Vaporous Realms at War Overview and Content Guide

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

Aug 28, 2024

(Updated January 2026)

This page is an intro and (at the bottom) an index of Vaporous Realms character profiles for use in tabletop roleplaying (RP) and miniature wargaming. 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 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 the current Vaporous Realms at War, including a quick-start guide to the tactical battle game, as part of our inaugural (and unsuccessful) crowdfunding campaign.

We’ve been developing a second edition of the game 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.

Vaporous Realms at War Release Schedule

2025 2E Quick Rules [paid subscribers]
2025 2E One-Sheet Quick Rules [all subscribers]
Coming January 2026 Updates to character morality (in existing 2E rules and profiles) [paid subscribers]
Coming January 2026 Updates to “Watchers: A Dustsong Snippet” tabletop components [paid subscribers]
Coming January 2026 Remaining 1E character profiles updated to 2E [paid subscribers]
Coming January 2026 Camel Lord profiles [paid subscribers]
February–March 2026 Beta Rulebook [crowdfund backers and paid subscribers] and Camel Lords miniatures [crowdfund backers]
Spring 2026 Len & Kaelii novellas with tabletop components [crowdfund backers and paid subscribers] and character miniatures [crowdfund backers]
Summer 2026 Core Rulebook with Dawn-break War campaign [paid subscribers and crowdfund backers]
Fall 2026 Sceg novellas with tabletop components [crowdfund backers and paid subscribers] and character miniatures [crowdfund backers]
Winter 2027 Egwae novellas with tabletop components [crowdfund backers and paid subscribers] and character miniatures [crowdfund backers]

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

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