Genre Tabletop role-playing game
Subgenre Fantasy, Cozy, Healing
Release Date 31.10.2021 (1st Edition), upcoming (2nd Edition)
Regular Price 15€/$16 (PDF) 35€/$40 (Print)
Contact Email Click to send
The Mending Circle is a gm-less role-playing game for precisely three players that tells stories of hope and healing. You come together as a coven of three witches sent to help someone in need.
In The Mending Circle you tell healing stories together.
At their heart is always one or more of the Torn: someone in a state of pain or anxiety and in need of support. Most likely they are scared, poor, isolated or marginalized in some way that makes it difficult for them to access help themselves. This pain does not come from a physical ache but rather from a metaphorical, emotional wound. If it persists it often leads to more suffering radiating outwards.
But this Wound catches the attention of three witches that set out to help. Using your magical charms you will help and guide the process of healing. As a first step the Torn needs to reach a state of relative safety and stability. Only after this is achieved can they confront the source of their pain and gain awareness. Finally, they have to make a new meaning for themselves to move forward.
Avery Alder (Buried without Ceremony)
Anna Blackwell (Apothecaria, DELVE)
Jason Pitre (Genesis of Legend Publishing)
The Mending Circle is a cozy and wholesome role-playing game. It helps you to tell emotional stories that resonate with everyone at the table. Together you can explore vulnerability in a safe and uplifting way.
For it to work best it requires a degree of openness. Combined with the lack of a game-master the game tends to work best for tight-knit groups of players that have some experience with storytelling and role-playing games.
The Mending Circle was designed & layouted by Martin Nerurkar under the label Sharkbomb Studios. He also created the witch pattern used throughout the text. Beyond that the book features the works of a number of talented illustrators: Taylor Blue who created numerous interior illustrations, including all of the witch playbook portraits. Denise Sostre who added more interior illustrations. Kholouz who created the cover for the first edition. And Agata Bednorz who provided the second edition cover and some interior illustrations.
Additional help was given by Krzysztof Zieba, who did editing and proofreading on the first edition. Avery Alder who consulted on the game design was also a great help in it finding its form. And lastly the book was filled out with a number of clipart illustrations from Jane Cide.
The road to The Mending Circle started with burnout. After taking five years to make the video game Nowhere Prophet Martin burnt out on creative work in 2019. One tool on the way to overcome this creative blockade was daily writing of "morning pages". It was on these pages, that Martin found the seed that would become this game. From there it took a year until he felt ready to start working on it.
The first edition was released digitally on itch.io and DriveThruRPG on Halloween of 2021.
Not content with this, Martin kept coming back to the project, improving it and eventually moving towards a crowdfunding campaign to fund a first print run of the game's second edition as part of the October 2023 Witchstarter event. The game successfully funded in only 40 hours and went on to raise 8,498 € for the production of the physical book.
CURRENTLY: The game is open for late pledges on Gamefound!
In short: Yes, you can stream The Mending Circle!
You're allowed to stream and create videos of The Mending Circle gameplay for your own channel. And if you do, please let me know! You may make content with or without commentary. You are allowed to monetize these streams and videos with ads. And you're allowed the use of The Mending Circle artwork and logos in conjuction with these streams and videos.
Your content does not need to be positive or flattering - I mean I'd love it it was - but you are allowed to be negative or critical as long as you keep it civil. No personal attacks please. And if you do create content of The Mending Circle, please let me know via mail or twitter!
But: You are NOT allowed to use The Mending Circle, its artwork and video-material of its gameplay outside the context of the game or for any hateful, illegal or pornographic purposes. And you are not allowed to reproduce significant sections of it. You may also not use any of its materials for NFTs or other blockchain related bullshit (yes, that's ALL of it).
Sharkbomb Studios Presskit press.sharkbombs.com
Contact Email Click to send
Social Media
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Facebook: sharkbombs
Discord: discord.sharkbombs.com