theshelter

THE SHELTER is a publishing house specialized in narrative and roleplaying games.

We pursue our own identity, paying attention to details in editing, and prioritizing the human side of the publishing business. We are interested in works where the imprint of their authors is key, reflecting their creative freedom and unique imagination. We advocate for small formats, minimalist creations — influenced by our fanzine and artisanal heritage in editing — without neglecting larger formats with more substantial proposals.

We are joining Itch as a publisher because we believe it is the virtual space that is contributing the most to indie RPG creation and community.

This publishing project has been cooking in our minds for a long time, probably haunting us ever since we read one of the works that has shaped our understanding of the fantasy genre: Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock. The journals of Steven and Christian Huxley's father were our gateway to fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Now, The Shelter is our Oak Lodge— the home of the Huxley brothers, built on the edges of the mysterious Ryhope forest — transformed into a space for creation and leisure.

We have found the path to the heart of the forest.

WE SHALL MEET AT THE SHELTER.

Perhaps Oak Lodge was so remote from the normal stream of human existence, and the landscape around Ryhope so far from the technologically advanced civilization at whose heart it lay, that I had been thinking only in primitive terms: walking, running, exploring from the ground.

—Mythago Wood - Robert Holdstock—