{"id":699,"date":"2021-05-19T07:49:22","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T11:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/?p=699"},"modified":"2021-12-05T13:55:08","modified_gmt":"2021-12-05T17:55:08","slug":"homebrewing-an-investigative-horror-rpg-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/homebrewing-an-investigative-horror-rpg-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Homebrewing an Investigative Horror RPG, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_744\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/THULE-PANORAMA.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-744\" class=\"size-full wp-image-744\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/THULE-PANORAMA.jpg?resize=625%2C259&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Thule\" width=\"625\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/THULE-PANORAMA.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/THULE-PANORAMA.jpg?resize=300%2C125&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/THULE-PANORAMA.jpg?resize=768%2C319&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/THULE-PANORAMA.jpg?resize=624%2C259&amp;ssl=1 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">original photo credit: Martin Schmieder, Stuttgart<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Aside from the <a href=\"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/homebrewing-an-investigative-horror-rpg-part-1\/\">system<\/a>, for the setting of this investigative horror RPG, I use an alternate Earth history as the basis of past events, peoples, and locations that lead up to a different present. Robert W. Chambers used this technique in his collected short stories,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/8492\/8492-h\/8492-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>The\u00a0King In Yellow<\/i><\/a>, to produce a subtly unsettling effect on the reader. Alternate history also serves as protection for the lazy gamemaster from history buffs.<\/p>\n<p>The alternate pivotal moments of history in this setting include the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Scandinavian explorers successfully settled the northeastern parts of North America in the 10th century.<\/li>\n<li>The Yellowstone Cauldera erupted in the 15th century, plunging the world into a little ice age, delaying further European exploration, expansion, and the so-called &#8220;Enlightenment&#8221; by centuries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>For the location, I focus on a small region with unusual but real world features: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ren\u00e9-Levasseur_Island\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Manicouagan Reservoir and Ren\u00e9-Levasseur Island<\/a>, also known as the Eye of Quebec.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_712\" style=\"width: 910px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_summer.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-712\" class=\"wp-image-712 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_summer.png?resize=625%2C417&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Manicoagan in summer\" width=\"625\" height=\"417\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_summer.png?w=900&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_summer.png?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_summer.png?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_summer.png?resize=624%2C416&amp;ssl=1 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-712\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Manicouagan in summer<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_713\" style=\"width: 910px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_winter.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-713\" class=\"wp-image-713 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_winter.png?resize=625%2C417&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Manicouagan in winter\" width=\"625\" height=\"417\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_winter.png?w=900&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_winter.png?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_winter.png?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/my_3d_terrain_winter.png?resize=624%2C416&amp;ssl=1 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-713\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Manicouagan in winter<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Created by a meteor impact millions of years ago, the location features a ring of upraised mountains surrounding a crater valley, a deep annular lake into which drain several rivers, and an uplifted island roughly 35 miles across. I have taken the liberty of making the lake natural rather than artificial by damming.<\/p>\n<p>From above, the location looks like a round head with beard and multiple sets of horns, evoking Lovecraft&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shub-Niggurath\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/RPG-Icon.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-736 size-medium\" style=\"-webkit-box-shadow: none !important; -moz-box-shadow: none !important; box-shadow: none !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/RPG-Icon.png?resize=294%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"RPG Icon\" width=\"294\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/RPG-Icon.png?resize=294%2C300&amp;ssl=1 294w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/RPG-Icon.png?resize=768%2C783&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/RPG-Icon.png?resize=624%2C636&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/RPG-Icon.png?w=876&amp;ssl=1 876w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 294px) 100vw, 294px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The boreal forests and myths of the aboriginal people surrounding the location are also suitable for such tales as Algernon Blackwood&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/10897\/10897-h\/10897-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Wendigo<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the setting, this unusual location became an inland hub of North American trade and civilization during a period that corresponds roughly with the 1850s in terms of technology and society. The industriousness that was once a virtue among Scandinavians has turned into a vice, as technological innovation begins to outpace wisdom. The region is still ruled by a king and earls who are guided by the church, but there is pressure from academia and revolutionary forces towards secularism and populism\u2014the latter an often overlooked aspect of Lovecraft&#8217;s works:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cDemocracy is a false idol\u2014a mere catchword and illusion of inferior classes, visionaries and dying civilizations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(<span class=\"quoteAuthor\">H.P. Lovecraft, <\/span><span class=\"quoteBook\">Selected Letters I: 1911\u20131924<\/span>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The working title of the setting is &#8220;Thule&#8221;, for its consonance with the name Cthulhu, and its evocation of the poems of both <a href=\"https:\/\/germanstories.vcu.edu\/goethe\/thule_e3.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Goethe<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.poetryfoundation.org\/poems\/48631\/dream-land-56d22a06bce76\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Poe<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aside from the system, for the setting of this investigative horror RPG, I use an alternate Earth history as the basis of past events, peoples, and locations that lead up to a different present. Robert W. Chambers used this technique in his collected short stories,\u00a0The\u00a0King In Yellow, to produce a subtly unsettling effect on the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beyond-thule","category-tabletop-gaming"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=699"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":746,"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699\/revisions\/746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robcouture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}