ship
7 Aboard the Schackel
9 contributors
Concept: “Lady Anthelia of Kergüs, the Blood Countess, sits upon her marbled throne... Those she will not kill she imprisons aboard the hulk named Her Lady's Schackel”
Content: A sinful floating prison crawl.
Writing: Creative framing which reflects Anthelia’s court intrigue in each tortured soul and accursed deck.
Art/design: Illustrations that channel the influence of the seven, and their sins.
Usability: Randomization elements enhance replayability.
Content: A sinful floating prison crawl.
Writing: Creative framing which reflects Anthelia’s court intrigue in each tortured soul and accursed deck.
Art/design: Illustrations that channel the influence of the seven, and their sins.
Usability: Randomization elements enhance replayability.
All Hail The Necrotoad and Fifteen Fungi on the Dead Man’s Chest
Concept: “All Hail the Necrotoad, three hags terrorize the countryside from their mansion inside a giant undead toad...
Fifteen Fungi on the Dead Man’s Chest, an alien fungus has infected a crew and their captain”
Content: A hopping toad crawl and a fungal-infested ship crawl.
Writing: Background that establishes motivation and goals, practical advice on usage, and efficient summaries of fixed and random encounters.
Art/design: A gritty cartoonish illustration style with traditional block text layout aided by effective use of color and emphasis.
Usability: Consistent design choices make these larger dungeons easy to reference.
Content: A hopping toad crawl and a fungal-infested ship crawl.
Writing: Background that establishes motivation and goals, practical advice on usage, and efficient summaries of fixed and random encounters.
Art/design: A gritty cartoonish illustration style with traditional block text layout aided by effective use of color and emphasis.
Usability: Consistent design choices make these larger dungeons easy to reference.
Blood Money
Concept: “While languishing in a drunken stupor in a coastal town flophouse … you were abducted by a press gang.”
Content: A seafaring framework inspired by Tom Waits (and Herman Melville (and whoever wrote The Book of Jonah))
Writing: Sets the scene and provides a plethora of options for play
Art/design: Supports the nautical theme subtly but effectively
Usability: Intended more as a toolbox than a unified dungeon or set of mechanics
Boarding the Ouroboros
Concept: “… word has come to you from an old fisherman with great promise. He says he has seen a hulk adrift far from the shore and wants a crew of brave souls to climb aboard and plunder its riches.”
Content: A maritime salvage adventure full of mutiny and mystery
Writing: Lots of atmospheric descriptive text along with well-written letters, stats for black powder and nautical weapons, and a whole slew of monsters
Art/design: Nicely made maps; monochrome palette conveys the sensation of approaching and exploring the ship by night
Usability: Rotblack Sludge-inspired layout is extremely efficient
Duncan Hall’s Mörktober 2023 – 31 Tables & Trivilities
Concept: Duncan Hall’s Little Mörktober Calendar of Horrors.
Content: “31 random generators, monsters, items, and so forth made throughout the month of October 2023.”
Writing: A tortuous elaboration from its initial prompts, full of wit and wretchedness.
Art/design: Sketches, photo bashes, full-color illustrations, and doodles in a filthy day calendar format.
Usability: Most fun when printed on a sticky note calendar.
Content: “31 random generators, monsters, items, and so forth made throughout the month of October 2023.”
Writing: A tortuous elaboration from its initial prompts, full of wit and wretchedness.
Art/design: Sketches, photo bashes, full-color illustrations, and doodles in a filthy day calendar format.
Usability: Most fun when printed on a sticky note calendar.
In The Belly of the Beast
Concept: “Short weird adventure for Mork Borg, where the characters are swallowed by a giant sea serpent and have to find their way out.”
Content: A serpent-shaped, acid-rich, nautical funhouse.
Writing: A segmented, event-driven skeleton draped in bile and blood.
Art/design: A fantastical cross-sectioned serpent dominates a white-capped sea of black pixels.
Usability: A traditional white-on-black text layout fits on one page for easy reference.
Content: A serpent-shaped, acid-rich, nautical funhouse.
Writing: A segmented, event-driven skeleton draped in bile and blood.
Art/design: A fantastical cross-sectioned serpent dominates a white-capped sea of black pixels.
Usability: A traditional white-on-black text layout fits on one page for easy reference.
Ogtocrawl
Concept: “You have been ingested via an enormous aquatic beast. Everything in here is trying to kill you and you aren't sure where the heck the exit is.”
Content: A surreal trip inside a very unique octopus.
Writing: Absurdist landscapes, “weather”, and loot to disorient your players.
Art/design: Public domain octopus ingestion. In a digestible layout.
Usability: Eight invitations to wild, wet, and weird adventure.
Content: A surreal trip inside a very unique octopus.
Writing: Absurdist landscapes, “weather”, and loot to disorient your players.
Art/design: Public domain octopus ingestion. In a digestible layout.
Usability: Eight invitations to wild, wet, and weird adventure.
Pirate Borg
6 contributors
Concept: “Inspired by history, fantasy, horror and rum. Your cutlass & flintlock won’t save you from the hordes of skeletons, the Kraken, or even your own crew.”
Content: A standalone game for nautical scvm. A complete ruleset with 8 classes, naval combat rules, 18 vessels, over 80 monsters & NPCs, suitably scvrvy equipment, and a substantial introductory sandbox adventure.
Writing: A rich grog blending history, fantasy, and horror. As doomed as the Dying Lands... but with more drowning and animated skeletons.
Art/design: Crisp richly colored and strongly contoured illustrations, lovingly textured maps, and full-color spreads.
Usability: Larger, slightly crunchier, but with ample built-in references and tools bookended for ease of reference.
Content: A standalone game for nautical scvm. A complete ruleset with 8 classes, naval combat rules, 18 vessels, over 80 monsters & NPCs, suitably scvrvy equipment, and a substantial introductory sandbox adventure.
Writing: A rich grog blending history, fantasy, and horror. As doomed as the Dying Lands... but with more drowning and animated skeletons.
Art/design: Crisp richly colored and strongly contoured illustrations, lovingly textured maps, and full-color spreads.
Usability: Larger, slightly crunchier, but with ample built-in references and tools bookended for ease of reference.
Temple of the Kraken God
Concept: “‘Steer a ship into the unknown, carry our hopes to alien shores, and restore our destiny.’”
Content: An adventure filled with maritime weirdness and cosmic horror; includes a corruption rule
Writing: Sharp and esoteric in descriptive text but clear and efficient when addressing mechanics
Art/design: A variety of layouts and visual styles ranging from brooding to vibrant
Usability: Isolated island setting makes this a good option for anyone seeking a survival-horror adventure
Content: An adventure filled with maritime weirdness and cosmic horror; includes a corruption rule
Writing: Sharp and esoteric in descriptive text but clear and efficient when addressing mechanics
Art/design: A variety of layouts and visual styles ranging from brooding to vibrant
Usability: Isolated island setting makes this a good option for anyone seeking a survival-horror adventure
The Cataclysm Coast Is Burning!
Concept: “The sea boils. The sky is black. The End is here.
And now, so are you.
Welcome to the Cataclysm Coast. We hope you enjoy your stay.”
Content: The Cataclym Coast... IS burning as three unwashed naval factions gnaw and raid through their last moments.
Writing: A misery-soaked narrative setting guide, providing locations, motivations, and horrors to unleash before the end.
Art/design: High contrast false color maps and neon-toned public domain imagery dominate this single-column layout.
Usability: Color-coded map icons and section headings denote three rival factions. Also available as plaintext.
Content: The Cataclym Coast... IS burning as three unwashed naval factions gnaw and raid through their last moments.
Writing: A misery-soaked narrative setting guide, providing locations, motivations, and horrors to unleash before the end.
Art/design: High contrast false color maps and neon-toned public domain imagery dominate this single-column layout.
Usability: Color-coded map icons and section headings denote three rival factions. Also available as plaintext.
The Deluge
Concept: “No longer is the sea just an impassive viewer of the Dying World's slow demise; it is coming up to hasten the end.”
Content: A flood of aquatic content.
Writing: A collection of flotsam and jetsam. Sometimes humorous, often abysmal.
Art/design: A minimalist layout with woodblock prints alongside modern renditions of fish-folk.
Usability: Fluid but with the occasional bit of detritus. Available in storm-tossed gray or eye-numbing yellow.
Content: A flood of aquatic content.
Writing: A collection of flotsam and jetsam. Sometimes humorous, often abysmal.
Art/design: A minimalist layout with woodblock prints alongside modern renditions of fish-folk.
Usability: Fluid but with the occasional bit of detritus. Available in storm-tossed gray or eye-numbing yellow.
The Dragon Ships
Concept: “From the barren wastelands to the towers of Grift, all have come to quake at the sight of the Dragon Ships.”
Content: Melodramatic dragon ship marauders, a raid scenario generator, and a fury-filled class.
Writing: Presented with gonzo enthusiasm and punctuated brutality.
Art/design: Runes, round shields, and longships invade blocks of organized (and occasionally highlighted) plaintext.
Usability: Legible, organized, and accessible.
Content: Melodramatic dragon ship marauders, a raid scenario generator, and a fury-filled class.
Writing: Presented with gonzo enthusiasm and punctuated brutality.
Art/design: Runes, round shields, and longships invade blocks of organized (and occasionally highlighted) plaintext.
Usability: Legible, organized, and accessible.
The Horde from Beyond
Concept: “Those, who have ventured into the Endless Sea and returned, told the tales of anguish, chagrin, and disappointment. But not all were so fortunate. Some ships were thought lost forever. Until now.”
Content: 5 days of random labors and encounters on a ghost ship
Writing: Generally grim in tone with dashes of verbal (and even mechanical) humor
Art/design: Colors and images beautifully support the otherworldly background
Usability: Minimal prep required (other than rolling 4:3)
Content: 5 days of random labors and encounters on a ghost ship
Writing: Generally grim in tone with dashes of verbal (and even mechanical) humor
Art/design: Colors and images beautifully support the otherworldly background
Usability: Minimal prep required (other than rolling 4:3)
Thy ship was swallowed by a moray eel of considerable proportions
Concept: “As stated in the title”
Content: “As stated in the title”
Writing: A medical treatise, ecology, and setting guide in one long, wriggly, event-driven package. The eel's name is Inmedius Rex.
Art/design: Memorable use of eel anatomy, and organic placement of spot illustrations.
Usability: The monster and NPC stat blocks were fully digested, make your own.
Content: “As stated in the title”
Writing: A medical treatise, ecology, and setting guide in one long, wriggly, event-driven package. The eel's name is Inmedius Rex.
Art/design: Memorable use of eel anatomy, and organic placement of spot illustrations.
Usability: The monster and NPC stat blocks were fully digested, make your own.
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