Children of the Elder Sign

Play a Cthulhu mythos demigod in your choice of best-selling RPGs.

What is Children of the Elder Sign?

Mythology worldwide is full of mortal sons and daughters of goddesses and gods: Achilles, Hercules, Hippolyta, Imhotep, Kintarou, Mayari, Pasiphae, Perseus, and Theseus, just to name a few. 

Meanwhile, the Cthulhu mythos has only poor Wilbur Whately, and whatever that monstrous twin of his was, inhabiting the family barn. But what if other Lovecraftian deities had half-human children of their own? 

In the Children of the Elder Sign setting, you play one of those half-deific creatures, who are passing themselves off as human, just trying to survive. 

Mythos cultists of every stripe search for you, whether for worship or for sacrifice, for the monstrous powers in your blood. Mythos investigators will slay you on sight, just as they did poor Wilbur. Even other Lovecraftian deities may view you as a threat to their power. And common folk panic at the merest glimpse of your otherworldly nature. 

And so you travel, always on the move, never sure of your safety, and often tempted to use your deific abilities. 

The Children of the Elder Sign setting is an odyssey of half-human heroes, however monstrous and villainous the rest of the world might think them.

Four different RPG systems?

I’m retired, self-publishing as a hobby, with four best-selling role-playing games, each with its own fans.

• The D13 RPG is a 128-page bucket-list project 20 years in the making, and was Kickstarted in 2019. You can learn more about its deadly horror nature at d13rpg.com. For this "Children of the Elder Sign" Kickstarter, I'll be writing a new, stand-alone edition of those rules, tuned specifically to the Lovecraftian theme.
• The D6xD6 RPG was an experiment to make a game with just one Attribute. Kickstarted in 2014, its 20 pages of core rules support an ever-expanding catalog of 6-page settings, with more than two dozen representing novels by authors I love. Its system also powers four other RPGs, including the D6xD6 Dungeons game. You can read the first-edition rules and a half dozen settings at d6xd6.com. For this "Children of the Elder Sign" Kickstarter, I'll produce a new 6-page setting chapter to supplement the second-edition rules published in January of 2025. (With sufficient funding, I may produce a standalone D6xD6 Children of the Elder Sign RPG.)
• The Bookmark No HP RPG (BNHP) is literally a complete role-playing game on a bookmark, with 12 "sourcebookmarks" so far available as supplements. Like the D6xD6 RPG, it also powers several games by other authors. For this "Children of the Elder Sign" Kickstarter, I'll produce a sourcebookmark of Lovecraftian demigods. 
• The d4ce rpg is a complete role-playing game in a pamphlet, inspired by Black Oak Workshop's genius “mini fig” d4’s. It is designed to give d4's the love they deserve, with other polyhedrals representing increasing difficulty, and d20's as the worst. For this "Children of the Elder Sign" Kickstarter, I'll produce a standalone pamphlet RPG devoted to these Cthulhu Mythos demigods. 

Recently I published a bundle of D6xD6, BNHP, and d4ce treatments for Lord Dunsany’s classic novel The King of Elfland’s Daughter, and the fan response was enthusiastic. I'm excited to be tackling "Children of the Elder Sign" in the same bundled way, this time including a D13 version.  

What are the target dates?

• First up is the D6xD6 "Children of the Elder Sign" setting chapter PDF in February 2026.
• Second is the d4ce Children of the Elder Sign rpg PDF in May 2026. 
• Third is the Bookmark No HP RPG "Children of the Elder Sign" Sourcebookmark PDF in July 2026.
• Last is the D13 Children of the Elder Sign RPG PDF in October 2026, in time for Halloween. 

What about print?

Eventually D13 and D6xD6 RPGs versions of "Children of the Elder Sign" will be available in print on Lulu and DriveThruRPG. As will a trading card of its BNHP sourcebookmark on DriveThruRPG. With suffient funding, this Kickstarter project may also support a printed bookmark add-on for that system. 

As these print products become available, you'll receive messages via Kickstarter with backers-only discount codes. Watch for updates as this Kickstarter progresses. 

Who am I? 

I'm a multiple Origins award winning game designer with 40 years of publishing history and a reputation for solid, innovative game mechanics. 

Best known for the Dark Conspiracy RPG, the Dragon Dice game, Mechwarrior 2nd Ed., the Planes of Chaos boxed set, and the dice system for the Sovereign Stone and Serenity RPGs, I've worked on staff at GDW and TSR, freelanced for many other game publishers, and collaborated with legendary figures including Gary Gygax. 

You can learn more about me at LesterSmith.com, where you'll also find links to "Lester Smith Games" on DriveThruRPG, DriveThruCards, and the worldwide Lulu publishing site.