Runecairn: Beneath the Broken Sword

Books | 2021 | Links: Print | Itch.io

The world as you knew it is gone, destroyed in the war that was. You awake in crumbling ruins, lost and trapped in a cycle of death. You must seek the fire within and escape to weave your own fate.

You are an adventurer, lost and adrift. You must navigate the Cave of Echoes, retrieve your weapons and equipment, acquire your mead flask, and overcome the stone demon to escape further into the Nine Realms.

Death is not the end.

Beneath the Broken Sword is a 12-page, black and white adventure for Norse fantasy tabletop RPG Runecairn, and serves as an introductory dungeon crawl for new adventurers.

Beneath the Broken Sword Includes:

Play designed for two players, one Warden and one Adventurer.
12-room tutorial dungeon intended to introduce new players to the system and world of Runecairn.
A dangerous new monster to be overcome, the stone demon.
8 new Omens within the Cave of Echoes to test the Adventurer.

Illustrated throughout with evocative black and white line-art. Printed in black and white with colour covers.

What Others Have Said

Thank you for such an awesome game - I loved reading Runecairn and it’s on my list of 2022 games to get to the table. And the layout is lovely too.

– Rich August (@RpgAugust), Steamforged Games

If you’re looking for a moderately crunchy duo TRPG, or if you’re a fan of Souls games, or if you want to see a stellar adaptation of video game mechanics to tabletop, I would strongly recommend giving Beneath the Broken Sword (and Runecairn) a shot.

– Richard Kelly (@SprintingOwl), designer

Beneath the Broken Sword really works. It teaches the player how to play the game, and the Warden how to design new levels. It’s compact, to the point and well written. The layout is good, and in keeping with OSR+ design philosophy.

— Tuomas Vau (@TuomasVau), designer