Cards On The Table

Howdy. It is, of course, Black Friday, I considered doing a sale but seeing as you can get issues 3-6 in a bundle for just £25 at the moment and our new issue is still pretty fresh I had figured I'd leave that to the multi-nationals.

Except I apparently forget to tick a box, or ticked a box without realising, either way PDFs of all our issues are currently 30% or more off over at DriveThruRPG. So for all those whose sole experience of Wyrd Science is this newsletter, this is a great chance to see what happens when other people do the words (spoiler: it's pretty, pretty, pretty good).

Now, whilst the mag actually does look pretty sweet on an iPad, it really is best in print and so for this sale I've added a voucher to the new issue's downloads with a code to redeem what you just paid for the PDF off a physical copy at our webstore should you like what you see and wish to upgrade (I think I set it to be valid till Dec 12, so do what thou will with that information).

Right, onto other business. I've been making noises for a bit about changing up this newsletter and indeed our online coverage. The truth is that whilst moving off Substack may have polished my halo for a few hours it's been a total wash financially and indeed killed our metrics across the board, the kind of thing I generally like to claim to be above but unfortunately it does matter.

Sadly rather than as hoped for allowing us to pay our writers for original online features we've just ended up paying for the hosting and I feel increasingly aware that those who have kicked in for a paid sub are just getting this newsletter, a newsletter I've been less and less happy with too as it happens. So with that in mind paid subscriptions will be turned off in the next few days and I will be in touch individually with those who took out annual subs to sort out refunding you for any remaining time.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what to do about our website and this newsletter but one thing I can say is that the last issue, and the reception to it, has reinvigorated my love for print and belief that for now that should be our focus. If we are going to throw money away I'd rather it be on that than this, so a huge thank you to everyone who did kick in, sorry it didn't work out, we'll keep this going in some way just not exactly sure what that will look like yet.

Right, I realise that's not a hugely upbeat way to end this on, but hey I've failed enough rolls in my time and figured something out so let's see what happens, upwards and onwards and all that (he says before immediately falling face first into a spiked pit). In the meantime before we say au revoir there's a couple of things I wanted to give a shout out to and of course we have the usual smorgasbord of interesting stuff we've found online so until the next time, stay wyrd...

John x

Brute Fort

We've got a lot of time for Alfred Valley here at Wyrd Science, as both a game and artist/graphic designer we think he's one of the most interesting working in the UK at the moment whether releasing supplements for established RPGs like Mothership or more experimental games that defy easy categorisation such as the oneiric Diedream. His latest project then is Brute Fort, a single player dungeon delving game, that uses a deck of 18 double sided cards covered in gritty dungeon punk artwork to create a perilous ruin to loot.

The game itself is quick and simple enough. On one side of the cards you have Conquests, which equal good times, the other side Perils, which, well I'm sure you can figure that out. To explore the Fort you build a 3x3 square of cards from your hand. You can't just play Conquests though as your three heroes have a limited number of resolve points to play with, which Conquest cards rapidly burn through. Instead you must find a balance between the two, eking out your Resolve by taking on damage inflicting Perils as you push through the levels in search of ever greater reward.

If you want to get a real feel for it you're in luck as Alfred's produced a fun little video that gives you both a sense of how it plays and its gritty vibe (and you also get to hear some of the very awesome soundtrack, ah yes, key point the game comes in a double cassette pack along with its soundtrack on tape). Anyway, all in all it looks like another fine addition to Alfred's ever growing catalogue of inventive and intriguing looking games and despite our Kickstarter budget being ever smaller these days is an instant back for us.

Find Brute Fort on Kickstarter now until December 2

Secret Passages 3

We very much enjoyed the first two issues of tabletop game zine Secret Passages (so much so I may not have bought the company but did stick an advert for Wyrd Science in the 2nd one) and so we're delighted to see them back on Kickstarter raising coin for number 3.

'A celebration of classic tabletop gaming' the new issue includes features on games such as The Way of the Tiger, Blood Bowl and Spelljammer, a look at some of the earliest Warhammer novels and much more besides, including some great art from WS regular Łukasz Kowalczuk and even a grim & perilous bonus adventure zine from Jordan Sorcery. Lots to recommend here.

Find Secret Passages 3 now over on Kickstarter until December 26

Previously in The Gazetteer...

Röknauts - Like little chunky lads in big armour? Well then you're in luck, assuming you see this in the next few house and click this link, that is. O n GameFound until November 28

Loin du Feu - A gorgeous looking FATE based RPG set in a fairy tale France, that sees 4 artist-writer teams combine to each tackle a different region and period - On Kickstarter until Dec 2

Islands of Weirdhope - It's the end of the world as we know and I feel fine. David Blandy and Daniel Locke hoist the mainsails as they return to the world of their ECO MOFOS RPG, where the apocalypse happened and things got weird but not necessarily any worse, to explore its oceans in search of plunder and peace - on Backerkit now until Dec 3

All the gaming stuff that's kept us staring into the black mirror this week...

Roleplaying Games

In which Quinns goes to show that one again he has great taste in games and a rather shaky grasp of Euclidian geometry.

We really enjoyed this post from Evil Hat's Rob Donoghue mapping out an alternative alignment system based on values.

More Over/Under post-mortems, this time via Jim Rossignol & Clint Marsh's TEETH newsletter which features a guest appearance from Mark Wallace talking through his experience of it.

If you're a real data sicko then this project mapping the blogosphere will have you in raptures.

Have to say when I first heard there was going to be a Godzilla RPG out next year I thought that could be interesting and then pretty much forgot about it, but I have to say sounds like I might have to face the indignity of being ignored by IDW's press office again.

Wargames

I remember reading about Mike Hutchinson's Space Gits a while ago, meant to grab a copy and then promptly forgot, so thanks to Ram for the reminder. Drunk goblin skirmish warfare? Sign me up. Also reading this made me realise as far as I know no ones made a game called Morkheim, which seems like an omission.

Warhammer escapes containment again, this time popping up in the FT of all places. Couple of points I'm sure the author is being raked over the coals for by pedants but overall this is a pretty decent look at what has become a multi-billion pound hobby.

Boardgames

A new issue of Senet is always something to celebrate and the latest, issue 21 no less, looks like another banger.

Ok, it's time for this week's link to a Dan Thurot piece but seriously this one is a must-read as Dan talks us through one of the most emotionally visceral tabletop experiences of his life.

Just going to move this to the board games section and give another shout out about Osprey Games winter sale as it's full of good stuff.

Art, music, books, films, tv, weird shit, just all the other stuff we like...

An interesting look at how Romantasy has driven sales of SF/F books in recent years. A few years ago when Black Library had just launched the Warhammer Crime and Warhammer Horror lines I, only half-jokingly, said they should do a Warhammer Romance division, more and more I suspect they might. Anyway, I'm genuinely fascinated on how Romantasy's breathless domination of the market will at some point start to have more of an influence on RPGs.

You'll want to settle in and get comfortable for this as it's a long read (and only part 1) but my god it's worth it as this is a magnificent look back at James Robinson's none more Gen X Starman comic series.

Much as the world probably doesn't need any more vinyl figures, goddamn it this new Gollum based on his appearance in the 1977 Rankin/Bass adaptation of The Hobbit is just wonderful.

Bog People, a new anthology of 'working class folk horror' sounds right up our haunted forest path, one to add to the Christmas list I guess.

Fantasy Metal's back on the menu, boys. NZ duo Earth Tongue are back with album number three in February and the first track from it, Dungeon Vision, has just dropped. Respect to drummer Ezra Simons who apparently didn't get the memo re the required costume for the video.

Well, you made it this far, you obviously like something that we do. Why not buy a magazine and enjoy tens of thousands more words, many in the right order, from us...