So something really off the wall. We have a new girl in our gaming group who is from a more 'roleplay' experience in D&D versus my group's tendency for a 'hack/slash' preference - not my preference, but I've learned to live with it. One of our other newer players, the new girl's best friend suggested I write a more roleplay heavy adventure, and try it out with our 3 newest gamers, rather than the older players which might be less comfortable trying that.

Anyway, I came up with the idea of trying to create a 16th - 17th century motif, Gothic Horror Romance adventure. Something like a cross between Jane Eyre and The Fall of House Usher. I have an aristocratic family, father and daughter, going on holiday to the West Country along with some highborn friends. They are going to the coastal moors which is largely uninhabited wilderness. The daughter and her friends will be consorting with the local gentry, a handsome common born hunter-ranger who will guide them on a fox hunt. However, a local smuggling gang is bringing intrigue to the area. The manor that the aristocratic family is visiting is haunted, the moors feature a pack of ghostly moor hounds that operate like Banshee - howling before the death some one who hears them, I am including a false werewolf, a murderer with a cursed ring combined with being a ravaging barbarian. I intend for one of the potential lovers of one of the PC girls to be murdered and become a ghost who maintains contact with the girl he loves to aid her in the troubles ahead. Anyway lots of ideas.

I approached Steve Russell of Rite Publishing with the above idea made into a patronage project for a standalone publication. He suggested I find a woman to author the work, to best market it as a patronage project. So I contacted Christina Stiles, who is currently writing Journeys to the West, an Open Design Project that recently hit it's budget as a Kickstarter project. Christina's first published adventure was Jigsaw, for Dungeon #61, a Masque of the Red Death (Ravenloft modern) adventure. She said her interest is piqued - I think I've sold her on the idea.

Meanwhile I updated this news to Steve and got him excited. Next we are looking at two choices for lead artist. One is Eric Quigley and the other is Emma Lazauski - though I like both, though I'm thinking Emma's work is a bit too 'happy' for a dark adventure. Still I like her style.

Anyway, looks like this will become a patronage project, something that would be pubished by summer time.

Thoughts?

GP