Incline Melan's new RPG zine Echoes From Fomalhaut

[Incantatar]

Since Melan is not self advertising here I'll jump in.
This is an OSR RPG fanzine which will be released very soon (march is planned). If you don't know who Melan is besides his Thief modding stuff and codex shit posting, he's one of the more respected and experienced old school guys. If you don't believe me, believe Bryce Lynch the guy who does the most amount and most in depth D&D adventure reviews/analysis (http://tenfootpole.org/) and counts Melan as one of the best (https://falsemachine.blogspot.de/2016/05/an-interview-with-bryce-lynch.html question 9) .

If you play D&Desque stuff, even if not old school in particular take a look at the sample (https://mega.nz/#!8kxXjKAa!suOkunHsjkdTk9dZyfeP3h6L3NCkdXvQL2W7KSdrOVA). The room descriptions in his adventure are more evocative than most stuff you'll find elsewhere. This is great for DMs like myself.

Enough shameless cock sucking advertising from me, this is what he wrote:

What?

Echoes From Fomalhaut is an old-school RPG zine focused on adventures and game-relevant campaign materials. Each issue is planned to feature a larger adventure module, accompanied by shorter scenarios, city states, and other things useful and interesting in a campaign. Rules-related material will be limited to a few pieces of interest. A long time ago, Judges Guild’s campaign instalments established the general idea, and that’s the road I intend to follow. A small city-state? An interesting wilderness area? An island ruled by a society of assassins? Guidelines for magical pools? All that kind of stuff.

The content will feature both vanilla and weird fantasy, mostly drawn from our home games, with occasional contributions by guest authors from the Hungarian old-school scene. Most of the articles will follow AD&D conventions, but remain compatible with most OSR systems – and there will be detours.

An average issue is expected to run 32-40 pages plus the cover. The print edition, produced in the A5 format, is set to ship with larger extras like fold-out maps or what have you; the PDF edition will include these as downloadables. For example, the initial issue (“Beware the Beekeeper!”) features the following articles:

• Bazaar of the Bizarre (2.5 p): a 1d100 table to generate strange merchants, caravan guidelines.
• The Rules of the Game (0.5 p): sets out the conventions followed in the zine.
• The Singing Caverns (16 p): a two-level cavern system with 49 keyed areas, inhabited by orcs, bandits, and the mysteries of a bygone age.
• Philtres & Dusts (3 p): a sampler of magical potions and dusts.
• Red Mound (3 p): a mysterious adventure location found in the wastelands.
• Morale & Men (1 p): a simple, fun set of follower and morale rules from a Hungarian retro-clone, written by two guest-authors.
• The Mysterious Manor (9 p): the manor house of an extinct noble family, now with new occupants... or is there more to it? 23 keyed areas.
• Unkeyed city map (extra)

Yes, there is a downloadable preview (see below)!

Why?

I have always wanted to publish homemade game materials, an idea that has grown on me ever since I fell in love with the rough charm of Judge Guild instalments. I released my first PDF adventure in 2001, and the first printed one in 2003 (through my E.M.D.T. – First Hungarian d20 Society label). Over the years, I have mostly stuck to free PDF releases and community fanzines (with the occasional detour, like the Helvéczia boxed set), but something has always been missing. This is an opportunity to fix that. Finally.

When?

The zine will debut with a pre-release version at Kalandorok Társasága VII (“Society of Adventurers VII”), a Hungarian game convention held on 24 February 2018. The print edition is expected shortly afterwards, in early March. A PDF/POD version will be published through RPGNow with a delay of a few months.

How much?

A print issue is expected to sell for $8.00 plus priority shipping ($3.5 to Europe, $4 to the US and worldwide). The price for the PDF edition is expected to be set around $5. POD is still TBD. All buyers of the print edition will receive a free copy of the PDF edition at the date of its publication.

This is slightly above the average in zine pricing (I did an Excel comparison of 39 OSR and indie zines, and they come out at $11.44 for print/worldwide), but gives you some 14,800 words worth of content per issue (not including the OGL and front/end matter), pays for the commissioned artwork, and Hungary’s prestigiously large tax wedge.

What else?

Since I had to set up a sole proprietorship to get this thing off of the ground, I am thinking about using the opportunity to republish some of my older adventure modules with new artwork in a reader-friendly format. Stay tuned!

From https://beyondfomalhaut.blogspot.de/

 

[Melan]

I'm honoured!

Haven't done an announcement yet because there is nothing to buy ATM - I'm waiting for two pieces of art, then it's off to the press next week. I sold a few pre-print copies at a local convention, and am currently doing some test mailing to see how much time it takes to get to various points of the globe (looks like ca. 3 days to Europe and ca. 8-9 days to the US, and the envelopes have all been undamaged - a good sign).

Here is the Issue #01 cover by the great Denis McCarthy (not the final version - the scan is from a test I did on my home printer):

Already working on some of the articles for Issue #02.

 

[udm]

32-40 pages for $8 + $4 shipping? That's not bad at all. Could stock up my shelves with it, plus always happy to help a fellow Codexer taffer incliner

Melan is there a mailing list to stay up to date?

 

[Melan]

I'll do an announcement here, but a mailing list is not a bad idea. Will look into it!

 

[Melan]

Aaaand here it goes!

I am proud to announce the publication of the first issue of Echoes From Fomalhaut, my old-school fanzine. After a long time on the drawing board, the print version is available from my blog. This issue features three adventures, some miscellaneous stuff, and an unkeyed foldout city map, as well as some excellent artwork by Denis McCarthy and Stefan Poag.

And don't forget... Beware the Beekeeper!

 

[nikolokolus]

Ordered

 

[Melan]

Well, all orders have shipped, or are going to the post tomorrow. I need a nice evening drink...

 

[nikolokolus]

Melan Just got my copy in the mail the other day. I'll just say that there's a lot of good stuff packed in a concise package. I love the un-keyed map you included with the pamphlet. I'll have to see how the adventures play at the table, but so far I appreciate the terse area descriptions - it all comes across as very gameable.

 

[Melan]

Post about it if you end up using in play. I can say it has all been playtested - player caracters have fought and died in those places! (Well, almost died in the second adventure, but lucky saving throws were made.) I aim to write stuff in an expressive but terse style to make it easy for others to run in their own games.

 

[Melan]

Hi Folks,

I am happy to announce the publication of the revised edition of The Barbarian King. A 20-page adventure module for 4th to 6th level player characters, The Barbarian King pits the company against the ruined empire of the mountain barbarians... and the evil that still slumbers therein! This gloomy wilderness and dungeon scenario features deals with malevolent and ultra-powerful spirits, the burial places of a now defeated people, shadowy hosts and deadly traps. It is an action-heavy and fairly deadly romp, designed for OSRIC and other Advanced old-school rulesets.

First published in 2002 as a standalone mini-module (it has a long, fairly convoluted history through revisions and game systems), this edition has been re-edited for easy use, and includes illustrations by Matthew Ray, Stefan Poag and Denis McCarthy.

The module is available in print from my Bigcartel store. A PDF version will be released with a few months' delay. People who buy the print version will also receive the PDF through RPGNow.

In other news, Echoes #01 is now available in PDF, and #02 is coming along nicely - looks like a mid-June release.

 

[Werdna's Revenge]

Gonna have to throw a little money your way for this work. The world can never have enough good OSR content.

 

[nikolokolus]

Looking forward to the next bit.

Spoiler

Since you asked for feedback Melan I'm seeding some hooks for your adventure in zine #1, modified slightly for a Dolmenwood campaign I'm prepping (converted to Elric!/Magic World). I'll let you know how it goes once my players stumble into it.

 

[Melan]

Hi folks,

I am pleased to announce the publication of the second issue of my fanzine, Echoes From Fomalhaut! Featuring a full town supplement, a mini-setting guide and two adventure scenarios (among other things), it is fairly packed even with an increased page count, and after leaving out one of the shoggoths. This issue comes with illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, Andrew Walter and Matt Finch, as well as a dual-sided foldout map, with players' cartography for the Isle of Erillion and the titular town - Gont, Nest of Spies. As before, the zine is focused on GM-friendly adventure scenarios and campaign materials for Advanced RPG systems. You know the type.

This issue contains...

• The Four Wives of Xantun: fantasy scenario in the Dreamlands – what haunts the city-state of Hlanith, what does it have to do with lost love, and what is it about those flowers?
• A Guide to Erillion: an introduction to the Isle of Erillion, a vanilla fantasy mini-campaign setting.
• Eldritch Experiments: what happens when the PCs find an abandoned laboratory and start experimenting?
• Does Energy Drain Suck? (and what to do about it)
• Gont, Nest of Spies: all is not what it seems in the port town of Gont. Features adventure hooks, 21 keyed locations, treacherous NPCs and a lot of ways to get into trouble.
• Down the Smugglers' Walk: the tunnels and dungeons beneath Gont, and the secrets they harbour. 40 keyed locations from underground fighting rings to gateways to other worlds!
• The Swine Lord: a small wilderness scenario featuring a valley with an unwholesome reputation, and those who aren't bothered by it. 11 keyed locations.
• Also... a fold-out players' map of the Isle of Erillion, and of the town of Gont!

The print version of the fanzine is available from my Bigcartel store; the PDF edition will be published through RPGNow with a few months' delay. As always, customers who buy the print edition will receive the PDF version free of charge.

 

[Dorateen]

Missed this thread from back in March. What a fantastic resource! I'll be ordering the first two issues.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

I don't play oldschool OSR, but I can just salute your dedication and work.

 

[J_C]

Question: What is an RPG zine?

 

[Melan]

A fanmade magazine for RPGs (rocket propelled grenades).

 

[Melan]

And here's the two baskets-o-zines I took to the post today:

Quite a handful; spent my last nights filling out invoices, packing, and making sure nobody is left out (and a good thing too, because I almost missed someone ). They're on their way, the postal gods willing!

 

[Dorateen]

Melan

Can I tell you how much I enjoy this illustration below from Beware the Beekeeper!

I love the dwarf with the visor helm stepping into an aggressive downward sword stroke; the angry hairy-footed Halfling swinging his sling. The magic-user making somatic hand gestures to cast a spell. I believe the artist is Stefan Poag? Fantastic job. It would fit right in with any of the illustrations from the 1st edition reference books.

 

[Melan]

Yup; the artist is Stefan Poag himself! I am really happy I could commission him for illustrations after years of seeing his work in others' modules. You can spot the Russ influence in his work, but he has developed a style of his own. I have asked him to do the cover for Echoes #03.

 

[Melan]

And here is the aforementioned cover, depicting the event when the archer Yar'Shalah was ambushed and torn into bits by a carnivorous ape:

In other words, I am pleased to announce the publication of the third issue of Echoes From Fomalhaut! As before, this is a quarterly zine dedicated to adventure scenarios and useful campaign materials for Advanced RPG rules, from OSRIC to all those others I won't mention for legal reasons. The current issue includes illustrations by Stefan Poag (who did the cover), Denis McCarthy, and various Victorian artists. At 44 pages, the issue includes...

• The Great Wheel: A mighty 50’ wheel rolls through the wastelands of Fomalhaut, destroying all in its path, and followed by a ragged host of raiders, fanatics, desperate camp followers and wily opportunists. What purpose drives this great device, and who are its followers?
• Terror on Tridentfish Island: A sword&sorcery module set on a formerly wealthy resort island, dotted with ruined pleasure palaces, enigmatic caverns, and the relics of a bygone age. 17 keyed locations plus two mini-dungeons. This begins the publication of the materials from our City of Vultures campaign, centred around a sinful, decadent city state.
• Monsters of Wizardry: a collection of monsters adapted from the excellent CRPG, Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant. I have had a lot of fun with these.
• Erillion, East: an article describing the eastern half of the Isle of Erillion, from the city of Baklin to the island kingdoms of the Northmen, and from gloomy highlands to enchanted forests. This is a setting you can use on your own, or drop into a corner of your campaign world.
• Also... a detailed fold-out GM’s map of the Isle of Erillion! (This is a companion to the players' less accurate hex map in Issue #02.)

The print version of the fanzine is available from my Bigcartel store; the PDF edition will be published through RPGNow with a few months’ delay. As always, customers who buy the print edition will receive the PDF version free of charge.

 

[nikolokolus]

Once again looking forward to the next installment. Also, nice interview with Matt Finch the other day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJwxr6gVhNE

 

[Werdna's Revenge]

Loved the first issue, and the barbarian king module. I've started a new DCC campaign and have dropped bits and pieces into my stuff. Monster of Wizardry sounds awesomely fun.

 

[Andhaira]

This looks nice; Melan are you supporting any specific OSR game(s) or all of them in general? That is, what stat line do you typically use in your adventures, S&W as a baseline or something?

 

[Melan]

Whew. Thanks for the interest; I spent three evenings signing booklets, folding maps, processing orders and assembling/double-checking packages; all 62 orders until yesterday evening have been packed and mailed. Rest to follow soon; now it's time to appease those fucking vampires do my civic duty and send in my taxes.

This looks nice; Melan are you supporting any specific OSR game(s) or all of them in general? That is, what stat line do you typically use in your adventures, S&W as a baseline or something?

I am going with AD&D OSRIC. Gygaxian AD&D is the wellspring from which everything else flows. Should be easy to convert to any adjacent ruleset with a small effort.

I also have plans to publish some stuff for OD&D S&W (inclding a yuge dungeon set in a vaguely French castle, which is due next year), and recently, I have had some ideas for Into the ODD. But the focus of the zine will be OSRIC.