Realms of Pugmire Tabletop RPG (A New Edition of Pugmire!)
Created by Onyx Path - Realms of Pugmire
A streamlined fantasy rules system with an evocative setting that's both family-friendly and deep enough to create compelling stories.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Jumping To New Stretch Goals
almost 2 years ago
– Thu, Feb 02, 2023 at 12:46:07 PM
Hello Good Dogs!
Let's JUMP right in to the good news!
ACHIEVED! -At $40,000 in Funding - JUMPSTART PDF - An introductory scenario designed to introduce new players to the game, along with ready-made characters and a basic rules overview, will be created as a Jumpstart PDF supplement and added as a bonus to the rewards list of all backers receiving the Realms of Pugmire PDF.
With our latest achievement, we've unlocked every Stretch Goal posted thus far. So... let's fetch some new ones!
We're in the middle of the campaign, which are usually a Kickstarter projects "quiet plateau." We've got a few traditional Onyx Path milestone markers to help us keep pace through these quieter times to keep our enthusiasm up as we move forward.
At $42,000 in Funding– DIGITAL WALLPAPER – Exciting Realms of Pugmire artwork will be used to create a wallpaper for your computer desktop. This digital wallpaper will be added to the rewards list of all Kickstarter backers supporting this project.
At $44,000 in Funding - MOBILE WALLPAPER –Realms of Pugmire artwork will be used to create a wallpaper for your mobile device lockscreen. This mobile wallpaper will be added to the rewards list of all Kickstarter backers supporting this project.
At $46,000 in Funding – VTT BUNDLE – As a bonus, all backers of this project will receive a Realms of Pugmire VTT Token and map bundle containing Pugmire Core Rules (1E) VTT Assets, Pugmire Base Set Tokens, and The Secret of Vinsen’s Tomb VTT Assets.
Hopefully we'll move through these quiet times quickly and be able to unveil a few more Stretch Goals before the end!
Please continue to spread the word and share this project in your social circles and on your social media!
#RealmsOfPugmire
More Bits About this Game, and a Sneak Peek at Rival Species
almost 2 years ago
– Thu, Feb 02, 2023 at 04:58:16 AM
Hello Good Doggos,
And welcome to Curious Cats and Motivated Mice! If you're checking out this post and reading the page to decide to back or not, I've got a few more pieces of excitement to share to help you make up your mind. After these links, we're going to have a sneak peek at the next section of manusript, which will provide some information about the "Rival Species" of Cats, Rodents, Badgers, Reptiles, and Birds from the Pugmire perspective.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
If you want to know more about the evolution of this game and updates from first edition, here are some great resources to dig in to (links taken from our main page):
THE MANUSCRIPT - What's better than just reading the book? Sections of the draft manuscript are made available to backers every Tuesday, and backers will have access to the complete manuscript before any pledges are processed or payments collected. Everything you want to know about the game can be found in the manuscript.
PODCAST - The weekly Onyx Pathcast had an entire episode devoted to Realms of Pugmire, with Eddy detailing the design philosophy, expectations of the system, spells, species, and more...
CONVERTING 1e to REALMS OF PUGMIRE - A video where Eddy covers the evolution of the rules and how you can update your 1e characters to the new game.
NEW BITS
Here are some new bits and pieces to add to those links from our main page. Eddy and the Red Moon Roleplaying team have posted their second session in their Realms of Pugmire Actual Play, Tower of the Oliphant! It's great.
ACHIEVED! - At $38,000 in Funding - REDBUBBLE PET DESIGNS – A Realms of Pugmire design will be hosted on Onyx Path’s Redbubble store and made available on pet merchandise, including pet mats, pet blankets, and pet bandanas. Backers will be notified when these options become available.
If you haven't joined in yet, now is the perfect time! We're working together to unlock our next Stretch Goal, which will add brand new content to the rewards list for all doggos who have pledged to have the PDF as part of their rewards list. We're very close, and YOU can help us hit this target!
At $40,000 in Funding - JUMPSTART PDF - An introductory scenario designed to introduce new players to the game, along with ready-made characters and a basic rules overview, will be created as a Jumpstart PDF supplement and added as a bonus to the rewards list of all backers receiving the Realms of Pugmire PDF.
SNEAK PEEK TIME!
Now let's preview our next Manuscript Preview, coming on February 7th.
Rival Species
Dogs are not the only species in the world. There are others with vastly different goals, cultures, and agendas from the dogs, which often puts them at odds. The cats, rodents, reptiles, and birds are the most commonly seen by dogs, but there are others. The badger clans rule the wild lands outside the kingdom, while families of rabbits work the land. The world is wide and can encompass many wonders left behind by the Old Ones.
Yosha says:I firmly believe no species is inherently evil. They might take actions or hold beliefs that cause problems for dogs, but that doesn’t mean they need to be exterminated. Individuals can be bad, certainly, but just because someone is a cat doesn’t make them a bad dog.
Jack Terrier adds: What Yosha’s trying to say is this is all a generalized account from the perspective of the dogs in Pugmire. That doesn’t mean every person from a particular species acts the same. I’ve got some great rat friends I trade stories and plastic with, and there are some cats I would stab the moment I saw their whiskers again. Don’t be surprised if each of these species has their own perspective of dogs.
Cats
The dogs’ main rivals are cats. Cats are very individualistic, which is often at odds with the community-focused nature of the dogs. Further, there was a nasty war between Pugmire and the Monarchies of Mau a few decades ago, and things are still tense between the two nations today.
The Monarchies of Mau are a confederation of independent city-states. These autonomous groups work against each other’s interests as much as those of other species. Over the centuries, six different cat monarchies have formed into a coalition of houses that work with and against each other in a complex political web: House Angora, House Cymric, House Korat, House Mau, House Rex, and House Siberian. Because of such intrigues, cats have both a surname and a house name: Zola Mau von Korat, for example, means “Zola Mau, declaring allegiance to House Korat.”
I have some experience with cats, so while I won’t tell you everything about the cat houses, I can give you a quick overview.
Angora: Scholars and intellectuals, House Angora devotes itself to finding and preserving knowledge and magic.
Cymric: Diplomats and negotiators, House Cymric believe acting as the Old Ones envisioned by the graceful enforcement of social mores will preserve cat unity.
Korat: Soldiers and tacticians, House Korat dedicates its cats to assuring the monarchies are ready to march on their enemies, no matter what.
Mau: Leaders and judges, House Mau was the first to propose the unification of the monarchies, as well as codifying the study of magic.
Rex: Explorers and outsiders, House Rex was the first monarchy to explore outside its lands, and the first to encourage peace over conflict with other species.
Siberian: Traditionalists and medics, House Siberian epitomizes the status quo, preferring convention and security over innovation and recklessness.
Aside from the six houses, there are other minor houses, organizations, and the like that desire a say in the government of the monarchies. These (and those cats with no house) are all part of the Shadow Bloc, a group with no unified structure or agenda beyond agreeing that they deserve a seat at the table.
In general, I suggest staying clear of cat politics, but if you want to get your paws dirty, that should help you keep some of the various agendas straight.
Outside of the war, there are other reasons why dogs might not trust cats. In particular, some cats are believed to practice necromancy, using magic to see spirits and manipulate the dead. This leads some dogs to believe cats are unwholesome and willing to defile corpses for their purposes. Because of this prejudice, many cats who have left the Monarchies (moggies, the cat equivalent to strays) have difficulty finding legitimate work within Pugmire and are forced into less savory occupations. Cat burglars, spies, and assassins are not uncommon, and thus many dogs assume all cats are inclined to such nefarious pursuits.
Rodents
In equal parts dismissed and vilified, rats and mice (collectively called rodents) live in the margins of civilization. Cats and dogs have had rivalries with rodents for as long as they’ve had conflicts with each other. However, rodents don’t have a city or empire that can be attacked or negotiated with (or perhaps they used to — some rodents whisper stories of a city that was lost generations ago).
Instead, rodents are explorers of a different kind, living in old ruins, mines, caves, and even entire underground villages. They search endlessly for what they call shinies, attractive objects they sometimes trade to other species in exchange for food and shelter. What constitute a shiny seems arbitrary to dogs — a mouse is just as likely to trade for an old notebook as they are for a nice bit of plastic. There are also whispers rodents use these shinies to refine strange mental powers, but many dogs just consider these to be rumors.
Some rodents who choose to live in kingdoms like Pugmire form criminal enterprises, using their treasure to gain power and leverage over others. These rodents believe they’ll never get fair treatment from cats and dogs, so they do whatever it takes to survive… which reinforces the stereotype of the shifty rat.
Some of the rodents’ negative reputation comes from a group of fanatics that live within rodent society. Calling themselves the Cult of Labo Tor, these rats and mice have found a higher purpose: the worship of Man’s 100 Theories. These self-proclaimed White Mice wear white robes and bleach patches of their fur white, and they believe the 100 Theories can only be discovered through the science of Man — although to them, “science” means capturing other people and subjecting them to horrific and often deadly experiments. Most rodents reject the White Mice, but the cult’s secretive nature, combined with the natural reticence of the rodents, makes it hard for outsiders to tell the difference between honest mice and devout psychopaths.
Badgers
The badgers (also comprised of other polecats) are scavengers. They don’t seek to build a civilization as much as take what they can to survive. Some clans of badgers prefer to live in abandoned areas rather than taking by force, but they usually end up in competition with the rodents, leading them to desperate (and violent) action. Badgers may be seen as violent barbarians by most dogs, but the truth is far different.
Badgers have a rich culture of their own, with several clans uniting only a few years ago under one king, Kibu the Red. They can be deeply superstitious. Like dogs, they fear the Unseen, but unlike dogs, nearly any bad luck can be filed away under that heading — bad weather, a rumbling in the forest, the loss of a favored weapon, or the death of a loved one.
Recently, Kibu offered a gift to unite the clans, and soon after many badgers were suddenly able to speak and understand the common language of other species. The language they used to use is still available, and some badgers prefer to use it (such as when they want to exclude outsiders), but many of the miscommunications that used to occur between dogs and badgers have been less frequent as of late. Still, badgers are a proud people, and do not like to be made fun of.
Reptiles
Reptiles live in nomadic families that generally inhabit the more arid parts of the world. They travel together in colorful caravans, acting as traders and messengers. Reptiles buy and sell items everywhere, including information. Indeed, early dog exposure to the lizard trade families have caused many to call any reptile they encounter “lizard.”
Some reptile families (like the geckos) have settled in cities built on small areas of green near the deserts of their nomadic brethren. Others, such as the turtles and serpents, prefer to move from location to location in a collection of tent cities. As they travel, they make their livings through barter, scavenging, and performing ad hoc work for other species. Most reptiles cover their faces when speaking outside of their community and use strange magic to defend themselves.
A surprising number of reptiles comprise sailing crews. The combination of their nomadic lifestyle and their adaptability to harsh environments makes them hardy sailors and pirates, allowing them to use the Acid Sea as part of their migrant (and mercantile) lifestyle.
Birds
Birds are better known to Pugmire than reptiles, partially because storytelling is so intrinsic to their culture. Even cats and dogs who haven’t ever met a bird have likely heard some of their stories, brought into the cat and dog realms via travelers and adventurers. Though many may see the stories birds tell as fabrications and fantasy, birds value truth in their stories above all else. As with most folks, though, birds also tend to see themselves as the heroes in their stories; therefore, what’s true may be up for debate at times.
Birds dress in gaudy, colorful clothing to complement their plumage. The most brightly colored birds tend to wear one or two solid colors that show off their feathers to best advantage, while the neutral-toned birds array themselves in a cacophony of hues and tones. This can be jarring even to the cats, who see birds as gaudy and obnoxiously candid. Most dogs of Pugmire admire their forthrightness and loyalty to each other, if not to the Old Ones, and find their songs and dances amusing.
The FULL TEXT of Chapter Five, which covers the setting for the Realms of Pugmire, will be available to backers on Tuesday, February 7th. This will be a big preview, and will also include Chapter 4: Magic and Chapter 7: Masterworks! It's really packed.
CONVERSION GUIDE
By next Tuesday, Backers will have access to the first 7 Chapters of the book, which covers all of the rules and setting and has all of the information players need to make dog characters for the Realms of Pugmire. The following day, on February 8th, I'll be sharing the Conversion Guide.
If you have Pugmire and want to use the newest rules presented in Realms of Pugmire, or maybe you have an adventure or supplement written for Pugmire, and want to update the material? This Guide should help you get a sense of what needs to be changed chapter-by-chapter between Pugmire and Realms of Pugmire. This should give you a good start on converting most everything from the previous books.
APPENDIX
Coming on our final Tuesday, Feb 21st, Backers will have the complete text for the book, including the Appendix. One of the most common questions players new to Realms of Pugmire ask is “Can I play a cat?” Yes, you can! Detailed rules for cat player characters will be available in a possible future book, Cats of Pugmire, but if someone wants to play a cat right meow, we’ll give you some suggestions on how to use the rules presented in this book to give a rough approximation of a cat character. We’ll even throw in some guidelines for rat and mouse characters to boot while you’re waiting to get the eventual Rodents of Pugmire book!
If you haven't already joined, or even if you have and you still want more information, check out these Backer downloads when they become available. Another thing to remember - we'll be sharing a link for a Feedback Form, so you can help make these bits even better by sharing your input directly with Eddy and his team of developers and writers.
The Realms of Pugmire has been built bit-by-bit over the past 8 years. Together we can continue exploring and expanding this world and game! Thanks for your continued support! Please remember to share this campaign on your social media and in your social circles and let's see if we can't unlock another Fetch Goal or two before the end!
#RealmsOfPugmire
BACKERS ONLY – Manuscript Preview #2
almost 2 years ago
– Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 03:59:49 AM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Guide Screen Unlocked! Let's Fetch Some Stretch Goals...
almost 2 years ago
– Mon, Jan 30, 2023 at 05:10:11 AM
Hello Good Doggos!
We've done it again! Still in our first week of the campaign, and we've just unlocked our second Stretch Goal! This one adds a new Add On Reward, giving backers who are pledging for either the standard or deluxe hardcover an opportunity to add on a Realms of Pugmire Guide Screen for +$25.
ACHIEVED! - At $35,000 in Funding - NEW ADD ON: GUIDE SCREEN - A three-panel Guide Reference Screen with charts and information for running a Realms of Pugmire game will be created and offered as an Add On to the hardcover reward tiers for +$25.
I'll get that new Add On option set up in the system and flip the switch shortly. New backers will be able to select it as an Add On during the pledge process, or current backers can update their pledge to include it in their list of rewards. I'll be going over all of the pledge process and Add On options near the end of the campaign, so if you haven't quite figured it out yet, no worries, we'll cover all of that before the end.
With that achievement, we've covered the announced Stretch Goals so far, so it looks like it's time to fetch some more!
Our next stretch goal is a milestone marker and celebration that presents a slightly different take on our first stretch goal...
At $38,000 in Funding - REDBUBBLE PET DESIGNS – A Realms of Pugmire design will be hosted on Onyx Path’s Redbubble store and made available on pet merchandise, including pet mats, pet blankets, and pet bandanas. Backers will be notified when these options become available.
Of course! Why just show off your Realms of Pugmire support with a t-shirt when you can deck your pet out in some fun fashion and accessories!
At $40,000 in Funding - JUMPSTART PDF - An introductory scenario designed to introduce new players to the game, along with ready-made characters and a basic rules overview, will be created as a Jumpstart PDF supplement and added as a bonus to the rewards list of all backers receiving the Realms of Pugmire PDF.
And then some brand new content in the form of a jumpstart adventure supplement. Onyx Path's jumpstarts are the perfect way to introduce a new game to your group, or to launch a new ongoing campaign, and the perfect tool for new guides to get into this world.
So let's keep at it, good doggos! Please remember to share your excitement about this campaign in your social circles and on your social media. The word is getting out there, but there are still so many potential Pugmire barkers who haven't yet found us! Let's keep on spreading the word and see if we can't band together to unlock a bandana and then jump all the way to that jumpstart.
#RealmsOfPugmire
Core Principles of Realms of Pugmire
almost 2 years ago
– Sun, Jan 29, 2023 at 08:10:49 AM
Hello Good Doggos,
We've had a bunch of bits talking about the evolution of the game, and how Realms of Pugmire sits alongside the earlier edition. Most of this talk has been aimed at existing fans and returning dogs. But let's pull back a bit and look at some of the Core Principles of the Realms of Pugmire, so that new backers and new friends might have a better idea about this game. For 1e fans, it'll also show how Eddy's thoughts have been refined over the years when it comes to this world.
This section comes from Chapter 6, which contains advice for the Guide in running this game. Backers will have the run "rules download" on Tuesday, when we share Chapters 3 (Playing the Game) and 6 (Guide Advice).
Core Principles
Our core principles underlie every assumption in this book: when we talk about magic, we always work with the assumption that magic is secretly advanced technology, for example.
Magic Is Secretly Advanced Tech
Rather than a heavy fantasy universe, Realms of Pugmire takes place in our world, a very long time from now. The supposed “magic” utilized by its residents always comes from some sort of advanced technology. Characters may not understand this; if they come to this revelation over the course of your chronicle, that knowledge always comes with a price, and characters should achieve it over a long arc. Those rare beings who understand this deep mystery keep that knowledge very dear to their hearts. What might this wisdom mean about Man’s ultimate fate, after all?
Don’t restrain your chronicle’s magic to current technology, though! Your characters’ adventures happen far in the future, after all. What can you imagine technology might someday do, and how does it accomplish that? Frame any new mysteries and magic around that question and you’ll find yourself in good thematic standing.
Since Realms of Pugmire’s magic is secretly advanced technology, whatever might destroy advanced technology might interfere with magic. Don’t use this as a “gotcha” — always act with extreme thoughtfulness when disrupting player abilities and always have a narrative goal in mind when making the things your players treasure malfunction — use it instead as a guideline for crafting meaningful adventures which explore what it means when magic doesn’t work in a world where people truly and deeply believe in it.
Dogs Always Work at Being Good
…whatever being good means to them, whether as simple as “I’m loyal to my family and friends above all else” or as complicated as “I’ll do anything necessary to defeat our enemies, the cats.” Encourage your players, especially new players, to answer that question on their character sheet about being a good dog. Indeed, try sharing what being good means to each of your characters as you work on creation: this often leads to interesting interpersonal conflict and intragroup accords born from your characters’ internal conception of their best selves.
All Pugmire’s dogs unswervingly and unshakably aspire toward being good. While not every dog focuses on being good as their sole or even central purpose in life — you probably know a few dogs in real life who know the exact boundaries of the rules and how often they can break them without getting into too much trouble! — no dog within the Realms of Pugmire doesn’t, on some level, want to Be Good.
Things are Scary and Weird Outside the City
That doesn’t mean the world isn’t dangerous and weird inside the city walls, only that the characters will always encounter more frightening and riskier situations outside their bounds. City walls in Pugmire mark what’s known for most player characters, and even those who spend most of their lives outside the walls understand that safety happens within those confines.
Dogs love and understand what they comprehend and can control; while many dogs in our real lives love going on adventures with their people, they only really enjoy those escapades if, at the day’s end, they fall asleep somewhere they consider safe. The dogs (and other creatures) of Pugmire live lives of uncertainty and danger — the chronicle would be boring otherwise! — but they always know where to find relative safety.
You can make this division as stark or as subtle as you choose — things might happen just outside the gates of a given city — but it always exists. Nothing’s as strange inside the walls as what’s outside them.
Enemies Can Be Friends, But Monsters Can’t
The division between monster and enemy in Realms of Pugmire is explicit and immutable: an enemy — a pirate or bandit, for example — might “switch sides” and become a friend if the players manage to win him over, but the Undead will never become someone’s best buddy or turn into something other than a completely horrifying opponent. The Unseen fall firmly into the monster category, but their pawns don’t always, which may present player characters with fun and interesting moral dilemmas or choices.
No One Understands the World
The characters live in a world which often befuddles them, presenting them with difficulties to overcome and puzzles to solve. Whatever problems your characters solve, something always remains that they don’t know. If they understood their world perfectly, after all, what else remains for them to discover?
For many people, roleplaying games represent not just a fun way to pass a Sunday afternoon but a means of processing and understanding the world they inhabit. Much like any other form of media, a roleplaying game can hold up a mirror to our own lives, allowing us to better understand through fiction what we find hard to comprehend in the world around us. This makes Engagement Tools (p. XX) crucial for everyone’s enjoyment.
Stories live in the unknown. Embrace what your characters don’t know and don’t understand; that tells you just as much about them as the knowledge they mastered as pups.
Things Can Get Silly, But It’s Played Straight
At the end of the day, Pugmire is a game about dogs, cats, badgers, rats, and so many other animals acting like people. A certain level of silliness comes prepackaged with a game like that — on purpose. You can laugh at the hijinks your characters get up to and make things a little ridiculous (if everyone has fun with it).
However silly things get at the table or how many in-jokes about your own dogs (or cats, or…) you pepper into your chronicle, the characters are never in on the joke. Your character doesn’t know anything about the modern world and cannot understand the humor in the television or movie reference your Guide just made. To your characters, all the silliness, all the references, all the jokes you make between yourselves as players are all quite serious. Finding the balance isn’t always easy, but a table which achieves it is both fun and satisfying.
For those investigating Pugmire for the first time, or for those of us who are bringing this game to our regular group, I think these Core Principles are a great way to explain the setting and the world that our dogs inhabit.
I'll be back on Tuesday with the complete text for these chapters, along with a sneak peek covering Rival Species on Thursday and another piece of Pugmire fiction on Friday. Let's keep up the good work and see if we can't unlock another Stretch Goal before February!
