New Release: Dark Eras and Hunter’s “Doubting Souls” set in Salem

Dark Eras

I am pleased to announce that Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras, a book that spans multiple eras for the Chronicles of Darkness game lines, is now available. As the Kickstarter text explained, the Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras starts out presenting a chapter for each of nine historical eras. The sections were written for the currently available edition of the game line, but they are designed to be usable with any edition. Each terrifying time period and location is examined through the supernatural creatures that dwell there, and my section is:

Hunter: The Vigil — Doubting Souls (1690-1695): Immigrants and tribes struggle to co-exist on the eastern seaboard. Violent clashes, supernatural beliefs, and demonic influences spell disaster for Salem Village and its surrounding towns, while other hunters fight werewolves and vampires on the frontier. With so much at risk, only god-fearing men and women are deemed innocent — and those are few indeed. Monica Valentinelli writer & Matt McElroy developer.

“Doubting Souls” is, in many ways, my commentary on the Salem Witch Trials; the chapter primarily focuses on the gut-wrenching decisions hunters have to make and how they are caught up in the hysteria. It also, however, offers possibilities for other styles of play and expands the setting a bit so we’d hit as many notes as possible within the confines of this tightly-woven section. There are opportunities to explore multiple locations, including Boston and Ipswich, and new compacts are offered as well. Since offering the first draft to fans, there have been some additions and expansions to the chapter, and we added additional reference materials to highlight our research, too.

Though this Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras chapter, in no way shape or form, could ever replace a set of modern history books on the time period, I feel very strongly about the necessity of research; I hope that you will notice this effort reflected in how we put together this alternate history perspective. “Doubting Souls” is a depiction of a world in the 1690s that’s slightly different from this reality–but much, much darker…especially for hunters of all types.

I hope that fans will enjoy “Doubting Souls” for Hunter: The Vigil, and I encourage you to check out the other chapters, too! Huzzah!

Announcing Gothic Icons and the Historical Angst™ World of Darkness

Gothic Icons RMC

Sharing some big, gothacular news today for Fish Fool’s! I’m going to be one of the new developers for the Historical Angst™ World of Darkness. WOO!

Announcing an even Gothier Version of the World of Darkness—Now with More Historical Angst™!

Today on Fish Fool’s, Onyx Path Publishing is thrilled to announce an exciting change. Inspired by the success of the Dark Eras Kickstarter, the company has decided to overhaul every classic and new World of Darkness game in their catalog and will transport the entire line back to the nineteenth century, during the height of Gothic literature’s popularity, to add Historical Angst™!

“I was so impressed with the enthusiasm we got from fans, I turned to our developers after the Kickstarter was over and asked them if we should skip the modern day crap and focus on a more intriguing period of history,” Rich Thomas, CEO and President of Onyx Path Publishing said. “There were so many historical eras to choose from, it was hard to figure out which one would be the right fit for the entire World of Darkness. But then I thought, ‘Hey, what would Carmilla do?’ Then a black cat crossed my path, and I freaked out a little, but that onyx feline gave me an idea. Why not take all of our games and draw from horror’s roots? Sure, we’ve always dealt with symbolism and allegory from all aspects of the horror genre, but Gothic literature seems like a no-brainer. Believe me, there’s nothing gothier or angstier than those characters. They’re all supergoths, which is great for us and for the fans. And if I’m remembering right, some of them even had capes!”

“You know, at first I was really skeptical of this change because it’s something we hadn’t considered before. But after a while, the idea that we could tap into Historical Angst™ kind of grew on me,” said Eddy Webb, Vampire: the Masquerade developer. “I mean, think about it. In a way, Vampire wouldn’t exist without Gothic characters like the goth vampire Varney. This just makes sense.”

To highlight the new path Onyx Path Publishing will follow, the company has filed a trademark for the phrase Historical Angst™ and is offering a free download of Gothic Icons for fans to use in their new World of Darkness chronicles. Gothic Icons is a special collection of six, iconic Goth characters found in Gothic literature like the misguided wannabe goth Baron Vordenburg, who has never hunted vampires before and relies on a saber instead of a stake, or the gamer goth Countess Anna Fedotovna, an avid card player who favors the odds (Ace, 3, and 7 to be precise). The rules for the characters were created using the World of Darkness Rulebook and the God-Machine Chronicle character creation update.

For more information about the upcoming Historical Angst™ version of the World of Darkness, follow the Onyx Path blog for updates—and revel in its gothtacular goodness!

Presenting… Scion: Extras (Supplemental Yet Can Be Somewhat Useful On Occasion Scions)

Scion Extras

While it is well-known that not every God is as potent as Zeus (and not every Goddess as brave as Isis), even the Gods themselves tend to“forget” their long-lost cousins and great-aunts twice-removed on the other side of the family. Among the immortals, the uber-powerful feel there are some deities best left off Junior’s wedding invitation, ignored at holidays, or obscured deep in a poorly updated Wikipedia page.

In Extras (Supplemental Yet Can Be Useful On Occasion Scions), a select number of these rare Gods, Goddesses, and their Scions have been thrown under the spotlight. From the oft-overlooked Queen of the Porcelain Throne to a brave-but-curious Scion who loves the outdoors, discover how the pantheons feel about these add-ons and their place in the War against the Titans.

This book is compatible with Scion: Hero. It includes:

  • 10 playable Scion extras from 6 pantheons
  • Deadpan humor. Because RPGs are dead, ya know?
  • Song lyrics for Sci, Scion Style. We expect to see a fan video.
  • Easter eggs! Not the literal kind. That’d be too messy. The “Oooo…Fans might want to…” kind.
  • …and more!


  • HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S!




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