{"id":1034,"date":"2026-04-06T20:01:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banejanzen.ca\/?page_id=1034"},"modified":"2026-06-11T13:14:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T19:14:50","slug":"lords-of-the-backstairs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/banejanzen.ca\/?page_id=1034","title":{"rendered":"Lords of the Backstairs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Lords of the Backstairs is the political intrigue fantasy tabletop roleplaying game where you are a noble in control of a small estate from which you rise through the medieval hierarchy. Conspire<\/strong> against your rivals, survive political assassinations<\/strong>, command kingdom-felling battles<\/strong>, and become the ultimate lord of the backstairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a little ambition, you can conquer more lands, earn higher titles, outsmart your rivals, dominate commerce, build the greatest castle, and become both the ruin and rescue of the realm. You may even be deemed worthy of meeting His Majesty Himself. But take heed! Law is mere guideline. In this world, the ruthless prevail and the soft-hearted suffer. I need not tell you which to be…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Easy to Learn<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You only need to read 50 page<\/strong>s. That’s it! While you need to read 300+ pages to play other TTRPGs, in Lords of the Backstairs, you are forbidden from reading more than the first few chapters!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game reveals itself as you play. By doing certain things, you unlock more pages of the book: trigger events, recieve letters, upgrade your character. All the while, more lore is revealed, letting you uncover the dark secret behind the book’s true purpose… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not Just a Map-Painter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 game. In Lords of the Backstairs, gameplay is split into three carefully interwoven activities: intrigue, governance, and war<\/strong>. Roleplay affects how many estates 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 in roleplay. Intrigue, governance, and war cannot be separated from each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elements of exploration, lore, battlefield strategy, city building, character creation, and turn-based combat<\/strong> are incorporated simply and playfully in a game where roleplaying<\/strong> ties it all together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lead Your Army<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

LOTB features an in-depth army combat system<\/strong> 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 hundreds soldiers 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 shenannigans paramount to achieving victory and defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The battlefield is the focus of combat. No need to constantly refer to each troop’s stat block. High ground, encirclement, and army formations<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crowd-Sourced Artwork<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rather than having one artist produce 100 pieces, Lords of the Backstairs will have many artists donate just a few pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 is invited to bring in their own art style. The book will be as much an art showcase as it will be a tabletop roleplaying game. All contributers will recieve full credit and links to their portfolios so interested readers can learn more about their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re interested in donating artwork, you can join the Orilon Discord server below and @ Bane Janzen. Alternatively, you can message him over Instagram or Facebook (links at the bottom of the page).<\/p>\n\n\n

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Historical Accuracy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

LOTB is based in the world of Orilon<\/strong>, the same setting as Bane Janzen’s novel Hector Valerious<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the works of Janzen, historical accuracy is key<\/strong>. He is a career medievalist. His real-world research focusses on medieval political intrigue<\/strong>, and this in-depth understanding inspires a vibe of historical accuracy blended with the excitement and romance of fantasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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! A menagerie of magical mystery and whimsy gilding the edges of a playful and dark reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lords of the Backstairs masterfully follows this theme. Intrigue, governance, and warfare represent reality so strongly that tedium becomes the best part. For example, other strategy games either ignore logistics or make it a nessecary hurtle the player must overcome. In Lords of the Backstairs, logistics is a core part of the fun. Rather than collecting taxes from your subjects, you collect Food Rent. You can either sell the food for money, bargain it in trade negotiations, or stockpile it to feed your troops. How much food your estates produce directly impacts how many troops you can feed. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Urbarium<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The LOTB Online Character Sheet Manager<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bane Janzen’s digital development team is hard at work building a free-to-use online character sheet manager: The Urbarium<\/strong>. Manage your character, fiefs, and NPCs all in one place. You will even be able to download your sheets for offline play!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Urbarium is set to launch with the publishing of the LOTB Core Rulebook by Q4 of 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Political map of the world of Orilon c. 1370 AO<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What You Can Expect<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is a TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying game) inspired by Dungeons & Dragons<\/em>, Pathfinder<\/em>, Warhammer<\/em>, Triangle Agency<\/em>, Cypher System<\/em>, Dungeon Crawl Classics<\/em>, and Paranoia<\/em>. The Lords of the Backstairs <\/em>Core Rulebook will be published in-paper and online. To play, you only need the book, paper, a set of polyhedral dice, and 3-6 players!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current Status<\/strong> (as of June 2026)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Core Rulebook:<\/strong> The Lords of the Backstairs Core Rulebook is split into five parts: Part 1: Player’s Guide, Part 2: War, Part 3: Backstairs Content, Part 4: Game Master’s Guide, and Part 5: Appendix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parts 1 and 2 have been completed and Parts 3 and 5 are in progress. Playtesting is ongoing with a group of around 10 beta testers. Once the mechanics for all parts have been completed, Janzen will re-write the entire book in the voice of the in-game author. The goal is to make the rulebook as fun to read as it is to play the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the current pace, the Core Rulebook could be published as early as Q4 of 2026. A starters’ adventure modure will also be launched around the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urbarium: <\/strong>The goal is to launch the Urbarium along with the Core Rulebook’s publication. However, the development team comprises only volunteer university students, so the timeline could change as things progress.<\/p>\n\n\n

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How Can I Get Involved?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Development updates are frequently posted on the Orilon Discord server (link below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artists: <\/strong>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 @ Bane Janzen. Alternatively, you can message him over Instagram or Facebook (links at the bottom of the page).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playtesters: <\/strong>Playtesting is ongoing. If you live in the Edmonton area, you can join one of Bane’s games hosted in-person. Online playtesting is also ongoing. Message Bane on Discord to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are interested in hosting your own game, you can message Bane on Discord to get the latest version of the Core Rulebook and access to the private playtester channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n