Underground Oracle Publishing are bringing high fantasy to a post-apocalyptic setting and scattering in the look of crystal punk Harrow: The Blighted Plane.
The RPG will use Monte Cook Games’ excellent Cypher System. It is embedded in a challenging (to survive) setting and yet manages to evoke some hope. What is crystal punk? The pitch video shows some of the looks, and Urban Dictionary adds; “It is aesthetically centered on natural crystal and precious mineral formations.”
The Kickstarter has just under a month to run and is 4/5ths of the way there, and you can find out more on the pitch page.
You need no prior experience with Cypher System to get into Harrow, although, and it’s not that clear, I think you need a copy of the core rules.
Update: 10th April – Underground Oracle Publishing has confirmed you will not need any more Cypher System books. You can start with Harrow with no previous purchases or experience with the system.
Harrow adds three Types, five Species, 15 descriptors and more than 20 foci to describe your character. That’s how the Cypher System works. So your PC might be a risk-taking Crysallis Rover who Tears Across the Sands. If you can weave any of those aspects into a challenge, then it benefits your dice.
At the helm of Underground Oracle is Managing Editor Jess Pendley, a name you might recognise from design work for Dwarven Forge or the Crucible Magazines. At the DMsGuild, Jess co-led Dark Reflections.
Also involved are Creative Director Keith Pendley, General Manager Kayla Bayens, Christopher Hopper, Tasca Skelton and Alex Pushkarev.
While playing in Harrow, you’ll explore massive fungal forests filled with dangerous creatures and strange beings competing for the precious natural resources found there. You’ll guide your small vessel across the unending watersands while trying to outrun the massive ships of the plunderous Lekaine Armada. You’ll uncover powerful artifacts of the fallen kitarya’s dynasty as you try to stave off the mutating effects of the energies that roll through the Lucent Wastes. You may even find your way off of the Blighted Plane, should your luck play out and you so choose.
Backers get access to add-ons with a $2 support offer, and at $20, get a PDF of the game as a reward and early access. If you’re pumped to explore Harrow, then you don’t need to wait.
At $40, there’s the print-on-demand code (with DriveThru’s costs to pay) for both the hardcover and softcover added as rewards.
At $45, there are no codes for printing but the Foundry VTT module instead. Backers who fancy the VTT and POD get both at $70.
The top $200 tier is sold out, but the $100 Producer tier is unlimited, which gets all the add-ons, the combos, a producer credit and an exclusive Discord badge.
Underground Oracle estimate the project, if it funds, will be ready by August.
What do you think? Sound off in the comment section below.
