Welcome to the table,
One of the most enjoyable parts of game direction and design is the world-building. The boundless horizons of the mind reaching out and sprouting biomes for the players to explore and the storytellers to draw from to craft the stories and adventures at the table. TTRPGs are adventures in sandboxes with endless possibilities and the world-building tools created by the game designers are the grains of sand that allow those who enjoy the games the elements to build what they want for their experience.
This week my feeds have been filled with news of a fresh batch of world building sand from Paizo.
Paizo has announced their newest project, Howl of the Wild. This latest creature-focused rulebook dives into the beasts and animals of the wilderness and invites players and storytellers to catalog them all alongside an old naturalist and his eclectic crew as they sail their fantastic airship to Golarion’s furthest reaches, studying its lushest biomes in search of the elusive Wardens of the Wild.
The concept art of the Zoetrope airship by Kent Hamilton is spectacular giving us a good look at this exploratory vessel that evokes The Ulysses from Atlantis: The Lost Empire by way of non-problematic Spelljammer.
I’m a fan of airships and exploration themes and this checks every box for me and plants seeds that I could easily see developing into multi-year campaigns.
The book will provide deep dives and regional variants of classic beasts of legend, as well as a whole menagerie of never-before-seen wildlife to study, tame, cooperate with, or confront. In addition, you’ll find unique gear for dealing with beasts (as well as magical items drawing upon their power), archetypes, feats, and more that allow you to call upon the power of nature.
Howl of the Wild will also bring six new playable ancestries for you to create a character who’s a bit more on the wild side, including the newly revealed swift centaur and powerful minotaur. Each ancestry will be represented in the ship’s crew and you can see Gunship Revolution‘s art of the ship’s scout, Telero, and the expedition’s scribe here.
If you’re eager to learn a bit more about Howl of the Wild, be sure to tune in to PaizoCon Online 2023, where there will be more news about the title during the Primal Previews panel.
Until next time, go explore the world!
Welcome to the table, One of the most enjoyable parts of game direction and design is the world-building. The boundlessCOMICONRead More