A new Epic Encounters set is available for you to pre-order from the folks at Steamforged Games. Dive into a new 5th Edition-styled Fantasy encounter with the Island Of The Crab Archon that is giving off proper Pirates Of The Caribbean vibes.

Island Of The Crab Archon // Steamforged Games

Inside this boxed set, you'll find everything that you need for playing a 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons encounter with the Crab Folk of The Karninos!

"Crab folk. The Karkinos. Any sailor worth his salt has learned to fear these cut-throat crustaceans. Still, some dismiss them as simple pirates. The briny depths are littered with the corpses of those who learned the truth. The Karkinos strike with the speed of the tides, slipping forth from the water for brutal slaughter, leaving behind a mound of severed heads and a rumour. A rumour of death from the deeps.

Sailors love to swap tales of the high seas by candlelight, telling of narrow escapes from pirates and vicious storms. When all other stories have been told, and the candles have burned low, they speak of the Karkinos in hushed tones. They’re not mere pirates; no white flag can save you from these vicious creatures, humanoid in shape, but with wicked claws and thick, spiny shells. Can you fight these abominations and live to tell the tale?"

The idea is that the elements of this boxed set could be used to play out a standalone one-shot encounter for a D&D group. You could also slot this into an existing campaign with all of the narrative stuff and encounter options decided for you!

Island Of The Crab Archon Miniatures // Steamforged Games

The set features seven unique sculpts and twenty-one detailed miniatures. I do like the Epic Encounters sets as they allow folks who love Dungeons & Dragons to just dive in and play a session or two with a selection of bespoke miniatures.

I'm still of the mind that Epic Encounters (if the cost was spread amongst your D&D group) could be a great way to build up a set of miniatures for your campaigns. You could start off with using them for the encounters within these boxes and then go to the next level, dropping them into future adventures as standard fodder.

What I also like about this set and the Epic Encounters range as a whole, is that they tend to do something a little bit different. Yes, they have done dragons and goblins and the undead but they are also producing sets like this. They are so out there that they should come as a surprise for your friends when you break them out at the tabletop. They won't be able to meta their way around these, second-guessing their weaknesses and such!

Could you be tempted by the Island Of The Crab Archon?