Liminal Horror Deluxe Edition Roadmap
Where we give you a sneak peak at what we are working on as we gear up for the finish line.
Fall has been an extremely productive time for the Liminal Horror dev team. We’ve been hard at work getting all the pieces ready for launch. From art to writing to layout we’ve been trying to effectively team up to make this the best book possible. Below are some peaks behind the curtain at what we’ve been working on.
But wait… what is Liminal Horror Deluxe Edition?
For those who are new to Liminal Horror (or maybe don’t follow us on social media/discord/podcasts) you may not be aware that we are going to be releasing a Deluxe Edition early next year. This is explicitly not a 2nd edition of Liminal Horror. The core rules are fully compatible with all previously released zines (rules and adventures). We are keeping Liminal Horror Investigators in print as it acts as an easy player reference and contains the basic tools a Facilitator needs to run an LH adventure. The Deluxe Edition is enhanced, adding additional content while still keeping the original text relevant and usable.
The Deluxe Edition adds a robust toolkit for Facilitators, and includes optional rules, settings, monsters, lore, starter adventures, and Facilitator advice. It is everything you need to run any sub-genre of modern horror at your table. The biggest draw being an all new design, hardcover flourishes, and art throughout by Zach Hazard Vaupen.
It’s also worth noting that Josh, Zach and I have all migrated over to bsky, so if you’re into the social medias that’s a good place to find us!
Goblin Archives: https://bsky.app/profile/goblinarchives.bsky.social
Josh Domanski: https://bsky.app/profile/unenthuser.bsky.social
Zach Hazard Vaupen: https://bsky.app/profile/emosludge.bsky.social
BLACK FRIDAY / CYBER MONDAY 30% Sale: Don’t forget that there is a massive sale going on over at Space Penguin Ink (30% applied at check out) just in time for the launch of The Mall Remastered.
Design Templates
Josh has been hard at work creating a unified design for the Deluxe Edition. The Parthenogenesis of Hungry Hollow acted as a testing ground as they established the new design language for the next phase of Liminal Horror books (6x9, hardcover).
Layout: To create unique templates for each section of The Deluxe Edition, Josh started by making a 3 column layout for the work that could easily be adapted based on the content. Josh first used a 3 column layout when working on Zed & Two Noughts and Tangled (which took inspiration from Johan Nohr’s work on Mörk Borg). Other pieces of design inspiration were Into the Odd Remastered, Hull Breach, Deathmatch Island, and doing a real deep internet dive into Swiss design.
Typeface: After much research and tests, we finally decided on why typefaces to use (including splurging on buying one). Our current spread includes:
Embellishment: Adventurer
Titles: BN Nautic Grotesk
Headers: ITC Serif Gothic
Body: Fira Sans Condensed
Templates: When all put together, Josh has created unique templates for each section that create a unified style. This allows us to simultaneously work on layout of different sections (which will be very advantageous as we do final layout of the entire text).
Catalog of the Strange
One of the most important new sections in the Deluxe Edition is The Catalog of the Strange collects the different weird entities that can be found throughout Liminal Horror. These Beings are what bring the horror to the table. While not a comprehensive set of lore, these entries can start to create a connected web of mystery and intrigue meant to entangle your Investigator. They are the things they will try to ally themselves with in an attempt to survive the horrors abound.
This massive chapter in the manuscript includes:
A Factions section detailing 8 different factions (including an overview, Approach and Goals, Methods and Resources, and NPCs)
Horrors section detailing different types of monstrous NPCs. There multiple types including (Minions, Cultists, Shapeshifters, The Bound, Curses, Pacts: Warlocks, Liches, Dead Gods) each with subsequent entries and stats.
A Resonant Artifacts section including 30 new magical (and dreadful) items to tempt players and NPCs.
An Allies and Adversaries section including 30 NPCs that can either align with or work against the Investigators. Each connected to different Factions, Horrors, and Resonant Artifacts.
Armed with the template, I was able to do a test layout for what we have completed in the manuscript. This allowed us to see what sections we needed to add, shift, cut, or expand upon. I was able to lay out 94 pages of text in a weekend (this is the entire drafted Catalog of the Strange minus the Allies and Adversaries). Josh and I were then able to see how our writing fit on the page and make targeted rewrite plans (e.g. Adding two more cults, consistently adding a how to use section for many of the Horrors, identifying what sub tables to add, and choosing some Horrors to give expanded entries for, etc).
Investigators Guide
Josh has been busily making their way through the player section of the text. While fully compatible with previous printing of the rules we are taking advantage of the space and opportunity to add more detail to some of the entries in order to address points of confusion and address general questions that we’ve seen pop up for other similar games. This means that while the rules are the same, there is variation in presentation for the player section (as opposed to porting it directly).
Generic Locations
As I made the shift to running a lot of modern horror games, one thing I always wanted was a plethora of modern maps much like D&D has maps for all kinds of locations (castles, caves, dungeons, etc). And I always find if I make something I would use at the table, likelihood is others would find it useful too!
So for the Deluxe Edition we added a section that includes generic mundane locations. The idea is to make prep a breeze when you don't have a lot of time before a session. We do the boring work of setting up some interesting locations, then you can do the fun part and bring the horror.
In a bind? Grab a location, a monster from the bestiary, and an NPC in need and you've got the workings of session in just a few minutes. As a proof of concept, Josh took this one step further with Silent Street Station, which takes one of the generic locations and pulls together enough for a session of play.
While it takes a bit to polish up for publishing, getting enough of the basics to run for a group took all of 15 minutes to build upon the already setup location. Much of the latter portion of the Deluxe Edition are tools to help Facilitators run, prep, and make things for Liminal Horror (either for their table or for publication).
Playtests
While the Deluxe Edition is fully compatible with previous releases, we have added a few optional rules and supplements that tables can use to lean in to different subgenres of horror.
A few optional appendices that we have been working on are:
APPENDIX: SURVIVAL HORROR- This section focuses on additional mechanics for groups looking for more emphasis on the “survival” aspects of survival horror. These are designed to put a greater focus on the management of inventory and are most useful in situations where resources are limited (the post-apocalypse, abandoned towns, the wilderness, etc.). Pick and choose your preferred to augment your games, or use the full package wholesale.
APPENDIX: TACTICAL COMBAT- Tactical Combat introduces supplemental mechanics that allow for more concrete decision making and variables to consider when engaging in violent encounters, while still maintaining the quick resolution of standard combat.
APPENDIX: FUNNEL RULES - A funnel is often an intro game mode where each player has control of multiple PCs who are often fresh, inexperienced, and squishier than regular Liminal Horror Investigators. A common aspect of funnels is the spectacular and memorable ways PCs meet their grim ends.
Josh has been running playtests to see how these work at the table. They have been running them over on our Discord (which is a great place for both players, facilitators, and designers). They recently completed the first playtest, but there are two more coming up.
Silent Street Station - Survival Horror & Tactical Combat mechanics that will be part of a series of optional appendices.
Silent Street Station - Funnel mechanics.
Camp Coldwater - A standard run of one of the scenarios that will be included in the book.
What’s Next
Josh and I are working our way through the manuscript prior to our end of January hand off to Jert for editing.
Josh: They are doing a more linear dive through the text, editing and adding in sequence. The primary focus being a few of the essay sections and the expanded Horrors (now that we know what we need for the space).
Goblin: Is going to jump back in to mop up the incomplete factions entries now that we expanded the format, then on to the loose ends in The Haunted Pacific Northwest, then on to the massive lists of rooms to be keyed for the generic maps.
Zach: Is continuing to make incredible art off of our art tracker.
Jert: Has been answering any and all wonderings we shoot his way as he waits patiently for the manuscript to get ready for handoff.
Space Penguin: Since I (Goblin Archives) love to distract myself, when the task for creating copy for our Backerkit/Press kit came up I jumped over to get that done well in advance. Luckily that is all buttoned up and ready to be made pretty by Dai and the Space Penguin Team. Hopefully we’ll have a landing page in not too long so we can start drumming up follows prior to our March launch!
Special Note (Adventures): There are a few different adventures that are related to this project (more to come on those specifics). These are drafted in various forms (notes, drafts, etc) and this will be what we work on while the manuscript is being edited.
Next Newsletter: We’ll take a look at some of the one-shot resources we have available for people looking to bring something quick to the table (many of our official modules have one-shot adaptations).
amazing!
Looking good! Love the locations!