TSRPG (Travel-Sized RPG) is an improv storytelling game designed for a storyteller and one or more players that can easily be played anywhere, from the airport waiting area you are stuck in, to the overnight in some hotel where there is nothing to do (and also, of course, in your own home). All the basic rules for TSRPG fit on one page; no dice are needed; characters have just two stats, Physical and Mental; and any bookkeeping that might be required can be done on a cocktail napkin with a pen borrowed from a waiter. Action is resolved through Challenges, and the consequences of these — whether good or bad — determine the flow of a shared narrative. We have also included a version of the rules that can easily be printed out, folded up into a convenient little booklet, and tucked into your carryon so that you will have it when you need it!
Features of TSRPG include:
Basic Rules that fit on just one page;
Five pages of Optional Rules (covering equipment, NPCs, character advancement, and more);
A sample mini-scenario, "Into the Shadows of Nyx," thtat allow players and storytellers to jump right into the game;
Examples of game play; and,
A printer-friendly version of the Basic Rules that can be folded up into a convenient little booklet.
Original illustrations by artits Bob Greyvenstein and Amanda Kahl.
We hope you will now enjoy this core rule book, which has now been expanded from 10 to 20 pages, even more!
This dual-language English and Ukrainian publication includes full-color illustrated cover surfaces and 24 black-and-white interior pages with two-dozen coloring book images, two puzzles, and a board game.
One of the most serious threats to children in Ukraine, especially those in parts of it that have been occupied or fought over, is the presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance like grenades, fuzes, firing devices, and submunitions. In response to this tragic and frightening situation, we have created this activity book and will be distributing as many copies of it as possible to vulnerable children in Ukraine (and all proceeds from its sale will go toward those efforts).
This special bundle contains Skirmisher Publishing's eight "Jester Dragon" titles, including the Gold-bestselling "Nuisances: Director's Cut" and "Random Brothel Generator," the "Trove of Trinkets" and "Bag of Beans," the classic "Random Cult Generator" and "Random Tavern Generator," and both OGL and Pathfinder editions of the "Guide to Defects."
During World War I, development of artillery reached unprecedented levels of lethality, and the most powerful armaments of this sort were truly the super weapons of their day. “Guns and Super-Guns” was written during the last year of the Great War and examines weapons capable of firing huge shells 75 miles on arcs that took them 24 miles over the surface of the earth.
This edition of “Guns and Super-Guns” includes all of the black-and-white illustrations that appeared in the original 1918 publication — among them diagrams depicting the path of a long-range projectile and two specialized sorts of shell — along with a number of additional specially-selected full-color images and a full-page photograph. Its topics include Shooting Around the Edge of the Earth, Beyond the Earth's Atmosphere, Ways of Increasing the Range, Elastic Guns, How Big Guns Are Made, Guns That Play Hide-and-Seek, The Famous 42-Centimeter Gun, Field Guns, and Guns That Fire Guns.
Author A. Russell Bond was a writer who specialized in military technology, was noted for writing a number of children’s books, and served as the managing editor of Scientific American magazine. Other works of his include Inventions of the Great War, Scientific American Boy; Or the Camp at Willow Clump Island, and Mechanics: The Science of Machinery.
Moving from a live tabletop to a virtual online setting requires patience and, at least initially, some effort, and a bit of advance preparation will pay off during the game session. This publication enhances the flow of play by streamlining administrative overhead and shifting the spotlight away from the rules and back to the characters with an eye toward sustaining interest and engagement. It helps to make online gaming smoother, quicker, and more pleasant with tips and guidance on teleconferencing; use of virtual tabletops and features associated with them like windows where maps can be displayed; and preparing for, running, and wrapping up sessions.
Skirmisher Publishing and its development group have been gaming virtually online for nearly a decade and established through their experiences the best practices that have been distilled into the contents of this guidebook. Primary author Octavius Knorr has a background in science and management, has a Ph.D. in geology, and has extensive experience with teleconferencing, arranging virtual gatherings, and developing online protocols.
“You have travelled through a desolate wilderness and, after braving untold hardships and dangers, reached the base of Mount Othrys, legendary headquarters of the Titans during their war with the Olympian gods. Before you the valley widens out and, at its center, is a small, rugged hill, a ring of large standing stones at its top marking it as a place of worship since the earliest times. On the western side of this mound of rock, the Rematia River expands into a small lake, and on the eastern side a plume of smoke rises from the ground between it and the mountain. Scrubby copses of vegetation cling to the base of the hill, and sparse rolling grassland lies in the quarter of a mile that separates you from it. You know that you have surely arrived at the Shrine of Othrys.”
“At the Shrine of Othrys” is a self-standing, campaign-length 5th Edition adventure designed for a party of four or five 1st-level characters and intended to take them to at least 5th level and to lay the groundwork for continuing scenarios and advancement. This 118-page sourcebook includes:
● A complete, detailed, five-part dungeon, along with history and background of the site and notes on how to run the adventure;
● Descriptions and stat blocks for 63 monsters, including 24 Mephits, six Special Monsters, three Titanic Clergy, 18 Humanoids and Soldiery, and 12 members of the Cult of the Fish-Born;
● An Encounter Table for the region around Mount Othrys that allows for sandbox play;
● Four ready-to-use Pregenerated Characters.
● More than 70 illustrations by artists Bob Greyvenstein, Amanda Kahl, and Brenda Cass;
● Four maps by cartographers Amanda Kahl, Octavius Knorr, and Art Gowie; and,
● Guidelines on concluding and continuing the adventure.
This scenario is was developed for use in Skirmisher Publishing’s bestselling Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting and highlights some of the themes and tensions associated with it. It is, however, suitable for use in any traditional milieu, and the dungeon and even the wilderness area surrounding it can be easily dropped anywhere appropriate in a storyteller’s own world. It is fully supported with free supplemental material on a dedicated “At the Shrine of Othrys” Bonus Content page at d-Infinity Online game magazine.
“On the Plane of Magma” is a 5E scenario designed to represent a spot on the quasi-elemental Plane of Magma that a character party might be transported to for any number of reasons. It includes:
● A six-page adventure by game developer Michael O. Varhola that includes encounters, an intriguing puzzle, and a description for a strange and monster-haunted castle.
● Description and stats for two new monsters, the Magma Serpent and Metavulcanus, a Unique Paragon Magma Mephit.
● A large encounter map by cartographer Octavius Knorr.
● Four custom illustrations by artist Brenda Cass.
“On the Plane of Magma” is intended to be played through in one session with the goal of returning to the Material Plane but can also be used as a springboard for further adventures through the Elemental Planes. It can be used in conjunction with Skirmisher Publishing’s “At the Shrine of Othrys” campaign-length adventure or as part of any other game or setting.
This product listing contains an unkeyed version of the keyed dungeon map that appears in Skirmisher Publishing’s just-released “At the Shrine of Othrys” campaign-length adventure for D&D 5E!
In honor of the Lunar New Year, we have released the Shui Hu! This publication includes a detailed D&D 5E description and stats for the “Water Tiger” of the Asian Zodiac and is a perfect addition to anything from a traditional fantasy campaign setting to one with East Asian or Wuxia elements.
Water Tigers, are large, dangerous Elemental monstrosities that have the heads, forequarters, and torsos of Tigers and the lower bodies of great Carps. Overall, they have a striking, frightening, and impressive appearance.
Water Tigers are very rare on the Prime Material Plane and those present on it will likely be found in freshwater ponds, marshes, and slow-moving streams and rivers in woodland areas. Water Tigers are sometimes also kept as guardians or companions by powerful spellcasters or water-dwelling Elemental beings like Marids. They can also be found in the temples of various deities, especially those associated with the Asian Zodiac or the element of water.
In cultures that observe the Lunar New Year and adhere to the Asian Zodiac, spellcasters sometimes summon Water Tigers to take part in annual celebrations. Such creatures are then typically displayed in ceremonial ponds, doted on and fed treats, and otherwise honored for the duration of their stays. They might also be summoned for things like assassinating enemies, defending temple sanctuaries from intruders, or anything else for which an aquatic predator would be ideal.
This very special bundle contains six monsters inspired by the Asian Zodiac, our just-released Water Tiger and the Metal Ox, Metal Rat, Earth Dog, Fire Rooster, and Earth Pig! All are especially suitable for use as guardian creatures in places like temples or as pets for elemental beings, and each includes guidelines on the roles they might play in religious festivals and other activities. They are available here together for half their total normal price.
This newest and best edition of the Cthulhu Live horror LARP includes a richly detailed and uniquely playable rules system that incorporates more than 20 years of best practices and refinements from hundreds of gamers worldwide. Features of this self-standing and fully-supported game include:
Detailed rules for skills, combat, Sanity, Magic, and Psychic powers.
Extensive information on organizing events, stagecraft, and special effects.
Guidelines on role-playing Outsiders tainted by the touch of the Mythos.
Copious photographs, graphics, and other images.
And much more!
For three decades, Hobbsbad, New Mexico, has lived in fear of El Chupacabra, an unseen monster that comes in the night and feeds on blood. Every few years, the attacks become more frequent, and then stop just as quickly and mysteriously as they began. Nothing has been able to stop this malevolent creature. Now, one man has done the impossible and captured El Chupacabra alive, and tonight, he plans to reveal his prize to the world - or at least the highest bidder. Hobbsbad has been thrown into chaos, as crackpots, cryptozoologists, reporters, and ranchers swarm into it!
Muerte al Chupacabras! is a scenario inspired by B-movies and pseudoscience that is designed to be played with 15 or more players and two to four staff members. Although it is meant to stand on its own, this script can easily be woven into any other campaign that features a lot of travel.
Muerte al Chupacabras! is a Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition script that includes introduction, timeline, prop and costume information, and character stats and bios for 30 characters. Although designed for the Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition horror live-action role-playing game, Muerte al Chupacabras! can easily be adapted for use with almost any other horror or action RPG.
Around this time every year, just as the leaves begun to change, Sir Arthur Westfield holds a grand salon at his manor of West End. The gathering always attracts a healthy mix of dilettantes, eccentrics, and academics. Often little more than a pretense for Westfield to show off his new acquisitions and oddities, it is also a chance for deals to be made. A renowned patron of the arts and sciences, many a man has worked long into the night, maneuvering the old man into some business arrangement or endowment. It remains to be seen what deals tonight may bring ...
“The Ageless” is a live-action role-playing game script designed for 10-15 participants and a medium-sized staff. It is stat'ed for the Gold bestselling Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition system but is rules light and so can easily be used with other LARPs or adapted for tabletop games like Call of Cthulhu.
Cthulhu Live is a live-action roleplaying game (LARP) version of the popular horror roleplaying game Call of Cthulhu, based on the works of horror author H. P. Lovecraft.
Paris at the end of the 19th century: a city of lights, music, excitement at the approach of the new century and aflame with the creative spirit of the Bohemian revolution. But for months the city has been locked in a state of fear as the brutal murderer known as the Raptor stalks the steep streets and narrow alleyways of the north-end hill neighborhood of Montmartre.
Many refuse to leave their homes by night. Others frequent establishments such as "The Green Fairy," an absinthe bar and popular meeting place for artists, actors, whores, criminals, and the well-to-do seeking to taste the thrills and pleasures of Montmartre. This evening, the patrons of "The Green Fairy" will be joined by a visitor beyond their darkest nightmares.
“The Green Fairy” is a game script for Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition. The text contains the game overview and timeline, staging and prop guidelines, and detailed character sheets and backgrounds for 30 player characters! Ideal as an event for a Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) party with friends or as a convention event, it offers hours of fun, intrigue, and horror.
This scenario requires the Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition game rules.
Last autumn, Cyris Crane, brilliant businessman, loving father, world traveler, and one of the wealthiest and most respected men in Arkham, ventured into the Arkham hill country and disappeared in a sudden blizzard. Now, he has returned, much to the joy of his friends and family, and he has summoned them to his home to make a pronouncement to them ...
"The Return of Cyris Crane" is a LARP scenario designed to be played with minimal staff and a small number of players. The only staff required are the Keeper and, if possible, a Stage Manager. The Keeper should familiarize himself with each character in this script as certain important details are integrated into their backgrounds. It is stat'ed for the Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition system but can easily be adapted for use with other LARP or tabletop games.
Cthulhu Live is a live-action roleplaying game (LARP) version of the popular horror roleplaying game Call of Cthulhu, based on the works of horror author H. P. Lovecraft.
H.G. Wells’ Little Orc Wars is a fun, simple, fast-paced miniatures game designed to be quick to learn and easy to play, so that players can focus on concerns like strategy and having fun rather than on mechanics.
Little Orc Wars includes both basic rules that can be used alone, plus a variety of optional rules that players can add as they see fit to take their games to the next level. These include guidelines for Giants, War Beasts, Undead, Dwarves, Elves, Amphibious and Aquatic Creatures, Elementals, Structures, Siege, Terrain, Boats, and Heroes like Champions (Paladins, Rangers), Priests (Clerics, Necromancers), and Wizards.
As their name suggests, the rules contained in this booklet are based on and inspired by the rules and concepts presented by genius writer and game designer H.G. Wells in his works Floor Games (1911) and Little Wars (1913). Little Orc Wars is inspired by them and is true to the spirit of Wells in every way possible — to include using live catapult fire to resolve ranged combat!
Another feature of this game is that it can be played with virtually any miniatures, setting it apart from games that demand only their branded products be used. It is, in fact, one of the most flexible, innovative, and fast-paced miniatures rule systems for use with fantasy miniatures and models ever created.
Welcome to CQB, a complete self-standing set of science fiction miniatures rules for depicting Close-Quarter Battle!
Inspired by the combat actions of the United States Space Marine Corps and other units featured in Skirmisher Publishing's popular and bestselling USMSC FM 7-22: Space Boarding Operations universal sourcebook, CQB replicates gritty, intense, close-quarter skirmishes fought on board starships, space stations, and industrial settings of Earth’s colonial worlds.
Ragnarok: Age of Wolves is a skirmish-level game for novice and experienced tabletop gamers alike that emulates the desperate small-scale actions that might result during the unending winter that is the first stage of the Viking Apocalypse.
As crops fail and food grows scarce, banditry becomes rife as formerly good folk are driven to extremes and bad men take advantage of chaos and hardship. Monsters haunt the wilds and prowl the outskirts of palisaded settlement and isolated steading alike. Huldrfolk, never easy neighbors, but generally peaceful if left undisturbed, now move to defend their sacred groves and to seize places once devoted to gods who now seem absent. Trolls and their ilk gather, marauders sweep brigands and more into their bands, and whispers abound of gaunt giant wolves and worse, glimpsed in the swirl of a snowstorm. And where such beasts and everlasting winter hold sway, the Frost Giants cannot be far behind ...
Ragnarok: Age of Wolves is a set of fun, fast-playing, and evocative rules that allow you to fight out the desperate battles and skirmishes of the Fimblvintr. It also includes a four-part campaign to take you through the struggle of one man trying to preserve something of his honor, his life, and the people and creatures who depend on him for survival. Finally, we have given you everything you need to expand the strife to include the other creatures and Sagas of the Ragnarok!
SKIRMISH! is a quick-to-learn, easy-to-set up game of combat that can played using almost any miniature figures to simulate small-scale battles. It is intended for both veteran and novice players and is simple enough to be a beginner’s first wargame and versatile and expandable enough to satisfy more experienced gamers — especially those who want to pull some of their old toy soldiers out of a footlocker or the closet and use them in a game.
SKIRMISH! is designed for simplicity and playability. All that is needed to play SKIRMISH! are some miniature figures, a ruler or tape measure, and three standard, 6-sided dice. The basic rules can be read, a handful of soldiers selected, and a game set up in about 20 minutes, and in much less time
than that for players already familiar with the rules. There are no cumbersome charts or combat matrices, no supporting paperwork needed to keep track of a game in play, and a minimum of simple tables. Most attacks can be completely resolved with a single roll of the dice and anything beyond the basic rules is optional.
This book is part of a thematic series of works on miniatures wargaming published by Skirmisher that includes the H.G. Wells books Little Wars and Floor Games, the company’s spinoff Little Orc Wars rules, and the Quactica and Ragnarok: Age of Wolves miniatures games.
Often referred to as a companion volume to H.G. Wells’ wargaming classic Little Wars, Floor Games is “the Father of Miniature Wargaming’s” first volume devoted to recreational gaming. Highlights include a lighthearted, often humorous discussion on the theory and methodology behind a wide variety of “floor” and tabletop games and tips on the use and creation of improvised models, terrain, and other gaming props.
Skirmisher’s edition of Floor Games includes a Foreword by renowned game designer James F. Dunnigan — founder of game company SPI and magazine Strategy & Tactics and creator of such well-known classic wargames as Jutland, Panzerblitz, and Victory at Sea — that discusses Wells’ influence on the development of the modern wargame and an Introduction by game designer and publisher Michael. O. Varhola that discusses the first edition of this book, the special challenges related to republishing it, and its significance to modern wargames and role-playing games alike.
“At the Shrine of Othrys” is a fun and lively novella-length work of fantasy fiction that follows the activities of four stalwart adventurers, Myrmidon fighter Myrmex, Human rogue Teris, Cynocephalian sorcerer Lyco, and Olympian priestess Angelia as they travel to and explore an ancient temple complex.
This publication is designed to look like a journal written and illustrated with sketches by one of the characters while in the field. It is organized into 14 chapters that start with the formation of the adventuring party and follows its members as they face cultists, elemental monsters, evil humanoids, and all form of natural and unnatural hazards. It is written in a way intended to be reminiscent of classic swords-and-sorcery fantasy and combines humor and grimness as it recounts how its characters deal with everything from the day-to-day routines of adventuring to life-and-death battles.
“At the Shrine of Othrys (A Campaign Report)” includes text by bestselling author Michael O. Varhola, 30 custom images by fantasy artist Amanda Kahl, a regional map by geographer Octavius Knorr, and a complete dungeon map by cartographer Wilhelmina T. Thrasher.
This very special bundle contains 14 exciting works of fantasy fiction by multiple authors, ranging in length from short story to novel, all taking place in the same shared-world setting!
“The time is drawing near … we have been reading the signs in the stars, tracking their progress for centuries … we must advance our plan to hold back the darkness … the Horror.”
In “The Cthulhu Conspiracy,” fantasy artist Amanda Kahl takes a whimsical look at the modern infatuation with the most famous of the Great Old Ones and one approach to battling the effects of his imminent awakening.
"North Sea, in the 22nd year of the reign of blessed Honorius, Imperator Romanorum ..."
Set on the cusp of civilization during the final years of the Roman Empire and the onset of the Dark Ages, "Their Blood Is the Sea" explores the horrors encountered by the crew and passengers of a vessel that runs aground on a hostile shore. It was written by game developer and historian Clint Staples, who has extensively researched the period in which this story takes place and sailed through the waters where it is set.
This short story set in the Viking epic era covers a number of iconic episodes involving the Norse deity Thor, including a series of seemingly simple contests that he just cannot seem to win and an inadvertent attack on one of his chariot goats.
“Thor and the Giant Skrymir” was written by author Julia Clinton Jones and was originally published in 1891.
This system-free document provides a detailed overview of ORUS, the Office for Research of Unusual Science, from its origins in the ancient world, through its various incarnations over the ages, and up to its ultimate realization in the current era as a covert government agency.
Nominally a research organization and sub-department of the U.S. governmen's Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, ORUS operates as a black ops agency responsible for investigating weird or unusual subjects of interest to the United States and allied intelligence agencies. Its goal is to assess the potential value of such information so that it can control or acquire it for its own purposes.
The Office for Research of Unusual Science (ORUS) is the most recent incarnation of an ancient occult society with an agenda of its own. It is but one of a bewildering network of related covert organizations, each acting to advance a secret agenda known only to their shadowy leaders.