The new Irish publisher Old Oak Games has found immediate Kickstarter with Beyond the Woods, a hexcrawl for 5e. In part, that’s because the game is from Emmet Byrne, the lead designer from Broken Weave and Warhammer Age of Sigmar Soulbound.
Beyond the Woods is crowdfunding until April 10th.
The game is set in an Irish mythology-inspired Tir Nascath, a dark land where the magical Golden Oak has been protecting people from the undead Slaugh. Now, though, with the death of the tree, the PCs must explore/hexcrawl to a new home.
There’s a free download quickstart and that’s currently sitting on 4.5/5 stars on DriveThruRPG after several ratings.
On offer is a two-book core set, map and stickers, five new lineages for 5e, and new classes and rules for exploration and survival.
There’s also new monsters inspired by Irish folklore to help give the game its own grim Celtic vibe.
Beyond the Woods brings classic open-world fantasy roleplaying and exploration to 5e. It’s a hexcrawl survival game set against the backdrop of a beautiful and terrifying world inspired by Irish mythology and influenced by games like Elden Ring. The incredible core set gives players the freedom to explore the lands of Tír Nascath, hex by hex, and to customise their map as they brave fallen cities, rediscover lost villages, and uncover the secret history of this ancient and mysterious world.
Backers at €38, about £32, get the PDF set of Beyond the Woods and all the digital stretch goals.
The core rules’ hardcover and digital goodies unlock at €48.
The two main books, the core rules and setting guide are the rewards for backers at €95, along with the digital downloads.
The featured tier, which is currently less popular than the more expensive tier coming next, adds a slipcase, GM screen, fold-out map and stickers. That’s set at €125 for backers.
However, the Golden Oak Collector’s Edition, a reward for €240 backers, is more popular and upgrades to leatherbound books and gets your name in the special thanks section. This is a limited tier.
Emmet Byrne and Old Oak Publishing have put an August 2026 delivery date estimate on the game.
