Wickerpunk publisher Crow Land will launch Starpunk on Kickstarter as a new guidebook for D&D and d20 masters.
Christian Read, writer and publisher at Crow Land, explained that as Wickerpunk showed how to bring folk horror to D&D style heroic fantasy, Starpunk is about carving out a genre that blends fantasy with cosmic horror.
I’m obviously very excited. I’ve been a Lovecraft guy for decades, I’ve written for Call of Cthulhu, and am perhaps best know for my Dread Empire of Tsan Chan monograph. This is years of me running, playing, and loving in Lovecraftian worlds. I’ve been frustrated by many attempts to sort of ram the Old Ones into existing fantasy, and want to discuss how to run a campaign with the dread magnificence Cthulhu and all his tentaclish mates deserve.”
Addressing cosmic horror’s legacy
Starpunk confronts the problematic origins of cosmic horror, encouraging responsible and inclusive storytelling. It offers insights into creating player characters capable of facing cosmic dread, emphasizing the psychological and emotional impact of such encounters.
Reimagining D&D tropes
Core D&D concepts are reinterpreted through a cosmic horror lens. Alignment gains new significance as players navigate moral ambiguity and the allure of forbidden power. Magic items, planes, gods, and Elder Evils take on unsettling new forms.
Building a cosmic horror campaign
Starpunk provides detailed guidance on defining and distinguishing cosmic horror from typical fantasy threats. It includes extensive bestiary, location descriptions, and adventure-building resources to empower Game Masters in creating memorable encounters. Innovative sanity and corruption mechanics offer nuanced ways to portray the effects of cosmic horror on characters.
Magic, Cults, and Cosmic Factions
Magic assumes a darker nature, featuring twisted spells, cursed objects, and reality-altering devices. Sinister cults and cosmic factions struggle for dominance, providing opportunities for complex intrigue and alliances. The supplement also suggests ways to adapt cosmic horror to other campaign settings, increasing its versatility.
Resources for Game Masters
Starpunk provides hundreds of plot hooks, adventure seeds, campaign arcs, and complete campaigns to inspire Game Masters. Written by an experienced horror GM, it offers practical advice to ensure cosmic horror campaigns are both engaging and thematically resonant.
This 200-page B&W supplement boasts a clean and functional layout. Starpunk is intended to be a resource for Game Masters interested in incorporating cosmic horror into their D&D 5e games.
Quick Links
- Kickstarter: Starpunk
