The Sample Characters are a crew of four Liminals called The South Yorkshire Irregulars. A changeling, a werewolf, a former police detective, and a rogue magician. They all have relationships with supernatural beings or factions (mainly antagonistic ones), and a reason to get involved in the Hidden World. You see, Sigil & Shadow might have been six years in the making, but you’ll get the game within six paragraphs. The mistake I made was to assume that’s all there is to it. Rusch, Doris, and Andy Phelps. 2021. " The Witch’s Way: A Transformational Story Adventure: Theorizing a Model for Existential, Transformative Game Design via the Creation and Analysis of an Experimental Sample Work." At Foundations of Digital Games 2021 Conference (FDG21). Games & Demos. Winner of 2nd place for best-of-show award. Fae courts are also locations which can be accessed through hidden paths, though only if one passes a challenge such as answering a riddle or defeating a monster.

Rusch, Doris C. 2019. “Existential, Transformative Game Design.” Lecture presented at the Department of Public Health and Social Medicine / Social Medicine / CHAP (Child, Health and Parenting), Uppsala University, Dec. 12th, 2019. Some werewolves are well meaning, others indulge in their monstrous nature. All must decide whether to resist the ambitious Jaeger family or join the growing ranks of their werewolf faction. The Jaegers are self-styled werewolf nobility, trying to impose their will upon and exact tribute from the other gangs. Sort of a cross between Sons of Anarchy and The Howling. You already know, and I suspect you get, the premises. Our world, The Extant in Sigil & Shadow terminology, is separated by the Curtain from The Echo. The Echo is a reflection, warped by memories, dreams and emotions, of The Extant. Academic Wizard. Universities in the UK are recruiting grounds for wizards as it turns out. Makes sense to me!Rusch, Doris, and Andy Phelps. 2021. " The Witch's Way." At the International Communication Association (ICA) 2022 Conference Interactive Artifacts Exhibition. Paris, France. I really enjoy the way this book teases out the magic inherent in the British landscape and its folklore. And the way it highlights some truly fascinating locations, such as Portmeirion, the brightly painted artificial village in Wales which, according to this book, has hidden occult significance. (Also, the Scots village of Peebles is a retirement community for legendary and magical beings, including Queen Titania.) This is also the closest I’ve seen to a magic system that replicates a lot of the magical abilities you see in urban fantasy fiction. ( Scion could give it a run for its money, but Scion takes more time and effort to get to grips with.) Chapter 6: Supernatural Beings and Factions Initiative also uses the Skill system. It does favour the NPCs slightly, but it’s easy to understand and follows the core mechanic. I’ve got urban horror RPGs that take the anti-hero path (hello World of Darkness) and those that take the hero path (so many; Liminal, Beyond the Supernatural, even the recently released Flames of Freedom with its historic America setting). But both, by design and not a sourcebook, with a system designed with that in mind. That’s rarer than might opening assumptions give credit.

However, I think the real depth in Sigil & Shadow comes from the metaphysics and mysticism baked into the game. There’s less of a religious nod here than in the latest edition of Kult, but there’s still a wealth of layers. Rusch, Doris C. 2020. "Existential, Transformative Game Design.” Journal of Games, Self & Society 2, no. 1: 1-39. ETC Press. Bowman, Sarah Lynne. 2022. “‘Let's Play a Love Game: Role-playing Intimacy and Relationships in Games.” Paper presented at Popular Culture Association, April 13. Video linked hereIt’s not often this reviewer gets to see his home city in an RPG, but The Edinburgh Inquirers is an example Crew; they are scientists trying to understand the magic of the Hidden World with the assets of a base of operation (Edinburgh University), an occult library, hangers-on and laboratory. Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas. 2021. “Liminal Intimacy: Role-playing Games as Catalysts for Interpersonal Growth and Relating.” Paper presented at Future and Reality of Gaming 2021, 15th Vienna Games Conference, Vienna Austria, November, 26th & 27th 2021. Video linked here Just as ghosts are echoes of people—“a Ghost Realm is an echo of a place long gone. Vanished streets and buildings can still exist as Ghost Realms. Ruins appear as they were in their prime.” Ghost Realms are traps, they are easy to enter and hard to leave. Some of them are ruled over by extremely powerful and malevolent spirits who will actively hunt invaders. Regardless, anyone trapped in a Ghost Realm eventually becomes a ghost themself. All this makes them perfect adventure fodder.

You will also need to note down whether you get a bonus to damage, Endurance or Will from any of your Traits, or your Focus.

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We also get plenty of plot hooks based around all the different factions and types of supernatural being. Vampire nests in abandoned subway systems and rogue wizards in hiding from larger factions. Ghost dragons bound by ancient wards. Witch spirits trapped in church stones. Chapter 8: Being a Game Master Magic is real, and so are magicians. The most powerful or well-known societies of magicians in Britain are the Council of Merlin—a rich and hugely influential old boys’ network, and the Mercury Collegium—criminals who use magic and the supernatural to their advantage. It’s expected PCs will succeed at tasks they’re trained in most of the time. They’re not super-powerful badasses, but they are competent and effective in their chosen field(s). But you know. You're at the edge of the Hidden World. Maybe you've seen it and can't ignore it. Maybe you're from the Hidden World, but with ties to humanity. Many RPG systems begin life in fantasy, and that’s where I know d100Lite from. How well does it cope with modern concerns?