REBORN Announcement, restocks
And other news
Hello Bayer, it’s Wren! Long time no... read? Write? I’m not sure... but in any case, I’m back!
It’s been a hot second since I talked to y’all but I’ve returned, and I come bearing some very exciting news.
In this newsletter we’ve got restocked products, continuing sales, and an announcement of a completely new, revamped version of the Lost Bay from Iko. Oh my!
Restocks
First things first, we’ve got some products on the Lost Bay Studio Store that have been restocked. If you missed out on getting them when they last were available, now is your opportunity!
Corny Groń and Beyond Corny Groń - Adventurer's Guide - Dive into the deep world and history of this solo TTRPG and setting book by Jakub Skurzyński, inspired by the folklore of the Carpathians Mountains.
Liminal Horror Investigators - I’m sure most of you have already heard of Liminal Horror, but for those who haven’t it is a simple, rules-lite modern horror TTRPG, following in the footsteps of things like Junji Ito, John Carpenter, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil.
The Parthenogenesis of Hungry Hollow - Designed for Liminal Horror, this hardcover adventure module lays out the eerie setting of Hungry Hollow, a small town that is just buzzing with a strange and uncanny energy.
Promo
The New Year’s Bundles promotion has been extended for an additional week. We wanted to make sure that anybody who wanted to partake got the chance to, before everything went back to full price. All included bundles are still 15% off, same as always. There are several different bundles to choose from so I’m sure that there will be something up your alley, no matter your tastes. So, if you’ve been looking for an excuse to get into physical TTRPGs or to expand your collection, this would make for a great one!
Snag them now while you still have the chance.
Now with all the store updates out of the way, we can get to the really exciting stuff! The Lost Bay is getting a huge update, and Iko’s going to tell you all about it! Take it away Iko!
Reborn Announcement
Hey Bayers, Iko here!
While winter has wrapped the Northern Hemisphere in frost, with plants, animals, and people hibernating in their nests and sipping herbal tea, we’ve been hard at work at the Lost Bay studio. After weeks of engineering and experimentation, we’re thrilled to finally announce a major revision of the TLB engine: The Lost Bay Reborn!
This revision brings significant mechanical changes, aligning the system more with the setting’s themes and motifs. There’s a lot to unpack, but I’m excited to walk you through everything we’ve been working on.
Here’s what we’ll cover today:
The Lost Bay Reborn: What it is and where you can preview it
Timeline update
Design workshop
The Lost Bay Reborn
The Reborn engine is lighter, faster, and easier to use. Most importantly, it does a better job at capturing the mood of the Lost Bay setting. The system now reflects the setting’s core motifs, making gameplay more consistent and immersive.
I’ll dive into the nitty-gritty in just a moment, but before we begin let me briefly share with you how it all came to be.
Too many procedures, not enough wonder
October 2024, TLB manuscript is mostly done, and I’m experiencing an unexpected and growing feeling of disconnection with the game. I don’t yet know where this comes from. What I do know is that I don’t like this feeling at all. To try and overcome it, I work more. I write more. More subrules, more tables, more details. The more sections I add to the manuscript, the more I feel disconnected from it. That’s not good.
While this was happening I was running quite a few TLB games, and I start noticing that I’m not really adhering to the ruleset I wrote. I keep bending it, breaking it. I know that hacking RPG rulesets is common and healthy practice, but what I’m doing is breaking the fundamental mechanics of the game. The action resolution mechanics, the exploration procedure, the NPC model, all of it.
The three main problems I had been facing were:
The game is too adversarial, there’s too much room given to combat as a way to confront problems and creatures, both Weird and mundane. Characters should be encouraged to find more creative ways to solve problems and deal with monsters. And that should be embedded into the system.
Playable characters are too powerful, almost like suburban teenager X-men in civilian clothes, which leads back to point one. They should instead be teenagers grappling with something unknown and supernatural within them.
Exploration is built on the wrong paradigm, like if the characters were adventurers scouting uncharted territory. The Bay is their home, they are uncovering secrets that lie right next to them, mysteries buried underneath their feet.
To put it simply, the old system had too many procedures and not enough wonder. It’s a fine system, I still like it in a way, but it’s not the best system for The Lost Bay.
I wanted a system that could mechanically represent a pervasive force, a force that is both a blessing and a curse, shaping the world and its characters. I’m talking about the Weird. While the older system had some interesting features (like Scars), the game needed a simpler, more focused mechanic that placed managing the Weird at its core. That kind of mechanic would mirror the characters' experiences: they’ve been touched by the Weird, and now they must navigate the unexpected changes and challenges that come with it.
Luckily, the solution to all those problems lies within reach: The Lost Bay discord server! As you probably know, I like to share development advancements and doubts with the community, and they were extremely helpful in the development of Reborn.
During the last two years, members of the community have suggested several times that I give Trophy Dark by Jesse Ross a read, as a possible source of inspiration for some TLB mechanics. Well, I didn’t really pay attention to that, and what a mistake that was! The Trophy Dark engine is awesome, and it inspired to begin creating what would eventually become TLB Reborn.
Trophy Dark is a story game, that is, it’s a story-building game. The Lost Bay Reborn is not, but it draws a lot from the TD system, and gives more space to narrative mechanics (as opposed to numeral mechanics).
At the core of the TD system is the management of the Ruin, a force that permeates the world, powers magic, and corrupts characters when they fail to master it. That is exactly the role that the Weird plays in TLB, so when I read that I just knew I had to design something similar. The TD engine has been adapted to fit TLB’s needs, evolving into the Reborn system. This new engine better serves the game’s purpose, making the characters' relationship with the Weird a more clear and central theme.
Hacking and using the TD engine allows us to bring back the emphasis of wonder into the Lost Bay system. The wonder of the Lost Bay and its creatures, the unpredictable uncanniness of the Living Saints, and the thrill of discovering what lurks beyond the basement door, what hides behind the wallpaper. Sometimes it’s monstrous, sometimes it’s just eerie. Either way it always looks at least a little bit familiar, like something you’ve seen before, which makes it all the more spooky...
By the way, this hack is happening with permission of Jesse Ross, who is also going to be the next guest of TLB podcast! I’m so excited to get the chance to talk to him.
If you simply can’t wait anymore and want to read the Reborn condensed ruleset, character creation procedures and updated Vibes, you can buy The Lost Bay on Itch.io, or you can preorder the physical edition at The Lost Bay Studio Store, doing either of which will give you access to the work in progress preview document.
The Reborn system in a nutshell:
One unique stat/resource: Weird
Characters have Skills (mundane abilities) and Gifts (Weird abilities)
Gifts (formerly Powers) don’t succeed automatically anymore
d6 dice pool
Two unique mechanics for all rolls: Action Rolls and Weird Saves
Tighter bonds with the Living Saints the PCs serve (Praying, Summoning, and Offering)
NPCs are stateless (but keep all the rest, moves, roles, etc)
Big bad monsters, now called Miracles, can’t be defeated in combat. Instead you’ll have to find creative ways to deal with them: hide, bargain, manipulate, and so on.
Vibes have minor changes, including changes to Scars and Gifts
Two additional positive side effects of this system change are increased guidance and expanded resources. While the ruleset remains light (possibly even lighter than before) I’ve still been adding a lot to the core book! Tips, examples, and gameplay recipes to help GMs and players better grasp the spirit of the game will all be included. Additionally, I’m designing several optional 199X-themed tables that GMs can use to spice up their sessions, covering everything from food and gadgets to clothing, relationships, and personal struggles.
Community tested
The Reborn engine has already been extensively playtested. In fact, I’ve played more Reborn games in the past two months than games using the “older” TLB system in the past year! That’s part of why I’ve been so quiet as of late, and I’m really sorry about that. I wanted to be absolutely sure that this was the right move before announcing it publicly.
I’ll be honest, I held my breath for a while, this transition felt a bit scary and intimidating. But ultimately, shifting to the Reborn system was the right choice. I feel excited about game design again, and I know that this will result in a better, more replayable game for you all. Additionally, converting characters, Vibes, and adventures from the old system is pretty easy (more on this below).
I wasn’t alone while working on this system change either. The ever-patient and always-excited folks in the server accompanied, tested, gave feedback and welcomed the ruleset changes positively. It was very much a community-focused endeavour.
"The Lost Bay has gifted me with some of the most fun and moving moments I’ve ever enjoyed at a TTRPG table - and TLB Reborn doubles down on everything about the system that brings together fiction and gameplay so well. It is a true collaborative emergent narrative experience via gameplay and provides a unique balance of a defined world and an eager invitation for everyone at the table to help define it for themselves. The vibes, if you’ll pardon the pun, are on point - and I can’t wait to keep digging into its grounded, evocative mysteries (of both the Bay and the soul) for a long time to come." --Danny Mendoza, storyteller
"The Lost Bay Reborn ratchets up the excitement, and hones in on the precarious, powerful weirdness of your young adult PCs. The Bay never felt more visceral." --Chris Airiau, game designer
"Applying the Trophy Dark rules to TLB works frighteningly well. Every problem becomes a puzzle and every action carries nail-biting intensity. Good luck and Get Weird, friends." --Robert Iveniuk, writer and editor
Timeline update
Adapting, and writing the Reborn system is going pretty fast. It’s easy and fun. That’s a clear sign that I’ve picked the right system for the game. That said, there’s still a lot of work to be done, and this is causing a bit of delays. Again, I’m really sorry that I didn’t announce this earlier, I wanted to be quadruple sure that we’d make the system change before saying anything.
Here’s what’s going to happen:
The new ETA is July 2025, meaning a delay of about four/five months.
The manuscript will be sent for editing in the next couple of weeks.
Editing should be completed by mid-to-late May. I’ll share the edited document as soon as it's ready.
In the meantime I’ll keep putting out reference material that allows you to play the game. This will happen mostly on the blog, so be sure to check regularly!
As we’ve now got a bit more time, I’m commissioning and acquiring more art from Evangeline Gallagher. There’s never enough of Evangeline’s art, their style fits the Bay so very well!
The old Quickstart version of The Lost Bay will remain available until the end of 2025, but it won't be supported beyond that. As of today, the old system preview manuscript (the google doc) has been replaced by the Reborn preview doc.
As always I’ll keep supporting the community, and try my best to provide tools and feedback to help folks play and design the game.
Right now my priority is to deliver the books (and final PDFs) quickly. That’s why I’ll likely release only one additional update of the Reborn preview doc. I’ll be adding an Urban Legend, formatted for the new system, that’ll be either The Hollow Hitchhiker or The Traveller (new UL about abductions, and alien sightings), depending on which one is ready first.
Again, I know this delay is not ideal, and I apologise about it, but that’s the route I feel we need to take to deliver a better product!
I’ve been carrying The Lost Bay with me for years, it’s really a special project for me, and I don’t want to let it (or you all) down. I want what’s best for it, as well as for The Lost Bay community, and that’s the Reborn system. I feel so lucky that I’ve found it, and I need to thank the community for it. Particularly the members who participated actively in system playtesting and gave tons of valuable feedback. Huge thanks to BibicheDesNeiges, Boxcarvampire, Chimpamze, Chris Airiau, Cody, Danny Mendoza, Dión, enui, Miya, Overwhelming Dog Person, Robert in the Wires, Verdant Core, and everyone else! You guys are amazing!
Why now?
You might be wondering why this is happening now. Without going into too much detail, last year I faced a difficult and exhausting family situation. I didn’t fully realize it at the time, but it clouded my mind and drained my energy. Thankfully, that issue was resolved in December 2024. With that weight lifted from my shoulders, I finally had the mental space to reflect on the game. From there, everything started moving quickly.
Design workshop
If you’re an (aspiring) TLB designer or GM, this section is for you!
So you’ve designed a module or a vibe, and wonder how you’ll convert it to the Reborn ruleset? Or you’re planning to design your first module or vibe? Hop in the discord server and head to the #design-workshop channel. Myself and the rest of the community will be happy to welcome you and answer your questions!
Oh, you’d like to play a TLB session? You’ve read the Reborn preview ruleset and are wondering how to run it? Join the server as well! There you’ll find lots of players and other GMs to guide you and give support. Plus we’re running a weekly open campaign, as in open to players and GMs alike. You can join any session the channel #sign-up-games, or volunteer to be a GM.
Available resources
Again I do understand the frustration that comes with the delays. On the positive side, as extensive playtesting has demonstrated, we’re building a better game, more replayable, faster, funner. Plus more open to be hacked, tweaked and made your own. I can't wait to share the final manuscript with you all!
Fresh Third-party Content
One final thing, and then we’ll let you go.
During our absence several new and awesome third-party projects for The Lost Bay were made available! And, as is our duty, we’re shouting them all out here.
Jinx by midrava - Do you feel like misfortune follows you wherever you go, a dark cloud overshadowing anything and everything? Have you ever thought that you may cursed, or maybe even... jinxed? If so, midrava’s Vibe of the same name is definitely for you! With it you can harness that misfortune, and use it to your advantage, turning the odds to your favor. But beware... all this may soon come crashing down. It all depends on the luck of the draw.
trans/fix by Ross Burton - This melodic module focuses on a mythic DJ within the Bay, whose fanbase is growing in size and ferocity. There a rumours of them being... lost, but whether or not is to be taken literally or figuratively is unclear. Perhaps it is both. One this is certain, though, these mixtapes are popping up more and more, and soon enough everybody shall be listening to them.
Birds of a Feather by Miya - What if there was a bird whose only defence mechanism was its ability to disrupt reality and pull forth a copy of itself from an alternate reality whenever it was threatened, and what if there was a poacher, looking to murder such a bird. That is the premise of Birds of a Feather and if that sounds at all interesting to you (as it should) I highly suggest checking it out.
Outro
And that, finally, does it for this newsletter.
Thank you all for reading this lengthy and long-awaited update! We hope that this answered any questions you might have about the future of The Lost Bay RPG, but if not please don’t hesitate to reach out! And don’t forget to check out everything else we’ve listed here, it is all well-worth your time.
We hope to see you in the server,
Stay Weird!
Iko, Wren