Elf Lair Games

Welcome to the New Class of Old School! Elf Lair Games is a publisher of unique fiction and tabletop role playing games in Pittsburgh, PA. Stay tuned.

Our flagship products include Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age and Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars Elf Lair Games is an "upstart" publisher of unique tabletop roleplaying games. Our flagship product, Spellcraft & Swordplay, is available via print-on-demand and e-book download from DriveThruRPG.com and RPGNow (see "Store" link, below) and we have a number of other game products--role playing and "do-it-yourself" board games--in development.

07/24/2024

This review of Night Shift made me outright cackle. Hahahahah awesome.

A Look into a TTRPG I have been playing for months now!

07/17/2024

QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT: Pre-orders for Thirteen Parsecs (including for leather editions) are still available, but are not being taken through BackerKit anymore. They have now moved to our website at https://www.elflair.com/13p , the main product page for Thirteen Parsecs! We hope you'll consider grabbing one if you haven't already!

07/01/2024

Elf Lair Games is pleased to announce a new FREE Web Enhancement for Wasted Lands: the Dreaming Age. This web enhancement offers a new human cultural background (the Mariner) and a new full character class (the Shade). We hope you enjoy! You can find it under the "Our Games" dropdown for Wasted Lands, on the Wasted Lands product page, or on the Freebies.

Play the gods of myth in Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age, a ttrpg of swords, sorcery, and yog-sothothery in a savage lost age!

05/16/2024

REMINDER: ELG AMA in Randomworlds Discord Chat TONIGHT! - https://mailchi.mp/2c5d8bde49f7/elf-lair-games-newsletter-may-16-randomworlds

05/14/2024

13 Parsecs - FIRST STRETCH GOAL UNLOCKED! OTHERS REFORMATTED! https://mailchi.mp/3fcafdf8bdf5/elf-lair-games-newsletter-may-14-2024

05/13/2024

Join Elf Lair Games on Thursday, May 16, at 8:30 PM EST on the Randomworlds Chat for an AMA to discuss Thirteen Parsecs, Night Shift, Wasted Lands, O.G.R.E.S., Cd8, O.R.C.S., Castles & Crusades, Amazing Adventures, and more! It's one of the best chat rooms around - super nice people, led by Hardboiled GMShoe Dan Davenport himself!

Check out the Randomworlds TTRPG Chatroom community on Discord - hang out with 1795 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

05/09/2024

Thirteen Parsecs is FUNDED! Let's Blow Through Stretch Goals - https://mailchi.mp/996b6bf0f7fb/elf-lair-games-newsletter-may

05/09/2024

We have an exciting update for today! Noted game designer and novelist Bill Coffin has joined us for Thirteen Parsecs! We are also at the time of this writing just ONE BACKER away from 100! Help us get there. If you can't back, then please share this around everywhere you can think of that tabletop gamers might be lurking!

Pretty big announcement today: Bill Coffin is stepping back into the game design arena to do some work for Thirteen Parsecs! To many, Bill is best known for his work on the var...

05/08/2024

Just your daily reminder! We had a great first day but have miles to go! Are you a personal friend here? Do you game? Do you just want to support a guy? BACK MY GAME! Elf Lair Games

Play any sub-genre or style of science fiction from gritty cyberpunk to epic planetary romance with this customizable Tabletop RPG Powered by O.G.R.E.S., the same rules as Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars and Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age.

05/07/2024

13 Parsecs is LIVE! Let's give it a big start!

From Elf Lair Games - Thirteen Parsecs: Beyond the Solar Frontier Tabletop Role Playing Game

05/06/2024

We launch tomorrow, folks, with some awesome giveaways if we fund quickly! If you haven't signed up, sign up now!

From Elf Lair Games - Thirteen Parsecs: Beyond the Solar Frontier Tabletop Role Playing Game

05/01/2024

Some quick corrections to the new logo and it's pretty well finalized! Here you go!

04/25/2024

Elf Lair Games has a new logo designed by Meliora Henning! Over the next few weeks/months we will be gradually phasing out our old logo in favor of this one.

04/25/2024

Man, it always creeps up on you, but this morning I finalized the rules draft (Chapters 0 - 4) of Thirteen Parsecs. I now have a playtested, complete science fiction game. All that remains is the GM section, possible bestiary*, and mini-settings.

Yes, it includes a complete starship creation system, enhanced space combat, rules for just about anything to go pear-shaped while you're in hypersleep or traveling through space, enhanced fi****ms rules (you can now double-tap with pistols or fire bursts with auto weapons), full rules for computer hacking and cyberjacking, rules for battlemechs, rules for superpowers, and more. I'm pretty jazzed about how well it came out.

Since sci-fi doesn't generally include magic, instead of basing inventions and powers on spells I have endeavored to break spells down into their base 'core components' and offer an effects-based power system wherein you build a power then determine its effective level for point cost. It's pretty simple and straight forward: stack effects together, add up their values, and that's your power level.

If you're not following along yet to be notified when the campaign goes live, please consider doing so. Thanks!

* I haven't decided how to handle the bestiary yet. Since sci-fi covers SO many sub-genres a bestiary could be crazy thin, or so cumbersome as to be unwieldy. I'm tossing around options.

From Elf Lair Games - Thirteen Parsecs: Beyond the Solar Frontier Tabletop Role Playing Game

03/27/2024

What a fantastic convention! Here's the post-Gary Con 2024 report from Elf Lair Games! (additional link in comments in case it doesn't show in the main post)

Well, folks, the Elf Lair Crew has gone our separate ways once again (we're scattered across three states) and are back home, settled, and ...

03/19/2024

We lost a giant. James M. Ward was a legendary game designer, but more than that, a phenomenal human being. I will deeply miss talking with him, his advice, support, and bouncing ideas off him. Rest in Peace, Jim. Hope you're gaming with Gary and Dave now.

Hall of Fame Game Designer Passes at 72

03/14/2024

Here's a peek behind the curtain at the development process for Thirteen Parsecs - how do starships work?
https://elflairgames.blogspot.com/2024/03/thirteen-parsecs-starship-rules.html

03/12/2024

13 Parsecs Devlopment
What's New: Starship Rules!
We have just completed and are currently playtesting the draft rules for our starship creation and combat system. We're super excited about the rules, which allow you to build anything from a tiny shuttlecraft to a massive space station, and focus on the eleven systems of the ship: AI, Communications, Construction, Defensive Systems, Engineering Systems, Engines, Life Support, Maneuverability, Navigation, Sensors, and Weapons Systems.

Each system has a rating, which can take damage from combat or even things going wrong in the cold of space. That's right - in the grittiest of games, your life support could go out while you're in hypersleep!

These ratings come into play in various ways (often adding the system rating to tests) while in combat, during navigation, or the like. The rules allow for fast and tactical dogfights between fighters and fully-crewed combat, where everyone can shine by using their individual skills and the systems they maintain. Early playtesting has been super fun, fast, and exciting.

Stay tuned for more updates as we progress, and be sure to sign up to follow along!

From Elf Lair Games - Thirteen Parsecs: Beyond the Solar Frontier Tabletop Role Playing Game

03/11/2024

Folks, if you're any sort of GM, game designer, or even just a fan of fantasy world bulidng, these books are THE definitive source, and it's so exciting to have them coming back in print!

03/11/2024

Elf Lair Games does not and will not knowingly use AI in our published products. We 100% support human creators and artists, and while we do need to use stock art/video for budgetary reasons at this time, we take every precaution to filter out AI-generated content.

If any AI content slips through our filters and efforts, it is entirely unintentional and we will take steps to remediate the issue. That said, we would like to point out that there IS a difference between a human artist rendering a digital painting, and AI-generated artwork.

01/26/2024

Happy 50th birthday, Dungeons & Dragons!

01/26/2024

Act 5: Shadows Reborn

In the aftermath, a new threat emerges: a mysterious force manipulating events from the shadows. The heroes, scarred by their previous ordeal, realize the galaxy's battles are far from over.

Coming in May: Thirteen Parsecs: Beyond the Solar Frontier! https://tinyurl.com/13psignup

01/25/2024

Act 4: Galactic Showdown

The heroes confront Xel'Naga as the doomsday device activates. A space battle ensues, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance. Sacrifices are made, alliances shattered, and the Celestial Beacon's power unleashed. The heroes emerge victorious, but at a cost.

Coming in May! Thirteen Parsecs: Beyond the Solar Frontier https://tinyurl.com/13psignup

01/24/2024

Act 3: Binary Pursuit

Hacking into Xel'Naga's encrypted network, the heroes uncover a hidden base. Navigating its defenses, they learn of a doomsday device powered by the Celestial Beacon. Racing against time, the party infiltrates the base, encountering alien species enslaved by Xel'Naga. Allies are made, setting the stage for the final confrontation.

Coming in May! Thirteen Parsecs: Beyond the Solar Frontier: https://tinyurl.com/13psignup

01/24/2024

In our ever-expanding quest to improve our website, we have now added an RSS feed to our News page, where you can preview (and link out to) our most recent blog posts!

01/23/2024

Act 2: Shadows in Hyperspace

Agents of Xel'Naga, cybernetically enhanced mercenaries, ambush the heroes. A space battle ensues as the characters fight to escape, realizing they are marked for elimination. The chase leads them through a maze of asteroids and abandoned space stations, testing their skills and alliances.

Coming in May: Thirteen Parsecs: Beyond the Solar Frontier https://tinyurl.com/13psignup

01/23/2024

Act 1: Cosmic Catastrophe
In the distant future, an ancient artifact, the Celestial Beacon, begins emitting destructive dark energy, threatening the galaxy. Factions race to stop the rising chaos. The heroes, drawn together by fate, discover the Beacon's origin and the villain, Xel'Naga, seeking to harness its power.
Coming in May: Thirteen Parsecs! http://tinyurl.com/13psignupfb

01/19/2024

A few updates!
1. We can now accept PayPal as payment on our website.
2. When you checkout on our website you will now have the option to create an account to track your order.
3. The top menu has been reformatted. Freebie downloads are now under their individual games instead of one big list.
4. Don't forget to check out our NEW product pages for Night Shift: VSW and Wasted Lands (under "Our Games" - just click the game title!)

Address

Pittsburgh, PA

Website

https://www.elflair.com/

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Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age is LIVE on Kickstarter! This tabletop RPG of gritty swords and sorcery allows you to portray the protohuman birth of the ancient gods of myth in a savage lost epoch, just after the Great Old Ones fall into their eternal slumber. It offers customizable levels of grit and even FULLY customizable mechanics to truly make the game your own. It's Your Game, Your Way when it's Powered by O.G.R.E.S.! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jasonvey/wasted-lands-the-dreaming-age-role-playing-game?ref=6svs1y

Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age Role Playing Game

Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age is COMING SOON to KICKSTARTER! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jasonvey/wasted-lands-the-dreaming-age-role-playing-game/

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Our Story

Founded in 2008, We are in some ways tied to the "old school" movement, but we like to think that our product has a much broader appeal, combining modern design philosophy with old-school sensibility. Jason Vey, President and owner, has been freelancing in the RPG industry for over ten years, and has authored for such notable companies as Palladium Books, Misfit Studios, Eden Studios, and Troll Lord Games. Our experience and love for a more open, free style of gaming makes us uniquely qualified to be a leader in what we have termed "The New Class of Old School!"