New zines and AFIS recap!
Hey all, this is Wren! IKO’s currently gone AWOL, cooking up some awesome writing no doubt (as well as trying to recover from Dragonmeet), so it’ll just be me this time around! For this newsletter I’ve got exciting new products, some updates to the Lost Bay Store, and an AFIS 2024 retrospective!
So, without further adieu, let’s dive in.
LATE NIGHT BROADCASTS
Starting off our new products section with a bang, we’ve got Late Night Broadcasts by Scragend, the newest member of our ever-growing collection of third-party TLB RPG modules. This module is set in an abandoned television broadcast station, haunted by things that used to be local television stars, hollow camera technicians, and a mutated studio audience.
With killer art and a unique cut-out/paper doll character creation system, Late Night Broadcasts will make for an awesome addition to any TLB RPG library. Get it here!
REZVAR
The city of Rezvar sits apart from the blue deserts of Vaarn, serving as a vital caravan stop for travellers. It is ancient, built behind a prehistoric dam, but Rezvar’s foundations are slowly falling apart. People are going missing and no one knows why. The streets buzz with unease, a frayed rope pulled too tight. Things have got to change, and soon...
With unique monsters, magical items, and new factions, REZVAR is your ideal sandbox adventure setting, ready to spark inspiration and create some awesome stories. Compatible with Vaults of Vaarn, Troika!, and Mothership.
GIFT CARDS!
We are now in the midst of the holiday season, right in the thick of it. We all know what that means... Indie RPGs!!! They make great gifts for family, friends, and even that weird shadowy figure who lurks in the corners of your vision. But what if you don’t know exactly which indie RPG that shadowy figure would enjoy receiving? There are so many great games out there to choose from.
Well I have just the answer for you!
The Lost Bay Store now has gift cards, perfect for those who can’t quite decide which RPG/zine/thing/whatever would make the best gift for their loved ones (real or imagined.)
Interested? You can now grab them here!
20% HARDCOVER DISCOUNT
Speaking of The Lost Bay Store, we are now offering a 20% discount on all hardcover books, site-wide! (Excluding pre-orders) Have a hardcover book that you’ve been eyeing, but haven’t pulled the trigger on yet? Now would be a great time to do so. Our stock tends to go quite quickly, so you best not wait. Hardcover Collection here.
AFIS RETROSPECTIVE
It’s now been about a month since our first digital convention, All Flesh is Surplus 2024, officially finished up. It was such a great time, and I’m definitely looking forward to our next one. I had so much fun meeting new folks and taking part in the sessions that took place throughout the convention. It was really interesting playing with so many people, many of which I wouldn’t have had the chance to play with usually. I loved seeing how different people approached playing and running the system.
I didn’t get to publish as much as I was hoping to during the convention, but hey, it was still plenty of fun!
I’m really thankful to everybody who took part in AFIS, as well as IKO and the everybody else who worked so hard to make sure everything ran smoothly. Y’all are great!
ZINES
During AFIS all of us in the Lost Bay Discord got together and created two fantastic collaborative zines, BLADES and FACES. IKO has mentioned them before in previous newsletters, but I think we could do with a bit of a recap.
BLADES
BLADES, which is illustrated by Scragend (of Late Night Broadcasts fame), is a collection of cursed blades, all supposedly owned by a terrifying serial killer, the Knife Eater. The writing has been completed for this zine, and the layout is now being finalized. Expect to see BLADES released both physically and digitally soon!
FACES
FACES, which is illustrated by the amazing Francisco Lemos, is a collection of Lost Bay NPCs. It is set in the Waterfront, an industrial and salt-corroded District within the Lost Bay. The Waterfront is being threatened by the faceless and insidious corporation that is known as Noble Rock, which is seeking to harness the Bay’s Weird for its own purposes, messing with forces beyond its understanding.
FACES is a highly collaborative zine, and is being worked on by many of our fellow Bayfolk. Currently there are 15 completed entries, which have been written by Danny Mendoza, Caelin, David A, IKO, Alfred Valley, Miya, dión, Wren the Forrester (hey that’s me!), Chris Airiau, and Zedeck Siew. Wow, that’s a lot of people! I hadn’t realized how many folks had taken part in this project until I went through to make that list.
There are still some NPCs that have yet to be claimed, so if all of this sounds interesting to you then go take a look!
Expect to see FACES released digitally once it has been completed.
JAM SUBMISSIONS
During AFIS we held a Game Jam, where lots of folks came together and designed some amazing things for use with TLB RPG.
We received a total of 17 entries, which include both modules and Vibes, as well as some interesting ones which are either both or neither.
Let’s boost some adventures! This is most definitely not all of them, that would take too long to list, so please do check out the jam entries page to see the others! You’ll be glad you did.
La Pasculita by midrava is an Urban Legend inspired by Mexican folklore, specifically the legend of La Pasculita. The bridal shop "La Popular” has unveiled a new mannequin, a mannequin that looks so very, very real, almost like a preserved body...
In the Guts of Rotting Fish by Miya takes you to sea on the cursed (and living?) ship that is known as the Anglerfish, captained by the secretive Colm Doherty. Will you be able to escape before you are consumed, or will you find yourself the newest member of the crew?
The Drowned Captain by Neolithic Games, another sea-themed adventure. You are taking a boat into the sea that surrounds the Bay, going... somewhere. The waters of the Bay have long been cursed by something that was once a person, seeking revenge, and now this ship has garnered their attention.
Consume as You Are by BlazingDragonGames, failed toy brands are returning, old nostalgic plastic things that you remember from your childhood are coming back. The only question is... who’s making them? And how can you get your hands on the ones you want?
NEW VIBES
There are so many new Vibes that were also created as part of the Jam, offering many new ways to play The Lost Bay. They’re all so unique and fun, ranging from digital ghost-cryptids, to mud-choked swamp dwellers, to even a plastic doll endowed with artificial(?) life.
The Mermaid, by Verdant Core, another nautical creation, the Mermaid is someone who feels at home at the sea. Or, rather, is from the sea, cannot be apart from the sea, is the sea. The land is cursed and corrupted, but you must face it nonetheless.
The Doll and Drummer, by BlazingDragonGames, are a collection of two very distinct vibes. The Doll is false, fake, plastic in all senses of the word. They are a mannequin attempting to appear human, attempting to fit in with the rest. The Drummer however, is almost the opposite. They are too alive, too loud, too much. They live through their music and their music lives through them, and they will make sure everybody knows it.
The Fathomer, by Bawdy_Horror, is a very swampy Vibe. They live in the mire and much, drenched in mud and silt. You know the stagnant ponds and marshes intuitively, like the back of your hand. The rest of the Bay is so... clean, so sanitized. You must drag it all down, into the depths.
The Zombi and Cryptid, by Robert Is Lost In The Wires, are both vibes concerned with the unhuman. In one you are literally undead, brought back from death by some unknown force. For the other you could maybe pass as human, but you are still an uncanny urban legend, a cryptid, at heart.
The Ech0, by sssalt, a post-mortem Vibe where you are something different, something that plunges through circuits and survives through email chains. Send this to 10 other people, or else...
The Edge, by dión, while this Vibe is not complete just yet, what I have seen of it in the Lost Bay Discord has been sooo good. I’m very much looking forward to its full release.
And, if you will allow me a moment of self-promotion, I also released a Vibe for this Jam! Meet the Blackhat, an ash-stained protector of the Bay. The Blackhat faction is my toxic fave and I hope to expand on their lore more in the future.
The Lost Bay Creator Fund Recipients
I am very excited to announce the recipients of The Lost Bay Creator Fund, a program designed to help encourage and support third-party designers for The Lost Bay RPG, giving them the freedom to create what they want while lessening financial limitations. Our goal with this is to help foster the TLB RPG community and make it possible for anybody to create the art they want to make.
Our first three recipients will be Juno, Caelin, and Overwhelming Dog Person. Let’s hear what they have to say about their upcoming projects.
Make Haste East, Caelin
A cursed radio station sending out brainwashing radio waves, inspired by the song East Hastings by Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Old Budding Magical Dreams, Juno
Old Budding Magical Dreams is a Vibe module for the Lost Bay that lets players explore a more whimsical side to their characters. This module comes with 4 Vibes; the Antiquarian, the Verdure, the Magus, and the Escapist.
Haus of Daus, Overwhelming Dog Person
A house better left forgotten, whose host doesn't take kindly to its guests leaving.
Wow, these all sound so awesome. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they cook up, and we’ll be sure to promote it here when they’re finished!
WRAPPING UP
Well, that’s all I’ve got for you today! To be completely honest, I was a bit nervous to work on my first solo newsletter, but I’ve really enjoyed talking to all of you. I’ll talk to y’all again soon, whenever our next newsletter comes out.
Have a good one, Bayians, and happy holidays!
Wren the Forrester