Walking the floor at the UK Games Expo this weekend, physical pirate ship miniatures at the OptimisticNIL booth immediately drew Geek Native’s attention. While investigating the impressive display, we discovered that publisher Kevin Rahman (also known as Will RD), the creator of the wildly popular Forbidden Psalm skirmish series, is quietly preparing a major thematic shift for his next tabletop roleplaying games.
Geek Native can exclusively confirm that two unannounced roleplaying games are currently in development at OptimisticNIL. The most prominent of the pair is a hopeful, solarpunk game co-written by Raeeka Yassaie. Rooted deeply in Iranian and Zoroastrian influences, the upcoming title focuses heavily on light and optimism.
This bright, solarpunk future is a deliberate departure for the studio, serving as the yin to the yang of Rahman’s current major release, Run from the Dark. Available now digitally as a 286-page PDF and hitting physical retail shelves in approximately three weeks, Run from the Dark is a Welsh folk-horror roleplaying game in which the darkness is a literal, malevolent force that kills. Players take on the role of Walkers, burdened with carrying lights to connect isolated settlements in a bleak, devastated world. Using an easy-to-learn, narrative-focused custom system, it offers a masterclass in existential dread while remaining highly adaptable as a setting for other systems. Picking up Run from the Dark now is also the most reliable way to join the publisher’s mailing list ahead of the upcoming solarpunk announcements.
Back at the booth, those eye-catching pirate ships belong to From the Depths Below, a highly anticipated 150-page standalone pirate skirmish game. Designed as a Forbidden Psalm game, the ruleset is miniature agnostic but features official support from Westfalia miniatures. Furthermore, Rahman has teamed up with Limithron to ensure full compatibility with Pirate Borg, enabling it to serve as a narrative campaign complete with RPG-specific content. The game boasts a 13-scenario-long campaign, over 40 monsters, and a trove of new relics, weapons, and treasures.
From the Depths Below will launch on Kickstarter on the 7th of July.
Explore the Darkness and the Depths
- Download the PDF: Run From the Dark: Folk Horror RPG on DriveThruRPG
- Follow the campaign: From the Depths Below on Kickstarter
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