Map Tiles – Handiwork Games

9th February 2022

9 February 2022 Handiwork Newsletter

Hello everyone! We have some fantastic updates for you from the worlds of Jon Hodgson Maps, Handimonsters and BEOWULF!

BEOWULF NEWS

First up, let’s talk about the BEOWULF Annual 2022. This is a compilation of the Digital Packs and other bonus releases, all collected together for your convenience in a gorgeous print book.

It has a variety of resources contained within, including new Followers, Gifts, and Burdens, advance on Hero creation, resources for magical items and weapons, plus much. much more!

We’re expecting stock to arrive with us this week, and we’ll share photos as soon as it arrives!

Get the full-colour perfect-bound book (with free PDF) here: here

Or pick up the PDF directly: here

Trials of the Twin Seas Cover Reveal

We’re delighted to announce a new product for BEOWULF: The Trials of the Twin Seas. This adventure anthology will collect our digital adventure releases (including the Triple Serpent, see below) in a print edition. We’re going to use this opportunity to make additions and revisions to our adventures, so they’ll be improved and expanded from their original versions. We’ll bring the Trials of the Twin Seas to Kickstarter soon!

The Triple Serpent

Written by Gareth Hanrahan, the Triple Serpent is our final digital adventure that was unlocked during the original BEOWULF Kickstarter. It’s a complex adventure based on mythology from Gar’s native Ireland and we’re sure you will enjoy it!

If you’ve missed any of the already released BEOWULF adventures, grab them here.

Character Queue

Waelwulf was our latest Hero to be featured on Character Queue! With him, the series is coming to at least a pause, but we’ll have a new series of feature articles to reveal next week.

Handimonster News!

We’ve got some awesome fan feedback to check out, and then we want to remind everyone about the Handimonster Annual.

Scenery Monsters

Jared Rascher has an interesting analysis of our brand new scenery monsters over on Twitter. A creation of Jon’s imagination, scenery monsters come with simple mechanics and easy adjudication so you can some colour to a scene without a lot of overhead.

Handimonsters Annual 2022

Speaking of lots of material with low overhead, this book collects our Handimonsters output from the previous year, giving you a wide variety of 5e monsters.

You can order the full-colour perfect-bound book (with free PDF) from our website: here

Or you can get the PDF directly: here

Jon Hodgson Maps

We have a brand-new VTT scenery map pack to celebrate:

This set of bridge .png files can be arranged in any number of ways in the VTT platform of your choice, to create endlessly varied river crossings. There are long and short stone bridges, broken down stone bridges, rope bridges, wooden bridges, a ford and stepping stones.

These all work on a background that is compatible with the Northern Wilderness Construction set. There are tokens to create pebble banks, and grassy river banks, and two widths of river. In total there are 17 pngs of bridges and 13 tokens to create the scenery underlying your bridge. As a bonus there are also 4 premade maps using these assrts and some bonus items from the Northern Wilderness Construction set by way of example.

Get it now: here!

31st January 2022

Map Tiles For Adventure!

Did you know that Handiwork Games produces a whole series of virtual/physical tiles for your adventuring needs?

We have tonnes of gridded tiles and non-gridded tiles for your use! And you can download them from DriveThru for digital use! Expand your adventure locations today!

1st December 20212nd December 2021

Small Seasonal Gifts

Here at Handiwork we produce lots of economical products that support our larger offerings. Here’s a few things we offer that make quick and easy gifts for anyone on your holidays list.

Huge Dice

For BEOWULF: Age of Heroes we produced a series of extra-large dice to work with our Wyrd alignment/advantage system. But they’re impressive enough to use for any d20-based game!

BEOWULF Dice

Miniatures

Another bonus item we unlocked during the BEOWULF Kickstarter was a series of professionally sculpted miniatures. If you’re looking for unique Migration Era/Viking minis, we’ve got a fabulous set for you! Available in cast white metal and STL files for printing (resin machine highly recommended).

BEOWULF Miniatures

The Forest Dragon Games

We’ve been talking about The Forest Dragon Farmer and Pie Man’s Apprentice recently, but our original games are excellent fun, with lots of expansion opportunities.

Check them out here.

Dice Trays

We also have a set of foldable dice trays featuring art from our games and some historical art pieces from former products.

Learn more about the dice trays here.

10th November 2021

Free Releases

Today we’re going to take a look at a release for Jon Hodgson Maps, the Stone Circle Battle Map:

This 27″x27″ map features two levels: an ancient stone circle on a broken plateau, and beneath it spiraling triskele labyrinth studied with mysterious sacred stones.

The download includes:
• 27 inch poster maps with plain, gridded, and hex versions
• Convenient home printable poster maps in A4 and US Letter versions
• There are also two 120dpi jpegs of the maps for Virtual Table Top (VTT) usage

Download the sample for free on DriveThru

2nd July 20212nd July 2021

Friday News Update – July 2nd

All the monsters you can handle!

Our HANDIMONSTERS Patreon has been steadily gathering followers since we launched it last year – and is still bringing you a new and completely original monster every single Monday. (Best way to start your week, seriously). It’s now up to THIRTY individual beasties. And that’s a full menagerie, right there!

Created by the Handiwork team, Handimonsters come in every size and shape, in every alignment, and to suit every adventure, setting and level. They’re made for the 5e system, and they come with all sorts of scenario ideas and suggestions, with gorgeous artwork from Scott, and with all their stats, background and lore. They’re not just for fighting, they’re for your whole campaign.

Join up, and you’ll get the FULL beastie backlog – every monster we’ve made!

And next Monday, you get to meet the AMORPHIC, a magical creature that holds its physical form by force of will alone… but is always look to spread.

And what do monsters need, but LAIRS?

Featuring art by Jon, we have a brand new VTT Barrow Builder up on DriveThru – which includes a grassy base map and full set of .png tokens. Tunnels, chambers, pillars, niches, cists, altars and bones – everything you’ll need to bring the place to life.

Just add your monster of choice!

And – just to prove we haven’t forgotten – a little more amazing a|state art. The Kickstarter is coming very (very) soon, so hang onto your pocket money… because it’s going to be gorgeous.

Get yourself in the zone by downloading our free primer, Nicely, Done.

Find us at:

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25th June 202125th June 2021

Friday News Update – June 25th

BEOWULF is on the move!

Our BEOWULF books have travelled the Whale Road and have arrived at Handiwork Games. All eight hundred and fifty KILOS of them!

We’ve already sent a shipment to the US. If you’re in the UK, it may take us a little while to pick and pack your orders, but fear not, the task is underway.

Full details here.

If you’re in the EU, there’s a little more useful information up at our store.

To keep you going, have another fantastic BEOWULF cover quote, this one from the mighty John Gwynne!

And have a brand new scenario!

The Elfshot is written by Jacob, with art by Jon and design by Paul. It’s for fourth to fifth level characters and it’s now available at DriveThruRPG.

‘Giorsala’s hall stands empty; her warriors’ gear still in their racks; children’s toys scattered on the playfield. All the people are gone but still it feels like something is watching you…’

An entire settlement has gone missing. Can your Hero/es discover the truth?

We’ve also got some sneak info about next week’s HANDIMONSTER!

This coming Monday, journey to the Caverndeeps and discover the Deepsail, a subterranean creature that absorbs heat from geothermal vents, subsists on fungi, and is well-equipped to defend itself against other underground monsters.

HANDIMONSTERS is our creature-feature Patreon, and EVERY new beastie comes with all the things you’ll need – stats and background, art and lore. The monsters are a huge assortment of sizes and shapes, alignments and levels (not to mention fun and games), and they come with scenario and setting suggestions, sure to keep your PCs hopping.

If you’d like to give them a try, there’s a free sampler on DriveThru. And the VERY best bit – your players will never have seen them them before. So every monster is a new adventure, and every adventure a new discovery.

Also coming up next week, we’ll have a cheeky extra from Jon’s Map Tiles. Watch our Socials for our Barrow Builder Kit!

Find us at:

Twitter @GamesHandiwork

Facebook @HandiworkGames

Insta @HandiworkGames

YouTube @HandiworkGames

Pinterest @HandiworkGames

Some more of Paul’s fabulous a|state art. Because we can.

18th June 202125th June 2021

Friday News Update – June 18th

Map Tiles special offer!

Sign up to our newsletter for a cheeky, subscriber-exclusive special on our Map Tiles!

Featuring art by Jon, these come in packs of thirty, with or without a grid, and with digital files included. There are maps for every scenario – underground, overground, adventuring free. There’s fantasy and SF, indoors and outdoors, hillforts and backstreets, dungeons and caverns. Plus we have linking sets, so your adventures can always continue.

The newsletter is the best way to keep up with everything we’re doing – and there are always extra glimpses, previews and offers. Make sure you don’t miss out!

Big thanks to our friend Gareth Hanrahan, author of the Black Iron Legacy series, for this fantastic BEOWULF cover-quote:

‘Hail their work, those tool-forgers and saga-scaffolders,

Rules-kenners, at ease in the dice-hail,

Not meagre their talent, those makers of maps and monsters,

A host of hairy legends on the road of whales, orþanc geweorc!’

And the next time we get to a public event, we may well have ‘tool-forgers, saga-scaffolders and rules-kenners’ on our t-shirts…

Plus, coming next week, a brand new scenario for our BEOWULF setting!

Giorsala’s hall stands empty; her warriors’ gear still in their racks; childrens’ toys scattered on the playfield. All the people are gone but still it feels like something is watching you…

The Elfshot is written by Jacob, with art by Jon and design by Paul. It’s for fourth to fifth level characters and will be going to backers very shortly, and available on DriveThruRPG soon.

Take a look at more a|state artwork!

Plans are afoot for the launch of the second edition, but here’s another sneaky peek at what’s in store (images by Paul)…

For a taste of The City, try the free Primer, Nicely, Done.

And this week’s HANDIMONSTER is the STONEROOSTER, a strange creature that may be an alchemical mistake or some god’s epic jest… but it’s a creation that picks two round rocks and sits upon them, until slowly, slowly, they look more like eggs.

Just DON’T go near it while its nesting…

Find out more about this odd beast – or indeed a menagerie of odd beasts – when you join our patreon. Team our monsters with out Map Tiles, and you’ll never lack for adventures!

And finally! If you haven’t signed up to Ralph Horsley’s ‘An Art Adventure’ – late pledges are open. It’s 140 pages plus of career-spanning artwork, and its absolutely beautiful. Find the backerkit, here!

For more, please do follow us on our Socials…

Twitter @GamesHandiwork

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14th May 20212nd June 2021

Friday News Update – May 14th

Back to the Table SALE!

This weekend, we’re celebrating the return of round-the-table gaming with a SALE on our RPG accessories.

Sign up to our newsletter for your SALE code, and you can save precious gold on mats, maps, dice trays and our award-winning family card game, The Forest Dragon. Almost everything you need to get back to dungeoneering (apart from the biscuits).

Dungeon Tiles – just add Adventuring Party (and monsters)!

Signing up for our newsletter will also give you regular extra peeks from Jon and the team – including exclusive info, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and early warnings when cool new stuff hits our stores.

This week, though, the big news: BEOWULF has arrived in Germany!

If you’re a kickstarter backer, or you’ve pre-ordered your copy: –

From the UK, then the books should here any minute, and we will ship them to you, along with your UK rewards

From the EU, you should receive your book in the coming weeks.

From the US – more info as we have it.

You can follow our updates on the Handiwork site.

If you haven’t yet ordered your copy, the book is available to pre-order in our STORE. In the meantime, you can download the .pdf from DriveThru, and have a good look through our BEOWULF scenarios and adventures!

And on the subject of adventures – have a cheeky freebie!

In proud celebration our Scots language and people, Jon and Paul bring you BEOWULF Scots portent tables:

If you’re not a native speaker, then have fun looking these up on Google!

We also have a new BEOWULF quest coming very soon! This one is written by Elaine Lithgow, comes complete with Jon’s always-gorgeous maps, and is suitable for a Hero or Heroes of 4^th/5^th level.

From the opening paragraph: Our Hero is approached by a desperate young woman who begs them to come with her and save her village from a gargantuan sea serpent known as the Stoor Wurm. The village lies on a rocky peninsula blasted by frigid winds to the farthest-north. Here, people have lived in fear of the Stoor Wurm for generations…

Plus, this week’s HANDIMONSTER is one of our favourites.

Jacob and Scott have truly outdone themselves. Meet the Lord of Ambition, wanderer of the multiverse, unstuck in time and space. He may offer you knowledge, but beware…

Join our Patreon for a new, fully detailed monster every Monday, plus all sorts of adventure and scenario ideas.

And please do follow us on our Socials!

Twitter @GamesHandiwork

Facebook @HandiworkGames

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BEOWULF Limited Edition. We may have squeeed a little.

7th May 20212nd June 2021

Friday News Update – May 7th

Updates for BEOWULF – and a|state!

We now have have FOUR full adventures for our BEOWULF setting. These include our ENnies-nominated intro, The Hermit’s Sanctuary, The Three Ogre Brothers, which comes as part of the main BEOWULF rulebook, plus two adventures more recently released – Horror at Herrogate and The Witches and The Wyrm. And, thanks to feedback from our backers, we’re delighted to release some updated content!

9th April 20212nd June 2021

Friday News Update – April 9th

It’s all about free monsters!

Big thank you to DriveThruRPG: our Handimonsters mini-manual is the FREE .pdf of the week – and has already seen almost a thousand downloads. Head on over to the site, and grab half-a-dozen of our fabulous 5e monsters, drawn and designed by our top team of gamers and gaming experts.

Meet the Knacker, and it’s knack (sorry) for digging blind tunnels, ready to upset dungeon-builders and confuse adventurers everywhere. Meet the Spell-Thief, who has a perfect way to upset your mage, and the Holingean, who has one even better. And meet our BEOWULF critter, the Briar Goblingas or Heópapúcan, with all his special rules, allowing you to craft something really clever for your Hero/es to face.

Our Handimonsters Patreon is only £2.50 a month. It gives you a new monster every Monday (best way to kick off your week), plus a load of additional content – scenario suggestions, facts, maps and insights.

It’s less than a high-street coffee, and it’s definitely more fun.

Also now on DriveThru, individual Beowulf minis. If you have a 3D printer, you can download the .stl files for Blaedswith, our Witch of the Old Ways, and for our warrior Ham Anfaeld, who lives for the sea – and for the treasure.

Both these characters can be found in The Hermit’s Sanctuary, our Ennie-Award nominated intro-adventure for our beautiful and legendary BEOWULF game setting. Whether you know your Anglo-Saxon lore or not, BEOWULF something truly special, taking you and your players to another place, to another time, and back to a world of legends.

You can find all of our BEOWULF character .stl files here.

And, as you travel, don’t forget your sampler of our Jon Hodgson ‘Evil Forest’ Map Tiles, all in ‘fuzzy-edged’ .pdf and perfect for your virtual tabletop adventure.

Of course, we all hope that we can escape the virtual and return our own Whale Road very soon – whether it leads to the tavern, to the marketplace, or to meet our mates at the Mead Hall and to roll dem bones. But, wherever we game, it’s always fun to be a Hero!

Keep up with the news, and join us on our Socials:

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