Marcus, High Cleric of the Heavenshine Monastery, saw the resurrection of the Heroes of the Talon Coast, was witness to their glorious quest, was their friend and their guide. Now, his long search led him to a secret crypt and after many long years, he can bring back to the light old, crumbling pages of a worn tome that allow to solve mysteries and unravel the secrets of a dark and distant past, to find out how the story began: the legend of the Ancient Chronicles.

Ancient Chronicles, now on Kickstarter, is a new stand-alone core set and campaign for the co-op fantasy dungeon crawler Sword & Sorcery. It will be a new starting point to the game, suitable both for newcomers and for players who already own the first campaign, Immortal Souls, and is fully compatible with it in terms of gameplay - heroes and monsters can crossover from one campaign to another. Ancient Chronicles will have the same basic "two acts" structure of the previous campaign: in Act I, players will travel through the Underreign, and Act II will bring them to the frozen wastes of the Northern Lands.

Sword & Sorcery Ancient Chronicles: Realm Map of the Underreign.

This new cycle presents the winning points of the Sword & Sorcery game system – if you are a newcomer, click here for an overview - and it also introduces new features to enhance the gameplay even more:

Journey Phase

Ancient Chronicles introduces an exciting new storytelling element: traveling across the Realm maps and Free-Roaming Quests. The Journey phase uses simple rules, but thanks to the Realm Map and Site Sheets, in combination with the Book of Secrets, it is full of surprises and events. Players will go beyond the dungeon, to discover the world and exciting new places. They will explore cities and strongholds on special site sheets, each with unique locations and adventure opportunities. Read more in Update 10 on Kickstarter.

Venture Cards

By exploring the world and cities, heroes will be able to find Venture Outposts and acquire Venture cards - some of them personal, some of the them involving the entire party. Each Venture will include a series of tasks to complete, and if players do it when visiting the Venture Outposts present in a city, they will be able to claim rewards - money, treasure, or unlocking a new Quest to face. Read more in Update 5 on Kickstarter.

Treasures and Items

Five new heroes coming in the core set of S&S Ancient Chronicles.

In Ancient Chronicles, Crafting, Loots, Treasures, Traps and many other aspects of a true fantasy legendary adventure are a part of the game. Objects become more important in the storyline: heroes may use a torch to explore dark places or open your way with a pick, and can craft new equipment, using gems and scales, getting the help of a good blacksmith to forge and enchant powerful new weapons. Learn more in Update 12.

New Heroes and Allies

Ancient Chronicles will include five Heroes in its core set: Artemis, the Elf, to play as Scout or Hunter; Jeanne, a righteous war-priest, plays as an Inquisitor or Avenger; Thorgren, a fierce black dwarf, plays as a Gladiator or as a Stonerager; Robin, a character belonging to a new race, the Halfmen, plays as Alchemist or Thief; and Xantares, a mystical elf, playing as either a Wild Mage or an Illusionist. For more information about them, check the Update 13. In Ancient Chronicles, the heroes will count with the Familiars, a new type of faithful companions. Learn more about them in Update 7 and in Update 17.

Some of the new monsters of the new S&S cycle.

Allies can be a precious resource in battle, and during their journey and explorations, heroes will have the chance to seal an alliance with Guilds, another new element in the game. Each Guild has a rival organization, so to ally with one will make you the enemy of the other! Read more in the Update 5.

New Monsters

If heroes will have more options, they will also be challenged by more monsters. Ancient Chronicles offers 14 completely different monsters just in Act I, like the Elf Assassin, Giant Spider, Hobgremlin, Tyrant Lizard, and Serpent, each with a unique figure and AI. Players will also face a new type of monsters: Minions, small but dangerous critters attacking as hordes. Learn more about them in Update 3.

The Challenge Set allows players to customize the difficulty level of the game.

The Challenge Set

Ancient Chronicles introduces an important new feature that allows to customize the difficulty level, thanks to the different options provided with the game rules and granted by the Challenge Set - a collection of all the "rank and file" enemies (green and blue) included in the new campaign, in a variant rank. Each Enemy type is included with two figures, in different poses and in a color different from the version in the Core Set, one Enemy scroll, and 2 Enemy cards. The Challenge Set is explained in Update 4.

The Kickstarter campaign includes many other new elements. Stay tuned for information about them in the next article.

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