As for the game and setting here is the blurb:
United by Magnus the Butcher, the Cimbrian people defeated their elven oppressors and founded a powerful empire. The elves have since vanished and faded into memory while the Cimbrian Empire has grown increasingly more fractured. The proud nation which conquered the land and its abominations is now little more than a confederation of powerful city-states with little love for the descendants of Magnus.
Noble houses, trade guilds, mercenary companies, dark cults, and criminal societies compete for control of the city-states. These factions scheme against one another, employing violence when political maneuvering fails. While mankind quarrels in the pursuit of petty ambitions, an older enemy lurks in the darkness.
Elves and other malevolent forces abhor humanity. These eldritch things mindlessly devour mankind or carefully plot its destruction. Few recognize these supernatural terrors as anything more than fiction. Faced with forgotten horrors, most men are driven to despair and madness. Some heroes rise to the challenge, dispatching the supernatural with blade and blackpowder.
The combat rules are inspired by historical European martial arts while remaining simple and intuitive. Weapons and armor behave in a satisfying manner, reflecting their actual qualities. Exploding dice allow for fast and deadly combat encounters.
Experience is spent like currency, allowing players to develop their characters in a number of different ways between gaming sessions. Characters can advance existing skills, learn new skills, or acquire special abilities by spending experience. This allows for a great deal character customization.
Magic
Elemental forces govern the universe and these energies can be harnessed in a variety of ways. The most dangerous arcane practice is spellcraft and it involves manipulating magic through sheer willpower. Casting spells is unpredictable and sometimes results in paranormal phenomenon known as aetheric manifestations. Examples of these manifestations include: raining frogs, spontaneous combustion, summoning demons, and miraculous healing.
Magic can also manifest in more predictable and controlled ways. This is often done by binding magic to items or through the brewing of potions. Witch finders who must battle rogue sorcerers and horrible monsters often collect potent magical devices to assist with their work. Miracles function similarly to spells though are borrowed by the cultist's patron and come with certain religious obligations.
Characters
Players assume the roles of brave landsknechts and suave swashbucklers. Characters may choose from one of the following classes:
- Brute - Powerful fighter who relies upon athleticism, strength, and toughness to overcome enemies. Subclasses include the berserker, brawler, folk hero, and thug.
- Cultist - Divine instrument of their patron, capable of commanding powerful magic. Subclasses include the priest, templar, and zealot.
- Duelist - Skilled fencer who has learned secret swordplay techniques. Subclasses represent various schools of fencing influenced by actual historical martial arts.
- Engineer - Brilliant inventor with access to weird science. An engineer's inventions are equal parts magic and science.
- Magister - Arcane practitioner capable of manipulating magic into spells. Subclasses include the alchemist, necromancer, seer, and wizard.
- Man-at-arms - Professional soldier trained to coordinate with comrades and improve their performance. Subclasses include the shock trooper, skirmisher and vanguard.
- Scoundrel - Suave trickster with a diverse skillset. Subclasses include the assassin, burglar, highwayman, and rake.
- Wayfarer - Talented marksman with varied survival skills. Subclasses include the explorer, scout, shadow stalker, and trophy hunter.
Something else I thought was cool:
Streets of Peril has been thoroughly playtested and revised since 2020. Those who have purchased a previous version will find more spells, magic items, monsters, art, and lore within this new version. We also added a new editor, Quinn Richardson, to ensure the book is even more polished than before.
We presented the book at Phoenix Fan Fusion at 2023 and it was very well-received! Sharing this project with other TTRPG enthusiasts was a real treat and a great reminder why we invested so much into this book.
A detailed overview of the core book.
A look at the task/dice system.
Expansion, now currently running on Kickstarter.
