Welcome to a world where the impossible is mundane, where the remnants of gods and ancient sorcery twist the fabric of reality.

In Under a Pale Sun, you step into a desolate land infused with the bizarre and the surreal. A place where the sun's pale light barely touches the ground, casting elongated shadows over a landscape both beautiful and terrifying. This is a game of stark contrasts, where the remnants of civilization cling to the edges of vast, withering dunes and crystalline shores.

Survival is your art and your science. Navigate through Rústhok, the City of Scraps, a towering labyrinth of metal and wood, where trade sovereigns and their enclaves wield power like ancient warlords. Engage with factions that worship strange AI gods, scavenge forgotten relics, and barter for your very survival in the face of the Gnawing – a force that perverts the very essence of the world into something weird and horrifying.

Embrace the Weird – harness magic that defies logic, employ technology that borders on sorcery, and encounter creatures spawned from fevered dreams. Each session is a journey into the unknown, where your wits, cunning, and courage will be tested against an ever-shifting reality.

Forge your path through a game that blends the existential dread of cosmic horror with the gritty survivalism of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Under a Pale Sun is not just a game; it’s a tapestry of stories, a mosaic of dreams and nightmares, a testament to the resilience of those who dare to carve meaning from the chaos.

Are you ready to step into the shadows of the Pale Sun and find your story in the ruins?

ITCHFUNDING

This is an Early Access draft of Under a Pale Sun: Barebones Edition, a science-fantasy, postapocalyptic hack inspired by Cairn, Into the Odd, TROIKA!, and more.

This zine is a work in progress and will be updated with edits, changes, additions, and removals. We appreciate any feedback, which you can share on our itch.io page or email us at thegeekchefdm@gmail.com.

This document is the first in a series of zines that will detail the world of Olrarth, the setting of Under a Pale Sun. Book one covers Rústhok (the main city in the Withering Dunes) and the surrounding area, the rules, character creation, Ash, magic, equipment, NPC generators, Ventures, Artifacts, and more.

Itchfunding is our way of making game development more flexible and creator-friendly. Unlike traditional crowdfunding methods like Kickstarter, there's no looming deadline or risk of missing funding goals. The campaign stays open, and the game keeps evolving until we reach our goals.

By supporting Under a Pale Sun, you're not just pre-ordering a final product. You're directly funding its development. You'll get the latest Barebones Edition, reflecting the most current state of the game, along with all future updates. Your contributions help us enhance the game with new art, refined mechanics, and polished editing.

Each funding milestone brings tangible improvements. Our first target is commissioning the incredible and illustrious Seb Pines(editor and designer @ good luck press goodluckpress.co | themonstrous.me) as our Developmental Editor.  As we reach each goal, you'll see the game grow and evolve, shaping into a wonderful sci-fantasy experience. Join us on this journey, and help bring Under a Pale Sun to life.

• 1st Goal $1000.00 to Commission Seb Pines

Future Goals:

• Commission Layout Artist
• Physical Copies
• Commission Soundtrack
• Develop Boxed Set once all zines have been published

CREDITS: Background image  by kjpargeter on Freepik

INTERIOR ART by PERPLEXING RUINS Perplexing Ruins | creating Illustrations and tabletop rpg material | Patreon and Evlyn Moreau Evlyn Moreau | creating illustrations and tabletop RPG zines. | Patreon

Follow me on Bluesky: @TheGeekChefDM.bsky.social