Elf Lair Games has officially signed on with Studio 2 Publishing to distribute English language tabletop RPG product, beginning with  Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars .  I couldn't be more excited about this partnership. It stands as the next big step in expanding our reach as a publishing company, and we look forward to getting our games into the hands of as many players as possible. Studio 2 is just the company to make that happen. Making this transition was a big step for Elf Lair and signing on with Studio 2 is a huge development for us. This represents a vital move towards what I hope will be a bright and exciting future for the company. The partnership will greatly expand the reach of  Elf Lair Games , allowing its presence in physical gaming stores and major online retailers. Elf Lair recently made the transition from a small PDF and print-on-demand company to a traditional offset publisher thanks to a successful Kickstarter in October 2019....

Elf Lair Games has officially signed on with Studio 2 Publishing to distribute English language tabletop RPG product, beginning with Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars .  I couldn't be more excited about this partnership. It stands as the next big step in expanding our reach as a publishing company, and we look forward to getting our games into the hands of as many players as possible. Studio 2 is just the company to make that happen. Making this transition was a big step for Elf Lair and signing on with Studio 2 is a huge development for us. This represents a vital move towards what I hope will be a bright and exciting future for the company. The partnership will greatly expand the reach of Elf Lair Games , allowing its presence in physical gaming stores and major online retailers. Elf Lair recently made the transition from a small PDF and print-on-demand company to a traditional offset publisher thanks to a successful Kickstarter in October 2019.  About Night Shi...

 Let's be honest: It's more than likely that there's a supers supplement for Night Shift: VSW on the horizon some day in the future. Here's the trick, though: you don't really need it to do supers with the game as it stands. You could do a street level supers game with NS:VSW exactly as it sits, and you'd still be well within genre. Look at TV shows like Arrow or Batwoman  on the CW or the Netflix Marvel shows for examples of how street-level supers can be dark urban fantasy at its finest.  Hell, consider Blade as an example of how the superhero genre can be mixed with horror. It's certainly not outside of the wheelhouse of Night Shift to experiment with superheroic games, particularly if you keep it at "street level" abilities.  Let's check out the easy ways you can do superheroes with Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars Start with the Supernatural Race In Night Shift: VSW, you have essentially two options for your character ...

Tis the season, so here we go. low res image used for criticism and scholarly purposes under Fair Use doctrine. I've been binge watching Ash vs. Evil Dead over the past couple days (actually, I binged the entire Evil Dead franchise in order including the 2013 in-continuity reboot) and was thinking about how one could do this with OD&D. For the uninitiated here, that's Original D&D, the one released back in 1974 with the woodgrain (later white) box. As with most properties, it's crazy easy and even more proof that OD&D is a much better, more robust game than it's ever given credit for being.  No need to elaborate on what this one is further. Here's my thoughts. Monsters Standard Deadite: 4HD, Mv. 30ft, fly 30ft. Attacks: claw, claw, bite. Special: On a natural 20, infect another requiring a save vs. Death or become a Deadite. Deadites can use Alter Self at will to look like their former self and possess all the memories and knowledge of those they possess...

low res image used for criticism and scholarly purposes under Fair Use doctrine. As part of my Halloween season binge this year, I'm watching The Craft, and I started to think about Night Shift: VSW and its toolkit approach to urban fantasy and modern horror gaming. That led to one of the most frustrating and consistent demands I get from fans: "How do I do [insert property here] with your game?" One of the most common questions game designers get--especially those of us who are known for taking a "toolkit" approach to our gaming, is, "How do I do my favorite TV show/movie/book/comic with your game?" And if you don't give a concise answer, often people dismiss your game as not being TRULY toolkit. In many ways, this is an unfair question to begin with, and it doesn't mean that a game isn't capable of filling your needs if the designer can't answer that question right away.  Consider the following: Sometimes It's a Legal Thing In som...

  This is one of the most common questions game designers get in the modern era of game design. Everyone's looking for the latest, new and unusual thing, and that's understandable. So what do I answer when people ask me what's so innovative or new about Night Shift: VSW?  Nothing.  That's right; there's nothing in the mechanics or system that's particularly new or innovative in  Night Shift: VSW.  Now, before you throw up your hands and say, "Why bother, then?" Let me elaborate.  There's No Such Thing as Innovative Mechanics The simple truth of the matter is, the  vast  majority of designers who use "innovative" as a claim to fame for their game are at least one of two things, and very often both:  1. Trying to be different for no other reason than to say they're being different, often at the expense of playability. 2. Simply wrong.  Most so-called innovative mechanics are smoke and mirrors at best . The truth is very simple: dice exi...

This is one of the most common questions game designers get in the modern era of game design. Everyone's looking for the latest, new and unusual thing, and that's understandable. So what do I answer when people ask me what's so innovative or new about Night Shift: VSW?  Nothing.  That's right; there's nothing in the mechanics or system that's particularly new or innovative in Night Shift: VSW.  Now, before you throw up your hands and say, "Why bother, then?" Let me elaborate.  There's No Such Thing as Innovative Mechanics The simple truth of the matter is, the vast majority of designers who use "innovative" as a claim to fame for their game are at least one of two things, and very often both:  1. Trying to be different for no other reason than to say they're being different, often at the expense of playability. 2. Simply wrong.  Most so-called innovative mechanics are smoke and mirrors at best . The truth is very simple: dice exist in...

 Reviews of Night Shift: VSW are starting to appear in the wild!  The most recent is courtesy of Finarvyn over at the  ODD74 message boards . Fin has posted a fantastic  review of  Night Shift: VSW   which does a solid job of breaking down what the game is, how it works, and what he likes about it.  If you're on the fence about the game and want a bit more information, or you're just curious about what the game is, how it plays, and how it goes together, head over there and check it out! Then consider signing up for an account and stopping to stay awhile--it's a very cool place.  As always,  you can find  Night Shift: VSW  over at my website , where you can head to our store to pick up a physical copy or head over to DTRPG for your PDF!

Reviews of Night Shift: VSW are starting to appear in the wild!  The most recent is courtesy of Finarvyn over at the  ODD74 message boards . Fin has posted a fantastic review of Night Shift: VSW  which does a solid job of breaking down what the game is, how it works, and what he likes about it.  If you're on the fence about the game and want a bit more information, or you're just curious about what the game is, how it plays, and how it goes together, head over there and check it out! Then consider signing up for an account and stopping to stay awhile--it's a very cool place.  As always, you can find Night Shift: VSW over at my website , where you can head to our store to pick up a physical copy or head over to DTRPG for your PDF!