Keith Mantell has posted a succinct review of Magonomia® on his blog. We always appreciate it when a reviewer takes the time to assimilate our massive 390-page tome and share their honest opinions. Thanks for that work and for your kind words, Keith!
Bestiary preview: the Malkin, Bipedal Cats
“Puss in Boots” is an Italian fairy tale first published in the mid-sixteenth century in Italy, according to Wikipedia. Magonomia® co-author and folklore expert Timothy Ferguson found comparable legends from England. We give you the latest preview from our upcoming A Bestiary of Enchanted England: the Malkin, English cats who walk upright when you’re not looking!
In-process illustration of Malkins, by Teresa Guido
The malkins appear to be cats, but have the ability to stand upright and use tools. During the day they are, apparently, house pets, but once their owners are asleep they gather. Their society is complex: they have a king and religious rituals like weddings and burials. Their king, Tim Toldrum, lives in Lancashire, but various outcasts and fortune hunters of their kind have drifted to the larger cities. The king’s claim to control them is about as solid as Elizabeth’s claim to the Crown of France.
A Bestiary of Enchanted England: Coming to Kickststarter, May 2022
Text by Timothy Ferguson. Unfinished illustration by Teresa Guido. ©2022 Shewstone Publishing LLC.
Gameplay suggestion. Potions and crystals sold separately. Void where prohibited.
Playtesters wanted!
We’ve announced on social media, but not yet here on our own blog. Shewstone Publishing is looking for playtesters for Magonomia® adventures and game supplements!
Playtesting is unpaid. You’ll be given the opportunity to provide feedback that improves Shewstone’s products, to get sneak previews of products that are in development, and possibly to appear in promotional videos of the product (if you consent, and if the playtest game is recorded / filmed).
We offer two kinds of playtesting opportunities:
Organized playtest events, with a GM provided by Shewstone. These are almost always online.
Take-home playtests, where you receive a copy of the manuscript to try out with your own gaming group.
Sign up for our special playtesters’ email list to receive invitations to either or both kinds of playtest.
Bestiary preview - The Laidly Toad Queen
A Bestiary of Enchanted England is not your typical RPG bestiary. It’s based on authentic folk tales and Renaissance writings, filled with lore and plot hooks. Coming to Kickstarter in May 2022.
Centuries ago, the wicked queen Anura fell prey to her own curse, and became a huge, immortal toad. By the Reign she has grown to the size of a horse. Local folklore tells maidens to avoid her seashore, as she spits poison at them, in envy of their beauty. What it carefully does not say is that the network of the queen's servants has also persevered. She commands many of the local criminals, and her lieutenants are witches that she has trained.
Anura's history is well known in Bamburgh and its surrounds. It is repeated in local lore as the ballad of The laidly worm of Spindleston Heugh. "Laidly" is a dialect word meaning "loathsome." Before it was bought into Northumberland, Bamburgh was a small kingdom on the Scottish border. The king was widowed and remarried. On returning home with a new wife, the king introduced his daughter Isobel as "the finest of women" which made her new stepmother so envious she turned Isobel into a dragon. When Isobel's brother, Wynd, returned from the Crusades he turned the spell back upon Anura, cursing her to be a toad until the end of the world.
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Text by Timothy Ferguson. Illustration by Angela Taylor. A Bestiary of Enchanted England coming to Kickstarter in May 2022.
Corrections in the works for Map of Enchanted England
We need to make some corrections to the Map of Enchanted England on p. 284 of Magonomia® Core Rules.
It has come to management’s attention that the “Norfolk Hills,” while technically existing, are not prominent enough to be featured on the map. (Norfolk is famously flat.) We’ve spotted a few other errors, which will no doubt be easily spotted by native Britons.
We regard these as routine errata. We’re going to make a correction to the digital edition. This will take a few weeks, because everything in the publishing business takes a few weeks. The print-on-demand version will also be updated. If you’ve purchased a copy already and the map errors bother you, please contact service@shewstone.com. We can’t afford to replace your copy for free, but we can give it to you for the cost of printing & shipping.