Mystery and Horror in Venice

Welcome to this center of the Magical Renaissance with its splendid palaces, intricate conspiracies and dark secrets. Below the surface of this most serene of all cities, an old evil has dreamed up a nightmare that seeps into the mundane and threatens to consume life as we know it.

Serenissima Obscura is a 300-page book that is one half setting guide for fantasy gaming in a dark version of renaissance Venice and the other half a modular adventure filled with conspiracies and terror.

In this era of enlightenment and discovery, in a time when magic fills the world, Venice shines bright by day, but when the night comes, shadows fill the streets and canals. And whilst mortals fight for supremacy in the government, an ancient evil awakens in the dark twin of the metropolis. No one is safe in this place where the stones come to life and nightmares crawl out of the lagoon.

▶︎ The extensive Setting Guide details life in this most mysterious of all cities and offers a ton of information about the historical and mystical background of the Magical Renaissance in 1507.

▶︎ 27 gripping Adventure Modules are set in a dark version of Venice and focus on investigation and horror. Combine them to create a massive campaign, or use them independently for shorter sessions!

▶︎ The setting guide as well as large parts of the adventure modules are system-agnostic, and may be used with your favourite system. Serenissima Obscura includes stats and rules for 5e as well as for Narrative, Freeform and Rules-Light Systems. We will furthermore add a booklet with original material to make Serenissima compatible with Ars Magica.

▶︎ Discover two news classes and a new species for 5e, as well as other character creation options tailored to the historical and mystical setting: Meet he Gonneslinger, the Merchant and the Children of the Lagoon!

▶︎ Develop an Adventurer's Hub and advance socially in Venetian society!

▶︎ Follow the classical approach of a group of adventurers from different ways of life, or try out another game style: We present more than a dozen of campaign frames and setlets to organise the group in sub-settings that are either historically accurate or based on our mystical background. 

▶︎ Both the setting guide and the adventure modules are filled with the fearsome monsters and original villains – all of which can be confronted in the course of the campaign or used independently. 

▶︎ Large-scale Street-Maps, Battle-Maps, the "The Magical Renaissance Player's Guide" and more add-ons enrich your roleplaying experience.

▶︎ Coming in PDF and offset print, Serenissima Obscura is lavishly illustrated and carefully laid out detailing locations, monsters, NPCs, and scenes.

Support us on Backerkit! The crowdfunding starts May 27, 2025.