Category: The Silver Road

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Maskwitches Hardcovers and Pine Pitch Black arrive!

The hardcovers of Maskwitches and Pine Pitch Black are here! We have *almost* everything to start dispatch for a bunch of backers/pre-order customers. That’ll kick off next month!

Find out more about Maskwitches, the storytelling game of the psychedelic Mesolithic here.

“A game that feels like a conjuring – a curious and compelling artefact. It is strange in the best possible way, a genuine work of art from the prose to the mechanics to art.” -Gareth Hanrahan, author of THE BLACK IRON LEGACY SERIES, THE LANDS OF THE FIRSTBORN TRILOGY, THE EYES OF THE STONE THIEF, THE DARKENING OF MIRKWOOD.

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Maskwitches Softcover Print Run Arrives

We were excited this weekend to take delivery of a ton of boxes containing the softcover print run of Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland Redux Edition. We were less excited to move them from the spot the massive load of books were dropped off to the office, but them’s the breaks! We’re delighted to have them here. Next up: we’re awaiting the hardcovers and Pine Pitch Black!

There’s still time to pre-order your copy, and get the PDF free.

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Malcolm and the Burn

You may have seen that we recently released The Burn, a charmingly unique setting for The Silver Road.

Penned by Scottish RPG design legend Malcolm Craig (a|state, Cold City, Hot War), The Burn is all about childhood memory and folklore, specifically local to Malcom as he was growing up in Polmont, Scotland. It just so happens that the Handiwork HQ is in the very same district of Falkirk, so Jon was able to shoot all the photographs that illustrate the game in the very same locations that “Wee Malcolm” haunted as a child.

Not so long ago Malcolm was in the area, and we took a tour of some of those sites, book in hand, and here we present the photo story of heading back to The Burn.

We also discussed The Burn as part of our latest History in Games, Games in History podcast:

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Out Now in PDF: The Meat Spoiler for Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland!

If you’re looking for a scenario for Maskwitches Redux you can now get The Meat Spoiler Redux in PDF!

GET IT


Disharmony in a lake-side community has caused the appearance of a meat-spoiling spirit. With winter approaching, and food stores dwindling, can the Maskwitches drive off this malevolent presence and heal the divisions within the community? 

Featuring the same unique combination of props, sets, in camera effects and digital painting, The Meat Spoiler builds on the unique look of Maskwitches.


The PDF is also available for free when you pre-order the print edition here:

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Maskwitches is out now in PDF!

Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland is out now in PDF!

The even more discerning reader can also now get the black and white coffee table book version, Pine Pitch Black which also released today.


Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland is a unique experiment in graphic approach and unique mechanics. Find out more at the dedicated Maskwitches page.

“Maskwitches was one of the most immersive, emotional and dramatic games I ever ran.” 
– Royston Harwood, Maskwitches playtester

“A game that feels like a conjuring – a curious and compelling artefact. It is strange in the best possible way, a genuine work of art from the prose to the mechanics to art.”
– Gareth Hanrahan, author of The Black Iron Legacy Series, The Lands Of The Firstborn Trilogy, The Eyes Of The Stone Thief, The Darkening Of Mirkwood.

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Maskwitches PDFs releasing June 11th!

This Tuesday, June the 11th, we will release the PDF version of Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland, along with the Pine Pitch Black version!

You can get the PDF right now for free with a pre-order of a print book at our web store, but if you want just the PDF the wait will soon be over!

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Maskwitches Redux campaign launches May 7th!

Tomorrow, Tuesday May 7th, sees the launch of the campaign to raise funds to print the new edition of Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland!

You’ll be able to pledge for:

• The hardcover or softcover rulebook, expanded to 168 pages.

• The dramatic and atmospheric  Pine Pitch Black edition 

• The Making of Maskwitches behind the scenes book

• To the Ice Caves – the first Journey Book for Maskwitches

• The Meat Spoiler Redux edition

• The beautiful and useful Maskwitches Dice Tray by out friends at All Rolled Up

You’ll also be able to pledge for all the books in PDF too, with the physical books coming with free PDFs.

Most of the PDFs will be delivered as soon as the funds arrive with us as they are completed and ready to go!

Sign up at www.maskwitches.com

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The Burn: Making the Wee Folk

For The Silver Road setting book The Burn, I knew we would need something different. 

The locations in the book are real – albeit seen through the eyes of memory and a kind of folkish magical realism. 

The wee folk who you play seemed really the crux of the whole thing. And of course coming out of finishing up the Maskwitches Redux, models and sets were on my mind. But in this case the sets were life size – the real places along the Polmont Burn, just moments from my door, and coincidentally where the author Malcolm played as a child. 

It seemed like a good idea to build some figures and I have wanted to do this for a while. The pre-made figures I used for Maskwitches have their advantages, but also many limitations. 

I already had some armature wire on hand – it’s thick, but very flexible metal wire that bends easily but stays where you put it. It’s easy to cut, despite being several millimetres thick. I enjoy working with it. 

Continue reading “The Burn: Making the Wee Folk”
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The Making of Maskwitches Continues!

Jon’s dedicated Maskwitches Redux blog is the place to find all the latest new and articles about the progress of the upcoming new edition of Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland.

Check out some of the latest posts:

Making Tools:
Lots of images, lots of text about the making of tools for the new edition, and some of the contextual issues arising.

Read it now

Work continues:
This post has a selection of the latest photographs and images made for the new books. Check out the covers for To The Ice Caves and The Meat Spoiler Redux

Read it now

A Journey out of niches:

A long form piece considering why we make things, and what matters.

Read it now
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Conpulsion in Edinburgh: Talks and more!

This coming weekend (March 30-31st) it’s Conpulsion in Edinburgh, Scotland, and we will be there with our stall, as well as taking part in a bunch of talks. We have a long history with Conpulsion, even before Handiwork Games was a thing, so it’s always a delight to be in attendance and to be able to contribute to the show!

Innovation in Games Design
Saturday 13:15—13:45:
With: Tanya Floaker and Jon Hodgson

A panel looking at how you can innovate in games design to create better and more playable games, with insights from two experienced designers and publishers.
Jon Hodgson is a games designer, artist and writer, as well as the owner of Handiwork Games.
Tanya Floaker is a games designer active in the indie gaming scene and has successfully crowdfunded several innovative RPG projects.

See https://handiwork.games and https://floaker.itch

History and Gaming
Saturday 12:15—12:45
With: Aleksandra Brokman and Malcolm Craig

A panel about projects exploring gaming history and applying multimedia approaches from two celebrated ENnie-nominated games designers with strong links to Conpulsion.
Malcolm Craig, acclaimed author of a|state, Cold City and Hot War who is now a senior lecturer in history at Liverpool John Moores University. Malcolm is working with Handiwork Games as an integral part of his research work into the history of nuclear war in roleplaying games.
Aleksandra Brokman, acclaimed author of Wise Women and host of the Lamias actual play stream, has a series of Vampire the Masquerade essays on YouTube deep diving into the evolution of clans over the editions of the game.

See https://handiwork.games/cold-city-hot-war and https://ksandra.itch.io and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKkMR3i11sDcJ6EHE56j6y8pcb-WAGZ5v&si=YeUxFRlUafkpqRk6

History in Games/Games in History: Live!
Saturday 14:15—15:00
With: Jon Hodgson and Malcolm Craig

Come and be part of a live recording of the History in Games/Games in History podcast. Not only listen to Jon and Malcolm like you can on the internet, but see them live and ask them questions too.
Dr Malcolm Craig is a senior lecturer in history at Liverpool John Moores University.
Jon Hodgson is a games designer, artist and writer, as well as the owner of Handiwork Games.
Together they fight crime talk about history in games and games in history!

See https://handiwork.games/history-in-games-games-in-history-podcast

20 years of a|state: Ask Me Anything
Sunday 13:15—14:00:
With: Malcolm Craig and Paul Bourne

Malcolm Craig and Paul Bourne, the creators of a|state, launched the first edition upon the world at Conpulsion 2004. Now available in a beautiful, full-colour Second Edition, Conpulsion 2024 gives you the chance to ask them anything about the game and their reflections of a|state’s 20 years.

See: https://handiwork.games/games/astate

Get your tickets for Conpulsion in Edinburgh here:

Conpulsion Tickets

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