If you’re looking for the sort of 20-sided die that will impress your friends or for a stocking-stuffer for that special roleplayer in your life, our 31mm BEOWULF dice will do the trick. They’re 60% bigger than the standard d20 and come as a set of three. You can, of course, use them in any game that needs a twenty-sided die:
In BEOWULF, every character is a hero. And a hero deserves a big, chonky heroic die.
The Hero’s DieThe Old Ways DieThe Church Die
Wyrd Dice in BEOWULF: Age of Heroes
In our 5e-based duet adventure game BEOWULF: Age of Heroes, each character has a Wyrd, a special heroic fate that belongs to them. This ties into their alignment (do they believe in the Old Ways? Or the new Church?), inspiration, and advantage. When they roll with advantage one of the dice that they roll is their alignment die.
A roll with the Hero’s die and the Old Ways die. When the Hero rolls with advantage they add their alignment die. If they pick their alignment die to be the result they get inspiration. This allows a lucky hero to possibly roll with advantage several times in a row. And, being the only character in the game, they well may need that luck!
A less lucky result. BEOWULF heroes are allowed to pick which die they want to use when they roll with advantage. So a player could take the natural 1 this round and still gain inspiration for later use. A tough choice!
Adventure Awaits!
You can order these huge dice and/or BEOWULF Age of Heroes right now! We also have some awesome dice trays to keep the fun organised.
It’s newsletter day! We’ve got updates for you on recent conventions, Handimonsters, A|State and BEOWULF, along with some general news about our website. Let’s get into it:
BEOWULF: Age of Heroes
Following the release of Ear of Stone last week, Digital Pack 4 is available to buy now. It includes a discussion of BEOWULF combat, inspirational material for character creation, three new music tracks and two brand new battle maps in a variety of formats. See the BEOWULF shop for all of our offerings.
We are hard at work getting The Triple Serpent by Gar Hanrahan ready for release. It should be with backers this month, with a Monster that’s just right for Halloween time! And we have some bigger projects in progress that we will be ready to talk about soon.
A|State
Work continues on integrating all of the new material into the existing text and making sure it all plays nice together.
If you didn’t see it last week, our first print proof for the Three Coins arrived. Check it out here.
Handimonsters
We released the Spry One, another of our Wildfolk Handimonsters this week. Next week, the first minions of the Lord of Autumn arrive:
Visit www.handimonsters.com to sign up today. You’ll gain access to our entire backcatalogue of 5e monsters and receive a new monster every monday!
Convention News
Handiwork Games sponsored Albacon 2021 and as part of our sponsorship Jacob volunteered to run a couple sessions of BEOWULF. Read his report here.
Jon’s report from Caronnade on the previous weekend is here.
Website News
We’re doing some autumn cleaning on our website and you may notice a few things get moved around or combined together. We hope this makes things easier to find, and gives you a more streamlined experience!
Links:
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This last weekend was Albacon, an online gaming convention. While based in Scotland, it garnered international attention and players from all over the globe. As a sponsor of the con, we at Handiwork Games decided to run some sessions of BEOWULF: Age of Heroes. Jacob volunteered for this. Here’s his report:
Of course, BEOWULF is primarily designed as a single player game. But it’s awfully hard to show the game off to folks if you have only one player a session. So I took our own advice on multiple players. We had up to three players per session and each Hero had only two Followers. I was on the schedule for one game Saturday evening and one on Sunday evening.
Before the game began, the Saturday players selected their Heroes and Followers. We would be playing with Alys, Bald Eadig, and Waelfwulf. We opened with a quick safety talk and soon enough, the Heroes heard of a serpent causing trouble in Britain and sailed that way. They encountered a few challenges along the way that didn’t cause any lasting harm, met the king Cynfarch, the priest Prydderch, and the princess Ceridwyn. Bald Eadig found a kindred soul in Prydderch and the priest assisted them in starting their adventure.
The Heroes search the tor for any sign of the Serpent.
I won’t say much more about the adventure for fear of spoiling it, but the Heroes dealt with their challenges very judiciously and were ultimately successful in their quest.
Sunday’s Game was also full but early in the day I got word from one of the convention organisers that a player would not be able to make it and another player, though having bought a ticket, had not completed registration yet. Things seemed a bit iffy, but, of course, BEOWULF can run with just a single player as easily as three, so there was no need to cancel yet. However, as the time drew nearer, my one player that I was in contact with indicated that after two full days of gaming, an 8pm – Midnight games was looking less and less appealing with each passing hour. When no one else showed up, we decided not to proceed. Of course Penumbra (the charity of choice this year) still received the ticket proceeds so all was well.
All-in-all, I had fun and was very happy to show off BEOWULF: Age of Heroes at Albacon. Hopefully we will be able to attend next year as well — easily done if it remains virtual, but if it turns into a physical convention then I might need to fly over to Scotland for the weekend.
If you want to learn more about BEOWULF: Age of Heroes and all of our accessories for the game, visit our shop.
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!
We’re back, with the last newsletter of September. How time flies! We’ve got convention news, Handimonsters news, BEOWULF news and more!
Newsletter Day
We’re trying out another day for our newsletters! What do you think? Do you enjoy getting the news a little earlier in the week?
BEOWULF: Age of Heroes
The latest adventure, Ear of Stone, is out now! Set sail for the island of Hreodan and Wayfarer’s Rest, once famed for its hospitality. But now a monster stalks its shores, and visitors are no longer safe.
For US backers awaiting their BEOWULF book, the latest news is that we know that they’re in the States and being processed through Customs. International shipping is short-handed and overwhelmed right now, but we’re hoping for a sudden and surprising ray of sunshine any day now!
Handimonsters
We released the Crypt-cell on Monday, the latest of the Dungeon Constructs. You can get its stat block and over 40 more by signing up at handimonsters.com for $3 (US)/£2.20~ a month. Each is compatible with 5e and are designed, written, illustrated and laid out by professional designers and artists. If you double your commitment you not only get the stat blocks but digital art files, virtual tabletop tokens (both portrait and topdown views) and printable paper minis.
We also have a special treat in store for Handimonster folks this week. We will be releasing Rysl-Bera, the Fat Bear, as a special BEOWULF Handimonster later this week, in celebration of Fat Bear week!
Conventions
Last week was Carronade, our hometown gaming convention in Falkirk. Jon and Paul attended and report that it was an excellent show with a lot of folks coming to our booth and purchasing our products. We will have a blog post with more details later this week.
This coming week is Albacon, an online convention! All of our BEOWULF: Age of Heroes games are filled up but there are still lots of other games you can play in, for a good cause. (Tickets for Albacon support Penumbra, one of Scotland’s largest mental health charities.) Visit albacon.co.uk to learn more.
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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’ve got lots of news from the worlds of Handimonsters, BEOWULF, A|State and gaming conventions, both in our homebase of Falkirk, Scotland and online. Let’s get into it!
Conventions
This weekend is Carronade, right here in Falkirk! We’re excited to return to the live convention scene by going to our favourite one (and close to home). While table size is restricted, we’re bringing everything that we can and we will have special show-only pricing on some of our items.
If you will unfortunately miss out on the convention, we’re also doing a special sale on our website to celebrate. To get the discount just subscribe to our newsletter before it goes out today, and you’ll get the code in your email.
Albacon is next weekend (Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd October 2021). It’s online, so no dealer table, but you can sign up for special demo games of BEOWULF: Age of Heroes run by Jacob. The Saturday game is sold through, but there’s still space in the Sunday game. Visit albacon.co.uk to sign up or learn more.
Work continues on the core rulebook, especially in adding on all of the unlocked stretch goal materials. The Three Coins, a roleplaying game that people in The City play, is coming together nicely. The Kickstarter backers unlocked the physical printing of Three Coins (what exactly you call the game or how you write it out depends on where in The City you live) so it will soon enough become a ‘real thing’.
Lots of news here! We just released Ear of Stone, our fifth adventure for BEOWULF, to the Kickstarter Backers. It will be available for purchase next week and we’ll be sending out messages on all the usual channels to let you know when it is live.
Digital Pack 5 will also be out shortly; we’re working to finalise a couple of pieces and then it will be ready for release. After that, the next piece of the puzzle is Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan’s The Triple Serpent. We’re aiming for an October release for that adventure, which will be appropriate since it is horror-rific in all the right ways.
We also just released Follower Cards in the shop . They’re pre-printed, with reference information and convenient trackers on the back side. They also come with some beautiful stickers with Follower art which you can use to organise and illustrate the cards, tokens or whatever strikes your fancy.
We also have Whale Road posters in the shop as well. Printed at A2 size on 350 gsm paper, matt laminated and signed and numbered by Jon and Paul, they make excellent display pieces, or your Player can use it to track their voyages across the Two Seas.
We’ve recently introduced a couple of new categories for our monsters, including the Wildfolk. They are actually fey creatures embodied into humanoid animal forms, with personalities inspired by local folklore.
We’re really enjoying them and hope our patrons are as well. Let us know if you’d like to see more Wildfolk, or if you’d like rules for being able to play Wildfolk characters.
Our other current series is Dungeon Constructs, a series of strange creatures made by magic but now left to their own devices. On Monday, patrons will meet the Crypt-cell:
Sign up today at handimonsters.com to get access to these creatures and our entire back-catalogue (nearly 50 monsters and growing every week)!
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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!
So, this week, we have brand new Follower cards! In a game crafted for one GM and one Hero, your Followers are not only your combat-support, they’re advice and lore from your Games Master, a layer of tension and humour, and a wonderful opportunity to role-play. And now, you can keep track of them, their gifts and burdens, with our brand new cards.
Follower card – back
There are 50 in a presentation pack (so you’ve got plenty of opportunities for adventure) and they have spaces for everything you’ll need to record. They also come with stickers, to help your visualisations, and to keep track of the cards themselves!
We also have this absolutely beautiful BEOWULF Whale Road poster – A2 size, 350gsm paper, gorgeous matt laminate finish. Each one will be individually numbered and signed by Jon and Paul. Keep track of your travels, show off your journeys, or just stand back and admire.
Whale Road poster
And LOTS of BEOWULF games! If you’re looking to face the Horror at Herrogate, our trusty Hero Blaedswith returns to her adventure this week. With thanks to the Campaign Coins team, this is episode six, The Unwelcome Guest…
Don’t forget to grab the adventure for yourself from DriveThru!
Or, if you’re looking to actually play BEOWULF, co-writer Jacob Rodgers will be running The Serpent of Glinnredin at AlbaCon, on the 2nd and 3rd of October. Sign up to the Con via EventBrite, and head over to the Events Schedule. The Saturday game is fully booked, so jump on the Sunday slot – quick!
When is a Random Encounter not a Random Encounter? When it’s part of a theme! Many of our monsters now will now belong to a ‘family’, adding plenty of opportunity for a GM to create themed attacks, or whole scenarios and the settings to go with them. We’ve had Phase Elementals, and you’ve seen examples of both Wild Folk and (this week) the Dungeon Construct.
Dungeon Construct: Flammifier
What else would you like to see? Jump on over to our Socials, or let us know on the Discord!
And keep your fingers crossed for the ENnies tonight, 8pm EDT. We’re up for two – for Best Electronic Book for BEOWULF itself and for Best Free Book for our a|state primer, Nicely, Done…
ENnies tonight!
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BEOWULF Q-Workshop Dice Set£12.99
