It gives me great pleasure to announce a new stand-alone set of rules to join the Ganesha Games family. Based on the Song of Blades and Heroes rules by Andrea Sfiligoi, Song of Shadows and Dust (SSD) is inspired by the breakdown in civic order which plagued the great cities of the Mediterranean in the first century BC such as Rome, Antioch, Jerusalem or Alexandria – however, they are perfectly appropriate for any pre-modern urban setting from Babylon to Bruges.
SSD seeks to reflect the gritty reality of urban violence and civil disruptions while preserving the keep-it-simple, play-as-you-want, no-book-keeping-required spirit of the original rules system. All the rules needed to play the game will be provided in the book, however, as the rules and points values are compatible with both Song of Blades and Heroes and Song of Arthur and Merlin, players can expand them using the other rulebooks or their supplements as sources of ideas, scenarios and additional special rules.
Players control factions on the tabletop of between five and ten models each. The table itself is covered with buildings to create an urban setting and also includes a wide variety of different civilians. The players are given objectives such as stealing a particularly valuable item, assassinating an enemy leader, rescuing a captured comrade or avoiding the local militia/police whilst having to foil the objectives of their opponents. Faction members can be anything imaginable in this sort of environment – from Roman senators or Arab sheikhs, to beautiful courtesans, blind prophets, zealous priests, gladiators, drunks, common henchmen, street urchins or assassins and so on.
Further details are available on my blog. The rules are currently written and in the early stages of playtesting.
If you are interested in helping to playtest these rules and have access to a range of different buildings and miniatures suitable to represent faction members and a number of civilians, I encourage you to get in contact.
Cheers,
Nic Wright
irregularwars {at} gmail {dot} com
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