Among the many bustling stalls at Tabletop Scotland this weekend, the grimly attired figures from Caesar Ink stand out.
Dressed in their customary cassocks and casting a disapproving eye over proceedings, the team behind the award-winning roleplaying game Doomsong have brought physical demo copies of their next chapter, Thou Shalt Not Suffer The Wycce, and a remarkable prototype of a candle that acts as a timer for the adventure.
Thou Shalt Not Suffer The Wycce is the second adventure in the Doomsong series, following the plague-ridden sandbox of the first release, Lord Have Mercy Upon Us. The new book pivots from open-world survival to a focused investigation. Players take on the roles of Wyccefinders, members of an official guild tasked with rooting out heresy and witchcraft in a dying, quasi-biblical world. Their current mission: to confront a demon.
The tone is relentlessly bleak, with the developers suggesting a feel akin to medieval Judge Dredd, where the characters are investigator, judge, and, when necessary, executioner. In this doomed world, character death is not just a possibility but an expectation. To soften the blow, Doomsong employs a unique life-path system for character generation, designed to make creating a new Wyccefinder as engaging as playing one.
While attendees at Tabletop Scotland can see and handle early print copies of the book, Caesar Ink has also made a digital preview available. A free PDF preview of Thou Shalt Not Suffer The Wycce can be accessed by signing up for the publisher’s newsletter or directly via a Google Drive link.
Perhaps the most striking reveal at the convention is the prototype for the Doomsong candle. This is not mere merchandise but a gameplay component. The intricately carved, altar-like candle is designed to be lit at the start of the adventure. As it melts down, it passes through three distinct sections, each corresponding to a chapter of the investigation. The dwindling wax serves as a physical manifestation of the party’s running-out time, ratcheting up the tension as the inescapable doom of the setting closes in.
The game mechanics for Doomsong, described as a “roleplay macabre”, use a system of D6 dice pools for checks, with a “Doomcoin” flip adding a layer of critical success or failure. The series, inspired by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, has a clear roadmap, with future instalments planned to pit players against Death and, in a final showdown, Conquest.
The project has already drawn praise from prominent figures in the tabletop scene. In a comment on the upcoming Kickstarter, Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time, noted the game “feels like WFRP meets Traveller“. Quintin Smith of Shut Up and Sit Down praised the first book, saying, “I love the Doomcoin, I love the guild framework, I love the attitude of the book that feels sooooo tonally consistent.”
The Kickstarter preview for Thou Shalt Not Suffer The Wycce is now live, aiming to fund the beautifully produced hardback book brimming with artwork by Moritz Krebs.
Quick Links
- Caesar Ink newsletter.
- Digital: Doomsong.
- Kickstarter: Thou Shalt Not Suffer The Wycce
A special thanks to All Rolled Up for sponsoring Geek Native’s coverage of Tabletop Scotland. You can find them in the trade hall and explore their fantastic range of indie RPGs and high-quality gaming accessories on the All Rolled Up website. You also also win £50 to spend with them.
