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Sharps of the Knife

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Erratum: if your character is Thelavian or Onderban, and has a bag of silver lunars or better, they also should have some calling cards. It's just how upper-class types do in this setting.

“The setting and the rules, character creation, all sit together so neatly and intuitively, alongside some of the most beautiful art I’ve seen in a long time. [A] strong authorial voice that makes me want to keep reading, to learn more about Knife and its varied inhabitants. The hex city is a masterstroke.” - David Blandy, author/artist of Lost Eons.

“Wonderfully flavorful and evocative.” - The Cosmic Orrery.

“The setting is cool, compelling, and oddly timeless too, and it's one of the most exciting settings I've read this year. You could get generations of play from this booklet.” - Sean F. Smith, author/artist of EXUVIAE and Quarrel & Fable.

steampunk slice of life game about the inhabitants of a decadent and recently colonized royal city with a lot going on: big clockwork armors, pirates, alchemists, fusils, and unliving beings. No magic, dragons, elves, or dwarves.

Game includes:

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Keep both eyes on the Sharps of the Knife.

The decadent, diminishing Royal City of Thelav was colonized a decade ago by the Onderban Empire. Its inhabitants call their city "The Knife" and call themselves "Sharps." 

Thelav sits at the edge of desert highlands to the east and open sea to the west, marsh and farmland to the south and forests to the north. It is a center of culture and trade. The Sharps carry on daily life and intrigues as their culture is changed by the colonial presence. In the palace, the Queen of the City sits tied to her throne by alchemic life support equipment, dispensing wisdom and favors. On Whisper Street, the Queen of Nights arranges entertainments both wholesome and depraved. In Bustle Street, the Onderban Captain of Industry regulates business and takes in the imperial licensing fees.

The game revolves around rumors and favors asked and granted. It is principally an urban adventure, although random tables and a listing of dangerous creatures are provided for expeditions into the forested mountains or the desert highlands.

You will use rules based in the tradition of Fighting Fantasy, Troika!*, and Tunnel Goons to play "Sharps," characters defined by their cultures, occupations, and formative experiences. Roll two six-sided dice (plus an additional die if your sharp's occupation is relevant, and another if your sharp makes an extra effort) and pick the two best dice. Add bonuses for experiences and gear. Compare to a Difficulty Score (DS). If you beat the DS, your sharp succeeds. If you miss the DS, your sharp fails. Matching the DS gives a mixed result.

*This game is an independent production neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the Melsonian Arts Council.

Here's a sample player character:

Nuraida: a Jugalian Mercenary. Luck 12, Breath 9.
She has adopted a pup from the white wolf's hidden den, survived a bear's embrace, been a mercenary at the gate of Thelav, and been taken a prisoner of war. 
She's equipped with a greataxe and a chain byrnie, and a bag of copper solars.

Here's a sample combat:

Nuraida crouched with her axe held two-handed, ready to attack or evade the massive clockwork scorpion. Its iron-plated body bore numerous dents; this was not its first affray. She heard the hissing of steam as it moved, its essence-fired engine operating in a closed loop. Waves of heat rose from the cooling fins around its body. It sprang forward. Nuraida leapt aside and swung her axe: 3d6k2+4 = 10. She avoided the scorpion's pincers and tail, but it kicked her square in the shoulder with one of its legs, and she stumbled. -2 Luck = 10.

Check out a range of 2d6-based games from Tibbius:

486578 || Swords against Demons || Sharps of the Knife || rxyt || Blood Sky || Running Luck || Atlantean Hobos || Goon Squad || Sigils RPG

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Reviews (0)
Discussions (1)
Customer avatar
Colin T June 30, 2021 6:51 pm UTC
PURCHASER
How different is this from the previous releases of the Knife? I have that book, but this looks interesting as well. Is there a lot of new content?
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Customer avatar
Tibbius G June 30, 2021 8:21 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
That's a fair question. There are a few pages of new content, and much better art and layout, but if you already own the previous edition I'm not sure about paying full price for this one. If you're willing to leave your DTR customer number in this thread, I'll verify your previous purchase and drop you a special discount for the new version. If you then feel like paying full price based on the added matter, you can do so.
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Customer avatar
Colin T July 01, 2021 1:01 am UTC
PURCHASER
The first version I paid $4 had 20 pages. You gave us the free upgrade to the 32 page version. This one jumps up to 84 pages. I’m not looking for a discount, just an idea of what the difference is. I’m down to pay for art and layout and just a little extra game content.

My next question is whether this is the “finished” version or if there will be more iterations?
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Customer avatar
Tibbius G July 01, 2021 1:27 am UTC
PUBLISHER
There's a bit more than a "little" extra content; I feel that I've added significantly to the setting.. including some bonus random tables and stuff not shown in the table of contents (need to update screenshots ... ) Also streamlined rules a bit regarding load and so forth.

This is the definitive version. I'm not having any new art done, and I'm not touching the rules any more. I love this game and at the same time I'm a bit worn out with it. I guess that means it's a graduate.
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Customer avatar
Colin T July 01, 2021 2:32 am UTC
PURCHASER
Kudos! Publishing is tough, and you’ve definitely been pushing and elevating this material. Happy to purchase and encourage you to create more. I am a fan. :)
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Product Information
Copper seller
Author(s)
Artist(s)
Pages
84
File Size:
27.86 MB
Format
Original electronic Click for more information
Scanned image
These products were created by scanning an original printed edition. Most older books are in scanned image format because original digital layout files never existed or were no longer available from the publisher.

For PDF download editions, each page has been run through Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software to attempt to decipher the printed text. The result of this OCR process is placed invisibly behind the picture of each scanned page, to allow for text searching. However, any text in a given book set on a graphical background or in handwritten fonts would most likely not be picked up by the OCR software, and is therefore not searchable. Also, a few larger books may be resampled to fit into the system, and may not have this searchable text background.

For printed books, we have performed high-resolution scans of an original hardcopy of the book. We essentially digitally re-master the book. Unfortunately, the resulting quality of these books is not as high. It's the problem of making a copy of a copy. The text is fine for reading, but illustration work starts to run dark, pixellating and/or losing shades of grey. Moiré patterns may develop in photos. We mark clearly which print titles come from scanned image books so that you can make an informed purchase decision about the quality of what you will receive.
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File Last Updated:
June 21, 2021
This title was added to our catalog on June 30, 2021.