We've Got No Spine...

Just a quick update here... I returned from vacation to find The Eldritch Inquirer, second proof waiting for me. A deep perusal confirmed that all interior issues are fixed and it looks really quite nice, in my humble opinion.

The Standard version lacks some of the clarity and sharpness of the Premium, which you can see in these images. The Premium has a slightly more yellowed look as opposed to the Standard's more grey texture.

Premium left, Standard right

Premium top, Standard bottom

The only concern is that the spine text rolled to the front cover on both versions. It turns out that Lightning Source (the printer) has a 1/8" variation margin, meaning that text can move up to that distance on a finished product and they consider it acceptable. However, I don't. After some discussion with OBS support, I've decided to remove the spine text. I'll be ordering the final proof ASAP! Sorry for the delay!

A few more images of the interior, both from the Premium version ...

Cheers!

Inquirer Update and other thoughts...

Wanted to update everyone concerning the Eldritch Inquirer.  I received the first print proofs and overall they looked really good! Still, there were a few corrections to make and I am waiting on an answer from DTRPG on something specific. Once I hear back from them, I'll be able to upload again and get a second round of proofs ordered next week. I'm also going back and forth on whether to release the "Standard" version - seems kind of meh, but would be a cheaper option than the "Premium" format. The Premium is much cleaner, also note the trim difference between the two.

1/21/20 UPDATE ... Uploaded new files today and will be ordering new proofs as soon as the they clear!

Premium

Standard

Something else that has been on my mind lately is Sword & Sorcery. For...well at least a year and a half now, probably a bit longer, I have had it in my mind that I want to write my on S&S style game using White Box as a base to build on, while at the same time stepping away from that game. When writing Eldritch Tales, I made a number of concessions for the sake of compatibility and that led to me including elements that weren't my favorite. And worse making a game that I know is a bit wonky in places.

So, why is suddenly fore in my brain again? I recently heard (from John Large on the Purple Worm podcast) that James Spahn was rewriting and Kickstarting his excellent The Hero's Journey, also based on White Box. When I investigated, I found that James had been talking about his developments on his blog for quite some time (Halfling's Luck) and was voicing similar concerns. I thought, maybe now is the time to revisit this...?

(Find THJ 2e right now on Kickstarter!)

The first question that comes to mind - do we need another S&S game? Well, maybe not. Everyone knows that Inlove Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea, but there are many other great games out there - Conan 2d20, Savage Worlds Beasts & Barbarians and Solomon Kane, Barbarians of Lemuria, Crypts & Things, just to name a few. Still, I want a game that brings together all of the elements that I love, from many other games, but built into new package... so, yeah, maybe a "heartbreaker" game and probably not for everyone, but we'll try to work on that.

What are my goals with this game?

First, write a game that is somewhere between White Box and AS&SH in terms of rules weight. It will show clear inspiration from these games, as well as others like The Black Hack, DCC, 5E, and Conan, not to mention The Hero's Journey.

Next, write a game that could easily be adapted to "historical fantasy" or "alternate history" style games. And honestly the game may sit more closely in these genres than S&S anyway. For example, in the Berserker class that I've drafted, I have stripped out the polymorph ability found in many games, so that what is left is a less fantastic version of the archtype, something more akin to Egil Sallagrimsson than Beorn from The Hobbit.

Finally, step away from some of the traditional elements of fantasy RPGs. Vancian magic will be gone in favor of something more akin to what you see in Eldritch Tales; Armor Class completely changed to actually represent what armor does (it doesn't keep you from being hit, it keeps you from being injured when you are hit); that sort of thing. Still, much of the classic will remain like Classes, Saving Throws, and whatnot.

What do I have written? Quite a bit is drafted - Classes, much of the rules, sorcery, some of the spells, and equipment, have all been visited. Somewhere around 33,000 words (much of this is spells). 

How much has been playtested? Absolutely none of it! Not quite there yet. I'll run it with my home group first, and hope to have something stable by April, when I attend Roundtable Con.

What's this game called? I've no idea! My working title is "Ages Undreamed Of" but that may step on the toes of the Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of property. So, I'm working up other ideas.

Stay tuned for more updates and thanks for visiting!

The Eldritch Inquirer Update!

Greetings All,

Happy New Year & welcome back to the 20s! 

Dropping a quick update concerning the first supplement for Eldritch Tales - The Eldritch Inquirer! 

From the product description:

-‐---‐----------------------

The Eldritch Inquirer is the Official Magazine for the Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing game! The pages of the Inquirer hold the secrets of Mythos Earth, history, inspiration, new game mechanisms, world-building material, and a full-length Mythos scenario!

In this inaugural issue, you will find:

• An historical chronology of the year of 1920. (10 pages)
• Manias to expand the Insanity tables in the core Eldritch Tales rules. (3 pages)
• Interesting and inspiring news articles & advertisements culled from the pages of the Arkham Advertiser, meant to be used as scenario seeds and world-building inspiration. (3 pages)
• A list of "American" names that offer 80,000 name combinations, all suitable for Eldritch Tales characters of the 1920s. (6 pages)
• The highlight of the issue, Return of the Windwalker, is a full-length scenario that takes the player characters to the remote mountains of New Hampshire to investigate a new archaeological site, but they are soon embroiled in a tale of Mythos madness and mystery! Can they stop the return of the Windwalker? (31 pages)

This issue is very art heavy, and contains both black and white and color art throughout. Much of the material is system-neutral and that which is written specifically for Eldritch Tales could be easily adapted to other Lovecraftian games.

Included are High Resolution and Low Resolution PDFs of the magazine, as well as Color and B&W PDFs of the handouts for the scenario.

The scenario handouts are also available on high quality cardstock through DTRPG's print-on-demand service! 

-----------------------------------

Inclusive of front matter, the OGL, and end pages, this issue clocks in at 59 pages in a perfect bound trade-sized format!

I've ordered the print proofs today of both Premium and Standard versions, I want to see the differences between the two and decide if they should both be offered. I've already received the proofs of the POD Handouts and they are quite nicely printed on heavy cardstock that will withstand your player's snack-smudged hands. 

I hope to release two issues each year. For the foreseeable future, issues will follow the same basic format - chronology of a year (issue #2 will be 1921), a name list of a particular nation or culture, articles and adverts, some game mechanics info, and a scenario. 

So that's it for now. Barring printing issues, I'll be back in the next week or so with images of the proofs and release information!

All the best!

Cthulhu Mythos Sale!

Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing and related products are part of the *Cthulhu Mythos Sale* over at DriveThruRPG.

Not only that, I've permanently reduced the prices of the PDF, Softcover, and Hardcover versions of the core book!

Celebrate H. P. Lovecraft's birthday with some new gaming goodness!

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/mythos.php?manufacturers_id=9237&filters=0_0_0_0_0_45178#selectpub

Eldritch Tales Referee Screen Now Available!

Great News!

The Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing Referee Screen and Reference Sheets are now available at DriveThruRPG and RPGNow!

There are 5 interchangeable internal sheets containing all of the important tables from the Core Rulebook, as well as two additional bits - the Insanity Saving Throw flowchart and the Skill Reference list - both of which should prove very useful at the table. Finally there are 4 external sheets of artwork to decorate the front of your screen or use as handouts, mood setters, etc. All are color, landscape format and 8.5"x11".

The sheets are available in PDF for $3.99 and in Print (with PDF) for $9.99. If you purchase the print version, you will given the option to add a vinyl GM Screen for an additional cost at checkout. I was skeptical about the quality of the screen and bought one myself. I can tell you that this thing is HEAVY DUTY! It seem very well made, and has four panels, with sleeves front and back, and measures about 45.5" in length by 9.25" high. Have a look at the pictures below!

A few additional observations...

• The sheets are interchangeable so you can customize your GM Screen to other games!
• The cards are printed on a thick cardstock and should prove durable and long-lasting.
• The vinyl screens are only shipped from the United States, so overseas shipping is expensive. I encourage those outside the U.S. to find a vinyl GM Screen locally.

  

Eldritch Tales in Print!

Greetings and belated Happy New Year to all!

Thank you all for your patience throughout the past year. I am coming to you with excellent news - Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing is now available in print-on-demand! 

Standard Color Softcover is priced at $29.99 while the Premium Color Hardcover is priced at $44.99.

If you bought the PDF version before today (January 23, 2019), you should have received a coupon  allowing you to purchase the Hardcover version for $35, that's $9.99 off the normal price!

(Remember that to have received the discount email, you have to have your account set up to allow contact from Raven God Games!)

***UPDATE*** It has come to my attention that the original coupon I sent out to early supporters did not work correctly and I have sent a new coupon that should work!

Also note that the PDF version has been updated with a few minor corrections and a form-fillable character sheet has been added for download as well! Use the links below to head over to RPGNow today!

Eldritch Tales (all versions)

Character Sheet

Here are some photos of the final proofs of the print version.

Hardcover on left, softcover on right.

Hardcover on bottom, softcover above.

The Hardcover spine seems tight and durable.

These final two offer a comparison of the same page spread, softcover above and hardcover below. The edge color in the hardcover is ever so slightly brighter than the softcover.

Mullings over....

Something that I have been considering lately is "how can I best support Eldritch Tales?"

In answering the question, I've been greatly inspired by Glynn Seal's excellent Midderzine, which he uses to support his own Midderlands setting. I appreciate to smaller format and the ability to spread the focus of each issue - as opposed to a longer form supplement book. While I still plan to release some scenarios and such, a zine is looking very likely. It would be a convenient place to release short articles, plot hooks, optional rules, single-session scenarios, lore and the like.

And so I come to you and ask - what do you like for a title? Here is my short list:

*The Eldritch Inquirer* 
*The Eldritch Observer* 
*The Eldritch Herald* 

Eldritch Tales Hardcover Discount

Greetings Folks!

I am happy to announce that we have just broke 100 PDF copies of Eldritch Tales sold! In thanks for this early support, RGG will be offering a discount to those who buy the PDF version of Eldritch Tales before print release day! That day is still a few weeks out, so there is plenty of time to jump in! 

Because we can't effectively and efficiently personalize the discount, we'll only be offering this discount on Hardcovers purchased through RPG Now/DriveThruRPG. Here's how it will work:

 

All early supporters who bought the Eldritch Tales PDF before PoD release will receive an email from Raven God Games, via RPG Now, with a link to the discounted hardcover. The discount will be for the full price of the PDF ($9.99), allowing you to purchase the Hardcover for $35! 

In comparison to the Print+PDF bundle, this Early Support Discount will save you $3, and net you the PDF for free!

Remember, this offer is only good on PDFs purchased before print release, so if you are  planning to pick up the print book, go grab the PDF at RPGNow!

PLEASE NOTE: This is very important, in order for you to receive the email discount, you have to allow Raven God Games to send you emails. You can make sure you're signed up on your Account page at RPG Now; under "Notifications" choose "Select how I wish to be contacted by publishers." On the next page, find RGG and add us to your email list!

Thanks for all of your support!

PDF Update and Other News

So, today I uploaded "Version 2" of the Eldritch Tales PDF to RPG Now! We've corrected and fixed all errors we could find, from typos to layout inconsistencies. I also dropped a new landscape character sheet into the downloads, this one was made by Tom Novosel and matches his excellent layout. Its very clean, easy to read and has an Art Deco feel!

Since release, Eldritch Tales has been featured on Yog-Sothoth.com and has received great feedback all-around! Mark Siefert, who playtested ET and has been a long time supporter of the project, has created an Eldritch Tales Fan Community over on G+. I had this on my own to-do list, but Mark actually beat me to it, so rather than having two communities, Mark's ETFC will be the official place to find ET news. Be sure to join up and take part in our growing discussions, we'd all love to hear your questions, input and comments on things Lovecraftian! Thanks to Mark for setting this up!

Next, Jonathan Hicks has written a very nice review of Eldritch Tales. Be sure to stop over at his blog, Farsight Blogger, and check it out! Thanks for the review, Jonathan!

Around the time that Eldritch Tales went live, Rafael Beltrame contacted me and asked to do a mini-interview for his Brazilian blog, Modulos RPG, in which he reviews and discusses older editions of D&D and OSR games. The link will take you to the interview post, but you can find a link there for the English translation. Thanks for your interest in ET, Rafael, I had a great time answering your questions!

And finally, something that only recently came to my attention. Skinner Games, dropped an actual play video of their play through of an earlier version of Eldritch Tales. Due to their tight schedule, Skinner Games wasn't able to get any sessions in before the playtest closed, but they were still enthusiastic about getting a game in before live release. They actually streamed the game back in May, but I didn't learn about it until late August. Shame on me. Like I said, this is an earlier version of the rules and not everything you see here carried over to the final product. Check out the video on YouTube! Many thanks to the Skinner Games team!

Post Release Update!

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to update you all on the current behind-the-scenes activity concerning Eldritch Tales, but first, I'd like to send you over to Tenkar's Tavern! +Erik Tenkar shared his thoughts on the first half of the book and has enjoyed his read so far. He's also talked a bit about the game on his Anchor podcast, Tavern Chat. If your planning on picking up the PDF, stop at the Tavern and use his affiliate link!

Art by Del Teigeler

As far as updates:
I've done a final proof and found a bunch of minor corrections (and a few major, unexplainable ones). +Tom Novosel plans to take care of these fixes this week as we prepare Version 2 of the PDF.

Version 2? In order to go to print we need to add a few pages - two for the character sheet, one for full page art, one filler art. Nothing major and all at the end of the book. We also have to finish up the back cover and Tom had a great idea that we are going to go with, I think you'll all dig it!

Print? I know many of you are anxiously awaiting POD release, here's the plan. Once all of the above work is done, we'll release V2 and order print proofs. I imagine I won't have those in hand for about two weeks, at which point I'll look them over for issues and, barring any major errors, POD will drop. Maybe four weeks out.

• Color options will be available via DriveThruRPG/RPGNow in Standard Softcover and Premium Hardcover. You'll be able to choose POD only or bundled with the PDF (in which case the PDF will be steeply discounted).

• Black & White options will be available through Lulu. These will also be SC/HC and will offer a more inexpensive option for table copies. And you'll be able to use those fantastic Lulu coupons for an even better deal!

What Else?
I've been releasing stock art for 3rd-party publishers and will continue to do so over the next week or so. This is all available for use with any publication, not just Eldritch Tales Compatible products.

We will be releasing a second version of the character sheet, made by Tom to closely match his layout. This is the one that will appear in the book.

Next will be a set of reference sheets that will double as GM screen inserts. This will include all the most important tables from the book, as well as a Skill reference table and a flow chart for Insanity Saves, neither of which currently appear in the book. I think these will be really useful at the table.

Right, that's all for now. Thanks for your support and interest!

Cheers!

Find Eldritch Tales at RPGNow!

Eldritch Tales RPG Released!!

Hello Everyone, 

Raven God Games is proud to announce that, after more than two years of development, Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing has released on this auspicious day, the birthday of Howard Phillips Lovecraft himself. Eldritch Tales brings Mythos horror to the OSR and OSR gaming into the 1920s!

From the product description:

"Aeons before man arose from the primordial mire, ancient creatures descended from the stars or stepped through dimensional passages to inhabit the Earth. Whilst many of these Old Ones have since passed into inactivity, the secrets they carried with them have been shared with man and now terrible cults haunt the fringes of modern society. These ancient terrors thus still menace mankind and, if the prophecies are to be believed, the Old Ones shall return to reign again over the Earth!

Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing in an OSR rule set with its roots in the Original version of the world's favorite RPG, but instead of exploring musty dungeons, characters in Eldritch Tales investigate Mythos horrors in the 1920s! The setting and background are based on the cosmic horror tales of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and other members of his writing circle. 

Within the pages of Eldritch Tales you will find four character classes representing many classic pulp archetypes, occupations, rules for insanity, spells, monsters, esoteric tomes, artifacts, and setting material, as well as advice on using Eldritch Tales with other White Box games. This game is compatible with Swords & Wizardry White Box and other OSR games."

Available now in PDF format on RPGNow!

Please note that Print on Demand versions (black & white softcover, color softcover, and color hardcover) will be available soon!

https://www.rpgnow.com/product/250356/Eldritch-Tales-Lovecraftian-White-Box-RolePlaying

Lovecraft eZine Interview!

Hey Everyone!

For anyone who didn't see my posts to G+ yesterday, I was interviewed by Acep Hale of the Lovecraft eZine and asked about all things Eldritch Tales! Have a look to see some art from the game and get some more information about where the game came from, and where I hope it goes! Many thanks to Acep and the Lovecraft eZine!

Find it here The Lovecraft eZine! While you're there, be sure to check out all the great thing they do - publications, v-cast, podcasts, and consider backing them on Patreon!

Eldritch Tales: The Long Overdue Update...

Greetings Friends!
I know many of you have been wondering about the status of Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box RPG and, rest assured, I continue to plug away at this. I had almost no time to work on the game over the summer and my progress was at a snail's pace due to real life. Allow me to inform you all on the progress that has been made.

Though summer was rough for me, during that time several groups playtested the game and sent me great feedback, questions, and suggestions. I added bits here and there and clarified other areas and overall the game has come together nicely. I am still working on some writing bits, but nothing too time-consuming.

Tim Snider has completed a first editing pass (back in August) and I have made all the changes he suggested. I have decided not to do the layout myself...I feel like it would take me far too long and would result in an inferior product. That wouldn't be acceptable to me, and I'm not going to let you down that way. So, I have been in talks with Thomas Novosel who has agreed to tackle the project.

Finally, for the most exciting news... since about September I have been focusing hard on art production and I've contracted two artists to help on that front. Many of you will know Del Teigeler's work from various OSR projects including many from North Wind Adventures, including the recent second printing of Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea and my own Beyond the Ice-Fall. Del is a great fellow to work with and has been doing some fantastic work, visit his art blog! Here is a great piece he has finished for Eldritch Tales...

Our second artist is Kurt Komoda, a name new to the OSR, though his work can be seen in Fate Core, The Dresden Files, Torchbearer, Firefly, and other RPGs. I came across Kurt's work on DeviantArt and first contacted him more than a year ago now. I recommend that anyone reading this visit his portfolio and blog - you will see some astonishing work. Kurt approaches each new piece with an unbelievable exactitude, researching Lovecraft's stories for every clue concerning the description of whatever creature he is drawing. Below you can see his take on the Elder Things of Antarctica...

In addition to these true professionals, I am doing quite a bit of art myself - mostly spot art for equipment, vehicles, weapons, and the like, though I've done a few adversaries as well, such as the vampire below. To round out all of this art, I'll grab a few pieces of stock art as filler.

Once art is completed and I have finalized the text, layout will begin and should take up to 3 months. The finished book will have approximately 70 pieces of original art and come in around 200 pages.

That's all for now, best to all in the new year!