Cubicle 7 have rekindled its work on its tabletop RPG based on Charles Stross’ novels about bureaucracy, tech-magic and cosmic horror.
The Kickstarter for The Laundry Files TTRPG asked for €20,000 and has done much better than that. There’s about two weeks left to back, with the campaign finishing on May 1st, and there’s nearly 1,000 backers and over €130,000 pledged. You can see the latest figures on the pitch page.
In The Laundry Files, we explore the stranger corners of space and time, where things are not always what they seem. We encounter terrifying beings, some of which have tentacles, that lurk in these dimensions. People like Al-Hazred, John Dee, HP Lovecraft, and Alan Turing have all touched these worlds. Magic in this realm is connected to mathematics, and specific aspects make magic more powerful. Using computers gives it an extra boost, making everything even more thrilling and relatable.
Some of the The Laundry: Collector’s Edition will be signed by the Hugo Award-winning Charles Stross.
Cubicle 7 has decided to use their C7d6 system for the second edition of The Laundry Files. In this system, if you want to perform an action, you need to roll six-sided dice that are equal to your Attribute score plus any Training you have in the relevant field. For instance, if you have Mind 3 and two levels of Training in the Occult Skill, you will get a dice pool of 5d6. After rolling the dice, if any of them surpass the Task’s difficulty, you have succeeded!
In the RPG, characters are part of the Laundry, a team of overworked and underpaid employees who have to deal with banishment rounds, creatures from another realm, and other dangerous situations. Characters might have a day job as an accountant, IT support, or something weirder. But as part of their Active Duty, you’ll join other operatives on exciting (and deadly) missions.
There is no ‘typical’ when it comes to Laundry missions. You could be sent to the heart of London, Wolverhampton, or Milton Keynes. You may even be sent overseas, but you’ll have to be careful not to ruffle any feathers — the Black Chamber and the Thirteenth Directorate are quick to halt clandestine Laundry operations. While they might have the same job as you, they handle things very differently, and some refuse to believe that the Cold War is over.
Backers get access to the pledge manager for €5 and the first reward at €56, which is quite a jump. The reward for that leap is all the relevant stretch goals, the Supervisor’s Guide and Operative’s Handbook in PDF.
Then, at €85, the Black Bag Jobs Reported and Introduction to Applied Occult Computing supplements are added, and we’re still all digital.
Physical copies aren’t that far away, coming with PDF clones, and the Operative’s Handbook with Supervisor’s Guide hardcovers are the rewards for backers at €90,
A far more popular tier, though, is €145, with Black Bag Jobs Reopened and an Introduction of Applied Occult Computing in hardcover also added to the rewards.
A Collector’s Edition Slipcase unlocks at €235 and the signed copy at €305. There’s also a retailer’s tier, which has backers.
Cubicle 7 estimates a February 2025 delivery for the project.
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