The first book in Benedict Patrick's Yarnworld series,
They Mostly Come Out At Night opens a window into a primeval forest, helpless woodsfolk, their fears, and the vicious beasts that stalk them beneath shrouded boughs. An atmospheric fantasy that marries subtle world building with the dark heart of fairy tales. Composed of three interweaving narratives: the present plight of the protagonist plagued by nightmares, the lessons taught by the mythical(?) Magpie King to his son, and the folktales comprising the forest folk's oral tradition. They form a tale and setting that still sticks with me despite the 2 years since I read it. Everything has a weight of mythology and meaning to it, though we don't spend a lot of time ruminating on that meaning in the text. It's fast paced, like a roller coaster.
If you're a fan of Scott Snyder's
Batman run,
Grimm's Fairy Tales, or
The Sandman then you owe it to yourself to check this book out. You can find it
here.
Written by Zedeck Siew, presented by the Hydra Cooperative, and published by Exalted Funeral.
The Lorn Song of the Bachelor is an adventure focused on a stretch of tropical river haunted by a seemingly immortal crocodile. Whether hired by an exploitative company or following rumors of their own volition your adventurers quickly find themselves in deep current far enough from shore that they just can't reach. Brimming with Zedeck's fantastic prose (check some out
here) and Nadhir Nor's evocative illustrations,
Lorn Song presents a well organized adventure location and the forces, internal and external, coming to bear. Dripping with flavor and sense of place, the climate and environs of the SE Asian Pacific really comes through. We should all take notes on this and how the adventure grapples with complex themes of colonialism. Overall, it shows what independent creators are capable of and show why the SE Asian RPG scene is one to watch going forward.
You can find it in print
here or in pdf
here.
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