An Epic Tavern comic book? It’s true! We are all kinds of psyched to announce the official adaptation of Epic Tavern coming this October from Black Caravan and Scout Comics… Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit!
A limited-edition black and white ashcan preview of the first eight story pages is on sale RIGHT NOW through Scout Comics (https://www.scoutcomics.com/collections/black-caravan/products/epic-taverns-tales-from-the-fantastical-crime-unit-ashcan-preview) and the fully-colored book will be available to pre-order at your local comic book shop in just a few weeks! Much more to come on that as we progress.
THE STORY
The series follows the adventures of the Fantastical Crimes Unit, tasked with investigating crimes committed by Beor’s mythological and supernatural creatures. The first issue’s story is a mashup of the Epic Tavern quests: The Lost Menagerie, The Fantastical Crimes Unit, Angel is a Centaur Foal, and Still Crazy After All These Years.
THE CREATIVE CREW
With jaw-dropping artwork by Steve Mardo (www.stevemardo.com), beautiful colors by Steve Lavigne (from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!) with assistance by Mary Berger, expert lettering by Rob Jones and writing by Epic Tavern’s lead writer, Shawn French (me), the comic provides a whole new perspective on the story world you know and love.
THE HEROES
With hundreds of quests, thousands of encounters, and 160 playable heroes in Epic Tavern, the first big decision was which characters and storylines we wanted to adapt into a comic. We opted to focus on the characters that players seem to connect with most in our weekly dev chat discussions on Discord and on our Twitch streams. And now, your heroes in Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit #1…
Victor Marshall, Lead Investigator: Fantastical Crimes Unit
As the central character in the game’s Fantastical Crimes Unit quests, Victor was the obvious choice as the narrator of the comic. His gritty, noir style also contrasts in hilarious fashion with his new partner and the second member of our cast…
Emilia Mortalis: Animal Necromancer
The nutty animal necromancer, Emilia Mortalis, was the first hero I created for Epic Tavern and has always been one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written for any story. Making her the point-of-view character for our readers as they explore the wild world of the Fantastical Crimes Unit was a no-brainer for me. Steve Mardo’s artwork has brought Emilia to vivid life like never before and I could not possibly love her depiction in this comic more. Alongside her undead pals, Belle the zombie blue jay, Fiasco the skeletal dog, and Barnabus Chitters the vampire squirrel, Emilia is ready to handle anything the Undermarket throws at her. Next up on the FCU crew...
Grusilla Marrowsucker: Badlands Berserker
Originally one of seven sisters, Gru and her sister Gurda are all that remains after her murderous mother, Mafalda Marrowsucker, was cursed to die at the hands of her daughters and immediately set out to kill them all. Grusilla’s wild impulsive streak and unparalleled ability to inject chaos and carnage into any situation made her an obvious choice to join the FCU squad. But they’re gonna need a bit more firepower, which leads us to…
Murgul Flametongue: Orc Pyromancer
Horribly burned from within during her berserk incineration of the goblin village whose raiders killed her mentor, Shiloh, Murgul strikes an imposing figure. The pyromancer who begins every game of Epic Tavern on your roster provides the FCU squad with valuable ranged-magic and fire skills. And rounding off the crew is perhaps my personal favorite Epic Tavern hero…
Norman Henderson: Sad Sack Rogue
Norman, seen here sporting fresh bandages after getting kicked in the head by a horse while returning from a quest, just can’t catch a break in life. After bungling his big chance to save the woman he loved and then watching her marry the man who did save her, Norman’s confidence was shattered. Despite possessing the skills of a master thief, his insecurity leaves him feeling overwhelmed in nearly every situation.
With our heroes firmly established, it’s time to meet...
THE VILLAINS!
We scoured hundreds of quests in search of some of our favorite Big Bads to bring to life on the pages of our comic. Making the cut in Episode 1…
Braarg Faceripper: Gnoll Warlord/Bouncer at The Hungry Huntsman
Braarg has always been one of my faves and I love so much what Steve Mardo (inks) and Steve Lavigne (colors) have done with this character design.
Zeddicus Gnash: The Mad Illusionist
Playing Joker to Victor Marshall’s Batman is the insane illusionist Zeddicus Gnash, a long-running adversary who Victor has locked up numerous times, but who always finds a way to escape. They’ll tangle again in Episode 1, with Victor attempting to foil Gnash’s kidnapping of a young centaur.
And any story set in the world of Beor would be incomplete without a trip to the haunted carnival The Lost Menagerie and a brush with its demonic ringmaster…
Alzabar Pandemonium and the Clowns of Death
Even the FCU don’t know what exactly Alzabar is, aside from eons old and extremely dangerous. As the proprietor of The Lost Menagerie, which appears in a thick fogbank each full moon and traps visitors within forever if they fail to escape by dawn, Alzabar has been a thorn in the side of the FCU for as far back as their records go. They’ll clash again in our first episode.
So there’s an early peek for you folks at our upcoming Epic Tavern comic. We’re also working on an exciting new feature patch for the game for release later this month. Tavern trophies and skill checks are just around the corner! Stay tuned, brave adventurers. There’s much more info to come on both the game and our new partnership with Black Caravan and Scout Comics.
Pick up your copy of Scout's ashcan preview of our first episode for just $5 right here: https://www.scoutcomics.com/collections/black-caravan/products/epic-taverns-tales-from-the-fantastical-crime-unit-ashcan-preview
Content Patch Update!
In our internal testing build, we’re currently testing two exciting new features that will be heading your way very soon: Tavern Trophies and Skill Checks!
We’ve already designed several dozen trophies that will be unlocked during your adventures. Rescuing Flustercap from the Abominable Snow Ape will earn you a Netherling in a Box toy, while failing gets you a Flustercap memorial for your tavern. The successes and failures that make up your history will now be proudly displayed on your tavern’s walls.
And Skill Checks are a game-altering addition that we’ve long been anticipating as a way to bring more of the tabletop experience to Epic Tavern. We’ll now have the ability to make a single character roll against a single skill before or after the main encounter. Some practical applications…
* Perception checks that increase or decrease the difficulty of the encounter that follows.
* Perception checks after an encounter to find extra treasure.
* Locksmiths can attempt to crack locked chests to gain bonus loot.
* Saving Throws! Save for half damage from the dragon’s fiery breath. Save vs petrification or poison, and even the dreaded Save vs Death are coming very soon.
We want to hear from you!
As always, the Epic Tavern team hosts discussions with our players five days a week…
Every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30 am PST, join lead designer Tomo Moriwaki and lead writer Shawn French for an open dev-chat discussion on Discord (www.discord.gg/epictavern).
Mondays at 4 pm PST: Tomo and Shawn narrative stream on Twitch (www.twitch.tv/epictavern).
Wednesdays at 1 pm PST: Let’s Play with Rich or Tomo on Twitch.
Fridays at 1 pm PST: Design stream with Rich or Tomo on Twitch.