Paksworld the Role Playing Game - based on Elizabeth Moons best selling books about the Paladin Paksenarrion. Using a customised version of our Skillskape rules.
Paksworld is the world of Paksenarrion detailed in the series of novels by Elizabeth Moon. It tells the story of how Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, a sheep farmers daughter becomes a Paladin, chosen by the Gods.
The Paksworld Roleplaying Game will utilise a customised version of our Skillskape system (with over 25 years of use) that encompasses the entire world of Elizabeth Moon's best-selling novels. This original RPG launches in 2026 with the Paksworld Core Rulebook and any unlocked stretch goals.
The story so far
Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter--known to everyone in her world as Paks--began her adventures as a runaway peasant girl. Through various adventures detailed in the novels by Elizabeth Moon, she grew to become a paladin of Gird, a warrior who had experienced the worst and risen above it. In the process, she started a cascade of changes in her world. Now the adventure continues, because when Paksenarrion found the missing king of Lyonya, she upset lives, realms, and long-laid plans all over the Eight Kingdoms of the North. The fallout will affect even faraway Old Aare.
Are you ready to take part in the adventures to come along with those changed by all that Paks has done?
Welcome to Paksworld!
There are plans to expand on the line beyond this crowdfunder.
We are creating a custom version of our Skillskape rules for Paksworld. Skillskape is a game mechanic that has over 25 years of use (and therefore playtesting and tweaking) and has been proven as the core mechanic in Chivalry & Sorcery 3rd, 4th and the latest 5th edition. It is a percentile based system so will be familiar to many gamers. Paks herself will be used as one of the examples in character creation and development. She'll be taken from being a sheepfarmer's daughter running off to join a mercenary company, to a veteran in that company. Following that, she moves on to both a paladin's candidacy and forester, and on to her formal call by the gods to be a paladin. If character development like this appeals to you, Skillskape offers game mechanics designed to let you create the character you want.
In addition, we shall also be including rules to enable you to use the rulebook with the latest iteration of Dungeons and Dragons. This will enable you to play Paladins in a completely fresh and different way (you have to grow into the role, not simply start as a Paladin).
As the project unfolds we shall be unlocking various stretch goals along the way that will become available as physical add ons.
£17,500 - LOCKED - GM Screen - One of the GMs greatest tools - the rear will have all the important tables and rules needed in the game.
£22,500 - LOCKED - The A to Z of Paksworld - a complete guide of people, places etc from the first 5 books.
£30,000 - LOCKED - Bestiary of Paksworld - A guide to some of the unique creatures in Paksworld along with stats for many of the more mundane creatures that may be found. Will include stats for both Skillskape and D&D.
£40,000 - LOCKED - Magic of Paksworld - More details on the various forms of Magic in Paksworld, discover the Pattern Magic of the Elves, the history of the Magebloods and more.
£50,000 - LOCKED - The Peoples of Paksworld - Discover more information on the various human types, the Elves, the Dwarves and the Gnomes of Paksworld.
Work has already begun on this project, the game mechanics are almost complete and over 50,000 words have been written towards the core book and the first stretch goals.
We anticipate the core book should be ready to ship in June 2026 but if things go to plan we hope to do this sooner.
Shipping will be charged in pledge manager. Our current estimated prices are
United Kingdom £9.00 EU £15.00 ROW £25.00 US £17.00
Started as a Wargamer back in 1974, began role playing with AD&D in 1979. Became involved with the RPGA as a regional director and wrote a number of UK Gencon scenarios and others used by the RPGA. Started BGD Ltd in 1997 and shortly after acquired the C&S IP. Since then has gone on to create a number of C&S books, was a co design head of Chivalry & Sorcery 4th Ed and the creator of the Marakush campaign world and Design Head of Chivalry & Sorcery 5th Edition.
Michael Surbrook - Chief Writer
Michael Surbrook got his game developer feet wet by creating Kazei 5 for the HERO System back in 1999. Since then he’s written material for BlackWyrm Games (Kazei 5 2nd Edition), D3 Adventures, Dice tales Games (Blood & Doom), Fantasy Flight Games (assorted Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader products), Gamer Girl Games, Hero Games (Asian Bestiary I & II, Fantasy Hero Complete, Larger Than Life, Ninja Hero, Old School Enemies), High Rock Press (Aaron Allston’s Strike Force, Ghosts, Ghouls, and Golems), Mad Ferret (Extinction Event), Prowlers & Paragons, and Savage Worlds. Oh, and if you look hard enough, you’ll find some of this drawings in old issues of Autoduel Quarterly and GURPS Humanix. You can find his personal product line, Surbrook Press, on DM’s Guild and DriveThruRPG.
Jason Juta - Artistic Director
Started with Red Box D&D in the 80s, and started being a freelance illustrator in high school, around 1990. He has been a full time freelance artist, cartographer and layout artist based in Kent since 2008. Jason has worked on numerous properties including D&D, Star Wars, Marvel, Middle Earth, Warhammer 40K, Mindjammer, Chivalry and Sorcery, Blood Bowl, and many more.
Badger McInnes - Layout Director
Badger cut his fangs working for Chaosium as a layout artist back in the early 2000s, with his first publication credit being Secrets of San Francisco. Since then, he has worked on several award-winning RPG books, including Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, just about every book Miskatonic River Press published, and various supplements from Legendary Games, Pelgrane Press, Pagan Publishing, and others. Since 2018, he has been Stygian Fox's art director and graphic designer.
When he's not griping about kerning issues and orphan sentences, he plays bass for the goth/post-punk band Vague Lanes.
Daniel Glover - Canon Editor Daniel started playing RPGs in earnest in 1979 with the purchase of the both the early AD&D products and the "Blue Box", though he had seen others play out of the "Beige Books" earlier. Since then he has played through several iterations of that ruleset along with a number of other systems. While investigating options for expanding on playable backgrounds while designing a new campaign he stumbled upon the launch of the Chivalry & Sorcery 5th Edition which promised goblins, orcs and trolls; and lycanthropes and vampires as well. After seeing how the Chivalry & Sorcery developed its elves and dwarves as well he was hooked and has concentrated on this system in recent years.
Elizabeth Moon has been his favourite contemporary author since Sheepfarmer's Daughter was published. He has been an active contributor to the Paksworld blog since Paladin's Legacy was published. It is a great privilege and honour to be asked to be a contributor to bringing Paksworld to life as a living, breathing RPG.
Allison Kaese - Magic and Religion Designer
Allison began gaming with “Blue Book” Dungeons and Dragons in the ‘70s. She started playing Chivalry & Sorcery with the first edition Red Book. When a local game store had a flyer posted that advertised a need for playtesters for Chivalry & Sorcery 3rd Edition, she copied the information off the flyer and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.
She and her late husband, Kory, did many things for 3rd edition including editing, playtesting, sales support, and convention support. Her first published author credit was the module they co-wrote entitled “Stormwatch”. They later formed Mystic Station Designs, LLC and produced several lines of supplements for Chivalry & Sorcery: Rebirth and SkillSkape along with their own line of system independent gaming materials. Allison is Wiccan. It was this fact that led to her being able to provide an alternative viewpoint to “standard fantasy magic” and led to the creation of the Priestly Mage Vocation in 3rd Edition. It also led to her working closely with Ed Simbalist in designing the Magick & Faith rules in Chivalry & Sorcery: Rebirth. She is in the slow process of re-writing, updating, and reprinting the various supplements that Mystic Station Designs published to be compatible with Chivalry & Sorcery: 5th edition. Psionics for Skillskape is the latest of these.
Andrew Staples - Chief Editor
Game design/edit credits are primarily with Chivalry & Sorcery and its supplements. He also edited the dark fantasy Black Void RPG.
Non-game editing credits: He was a newspaper copy editor for many years, culminating in being head of copy desk for the Middle East's biggest selling English language daily newspaper. After that he helped set up Bahrain's National Communication Centre, and then worked comms for a tourism/heritage region in Saudi Arabia. The pandemic put paid to that gig.
Andy has now returned to Yorkshire, where he lives in the Pennine dales, about a day's walk from Three Firs.
Joel Zigelstein - Editors Assistant
With 45 years of gaming experience, Joel started gaming in 1980, first with AD&D and shortly after with 1E Chivalry and Sorcery. He has volunteered at LGS's, running Adventure League, 4 homegrown campaigns (2 of which focused on Neurodivergent players) as well as running monthly Beginner sessions.
Joel has been pleased to be part of the BGD team, and is currently working on two supplements for Chivalry & Sorcery 5th edition; Mysticism and Levant: 1185. Joel has helped with editing duties for numerous publications and looks forward to bringing Paksworld to TTRPG.
Stephen Parson's - D&D Rules Editor
Stephen started role playing in 1980 with AD&D 1st edition. After joining the UK RPGA in the 1990s, he co-wrote the RPGA Memebers only tournament with Stephen Turner. He went on to be the UK RPGA Co ordinator supporting the people doing the written stuff and in touch with each other. He was also a GM for the Open Finals at Gen Con UK with a scenario he co wrote. Well versed with all editions of Dungeons and Dragons including the latest edition.
Elizabeth Moon, the creator of the Paksenarion novels, was born March 7, 1945, and grew up in McAllen, Texas, graduating from McAllen High School in 1963. She has a B.A. in History from Rice University (1968) and another in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin (1975) with graduate work in Biology at the University of Texas, San Antonio.She served in the USMC from 1968 to 1971, first at MCB Quantico and then at HQMC. She married Richard Moon, a Rice classmate and Army officer, in 1969; they moved to the small central Texas town where they still live in 1979. They have one son, born in 1983.Community activities: EMS volunteer, 1979-1985. Elected twice to City Council, served a term as Chamber of Commerce president, served on Library Board several terms. Singer in various church and community choirs (presently with the Parish Choir of St. David's Episcopal Church in Austin.) Other church activities have included teaching Sunday School, working with youth group, serving on vestry, etc.Writing: Started writing stories and poems as a small child; attempted first book (an illustrated biography of the family dog) at age six. Started writing science fiction in high school, but considered writing merely a sideline. First got serious about writing (as in, submitting things and actually getting money...) in the 1980s. Made first fiction sale at age forty--"Bargains" to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress III and "ABCs in Zero G" to Analog. The first novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, sold in 1987 and came out in 1988; it won the Compton Crook Award in 1989. Remnant Population was a Hugo nominee in 1997, and The Speed of Dark was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and won the Nebula in 2004. Find a complete bibliography at http://www.elizabethmoon.com/biblio.htmNon-writing interests: Horses, space exploration, fencing (Renaissance style: rapier, dagger, etc), restoration ecology, wildlife management, classical music, just about anything but housework.
