Luke Gygax and Colorado-based publisher Gooey Cube have partnered to publish The Temple of Inquinatious Evil, a two-box fantasy roleplaying campaign launching on BackerKit on 20 October 2026. The 500-page release pays tribute to Gary Gygax’s 1985 module The Temple of Elemental Evil and continues the campaign setting introduced in their previous collaboration, The Tomb of Gyzaengaxx.
The adventure follows player characters from the settlement of Etholmm through the infected mining outpost of Blun, then down into a five-tier subterranean complex. Beyond the central dungeon, the release details the corrupted realm of Sha’adenmere, situated directly north of the Barrowlands setting. While Luke Gygax has previously published standalone fifth edition scenarios like Rogues’ Gambit, this production represents his largest multi-book boxed project to date.
Luke Gygax, co-creator at Gooey Cube, said in a statement,
This project is particularly meaningful to me because it’s an opportunity to honor my father, Gary Gygax, and the incredible contributions he made to our hobby. The Temple is a tribute to one of his most memorable creations, reimagined as an entirely new adventure filled with danger, mystery, and opportunities for heroic deeds.”
Boxed set specifications and physical handouts
The production splits its contents into two standalone slipcase boxes: an adventure set centred on the dungeon delve, and an open regional gazetteer for broader sandbox play.
| Boxed Set Collection | Core Volume | Visual Handouts & Portraits | Reference Cards | Cartography |
| Temple Adventure Box | 150-page Adventure & GM Guide | 50+ Art Handouts, 24 NPC Portraits | 40 Item Cards, 24 Gooey Rewards Cards | 5 Dungeon Level Floorplans |
| Sha’adenmere Setting Box | 350-page Setting Gazetteer & Lore | 75 Art Handouts, 90 NPC Portraits | 100 Reference Cards | 2 Regional Poster Maps, 20 Site Maps |
Alongside the primary text, Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood has supplied an accompanying adventure titled A Malady of Mimics, which introduces predatory Emimickers into the local setting. Gooey Cube has also added an early reservation bonus module, A Devil of a Detail, which tasks characters with defending Garold Gyzaengaxx’s estate from an infernal repossession agent named Don Vi’ino Cologné.
Multi-system conversion and the Deathbringer scrutiny
Gooey Cube lists mechanical compatibility across fifth edition, 5.5, and Old-School Essentials (OSE). The publisher has also announced an official conversion for Deathbringer, collaborating directly with channel host Dan De Fazio (Professor Dungeon Master) and Stephen Glicker of Roll for Combat.
Reconciling these rules introduces genuine design challenges. Modern fifth edition relies on deep hit point buffers, generous rest cycles, and superheroic character survivability. Conversely, Old-School Essentials runs on strict inventory capacity, low hit dice pools, and sudden lethality. Balancing traps, monster lethality, and room scaling across both playstyles requires separate statistical write-ups rather than simple conversion notes, a detail the studio has not yet clarified in preview documents.
The tie-in with Deathbringer also brings cultural scrutiny to the campaign. Although Deathbringer generated substantial funding on BackerKit, the ruleset drew community pushback for its visual treatment of women. Critics highlighted its heavy reliance on retro 1980s low-fantasy tropes, such as warrior nuns in sheer lingerie and chainmail bikinis, placed directly alongside male characters depicted in realistic, full-body plate armour. While defenders see the art as intentional heavy-metal satire, incorporating that style into a family heritage project honouring Gary Gygax creates an uneven tonal clash.
Physical production and global fulfilment for both boxed sets are planned for delivery in 2027.
Quick Links
Independently covering old school essentials since 2021. Our archive includes 25 entries connected to this topic.
Latest entry: October 2026
