[1:04 PM]Jarle the Gnoll: Hi! We are Two Starving Gnolls (TSG). TSG consists of two people: Jarle and Even. We grew up in the same rural area in Norway and discovered games together. At the age of ten in the late 1980s, we were deeply involved in D&D and later AD&D, as well as board games like Shogun and Axis & Allies. We played on our Commodore 64 and later on the Amiga. Our creative journey began at this early age. We crafted worlds and stories for role-playing games, composed music, and developed primitive games on our computers. Along the way, we forged a lasting friendship based on our shared passion for gaming. In the following years, we explored countless other RPGs, including Twilight 2000, MERP, Cyberpunk, Numenera, and most notably, Call of Cthulhu. We started playing CoC in 1992 with the release of its 5th edition. Its approach to storytelling and player engagement was a revelation and remains a core part of our gaming identity. Over the years, we created numerous games, primarily for our own gaming groups. This changed in 2014 when Even launched his creation, “Insight RPG,” as a Kickstarter campaign—a universal RPG system for all settings. The process of creating a marketable product and using crowdfunding to realize it inspired us to bring more of our creations to the RPG market, and TSG became a reality. In 2017, we launched the Lovecraftian adventure Pax Cthuliana, followed by the scenario Svalbard in 2019. Last year, we ventured into D&D with Tome of Skills, a supplement for 5e gaming. Now, all our time and effort is dedicated to our magnum opus: The Exorcist Codex.
[1:05 PM]Jarle the Gnoll: ‘The Exorcist’s Codex’ is a TTRPG in a dark horror 1890s setting, where players confront powerful demonic beings intent on overtaking the world. They will be faced with fanatical cultists, possessions, and intricate demonic schemes. It’s built on Chaosium’s BRP system, so you’ll see familiar mechanics like rolling percentile dice for skill checks. However, the Core Rulebook adds new elements like Holy Faith, Demonic Corruption, and Spirit Points, which affect your character’s abilities, mental resilience, and vulnerability to demonic forces. Holy Faith allows you to, among other things, use Holy Items, perform Rituals, and use Divine Powers. Player characters, known as Agents, are affiliated with ancient Orders, tasked by the Divine with fighting demonic forces. They rely on the Codex, a collection of rituals, knowledge, powers, and demonic lore. At times, they must seek out both Codex fragments and Holy Items, which may be crucial in future encounters. The GM’s Guide introduces tools for the GM: Dreams and visions guide the players, offering cryptic clues about their missions, while the ‘Demon Dice’ track the increasing intensity of Demonic Energy. This creates tension and unpredictability, as the growing demonic energy weakens the effect of Divine energies. The Exorcist’s Codex has three main types of scenarios: Exorcism: Players deal with possessions and face demonic entities directly. They’ll need to prepare rituals and find ways to stop demons’ dark and intricate schemes. Exploration: Players search for Codex Fragments and Holy Items, often racing against cultists to find them first. Exposure: Players infiltrate and expose cults. The goal is to stop them from helping their demonic masters take over the world. (done)
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