Sword and Sorcery - Old Skull Publishing

That’s right, I am making one of those marvelous “cool thing” Alphabet books the magnificent Michael Curtis invented! I wanted to create this for a long while. In fact, I have list and lists of entries of “Alphabet Book” of many types, at least one for each of my games. And since now I wan working on finalizing the edits and revisions on Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells 2e for publication, I wanted to make something to go with it to have some cool urban crawl adventures, and I wanted to have something going on in here, on this blog! Thus, we are here now, as I write the letters of this City of Adventure Alphabet book, I will post previews of those entries here. Not in their entirety, but with a good portion so you can see how it’s turning out.

So let’s start with…

A is for Alleys

Public Domain cute artwork of a city. To be substituted by an artwork of an alley I hope to make someday…

Alleys are everywhere, and they lead to nowhere. Well, unless you really know where you are going. Or you found a secret passage to a hideout, stumbled upon a portal to another dimension, was dragged down to the Abyss by a demon, or any sort of other weird things that often happens at such dark, narrow, smelly, and secretive locations. More common in less savory areas of the city, alleys are often where those that want to remain unseen meet, and hide their affairs. From common bandits, cultists, corrupt guards, to sorcerer cabals, demonologists, alien cats, to things much weirder and more ominous.

Cover art by Łukasz Piwiński and Title Design by Łukasz Kowalczuk

You are a Petty God, an entity of immense power, great influence, and even deeper sense of self importance.

You want to exert control and influence over mortals and the places they call home. You want to leave your mark in the Mortal Realms. You want to be worshipped. You want champions to fight for you. You want to be more than those other Petty Gods.

But you are bound by the Ancient Laws of Divinehood. So you use your Playthings.

Petty Gods & Playthings is a fantasy role playing game about ambitious gods, their machinations, and the mortals entangled in them.

In this game, players assume the role of a Petty God. A supernatural being with great power, greater responsibilities, even greater ambitions, and very little restraint. Luckily, rules bind these entities in a way they cannot freely unleash havoc on the Mortal Realm. But they found another way to exert their influence.

They control Playthings, mortals whose essence has been infused with a Divine Spark, setting them apart from others around them forever. Promising them a destiny they desire, these gods move them as pieces in a cosmic chess set. Sometimes elevating them to such high stands as kings, archnages, and grandmasters, but other times condemning them to their ultimate doom.

And all of this happens primarily at the grandest city of all: KORGOROTH! The City of the Purple Flame. The City in the Middle. The Hive of Scum, Villainy and, sometimes, Heroes. A city with many titles, many more secrets, and infinite stories to tell.

And you are going to tell them with Petty Gods & Playthings!

I am still developing this, but I am truly excited for the possibilities it will bring to the table. Gameplay in two levels, meta gaming turned into diegetic gameplay, shared world building, and exciting sword and sorcery adventures in a weird and ancient city-state!

More information soon!

Tag: Sword and Sorcery

A is for Alleys – City of Adventure Alphabet (Preview)

Petty Gods & Playthings – Coming in 2023 (hopefully)