The Future of Schwalb Entertainment
Aside from new releases for both Shadow of the Demon Lord and MAXPRESS, I’ve been a bit quiet about what’s going on with the company and my future plans. I’ve been keeping my head down and pounding out the words for the Occult Philosophy Kickstarter and other products, so I haven’t had much time for posting. Well, today I’m breaking the silence to give you the skinny on what’s coming out in the months ahead.
Occult Philosophy
We ran a solid campaign for this beast and we’ve made great progress in getting the manuscript pulled together. Kara has about 2/3 of the book laid out and Jay has begun the proofing process. I anticipate this book will drop way ahead of schedule.
As part of this Kickstarter we unlocked a few stretch goals. We already released Call of the Necromancer, Cabaret of the Grotesque, Fine Country Folk, and We are Legion, and we have Genius Loci (genies Monstrous Pages) and Kingdom of Skulls in production. Genius Loci ought to land in a couple weeks as we have edited copy and all the art assets in. Kingdom of Skulls is in editing right now and we have about a third of the art in.
The last thing I’m doing to close out this campaign is Men of Gog, a juicy book that builds on the information presented in Tombs of the Desolation and reveals everything you need to know about the Witch-King and his dread minions. I’m about 30% through the writing.
Oh. We also have spell cards for this book. They’re moving through production as we speak.
Confederacy of the Nine Cities
We released City of Wonder, written by the magnificent Steve Kenson, and we’re dropping City of Gods Monday. This leaves one last city to do and, happily, Darrin Drader and I knocked out the manuscript for City of Dreams a couple of months ago. We’re just waiting on the map and this bad-boy will go into production.
I announced this product a couple years ago and I’m happy to report that we’re close to taking this book to Kickstarter. I’m aiming for a late July/early August release. This is an entirely new game powered by Shadow of the Demon Lord, so it’s easy to pick up and play. In this game, you play mercenaries in the Wasteland going on missions to find salvage, bullets, and gear, while fighting mutants, the V Reich, and all kinds of other scum.
Before we launch the campaign, though, I’m going to release the Quick-Start rules so you can see how much fun this game is to play. We’ll be releasing two versions of the Quick-Start: the free edition (black and white and no art) and a dead sexy edition, with some art and a print on demand version. I’ll be previewing this product in the weeks to come.
Shadow of the Mad Wizard
Originally called Free Companies of Four Towers, Shadow of the Mad Wizard is a new fantasy game in which you and your friends take on the roles of adventurers who descend into the dungeons below the City of the Mad Wizard to find fortune and glory. My homage to Greyhawk, Shadow of the Mad Wizard uses a modified version of the Demon Lord engine to provide short, focused campaigns, single-session adventures, and all the bells and whistles you have come to love from Shadow, but thematically appropriate for all ages and audiences. The game is still deep in design, but early playtesting has given promising results. I’m certain you will love this game as much as I do.
Shadow of the Demon Lord Supplements
We have plenty of things coming out for Shadow of the Demon Lord. Christi Bradford reveals the horrors of the Machine God worshiped by unhinged clockworks in an upcoming supplement. I’m working on Slaves of the Demon Queen, which details the arachne, their foul mistress, and the Spider Wood in which they live. Looking ahead, I’m plan to release a slew of two-page one-shot adventures perfect for convention and in-store play. These will be cheap, so collect them all. I also have a supplement that lets you play ghosts, another that introduces a slew of new expert paths, a solo adventure, the March Lands, and more.
MAXPRESS
We just released the warden class in Defenders of the Wild and I’m getting ready to push on with more MAXPRESS releases. Going forward, I plan to focus on creatures rather than player content. Creatures will be nasty and vicious, full of loathing, and shocking to your players. If you’re nice, I might also include a conversion document so you can use these creatures in your 5th edition and Shadow of the Demon Lord Games.
Shadow of the Last Gate and Abaddon
In addition to Shadow of the Mad Wizard, I’m building two more games to be powered by the Demon Lord engine. These are both in planning stages, so I don’t have much to report other than the first is a modern game in which you and your friends play members of a secret society of magicians fighting against the Demon Lord, while the second is a sci-fi horror game that sees you and your friends fighting to stay alive in a generation ship lost to the Void and now overrun with demons.
Worlds in Shadow
Last, Worlds in Shadow is a new series of standalone mini-games powered by the Demon Lord engine that can played in two to four sessions. All the games in this line will use a common ruleset covered in the forthcoming Worlds in Shadow rulebook, so I don’t have to repeat myself when it comes to the basic rules. The games will explore a wide range of genres and experiences, all with a dark and sinister edge. The first game, Lost & Found, sees the players take on the roles of children trapped in a terrifying orphanage and who are desperate to escape before they disappear forever. Other games in the series include Colony, where you try to keep your colony alive on a hostile planet, Vigilante, where you and your friends play street-level heroes fighting to save your city, and a whole lot more.
Thanks for reading and Hail the Demon Lord!
In the northern reaches of the Confederacy of the Nine Cities sits Lij, the legendary City of Wonder. What began as a haven for exiles and freethinkers from across Rûl has become one of the greatest bastions of the occult in the known world, with alchemists, artificers, engineers, and wizards rivaled only by the Tower Arcane itself—and perhaps not even that any longer, with the decline and degradation of the Empire.
Those who live beyond civilization’s bounds face a daily, brutal struggle just to survive the hazards and horrors of the vast wilderness they call home. In the rolling hills and deep forests where few willingly tread, one can find all manner of hungry, violent things: from rabid animals and brutish beastmen to ravenous ogres and other terrible monsters who defy description. While the constant press of both danger and isolation often drives ordinary folks to dark and brutal acts to ensure they live to see another day, none of what these people might do comes close to the horrific deeds carried out by the two clans living in the Lonely Vale.
An unexplained series of mishaps and accidents have beset the good people of Bricksburg. Missing children and livestock, spoiled milk swirled with blood, stillborn calves, and other calamities have dogged the community for weeks, and the trouble seems to be getting worse. Some believe the town has been cursed, attracted malevolent spirits, or has somehow angered the small gods of the nearby hills. No one knows for certain and panic has started to tighten its grip on the hearts and minds of the townspeople. Something must be done, but no one has the courage to confront the evil lurking in their midst.
The time for battle is now! Monsters tumble out of the dark, wicked drow hatch vile plots, demons eager to invade the Material Plane clamor at the edges of reality, and bizarre aberrations pursue mad agendas that will plunge the world and all the planes into chaos. The people need champions to throw back the darkness, to take the fight to the dread enemies, and thwart their evil designs. While adventurers of all kinds answer the call to battle, from courageous fighters to cunning rogues, fell wizards and wise clerics, they aren’t the only ones capable of taking a brave stand. Joining them is a new breed of warrior: those brilliant tacticians and inspiring leaders known as warlords. These battle-hardened champions lead the charge into combat and through their insights, tricks, and stratagems, they enable all who fight at their sides to achieve their full potential and triumph in the face of any adversity.
A fearsome drought has come to the Grand Duchy, leaving fields barren and dusty, towns abandoned, and people pushed to the desperate brink of starvation and thirst. In the midst of the perils the unseasonable heat has brought to these lands, hidden enemies have chosen this time to hatch their vile conspiracy. Written by veteran game designer and writer, Eric Cagle, A Mother’s Burden presents a gruesome challenge and an unspeakable revelation for a group of 
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