Pirates Meet Cosmic Horror in Shadows over Port Royal, Now on Kickstarter
Today, Two Starving Gnolls launched the Kickstarter for Shadows over Port Royal, an investigative horror adventure set in Jamaica during the Golden Age of Piracy. Running through October 8, the campaign offers multiple physical and digital editions, including limited tiers that let backers leave their own mark on the infamous pirate city.
Watch the Kickstarter trailer here:
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After seven brutal weeks at sea, the investigators arrive in Port Royal with orders from England to uncover the truth behind a growing mystery. Ships have been found drifting without their crews. The governor is dead under mysterious circumstances. And throughout the taverns, whispers are spreading that something unnatural is at work.
Their investigation leads into a city overflowing with pirates, priests, corrupt officials, competing factions, and hidden agendas. But something even darker waits beneath Port Royal’s greed and corruption.
Inspired by the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft, Shadows over Port Royal blends its fictional mystery with real history. The story builds toward the earthquake and tsunami of June 7, 1692, which devastated much of Port Royal. In this version of events, however, the catastrophe may not have been entirely natural.
Designed with an open investigative structure, the 100+ page scenario gives players freedom to explore Port Royal and uncover clues through different characters, locations, and factions. A typical playthrough runs two to three sessions, while the detailed setting can also be expanded into a longer campaign.
The book also features illustrations by Earl Geier, whose distinctive artwork appeared throughout classic Chaosium Call of Cthulhu releases, including Masks of Nyarlathotep, Horror on the Orient Express, Fatal Experiments, and Cthulhu Casebook.
Shadows over Port Royal Key Features
- Explore Port Royal in 1692: Enter one of the Caribbean’s richest and most infamous cities shortly before one of history’s most dramatic disasters.
- Unravel a Cosmic Horror Mystery: Investigate crewless ships, unexplained deaths, secret agendas, and horrors lurking beneath the city’s corruption.
- Choose Your Own Path: Follow clues across multiple locations and factions through an open investigative structure that can unfold differently for each group.
- Run a Living City: Use included tools and appendices to manage Port Royal’s characters, factions, locations, and shifting agendas.
- Artwork by Earl Geier: Explore Port Royal through new illustrations from an artist whose work appeared in numerous classic Chaosium Call of Cthulhu adventures.
Kickstarter Rewards
The Shadows over Port Royal Kickstarter includes five pledge tiers, beginning with the Exclusive Edition, which includes the hardcover book, a giant player map, a large GM map, printed handouts, a three-panel GM screen, the digital PDF, printable handouts, and digital versions of both maps
Select tiers also include special ways for backers to become part of Port Royal itself:
- The Citizen: Create a named NPC and occupation to be added to Port Royal’s official NPC list.
- The Captain: Create an NPC captain and claim a ship in Port Royal’s harbor, with both featured in the book. Limited to 15 backers.
- The Proprietor: Create an establishment such as a tavern, inn, shop, warehouse, or shipyard and place it on the GM map. Backers will also receive a signed in-game property deed. Limited to 10 backers.
- The Founder: Create a monument or alley that will appear on the printed maps and receive a signed, in-universe document commemorating it. Limited to five backers.
The Exclusive Edition and Citizen tiers will also offer special Early Bird pricing during the campaign’s first 48 hours.
The Kickstarter for Shadows over Port Royal is now live and can be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/
About Shadows over Port Royal
Shadows over Port Royal is an investigative horror adventure set in Jamaica during the Golden Age of Piracy. Inspired by the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft, the adventure combines an open investigation with multiple factions, numerous locations, and a mystery unfolding against the real historical destruction of Port Royal in 1692. Designed for approximately two to three sessions, its detailed setting can also be expanded into a longer campaign.
About Two Starving Gnolls
Two Starving Gnolls (TSG) has 40 years of experience playing role-playing games and began creating games in 2014. The company made its Kickstarter debut with the critically acclaimed Lovecraftian investigative horror scenario Pax Cthuliana, followed by the roguelike adventure Svalbard in 2021. Shadows over Port Royal is its third Lovecraftian adventure.
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