''Bloodshadows'' is an original pulp adventure gamebook by West End Games that was published in 1994. It was the first setting book for WEG's

MasterBook ''Masterbook'' is a generic role-playing game that was published by West End Games (WEG) in 1994. Description The generic rules of ''Masterbook'', which do not have a specific campaign setting, use rules from both WEG's multi-genre role-playing ...

game, which used rules elements used earlier in their

TORG ''Torg'' is a cinematic cross-genre tabletop role-playing game created by Greg Gorden and Bill Slavicsek, with art by Daniel Horne. It was first published by West End Games (WEG) in 1990. Game resolution uses a single twenty-sided die, ''d ...

and

Shatterzone ''Shatterzone'' is a space opera role-playing game by West End Games. The game went out of print in 1997 after the company went bankrupt. The game is now back in print, owned and published by Precis Intermedia. The universe of ''Shatterzone'' ...

games. It was reprinted in 2011 by

Precis Intermedia Precis Intermedia (formerly ''Politically Incorrect Games'' and ''Spectre Press'') publishes downloadable PDF-based and traditional printed role-playing games. They also publish downloadable paper gaming miniatures called Disposable Heroes, and ...

, which is looking to rework and reform the core rules. A reworked third edition of the gamebook was published by Precis Intermedia in 2016.

Background

The game is set in the world of Marl, a setting influenced by dark fantasy,

urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy which places imaginary and unreal elements in an approximation of a contemporary urban setting. The combination provides the writer with quixotic plot-drivers, unusual character traits, and a platform for c ...

, and

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rha ...

influenced by writings of H.P. Lovecraft,

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...

, and Edgar Rice Burroughs and the ''

roman noir Noir fiction (or roman noir) is a subgenre of crime fiction. Definition In its modern form, noir has come to denote a marked darkness in theme and subject matter, generally featuring a disturbing mixture of sex and violence and death in som ...

'' of

Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade (' ...

and

Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...

. It has an early 20th century industrial age base in which the technology is blended with magic. Marl is controlled by three factions: Order, Chaos, and the Oathbreakers. Order and Chaos are like their equivalents in

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English people, English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic nov ...

's ''Eternal Champion'' cycle. Order represents stability and obedience while Chaos is randomness and freedom. Neither side should get complete control, because it would mean the end of reality into total stasis or formless entropy. The conflict between them, which is played out between their followers across infinite worlds and realities, is called the GodWar. Marl last fought in the GodWar 900 years ago during their Iron Age. The conflict, in which armies from outside Marl fought there, led to the deaths of billions that devastated the planet. The Oathbreakers are pawns of Order or Chaos who renounced their former masters. Some follow a god of Order or Chaos who has broken ranks, while others reject the gods and wish to use their patrons' gifts against them. The Oathbreakers' true goals and intentions remain unknown but their actions are dragging Marl back into the GodWar. The character races are humans and Unnaturals. Human characters don't need to take ''Compensations'' (disadvantages) unless their player wishes it. Unnaturals are the non-human races (spirits, undead, demons, and shape-shifters) who have abilities and powers but balance them off with Compensations. Humans dislike and fear the Unnaturals, who are second-class citizens. Certain Unnaturals can pass as human, can manipulate or control Humans into doing their bidding, or have useful powers that balance out their inhuman status. Humans hide behind the walls of city-states separated by savage wilderness. The default campaign takes place in Selastos, a wilderness

boom town A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...

surrounded by a desert. It is connected to the other city-states of Galitia by portals so that commerce can bypass the dangers of the desert. Selastos runs the mines and recovers GodWar-era artifacts in exchange for food and water from Galitia. Factions include god cults and wizards' guilds as well as the Oathbreakers. Galitia remains indifferent to local politics and events since Selastos keeps being profitable.

Rules

The game was the first gameworld for the MasterBook system and was the only original property in the lineup. It used two ten-sided

dice Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing ...

(d10) and a MasterBook deck of 108 cards (100 regular cards, 4 Picture cards, 2 blank cards, and 2 blank Picture cards). There were unique Picture cards for the ''Bloodshadows'' MasterBook deck ("Chaos" and "Order") that gave gameworld-unique results.

1st Edition (WEG 1994)

''The World of Bloodshadows'' (1994) ()

This box set contained the softcover MasterBook rules, the softcover ''Bloodshadows'' core book, a MasterBook card deck and two ten-sided dice.

Sourcebooks

*'' Galitia Citybook'' (1994) – Details the city-state of Galitia, the largest city on Marl. *''Mean Streets'' (1994) – This came with game-master screens and a campaign pack with NPCs, typical adventure locations with maps, and a gazetteer about the city-state of Albredura. *''The Unnaturals'' (1994) – Details on Unnatural races and rules for creating new Unnaturals. *''Fires of Marl'' (1995) – Background essays, short fiction, and adventures dealing with the myths and legends of Marl. *''Padaar Citybook'' (1995) – Details the city-state of Padaar. *''Shadows of Selastos'' (1995) – Campaign that collects the adventures ''Flight of Fear'', ''The Lady is a Vamp'', ''All That Glistens'', and ''Trail of Riches'' set in the city-state of Selastos. Also includes twelve new Human and Unnatural templates. *''Sorcerer's Crib Sheet'' (1995) – Details and expands the magic rules and adds new spells. Also contains three new character templates. *''Wilderness'' (1995) – A self-explanatory sourcebook.

Novels

*''Hell's Feast'' (1994) by Greg Farshtey - Gumshoe Jack Deacon gets in over his head in a case that involves a vampire client, a spellcaster hitman out to get him, and a frame-up for a crime he didn't commit. *''Blood of Tarrian'' (1994) by Shane Lacy Hensley - A Buck Granger mystery. *''The Fifth Horseman'' (1994) by Ed Stark - *''Demon's Dream'' (1996) by Greg Farshtey - Another Jack Deacon mystery.

2nd Edition (WEG 2004)

D6 Bloodshadows Worldbook (2004) [] (Softcover)

A conversion of the source material to using WEG's more popular D6 system. It was only published for a short time before the company went under.

3rd Edition (Precis Intermedia Games 2016)

Bloodshadows: Fantasy-Noir Roleplaying (2016)

A rewriting and reworking of the original gamebook to fit Precis Intermedia's third edition of their genreDiversion rules system. It has conversion rules for a number of their other systems.

Modules

*''Whisper of Destruction'' (2017) – Continues the plot of the game fiction and gaming examples in the core book.

4th Edition (Battlefield Press International LLC, 2022)

This version is being written for the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE). It will focus on the weird mystical City of Guf, and create new content for the setting. This version is officially licensed by Battlefield Press, Inc. from Precis Intermedia Games and will be released in August 2022.

Bloodshadows: Chronicles of Guf (2022)

Core rules that cover character creation and special settings rules. Introduces the City of Guf, which recently appeared out of nowhere. One of its many mysteries is that it is populated by the remembered dead. Every loved one, friend, rival or foe a visitor has ever had resides here, but seem unaware of their past or their demise.

Sourcebooks

*''Adversaries and Abominations'' - A sourcebook detailing powerful non-player-characters and monsters for the setting.

Reviews

*''

Shadis ''Shadis'' is an independent Game, gaming magazine that was published in 1990–1998 by Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG). It initially focused on role-playing games. Publication history Shadis was conceived and started by Jolly Blackburn as an i ...

#16 *''

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrila ...

References

{{Reflist Role-playing games introduced in 1994 American role-playing games Masterbook system D6 System Dark fantasy role-playing games Horror role-playing games West End Games games Fantasy campaign settings