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Serenissima Obscura & The Magical Renaissance

Created by Vortex Verlag

Serenissima Obscura is a setting guide & modular adventure in a dark version of Renaissance Venice. • Play with 5e, Ars Magica or your favourite system! • Combine with "The Straight Way Lost – Adventuring through Heaven and Hell" for years of exciting roleplay! This pre-order store will close soon. After that, all add-ons will only be available in their digital versions. So: Don't miss your chance to get the print editions of the Ars Magica conversion guide, the maps and the 5e Player's Guide.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

7 days to go & Serenissima Miniatures
9 months ago – Thu, Jun 19, 2025 at 10:56:53 AM

This is very exciting.
We've still got 7 days to go and have already surpassed the result of our last project.
But I think that we can get an even better result. Now is the time to pledge or inform your friends.

Also:
Did you already check out the official Serenissima Obscura miniatures on a separate Kickstarter?
All stretch goals have been unlocked to give you the full Venice experience!
I am adding a gorgeous picture of some painted miniatures by Kuba Sawicki!

So: Pledge now for both crowdfunding! Pretty please? ;-)




Serenissima Obscura on Hedron – Free Acess for all backers!
9 months ago – Wed, Jun 18, 2025 at 08:29:28 AM

We are thrilled to announce an upcoming partnership with Hedron to help bring a bit more technology into this Magical Renaissance! In other words, Serenissima Obscura will be coming to Hedron!

Hedron is a complete platform of tools to help design, test, run, and play games ranging from D&D to Ars Magica and beyond; described as the "code-free Foundry," it's the first VTT to make creating and homebrewing a core functionality and not just an afterthought.

After all, it's built by Homebrewers, for Homebrewers!

Learn more about them here: https://www.projecthedron.com/

Backers of Serenissima Obscura get a free copy of the game on Hedron when it becomes available!

So, in case you have not yet backed: One more reason to do so now! 


9 Days Left – Let’s Unlock the Next Stretch Goal!
9 months ago – Tue, Jun 17, 2025 at 09:18:51 AM

We’ve just unlocked our third stretch goal — thanks to all of you who’ve joined us on this strange and beautiful journey through shadowed Venice!

We’re closing in on our final goals. Let’s finish strong and make the setting even richer.

Next Stretch Goal up:
Five extra magical items hidden throughout Serenissima Obscura — eerie, powerful, and full of story potential. Let’s make it happen together.

With 9 days to go, now is the best time to jump in or upgrade your pledge. Why?

  • Campaign-exclusive content — including print versions of the add-ons
  • Lower price than retail
  • You’ll get it earlier than anyone else
  • You are helping us to make this happen!

Thank you for your support — and if you know someone who’d love haunted Venice, now’s the time to share.

BREAKING NEWS: Mid-Campaign Slump Shattered!
9 months ago – Fri, Jun 13, 2025 at 05:28:20 AM

Thanks to a shoutout from our friend John Nephew of Atlas Games to the backers of Ars Magica: Definitive Edition, momentum has returned to Serenissima Obscura!

John recommended our project to the Ars Magica community – and suddenly, the lanterns are lit, the streets of Venice hum with whispers, and the campaign is surging forward once more. The slump is over. The shadows are moving.

If you’ve been waiting—now is the time to back. Let’s ride this wave all the way to the next stretch goal.


Design Update: Character Advancement

Just last week, we wrapped the Character Advancement section of the book. In Serenissima Obscura, players will have three distinct ways to grow their characters throughout the campaign:

1. Narrative-Level Advancement
5e: Level up from 8 to 12 by completing clusters of modular adventures.
Ars Magica: Advancement follows the game’s standard rules for character development.

2. Climbing the Social Ladder (System Agnostic)
Be admitted into the ranks of Venetian citizens, maybe even into the nobility – influence the fate of the Serenissima!

4. Establishing a Headquarters or Townhouse in Venice (System Agnostic)
Your sanctum, embassy, coven, or den of intrigue: a place to expand your reach and anchor your legacy.

The magic is stirring again—and with your help, we’ll push Serenissima Obscura further into the light… and deeper into the shadow.

Join us at the turning point. Venice remembers those who act.


Mid-Campaign Limbo! Send Help (or Friends)!
9 months ago – Mon, Jun 09, 2025 at 07:53:02 AM

Ciao, conspirators!

We’re floating gently through the classic mid-campaign fog – you know, that mysterious phase where the gondola just kind of… drifts. The bells are quiet, the Vuoti are pacing, and our second stretch goal is just there, on the horizon, staring at us. 

So if you haven’t backed yet – now’s a great time!

And if you have backed (grazie!) but want to help us power through this sleepy mist, consider doing one or both of the following:

🕯 Share the campaign with a friend who loves dark fantasy, masked horrors, or ancient stone lions with wings
🕯 Summon a cult (or, you know, post in a TTRPG group)

Let’s rattle the chains, ring the bells, and make some noise again! We can absolutely blast through this mid-campaign limbo and into new dark delights.

The Black Doge is watching. Let’s not disappoint him.