In a fantasy world where raw magic is extracted from the earth like a fossil fuel—
unsustainably, dangerously, and for the profit of billionaire death cultists—you are a member of the Black Shields: an order of anti-extractionist resistance fighters.
The Shields aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. You've blown up a pipeline before, and you'd gladly do it again because you care about the future of your world. It's not a question of if raw magic will spill from pipelines and freighters to transform local wildlife into bloodthirsty abominations—it's a question of when.
Your enemies are not to be trifled with: there's the Magic Fund, a cabal of ultrarich (did you ever notice how "rich" rhymes with "lich"?) capitalists invested in magic extraction; the Office of Magic Licensing and Abuse, the powerful and secretive government organization that subsidizes magic extraction and regulates citizen magic use; and the Burning Bones, a growing necromantic citizen militia whose bootlegger extraction operations fuel their mission to fulfill an unhinged prophecy about a coming lich-messiah. You suspect unsavory links between the three.
That's why the Black Shields don't trifle: your order possesses secret knowledge of ancient, sustainable magic cultivation; the spells they can cast with this magic are uniquely well-suited to radical revolutionary action; and they care deeply about each other and humanity's collective well-being. The Shields envision a future in which magic is harvested without exploiting the land, the poor and working class, or future generations.
available for purchase at Exalted Funeral.
1. Extraction | In the first Crawler zine, you'll live out the fantasy of foiling the greedy magic extraction industry's plans with cunning spells, creative violence, and collective action. Plan attacks on multiple magic extraction sites while dreaming up a better future! But you know what they say about best-laid plans: sometimes, they go sideways when a bunch of necromancers show up to fight you. What? No one says that? Well, it's true. 56 pages / 8.5 x 5.5” / system agnostic.
2. Extinction | Follow the Feystone Hex-L Pipeline underground and discover a devastating secret. Vent your rage and despair by bludgeoning the reanimated fossils of animals that early humans ushered towards extinction as we discovered how smart and cool and violent we have the potential to be. Also, this one's got liches. 56 pages / 8.5 x 5.5” / system agnostic.
3. Chicxulub | Road trip! In the aftermath of destroying a pipeline and/or lich, the party’s on the run from more enemies than they can count. Complicating matters, their comrades in Central America call for aid. Hijack a houseboat, hop a hover-train, or high-tail it on a horse to evade capture at the hands of state thugs, shapeshifting wights, and giant wasps. Remember: it’s about the journey, and about the extraction infrastructure you blow up along the way. 36 pages / 8.5 x 5.5” / saddle stitched / system agnostic.
4. Undermined | An unfathomably chaotic elemental storm pummels the Yucatan Peninsula with snow, lava, firenadoes, and worse. The source seems to be a recently re-opened mine…did someone say too greedily and too deep? Confront autonomous mining constructs on the fritz, resurrected dinosaur fossils, and a haunted artificial intelligence while trying to stop the storm. 46 pages / 8.5 x 5.5” / saddle stitched / system agnostic.
beyond zines
i am seeking partnership to:
• publish a longer-form TTRPG book / multi-book package that collects + expands on the zine series.
• collaborate with TTRPG creators to write + illustrate modules and other content for the crawlerverse.
• review, promote, + distribute crawler TTRPG content.
all proposals are welcome: hauntedmeatstudio@gmail.com