View From the Pelgrane’s Nest – February 2024

First up, a shout-out to our Network, our estimable Patreon backers! Thanks to Peter, Bryan, Clark, Jim, Emma, Craig, Phil, Michael K, Bryant, P. Troilus, Michael M, ScottKey, Michael B, Andreas, Ranting John, Samwise, Michael H, Andy, Mark R, Daniel F and Jiří K!

NEW RELEASE: Suburban Consumption of the Monstrous

Now available to buy in print or PDF format is Suburban Consumption of the Monstrous by Banana Chan and Sadia Bies. This full colour, dust-jacketed hardback is an anthology of horror live action roleplaying games (larps) designed by Banana and Sadia, with illustrations by Sadia and a host of exciting new artists. The core themes of food and consumption in a suburban setting make this collection both accessible and unnerving, twisting the traditional comfort of domesticity into a darker, unknown environment full of terror. If you’d like to try before you buy, you can download two of the games in a free playkit from Sadia’s itch.io site, here.

UPDATED RELEASE – On the High Road to Kaiin

If you’re one of the many people who’ve returned to the World’s Oldest RPG through its fifth edition, our distinctly and eminently Vancian take on the Dying Earth is doubtless a vital source of inspiration. Ian Thomson, author of many estimable Pelgrane Dying Earth RPG adventures and articles, has been hard at work clearing out his old hard drive and bringing what he found on it into the twenty-first century. We recently added his expanded and updated adventure The Exasperating Cadaver to the Dying Earth index of publications, and this month sees the release of a chunky booklet of updated and new adventures as well as maps, cantraps, articles and notes for Cugel-level games he has titled On the High Road to Kaiin. Bring giant, so-smug smiles to Simon Rogers and Robin D. Laws’ faces by picking up these latest additions to this undying collection.

CONVENTIONS: Really though, please run games for us at Gen Con!

As I mentioned last month, we’ve started our Gen Con GM recruitment now. This year, we’ve got a host of new adventures for GMs to choose from. As well as a sneak peek at what adventures Trail of Cthulhu 2nd Edition will be bringing, the new Fear Itself adventures from the upcoming Ocean Game will be available, and 2nd edition 13th Age adventures, too (we’ll have more details of these over the coming months). GMs also get a t-shirt, swag bag and our eternal gratitude – and if they run more than three games for us, they also get free entry! Email us now at gamemasters@pelgranepress.com to join the team.

CROWDFUNDING: Coming this year

In a move that will surprise no-one who’s been with us for more than a few months, we’re pushing back the Backerkit-platformed crowdfunding campaign for Trail of Cthulhu 2nd Edition, so this will no longer be taking place in March 2024. We are still determined to go ahead with it this year, but it’s more likely to be September or October now, while we try to lock down the final content for the core book and pledge levels.

We’re also moving ahead with the 13th Age 2nd Edition crowdfunding, which will be on Kickstarter, in 2024 – watch this space, and our social media, for final dates. Rob is finishing up the beta playtest packet now and will be sending that out to playtesters soon.