It’s February, and we know what that means: it’s Zine Month! This is my second year talking about some of the projects that have caught my attention, the first time being back in 2023, and just like last time I’m highlighting four projects that (after much agonizing and deliberation because wow there’s so much creativity I’d love to support) I wound up backing.
Calpini by Fistful of Crits
“Hear us, O Keeper of the Moon’s Fire. Shield your Priestess from the jaws of the dark. Shroud her in the veil of your light. That she may weave the silk of what lies beyond tomorrow.
Protect us as we hover beneath your sky. Let the glow of your flame guide our hearts and minds. Let no shadow mar our wings, nor darkness cloud our sight. For as long as she is held in your light, we are yours, O Mother, in your light we love.”
So opens the delightful kickstarter page for Calpini, part mystery, part horror, and billed as being for fans of OSR and rules-lite playing styles. What really caught my attention is the feeling of the world inhabited by the Calpini people, who have thrived under the watchful eye of their nameless, ancient Goddess for ages. For their devotion, they have been granted the silk of divine prophecy, but a young priestess – Calyptra – has become a figure of dread in a temple that once radiated peace.
As the Moon’s gentle flow twists red, and shadows reach across the land, players will have the opportunity to lean into Calpini’s Scars and Trauma to see if they can survive long enough to uncover the mystery within the stained-glass temple of their Goddess.
The unsettling feeling I got looking over the funding page is everything I needed to hit “back this project”. I’m really looking forward to seeing this one come in, and holding it in my hands!
Metamorphosis: Becoming Fae—or, the Art of Change by Tally Owl Press
You are a magic thing and you have left Arcadia. The human world is vast and daunting. Perhaps you’re returning home; perhaps this place is even stranger than Arcadia to you. Regardless, you must decide whether to seek revenge, reconciliation, or reinvention of the self. Eat the Fair Folk. Or beg them for forgiveness. Or rise in their ranks. Or, if you’re lucky, find a way to escape your Curses and write a new ending to your story.
A Powered by the Acopalypse game inspired by games such as Monster of the Week and Heart: the City Beneath, Metamorphosis comes in at over 100 pages, with nine playbooks, distinct modes of play including Heists and Wild Hunts, and gorgeous art and layout from Outrider Creative (Perils & Princesses is on my list to pick up later this year).
After the art, the playbooks are what caught my attention. Through the quickstart guide, I was able to take a quick browse through the Chevalier’s playbook, and enjoyed the way Virtues and Vices are brought into play, as well as the flavour around this playbook’s specific moveset. It makes sense – obviously – for playbooks to reflect the world they are a part of, and reading this one made me excited to delve further into the world, my imagination spinning off in a dozen directions.
As a note, “Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss” made me laugh – it is one of the Hag abilities, and I appreciated the humour being attached to these master deal makers. What’s also interesting is how it seems the Seasons themselves can influence each playbook’s… play. Do you take particular joy in breaking happy couples up, for example? Well, so do Winter aligned Hags!
I know this is one I will be looking forward to leafing through the playbooks for once the game is complete. I’m also interested in seeing the different types of missions that may be available, and guidelines for how those are to be run. I’m also sucker for the mission to downtime cycle, which this includes, and look forward to ruminating over what options my theorectical party could take during downtime.
Reel Fear: Horror Simulation TTRPG by UGLI Games
Step into the shoes of actors cast in a horror film in this rules-light, story-forward TTRPG featuring a d8 system! With four archetypes (Carver, Enforcer, Influencer, Savant) with eight unique abilities each, you’ll be tasked with advocating for your character in the film, and making it out alive while fulfilling their specific motivations.
I’m nothing if not a sucker for a strong aesthetic, and this one really leans heavily into the two-screen local cinema feel. I love the design previews that show the pages bordered like film reel, and I enjoy the nodes the scenarios give to classic horror tropes and films. It’s fun to scroll through their introduction packet, and makes me look forward to doing the same with the finished product. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is about this, but there’s something nostalgic in the design here that both reminds me of the excitement of Saturday morning cartoons, and of sitting down with a new book on Christmas. Very specific, very not horror centered, but calling to my pulp horror loving heart in a way I appreciate.
Plus, what’s not to enjoy behind the premise of playing an actor who has been cast in a horror film? I’m here for it!
MAD: Enter the WonderDark by NamaStacy
Wonderland: poised for revenge after its visitors and royalty have spent years exploiting its riches and diversity. The skies have darkened, storms raging, and its citizens destroying any who make their way across the once colorful landscape. The roses will paint the WonderDark red with the blood of those who trespass.
Jump into this MÖRK BORG compatible setting, which includes new items, outcasts, and a twisted turn on the base classes found in MÖRK BORG. Not enough? How about new d20 tables, including ones for treats and hallucinogenic effects? Would it really be drawing from its inspiration if there weren’t treats aplenty with something… extra? I didn’t think so!
So far we know we can play as the Blood Queen, or the Darksmoke Seer (the caterpillar), and there will be six classes in total. Stretch goals include more classes though, so if you want to see more options, time to back the project!
Particularly found of the mash-up of digital art and public domain images, and I think Wonderland is a perfect setting to mash up with the pitch-black apocalyptic fantasy RPG that is MÖRK BORG!
That’s all for this week! Until next time, stay cozy, and if you want to join your companions around the cauldron, sign up for email updates below!
The Cozy Cauldron 
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