Just Backed #1: Lords of Gossamer and Shadow / Atlantis: the Second Age

Howdy, guys!

I just supported these two projects, which I want to share with you since I think they are worth your time and money (click on the covers to go to their Kickstarter page).

Lords of Gossamer and Shadow

A spiritual successor to Erick Wujcik's popular roleplaying game, Amber Diceless, by Jason Durall from Rite Publishing (he worked on the original Amber game, as well as A Game of Thrones RPG and Supernatural RPG). The system has been revised and updated, but all the new material keeps compatibility with the old game, so it may be worth checking out even if you are happy with your copy of Amber Diceless.

A far warning to the fans of Roger Zelazny, though: the game doesn't use The Chronicles of Amber novels setting but rather has its own. I don't think this is bad, on the contrary, I think it's positive since you don't have to read the novels to understand the game, everything you need is on the corebook. It may also be yet another good reason for fans of the Amber Diceless game to check this project, you don't only get an updated system, but a new setting as well.

Atlantis: the Second Age

A revision of the old Atlantis game by Jerry D. Grayson from Khepera Publishing (the author of Godsend Agenda and Hellas: Worlds of Sun and Stone). Unlike its predecessors, the game breaks with the traditional elements of classic western fantasy (no elves nor dwarves, for example), giving it a sword & sorcery feel inspired by the work of Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melniboné) and Robert E. Howard (Conan).

Something I love about the way this Kickstarter was handled is that you can download the full playtest of the game (221 pages) to check by yourself if you like it or now (the download link is just below the video). I think more publishers should do this. To be honest, I wasn't going to back this project until I saw the playtest and, to me delight, it was exactly what I was looking for in a fantasy game right now. I suppose I'm not the only one who was convinced to back this game after seeing the playtest, which is why I think it's a great idea for publishers to do.