Category: The Midderlands

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A Pile of Awesome

I’ve been a little lax on the blog posts lately, as I’ve been soooo busy. Mainly with the Bats of Saint Abbans Kickstarter fulfilment, and some work on GATEpunk v0.7. I’ve even commissioned the cover artist as well as some character/race/profession artwork, as well as some playtesting and rules work/updates. It’s going well and hope that the project will be a handy A5 hardback book and some character/reference sheets. Maybe a 100-page count or something like that in the end.

Anyway, I also wanted to do some shout-outs for some projects I’ve got a hand in, or really like the look of (especially with ZineQuest in full swing). So, here we go:

The Midderlands 5E

The PDF of this is now available over on DrivThruRPG via Frog God Games. The physicals will be cominhg soon once backers get their meat 😛

I love how the 5E version looks. I believe it’s my best art, layout and cartography work to date. Even if you have the OSR version, it’s worth picking up for the new map as well as the glorious green juicyness of it all.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/346226/The-Midderlands

Fell Folk of the Moors

Cruel attacks by strange dwarves in the Ilorin wood have disturbed the peace of Withgan village. Many fearful and angry people blame their dwarven neighbors, who profess innocence but proudly prepare to defend themselves. The faithful few of Withgan explore the perilous forest, uncover its mysteries, and restore security and trust to their home. These brave adventurers are up against more than ordinary bandits, but rather an ancient and fearsome people. Fantastical creatures, powerful magic, and fabulous treasures await discovery, as well as gruesome death for the unlucky and unwary.

Andrew Sternick

This is a great DCC adventure by Andrew Sternick, which will be up at Goodman Games soon. I did some interior map artwork. If you can’t wait until then… grab it at DriveThru here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/342929/The-Fell-Folk-of-the-Moors

Terror of the Stratosfiend #3

An EVEN NEWER Tentacle and Sorcery zine for the DCC RPG #ZineQuest (we’re back)

“It’s terrifying to know that everyone you meet, and every city you visit, will or has already fallen to the Bat whether or not you realize it. Sky-Lasher the Everlasting, Trident of the Sun goes to great lengths to make sure the walls fall as it approaches, as it drinks of humanity’s riches. Pay attention, if you see these things.. The Bat is on its way.” — The Infinite Reach of the Bat God.

Sean Richer

ALREADY FUNDED! The awesome Sean is back with another installment of the wonderful Stratosfiend series. I’m thrilled to be handling layout duties.

Grab it on Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stratosfiend-2-zine/terror-of-the-stratosfiend-3-a-dcc-rpg-zinequest-zine

Desert Moon of Karth

A space western sandbox on a tiny moon for Mothership RPG. Harvest the ossified corpses of coral beings and live forever.

Desert Moon of Karth is a space western sandbox adventure zine for the Mothership Sci-Fi Horror RPG. 

Karth is a tiny mesa studded moon on the galaxy’s edge. The only way down is an antique space elevator to the lawless boomtown of Larstown; a place surrounded by even greater danger and strangeness in the wastes beyond. Survival or salvation is not guaranteed, partner.

Harvest ossified coral corpses to live forever. Become an involuntary organ donor. Dodge ancient orbital defenses. Explore sand blown ruins. Hunt the fearsome sandsquid. Ride camels through the dunes. Drink whisky until you’ve forgotten your own name.

Karth’s inspirations include Dune, Firefly, Alien, John Carter of Mars, Cowboy Bebop, The Dark Tower, spaghetti westerns, and modern adventures like Hot Springs Island, A Pound of Flesh, Ultraviolet Grasslands, and Slumbering Ursine Dunes.

You’ll find plenty to use for your other sci-fi RPG of choice like Stars Without Number, Traveler, or Starfinder with a touch of back alley stat surgery.

Joel Hines

ALREADY FUNDED! Joel Hines is making a wonderful setting for Mothership. Check it out here. I’ve worked on some maps for this project and cannot wait to see it in the flesh!

Get onboard here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joello/desert-moon-of-karth

The Gaia Complex

A cyberpunk roleplaying game of corporate violence, artificial intelligence and vampirism. Welcome to 2119.

Towards the end of the 21st century, the third world war, which became known as the Resource War, pushed mankind to the brink of destruction and brought ruin to the Earth’s atmosphere. Small pockets of humanity survived this horrific conflict, eventually forming the eleven metropolises. Initially, these incredible urban constructs were able to grow and prosper through advancements in atmospheric processing and technological innovation, but now cut off from each other, the eleven metropolises must each face their own difficulties and hardships. The Gaia Complex focuses on the largest of these locations; New Europe, a single sprawling city that covers much of what we currently know as mainland Europe. New Europe is a world of street violence, corporate espionage, vampiric uprisings and an overzealous A.I., known as Gaia, which functions as the city’s governor and the protector of its citizens.

This is a game of conspiracy and brutality, where players take on the roles of Mercs; former police officers, hackers and street-savvy dealers who are hired to fight back against the system and ultimately unravel the secrets of The Gaia Complex.

Chris Shepperson

ALREADY FUNDED! Chris has made what looks like a stunning product here, the art is sumptuous. Check it out here. I’ve worked on some maps for this project too. Cannot wait!

Get on to it here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thegaiacomplex/the-gaia-complex-a-game-of-flesh-and-wires-0

City of Flesh

Nagara is old, the city is dying, and you are the only one who can ward off the Doom.

City of Flesh is a tarot-based roleplay game where you play one of the Midwives, a person imbued with primordial energy, tasked with staving off the end of the world as you know it. Together with your fellow players and GM, you create the city of Nagara and its unique locations using a tarot deck. Each session your characters inch ever closer to a Doom they’re working tirelessly to prevent, but must inevitably face as the chronicle ends.

The game has the dark horror feeling of a dungeon crawl, while focusing on mechanics that drive in-game drama and push personal stories. You’ll get embroiled in the various wars raging between guilds in the city and try to secure a bit of personal peace, before all your efforts crumble around you. You’ll strive to survive in a city that is literally trying to eat you, and siphon off its power to keep the ones you love safe.

City of Flesh takes inspiration from grimdark fantasy combining it with a feminine aesthetic to create an immersive gore-splattered roleplay experience where you delve into the dreams of a sleeping colossus and tear through fleshy reality to make your own fate.

Steffie & Liz

Im not involved in this project, but have worked with Liz on a couple of projects in the past and Angry Hamster Publishing is on my ‘must buy’ list.

Linkage: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1568822309/city-of-flesh

The Many Crypts of Lady Ingrade

Lady Ingrade cared for her land and the people who tended to it. But there was always darkness about her. She would provide comfort to a grieving mother one moment and then in the next, demand a farmer be given lashes for having too many rocks on his field.

As she grew older her perceptions of the world darkened to paranoia. Lady Ingrade obsessed about the adventurers that rode across the countryside unhindered. Grave robbers, all of them. That’s when the crypt construction began.

Lady Ingrade feared a filthy group of adventurers would violate her in death. She compulsively built crypts to lure in tomb raiders and dispatch them with deadly traps and creatures.

Upon her death, the wealth she accumulated was not found. Presumed to be dispersed throughout her many crypts or hidden within her true, final resting place. No one is sure what’s within the crypts. Those that enter, do not return.

Tim Shorts

I’m not involved in this project, but I love Tim 😛

Linkage: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gothridgemanor/the-many-crypts-of-lady-ingrade-zine-quest

So, just to close out, I hope that’s a good round up of some interesting stuff for you to support.

Take care, and blog you soon,

Glynn

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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 3rd 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!

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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…

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Exciting News!

The Midderlands for 5E is now LIVE on Kickstarter!

So far it’s 50% funded in 5 hours! Over 100 backers and climbing!

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

We are super proud and excited to have this project back on the rails.
If you like 5E and want a sumptuous new setting and bestiary to stare agog at, then this is for you.

  • Standard and Collector’s 8.5 x 11″ Hardcovers
  • New Poster Map
  • All New Layout
  • All New Cartography
  • New Artwork, and some old artwork updated to glorious colour
  • Fully indexed.
  • New information on Gloomium
  • Additional info on the common 5E races and how they fit into the setting
  • 2 New cleric domains
  • 25 Fully-detailed creatures.
  • 29 Fixed hex descriptions.
  • 3 Random hex descriptions.
  • 16 Hamlets (5 mapped).
  • 11 Small towns (3 mapped).
  • 8 Large towns (5 mapped).
  • 25 Points of interest.
  • Short introductory adventure
  • Adventure ideas
  • 4 Flora
  • 13 Fauna (including birds, fish, bugs, and more)
  • 5 Spells
  • 13 Items
  • ‘Crap You Find On Midfolk’
You can download a taster PDF here:Download
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Last 48 Hours for Chewer of Fingers

The Chewer of Fingers Kickstarter is going strong, but you’ll need to be quick to get these Kickstarter Special Editions as we are into the last 48 hours.

  • 100% Funded in under 5 hours.
  • Over 200% funded so far…
  • Stretch Goal 1 (more page content) unlocked.
  • Stretch Goal 2 (additional seperate pregen character cards) unlocked.
  • Stretch Goal 3 (player handouts)…. soon to be unlocked.

Check out the Kickstarter page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/chewer-of-fingers?ref=d1qpzd

Chewer of Fingers is a grim, old-school introductory adventure intended for The Midderlands setting. 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 encounters in the adventure take place in and around the small hamlet of Fetterstone—a depressing place on the edge of a stinking marsh near the border between the Western Midderlands and Staffershire.

The PCs are heading to Fetterstone because there is a 20-gold quid reward for the capture of an escaped criminal called ‘The Finger Chewer’. He absconded from Middlemoor Gaol five days ago and is believed to be hiding out in the surrounding oft-foggy marsh. The marsh is notoriously dangerous and even the lure of 20 gold quids isn’t enough to entice the locals into its fetid clutches.

  • The adventure is in a handy A5-sized format.
  • The adventure features 4 encounter areas.
  • Four pre-generated adventurers.
  • Six beautiful hand-drawn and scanned maps.
  • The adventure is littered with extra details (game-juice) and adventure hooks that make this suitable for additional future adventures. Any Game Master could take the information contained and use it for their own campaigns.
A picture containing text, map Description automatically generated

Check out the Kickstarter page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/chewer-of-fingers?ref=d1qpzd

Many thanks,

Glynn (MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing)

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Chewer of Fingers KS Coming Soon

Follow the Kickstarter here to get notified on launch:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/chewer-of-fingers

Chewer of Fingers is a grim old-school introductory adventure intended for The Midderlands setting. The adventure is written for Swords & Wizardry (Free pdf here) and therefore can be used in all retro-clones and old school role-playing games with little or no work. The book contains swear words and mature themes.

The encounters in the adventure take place in and around the small hamlet of Fetterstone—a depressing place on the edge of a stinking marsh near the border between the Western Midderlands and Staffershire.The PCs are heading to Fetterstone because there is a 20 gold quid reward for the capture of an escaped criminal called ‘The Finger Chewer’. He absconded from Middlemoor Gaol five days ago and is believed to be hiding out in the surrounding oft-foggy marsh. The marsh is notoriously dangerous and even the lure of 20 gold quids isn’t enough to entice the locals into its fetid clutches.

  • The adventure is A5-sized (148mm wide x 210mm high OR Approx. 5.8″ wide x 8.3″ high) containing 24 interior pages.
  • The adventure features 4 encounter areas: Old Lady Harris’ Farm, The Village of Fetterstone and the Gloombug Tavern, Middlemoor Gaol, and The Marsh.
  • Four pregenerated adventurers are provided: Solomon Pilkington (Level 2 Human Cleric of Gael), Dergal Pock (Level 2 Wart Goblin Fighter), Norris Hitchcock (Level 2 Half-elf magic-User), and Elspeth Fallows (Level 2 Human Thief).
  • 6 beautiful hand-drawn and scanned maps. These will also be provided as separate unlabelled VTT versions with the PDF download.
Pregenerated Characters
The Border Marsh Region

This will be a Kickstarter Special Edition version (limited to 500 copies). Any later printings (post-Kickstarter) will feature a different cover, cost a bit more, and be unsigned.

Here are some 3D mock-ups (unedited and not final) showing what the print-version should look like.

3D Visualisation (not final, subject to change)
3D Visualisation (not final, subject to change)
3D Visualisation (Unedited. Not final, subject to change)
3D Visualisation (Unedited. Not final, subject to change)
  • The adventure is A5-sized (148mm wide x 210mm high OR Approx. 5.8″ wide x 8.3″ high) containing 24 interior pages.
  • The PDF version will be an A5, 24-page bookmarked PDF.
  • The Softcover PRINT version will be a stapled A5, 24-pages of 130gsm silk paper, with a full colour/ matt laminated cover with the green text and logo in spot UV.
  • This Softcover PRINT version of the book will be signed by Glynn Seal.

We have the following stretch goals…

  • £5,000 – I’ll add additional appendix information for making the adventure more useful taking the interior page count from 24 pages to 28 pages.
  • £6,000 – I’ll provide the pregenerated characters as four separate 250gsm sheets with blank rear, printed on uncoated paper for ease of writing upon. They will also still appear in the book itself too.
  • £7,500 – I’ll provide a separate 250gsm sheet with relevant game handout to both sides (one will be a list of old by-laws, the other is TBC).
  • £10,000 – I’ll upgrade the interior of the book to full colour with subtly textured background, colour art, and colour maps. This will only be available for the Kickstarter Special Edition version.

That’s it for now! Thanks for looking, Glynn

Follow the Kickstarter here to get notified on launch:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/chewer-of-fingers

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Digital Art Live 50th Issue Interview

I was lucky enough to be interviewed by the good folks over at Digital Art Live for their 50th Issue!

Read the BIG 50th issue of Digital Art Live Magazine

A really great resource for fans of 3D art, especially sci-fi oriented. Loads of interviews with some talented artists. Not to mention the artwork in the spread was done by none other than the fabulous and talented Juan Ochoa!

The Midderlands

Thanks to Dave Haden for the opportunity!

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Folk Magic of the Haven Isles is LIVE on Kickstarter!

Hi Everyone!

We have just launched Folk Magic of the Haven Isles over on Kickstarter! It’s a 14-day campaign, so be sure not to miss it.

Pledge Now!

What Is It?

It’s an inspiration book for fantasy role-playing game magicians based on British folklore. It is 100% The Midderlands-compatible, and written for old school rules fantasy rules, specifically Swords & Wizardry.
There are PDF, softcover and signed hardcover pledge options, and we are fulfilling worldwide.

Do you need The Midderlands or Swords & Wizardry to use it?

Not at all. It’s a great book for inspiration to play and run your magicians. If you know what HD and Saving Throws are then you can get something out of this book. There is also a glossary of any Midderlands-specific terms, so you can change anything to suit your own campaign/setting.

Here are some pictures…

Layout & Art

We hope you enjoy looking at the project and we would welcome your pledge and support.
Many thanks, and we are looking forward to seeing you onboard,

Glynn & Richard

Midderzine Issue #5 Out Now!

Midderzine Issue #5 is here. Head on over to the webstore to check it out.

Buy It Now!

IN THIS ISSUE:

  • Meet the Midderlander: Juan Ochoa the Pixel Wizard.
  • Rumours from The Haven Gazette.
  • Abbots Bream: A merchant’s town in Staffershire.
  • The Town Market: An Abbots Bream market complete with stalls.
  • More Slightly Less Shit Tables.
  • A New Class: The Scrottish Immortal.
  • March Woodkin, Silver Hand Rings, Legendary Turnips and more…
  • Front
  • Interior
  • Rear
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Some Juicy Kickstarters

It seems like the brakes are coming off on Kickstarter projects, and with fulfillment for most now seemingly a couple of months down the line, it seems safe to do so.

I wanted to plug some Kickstarters from friends and colleagues and announce one of my own…

If you haven’t got AS&SH yet, you really should (head over to the North Wind Adventures website). You may also want to get these dice because Xathoqqua demands it. Jeff is a true stalwart, a gentleman, a scholar, a hunk o’ love. Back with total confidence.

Disclaimer: I have no commercial involvement in this project. I have worked with Jeff previously on many projects.

Doug Cole over at Gaming Ballistic is a machine and a legend. I’ve worked with Doug on a pile of projects and every one has been a pleasure and a joy. Check out his store and this campaign and feast at the marvels that await.

Disclaimer: I believe I will be handling cartography on these projects. I have worked with Doug previously on many projects.

If you love DCC, then this 0-Level Funnel by the master of ‘grabbing your game by the scruff of the neck and shouting “PLAY ME, PLAY ME!”, Sean Richer of Orbital Intelligence is here. If you love worms and moths and funnels, check it out!

Disclaimer: I hope to be doing layout/design work on this project. I have worked with Sean previously on many projects.

Levi Combs over at Planet X Games is doing some proper old school, grindhouse, pulpy, RPG stuff, and it rocks. Levi is also a goddamn hero.

Disclaimer: I have no commercial involvement in this project, and have never worked with Levi.

The frogs over at Frog God Games look to have an interesting town project in the offering… Back it. Keep it secret, keep it safe.

Disclaimer: I have no commercial involvement in this project. I have previously worked with both Frog God Games and Necromancer Games.

Diogo Nogueira at Old Skull Publishing is a robot. A robot programmed to create great RPG stuff. He has teamed up with Alan over at Gallant Knight Games to bring us a kid/family-centric RPG. Check it out. Looks juicy.

Disclaimer: I have no commercial involvement in this project. I have never worked directly with Diogo or Alan.

Are you still with me? Goodo.

Richard Marpole and I have put together a book for people that love old school roleplaying games, magicians, and British folklore. Richard has written it, and I’ve done the art and graphic design. I think it might be the best thing MonkeyBlood Design has ever created…

Coming to Kickstarter very soon…

It will be a quick 14 day campaign. Please keep an eye out for it, so you don’t miss out.

Many thanks, Glynn

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Webstore Now Open!

Hello, It’s Been A While…

We are back! The webstore has been closed since the end of February and we’ve missed three whole months of not being able to send you awesome roleplaying goodies whilst the whole world has been dealing with the virus pandemic.

We hope that you and your families have kept safe and well and that things will be improving soon, if not already starting to do so.

We’ve not been idle during this time, and managed to get some new projects on the store and some imminently arriving.
So without further ado, come and stop by and look at all the pretty-shinies.

Thanks,
Glynn & The Team

Start Shopping

An Important Covid-19 Update about Shipping!In order to protect the health & safety of our staff and reduce trips to the Post Office, we will be shipping orders once per week (on Tuesdays) for the foreseeable future.
We still aim to ship large orders (such as bundles) the following day.
Also, whilst we want to get goods and parcels to you as soon as possible,
please expect delays in the shipping services of the UK and other countries.

New Stuff!

In The Pipeline!

The Bats of Saint Abbans

Richard Marpole’s teetering exploration of the Abbey-Cathedral of Saint Abbans. The abbess has a bat problem and needs competent people to head up into the lofty heights of the cathedral to sort it.

An adventure for Levels 1-3 for Swords & Wizardry and other OSR-style games. Compatible with The Midderlands setting.

This title will only be available from DriveThruRPG in both softcover print and PDF formats.

Midderzine Issue #5

More The Midderlands goodness!. This fifth issue contains details of the town of Abbots Bream, more Slightly Less Shit tables, March Woodkin, Legendary turnips, and more.

This title will be available in:

  • PDF format on DriveThruRPG
  • Softcover print and PDF format on the MonkeyBlood webstore

Folk Magic of the Haven Isles

Richard Marpole delights us yet again with a British folklore-based supplement for flavourful Magic-Users. Suitable for Swords & Wizardry and other OSR-style games. Designed to compliment The Midderlands setting.
It provides ‘overlays’ for the Magic-User class, giving your Magic-Users a unique flavour and opportunity to stand out from the rest.

This title will only be available from DriveThruRPG in both softcover print and PDF formats.

Subscribe to the blog to keep posted on this project as it develops.

That’s it for now. Keep ’em peeled.

Glynn & the Team