I finally hold in my hands "Carta Monstrorum".
Among the remains of the late Dutch gentleman Clement Birkenbosch, a folder containing various diaries and freshly sketched notes was recovered. This is the story of those writings ...
Go with the intro!
"...
Die Monster Die, Famous Monsters, 1999, Misfits
I hope you die
Die Monster die
... "
Carta Monstrorum
We have already spoken (Thu) Of LexOccultum, game of the Swedes RiotMinds (Trudvang Chronicles, Drakar och Demoner e Twilight of the gods). At home he won the award "Game of the Year 2018"And yawningportal.org named the English version "One of TOP FIVE games in 2018".
We also mentioned that, in mid-January 2019, the Kickstarter campaign for "Carta Monstrorum"(At the time Monstrorum card, evidently in the meantime they have studied a bit of Latin! GrammarLatinNazi). In a few hours it reached the minimum stretch goal (€ 15.000) for it to be produced. The campaign then ended with the support of 768 people for a total of € 45.000, unlocking six stretch goals!
The delivery expected for October 2019 has been postponed by almost a year. In fact, I received the package, containing my contribution of Mystery Hunter, just in these days. It was therefore with great joy that I unwrapped the wrapper and threw myself headlong into the pages of "Carta Monstrorum", Real"medieval bestiarium“, We can safely call it that, di LexOccultum.
The manual, with hard cover (one of the stretch goals), consists of about 250 pages divided into a short introduction to the mechanics, two short introductory stories, a large sample of monsters, an appendix concerning animals, one that contains all the Secret Arts connected to the monsters with the relative pages, some ideas for occult plots and a series of connected adventures set in London (complete with a map).
Let it be a clear preview of the next manual "Wicked Dew“, A campaign that will explore the darkest corners of London and the plots of a circle of witches devoted to Baba Yaga?
Hic sunt monstra
But what monsters can we actually find in "Carta Monstrorum"?
The entities unearthed and listed by Herr Birkenbosch are about twenty and range from classic gothic horrors (ghosts, werewolves, vampires, zombies, etc.), to some more exotic varieties (mummies, mermaids, kraken, etc.).
Each monster is introduced by a short story. The following pages deal with the main characteristics, what the PCs actually know about them, the statistics of a typical specimen and, in some cases, the unique "individuals" famous (the gargoyle of Notre Dame, Baba Yaga, bête du Gevaudan, Vlad III, Erzsébet Báthory, etc.).
The only note that can be made is that, given that it was one of the stretch goals (the last one reached by the way!), That is the presentation of the iconic characters, perhaps a few more lines of description and some statistics would not have hurt ...
The monsters are also accompanied by some powers related to the knowledge of Secret Arts that the characters could know or learn, as per the textbook. These aspects are effectively an addition to the magical arsenal available to players presented in the core manuals.
Clement Birkenbosch! Who was he?
Clement Birkenbosch is, or rather was, a Dutch gentleman, explorer, historian, geographer, occultist and linguist (he knew Latin, ancient Greek, Arabic and ancient Iranian), belonging to the Royal Society. His incredible adventures took place between the late 1716th and early XNUMXth centuries, shortly before his tragic death in XNUMX. He is said to have traveled to China, crossed the steppes of Central Asia, and had snuck into the Egyptian pyramids, that he knew the mysteries of half of Europe, and that his grandmother had been accused of witchcraft.
Or maybe Clement Birkenbosch was just a liar or a madman ...
Certainly when it comes to the discovery of his remains, there is a disturbing silence. Those who have seen them do not speak and there is no public note about it. There Royal Society he initially ignored the documents due to persistent rumors of a forgery by the Enlightenment movement. The meticulous study of the material found, although incomplete and fragmentary due to decay, has revealed a thorough and systematic analysis of the monsters of our world. The more you read on, the more it is impossible to deny that Mr. Birkenbosch gathered this information first hand.
The pen behind the “metaplot” of Charta Monstrorum
The meta-story by Clement Birkenbosch, useful for contextualizing the world and inspiration for any plots, is the work of the writer Steven Savile. The partnership with this famous British writer (but now transplanted to Stockholm in Sweden), of fantasy, horror and thriller (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval, Stargate, Warhammer, Slaine, Fireborn, Pathfinder, Arkham Horror, Risen, and others), is something to be really proud of at RiotMinds!
Graphics by Charta Monstrorum
The graphic team of LexOccultum (Alvaro Tapia, Per Sjögren, Patrik Hell and Peter Bergting), excellence of the previous manuals, is back in full for "Carta Monstrorum“! The images have a strong evocative impact and an excellent level, and keep intact their ability to make the reader completely fall into the setting.
The drawings really look like sketches made by Herr Birkenbosch, and can be admired in the artbook "Art of Charta Monstrorum".
Future in Italy
LexOccultum has found its location in Italy, through a Kickstarter campaign, by the Wyrd Editions (Facebook page .), with delivery scheduled for November 2020.
"Carta MonstrorumIt is assumed that it will arrive on shelves and in players' homes in similar ways, meanwhile it is possible to follow the group di LexOccultum.
Load your flintlocks, light up the lantern and step into darkness!
