"Once, a burgeoning civilization spread across a vast continent. Old kingdoms coalesced into a powerful esoteric empire. Ambitious rulers sought to ascend into the courts of their old gods. Instead, they wrought into reality the horror that has since dissolved the old ways of life.

Through misunderstanding and mystic misuse, the Vetus Empire brought about an arcane calamity,  where the world itself was cracked open, leaving a gaping wound in the earth still festering far to the north. From this chasm, the infected blood of what lies beneath began to spill out.

Ichor spread across the land, its inky residue infecting and corroding everything it touches, warping flora and fauna into aberrant abominations. Its miasma shifts about the lands with the wind, blotting out daylight where it lingers.  

Now, over one hundred years later, people live a nomadic life — dodging the ebb and flow of Ichor over the lands, finding pockets of clarity for their caravan-cities to settle. Cavalcades of adventurers in fire-adorned wagons, torch-companies, brave the trek between caravans and old ruined castles. They trade goods and supplies while fending off unknowable monstrosities, or descend into the dark corners of the continent and into the ruins of forgotten kingdoms to hunt for lost relics. All the while clinging on tight to their torches."

torch is a role-playing game — in which players will band together and grow their own torch-company, working together as guides, couriers, explorers, pilgrims, hunters, scholars, entertainers, or any group of companions that would have reason to traverse the regions of the realm overtaken by a reality shifting substance known as Ichor.  Player characters often won’t survive long in the unforgiving world they occupy. While hopefully realizing their goals and happily retiring to safety, death or worse misfortune are a common fate out in the wilderness. However, the company may yet endure. Through the bonds you forge, your legacy of renown or infamy may continue on.

I started working on this little TTRPG project in earnest about a year ago, after becoming very endeared to the Resistance System of the games SPIRE and HEART, and feeling inspired to use that system for my own setting. I recently felt it's come far enough along to run some playtests for some friends. With sincere interest and encouragement, it led to working on it for PIGSquad's "Finish Your Game Jam" and running another demo for a great group at the feedback night along the way, which led to more interest and encouragement. Now it's slowly becoming an actual, real thing.

This system is really made for those that enjoy the RP side of RPGs more than the tactical side. It's a fairly rules-light system that handles everything within the narrative, that is, there is no separate combat gameplay, and indeed the GM only reacts to choices the players make rather than making their own rolls against players. It offers heavy consequence for players that can quickly cascade into disaster. 

However, even though it's set in a dangerous world, fraught with horrors, this game is truly about building your little courageous community and recruiting characters to join your growing company. You may or may not solve the mysteries of this changing world, but you will hopefully have a group of like-minded weirdos you have come to care about. 

Obviously, there isn't anything here to download yet, but:

• soon I hope to have a 'Quick Start' version out for folks to be able to run for their own groups, including 6 classes for players to test out (of a planned 20 (we'll see how many of those make it in the end..)), and a campaign module to help GM's get started in this world.
• we're planning on setting up some more playtests very soon, and should have sign-ups at the PIGSquad Year End Showcase on December 8th if you're intrigued! I'd love to have TTRPG veterans and complete novices both.
• I hope to soon start working with artists to really help me solidify the aesthetic of this bizarre world. 
• before I realize, the completed rules will be here and available for anyone to judge harshly.

Special Thanks to Will for organizing so much for me, including many of my own scattered thoughts and ideas.