STRANGE TALES PREVIEW

Strange Tales is in layout and getting ready for release. It is a Chinese horror-inspired roleplaying game, based largely on Strange Tales from the Chinese Studio (and the movies that drew on it). The system is a simple but deadly version of the one used for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. Everything has been stripped down to its essentials, for a much more basic and fast approach. I love how the game runs and feels. The book comes with a bunch of monsters, four adventures, and a lot more. 

All of the interior illustrations are by Jackie Musto. She also did the marvelous cover art. 

Character creation is very fast and divided into Paths. You can select from Demon Hunter, Scholar, Ritual Master, and Wandering Sword. Each path has its own set of abilities it gains with each level. 

This isn't a tome like Ogre Gate though, it is leaner and meant to easily be run after an initial read (the rules chapter is only 4 pages long). 

Each character path has its own abilities. The entries are kept simple and characters don't have to worry about juggling a ton of them. These include everything from Rituals that allow for spiritual combat to amazing feats of martial arts and talismans to control hopping vampires. 

The monster chapter has tons of entries inspired by material from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio and other anomaly accounts and tales. There are also original monsters made in the spirit of the genre and monsters taken from other styles of Chinese horror (for examples movies like Killer Snakes). 

The book has four complete adventures, all with maps by Francesca Baerald. These range in style from exploration to mystery and more.