The Illusion and the Borderlands [upcoming sourcebook]

I was unsure of sharing, since it's still early info, but here goes.

Greetings, Kultists. Hope everything is alright on your side of the veil. A lot has happened since our last major update (where we talked about Metropolis) and we are eager to share some news with you. I know you’re as excited as we are for this, so let's cut to the chase.

For the next Kickstarter campaign, in addition to the already announced Metropolis sourcebook, we are going to release a smaller book called “The Illusion and the Borderlands” that explores the machinery of the Illusion with an emphasis on the borderlands.

While we don’t necessarily dislike this name, it is not final. We also have a solid idea of what the book should be (and we are working to achieve that), but it goes without saying that we might include/exclude content as we deem fit.

The main idea is that this book should be complementary to similar content found in the Core Rules, such as exposed places from The Illusion (p. 218) and the borderlands of madness (p. 243). We want a more thorough “guide” on portraying the Illusion and the ...

...borderlands in-game, how to work with it, and (possibly) feature more Moves similar to See Through the Illusion. Other than that, each world gets its own “In the borderlands of…”, so one for Limbo, another for the Underworld, another for Metropolis, and so on.

These chapters will feature explanations of what sets them apart. For example, in the borderlands of Inferno our repressed memories and feelings can be made real: the memory of an past abuser stalks us into the night, the fear of living in a distorted...

...body corrupts our flesh, ...and similar torments. Each chapter gets a handful of creatures, NPCs, and sample locations to plug-and-play or build your campaigns around. We will also have an Elysium chapter that will feature the Children of the Night...

... and an extensive look on lictors and how they work the Illusion. But what are the borderlands after all? Shortly put, the borderlands are the places between worlds where the machinery of the Illusion has become faulty.

A good example would be the two locations from the scenario Oakwood Heights. These are locations that, closest to Elysium may follow our concepts of normality, but as we venture deeper they get weirder and more surreal until we finally breach through the “spiritual...

..membrane” and enter another world. When we’re near Inferno, it’s considered “the borderlands of Inferno”, and so on. One sure way to get to the borderlands is visiting exposed places (p. 221).

We will also feature a brief overview of the borderlands of Death, Passion, and Madness. The borderlands of Death is, essentially, a different state of existence (such as the disembodied souls; for example the phantoms seen in the Underworld).

The borderlands of Passion and Madness are more like “states of mind” that might lead us towards enlightenment. There are certain (Dis)Advantages that hint at it as well, such as Sexual Neurosis (p. 101), Seducer (p. 104) and Wayfinder (p. 116).

Well, that’s a lot. Hope you dig it. We can continue talking in the replies, other socials, etc. Reach out if you have any ideas or questions you’d like to share!

Original link: https://twitter.com/KultRPG/status/1783865708885016895