Books
Get Medieval With TTRPG ‘Danse Macabre’, Now on Kickstarter
Fans of Shadowdark, Knave, and other old-school renaissance (OSR) games have a treat on the way in Christopher Pickett‘s new TTRPG Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying, which recently just launched its Kickstarter, and has almost reached its $15,000 funding goal with plenty of time left in the campaign.
The story centers around the end of the 14th century in Abandoned Constantinople, where death is not the end. Those who perish are somehow miraculously revived, albeit each time with new maleficia — mutations of the spirit and the flesh. You take on the role of Pilgrims who are doomed to survive this world filled with historical intrigue, brutal combat, and the hordes of demoniacs: mutated humans who are lost to the madness beyond death.

Alongside the Rulebook (available in digital, softcover or hardcover) is the “Guide to the Abandoned World” book, which extends the game’s campaign to other parts of the Mediterranean. The book also includes new rules for classes, relics, arms and armor, and encounters as well as setting-specific quests. For you lore junkies, the Guide delves into how other cultures interpret the Abandonment of Death.
If that’s not enough for you, there’s also a third book, entitled “Unsunken: Paris Below”, an addon book that includes a “mega-dungeon” campaign set in Paris. Written by Wythe Marschall, the campaign includes several dungeons to explore, along with plenty of new quests.
Still not enough? There’s “The Reliquary” addon, which offer over 100 unique relics for Danse Macabre that contain quintessence, which is the mysterious resource that restores the natural order of death. Each relic also has an activation power that can aid you on your quest.

Currently, you can make pledges of varying amounts to several levels, which will get you either the Danse Macabre Rulebook and Guide, or include “Unsunken” or “The Reliquary”. That’s on top of whether you want the softcover or hardcover editions, which also include the PDF versions of the books.
Books
‘Strange Stories – The Roleplaying Game’ Aims to Immerse Players in Multigenre Tales
Chad Fifer and Chris Lackey, the folks behind the Strange Studies of Strange Stories podcast, are set to launch their own tabletop RPG in Strange Stories – The Roleplaying Game. Currently, the Backerkit pre-launch site is live, where you can sign up for updates when the campaign launches next month on July 21.
For those unfamiliar, the Strange Stories podcast centers around classic sci-fi, fantasy and horror literature, aiming to “render the familiar unfamiliar,” compelling its listeners to “experience the world anew” regarding topics such as monsters, magic and flying saucers. With the TTRPG, this one-night, rules-light session game will emulate short stories of the fantasy/horror/sci-fi genre. The team plans on replicating the same experience for their listeners with tabletop players, plunging them into extraordinary situations that reframe the ordinary.
Chris Lackey is no stranger to working on TTRPGs, having written for TTRPG publishers Chaosium and Pelgrane in the past, including the award-winning “Cults of Cthulhu”. For Strange Stories – The Roleplaying Game, accompanying each adventure will be an audio companion to prep Story Guides (GMs) to run each session. More details are expected when the campaign officially launches.
“For seventeen years on our podcast, we’ve studied the architects of the uncanny. Now, our game brings their worlds to life. Drawing on the work of Rod Serling, H.P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E. Howard (just to name a few), we plunge players into extraordinary situations that reframe the ordinary.”
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