A mockup of the introduction to Hieronymus
In Hieronymus, you play a group of refugees fleeing an astral terror known only as the Follower. As it pursues you, you rip your way through reality into strange worldscapes inspired by the paintings of the mediaeval artist Hieronymus Bosch, the Follower only a few steps behind.
What will happen when it catches up to you?
What strange worlds will it tear apart in its pursuit?
Is there a way home?
Hieronymus was released in 2021 to acclaim and saw a limited print run. Now it's back to fund the expanded Earthly Delights edition. New maps and content, new character playbooks and expanded guidance for both players and game runners make this a more complete experience.
With writing by Laurie O'Connel, art by Bosch and others, and a delightful new layout by Chris Bissette, Hieronymus is back and better than ever.
What is Hieronymus?
Hieronymus is a tabletop roleplaying game for a group of up to five people, with one of those people taking a facilitator role within the game (the Games Master).
Each player takes on the role of a period appropriate character, defined in part by a Playbook and part by the players themselves.
With characters such as the Scoundrel, the Priest, and the Merchant, players are encouraged to put their own spin on these archetypes, as they flee through apocalyptic worlds based on the work of Hieronymus Bosch and other painters.
All the players help to interpret the surreal artwork to determine the challenges and landmarks the characters navigate.
A unique game in its scope and focus, Hieronymus draws on the viewpoints of modern players to explore the collapse of feudalism, apocalypse, survival, corruption and horror, whilst introducing players to one of the greatest artists of the Middle Ages.
Hieronymus is a hexcrawl for people who've never heard the word 'hexcrawl' before, but find the art speaks to them.
"A general feeling of impending calamity hangs over all. Perpetual danger prevails everywhere [...] The feeling of general insecurity which was caused by the chronic forms wars were apt to take, by the constant menace of the dangerous classes, by the mistrust of justice, was further aggravated by the obsession of the coming end of the world, and by the fear of hell, of sorcerers and of devils [...] Everywhere the flames of hatred arise and injustice reigns. Satan covers a gloomy earth with his sombre wings." -Jonathan Huizinga, The Waning of the Middle Ages
As with the first edition of Hieronymus, the book will contain all the rules you need to make a character and run the game. This includes:
Rules for character creation and compact character sheet bookmarks, unique to each class.
A simple dice mechanic to resolve situations where the outcome is uncertain - players simply roll a pool of six sided dice to figure out if they succeed or fail, take stress when they fail, and indulge their sins when the stress becomes too much.
Instructions for GMs on using clocks and other GM tools, including the core narrative mechanic in the game, the Follower Clock. Every time the characters indulge their sins, the Follower draws ever closer, and the end draws near.
Worldscapes based on Bosch and associated paintings for the characters to explore.
This version of Hieronymus has been reworked to make it easier to get to the table for new players, and meatier to play again and again.
Historical Context
Hieronmyus is a game that explores the collapse of Feudalism from a fantastical angle.
This context surrounding the works is important, and the focus placed on Bosch's art deserves some explanation. We're including a new section detailing more about the world Bosch lived in and drawing on sources such as Dante's Inferno to explain why these visions of hell were so evocative at the time. You could even play this in an art class about Bosch or the time period.
Guidance
To make Hieronymus easy to pick up, there's guidance for folks running the game to help them understand the mechanics and interpretation. There's help with terminology and key concepts. There's clear handholding for when you need it, and room to make your own decisions when you're able to.
Examples of Play
One of the best tools to support players in understanding Hieronymus is an example of play. The new edition will come with this at each stage of the rules to help piece together what a session looks like. It gives you a template of what play might look like, but groups are free to do their own thing.
Bestiaries
In the first edition of Hieronymus, the bestiary was little more than a few drawing to spark the GM's imagination. The new version will teach you how to make suitably horrifying creatures within while still providing room for the group's ideas.
Two New Playbooks
King - In an apocalyptic world, does the King have any more authority than the lowest pauper? Play with a new dynamic by embodying the most rotten feudal institution of all.
Poet - Drawing on source material such as Dante's Inferno, the poet's journey into hell is a popular trope for a reason. The new version of Hieronymus will give you the tools to explore such a story in your games.
This is on top of the original playbooks, Alchemist, Priest, Scoundrel, and Artisan.
New & Expanded Worldscapes
The real core of Hieronymus is its worldscapes, the fuel for play. The content for these has been reworked and expanded. The classic Garden of Earthly Delights will act as a core example, and comes with the most detailed content. Then a series of six additional worldscapes, each with gradually less scaffolded content, provide a basis for further play.
Hieronymus features seven dungeon-worldscapes based on the paintings of Bosch, Van Eyck and Bartolemeo di Fruosino:
The Garden of Earthly Delights
The Last Judgement
The Last Judgement (Bruges Triptych)
Tondal's Vision
The Haywain
The Temptation of St Anthony
Christ In Limbo (Bosch)
Inferno from the Divine Comedy (Di Fruosino)
The Last Judgement (Van Eyck)
