Swords of the Serpentine

As you come around the curve of the Serpentine river, the scent of the open sea is replaced by the stench of low tide, of boat tar, of rare spices spilled from a smuggler’s ship; of cooking smoke and human waste. Bells ring out across the water and echo like the song of ghosts, loud enough to almost drown out the chanted prayers of your ship’s rowers. You round the bend past the lower fort and there she is: the great city of Eversink, sprawled out on scores of islands across the sheltered water. Her jeweled and crystal turrets reflect in a shimmering bay full of brightly colored boats. Architecture from a dozen eras towers above a tangle of grand plazas and narrow canals. Temples to her goddess rise above the mansions and tenements, calling her people to prayer. She may be ancient and corrupt, slowly and inexorably swallowed by an endless bog, but she’s alive in a way most cities aren’t. She’s a melding of faith and stone and wood and water – and mud – that’s unique in all the world.

Welcome to Swords of the Serpentine, a GUMSHOE roleplaying game of daring heroism, sly politics, and bloody savagery, set in a fantasy city rife with skullduggery and death! Whether you’ve come to kill a rival, earn a fortune, learn a secret, or hire an army, you’re home now, and the Sinking City will embrace you. All you need to do is survive.

This acclaimed RPG earned a 2023 Silver ENnie Award for Best Art, Cover, a 2023 Gold ENnie Award for Best Writing, a 2023 Silver ENnie Award for Best Setting, and was a 2023 ENnie Award nominee for Product of the Year! Created by Kevin Kulp and Emily Dresner, Swords of the Serpentine adapts the innovative GUMSHOE investigative roleplaying system to create a fantasy RPG with a sharp focus on high-action roleplaying and deep investigation, inspired by the thrilling stories of Fritz Leiber, Terry Pratchett, Robert E. Howard, and more.

Your characters will discover crucial leads that, if followed, propel them headlong into danger and forbidden knowledge. A lead might point the way to sunken treasure, jungle ruins, the missing key to a sorcerous trap, or the true identity of a notorious murderer. The GUMSHOE game mechanics ensure that you’ll always notice leads if you look for them; it’s up to you to choose which one you’ll follow into whatever perils lie ahead, in hopes of fortune, glory, justice, or just staying alive another day. If you want to track down foul sorcerers in a corrupt and decadent city, clamber through underground ruins to sneak into an enemy’s home and rob them, or wage a secret war against a rival political faction, you’re in the right place.

Swords of the Serpentine offers a wealth of features:

• A captivating fantasy city of mystery and magic, drawing inspiration from iconic settings like Lankhmar and Ankh-Morpork.

• Intuitive tools for fast and effective character creation, so you can jump right into the action.

• A customized combat system that opens the door for truly cinematic, heroic battles.

• Engaging social combat rules that target your enemy’s morale, allowing you to defeat some foes through sheer wit, guile, and terrifying threats.

• Powerful sorcery that lets you rip apart a tower with the flick of a hand—but are you willing to pay the steep price in corruption to body and soul?

• Meaningful allegiances that grant you influence in one or more factions across the city, yet can earn you equally powerful enemies.

• Streamlined abilities that power four distinct types of heroes, which you can seamlessly mix-and-match across professions to further customize your character.

• Gameplay and rules mechanics that actively encourage players to help build the vibrant world they’re adventuring in.

• Rules for fascinating elements like death curses, true names, alchemy, dangerous sorcerous items, ghostly possession, intricate political manipulation, and much more!