Latest from the Labyrinth #20
Not all those who wander are lost
This month’s missive carries a message of utmost merit: today Atelier Hwei (me) published the COMPLETE PARIAH SANDBOX, a collection of modules to be cut-and-pasted together to create the PARIAH game best suited to your table.
https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/complete-pariah-zini
At the moment this collection consists of just 7 zini-format modules as follows:
AHPZ00 Index of the Pariah Sandbox
AHPZ06 MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM
AHPZ15 Pariah Generation
AHPZ16 Mutations
AHPZ17 X is for...
AHPZ22 Fighting, weapon proficiencies
AHPZ27 Curse templates
…though the intent is to add a minimum of 2 NEW zinis each month.
AHPZ00 (Index) works as both a catalogue of titles as well as a publication record. It looks like this:
The text of the first 2 columns is as follows:
AHPZ00 Index of the Pariah Sandbox
AHPZ03 Dawn
AHPZ04 Foothills of the Teeth
AHPZ05 Hills of the Demon Bear
AHPZ06 MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM
AHPZ07 Ebua and the Spirit Mountain
AHPZ08 Sun & Heavens
AHPZ09 Valley of Mui Eiru
AHPZ10 Dusk
AHPZ11 The Ikau Mangrove
AHPZ12 Moon
AHPZ13 The Beyond - POLARIS
AHPZ14 The Beyond - THE INDIGO DEEP
AHPZ15 Pariah Generation
AHPZ16 Mutations
AHPZ17 X is for...
AHPZ18 Death
AHPZ19 Spell-Spirits
AHPZ20 Rituals I
AHPZ21 Rituals II (sorcerous)
AHPZ22 Fighting, weapon proficiencies
AHPZ23 Advanced death and dismemberment
AHPZ24 Conditions, wounds, scars
AHPZ25 Traits, skills
AHPZ26 Spirit weapons
AHPZ27 Curse templates
AHPZ28 Malevolent spirits
AHPZ29 House spirits
AHPZ30 Genius Loci + wilderness
AHPZ31 Caves & exploration
AHPZ32 Band and Elders
This list is by no means conclusive and will certainly expand over time. Top priority is to ensure that each month at least one of the modules provides either setting info or an adventure site. This means that finally—FINALLY, after more than four years—each of the individual spirit-realms are going to get a relatively detailed write-up to expand the notion of the psychedelic sandbox. This includes all the realms of Beyond detailed in this old blogpost:
https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/12/sketches-for-my-sweetheart-beyond.html
Sound good? What if I told you that the starting price is just ONE POUND STERLING? What if I told you that there were FREE COMMUNITY COPIES available?
Hurry, while stocks last…
Why is it so Cheap?
Short answer: because you’re only getting 7 pamphlet sized PDFs to begin… with a promise of more than 30 in the future, but it’s only a promise…
Long answer: it won’t be this cheap forever! As new content is added, the price increases. This won’t effect people already owning the game, but new purchasers are going to come in at a higher price point.
What’s the End Goal?
The ultimate goal is to assemble all of these myriad modules into one enormous binder and to turn it into a complete game book with professional editing, layout and original art (by real humans). This will be distributed to all those who supported the project from the beginning, including those who claimed community copies from the hardship fund.
Right now that goal looks… distant. But that’s just how it is at the start of any journey.
However, there are two interim goals along the way…
1. The PARIAH SRD
Once all the “core” rules are down, I’ll be compiling a free, CC-BY-SA 4.0 Systems Reference Document, inspired by Yochai Gal’s example with the Cairn 2e Warden’s Guide. This won’t include any setting information or original artwork, and is to replace the current PARIAH FREE EDITION.
2. PARIAH: The Black Edition
Before we get to that point I’m hoping to get City of Ghosts—my abandoned psychedelic city crawl—published in the near future. To avoid issues of redundancy, I’m hoping to publish an abridged set of mechanics drawn from the modules published here in one document to accompany it, working title PARIAH—BLACK EDITION. PDF copies will be included alongside all the Pariah Sandbox modules.
Other projects
Currently working on the following other projects:
Working on an adventure site for Peter Lattimore’s HEROIC DEEDS (more news to follow)
Release of a new Pariah adventure, part of the original Mutations supplement
Recording new podcast episodes of Alone in the Labyrinth!
Home Games
A few weeks ago I wrapped up the Jewish folklore inspired adventure for Cairn by Yochai Gal, Beyond the Pale. One of the best published adventures I’ve run, an excellent piece of work! More info to follow.
Meanwhile, I’ve also been running a fortnightly PARIAH campaign, City of Ghosts over discord. Like many of my games the run-up has been long but after four sessions, things are starting to get interesting!
I’ve continued to explore the Stygian Library using BLUEHOLME, write-ups incoming, will be found at this link:
https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/stygian%20library
Finally…
I’m about ready to post my Landscape/RPG Design essays. Expect part 1 to appear later this month as part of the Ariadne’s Thread series.
Until next time,
~ Sofinho