¶ In Development
Cursed Land is currently in development and is being playtested. We have an open campaign which is run via Discord. I'm very open to meeting other GMs willing to run the setting/game and provide feedback!
The setting, artwork, and original work is offered under a version of the Open Gaming License.
We will be releasing the game as adventure PDFs digitally, and the goal is to compile them together into a full-sized Cursed Land Codex in the future - including maps, artwork, and more.
¶ Running the Game
What do I need to play?
All you need is a few sets of polyhedral dice, a blank notebook and something to write with. And then to create a character, and find some friends to play! I personally use Fari as a virtual tabletop simulator - and find it works well, having been designed specifically for FATE/Fudge style tabletop games.
Other formats of character sheet are availablle at Character Sheets.
What is the ideal group for a game of Cursed Land?
Including the GM, I've found anything between two and six works best. With all tabletop games, it's about making sure each player has their turn in the spotlight.
Our community Discord offers downtime activities and hybrid / open sessions at times, so even if your campaign doesn't play this way, come and introduce your character to the rest of us!
One great thing about Cursed Land is that there's no scaling to be done on the GM's part - so adding or subtracting Players doesn't change encounters all that much (it just makes things take longer!).
Are there any examples of PCs and Retainers so I can get ideas for my own character?
You should have a look at the Contacts & Retainers page, the official playtestering campaign The Long Morning or Important Individuals for examples.
Why bother changing all the stuff I'm used to, anyway?
I appreciate that a subjective, lore-based, and classless system can leave some people feeling pretty confused about where to start.
Generally speaking, people seem to either love or hate settings and sourcebooks that are loaded with tons of lore. Feeling there were enough systems out there which give you the mechanics and leave the content up to the GM, I decided to go for the other extreme and create a world as fleshed-out and inline with my perfect fantasy setting as possible.
Although the best times I had with tabletop games were playing heavily homebrewed campaigns, Mork Borg, Swords & Wizardry, Knave, Burning Wheel, PbtA, and many more deserve credit as inspiration. Once I decided to make my own game, though, Fudge and FATE really helped me find my feet. The Fudge SRD on the Open Gaming Network is a great summary.
I also recommend searching for the 'Principia Apocrypha' which is freely available online and serves as a great treatise on the aesthetics of the OSR, or 'Old School Revival'.
The philosphy behind every mechanic and rule choice for Cursed Land was trying to strike a balance between the atmosphere that I loved and the cumulative wisdom and iteration of later RPG makers.
Having said all that, Carcosa is the real star of the show - and so if your group wants to hack the setting to work with your own house rules, you are more than welcome to do so.
¶ Support & Contributions
Could you use my skills?
We are currently looking for web developers (particularly Node.js, Discord.js, PostgreSQL, Leaflet/Google JS API), a layout designer, and Game Masters to help develop the setting and run campaigns. If you have some time and would like to help out, please get in touch!
How do I get in touch?
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Join us on Discord !
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Leave a message on wiki, or a comment with specific questions. Trying to email 'gm' at 'cursed.land' may also work
How else can I help?
We are aiming for setting up a Kickstarter soon, but until then please consider sending a small donation to maintain our infrastructure and pay for the game's development time.
Ko-Fi Wallet: https://ko-fi.com/cursedland
Please take care - only the correct currency can be accepted by a crypto wallet such as these.
BTC wallet: 36DprAxxizfTTQnBu8KahJFHjZax4pVkBR