[Free RPG Day 2024] Shadows of Esteren: A Journey in the Shadows – 1

Now in its seventeenth year, Free RPG Day for 2024 took place on Saturday, June 22nd. As per usual, Free RPG Day consisted of an array of new and interesting little releases, which are traditionally tasters for forthcoming games to be released at GenCon the following August, but others are support for existing RPGs or pieces of gaming ephemera or a quick-start. This included dice, miniatures, vouchers, and more. Thanks to the generosity of Waylands Forge in Birmingham, Reviews from R’lyeh was able to get hold of many of the titles released for Free RPG Day.

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Shadows of Esteren: A Journey in the Shadows – 1 is an introduction to Shadows of Esteren, the French roleplaying game of low dark fantasy with elements of Gothic and Lovecraftian horror. Published by Studio Agate, this originally debuted with Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue in 2013, providing not only an introduction, but also descriptions of the setting, some pre-generated Player Characters—all of whom were key to the ongoing campaign tied to the setting, and three scenarios to get started. When it was introduced, the English-speaking hobby was fascinated by this French roleplaying game with its themes of tradition versus modernity, science and industrialisation versus faith, and monotheism versus spiritualism, as well as captivated by its artwork which looked like nothing then being published. Shadows of Esteren: A Journey in the Shadows – 1 is similar to Fateforge: A Journey in Eana – 1, the introduction to Fateforge: Epic tales in the World of Eana, also published by Studio Agate. Thus, Shadows of Esteren: A Journey in the Shadows – 1 serves not only as an introduction to the setting, it also provides an overview of the game line as a whole and includes a scenario as well.

Shadows of Esteren: A Journey in the Shadows – 1 begins by highlighting the key points about Shadows of Esteren, that it combines a dark universe with a low fantasy, has a unique visual atmosphere, involves a intuitive game system, and is supported by music and a video game. There is a short guide to all eight books in the Shadows of Esteren series, but it focuses upon the first two in particular—Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue and Shadows of Esteren 1-Universe—are available to download or ‘Pay What You Want’, providing a more detailed background for both.

Then there is detailed exploration of the setting for Shadows of Esteren. This is the Tri-Kazel peninsula. It is home to three nations—Tol-Kaer with its old tribal ways and Demorthèn spiritual cults; Gwidre which has been converted to the Temple of the One God by missionaries from the Great Theocracy from the rest of the continent to the north and adopted feudalism; and Reizh, which has taken up the science of Magience, developing and creating devices, machines, and ‘toys’ powered by ‘Flux’, an energy derived from matter itself, though not without its cost to the environment and land itself. This sets up the core tensions within the setting, although elements of Demorthèn spiritual cults, the Great Theocracy, and Magience are found across all three nations, although to varying degrees. What unites the different peoples is a fear of the unknown, of the Feondas, hideous monsters with a ghastly reputation for doing the vilest things. The introduction notes that The Shining is a major inspiration, so there is the constant danger in Shadows of Esteren of the Player Characters and the story slipping into this other genre, a feeling of dread that threatens to tip over into something worse. Shadows of Esteren is a roleplaying game about the psychology of horror as much it is the clashes between culture and faith.

‘A Solitary Path’ is the scenario in Shadows of Esteren: A Journey in the Shadows – 1. It takes place near a Cinthareïd, a Demorthèn sacred place infused with the essence of spirits, located alongside a wooded mountain path. Not so long ago, a Varigal, a local guide, get separated from the party he was guiding, fell, and died. His restless spirit haunts the path, angry at being abandoned and left alone, despite the fact that he was actually a loner. The Player Characters are drawn into the situation simply by travelling along the same route, perhaps on their way to another location, perhaps actually investigating word of restless spirits besetting the way. As they get closer to the Cinthareïd, the trees rustle more ominously, the tracks the Player Characters leave in the snow disappear, the ground shakes, brambles thicken and grow, and worse… The mist grows and perhaps threatens to separate the Player Characters, lead them astray, perhaps to suffer a similar fate to the lost Varigal?

Finding a solution to the scenario does involve separating one Player Character from the rest of the party. The problem with this is that it places one Player Character in the spotlight, leaving the others with little to do in order to resolve the situation. The solution perhaps is instead to run the scenario for just a single Player Character and so place him in the spotlight from the start. This makes it suitable to run between other longer scenarios and slot into an ongoing campaign, especially as it can be run in a single session. ‘A Solitary Path’ is strong on atmosphere and horror, with a sense of isolation that makes it perfect to run for a single Player Character.

Physically, Shadows of Esteren: A Journey in the Shadows – 1 is a solid looking booklet. It does a very good job of showcasing the artwork found in the v line and it also includes a very nice map of the Tri-Kazel peninsula.

Shadows of Esteren: A Journey in the Shadows – 1 is good introduction to the world of Shadows of Esteren, explaining both what the setting is and what books are available. The scenario is atmospheric, but the Leader—or Game Master—will need to take some care in how she chooses to use it in her campaign. Overall, Shadows of Esteren: A Journey in the Shadows – 1 does a serviceable job of setting the player and Leader alike up for their first proper exploration of the setting with Shadows of Esteren 0-Prologue.

[Free RPG Day 2024] A Journey in Eana – 1

Now in its seventeenth year, Free RPG Day for 2024 took place on Saturday, June 22nd. As per usual, Free RPG Day consisted of an array of new and interesting little releases, which are traditionally tasters for forthcoming games to be released at GenCon the following August, but others are support for existing RPGs or pieces of gaming ephemera or a quick-start. This included dice, miniatures, vouchers, and more. Thanks to the generosity of Waylands Forge in Birmingham, Reviews from R’lyeh was able to get hold of many of the titles released for Free RPG Day.

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Fateforge: A Journey in Eana -1 is an introduction to Fateforge: Epic tales in the World of Eana, the epic, swords & sorcery, high magic setting for use with Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition. Published by Studio Agate—best known for Shadows of Esteren, the award-winning dark, horrific, and low fantasy roleplaying game—this introduction looks at the game line itself and what it offers, each of the four core books, the setting and its cosmology, and a scenario, ‘Super Digger 12000’. It opens though, with an introduction to the line and what marks it out as different, in particular its modularity in terms of atmosphere, the Game Master and her players having choices such as ‘Action’, ‘Dark’, ‘Gritty’, ‘Intrigue’, and ‘Mystery’, so that they get the type of game that they want to play. There are new archetypes keyed to the twelve base classes of Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, optional rules such as sparing and wounding, background creation, geomagic where the flow of magic can vary from location to location, and more. Noted also is how Wizards of the Coast’s decision to end the OGL in 2023, since retracted, affected the future of Fateforge: Epic tales in the world of Eana as an ongoing series, however, the first four books—Fateforge: Epic tales in the World of Eana 1. Characters, Fateforge: Epic tales in the World of Eana 2. Grimoire, Fateforge: Epic tales in the World of Eana 3. Creatures, and Fateforge: Epic tales in the World of Eana 4. Encyclopaedia—are still published under the terms of the OGL and Studio Agate has made all four ‘Pay What You Want’.

The description of the world of Eana focuses on the Fateforge, integral to the mythology of Eana. Said to be hidden in the depths of the world and at the centre of a massive maze, its most renowned ability is that of birthing gods of those that find it and use, though it is also said to grant wishes. Those that search for it are the ‘Fate-Chosen’, though not all ‘Fate-Chosen’ do go in search of it. The ‘Fate-Chosen’ are different from ordinary men and women, whether they have been chosen by the gods, are the descendants of the ancients known as the Travellers, driven by their own will, or simply lucky, they posses great powers and great skill. They are in turn looked upon with admiration, envy, or fear. The Player Characters are, of course, ‘Fate-Chosen’. In addition, there flavour and detail about the world of Eana, including a slight description of Geomagic, how magic can vary in intensity from one place to another and Canker, a corruptive force whose origins and nature are as much feared and discussed as the location of the Fateforge and the origins of the ‘Fate-Chosen’ are debated. Altogether, it feels like a series of snapshots and very much a potted overview of the setting rather than a coherent write-up. In fact, the descriptions of the four books and the differences in terms of mechanics are more accessible.

The scenario in Fateforge: A Journey in Eana – 1 is ‘Super Digger 12000’. This highlights another aspect of the setting not covered elsewhere in the introduction—technology. The mercadin—or merchant—Nevrec, has hired craftsmen to create a revolutionary digging machine that he hopes will open up shorter trade routes underground! The Player Characters are hired to aid and protect the drill’s maiden voyage with its crew of Drow, Duergar, and Svirfneblin. As the unique magic and steam-driven vehicle drives down into the bowels of Eana, the Player Characters should begin to feel that it the journey is not going quite as planned. First, it pierces a kheg nest full of eggs and is then ambushed by a Duergar force! There are some other fun encounters along the way, including having to hunt rust monsters for enough chitin to repair the underground drill. The scenario is linear and short, and as written looks to be fairly combat heavy. Combat is not the only solution to every situation, though, and the Player Characters will also have to interact with the vehicle’s crew and leader. It is a decent enough scenario, although it feels rushed in places. The main issue is the lack of suggestion as to the Level of the Player Characters it is written for. From the monsters included, it should be for Player Characters of Seventh and Eighth Level.

Rounding out Fateforge: A Journey in Eana – 1 is a bestiary of all of the NPCs and creatures that appear in the scenario. The NPCs are given as archetypes rather than named NPCs, which does mean that they feel underwritten. That said, the descriptions of their personalities and motives are given in the text of the scenario. The monsters are all decently done, many of them decently illustrated, such as the Rust Monster Matriarch.

Physically, Fateforge: A Journey in Eana – 1 is very well presented and the artwork is fantastic. Yet as written, it is intriguing rather than informative, the details about the world given a very broad treatment. As a result, Fateforge: A Journey in Eana – 1 is underwhelming as an introduction to the world of Eana and the reader may simply want to bypass this and download Fateforge: Epic tales in the World of Eana 1. Characters.