Vaporous Realms at War Overview and Content Guide

Bringing the souls of the Vaporous Realms to life on the tabletop

Aug 28, 2024

(Updated May 2026)

This page is an intro and (at the bottom) an index of Vaporous Realms character profiles for use in our narrative-driven, roleplaying-oriented tabletop wargame. I’ll post one or more new profiles monthly, and I’ll sometimes update older profiles.

What Is the Vaporous Realms at War?

I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, not to fret. For the tabletop enthusiasts out there, each profile offers character details and stats intended for the Vaporous Realms at War Tabletop Tactical Roleplaying Game (VRWTTRPG if I want to be slightly ridiculous, or VRW for short).

This game has matured since its inception (retconned as VRW Alpha 1E) to become more than a mere adaptation of existing rules systems to the Vaporous Realms story-world. I’ve sought to make it flexible, yet simpler to learn and play than the popular RPGs and wargames that have inspired me.

If you’re a fan of a popular strategy battle game based on Tolkien’s fiction, you’ll find VRW character attributes synonymous with, and readily adaptable to, that system. With a little tinkering, you could use many of the combat abilities, too. The general, noncombat-oriented attributes and abilities in VRW may be applicable to any number of tabletop roleplaying games.

(Thank y’all for bearing with my circumspect language as I steer well clear of potential copyright and trademark issues. Rule systems aren’t copyrighted, but many related terms and phrases are.)

I wrote a brief introduction to Vaporous Realms at War, including a quick-start guide to the tactical battle game (in its Alpha 2E iteration) in fall of 2024.

By the winter of 2026, I’d developed a new edition of the game (now called VRW Beta) that better integrates the tactical aspects with the roleplaying aspects—and with the stories in the forthcoming Vaporous Realms novellas. My vision for VRW has solidified into one comprehensive rules system that puts combat front and center, encourages storytelling, and offers several options for structuring narrative-driven campaigns.

Because it seems I like to surprise myself, I’ve also decided to offer VRW in a card-game format, too, as an alternative or complement to the novellas and miniatures.

Lo and behold, you can see in the (occasionally updated) publication calendar below that after a two- to three-year lull, we’re finally releasing new and better stories and miniatures in a 2026, at a regular pace. Huzzah!

Vaporous Realms at War Release Schedule

February 2026 2E Beta Quick Rules (Updated) [paid subscribers]
February 2026 2E Beta Three-Page Quick Rules [all subscribers]
February 2026 Updated tabletop notes for “Watchers: A Dustsong Snippet” [paid subscribers]
February 2026 Updated versions of existing character profiles [paid subscribers]
May 2026 “Watchers” character profiles [paid subscribers]
Coming June 2026 Miscellaneous restyled 30mm miniatures and scenarios [online shop patrons]
Coming June 2026 “Watchers” scenario with Beta rules [crowdfund backers and paid subscribers], card deck, and restyled 30mm “Watchers” miniatures [crowdfund backers and online shop patrons]
Coming June–September 2026 Len+Sceg novella in chapter-length scenarios with tabletop notes [paid subscribers], card deck, and character miniatures [online shop patrons]
Coming October 2026 Len+Sceg complete novella with tabletop notes [crowdfund backers and paid subscribers], card decks, and character miniatures [crowdfund backers]
Coming Fall 2026–Winter 2027 Kaelii novella in chapter-length scenarios with tabletop notes [paid subscribers], card deck, and character miniatures [online shop patrons]
Coming Fall 2026/Winter 2027 Core Rulebook with Dawn-break War campaign [paid subscribers and crowdfund backers], card deck, and character miniatures [crowdfund backers and online shop patrons]
Coming Spring 2027 Kaelii complete novella with tabletop notes [crowdfund backers and paid subscribers], card decks, and character miniatures [crowdfund backers]
Coming Spring–Summer 2027 Egwae novella in chapter-length scenarios with tabletop notes [paid subscribers], card deck, and character miniatures [online shop patrons]
Coming Fall 2027 Egwae complete novella with tabletop notes [crowdfund backers and paid subscribers], card decks, and character miniatures [crowdfund backers]
Coming Fall 2027 / Winter 2028 Len–Sceg–Kaelii–Egwae omnibus novel and adaptation for younger readers [crowdfund backers and paid subscribers] —and let’s face it, probably some fresh character miniatures [crowdfund backers and online shop patrons]

Please note that most Vaporous Realms at War books, cards, and miniatures will also be available at our in-person events as well as (at some point after each crowdfund campaign) from our online shops.

Thanks, y’all, for your ongoing support for the Vaporous Realms!