PRESS RELEASE
Mongoose Publishing’s Tabletop RPG
Kickstarter Launch on April 1, 2022
Download the full press release as a PDF by clicking on the above link
The word has been out for a week now: Mongoose Publishing will be Kickstarting its new Viking-noir/cyberpunk tabletop roleplaying game, Shield Maidens, on the 1st of April, at 10 a.m. EST - 2 p.m., GMT. - 4 p.m. CET... and that's definitely not an April Fool's joke!
Please link to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1990654819/shield-maidens-a-new-viking-cyberpunk-tabletop-rpg
The company that earned its stripes with roleplaying games and miniature battle games based on well-known properties such as Babylon 5, Judge Dredd, Starship Troopers, Jeremiah, the Eternal Champion series, Conan and Sláine, alongside its own, original games, is now set to introduce a totally new setting and rules system that is sure to make quite a splash in the world of roleplaying games: Shield Maidens. Of course, we would love for you to share the news and add links in your posts, articles, podcasts and audio-visual content. Also, our team is at your full disposal for interviews and there will be Shield Maidens review copies available as well.
About ‘Shield MAIDENS’
In Shield Maidens, Yggdrasil – the cosmos in which all nine realms are situated – is dying. The dwarves have evolved into energy beings, with technology so far advanced that it’s virtually indistinguishable from magic. Even the haughty elves, who consider themselves to be the true rulers of the mortal realms and who frequently find themselves at odds with humanity over Ymir’s blood, are afraid of them.
While even the Jötunn and the dragons are standing aside, the gods are quarrelling amongst themselves and some of them have even left Odin’s side and settled on Vanaheimr. Leading these rebel gods is none other than Freya, who created the Shield Maidens in an effort to renew the cycle of time and stop Ragnarok.
Back on Midgard, the world has been shrouded in an endless winter for decades, and the totalitarian Fenrir Empire is stifling individual rights and freedoms. Most people live in Midgard’s sprawling mega-metropolis, but the city faces threats from both within and outside, including the mutated lifeforms populating the sprawling sewer network underneath Midgard’s surface and the beasts roaming the wastelands.
In the midst of all this turmoil, Freya’s Shield Maidens stand tall, their powerful Guardian Shields infused with the power of the gods themselves.
About the Roleplaying Game
In this tabletop roleplaying game, each player creates a single Shield Maiden. Together, the Player Characters embark on adventures presented to them by the Games Master, who acts as their senses in order to make the rich and varied setting of this futuristic Viking-noir game come to life. The Games Master also takes on the roles of the creatures and various Non-Player Characters encountered along the way.
Shield Maidens boasts a unique yet intuitive and probably somewhat familiar roll-over mechanic.
Instead of the attributes or characteristics most roleplaying games use, players add up the values of a fitting Branch skill and sub-skill, plus the results of a dice roll consisting of two six-sided dice.
However, the Shield Maidens can also call on the power of their Guardian Shields and change one six-sided die to an eight-sided one – but not without the possibility of things going awry, as rolling an 8 on the D8 will cause a (potentially dangerous) Flare.
Example:
As Signy – an especially adventurous and rather brash Shield Maiden – is sneaking into Asgard, she decides to reach for the balcony and pull herself up. She soon feels her feet slipping away and decides to use her Guardian Shield to assist her, trying to embed it into the wall in order to create a makeshift step. Rolling 1D6 and 1D8 for a total of 11, and adding her Might Branch Skill and Athletics sub-skill leaves her with a total of 19, easily passing the Arduous (13+) Difficulty set by the Games Master! In one swift motion, she pushes the shield into the wall and nimbly jumps on top of it, ready to continue her unannounced visit to the Allfather’s home.
Get in Touch!
Please share the Kickstarter launch date and the link to our website page with your readers, viewers and/or listeners. As always, if you would like to get an advance copy of the game, talk to the designers, meet the publisher, ask for a few copies of Shield Maidens to give away to your followers or subscribers, or otherwise ask us some questions, then please get in touch with our PR bureau, Badass PR, and make sure to let us know what you have in mind. If you’ve already been in touch, they’ll make sure that you’ll get the review copies agreed upon as soon as those are available. Please write or call:
Dirk Vandereyken
Badass PR
dirk@badass.be — +32 (0)494 38 27 44
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