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Print sales of Magonomia® the RPG of Renaissance wizardry are currently paused. We’ve uploaded new digital content files to our print-on-demand partners including corrections to the Map of Enchanted England on p. 284. We’ve ordered proofs, which is publishing jargon for a print copy to make sure the printing came out right. Sales are on pause until the proofs are approved. We expect this will be 2-3 weeks.
Image of Magonomia Core Rules book.
We’re getting started on a lighter Quick Start for Magonomia that will be an easier entry to the game than the Starter Rules. The first page explains what Magonomia is like, so the reader can decide whether there’s any point in reading further. Here’s the first draft:
Illustration by Teresa Guido, ©2020 Shewstone Publishing LLC
Learning a new roleplaying game is an investment of your time (and money). It’s fair to ask what the game will be like once you’ve learned it.
Presumably you know the basic premise that everyone plays a wizard in a fantasy version of Renaissance England. Beyond that:
The magic is based on authentic sixteenth-century folklore. If feels like the magic portrayed in Shakespeare’s plays, rather than modern fantasy movies. Your wizard won’t be throwing fireballs. They’re more likely to fly on a broomstick or to brew a potion that grants superhuman strength.
Your wizard will start with a repertoire of 11 spells, chosen from a list. Each spell does one specific thing, such as turning your character invisible or detecting curses.
Teamwork is key. Because everyone plays a wizard, there are five varieties of magic to choose from, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
The mechanics are based on the Fate™ system, specifically Fate Condensed. This is a skill-based system with improvisational elements.
Magonomia is a good choice for you if:
You’re captivated by the lore from when Europeans thought magic and faeries were real.
An all-wizard campaign sounds awesome to you.
You like to think creatively while using your character’s powers and abilities.
You like to immerse yourself in the scene your character is experiencing.
Magonomia may not be to your liking if:
Power gaming is your thing.
You like realistic adventures better than magic. Magonomia is about wizards.
You prefer lightweight rules that you don’t have to think about.
You dislike games where your character’s plan goes sideways.
As we posted at the end of February, the Enchanted England map in Magonomia Core Rules has some errors and we’re working on corrections. There’s some progress on that effort: this weekend the cartographer handed over the updated map for final polishing — getting those pesky towns settled into their proper places, and double-checking that notable locations mentioned in the book are also mentioned on the map.
When this is done, we’ll update both the consumer PDF and the digital master for print-on-demand, and order a new set of proofs. The updated map should be in the book before Gen Con.
The updated map will be available as a free download on the Shewstone website. We can’t afford to send out replacement copies to the customers who bought the version with the erroneous map, but we’ll give everyone who’s already bought the print edition (including crowdfunding backers) a coupon to order an updated copy for the cost of printing (plus taxes, shipping, etc.)
RPG Imaginings shares their impressions of Magonomia chapter by chapter in this 34-minute video:
A 34-minute walkthrough of Magonomia by RPGImaginings.
We’re hard at work on our first full-length Magonomia® supplement, A Bestiary of Enchanted England. Writing and illustration is going well; in fact, a few of the authors and illustrations have completed all their assignments. You can see our progress in our last few months’ blog posts about product development. This is shaping up to be a truly unique bestiary, firmly grounded in sixteenth-century lore and enriched with role-playing advice and plot hooks for each creature.
We’ve decided to delay the crowdfunding launch of this project until Fall 2022. We want to get at least some playtesting done before we launch, and we didn’t account for that up front.
The overall production and release schedule isn’t affected much. We’ve just decided to get the product further along in development before the crowdfunding launch.
The silver lining is that there will be some playtesting events and you can sign up to be invited to participate.