View from the Pelgrane’s Nest – September 2025

A mere few weeks ago terrible heat gripped much of the northern hemisphere. Now the temperature has cooled, signaling the whispered approach of fall. Back to school is one of the Head Pelgrane’s favorite seasons. He flaps his leathery wings over quiet suburban streets, ready to swoop down and, with his piercing beak, snatch up backpacks bursting with Poptarts and Ding Dongs.

A similar autumnal bustle reverberates through the notional distributed office of Pelgrane Press, as books both much-vaunted and suddenly heralded pop up in our increasingly busy production schedule.

The big surprise reveal is the arrival of a new manuscript from Kenneth Hite. The Outside Entities sourcebook for Trail of Cthulhu is written, developed, and now in the art direction phase. It covers the obscurer gods and creatures of the wider Mythos, from the inventions of authors other than Lovecraft to quieter oddballs like the fisher from outside. In addition to bestiary-format treatments of these creatures, and a list of powers to build or customize your own eldritch entities, Ken pours his insight into penetrating essays on the monstrous, from scenario structure to the transformation of HPL’s themes by later writers. This elegant 92 page book doesn’t require playtesting and should slither toward publication with the reptilian rapidity of a petesouchos, if not the interstellar velocity of a yekubian possession cube.

The other newly submitted manuscript comes from yours truly. Hamlet’s GM Screen, the long-demanded follow-up to Hamlet’s Hit Points, marks the first new book in the Gameplaywright line since Pelgrane acquired it. It applies the beat analysis system that breaks story down for roleplayers to classic moments at the gaming table. Hamlet’s GM Screen shows why some moments hum along on their own and others require intervention. Its 300+ diagrams have to be checked for correct correlation to the text, so we’re reversing the usual process and moving the book to layout and then back to proofreading. Expect the same size and format as the original Hamlet’s Hit Points.

Not to be outshone, Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan reports that the manuscript of Merryshire Detective Club is all but ready for turnover. In the meantime the two of us have been cooking up plans of a cartographic nature for this fun and charming game of halfling investigation. The only question is whether Gar will slide it over the transom right before I leave for vacation in a few days, or whether it will be waiting for me, along with a hot scone or two, on my return.

Speaking of Gar, The Paragon Blade, his epic fantasy GUMSHOE One-2-One game, is wrapping up its mighty-thewed battle with that most dangerous of dragons, the indexing process. That’s the last step before print buying.

Behind the scenes, Cat has been hard at work organizing all aspects of the 13^th Age Second Edition Kickstarter fulfillment. Last I heard she was comparing the effort to the oeuvre of 80s hitmeister Bryan Adams. Surely that means the PDFs are going to run to you, because everything Cat does, she does for you.

That’s not all that’s shaking in the Dragon Empire. In the last couple weeks, Rob Heinsoo and Wade Rockett have been working on a 13th Age Starter Set. This slimmed-down rules set and a one-arc introductory adventure in a box will serve as a lower-cost entry point than the full two-book Second Edition slipcase.

Next on Rob’s plate, revising and expanding Wade’s original Crown of Axis PDF into another introductory Second Edition adventure for print publication. It will end up around twice as big as the original PDF.

Two other already-designed 13th Age books will launch the 2E support line.

The first into print will be Behemoths: Paths of the Koru, a sourcebook for GMs running champion and epic-tier campaigns as developed by J-M DeFoggi. It includes 11 unique behemoths (8 living, 2 dying, and 1 undead), a bouquet of rot elves and 46 other new monsters. Before they escape into the wild, Rob will tweak them to play better in 2E, along with updates to character class powers and icon connections.

Behemoths cover illustration by Rich Longmore.

Meanwhile J-M is revising the 1E battle-building math in Gar’s upcoming mega-adventure, Prophets of the Pyre.

Shifting to matters of a rugose nature, Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition has moved to layout and an exciting fresh look.

Page Turners now races toward the finish line of its layout process. Graphic design wonderworker Jen McCleary has but one scenario left before the game of dramatic interaction for one player and one GM heads to final checks and on to the printer. In the meantime, here’s a stunning two-page spread from “Without You,” Sarah “Sam” Saltiel’s moving scenario of love, mortality, and vampirism.

Ballad Hunters has reached the copyediting and proofing stage, putting it ahead of the curve for its spring crowdfunding date. It’s enough to put a song in your heart. Which might not even be a murder ballad.

All in all, this roll call of new hotness fills us with the same hope and anticipation as a fresh set of colored pencils, an uncrinkled course list, and the crunch of fallen leaves beneath the feet. Unless you’re in Australia, I guess, in which case it’s spring and that’s also a metaphor for renewal and things to come and, I don’t know, the need to avoid poisonous kangaroos or something. Look, I feel I have made my broader point. Just keep your backpack away from the Head Pelgrane and everything will be fine.