Deluxe Edition Preview #1: Investigators Guide
Where we dive into the first section of the book that highlights character creation and the core rule.
Welcome to part 1 of 6 in our lead up to the Liminal Horror Deluxe Edition newsletter series!
As we gear up for the April 15th launch on Backerkit we will be exploring what is contained within the book!
But first, let’s put a list of what’s inside at the top!
Peak Behind the Curtain Overview
Chapter 1: The Investigators Guide (the core rules and character creation section of the book). While these are fully compatible with Legacy and Investigators editors, we were able to use the extra room to elaborate on rules and provide supports as well as put in some alternate bits and bobs.
Liminal Horror Projects to keep your eye on
Overview
If you missed the last newsletter, laid the groundwork for this new peak into the manuscript series. We will be sending out 6 newsletters, each focusing on a different chapter/section of the upcoming Liminal Horror Deluxe edition. This newsletter is the first and will be focusing on the beginning of the Deluxe Edition, the rules.
Subsequent newsletters (one every 3-5 days) will focus on the next chapter in the text.
Newsletter 1 - Chapter 1: Investigators Guide (the core rules and character creation section of the book)
While these are fully compatible with Legacy and Investigators editors, we were able to use the extra room to elaborate on rules and provide supports as well as put in some alternate bits and bobs.
Newsletter 2 - Chapter 2: Facilitator’s Guide (essays on how to run and create horror at the table)
A plethora of advice and tools for anyone interested in running Liminal Horror or really any type of ttrpg.
Newsletter 3 - Chapter 3: Catalog of the Strange (our take on a bestiary)
A collection of all the weird, strange, and horrifying NPCs, monsters, factions, and haunted items.
Newsletter 4 - Chapter 4: The Haunted PNW (our take on a setting guide)
Tying the setting of the Pacific Northwest together, connecting published adventures and including frameworks to help create memorable campaigns.
Newsletter 5 - Chapter 5: Appendices (tools and supplements for your games)
This ending section includes all the extra tools, toys, and things to help supplement and enrich play.
Newsletter 6 - Bonus Round
Looking at the included adventure and hinting at the stretch goal adventures we are writing for the Deluxe Edition.
* Remember, things are still subject to change as we’re in the editing and layout process. Even so, this should give a good look at what you’re going to get with Liminal Horror Deluxe Edition.
Chapter 1: Investigators Guide
It was important going in to this project that we maintained compatibility with previous releases (rules zines and modules). On a whole, the rules are unchanged from Investigators. That being said, we did take advantage of the extra space in order to describe and present the rules in such a way as it will still be fresh for old readers. We’ve also included a bunch of new tables and tools to give you the perfect excuse to buy the deluxe edition while still keeping your copies of Investigators and Legacy editions fully usable at the table during play!
What’s Inside This Chapter?
Introduction
The text starts with an introduction that sets up the book, presents a table of contents making it easy to navigate, and and overview that orients the reader to what Liminal Horror is as a tarp.
Investigators Guide
Player Principles: We started with the keeping and updating the player principles. This section gives a quick overview for players that helps reinforce expectations and style of play.
Creating an Investigator: One of the best parts of a ttrpg, character creation. This takes players/facilitators through a step by step process on how to quickly create Investigators for play. This is the same as previous releases, but does include some added content including
Backgrounds. A new list of backgrounds with associated equipment. These are the default starting point for new Investigators. They represent a basic profession, skill, or point of interest to provide a starting context for a character, and include several related starting items. Beyond that, they are a blank slate to build off of.
Example:
Bus Driver: Lunchbox, comprehensive road map, taser (d6, nonlethal).
Store Clerk: Box cutter (d6), walkie talkies, name tag, incredibly comfortable shoes.
Archetypes. Archetypes are expanded Backgrounds, providing a more robust characterization to start with by including a glimpse at an Investigator’s history and clues to their personal goals. Archetypes are useful when you’re looking to quickly get into the action, such as one-shots or short arcs, or when you want to lean into specific thematic touchstones. Twelve Archetypes are provided on in this section, with additional available in the Appendices. To note: Archetypes are the starter packages introduced in The Bureau and continued on in both The Bloom and Hungry Hollow.
Final Girl: By some miracle, you made it out alive when no one else did. Left with nothing but questions, returning to “normal” has been difficult and you can’t shake the feeling that the horrors aren’t done with you. Take: A Fallout (p.x), machete (d6), bloodstained jacket.
Optional Investigator Details: We updated the optional roll tables that can help players generate details and ideas for their Investigators. The style table was the most fun to write.
The Party Section: With some set ups to bring the investigators together, bonds between them, vehicles they can drive, and Associates they can hire, and npc connections to entangle them into the world.
Equipment: We decked out the equipment section, giving tables a lot more to draw from when thinking about what tools and services they can bring to bare when trying to battle the esoteric and weird. Currently there are tables for - protection, melee weapons, non-lethal weapons, projectile weapons, explosives, chemicals, investigator gear (tech), investigator gear (tools), transport and lodging, services (above board), services (black market).
Core Rules: These are at their core the same as previous iterations. We did take the time to expand descriptions and leverage the space we have. With subsections for Rules, Violent Encounters and Health and Wellness, there’s everything you need to play the game! A few new additions are a Procedure of Play alongside a Rules Summary right at the front to act as a spread that can be used as a quick reference.
Stress and Fallout: Stress and Fallout function the same as previous releases, but we did add an example of mundane fallout (when Fallout is caused by non-weird Stress) and gave a new Fallout table (since people love more we also added additional Fallout tables in the Appendix).
Moral & Reactions: Gives some mechanics to aide when thinking about NPC interactions.
Rituals: We’ve added a new magic system that is more streamlined in terms of use, aligns in concept to the lore, and includes a bunch of Rituals with titles and effects listed for play. Some examples:
Serpentine Brood: Your spilled blood transforms into snakes upon contacting the ground. The cost of the Ritual is blood instead of Stress, dealing standard damage. The number of snakes that appear is equal to damage taken.
Fractal Duplication: Make a CTRL Save. On a success, you create a perfect duplicate of an object. On failure, you create d100 duplicates of the object, each less perfect than the last, and the original object is destroyed.
Safety Tools: We end with safety tools that can be used at tables to help navigate some of the themes and subject matter presented in horror scenarios.
Stay Tuned
During our next newsletter we’ll look at one of the most requested additions for the Deluxe Edition, the Facilitator’s Guide.
Liminal Horror Projects to keep your eye on
Liminal Horror Deluxe Edition, because everyone is going to need a copy.
https://liminalhorrorrpg.com/ the official Liminal Horror website got a revamp and reorganization.
Liminal Grimoire by M. Allen Hall: A box set of pamphlet adventures and supplements.
I Don’t Belong Here by Adam Stations: A horror spark book supplement that includes tarot sized encounter cards.
Playthings by Seth Ian: a new third party Liminal Horror adventure where the players are trapped in a plastic toy Demi-plane.
Actual Play list for Liminal Horror
If you want a low barrier of creative entry, write a Liminal Horror conversion for one of the following adventures.
If you’re feeling creative, hop over to join the Horrors of the America Jam and write an entry highlighting something weird within North or South America!