H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos have influenced much of my life. So, Happy Birthday to him! He is a prophet to some of the warped apostles who admire his foetid works.
While fantasy and D&D retro-compatible and retro-clone RPGs have enough adventures, campaigns, and settings to go around (although, there's always room for a few more gems), the Cthulhu genre is deplorably lacking! I can't objectively judge whether there's a deficit of quality gaming material according to others. But for myself, I want more opportunities to suss out the Dreaded One and his untenable ilk. Nevertheless, I think it's relatively safe to say that intrepid investigators could do with plumbing fresh eldritch horrors, for a change.
About a year ago, I got the itch to co-author a modern-day Cthulhuoid campaign. A year ago, I wasn't actually gaming, so that particular itch was strange in itself; yet, was no doubt still brimming with inspiration from running the beyond brilliant
Masks of Nyarlathotep years ago. Those nights of MoN kept the dream of gaming alive, even if I'd more or less given up on the hobby. Poppycock to you 4th edition D&D.... poppycock, I say!
Also, I thought co-authoring was preferable because I'm only one man and writing can be a lonely, not to mention, single-perspective pursuit. Additionally, the word "campaign" doesn't seem right. Campaigns are for D&D and the various RPGs that evolved from miniature wargaming. "Chronicle" was born of Vampire: the Masquerade. What about "sequence" when describing a set of thematically linked adventures in the weird horror/scifi milieu? Yes, I like it. "A disturbing sequence of events befell Arkham, Dunwich, and Innsmouth."
Anyways, I soon dropped that idea and picked it up again a few months later...but with a twist. That's where
Liberation of the Demon Slayer began. I wanted to give D&D another shot by way of the Old School Renaissance. It worked, and LotDS blossomed along with my passion for roleplaying. BTW, the old school mega-dungeon should be available early September.
Now that LotDS is almost off my plate (final touches being added as write this), and even though I have dozens of little notes for a follow-up OSR D&D type adventure, I'm still toying with the idea of creating a Mythos-based sequence for those wanting something new but still very much in the Lovecraftian tradition.
I've given up on collaborating with my fellow gamers and HPL aficionados, but not completely... surely as the ichor flows black, hope springs eternal. So, let this be a warning to the world. Venger's wheels are turning! Feel free to throw ideas at me like they were shoggoths... some just might stick.
By His loathsome tentacles,
VS
p.s. Someday, I'll get around to writing that Lovecraftian novel, too. Someday...
