The Words And Deeds Of The Chain Of Tlachic is a system-neutral, Dwarf-focused adventure game. Think Dwarf Fortress by way of Deep Carbon Observatory. It's part campaign, part megadungeon, part setting book, and part game structure, but you'll need some other kind of engine to run it unless you're picking it up just to read it---which is perfectly valid, the writing's great.
Chain Of Tlachic's PDF is 60 pages, with a strong osr zine vibe. In that same vein, it's packed with good, useful, and hand-illustrated art. There's tons of maps and sketches, and an overall abundance of visual content. The aesthetic reminds me a little of Deep Carbon Observatory's low-fi-but-intense vibe, and it's gorgeous.
Content-wise, Chain is meant as a toolkit for GMs and groups. And specifically, it's meant as a bag of hammers, picks, and saws---not a prefabricated structure.
There are interconnected dungeons in Chain---and they're covered in broad strokes.
There are monsters in Chain---and they consist of a description and some suggestions about their numbers and power.
There are loads of maps (which do a great job of showing dimensions and depth,) but they're not gridded or hexed, and they're not specific when it comes to distances.
Chain is great as a source of inspiration, and it drips with lore, but you have to do the legwork in interpreting and modifying it. To that end, a system like Into The Odd or Mork Borg is probably an easy fit. Something like Labyrinth Lord may involve a little more heavy lifting. And using 5e is potentially a whole construction project---not impossible, but be prepared to spend some time getting everything to your liking.
The payoff to this is, again, the writing. Chain's setting is wild. Its Dwarves are sexless, god-crafted creatures that can die and be reborn, and they're the most normal, grounded-feeling thing in the setting. There's goblin centipede-riders, crystaline zombies, bee-summoners, a mutant tunnel-dragon, etc. Each adventuring site stars one kind of weirdness, but connects to several others, and a party the plays the whole book like a campaign will also find it's a puzzle box of sorts. A discovery in one area unlocks progress in another.
There's also three very different branching endings, and a kind of massively multiplayer epilogue---which you might never encounter, but feels wild with potential if you do.
Overall, I'd call this a must-buy if you enjoy OSR. It's a vibrant, pulpy, underground fantasy with loads of adventuring locations and possible scenarios. And the writing and art are stellar, and play off each other, and elevate the book to really something special.
Just received the physical copy of this from the Kickstarter. I love the feel and look of this book. There are a lot of great things I have seen in the last few months reading through. I felt like it was time to give my thumbs up on this one.
I am happy with the ambiguity provided in the whole of the book, there is a lot of cool information that I plan to adapt to my own worlds. No long review with all the explanations of why i like it. Just know it is worth the few bucks you'll spend on this one. Cool illustrations that remind me of Scrap Princess. The writing is fun.
Pick this up for a new outlook on things Dwarfy.
P.S. I still have not crossed it out. Someday soon I will, I promise.
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Just stumbled upon this and it looks awesome! Is there any chance that there are physical copies still available?
The Words And Deeds Of The Chain Of Tlachic is a system-neutral, Dwarf-focused adventure game. Think Dwarf Fortress by way of Deep Carbon Observatory. It's part campaign, part megadungeon, part setting book, and part game structure, but you'll need some other kind of engine to run it unless you're picking it up just to read it---which is perfectly valid, the writing's great.
Chain Of Tlachic's PDF is 60 pages, with a strong osr zine vibe. In that same vein, it's packed with good, useful, and hand-illustrated art. There's tons of maps and sketches, and an overall abundance of visual content. The aesthetic reminds me a little of Deep Carbon Observatory's low-fi-but-intense vibe, and it's gorgeous.
Content-wise, Chain is meant as a toolkit for GMs and groups. And specifically, it's meant as a bag of hammers, picks, and saws---not a prefabricated structure.
There are interconnected dungeons in Chain---and they're covered in broad strokes.
There are monsters in Chain---and they consist of a description and some suggestions about their numbers and power.
There are loads of maps (which do a great job of showing dimensions and depth,) but they're not gridded or hexed, and they're not specific when it comes to distances.
Chain is great as a source of inspiration, and it drips with lore, but you have to do the legwork in interpreting and modifying it. To that end, a system like Into The Odd or Mork Borg is probably an easy fit. Something like Labyrinth Lord may involve a little more heavy lifting. And using 5e is potentially a whole construction project---not impossible, but be prepared to spend some time getting everything to your liking.
The payoff to this is, again, the writing. Chain's setting is wild. Its Dwarves are sexless, god-crafted creatures that can die and be reborn, and they're the most normal, grounded-feeling thing in the setting. There's goblin centipede-riders, crystaline zombies, bee-summoners, a mutant tunnel-dragon, etc. Each adventuring site stars one kind of weirdness, but connects to several others, and a party the plays the whole book like a campaign will also find it's a puzzle box of sorts. A discovery in one area unlocks progress in another.
There's also three very different branching endings, and a kind of massively multiplayer epilogue---which you might never encounter, but feels wild with potential if you do.
Overall, I'd call this a must-buy if you enjoy OSR. It's a vibrant, pulpy, underground fantasy with loads of adventuring locations and possible scenarios. And the writing and art are stellar, and play off each other, and elevate the book to really something special.
Minor Issues:
-Page 10, "centipede's won't" centipedes
I seriously love this! I covered my first readthrough here: https://twitter.com/yes_jon/status/1402339520670957568
Just received the physical copy of this from the Kickstarter. I love the feel and look of this book. There are a lot of great things I have seen in the last few months reading through. I felt like it was time to give my thumbs up on this one.
I am happy with the ambiguity provided in the whole of the book, there is a lot of cool information that I plan to adapt to my own worlds. No long review with all the explanations of why i like it. Just know it is worth the few bucks you'll spend on this one. Cool illustrations that remind me of Scrap Princess. The writing is fun.
Pick this up for a new outlook on things Dwarfy.
P.S. I still have not crossed it out. Someday soon I will, I promise.
Hey Thanks! Glad to see that you liked it!