Making of Maskwitches Released in PDF

In 2022, artist and writer Jon Hodgson wrote and published a game called Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland. It was, in part, an experiment exploring the capabilities of an early version of so-called “AI” image generation.

Later that same year, he decided to stop using AI entirely, having grown increasingly uncomfortable with the way machine learning systems revealed their nature and application.

In 2024, Jon decided to make an ambitious new edition with entirely new, handmade artwork involving props, models, sets, and a smoke machine. The “Redux” edition is out now in PDF, with print copies currently shipping from Handiwork Games.

Today sees the release of the book Making Maskwitches, which presents a collection of the artist’s essays and accounts around the making of this new edition, lavishly illustrated with behind the scenes photographs.

It is available now in PDF, and a print version is available to pre-order on the Handiwork Games web store. The print edition is at print now.

“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

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