Morrowind-inspired Zine Month RPG Electrum Archive explores a desert city in newest edition

Plunge into Elder ruins searching for inks, shop the dusty markets or simply get lost in the desert with the The Electrum Archive - Issue 2, a science-fantasy tabletop RPG setting that builds out one of the populated areas of its weird world.

This second entry in the Electrum Archive zine series zooms in on Titan Port, a relatively massive city in the middle of the Electrum Sea desert and also the middle of known society. The 68-page creation will provide play groups with information about its inhabitants and how they can fit it within a new or ongoing campaign.

Created by designer Emiel Boven, The Electrum Archive is both world and rules, drawing on Mothership 1E, Cairn and Mausritter for its mechanical foundation and play, while using The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, Dark Sun and Ultraviolet Grasslands. Essentially, you can expect old-school RPGs’ slim stats, high danger and emphasis on dungeon delves paired with a post-mega empire culture that lives in the ruins of ancient people they barely understand.

In The Electrum Archive, that culture is known as the Elders, and their weird ink is snorted (yes, through the nose) by wizards to power their spells, but it also forms the dominant currency in this part of the world. Most folks who travel to Titan Port are inkseekers who will either test their mettle seeking treasure from Elder ruins in the desert or curry favour with the city's current ruler - Miala of House Ker Onar.

All of this information will be included in the zine along with black and white illustrations portraying the massive, remote city. Facilitators can take advantage of random tables for encounters, buildings and curiosities, alongside factions, important NPCs and interest connections between the powers-that-be.

Players gain access to three new options - Vagabonds, Fixers and Warlocks, and the zine also adds rules for downtime activities and hirelings. The first zine spent a lot of time laying out The Electrum Archive’s fundamental rules, while this issue apparently gets more room to colour in those blank spaces.

The Kickstarter campaign for The Electrum Archive - Vol. 2 runs through February 28th and is funding both a physical and digital version of the zine, as well as offering newcomers a chance to purchase the first issue. The team includes Ava Islam as editor and Legan Stahl, Charles Ferguson-Avery, Conner Fawcett and stonedrunkwizard as illustrators for the inside and cover.