I continue to add to this project when inspiration strikes. Every once and a while a particularly interesting idea will grab me and it renews my interest in the whole undertaking. It looks like it could easily balloon in scope, so it might be smart to set out some goals to keep in mind. After all, it’s better to focus on a shorter, well-edited project rather than get overwhelmed and wind up abandoning the entire thing.
Tentative goals (to be adjusted as necessary):
- Complete the town location which will include: a partially keyed map; a description of some important locals and establishments; and a list of encounters.
- Include at least two well-defined factions with understandable goals and schemes.
- Write at least one town outskirts encounter list.
- Complete one “dungeon” or point of interest, including a keyed map and list of encounters.
- Include some simple line art to set the tone and/or help spur readers’ interest in the setting.
- Avoid using the open game license.
The above seems to be fairly reasonable. My opposition to the open game license is nothing more than an attempt to make something that doesn’t rely on its legal framework. Shouldn’t be difficult, right? Can’t decide how many monster stat blocks to include. Obviously any original monsters will have their stats explained. But if I don’t use the open game license, I’d have to come up with stats for standard creatures. Would readers be frustrated if an encounter table entry simply said, “Giant Bees, 1d8” and didn’t include a stat block for them? It might be more important to avoid “standard” encounters anyway.
For the final version, I intend to do the artwork myself. For the time being, however, I have included a little bit of public domain artwork in the draft to keep the theme in mind. It also helps with planning the future layout. Below is one such piece of ostensibly public domain artwork. The original source remains ambiguous. I suspect that it might be from Buck Rogers, in which case the public domain status could be in question.
Some excerpts
Below are some bits and pieces taken from the current draft. Everything is subject to change. If you’d ever want to be a player in this setting, you may wish to avoid reading anything below!
Game Master’s Introduction
Although the adventure is sci-fi in its focus, it can be run with any rules lite system regardless of implied setting. Embrace the weird! Stonedrop and its inhabitants, although familiar with oddities, are still medieval fantasy creatures. Wars are fought mainly with blades and magic rather than unreliable firearms. Horses, mules, as well as more fantastical beasts of burden like the local desert worms are the common means of transport over great distances.
This adventure is intended to be run as a sandbox; in other words, player agency is given priority over all else. The GM will find plenty of hooks and rumors in their respective sections.
The following pages describe one town (Stonedrop), the first level of a dungeon, and various points of interest in the nearby surroundings. There are several factions that inhabit these areas, all of which have their own aims and schemes. The challenges that players might face are frequently dangerous, unless players are encouraged to be clever.
The Valley Under Mesa
Dust, tumbleweed, and cacti. It’s dry here, and water is worth its weight in silver coin. The Valley takes its name for the surrounding mesas that tower hundreds of meters over the Valley. Their sides offer sufficient natural handholds that determined climbers could scale them, even with minimal equipment. Their tops offer an impressive view of the Valley itself and the surrounding area.
What exactly is going on around here?
The Valley is deeply connected to the mysteries of the cosmos. Beings from all across outer space are normally drawn to this spot. Now, this magnet-like pull is even more pronounced than usual during the cosmic alignment of planets and stars that began recently and shows no sign of ending. Most of these beings are unaware that they’re being attracted to this spot. Those that arrive will pursue their typical inclinations. Some examples: the League of Planets Expeditionary Force (also known as “the otherworldly ones in tight pants”) will study the local flora and fauna and perhaps even fall in love; the Aluminions will search for ore and continue to self-replicate ceaselessly; and the Els will take over bodies to satisfy their vanity.
Is the cosmic alignment evidence of some greater threat to the Valley? Or perhaps it’s just a naturally occurring cycle? Who knows! What matters is that there are a bunch of odd beings with different goals all gathered in one area.
Stonedrop Rumors
- Prospector Juniper has seen a flying disk on the outskirts of town. It seems to fly by the same spot every midnight.
- Farmer Loem’s two-headed cow can predict the future. The question is, would that future have happened if the cow didn’t predict it?
- Coral, the innkeeper of the Desert Bee, says that some “otherworldly ones in tight pants” keep coming into her establishment at night and asking her regulars annoying questions (What are the demographics here like? What’s the average life expectancy? What goods are produced here? Who is your leader and how would we arrange a diplomatic engagement — I mean, face-to-face meeting with them?).
⁂
It is probably a good sign that even re-reading the above material fills me with a sense of excitement in the setting. Hopefully more to come soon!