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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 1h

Thanks Dan! The link I posted must have errored!

Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

GALLOWS CORNER - A PEASANTS' REVOLT RPG launches on Kickstarter February 3rd, 2026. You can go and follow the Prelaunch page right now: www.kickstarter.com/projects/thr...

And you can experience these first two mechanics by downloading the FREE Prerelease Guide: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

www.kickstarter.com

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

And so the struggle for the soul of England continues. The party gain and lose Influence as they seek to break the power of the crown, church, and nobility.

As they become more famous, the scale of the Point Crawl changes, from Hundreds and Counties to Counties and Regions. Local to national.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

When the table's collective Influence is equal to or greater than the County's Control value, they can trigger a Showdown, an epic, cinematic, in-depth confrontation with the antagonist, seeking to break their power and liberate the County for good.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

Over the course of the Point Crawl, the table will seek to liberate Points on the crawl, reducing the Control value of the county. Where they can, they will also seek to reduce the antagonist's personal Control value through confrontation and sabotage.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

In our Point Crawl, each Hundred (a Point on the map) has a Verb associated with it. This Verb shapes the action the table will experience when they visit. Similarly, each County (a collection of Points) is defined by a Verb, one associated with the major antagonist, which shapes the vibe.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

I designed the Point Crawl to allow players to immerse themselves in a living, breathing, changing, and reacting England.

The design was inspired by @bastionland.bsky.social and the hex crawl from Mythic Bastionland, particularly its Omens system.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

In Mappa Mundi, my first major design project, travel and exploration are vital, and facilitated by the Journey Deck system, but actual places are relatively abstracted.

In Gallows Corner, the crown's power (known as Control) is spatially determined. It is linked to places and spaces.

A map of Essex, including its Hundreds, Boroughs, and Liberties. Map drawn by Jog Brozlin. Text by George Francis Bickers.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

But we should move on to the Point Crawl, and the ways Gallows Corner empowers the Narrator to bring England to life and facilitate gameplay at the local level (Hundreds and Counties) and the grander scale (Regions and the Nation).

Until Gallows, I'd never designed a formal crawl of any kind...

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

The latter option, the cinematic option, will cause significant emotional damage to the surviving player character. Their Emotional EXP dice will certainly be downgraded for a while.

And the player loses a Retainer, making their journey harder.

I LOVE THIS MECHANIC.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

When a player character is about to die, the player makes a choice:

LET THE CHARACTER DIE and 'promote' a Retainer to the role of player character. The mantle passes over.

OR, the cinematic choice, have a Retainer jump in the way, sacrificing themselves so the player character can live.

a man with a beard is kissing another man

Alt: a man with a beard is kissing another man

media.tenor.com

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

Over time, a character can gain up to five Retainers.

But my favourite part? Character death and the role of Retainers.

In Gallows Corner, you are peasants. Untrained, unarmoured, and under-armed. Death is a reality, and it will happen to your character at least once. Likely more.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

Each Retainer brings something new to the player and their character. Additional dice to add to Tests. New Skills to negate the need for rolls. Support in combat through an extra Physical EXP dice.

Each Retainer adds to the character and gives the player new solutions to problems.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

Instead, as characters gain Influence -- through taking the fight to the crown, liberating areas of the country, and HELPING people -- they start to attract followers.

If a follower is recruited, they become a RETAINER, who is a full character in their own right, with dice, trade, job, and skills.

A full page black and white illustration from Gallows Corner, showing a range of different working people and nobles.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

But this is not a Retinue.

In Gallows Corner, characters don't 'level up'. Their EXP (Physical, Intellectual, and Emotional) dice can change (for better and worse), and their TRA + JOB dice, but they don't 'get better' like a trad levelling up system implies.

No transformative change takes place.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

Gallows Corner is a love letter to my working class rage, community, and radical history. Its a game that shows that the lowest can change the world IF THEY WORK TOGETHER.

Now, of course, there are the players, a community themselves. A group of peasants/working class outlawed and working together.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

To talk about Retinues, I need to share some of the cultural inspirations for Gallows Corner.

Robin Hood features heavily (both literary and cinematic), as do the works of Bernard Cornwell (The Last Kingdom and Sharpe). Final Fantasy also looms large.

What unites them? A hero supported by a party.

a man with a scarf around his neck is making a funny face and saying `` i truly hope so . ''

Alt: a man with a scarf around his neck is making a funny face and saying `` i truly hope so . ''

media.tenor.com

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 3h

On Wednesday, I started going over the four mechanics that I think make Gallows Corner what it is:

The Dice Pool; Trades and Jobs; Retinues; and the Point Crawl.

We went over the first two, so now let's look at the others, beginning with my favourite system: RETINUES! A 🧵

Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 2d

On Monday, I went over a little bit about the setting of GALLOWS CORNER: one England, many Englands. A post-plague rotten isle, with crown, church, and nobility standing on the necks of the commons.

But what about the game itself? How does it play? What are its core mechanics? Let's find out!

Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 4d

Gallows Corner is the next game from Three Sails Studios after the success of Mappa Mundi, our debut release.

But what IS Gallows Corner? What is a Peasants' Revolt RPG? This week, you'll find out. Today, we're talking setting!

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Reposted by Three Sails Studios

EUphoria Actual Plays @euphoriaap.bsky.social · 3h

Monday! Its Black History Month, and we're showing off game designer & GM @chochy.co.uk's new system!

Players @theneoncaster.bsky.social, @daisypowerhour.bsky.social, @thirdvaultyarns.com, and @akingmade.bsky.social explore a world losing its spark...

Sponsored by @threesailsstudios.bsky.social

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 21h

Congrats crew!

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 1d

Congratubirthday, Nick!

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 1d

Should be with you now!

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 1d

No worries, it's an easy fix :)

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 1d

I'll send it over to you shortly, mate! Should have been delivered digitally with your order, but I can see something went wrong.

Hold the line!

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Reposted by Three Sails Studios

Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 2d

On Monday, I went over a little bit about the setting of GALLOWS CORNER: one England, many Englands. A post-plague rotten isle, with crown, church, and nobility standing on the necks of the commons.

But what about the game itself? How does it play? What are its core mechanics? Let's find out!

Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 4d

Gallows Corner is the next game from Three Sails Studios after the success of Mappa Mundi, our debut release.

But what IS Gallows Corner? What is a Peasants' Revolt RPG? This week, you'll find out. Today, we're talking setting!

The front cover of Gallows Corner - A Peasants' Revolt RPG.

A gallows and noose are silhouetted against a full moon. An ornate border of thorns and brambles extends around the edge of the cover.

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