13th Cohort Game Studio

Forge Your Path.
Define Your Legacy.

Crafting original tabletop RPG worlds where every decision echoes through history.

Scroll

The Studio

Born From the Campaign Table

13th Cohort Game Studio was founded by lifelong roleplayers who believe that the greatest stories are the ones you live at the table — not just read on a page.

Original Worlds

We build RPG systems and settings from the ground up — no reskins, no retreads. Every rulebook carries a universe forged in fire and ink.

Supplements & Modules

Expand your table with hand-crafted adventures, sourcebooks, and accessories designed to integrate seamlessly into our game systems.

Community First

The 13th Cohort is more than a studio — it's a growing legion of storytellers, warriors, and world-shapers. Your table matters to us.

Core System

The Resolve Engine

Power Driven by Choice

The Resolve Engine wasn't born from a single idea—it was forged through iteration, shaped by over 35 years of tabletop gameplay experience.

Built on the foundational grit of the late-eighties simulationist peak, 13th Cohort is a direct descendant of the era that forged the tactical weight of Rolemaster, the lethal attrition of Warhammer, and the gritty street-level tension of Shadowrun. At the core of this heritage lies the Resolve Engine, a modern evolution of that "blood and steel" DNA where every maneuver carries a price and heroism is a finite resource to be spent, not a status to be assumed. We have stripped away the neon fluff of modern power-fantasy in favor of grounded, functional aesthetics and weighted combat, creating a cinematic platform where the "Dice with Death" are as real as the armor on your back. This is heroic high fantasy reimagined through the lens of grimdark consequence: a system where strategy is paramount, steel has weight, and every victory is etched in the hard-won resolve to survive.

Early designs leaned into complexity. More rules. More modifiers. More systems layered on top of each other. It worked—but it slowed everything down. The story got buried under mechanics.

So the direction changed. Everything was rebuilt around a single goal: make every moment fast, meaningful, and driven by player choice.

A Simpler Core, A Deeper Game

The breakthrough came from radical simplification: two dice, one roll, everything resolved.

A Skill die represents what you've learned. A Stat die represents who you are. Together, they create a system that is fast to run, easy to grasp, and rich in outcomes.

Decisions Over Numbers

Resolve isn't a modifier stacked on top of modifiers. It's a tool to amplify decision-making. Every roll carries a question: How far are you willing to push this?

Power Has a Cost

Resolve lets you push beyond your limits, bend rules at critical moments, and turn near-failure into victory. But it's never free—Resolve is limited, and spending it is always a risk.

Built for Flow

If it slows the story, it doesn't stay. The Resolve Engine moves quickly at the table, keeps players engaged, and turns mechanics into momentum.

Failure Matters

When things go wrong, Resolve becomes even more critical. It can help resist catastrophic outcomes or determine how badly things spiral. Nothing is more valuable than Resolve.

A system that is fast in play, deep in choice, and driven by tension.

Featured Title

Legends of Kemendor

Heroic Dark Fantasy of Kingdoms and Empires

In a world where the echoes of ancient magic still ripple through the dirt, Legends of Kemendor invites you to step beyond the ordinary. This isn't just a quest; it's a living chronicle where your choices carry the weight of empires and your failures are just as legendary as your triumphs.

Long ago, a peace was brokered between the free peoples of the Denaanian Principalities and the mighty Valinarian Empire, following a devastating 30-year conflict. To solidify the truce, the Denaanian Princes gave their most prized possession—the Maul of Chantra, a magical artifact forged by the War God herself and wielded by the legendary Half-Titan Skaan. For over 200 years, this fragile peace has held.

But darkness grows. Something is rotten in the great halls of Valinar. The machinations of the Great Houses are erratic and self-serving. The Cult of Morrigan whispers in the ears of the elite, sowing seeds of war and treachery. The assassination of Arco Callidix, First Prelate of Valinar, marks the beginning of the end. In his place rises Baris Victus— ambitious, cunning, and favored by the Emperor.

House Victus stands on the edge of greatness. The Valinarian Legions prepare for war. Agents of Morrigan roam the Great Plains. And the Maul of Chantra has been stolen—the Valinarians blame the Denaanian Princes. War is coming to the Great Plains.

Whether you're a hardened sellsword or a weaver of the forbidden arts, the gates of Kemendor are open. Will you answer the call?

"The bards are waiting for a legend worth singing. Don't just play the game — become the legend."

Cinematic Storytelling

A system designed to keep the narrative moving without sacrificing tactical depth.

Rich World-Building

Explore a realm of fractured kingdoms, forgotten gods, and the untamed wilds that wait to reclaim them.

True Agency

From deep character customization to world-altering decisions, the story belongs to your party.

In Development — Coming Soon

Featured Title

Wayward Sons

A Gritty Western in a Nation Divided

You will join a band of misfits as you attempt to carve out a name for yourself in the frontier of the wild west.Wayward Sons leans heavily on inspiration from old western movies, modern games like Red Dead Redemption, and miniature games like Deadman's Hand.

Set in an alternate timeline following the end of the American Civil War, Texas is divided into smaller states and territories, the Spanish have reclaimed sections of Mexico and the southern US, and the remnants of the Texan government have formed the Cattleman's Republic. The Cimarron Continental Railroad pushes into western territories, reshaping the frontier. Many flood into the west seeking a new life or trying their luck in the goldfields.

"Welcome to the world of Wayward Sons. We hope you enjoy your time here."

Unfinished War

The Confederate surrender never fully held. In the dust and blood of a fractured nation, the fight for the soul of America wages on.

Alternate Frontier

Explore a West shaped by divided loyalties — where the railroad, the rifle, and the rope write the law in equal measure.

Gritty & Grounded

No heroes. No easy answers. Just hard choices, harder consequences, and the long road between who you were and who you'll become.