Tabletop publisher Chaosium will launch the crowdfunding campaign for its new post-apocalyptic game, Time Without Tide: Mirth & Misery in a World of Fog, on 1 September 2026 on BackerKit. Followers of the pre-launch campaign can immediately download the complete 62-page digital quickstart rules at no cost, which includes a starter scenario, pre-generated characters, and introductory mechanics.
Developed over nearly a decade by Melbourne-based designer James Coquillat, the project marks an ambitious departure from Chaosium’s traditional percentile rules. Instead of the d100 engine found in Call of Cthulhu or RuneQuest, the system uses an original D6 dice pool focused on light management, party survival, and mutating character abilities.
The setting is the World of Fog, a ruined faux-Victorian landscape created when the moon shattered, blanketed civilisation in an unnatural mist called the Unknown. Players take on the role of Delvers operating out of the fortified coastal city of Saltport, venturing into the gloom with light-bearing lanterns and ancient teleportation devices known as relays.
James Coquillat, Creator at Chaosium, described the world on BackerKit,
Decades have passed. Anybody who remembers the Sundering is dead or suspiciously old. After a few generations of despair, humanity shakily hauled itself upright. Getting this far was a struggle, but even the softest of Decadent hands grew calloused eventually. Now, human civilisation with all of its glories, follies, and flaws, is fighting back.”
Customisation, Traits, and Malignant Adaptations
Character creation pairs three core traits (Body, Mind, and Will) across six distinct skills: Culture, Industry, Navigation, Skulduggery, Survival, and Violence. Tests resolve by rolling a pool of six-sided dice equal to the combined trait and skill score, with every roll of 5 or 6 counting as a mark toward success.
Progression departs from rigid class boundaries through a multi-tier system of records:
- Natural Skills and Backgrounds: Delvers select origins such as the Diver, Form Wizard, or Derelict, each of which modifies base traits and grants early skill points.
- Skill Features: Spending experience points earns junior features at skill rank 2 and veteran features at rank 4, providing specialised situational bonuses.
- Adaptations: Severe trauma or monster attacks can trigger chaotic mutations. These begin as malignant penalties, but players can invest experience points over time to transform them into powerful abilities.
- Ward and Lighting Mechanics: Tactical combat requires parties to maintain light levels across the battlefield, as the encroaching fog empowers enemies and inflicts direct damage on exposed characters.
Chaosium originally scheduled the campaign for mid-August, following the physical quickstart distribution at Gen Con, but later adjusted the launch date to finalise digital stretch goals, video previews, and virtual tabletop integration. Those who place a $3 pre-launch reservation will also receive a physical copy of the 62-page booklet and a Delver pin alongside their pledge.
