New Big Dragon Games Unlimited to publish a fifth edition adventure module written by Steve Marsh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

New Big Dragon Games Unlimited to publish
a fifth edition adventure module written by Steve Marsh

Dallas, Texas — October 5, 2015: New Big Dragon Games Unlimited is proud to announce the upcoming release of its first fifth edition adventure module, Steve Marsh's Shattered Norns #1: Into the Shadows.

The book will be the first fifth edition product published by New Big Dragon, publisher of many popular OSR resources, including the d30 DM Companion and the d30 Sandbox Companion. It is also the first formally published version of the Shattered Norns material, developed and written by RPG industry legend Stephen R. Marsh.

Mr. Marsh is best-known for his contributions to the Expert rulebook for the classic edition of the world's original fantasy roleplaying game, as well as the concept of the game's dual-axis alignment system, and the introduction of the planes of existence to tabletop gaming.

Shattered Norns, as a setting, deals with a world that was in the process of being created when it was torn apart by magic and treachery—a world still in formation when it was shattered by an incursion of chaos from outside the universe as it is commonly known, born by an intrusion of abominations.

The intent of the Into the Shadows adventure is to introduce characters to one corner of the world and provide them with a base for additional adventure hooks and experiences. For players, it not only acts to introduce the Shattered Norns setting, but also introduces Mr. Marsh's vision of the Shadow Plane and guidelines for adventuring "in shadow."

The world of Shattered Norns, and the Shadow Plane setting of the Into the Shadows adventure, sees the culmination of a great deal of Mr. Marsh's work. The setting has its roots in the 1970s, even predating the period he spent working directly for the company who published the world's original fantasy role-playing game. Star Strands, the original version of the setting, ended up in the infamous bonfire of 1985, when leadership of that company changed hands. In 1992, Mr. Marsh was reworking the material when tragedy befell his life, seeing him bury three children over the period of five years. Though the setting saw some ongoing development from the late 1990s and beyond, his daughter's participation in the “Next” playtesting beginning in 2012 provided Mr. Marsh the opportunity to fully resurrect his material.

Over the last decade or so, much of the Shattered Norns setting material has been published to Mr. Marsh's personal web site, has been used at convention games refereed by Mr. Marsh, and has been issued in collector copies printed, bound and signed by the author. However, this will be the first time any of the material will be available in a formally published edition.

In addition to the material directly related to the adventure, the 48-page book will include listings for more than 20 new monsters penned by Mr. Marsh, as well as information on adventuring in the Plane of Shadow.

Official release dates for electronic and print versions of the book have yet to be determined.

The official Shattered Norns Facebook page is located here >>

The official Shattered Norns Google+ community is located here >>