Handiwork Games and Malcolm Craig, a senior lecturer in Cold War history at John Moore’s University, have funded two related horror TTRPGs on Kickstarter. The fantastic art is by Paul Bourne.
Cold City and Hot War are different games with different twists and mechanical nuances, but they’re related, and Hot War is the terrifying conclusion to Cold City. The campaign, which offers a slipcase, wraps up its crowdfunding on March 25th.
The Cold City is post-World War II Berlin, and the dark corners of the city are rife with horrors of fringe science. In the game, characters are partly defined by what others think of them and how much they’re trusted.
Hot City is set in the post-nuclear war remains of London. It’s 1963, and society has broken down.
Both books are presented as full-colour, digest-sized books in hardcover. Cold City will be at least 160 pages, Hot War at least 204 pages. Filled with new historical footnotes, beautiful artwork, and in-world documents these books bring both eras to life even more than ever before.
Each game stands alone, and is completely playable in its own right.
There are two £16 tiers: one for the Cold City PDF and one for the Hot War PDF. Backers who pledge £30 or more will get both Hot War and Cold City in PDF as rewards.
All three tiers include optional add-on access.
The attraction of the campaign for many is the exclusive slipcase, which comes only with both books. However, backers at £32 can get the Cold City Book in hardcover as a standalone. Alternatively, a separate tier, also at £32, unlocks Hot War.
There are economies of scale for supporters who can step up to £60 as the reward is both books and the slipcase at that level.
The £90 tier adds in Cold City Hot War report books and both game play packs.
There’s a special edition slipcase, limited in numbers and selling out, which is reversed for those gamers who pledge £120.
Handiwork Games estimates a January 2026 delivery for all the tiers, and there’s a retailer level.
