THROUGH ULTAN'S DOOR ISSUE 1 + PDF
Go through Ultan's door in this inaugural issue into the Ruins of the Inquisitor's Theater, a 30 room dungeon replete with oneiric puddings, delicate shadow puppets, giggling white swine, and much more. This zine contains everything you need to launch a D&D campaign in the Zyan, flying city of the dreamlands. The issue is printed on deluxe paper and comes with a detachable cover that has a map printed on the interior by Gus L., and a separate card for encounters. Brought to life with the stunning art of Huargo and the brilliant layout of Matt Hildebrand, it is an object that may itself have come from beyond the veil of sleep.
36-page interior + standup cover with a map on interior + encounter card. The Ruins of The Inquisitors' Theater is an adventure for 3-5 characters of 1-2 level. It is compatible with most old-school versions of D&D and their modern clones.
Content Warning: Note that it is intended for mature audiences since it contains horror elements.
The physical zine is printed on deluxe French Paper Co paper. It comes with a detachable cardstock cover with a map and a separate encounter card so that you can sit right down and play!
REVIEWS:
"This is almost the platonic ideal of the Artisan Zine. It could only be the product of an intelligent, well-resourced, careful individual with good taste who took a long time and much research, invention and playtesting to produce it. It's particular, from its dungeon treasures all the way to the paper chosen and folded by hand to make it. Even the form and the way the paper is arranged is an elegant arrangement of information and aesthetics that could only be made easily by one mind who both comprehended and *physically created* the whole thing as one."
"This forty-page 'zine' contains a thirty-page dungeon and the supporting monsters, spells, etc. Lush, rich prose, the ruins of a decadent empire, and heavy opium clouds bring the OD&D HARD. Digest format is as digest format does. It's good...The descriptions are lush and rich with great imagery...Which is exactly what I'm looking for. I want to be excited. Ben jabbed an idea into my head and I can fill in the rest effortlessly because of his ability to communicate the seed to me, the DM."
"The city of Zyan feels like something out of Clark Ashton Smith, Lord Dunsany, William Hope Hodgson, or even H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands. There's a lush--even cruel--decadence to the place, described in a surreal, almost psychedelic way. Laurence's writing is remarkably effective in establishing a mood and I often found myself luxuriating in the prose. That's a rare thing in game writing, particularly when it comes to detailing what is, when all is said and done, a dungeon...It's a truly wonderful book and I cannot recommend Through Ultan's Door Enough."
James Maliszewski, Grognardia
"This book is gorgeous...It really does look like something that could have come from beyond the veil of sleep as advertised...On ease of use, the book bends over backward to help you use it as easily as possible...As for creativity, this is a dazzlingly original book. The idea of exploring a dreamscape is not new but the nature of this particular setting is incredibly creative."
Michael Kennedy, Sheep and Sorcery
"This is a thing of quality. It is also a thing I will use...What I like are things that are beautiful but not naive, honest instead of being caricatures, aware of the darkness, but also aware that not everything is secretly dark. Through Ultan's Door concerns itself with Zyan, the cursed city of the dreamlands, the flying pearl of Wishery and it is a place I very much like."
"This is a lethal little creation that runs into the warped reaches of the authors mind...This isn't the dreamlands of HP Lovecraft, although it could be; instead this is an acid-trip combination of William Hope Hodgson's influence mixed with a hash fueled round of Lord Dunsany trapped in the madness of Edgar Allen Poe's dream cycle. The artwork is top notch..."
Eric Fabiaschi, Swords and Stitchery
"Go buy this zine. Really. Just go buy a copy. Reading it is a far better use of your time than reading the reviews that talk about it. Buy it, read it, use it, or collect it; whatever you decide to do with it, this is great stuff."
J. Garrison, Hereticwerks
*PDF will be emailed once the physical item ships.
