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Thursday, July 10, 2025

New Release - Brave the Shadow (ShadowDark Supplement from James Spahn)



Here's the part where I reveal connections. I've known James Spahn for about 15 years. I personally mailed him his first print copy of Swords & Wizardry Complete. I was his Confirmation Sponsor. I consider James a true friend, and I regard him as one of the most skilled creators in the RPG industry. Yadda yadda ;)

Brave the Shadow is James' first - and indeed not his last - venture into the world of ShadowDark. So, what does your $9.99 get you?

This new supplement for Arcane Library's SHADOWDARK Roleplaying Game introduces 18 new Ancestries and 25 new classes to expand your options as a Player and offer an army of new NPC options as a Game Master.

From classic ancestries like Duckfolk and Gnomes, to more esoteric takes like ancient serpent-blooded Thulsan and or fey-marked Changeling, you'll always have some fresh blood to spill when the dungeon goes dark.

New classes include classics like the Assassin and the Archer, to the strange fungi-twisted Mycomancer, the greedy Blackguard, the mad Gallusborn, and the insane Stingbat Wrangler! And who let that Unattended Kid in here?!

It makes me want to run a ShadowDark game :)

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Tuesday, July 8, 2025

New Release - West Marches Campaign Playstyle Guidebook



While not NEW new (as the West Marches Campaign Playstyle Guidebook was released in PDF in mid-May of this year, and in that time has gone Platinum for sales, the Print on Demand just went live, and both print and PDF are discounted this week.

The West Marches Campaign Playstyle Guidebook is 4.99 in PDF, 12.99 in print, and 15.99 for print plus PDF.

PS - I ordered the print plus PDF and will try to get a review up in the next few weeks.

This handbook is your guide to running and playing in a West Marches-style campaign. 

Inside, you’ll find clear, practical advice on preparing sessions, running the game, and embracing character-driven storytelling.

The West Marches method of play is perfect for modern lifestyle gaming with busy schedules and full calendars. 

Designed to be system-agnostic, this book works with any RPG and helps GMs and players alike focus on exploration, discovery, and meaningful consequence.

Whether you’re just starting out or ready to level up your game, this handbook will walk you through the process step by step.

Note: The POD is now LIVE (4th of July) and will be on SALE this first weekend. Enjoy! 


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Monday, July 7, 2025

New Release - Carcass Crawler: Issue Five


I own the first four issues of Carcass Crawler in print (and PDF), and I've thoroughly enjoyed them. Although written for OSE, the vast majority of the content is usable with the OSR system of your choice.

Carcass Crawler: Issue Five is 7.50 in PDF at DTRPG.

The fifth issue of Carcass Crawler — the official Old-School Essentials zine! Each issue is packed with new material for your games, including new character classes and races, new spells and magic items, new monsters, optional and expanded rules, referee advice, previews of in-development products, short adventures, and more!

In This Issue

  • New classes and races: Two new character classes and races. The changeling and the ratling.
  • Expanded poisons: Additional descriptive details around the 9 standard poison types, plus 11 new poison types.
  • Weapon materials: Rules for weapons of enhanced or weaker materials (e.g. silver, bone, bronze).
  • Magic swords: Tables and minor magical quirks to add flavour to the bog-standard sword +1.
  • Cantrips: Minor magicks practiced by apprentice arcane spell casters.
  • Level 0 characters: Rules for rolling up level 0 "normal human" characters, either for NPC retainers or for use in funnel adventures. Complete with tables of backgrounds and names.
  • Lake and river monsters: 8 new monsters that lurk in freshwater rivers and lakes.
  • Up Chaos River: A short adventure where PCs must travel up a chaos-infested river to save the local village. Suitable for use as a funnel adventure for a group of level 0 characters.


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