Pencil Sword Dice are a small indie tabletop studio with a stand at UK Games Expo 25, and they have news.
The publisher’s goblin-slaying system-agnostic setting zine, North of Nowhere, now has a companion publication. Mysteries of Northwood also avoids systems and positions itself midway between grim and high fantasy.

Launched for the Expo, Mysteries of Northwood is a woodland setting steeped with adventure. It’s a contrast to the city of Easteros, in which North of Nowhere was set.
Pencil Sword Dice also offers several sets, with additional pieces available for purchase through their website and at their booth. The studio has its own resin printers and manufactures pieces to bring fantasy tabletop action from the theatre of the mind to tactical engagement on the tabletop.
Plans for the future are ambitious, with Pencil Sword Dice aiming to become a one-stop shop for gamers needs. The publisher has already created custom cartography for gamers wanting to have maps created for their campaign settings.

As part of the one-stop-shop approach, Pencil Sword Dice also blogs gaming advice with articles such as How to Play Tabletop RPGs on a Budget. Their own TTRPG zines are a good fit for this, with both zines costing less than £10. However, helpfully, in their blog post, Pencil Sword Dice point out that gamers can go even cheaper than low-cost and can enjoy TTRPGs for free. Thye note;
Many RPG systems offer their core rulebooks for free, allowing you to dive into the world of tabletop gaming without spending a dime. Systems like Fate Core, Dungeon World, and OpenD6 provide comprehensive rule sets that are accessible online, making them perfect for beginners and those on a tight budget.
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A special thanks to Vortex Verlag for sponsoring Geek Native’s coverage of UK Games Expo. You can meet them at stand 3A-758 and find out about the exciting new Serenissima Obscura crowdfunding campaign.