Originally published in their first editions in 2007 and 2008, Handiwork Games is both honoured and delighted to announce our plan to publish new editions of both Cold City and Hot War RPGs in 2024.
These won’t just be new editions of these cult UK indie games: designer Malcolm Craig, now a senior lecturer in history at Liverpool John Moores University, will be working with Handiwork Games as an integral part of his research work into the history of nuclear war in roleplaying games.
These new editions will form part of an impact study – a look at how historical research in combination with roleplaying games can affect the understanding of history and affect the wider culture.
Not only will the games be brought up to date in these new editions, but they will contain additional fascinating contextual information about the history of the post-war 20th Century.
This is intended to enrich the settings of both games, providing a whole new level of accuracy and depth to the settings, along with tons of sheer playable information. It will also be an experiment in ground-breaking presentation and the contextualisation of roleplaying games within our wider culture.
Jon Hodgson, Managing Director of Handiwork Games said: “I’ve loved these twinned games since they first came out, and they form the high point of Malcolm’s game design work. This is an ambitious project, that brings together so much of what we love at Handiwork Games – settings inspired by history combined with clever rules, and great presentation.”
Jon and Malcolm discuss the project on camera here: https://youtu.be/Yy0qk58L6Hg
About Cold City:
In the divided city of Berlin, things hide in the darkness. Things that must be destroyed.
Those that seek out these horrors are riven by suspicion, mistrust and political ambition. The four occupying powers of Britain, France, the USA and the USSR all have their own agendas.
In Cold City, characters are defined not just by who they are and what they are like, but by the views of the other characters and the trust that they have in them.
About Hot War:
London. Winter. 1963.
It is a year since the Cold War went hot.
And this was not just a nuclear war. Far more sinister, darker weapons were deployed.
Survival and re-building are all that matter now. But human nature and tragic circumstances mean that everyone has their own ambitions.
Into this maelstrom steps the Special Situations Group, a motley band of men and women tasked with the jobs too dirty or dangerous for anyone else.
About Handiwork Games
Set up in 2019, Handiwork Games is the brainchild of industry veteran Jon Hodgson. Known for their duet play 5e game BEOWULF, dystopian sci fi RPG a|state, and the weird Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland, along with a range of high quality gaming accessories, Handiwork Games have established a reputation for artisanal quality and reliability in the tabletop roleplaying games space.
Find out more at www.handiwork.games
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