Let us begin by thanking Nigredo Press for the volume of Forsaken Scriptures provided to us for this review. I am sure you will soon understand why we are dealing with a truly peculiar product, and not a mere collection of dungeons.
You will find it on sale here for 20 euros in English only.
In order to fully appreciate it, I refer you to the basic manual of Mörk Borg, an apocalyptic fantasy RPG that makes damned souls and curses its strong point. Many creatures mentioned within the pages of Forsaken Scriptures in fact belong to the aforementioned role-playing game.
Although the contents are thus linked, the beauty of this work lies in the fact that it can be appreciated both for the insights it offers, regardless of the setting, and for the morbid attention to detail and illustrations.
But what is Forsaken Scriptures really about? In this review, we will consider its three highlights: the dungeons, the narrative and the visuals.
Review of Forsaken Scriptures: the Dungeons
Dungeons have always been the soul of any self-respecting classic adventure. Although the emphasis is often placed on the interactions between characters and antagonists, a good dungeon, albeit without a will of its own (and we could discuss this), can be a hostile foe for any group of adventurers. Perhaps too often this important detail is overlooked, making the structures that can be visited all somewhat similar within a story.
The concept behind Forsaken Scriptures is to create labyrinths, rooms, ravines in which it is not only the images that speak. The words are in fact the very walls of the rooms we are about to visit. If we limit ourselves purely to the definition of the contours, we will see at a glance that precise paths are outlined. If, on the other hand, we dwell on the meanings of the phrases that are created as we follow the path of our dungeon, we will discover that each place has more to say than meets the eye. There are no extra explanations beyond what ‘the walls say’; the other details are left in the hands of the narrator. The same goes for the statistics of possible opponents and traps, which we will not find hidden among these words.
Review of Forsaken Scriptures: the Narration
The power of language is sometimes greater than any good swordplay. Nyhur, curator of both the graphics and the content of this very useful exercise in style, knows this well. By following the lines of text drawn, we find out what our adventurers are up against.
We can also decide to insert them into a ballad by a bard in a tavern, turn some excerpts into an ancient prophecy or even find some phrases jotted down in an old book and decide to search for the place they refer to. Applications are many and can become the starting point for the creation of an entire quest. For this it is certainly recommended to use the world for which it was conceived, i.e. Mörk Borg, but with the right flair it lends itself to any other fantasy setting.
Aesthetics
Illustrations, created by Mattia Pinetti, are the finishing touch to outline the image that had already been created in our minds by observing the room and listening to the story. Its style is very reminiscent of tarot card arcana, in a very simple but very effective medieval style. There are no colours in Forsaken Scriptures other than black and white. Darkness and light alternate within the dungeons we face.
Characters and places are thus sketched to give us only an idea of what we will have to face, but not certainty. That does not seem to inhabit these lands.
In fact, no enchanted swords or healing spells appear between these pages, but severed heads, unknown enemies and strange moonscapes that do not seem of this world.
Our small stapled manual is embellished with a thin cardboard box enclosing it. The paper is glossy and thick, perfect for black and white illustrations. The printing is fine: even when you run your fingers between its pages, the colour does not smudge or rub off. Everything in Forsaken Scriptures gives the idea of something designed to represent the care taken in the choice of materials. A product by and for enthusiasts.
Conclusions of the Forsaken Scriptures Review
The impression one gets when flipping through the 38 pages of this volume is that the idea is really crazy. I would never have thought that someone could create a manual by merging graphics, illustrations and words, creating something so unique. When looking at the Word Maps (as they have been christened for the occasion), many new ideas take hold in one’s mind as a storyteller.
It feels as if we have a sort of Necronomicon on our hands, which will condemn our players to an adventure far more impassable than they might think. As a historical gamer, I think this is a volume to show off to other fans, to keep in a collection both for its use and for the beauty of its realisation. Moreover, such a daring project deserves to be supported, especially if you are fed up with the same old clichés.
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