Games so good they sneak up on you...

She didn’t know what to do and often never did. The night creatures were stirring, crickets chirped, owls hooted, raccoons rooted through trash heaps, and foxes raided chicken coops. She was scared. The fear gripped her like a living thing; she could feel the icy fingers of terror on her shoulders. What she was about to do was wrong. She knew it to her very marrow, but it had to be done. The Other One had given her instructions and she knew she must obey. The battlefield was open wide, empty but for the uncollected dead and the night-things that feasted upon them. The smell was overwhelming, but she knew she must continue. Corpses of strangers littered the land, the detritus of mankind’s nev

With GenCon50 in the books and Shadow, Sword & Spell 2E is released, I want to write about what is coming for the game during the next year, as well as in the future In the past Shadow, Sword & Spell has not seen a lot of love. Colonial Gothic demands more attention, and more people want to see releases for it. Additionally, the time I need to spend writing Colonial Gothic material is huge. Research takes time. Reading said research takes time. Finding and reading original source material applicable to the topic covered is time-consuming as well. I am not complaining, the time and care I take during this process reflect in the finished product. With Shadow, Sword & Spell I decided to do some

The early morning air should have been thick with the sounds of a new day beginning. But the heavy mist that covered everything muffled them into eerie imitations of their true tone. Bird calls were obscured and distorted, the banter of the men around me became unintelligible, and even our footfalls on the ground sounded like distant drumbeats. The mist also obscured our vision, reducing our visibility to no more than a few yards in front of us. “Pipe down and buckle up boys, I think we may have found our flock!” This statement, hushed in tone, was just loud enough to carry to the men. There were but eight of us, sent on a special mission to seek, and if necessary, destroy a similar British

(Chicago | August 22, 2017): Available today in both print and electronic form comes Shadow, Sword & Spell 2E your gateway to the world of pulp fantasy!. After overcoming dangers, making enemies, and killing your fair share of opponents, you stand ready to fight some more. Your sword arm is strong from the battles endured. Your nimbleness and brazenness have earned you the reputation as a master thief. The magics you work, and the lore you mastered, have given you an understanding of Magic's depth. You are a hero, an outlaw, even a thorn in the side of the powers that be. Your trials prepared you, and now, you are ready to inscribe your name upon the rolls of history. The world will feel you

Broken branches, disturbed forest floor… Pierre Rochon knew the signs. A seasoned voyageur, he could track a squirrel through the trees by sight alone. This was different, though, and it disturbed him. A trail of footprints littered the forest floor, wide and humanlike but the imprint was impossibly heavy, as if the creature that made it was made of something more than just flesh. The skin on the back of his neck and his thickly corded arms crawled. He was afraid, a strange feeling for him, a tough and fearless man. At least he thought he was. He gripped his musket tighter, feeling some comfort in its weight and heft. The presence of his tomahawk and longknife on his belt, both sharpened to

Major Tarleton was at a low point in his short life. At twenty-seven years of age, his wealthy father having bought his commission, he should have been in high spirits due to his elevated circumstances. Yet tonight he was low. So very low. The woman he wanted, lusted after, craved more than he could stand, had spurned him time and time again. Her name was Hannah and she worked at a public house named “Soaring Gull” near the home where he had been bivouacked. She had flaxen hair, a beautiful smile, and a figure that was the stuff of dreams. She was perfect in every way and he was smitten. She often conversed with him, serving him before any others—a preferential treatment that made him feel s