Hello and welcome back to the LunarShadow Designs newsletter. It's 2024, it's February and normally that would mean kicking off this post with an announcement of a new game as part of ZineQuest. But not this year. I'm taking a break to recharge and to spend the time developing ideas. More on that in the coming months, the big news to start the year is…
New Release: Hopes and Dreams of the Orbital Bound
Step aboard Hab 3, build your community and explore everyday life aboard a gigantic alien megastructure in this GMless slice of life RPG. Focusing on ordinary people living in extraordinary times Hopes and Dreams of the Orbital Bound is inspired by Becky Chambers cosy sci-fi Wayfarer novels and Gregor Hutton's cyberpunk RPG Remember Tomorrow. Over a series of sessions your characters will strive to achieve their dreams and to push back against the Factions and Situations affecting their communities. Will you reach for the stars or will events beyond your control hold you back and prevent you from fulfilling your dreams?
Hopes and Dreams of the Orbital Bound is available now in PDF from drivethruRPG and itch.io. It’s available in print from Beyond Cataclysm books (please support this awesome FLGS!) and the LunarShadow Designs Etsy store. The zine is presented in a beautiful A5 landscape format, with writing by Craig Duffy (that's me), editing by Emzy Wisker and art by Blair Smith and Val Sannais.
ZineQuest Calls!
I made the decision at the end of last year that I was going to skip ZineQuest as a creator but that doesn't mean I'm skipping it as a gamer and I wanted to provide a quick round up of games that I've backed or have grabbed my attention. This isn't an exclusive list and you should check out the unofficial Zine Month 2024 site for a (fairly) full listing of campaigns running this month.
Milk Bar
Post-Soviet alternate timeline sci-fi from Eryk Sawicki of Peregrine Coast Press? Sign me up. I love retro-scifi and this hits so many of my interests that it was an instant back for me. I'm really interested to discover how it builds its world and explores the themes of rebuilding in a post collapse world filled with strange mega-structures and future tech.
Void Above
Hard sci-fi and rules light systems aren't a common combo, let alone when you add colourful settings with a focus on avoiding violence. This is a game from creators I haven't come across before but the quick start available on drivethruRPG and itch provides a snapshot of an interesting system with clean layout.
Astronomical
Two player sci-fi letter writing games are 100% my jam and I love that this style of game is continuing to garner attention post lockdown. The game is presented in two short A6 booklets, one for each player and containing a mixture of shared rules and unique prompts. I love this asymmetrical presentation and that by design the two players are always going to experience a different series of events.
Ganymede Outriders
Ganymede Outriders is a big game in a little package, about the resourceful few called upon to deal with problems in the wastelands of Ganymede, far from the protection of the domes. It’s built for fast, thematic play with a focus on high action, all packaged in a short A6 zine.
Field Agents Handbooks
Sharpen your ESP skills and seek out suspicious activity using this collection of handbooks from the observancy department. Part solo RPG, part LARP this is an intriguing looking game presented as in-world artefacts from a department of the 1920s that sends its agents out to observe suspicious activity and unusual occurences. The 4 handbooks each focus upon a distinct area of interest, from the role of giants in shaping the landscape to the giant beasts that may lurk within the clouds.
The Wrap Up
While I’m not running a campaign this year ZineQuest is, as always, a big part of February for me and I wish the best to all the creators that are once again showcasing the diversity of the indie RPG scene. With the implosion and fragmentation of social media over the last year it is becoming harder than ever to just get games in front of people. That means any boosts are really appreciated so if you do see a project that interests you please talk about it and share the links because it really does help.
With no project of my own to promote or work on at the moment I’m spending the month reading through some of the many zines I’ve acquired over the past couple of years. Partially to mine for ideas but mostly just to enjoy, so with that in mind I’ll leave you to it as I return to reading Outliers by Samantha Leigh.
Stay safe,
Craig