Helvéczia: Picaresque RPG

“Venture into a rugged land of stamp-sized, steadfastly independent petty states, populated with robber bands, pious clergymen, wig-wearing philistines, adventurous countesses, and wily cheats: the cantons of Helvéczia, a territory of forbidding mountain ranges and endless forests betwixt rival empires. (…) A re-imagination of old-school fantasy role-playing in a late 17th century Switzerland that never was, Helvéczia is a fast-paced and colourful game of guns, dames, deviltry and steel, based on swashbuckling tales, penny dreadfuls, local legends, and the strange stories of the Brothers Grimm.”

A complete, new old-school game system for picaresque fantasy role-playing campaigns set in a strange alternate-world Switzerland where danger lurks in the deep forests, and even weirder things are afoot in the high mountain valleys. Helvéczia is a love letter to the penny dreadfuls and cheap picaresque novels describing the lives and changing fortunes of scoundrels, bravos and never-do-wells – adventurers in the truest sense. With cover art by Peter Mullen, players’ cartography by Sean Stone, and illustrations by the old masters. This version contains:

• A 208-page rulebook including character creation, simple yet flexible rules, spells, monsters, magic items (mostly new), GM advice, random tables, a starting adventure, and a brief setting guide. The rules are intended to be easy to learn, and the book can be picked up by beginners rather quickly. Going beyond a simple rules variant, Helvéczia comes with detailed explanatory notes for players, and an in-depth guide for Gamemasters.   
• An A3 overview map by Sean Stone, providing an overview of Helvéczia’s geography on one side, and its main cantons, towns and territories on the other.
• Eight more player and GM hex maps for the entire extent of Helvéczia, and some of the surrounding territories (two of each map included to last multiple campaigns)
• A deck of 32 cards in case you want to play a hand with the devil – according to Hungarian card sharp traditions (these are digital images of an antique, out-of-print edition, different from the version included in the print version).
• Character sheets, sample characters, reference sheets, and a calendar booklet to keep strict time records with for a meaningful campaign.

This electronic edition is provided free of charge to people who have purchased the print version.