An all-Jewish team spent two years researching and consulting for Beyond the Pale to bring us a respectful horror RPG.
There are monsters and magic in this OSR adventure and history, as an actual place in the Russian Empire known as The Pale of Settlement existed from 1791 to 1917. Jews were restricted to this region.
The Glasgow-based Lost Pages are several times over their funding goal.
In Beyond the Pale, PCs can fight to prevent or assist a great cataclysm.
The action is first set in a village called Kest, also based on a real place, and the characters will meet dodgy politicians, scholars, trickers, witches and then creepier encounters once they move out into the dark forests.
The publisher stresses how much thought has gone into the representation of these and that we have beasts like the unrelenting dybbuk, a vengeful mazzik, and the malicious Alukah.
Yochai Gal‘s Cairn is the recommended system for Beyond the Pale, although we’re told any OSR will do.
As it happens, Yochai Gal is the game designer for Beyond the Pale.
At its core, Beyond the Pale is still an old school adventure. Characters are expected to explore deadly dungeons, surviving on wit, critical thinking, and a bit of luck. The book will feature two distinct dungeons for the PCs to explore, each designed around a real symbol of Jewish identity.
There are two reward tiers for the Jewish folklore horror RPG. The first, £10, gets backers the PDF as a thank you. That is expected to be delivered in January 2024, pretty much as the Kickstarter concludes.
The second tier, £25, gets you the hardback book edition, and that’s due in July.
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