Cool Games of February!

Zines, TTRPGs, wargames and more!

Hello fellow warlocks! I am taking a short break from the “Setting Making” series today, to share with you some of the cool projects I found during the month of February, which is also Zine Month! All of these games are crowdfunding at the moment of writing, so check them out!

February, the month of games!

Ah February! One of my favorite months of the year. Mainly for all the birthdays, and because it’s the month of Carnival, and here in Italy that means eating a metric ton of Lasagna, Chiacchiere, and Migliaccio.
But that’s not all! Zine month happens in February, a great celebration of all Zines. And as such, there’s always a plethora of great games to look forward to.

I picked three great projects that sparked my interest, and hopefully they will spark yours too. Let’s get into it!

AETHERPUNK28 - WHIMSICAL WARLOCK WAR

Okay, many of you following my BlueSky account may already know I’m a big wargamer. And let me tell you: Aetherpunk28 it’s totally my jam.
In this fantastic wargame the School of Wizardry was a ruling institution, until the Erudite, the resource that fuels magic, started running low. After that, all hell let loose. You play as warband colleges made up of wizards, scholars and soldiers fighting over the control of that very resource.

Sounds fun? Well, let me get you even more into this game:
Aetherpunk28 it’s a great game to start wargaming, because it’s pretty easy, and you don’t need a ton of miniatures to play; as a matter of fact, you may just be good with a single box. Vae Victis is also making very cool miniatures for this game, but if I’m correct the game will be “miniature agnostic”, which means you can use whatever miniatures you like!

This game is written by Narcoleptic Wizard (Al Secolo “Jack Edwards”), and I spotted a couple of artworks of friendo HairicLilRed, and many other great artists.

With all of that being said, I’m incredibly excited for this game and I can’t wait to get into it! You can find their crowdfunding right here!

BLIGHTFALL - AN ACCURSED FANTASY RPG

Next up is a very interesting project called “Blightfall”, a very interesting low-prep TTRPG (which is my whole philosophy) set in a dark fantasy world where you and your friends have to sacrifice parts of your humanity to gain powers, and push back the menace looming over your home.
A very unique premise, coupled with intriguing game design choices, all made by the author Matthew Ayers.

But what has really drawn me to this project is the artstyle. The cover (which if I’m correct is made by artist Sarah Mason) is pure dark fantasy.
Yesterday I joked on social media that I should make up a new fantasy genres for every campaign I make, and make one called “Blackmetal fantasy” for bleak and dark fantasy worlds; if I would ever do that, you can be sure Blightfall would be among one of the pioneers of this genre.

This game looks dark, gloomy, and filled with desperation. However, just like other medias of the dark fantasy genre, amidst the darkness and the black clouds you can always find a dim light of hope. A flash of lightning.
Almost like A Blaze in the Northern Sky.

Alright I’m done with that joke. Please give Blightfall a look, the game is still funding on Backerkit, and it totally deserves your time! Check it out here!

BÖRÜ BORG - SHEER STEPPE MADNESS

Okay, I am guessing that if you are on this blog you know how much I love stuff inspired by folklore. And Börü Borg definitely hits home.
This Mork Borg-based game, made by ONLY VOID, is inspired by Eurasian, Turkic, and Middle-Eastern folklore and it certainly shows in its art and lore.

The Dire Steppe, the world where Börü Borg is set, is a barren and harsh environment, where according to the description of the Kickstarter, being eaten by dog-men isn’t as uncommon as we all wish it wasn’t.

This brutal 60 pages TTRPG sounds like good fun, and I highly recommend you check it out, right here.
You can also get a free teaser which includes some horrible monsters I will definitely drop on my unsuspecting players on my next MÖRK BORG session.
Hooray!

THE BEST THING ABOUT THESE GAMES

We have seen three great games so far. Well there is one great, great thing I haven’t mentioned about them.
They are all, completely and absolutely, AI free. No AI was used in any of the creative processes for these books, and that means that you are getting some sweet home-made and human-made goodness.
For that, I wish to extend a thank you on behalf of all us authors and artists, to all of you which will support these games.
You are making sure that good art survives in this bleak world.
Thank you!

But enough of me getting sentimental! I need to do the obviously blatant self-promotion thing!

MY OWN STUFF - COMING VERY SOON

If by chance these games weren’t enough for your insatiable tabletop gaming appetite, I would like to remind you that my own game, Sanguis Sanctus, is going live on Kickstarter in less than 4 days. That’s right!
The vampire-filled rules-light game about scary demonic vampires, of which I talked about here, is launching on February 17th. You can find its pre-launch page right here, and if you gave it a follow I would be very thankful!

With that being said, my fellow warlocks, I hope you are having a wonderful weekend filled with all manners of games. See you in the future!