Ruins of the Dread Bishop Out Now for Heartseeker

In ancient days the Veiled Bishop demanded tithes of treasures from his subjects, all of whom worshipped him like a god. When riches became scarce the Bishop would instead take their very souls, trapping them in a reliquary. The tides of time would claim his flesh, but his foul reliquary stayed his malignant spirit, wandering the church ruins in search of new souls to steal. 

Ruins of the Dread Bishop is a 4-page pamphlet adventure for use with Heartseeker, but is easily converted to other OSR games. 

Scratching the Itch: New RPG Hotness 22/4/23

 It's time for another creamy dollop of new games I see on itch that hit my brain just right.

Vyrmhack

by Feral Indie Studios

Now here's an interesting one. It's a grimy-looking fantasy skirmish wargame with roleplaying elements, with part of the draw being its compatibility with OSR scenarios. It plants its webbed feet firmly in the domain of dark fantasy, with characters like a mutated Decrepit Magus and a Noble Duellist fused to their armour. It's co-operative and competitive too, which I assume means can require a GM if you want. Looks great! 

Vyrmhack is Itchfunding now, so go throw money at them.

https://feral-indie-studios.itch.io/vyrmhack

Magpie by Moonlight

by Anna Anthropy

Evlyn Moreu's art is always going to catch my attention, and I love magpies so how could I resist? Magpie by Moonlight is a one-page solo journaling game where you "collect" (nick) things and make your getaway before noting all your new curiosities in your ledger. I enjoy a one-page game with a bunch of flavour, so MBM was an instant buy for me, and maybe you'll like it too. 

https://w.itch.io/magpie-by-moonlight

Elfland: Beyond the Fields We Know

by DragonPeakPublishing

While I'm not a DCC player (yet, I want to rectify this at some point) I have a soft and squishy spot for Lord Dunsany. Elfland is a setting size detailing the titular environ made famous by Dunsany's King of Elfland's Daughter and later a DCC module The Queen of Elfland's Son. Basically, six adventuring locations also written in a way to service the solo player. 

https://dragonpeakpublishing.itch.io/elfland-beyond-the-fields-we-know

Runecairn Bestiary

by By Odin's Beard RPG

Another Itchfunder and this time for a bestiary for the wildly popular Runecairn, which I finally picked up at Dragonmeet. The art by Kim Diaz Holm in this look incredible, holy moly! It's 100 new monsters for the game, with conversion rules and ways to create your own wee beasties. 

https://byodinsbeardrpg.itch.io/runecairn-bestiary

Souvenirs

by Rémi Töötätä

My last pick is a cosy little number called Souvenirs, part of the Tiny Keepsake Jam. Lookhow adorable this is! I love the art and of course I love a pamphlet. It has a similar theme to Magpie by Moonlight but here you're going on a week long holiday and bringing back nice trinkets, including gifts for your friends. I'd definitely play this with a mug of coffee and some lo-fi hip hop on in the background. 

https://remi-tootata.itch.io/souvenirs

Scratching the Itch: New RPG Hotness 14/4/23

 It's time for another slab of sizzling new stuff that caught my eye on Itch this week.

Throne of Avarice

by SoulMuppet Publishing

Aright, full disclosure that Brian Yaksha is an online chum of mine and a Very Good Game Designer. I've had my eye on SoulMuppet's Throne of Avarice when Zach was throwing out some development bits on Twitter and it looks super sweet. Created for Best Left Buried, this is what the blurb says:

THRONE OF AVARICE is a setting book and procedural generation toolbox for adventuring in the fantasy horror game Best Left Buried. The tools and tables within present Doomsayers with the means to generate the citizens, victims, regions, and reprehensible rulers of the Grand Duchy of Calmyn - a nation struggling to reclaim its dominion over the known world.

It's, like, full of factions and the bizarre shit that Yaksha is known for. 

https://soulmuppetpublishing.itch.io/throne-of-avarice

Casket of Fays #9

by Red Ruin Publishing

This was quite a nice little surprise, not least because I had totally forgotten there was a zine for Dragon Warriors. But there is, and it just came out. The latest fanzine for the British RPG stalwart looks like a chocolate box of DW thingies that sort of speak directly to my heart ventricles. Fairy knight? Check. Some sort of gibbet? Double check. Venom and bites! Ok, I'm less excited about that, but I'm sure the content is good. 

https://redruinpublishing.itch.io/casket-of-fays-9

Heads Frozen in Vaults Enduring

by Exeunt Press

This one caught my eye because it's inspired by urban legends about celebrities getting their heads frozen. This is a one-shot heist for CY_BORG in the shape of an a4 pamphlet. Here's what the gubbins says:

Escort a live streamer into the G0 wasteland in search of an underground cryovault! More action means more viewers, and viewers are creds. So remember to smile for the cameras while the nanophreaks shred your face!

It comes with a free frozen head generator, which is a great deal in such price-conscious times. 

https://exeuntpress.itch.io/heads-frozen

A Shrine for Something Forgotten

by Junk Food Games

This is a solo journaling game about collecting little bits and bats and creating a shrine out of them. A lovely clean concept created for the Tiny Keepsake Jam. 

https://junkfoodgames.itch.io/a-shrine-for-something-forgotten

GORGON ROT brings heavy metal roleplaying to your table

 

I'm running my first Itchfunder! I've just released GORGON ROT, a new wave of old school fantasy RPG influenced by Fighting Fantasy and heavy metal. It's all packaged as a CD booklet, so I'm raising money for a print run. It features:

• A simple 2d6 mechanic fans of old, yellowed gamebooks will be familiar with
• A push-your-luck system: your Luck score gives you great power, but depletes as you use it, so use it wisely!
• Designed for grid combat and hexcrawling
• Find the secret apocalyptic spell!
• Perfect for pulling out at the pub before a gig

This 12-page booklet contains everything you need to play, including a bestiary and pregen characters. You even get a bonus flyer called Foul Sorcery, which deals with necromancy.

You should go buy it https://trollish-delver-games.itch.io/gorgon-rot 

Scratching the Itch: New RPG Hotness 7/4/23

It's time to delve into a selection of new and popular games to pop up on Itch recently that caught my eye. 

Sworn by Crom & Mitra

by 3vandro

Describing itself as a minimalist randomised setting for the Hyborian world of Conan, Sworn by Crom & Mitra is designed for use with Ironsworn with a bunch of random tables and setting info. 

https://3vandro.itch.io/sworn-by-crom-and-mitra 

24XX Dying Sun

by TaTooka

Jason Tocci's 24XX system continues to prove its popularity with a new standalone game focused on emulating the world of Dark Sun in a tiny package. A post-apocalyptic fantasy world awaits players in Dying Sun, which changes up the usual 24XX armour rules in favour of the ability to equip piecemeal armour parts, as well as rules for defiling magic. 

https://tatooka.itch.io/24xx-dying-sun

The Lost Treasure of Granny Snake-Eyes

by rootdevil

Fans of short, weird dungeoncrawls might want to check out The Lost Treasure of Granny Snake-Eyes. The titular Granny is up to her eyes in debt, so naturally she needs your help to pilfer her late husband's tome of the riches within. The eight-page adventure crams in some evocative descriptions and memorable NPCs, along with a hat generator for OSR and 5e play. 

https://rootdevil.itch.io/the-lost-treasure-of-granny-snake-eyes

The Tombs of Agalosh

by Jamzilla

For an Age and beyond the wizzards of Agalosh have languished in their ancient halls, trapped there by the Gods they dared dethrone! Fearful of phantoms and breathless things, the wizzards fled deeper and deeper into their dungeon-tombs, hoarding in pits their spells and things of gold...

Honestly, the colour and font for this 16-page zine caught my eye. It's an adventure location for the game CYST which I've just discovered. Basically a game where you create a fantasy world and then play in it. 

https://jamzilla.itch.io/agalosh