Happily, I can report Studio 2 Publishing is the English language distributor for Shadows of Esteren and the game book is available for purchase from their website while the PDF format will be available shortly. Les Ombres d’Esteren has an extremely passionate fan base in France, and I can see why people are digging it, so we’d be remiss if we didn’t start spreading the word here in the States!
Here’s a peek:
This particular atmosphere is drawn from several sources of inspiration: the harshness and romanticism of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart; the universes of Tim Burton, particularly the one of Sleepy Hollow; Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke; as well as Berserk, the manga by Kentaro Miura. Regarding role-playing, Shadows of Esteren would be somewhere between Ravenloft and Call Of Cthulhu.
- A Dark Universe. Esteren is a harsh, medieval world where the Characters will be confronted with horror and multi-faced threats. However, this does not imply they are doomed to perish; their survival will depend on their ingenuity and bravery. Gothic tradition can be found in awe-inspiring landscapes where the forces of nature rage, a perfect setting for tragic and passionate stories.
- Low Fantasy. In Esteren, there are no fantasy peoples such as elves or dwarves, nor are there fireball-casting wizards. Although supernatural elements are far from absent, they manifest in a subtle manner, giving way to a gritty, realistic universe.
- An Intuitive Game System. Shadows of Esteren is a game of atmosphere, where immersion and interactions among the Players have priority over any kind of simulative gameplay. This is why the game system was designed to be intuitive and easy to become familiar with.
Book 1 – Universe: Contents
Intended for Players as well as for Game Leaders, this is the core book of the Shadows of Esteren role-playing game series. Within this 288-page hardcover book, you will find:
- A game universe. The discovery of Esteren’s world through the eyes of its inhabitants, in a full-color book containing more than 160 illustrations.
- A game system. Favoring atmosphere and interactions among the Players, the system will notably allow you to create your Characters, manage the evolution of their sanity, use Magience, discover the secret of Oghamic arts, invoke the power of the Creator, etc.
- Player aids. Six Character archetypes, technical texts about the conception of a group of Characters, a complete glossary with an index, the Character sheet, etc.
Here’s a look at some video from their immensely successful Kickstarter project…
