Shadows of Esteren, a medieval horror tabletop RPG described as a cross between Ravenloft, Game of Thrones and Call of Cthulhu, has started a fourth Kickstarter campaign to fund a new supplement.
Since summer of 2012, the medieval horror tabletop RPG Shadows of Esteren has raised over $250,000 across three Kickstarter campaigns. Now, a fourth campaign to fund a new supplement titled “The Monastery of Tuath” has already exceeded its goal and raised $70,000 with 42 days left to go.
Shadows of Esteren’s inspiration is largely drawn from Celtic culture and mythology, and the game has been described by its creators as “somewhere between Ravenloft, Game of Thrones and Call of Cthulhu.” Esteren has been met with critical acclaim, winning three ENnie Awards in 2013, including two gold ones for best interior art and best production values. Taking a look through the starter kit, which has been made available for free on DrivethruRPG right here, you can see why.
First released in French in 2010, then translated into English in 2012, Shadows of Esteren is being built into a cross-media project. The team has already produced two original soundtracks, with a third in the works, and the rulebooks offer musical suggestions to accompany certain scenes. Further, a Broken Sword-inspired point-and-click video game is in the works.
I have a special place in my heart for the medieval horror genre and look forward to trying out the starter kit with my gaming group. While I’m accustomed to running D&D campaigns in that genre, the Shadows of Esteren ruleset seems far better equipped to handle this style of campaign.
Source: Kickstarter
