News, See Page XX
See Page XX – December 2025
See Page XX: The Pelgrane Press webzine
December 2025 Edition
VIEW FROM THE PELGRANE’S NEST: IN WHICH OUR THEME FOR THE YEAR IS REVEALED by Robin D. Laws: Declares 2026 the year books come out, with 13th Age 2E fulfillment and general release, Page Turners and Paragon Blade moving through print, Fear Itself Shattered Veil dated, and clear progress on Ballad Hunters, Cassilda’s Song, Pillars Built on Sand, Boundary of the Darkness, and Outside Entities.
CALL FOR PLAYTESTERS: MERRYSHIRE DETECTIVE CLUB by Robin D. Laws: Pelgrane invites GMs to test Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan’s cozy halfling investigation game, starting with the intro scenario and reporting by late February, with a later round for The Dreadful Hare.
UPCOMING RELEASE STATUS PAGE by Robin D. Laws: A living Google Sheet tracks announced titles and their stage in production, updated with each See Page XX to bring more transparency to the 2026 slate.
13TH AGE 2E PREGENERATED CHARACTER BUILDS: BLOODBATH BARBARIAN by Jay Godden: A ready-to-run barbarian build that leans into raging melee damage with Two-Hander, Barbaric Cleave, and Violence, plus a full level plan and downloadable sheets.
A VERY GHOSTLY CHRISTMAS by Robin D. Laws: A DramaSystem holiday setup channeling M. R. James, where Cambridge students and eerie visitations fuel character-centered tension without puzzle-box solving.
BUILDING FOES FROM SCRATCH IN SWORDS OF THE SERPENTINE by Kevin Kulp: A practical walkthrough for crafting a nonhuman adversary, using a deadly shark to show thresholds, malus budgeting, special abilities, and quick variants.
ECHOVORE by Jim McCarthy: A new Fear Itself and Esoterrorists entity that feeds on screams, twists space through sound, and brings usable tables for distortion effects, lair collapse, and countermeasures.
THIS MONTH’S PREVIEW
Ballad Hunters Design Diary: Designing for Shorter Adventures
by Tristan Zimmerman
How do you make GUMSHOE sing in two to three hours so your group can run two cases in a night? This diary lays out the pacing tools behind Ballad Hunters: a merged seven-ability list, checkbox spends that cover multiple effects, and a one-point refresh at the start of each adventure to keep choices sharp. It also explains the one-shot limiter that caps ticks so investigators stay potent without trivializing tension. Clear, practical, and built for faster sessions that still feel meaningful.
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13th Age Second Edition Boxed Set
The 13th Age Second Edition Boxed Set packs the full fantasy toolkit, pairing a Heroes’ Handbook for players with a Game Master’s Guide brimming with foes and adventures, plus a sturdy GM screen so you can launch high-energy, narrative-driven campaigns right out of the box.
13th Age Heroes’ Handbook
The world won’t save itself!
Living dungeons rip up from the depths, flying realms crash to earth, dark overlords seize ancient thrones, and the Empire’s protectors stumble.
It’s time for your heroes to answer the call!
13th Age is a new, improved edition of the d20-rolling fantasy game of unique heroes, gripping combat, group storytelling, and high adventure.
13th Age Gamemaster’s Guide
The 13th Age Gamemaster’s Guide arms you with ready-to-run adventures, clever encounter tools, and deep advice on pacing, villains, and flexible improvisation, turning every session of 13th Age into fast-moving, cinematic fantasy.
The Art of 13th Age
The Art of 13th Age is a treasure hoard for Dragon Empire enthusiasts, crammed with full-color spreads, concept sketches, and designer commentary that let you pore over every rune-etched sword, snarling owlbear, and iconic archmage in glorious detail.
You can track the status of planned releases and works-in-progress from the Google Sheet in this article:
Pillars Built On Sand
A ruthless cabal of power brokers and hidden cultists schemes to undermine Eversink’s divine blessing, its river-fed trade, and its promise that anyone can rise, shaking the city’s future to the mud beneath its canals. The campaign offers five tightly linked Swords of the Serpentine scenarios you can run in sequence for a full arc or lift as standalone adventures. STATUS: In art direction.
Boundary of the Darkness
The Lunar Society are a dining club of natural philosophers, industrialists, and radical intellectuals, the embodiment of the Enlightenment. They have wealth, knowledge, and principles. Simultaneously, members of the Bluestockings Society, who meet to discuss art, literature, and politics, have—in their most secret meetings—formed Friends of Blue, a private organisation set up to protect the world from the devastating knowledge of the Mythos. Boundary of the Darkness is an 18th century campaign frame for Trail of Cthulhu by Phil Masters and Sarah Saltiel. STATUS: In proofreading.
Page Turners
First Edition is the game of personal storytelling for one player and one GM. Incorporating new rules by GUMSHOE One-2-One and DramaSystem designer Robin D. Laws, First Edition features an accessible framework for creating compelling solo protagonist narratives. STATUS: Printing.
Cassilda’s Song
A massive scenario series by Robin D. Laws for The Yellow King Roleplaying Game, which spans all four of its core sequences.Its overarching plot turns on a contest between the two daughters of the King in Yellow, Cassilda and Camilla, who race with one another to destroy the timelines, winning the favor of their pallid father. Camilla seeks a cataclysm of blood and fire. Cassilda intends to dissolve reality into hallucinatory delirium. STATUS: Art is being commissioned.
Merryshire Detective Club
In Merryshire Detective Club, an upcoming core GUMSHOE game from the brilliantly comforting mind of superstar writer-designer Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan, you play amateur detectives in a cosy-fantasy setting. Your band of plucky investigators solves mysteries (quite often, murder mysteries) that crop up with remarkable regularity in the lovely little village you’ll design together. Gameplay mixes deduction and investigation with comic absurdity and plenty of cakes. (No giant tentacle monsters or vampiric conspiracies, we’ve quite enough of those, thank you.) STATUS: Playtests available.
Outside Entities
Raging from the indifferent depths of a hostile universe, gods and creatures cut from Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition come rampaging back in Outside Entities. Chill once more to revamped envisionings of Daoloth, Mordiggian, Quachil Uttaus, and Y’golonac. Send your Investigators into deadly confrontations with sand-dwellers, shan, and lloigor. Submit to the bizarre imaginings of Trail of Cthulhu designer Kenneth Hite as he fever-dreams of a new titan, avatars of Y’golonac, those strangely under-utilized space vampires the Nioth-Korghai, and the malitia vetus, a never before gamified beastie straight from Lovecraft’s nightmares. STATUS: Art is being commissioned.
13th Age Starter Set
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. STATUS: Being written.
Crowdfunding News
Fear Itself: Shattered Veil Edition
We successfully funded a Gamefound campaign for Fear Itself: Shattered Veil Edition, featuring a hardback cover, improved art, and The Ocean Game expansion. Late pledges available!
Ballad Hunters Crowdfunding Plans
We’re thrilled to announce that our folkloric occult RPG Ballad Hunters will enter crowdfunding soon. This edition debuts musical magic rules, eerie case files, and lavish period art. We have determined a launch date of March 2026. Follow our updates for art reveals, musical magic previews, and case file teases as we head toward launch.
Merryshire Detective Club
We’re preparing Merryshire Detective Club, a cosy-fantasy core GUMSHOE game of village mysteries, quick wits, and plenty of cake, for crowdfunding in Q2 2026. Follow our updates for previews, playtest notes, and first looks at art and case material.
Eternal Lies Boxed Set Crowdfunding
We’re excited to announce plans for a crowdfunding campaign to reprint Eternal Lies! This edition will feature exciting improvements, which we’ll reveal soon. Eternal Lies Boxed Set crowdfunding is postponed to late 2026. Follow our updates for first looks inside the box, schedule news, and a preview link ahead of the late 2026 campaign.
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