Up the River - On the Wharf

A few people have asked about the current status of "Up the River," the upcoming campaign for Unhallowed Metropolis. I wanted to take a minute and let everyone know that we're on schedule to release it this summer. We're in the final editorial rounds and the illustrations are brilliant. I'm thrilled that Robert Tritthardt (www.writheandshine.com) is illustrating my campaign, he's done an amazing job of bringing my words and the sick things in my head to the light of day. Here's a brief excerpt from the campaign.


When the appointed day arrives, the crew has the ship in spotless condition and a large crowd gathers at Hay's Wharf to see them off. The morning is foggy and cold. The crowd seems quite excited but the ubiquitous gas masks make their cheering muffled and subdued. Stanhope addresses the crowd from the Cassandra's aft:

“Ladies and gentlemen of our great city of London, today we take a most important step in the rebirth of Empire! A great colony of ours has been without word from their mother country for almost two centuries.We shall find them and, like two candles in the dark, combine to become a mighty torch to Illuminate the rest of the world with the civilization of the English people! The Borneo expedition shall welcome them back to the arms of queen and country! God save the queen!”

The Army band at the wharf launches into a loud rendition of “God Save the Queen” followed by “Rule, Brittania!” The ship's crew lets slip the moorings, and the Cassandra slowly moves from the wharf. The thick mist quickly obscures the crowd and, shortly after, swallows up the sounds of the music. The Cassandra is enveloped in the dark fog and greasy waters of the Thames as she ventures out towards the North Sea.



The campaign is accompanied by pre-generated characters, new skills, new items, the Wonders of Botany and a new Calling for Unhallowed Metropolis: the Explorer.


“Up the River,” written by Simon Berman and illustrated by Robert Tritthardt, will be available as a downloadable PDF summer, 2009.