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Thanks for the continued interest and patience! I have reached out to some artists and have done some layout in affinity, but my free time has been cut dramatically short on the formatting and drafting required due to the recent EO completely wrecking my industry in the US. My current plan is to finish up the art free version and upload it here in the next few weeks so that those who want to roll up a sci fantasy campaign can do so, and then continue the search for art. Feel free to reply or DM me with any ideas or suggestions you would like to see in the publication.

Thank you for those grammar catches! No matter how many times you review it, something slips through...I fixed both errors and reuploaded the PDF. I am glad the concept catches your eye, I love one page RPGs for backpacking trips myself because I can tuck everything into an out of the way pocket. Enjoy!

Hello Carlos! Thank you for the kind words and thoughtful feedback! Allow me to answer your questions in order to hopefully shed some light on certain aspects of the game.

1. Currently the High Elves and Wood Elves have the same songs as the Humans of the Wilds and the Empire. I thought about writing them all different songs, or perhaps a selection of mixed songs, but after testing I was not satisfied with the balance across 36 options, and therefore limited them. However, to your 2. point, I am currently working on a supplement for Wilderlands with some additional rules and guidance (think Deep Cuts for Blades in the Dark) which has both rules for Wizards if you wanted to include them, the thought process behind creating Songs and Items of Power for those GMs wanting to expand the list, and some other odds and ends advice.

3. The text on page 15 could be clearer, but the D6 roll for your Calling is in fact also your stamina! For example, rolling a 3 for Treasure Hunter means you get 3 stamina and the additional starting items for your character. The Callings are balanced around the higher Stamina entries providing less useful starting inventory. 

I appreciate any and all feedback, and would love to hear how your experiences running or playing Wilderlands go for you! Hopefully these comments are helpful

Hello!

1. No need to put a number for the background, its in the template as in Cairn the backgrounds have a number and I will order them in a collected PDF at the end.
2. Make art if you want to, but 100% no requirement! I am hoping to commission an artist when the jam closes to illustrate everyone's creations!
3. You can make as many submissions as you like! I am hoping that we end up close to an even number (20,36, etc) as then they can be rolled on with dice, and if we are off a certain number, I'll fill in with my own ideas at the end. 
4. I will review your background soon and give feedback where helpful.

Thanks for participating in the jam!

Good evening everyone - I am already impressed by the volume and quality of submissions so far! I love the creativity of the Cairn community. I wanted to post that I have created an affinity template on my itch for Cairn 2e backgrounds. If its helpful to you, you can use it when submitting future backgrounds - but its by no means required! I will be dropping all of the submissions into this template when the jam closes, so don't worry if you do not own affinity or just want to write it up in word or docs. As always, if you have any questions dont hesitate to reach out!

As this game has no comments, I wanted to leave a review based on my recent purchase. As Above, So Below is a picaresque take on Into the Odd, combining inventory slots and other 'quality of life' improvements from Cairn with great formatting and well-sourced and placed public domain images. To me its easy to overuse public domain art, but here I feel it really elevates the work as the game channels that feel of early pulp fantasy which matches the art's tone. I was searching for a 'minimum viable' Into the Odd hack with Sword & Sorcery roots, and this fits the bill.

My only note of feedback, perhaps as a future supplement, is a list of spells formatted and designed for use with AB,SB. The rules as written mention using a level-less spell list of your choice, but I feel many such lists veer too far to the silly (such as growing a third arm or conjuring marbles) which does not quite fit the intended tone. It would be welcome to be able to hand my players a spell grimoire in a similar format to the great core rules.

In total, if you are looking for a well-formatted and clean RPG for playing classic OSR style adventures, As Above, So Below would be a great choice!

Burned down my house, 10/10 would arson again

Hello Van Davis, thank you for checking out Wilderlands and giving your thoughts! To your question on spells and wizards, for the initial release on the book I wanted to focus on creating a game that could feasibly play directly in Middle Earth, where the only wizards are named characters or far away to the east. However, some of my playtesters have pestered me to create some kind of wizard supplement in the future, and I am tempted as more people ask as a separate PWYW publication.

On the context of the spells of the enemy, Tolkiens heroes often fought against the sorcery of spectral foes such as the Barrow Wights and the Witch King. Tolkien also has a great passage differentiating the Art of the Elves from the sorcery of the Enemy. Thinking on your point, I could have included a spell caster villain in the bestiary to make this point clearer! I do have an adventure in mind with a spell casting villain, and I will be sure to include how they are “different” to the Songs of the free peoples in that publication.

If you have any other questions about the game or future releases, please reach out.

Hello Writer-Ben, thank you for checking out Wilderlands! This is a great question, and something on reflection that could be clearer in the rulebook, especially for non-native English speakers. 

The primary mechanical difference between the two is that Songs are used in combat, and upon failing a Heart (HRT) save, make your character fatigued so they cannot use another song until after a brief rest like stamina. Sagas can be used at any time, and either give a passive bonus, or can make your character Deprived after use depending on the Saga . As far as the 'lore' goes, I left the details of what a Saga looks like up to the Chronicler to fit their vision of the game. In my own homebrew setting, Sagas are found as magical scrolls or tablets in dungeons, and Heroes absorb their power upon reading them and learning of the mighty deeds of old. However, a Saga could also be a physical book or scroll read from each time it is used, or a runestone that is channeled if you prefer.

Meanwhile, Songs are taught by wise lore masters or captains when good deeds are done for their people. I encourage players to narrate how their character sings or chants during battle, but of course this is optional! I encourage you to change the flavor or styling of both mechanics to match either your homebrew world, or align with Middle Earth directly should you choose to run a game in Tolkien's world. If you have any other questions please let me know.

Thank you for taking the time to review Wilderlands and leave such a well thought out review! I think you did a great job highlighting where the book focuses on and what it 'elides' for the Game Master to decide upon. I personally love when a book gives me more options and guidance for combat as a Game Master, as I don't like to try and figure out combat buffs on the spot when I am running the game - this saves me brain power for what I love to do, roleplaying out social encounters and problem solving, leaving combat to be decided by the dice. This is why Sagas and Songs have so little guidance on when to bestow them - other than specifying you learn them by helping others, it is totally up to the GM to based on the size and scope of their campaign how and when to award them.

If you are looking for a gaming experience that is more like the One Ring mechanically but highly streamlined (including a simplified version of the dice mechanic) I recommend Ever On by Logen Nein - https://logen-nein.itch.io/ever-on-2e - I hope you find the Middle Earth game that speaks to you!