In February 2019 we staged a carnival of the animals with our Ironclaw/Jadeclaw Bundle, featuring the anthropomorphic fantasy RPGs from Sanguine Games, Ironclaw and its companion Jadeclaw.
Published in 1999, Ironclaw was among the first RPGs of anthropomorphic fantasy. Set on the island continent of Calabria, home to dozens of intelligent animal species — everything from shrews to rhinos — Ironclaw presented adventures of political and religious intrigue, urban corruption, and world-ending supernatural peril. Several supplements expanded on Calabria’s cultures: Rinaldi, Doloreaux, Phelan, Avoirdupois, Bisclavret, and the standalone Asian-themed companion game Jadeclaw.
In 2010 Sanguine Games released a new edition, Ironclaw: Squaring the Circle. This streamlined version added new species and a more diverse and expansive setting that explores new lands. Sanguine has augmented the new line in three successful Kickstarters (Book of Jade, April 2012 — Book of Adventures, March 2014 — Book of Horn & Ivory, March 2016) and a Patreon campaign.
Ironclaw shares the anthropomorphic approach of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Albedo, and Usagi Yojimbo, not to say Cerebus: high-spirited yet basically sober storytelling leavened with frequent humor — as if the presence of the animal species gives the designers permission to loosen up. Yet across two decades Ironclaw‘s Cardinal game engine has earned solid respect, and you can easily swap out the anthropomorphics with classic fantasy demihumans. If you’re not actively put off by toon-eyed foxes and wolves, Ironclaw is worth a long look.
This comprehensive 20th-anniversary offer presented most of the Ironclaw First Edition (1999-2004) and Second Edition (2010 to date) lines — everything you need for compelling fantasy adventures. There were seven titles in our Legacy Collection (retail value $40) as DRM-free .PDF ebooks: the Ironclaw First Edition core rulebook, the Jadeclaw Legacy standalone companion RPG (2006), and five 1E supplements about the Noble Houses and institutions in the game’s default setting, Calabria: Avoirdupois, Bisclavret, Doloreaux, Phelan, and Rinaldi.
Those who paid more than the threshold (average) price also got our entire 2E Collection with five more titles worth an additional $100, including Ironclaw Core Omnibus: Squaring the Circle (2010) with the complete Second Edition rules (plus the free Book of Fools add-on); the Book of Mysteries rules expansion; the campaign settings Book of Jade (the 2E version of Jadeclaw) and Book of Horn & Ivory; and the Book of Adventures with seven 2E scenarios.
Ten percent of each payment (after gateway fees) went to the charity designated by Ironclaw designer Jason Holmgren, the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
