Our very patient US-based kickstarter backers are taking delivery of their BEOWULF Age of Heroes books about now, with the last round of packages heading out from our US dispatch centre. As a thank you for their amazing patience we’ve decided to put together a BEOWULF art book, which they’ll be getting free in PDF, and at a reduced price for the print version.
The PDF will go on general release this week, and we will open pre-orders for the print version soon. The booklet is 32 pages long, in full colour. It’s a cute square format, 21cm (~8 inches) square.
Each spread features a piece of art from BEOWULF Age of Heroes, along with some exclusive commentary about each piece, and how it might inspire your adventures.
The BEOWULF Art Book is now available for US Backers! Once they’ve had a chance to redeem their PDFs and get their discount codes, we will open up the PDF and print books for orders. The books are being ordered in short run batches in the UK and US, so the wait for the print book will be a short one.
The three questions we get asked whenever we talk about BEOWULF are why two players, why 5e, why Beowulf?
Let’s talk about it!
So the duet play feature at the heart of BEOWULF Age of Heroes is really the driver behind everything we’ve added to the 5e rules. And the reason we decided to develop a duet play mode is tied up with the other two aspects – looking back it’s a bit of a tangled knot!
So, why 5e? This gets asked even more now we’re also doing a|state with Forged in the Dark. Why are we even in that over-populated, “uncool” 5e space? Primarily, believe it or not, because we just like it! (We like a lot of different stuff!)
Having all worked extensively on Adventures in Middle-earth in our previous jobs, and through that to some degree rediscovered “the world’s favourite roleplaying game”, we wanted to go further and do even more with it, and the team were very keen to get back to that system.
Speaking for myself, I find 5e is a collection of quite clever parts, which can be modded tremendously easily. I love stuff like inspiration and advantage – I think they’re really smart. And sure, game historians out there will know that 5e isn’t the first rules system to use these things. But all wrapped up together with a bunch of core assumptions already dealt with? It’s a really interesting space to play in.
And hey, I get it that for some people there are sacred cows within that game set up which are just too unpalatable. That’s ok! But I think it’s a fun ruleset to play around with, and it’s by and large very easy to play, and very easy to get a game together.
Talking of which, this is one of the big drivers behind the choice to make BEOWULF duet – one player and one GM. The look of delight on so many playtester’s faces when they realised they need only find one other person in order to run a campaign was proof we were onto something good. We’ve all struggled to schedule a game, and being able to call one other person and fix a time to play is really powerful.
There’s also a less obvious benefit – you can run the same adventure for several players. So if you have a group of players, BEOWULF makes an excellent pick up game if you can’t run your usual session. Each time you run it is different, but as GM you get more and more familiar with the material, and it gets better and better. There’s a lower cost to generating those good times, given the ease of re-running BEOWULF adventures.
And of course, BEOWULF also works for group play. Everything we built onto 5e to make duet play simple lifts right out.
So why BEOWULF at all? Right at the beginning of Handiwork Games we sat down and chatted about what we’d like to make. The idea of an early medieval/low fantasy/dark ages setting just kept coming up. It’s an era I find really fascinating, and have been interested it most of my life. There’s detail there if you want to study, and it’s readily available at your local library or bookshop. But equally it works as “dark ages-flavoured” heroic fantasy, without any need to read anything.
I don’t like to harp on too much about other games we’ve worked on and that are clearly other people’s babies, but it’s key to the existence of BEOULF – working on a Tolkien RPG for the best part of a decade, and being a key player in imbuing it with that dark ages flavour, you inevitably find your way to Beowulf, and I wound up having a lot of knowledge that couldn’t easily be used in a Third Age Middle-earth setting. It had to come out somewhere!
I also think my art style which, however weird I feel about saying it, was a big tick in the plus column of things we had to work with at the birth of Handiwork Games. My style, and the style that Scot Purdy brings, work well for these subjects.
And from a different angle, if you cook it down in game terms, the lone hero who seeks out monsters and slays them, fits together with the 5e rules in a really interesting way. Making that inevitable combat a real set piece, and the unashamed climax of an adventure is just cool.
Somewhat surprisingly, the poem prompted us to bring a level of mechanical focus on social interaction and investigation to 5e. The poem has a lot to say about how people and life are affected by interactions with the various monsters, and that was important to bring to the table. I’m really proud of those sections of the game that bring huge mechanical support to interacting with NPCs to unravel the mystery of the Monster.
BEOWULF Age of Heroes for 5e is available now* from selected UK and EU stockists, and from our webstore. It is also available with a range of adventures and additional digital content at DrivethruRPG.
*Please note that BEOWULF stock for US backers is currently being shipped. Once caught up with this process we will have more information about US shops and direct orders.
We’ve been hard at work bringing our patrons at Handimonsters.com brand-new 5e monsters every single week of the year. And now, since we have such a horde of wild and wonderful unique beasties, we’re going to publish them in an annual!
It’ll be a handsome, full colour softcover book, in the region of 64 pages, available direct from our webstore, and of course in PDF from DrivethruRPG. Every monster gets its own page, with it’s own unique stat block, abilities and actions, along with its own stunning piece of art. Since we’ve built this horde up over a year, they’re all unique killer, and absolutely no filler!
Our monsters are designed by Jacob Rodgers (Adventures in Middle-earth 5e, The Ruins of Symbaroum 5e, BEOWULF Age of Heroes) and illustrated by Scott Purdy (Pathfinder, Numenera, BEOWULF Age of Heroes)
We’ll have more information on how you can get your hands on one very soon. And be sure to swing by www.Handimonsters.com to check out the free stuff and subscribe!
Ear of Stone for BEOWULF Age of Heroes was released in September. Today we’re talking about art.
Jon: When making art for a scenario it’s important to support the tone and feeling that the writing is trying to build.
When I first read Ear of Stone by KC Shi, I was struck by the desolate feel of many of the places. While the island location itself is of a modest size, many of the places had a wide open feel. Reading about them I can hear the soundtrack in my mind.
Many of the characters too gave me the sense that there’s the potential for a big feeling of melancholy here. Ear of Stone at its heart is all about family relationships and tradition, and it has the potential to be a quite sad tale depending on how events unfold.
That’s a funny one to deal with in RPG art. It’s not something we see a lot of, and quite understandably. What was the line from the album notes I read in the 90s? “People don’t travel long distances to see flat landscapes”? Was it REM or Talking Heads? It was art school. I forget. And I’m not even sure that’s a real quote, but it’s something I think about.
It’s easy to understand why frenetic action and visually complex scenery is more commonly seen. It’s exciting! There’s lots of detail to pore over, and action gives us a sense of movement, excitement and power.
But sometimes it’s nice to change gear. And with the support of our BEOWULF backers, we’re able to make things a little differently. And so Ear of Stone has a quieter, hopefully more melancholic tone.
Missed the Kickstarter campaign? No problem. Head here and pledge for your copy of a|state 2e, along with a host of beautiful and useful accessories now.
About a|state second edition
Step inside a baroque urban nightmare, the world of a|state. In The City you’ll fight off threats to your canalside home, trying to make this grim and haunted place safer and better, somehow.
Create Troublemakers such as the deft and deadly Ghostfighter, the caring and curious Lostfinder, the persuasive and passionate Activist, and the striking and stealthy Sneakthief. If they can trust each other they might have a chance.
Powered by Forged in the Dark, a|state brings a new, hopeful approach to the much-loved Forged in the Dark ruleset. Your ability to Care counts as much as your ability to Fight.
And it’s looking great! (If a little battered in transit!)
The Three Coins is an RPG within an RPG, and was an unlocked add-on on our smash hit a|state kickstarter. You’ll be able to grab a late pledge soon: sign up to our newsletter to get notified when late pledges go live.
It’s been such a long time since we’ve exhibited at an event – we’ve been living under various forms of Covid restriction for almost as long as we’ve been a company! Last weekend was Carronade, and our first trip out in a very long time.
We were satisfied that the Carronade organisers had things set up safely, we’re double vaxxed, and masks were worn all day, so we were happy to attend.
Carronade is our local show, but it’s surprisingly large, filling 3 gym halls and various other rooms in a local high school. It’s primarily a wargaming event, and features loads of participation and exhibition games along with tons of traders.
Handiwork Games exhibited at Carronade back in 2019, back when we had The Forest Dragon, Bang & Twang, and a handful of dice trays on offer. These days we have over 100 different products on sale, so this weekend was a nice opportunity to take stock of just how far we’ve come! Covid meant stalls had to remain at 2019 size, so we were back on a 6 foot table. (For comparison, at the last Tabletop Scotland, we had three 8 foot tables!) We weren’t able to bring everything, but we tried to fit in as much as we could. Map Tiles were a notable victim of the lack of space, but we managed to get a few in!
Before the day, I had decided we would be content if we had a day out, got to set up the booth, and met some other traders. I had zero expectation of sales, because who can predict anything anymore?
Such measured expectations were profoundly blown out of the water as the show opened and we sold a lot of stuff! Over the morning we had really good sales, with a consistently busy stall, and lots of compliments about the effort we’d put in to present things, which was really kind. Trade and traffic then noticeably slowed through the day. I think people came early, got what they wanted, and went home, which in these covid times is entirely reasonable.
Carronade has very easy trading hours of 10am until 4pm, so we were all done mid afternoon. It was a thoroughly enjoyable show, it was great to see a bunch of old friends from the Scottish gaming scene, reconnect with some of our fellow traders, and make new friendships. Nothing quite compares with face to face contact with you, the gaming public, and it was lovely to be out and about again!
Thanks to everyone who chatted and shopped with us, and a huge thanks to the Carronade organisers. We’re very much looking forward to next year!
In this adventure for ENnie-Nominated BEOWULF Age of Heroes, our Hero arrives at the isle of Hreodan, where bonds of family and tradition are in grave peril, and danger lurks just beneath the surface…
Hreodan is an island protected from both storms and reavers by its resident guardian spirit. Those of the Book think the spirit is an angel sent by God, while those of the Old Ways say it is a holmgaast, or sea spirit, haunting the island and surrounding waters. Most residents of the island don’t see why it can’t be both. Whatever the spirit’s true nature, its protection makes Hreodan an ideal location for sailors to resupply and trade, earning the island’s meadhall the nickname of Wayfarer’s Rest.
Or so it was, until Hreodan’s guardian turned against it.
About BEOWULF: Age of Heroes Successfully funded on Kickstarter, BEOWULF: Age of Heroes presents duet play for one GM and one player in an epic mythic setting of migration era Europe (also known as “The Dark Ages”).
We’re really excited to be exhibiting at Carronade, in our hometown of Falkirk this weekend! The show is a hidden gem of the war-games world, with several large gym halls full of traders. It’s a really large, really well run show, and we love it!
Naturally, due to the current events around Covid 19, there’s not a lot of space for big stalls, so we’re back, two years on, with the same size booth we started with right at the beginning of our life as a company.
Back then we just about filled that six foot stall with The Forest Dragon by Rory Age 9 and the brand new Bang and Twang game. Fast forward to now, and we have so many things to show and sell! We’re not exactly sure how we’ll fit in everything we want to bring, but we’ll do our best.
We’ll definitely have BEOWULF goodies, dice trays and our 3 foot square neoprene mats – full transparency, they fly off an in-person booth, but our webstore struggles to do them justice – a 36 inch square mat is really big!
We’ve also just had a restock of our BEOWULF miniatures, so they will definitely be in attendance. Speaking of which, we better go pack some boxes!
Looks like Ham’s back on the menu!
Maybe see you at Carronade? Don’t forget your face mask!
We have two new releases for BEOWULF Age of Heroes today!
Follower Cards Boxed Set
With the ENnie Award-nominated BEOWULF we’ve adapted 5e to work perfectly with one player and one GM. As part of our rules additions come Followers. Every Hero has a band of trusted companions that offer more abilities and opportunities to overcome the Monsters of The Whale Road.
The main BEOWULF rulebook comes with example blank follower cards, and you can download them here on the handiwork site. But we love a box of stuff, and so we put together the Follower Cards Boxed Set.
Inside the handsome craft cardboard box, you’ll find approximately 50, professionally printed Follower cards. They’re A5 in size, on sturdy paper stock with a mat finish to ensure ease of writing up your followers.
On the flip side there’s a helpful slice of Follower rules reminders and references, as well as a tracker for the Engaged condition – Followers in BEOWULF can tie up enemies in the background, allowing the solo Hero to focus on the main enemies. If the Hero doesn’t pull them back, they last 3 rounds before needing to take death saves.
Also included are 40 round, 38mm stickers of BEOWULF portraits, allowing you to personalise your follower cards with a face! There are ten individual designs, and you’ll get 4 of each.
Whale Road Poster We’re also opening up pre-orders for The Whale Road Poster! This lovely map appears across a spread in the BEOWULF rulebook, but we wanted to give it the format it deserves.
This A2 poster is printed on very heavy stock – it’s 350gsm, which is the heaviest poster stock that printers can produce. The art is matt laminated so that it looks it’s very best.
We were planning on releasing this poster today. However when we took delivery of the posters we discovered they didn’t meet our high standards, so we’re having them reprinted. We’ve decided to offer them as a pre-order so that BEOWULF fans can combine shipping. If you chose to get both we’ll send them to you together as soon as we get the new improved posters! They’re now anticipated to arrive in October.
Grab both new releases exclusively at our web store now!:
