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!
[PunkApocalyptic] Making a Merc
Hey there! Welcome to the Apocalypse’s after party! Today, I’m going to slip you some sick info about making mercenaries for my brand new game. You’re playing mercenaries, or mercs, who take on shitty jobs in return for bullets, food, and other increasingly scarce supplies to survive in a world that has gone to hell. Now, before we move on, I should mention that the Demon Lord Engine powers this game. If you know how to play Shadow of the Demon Lord, you should be good. If you have no clue about Demon Lord (what, pray tell, are you waiting for? Go out and snag a copy! Each copy sold helps feed starving cats!), the game system uses familiar elements so you should be pick up the system without any trouble. OK. We’ll slip into that warm mayonnaise bath later. For now, let’s look at making characters.
Step 1. Attributes
PA uses a set of eight attributes to broadly describe the kinds of shenanigans you might get yourself into. They are Muscles, Meat, Hands, Feet, Brains, Eyes, Mouth, and Guts. Using these should be pretty self-explanatory. You want to lift something heavy? You’re going to use Muscles. You want to run away from Mungalunga chasing you? Feet is your attribute. You want to keep the warlord from cutting off your head before you get a chance to explain what you were doing in her liquor cabinet? Mouth.
Each attribute has a score and a modifier. The attribute score is the target number for rolls made against you and the modifier is the number you add to your d20 roll when you want to do something and it’s not clear if what you want to happen will happen. Scores are numbers between 1 and 20. Modifiers are scores minus 10. If you’re playing it safe, you can use the default scores of 13, 12, 11, 10, 10, 10, and 9. Stick one in each attribute until you’ve placed them all. The game also includes a random method for folks who feel lucky.
(c) 2019 Bad Roll Games19
Step 2. Background
Everyone on your team is going to be a mercenary, but before you start rooting around the wasteland, beating the shit out of gangers, mutants, and V Reichers, you were somebody. The main book includes eight backgrounds such a drifter, ganger, and muscle. Here’s a sample just wait for a kiss from your eyeballs.
You’ll see from the above that your background boosts one of your attributes, gives you some languages (draw them from the languages currently spoken), a talent, and some starting gear. Junk, in this case, is a bit of fun, randomly determined that might give you a quirk, something weird, or something funny (or not). For example, as a starting piece of junk, you might have a stack of porno mags, a DIVX player, a dongle, or a rubber mask of a dead president.
Step 3. Other Stuff
Here you’re going to fill in your character sheet. You start by plugging in your modifiers. Remember, these are the scores minus 10. It’s not hard math. You also have a Defense score, Health score, Grit (use this to heal damage), Education (which gives you access to specialties that reflect the shit you’ve learned to do), Speed, Size, Mutagen (to determine if you get mutations), and Missions (think levels, but sexier).
Step 4. Character Details
This optional section includes a slew of tables to help you flesh out your character. These tables cover age, looks, distinguishing features, and some names (samples include Lips, Hog, Nugget, Crow, and filthier names).
That’s it. Fast and simple. That’s it for this week. Next time, we’ll take a look at the rules.
Genius Loci: Monstrous Pages Supplement
Genius Loci: Monstrous Pages for Shadow of the Demon Lord RPG
Genius Loci examines the origins of the genies, their significant role in the creation of reality and the multiverse, and their present, deplorable state. Like all entries into the Monstrous Pages series, the aim of this supplement is to add depth and character to iconic creatures from Shadow of the Demon Lord to help you develop them more fully as part of your game.
Armed with the contents of Genius Loci, you can bring these esoteric beings to life as allies or, more likely, as deadly enemies!
Pick up the PDF at DriveThruRPG today!
PunkApocalyptic: The RPG
City of Gods: Lands in Shadow
City of Gods: Lands in Shadow for Shadow of the Demon Lord RPG
The faithful gather in Set from everywhere. Deemed the holiest city in the Known World, here people of all religions and beliefs are free to honor their own gods and practice their various religions, whatever those might be. One can find black-frocked cultists of the New God arguing with peddlers of small gods on a street corner, while a hoary old druid wanders past, followed by a veritable menagerie of animals large and small. Devil worshipers brazenly advertise their devotion, while mad cultists of alien powers shriek and gibber from the rooftops, hoping to call forth their masters from the darkness between the stars.
City of Gods reveals the secrets of Set, one of the Nine Cities of the Confederacy standing along Rûl’s eastern shores. The tolerance Set shows to the faithful might be wondrous, but it also invites trouble: among the devotees of the greater and lesser gods are some who pledge their souls to darker powers. Whether you plan to have your characters visit Set in an adventure or use it as the backdrop for an entire campaign, City of Gods gives you everything you need to bring the community and its people to life in your Shadow of the Demon Lord games!
Pick up the PDF from DriveThruRPG today!
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!