Lords of the Backstairs:
The political intrigue fantasy roleplaying game
You are a lord ruling a small land. Rise through the noble hierarchy, conspire against your rivals, survive political assassinations, command kingdom-felling battles, and become the ultimate lord of the backstairs.
LOTB is an upcoming rules-light fantasy tabletop roleplaying game by Bane Janzen. In LOTB, one player (the game master) narrates a story and the other players roleplay as lords in that story.
Gameplay is balanced between three elements: Intrigue, Governance, and War. Players further their own political interests, govern their lands by constructing buildings and fortifications, and go to war to defend their lands and conquer their rivals.
LOTB began development in April 2026 and is expected to be finished in 2027, whereafter it shall be published in paper and online. Status updates are regularly posted on Discord and semi-frequently on Facebook and Instagram.
Easy to Learn
You only need to read the first 50 pages. That’s it! In fact, the game forbids you from reading more than the first few chapters.
The game reveals itself as you play. As you level up your character, you unlock more sections of the rulebook. All the while, more lore is revealed, letting you uncover the dark secret behind the book’s true purpose…
Written for Your Character
The first item your in-game character receives is a copy of the Lords of the Backstairs rulebook.
The entire book is written from the perspective of His Majesty’s royal chronicler. From the chronicler’s biases and sketchy suggestions to Janzen’s medieval-style writing and historical facts, every page is fun to read.
But don’t take it from me! You need only experience the first page:
Dear Lord or Lady,
By requisition of His Majesty, I produced this guidebook to teach new lords how to survive and grow in power in a realm of political deception and war. If you are reading this, your parents sadly passed and you inherited this book. As the new lord of your parents’ lands, you can relish a lavish life befitting nobility.
But take heed!
Luxury is mere veneer disguising a lord’s true purpose. Law is nought but guideline here. In this world of political deception and war, the ruthless triumph and the tender-hearted suffer. I need not tell you which to be.
Plot against your rivals, escape the assassin’s blade, command kingdom-felling battles, and master the art of backstairs dealings. By conquering more lands, attaining higher titles, outwitting your rivals, mastering the markets, and raising the grandest castle, you can become both the ruin and rescue of the realm.
You may even be deemed worthy of meeting His Majesty Himself.
Yours in service,
Oboron, His Majesty’s royal chronicler
Not Just a Map-Painter
In a medieval world where lords are both administrators and soldiers, the line between war and peace is blurred. This is not just a map-painter. In Lords of the Backstairs, Intrigue, Governance, and War are carefully interwoven: roleplay affects how many lands you own; governance affects how much food your estates produce; your food stockpiles affect how big your army can be; your army’s size impacts your reputation, reputation determines how many lands you can own. Everything is connected.
Elements of exploration, lore, battlefield strategy, city building, character creation, and turn-based combat are incorporated simply and playfully in a game where roleplaying ties it all together.
Lead Your Army
LOTB features an in-depth army combat system that mixes real-world strategy with fantasy shenanigans. Want to build manoeuvrable battlefield formations? Want to besiege a castle to force the enemy’s surrender? Want to fling a battalion across the map with a tornado? Want to ride into battle on a dragon? You can do that! Historical accuracy is blended with the excitement of fantasy to make historical strategies and magical shenanigans paramount to achieving victory.
The battlefield is the focus. No need to constantly refer to each troop’s stat block. High ground, encirclement, and army formations determine dice rolls rather than stat blocks. Thousands of soldiers can all take their turns quickly so the real-life session doesn’t drag on for hours.
Crowd-Sourced Artwork
The LOTB Core Rulebook will feature artwork from a variety of talented artists from across the globe. No two pages will be the same! With a general medieval aesthetic in mind, each artist brings in their own art style. The book will be as much an art showcase as it is a game. All contributors will receive full credit and links to their portfolios so interested readers can learn more about their work.
If you’re interested in donating artwork, you can join the Discord server and @ Bane Janzen or message him over Instagram or Facebook.
Art by Marianne Salazar, Destaro, Kita Janzen, and Bane Janzen.
Historical Accuracy
LOTB is based in the world of Orilon, the same setting as Bane Janzen’s novel Hector Valerious.
In the works of Janzen, historical accuracy is key. He is a career medievalist. His real-world research focusses on medieval political intrigue, and this in-depth understanding inspires a vibe of historical accuracy blended with the excitement and romance of fantasy.
Orilon captures the atmosphere of medieval Europe. It almost feels like the story is from real life. But then the magic people once believed to be real suddenly comes to life in a menagerie of magical mystery and whimsy gilding the edges of a playful and dark reality.
Lords of the Backstairs masterfully follows this theme. From medieval language to historical facts to realistic magic to the interconnectedness of economy, reputation, and warfare, players enter a historical world that feels alive.
Urbarium
The LOTB Online Character Sheet Manager
Bane Janzen’s digital development team is hard at work building a free-to-use online character sheet manager: the Urbarium. Manage your character, fiefs, and NPCs all in one place. You will even be able to download your sheets for offline play!
Want to be notified when LOTB comes out?
Status updates are regularly posted on Discord and semi-frequently on Facebook and Instagram.
To just be notified when the game releases, join the Discord server, answer “no” to all onboarding questions, and make sure the server notification settings are set to “Only @mentions.” You will therefore only be notified when Janzen publishes a major work.
Artists: We are currently looking for artists! If a lot of people donate just a few pieces each, the final result will be a masterpiece of unique talents. If you’re interested in donating artwork, you can join the Orilon Discord server below and message Bane Janzen.