased to 24 cards.

Pledge with confidence today!

Many thanks, Glynn & Matt

Posted on November 30, 2019December 30, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

HandyMaps Buildings & Structures is LIVE!!

The HandyMaps Buildings & Structures Kickstarter is now LIVE!!

We are creating set of twenty two (22), double-sided A5 cards showing illustrative elevations and floorplan layouts for buildings/structures. The map cards can be used as player handouts or tools for game planning by Game Masters.

Useful for any fantasy-themed game, but really useful for your The Midderlands games in The City of Great Lunden.

Follow this link to check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/handymaps-buildings-and-structures-a5-card-handouts-for-rpgs?ref=gxwqnl