So I started writing this way back when I did my Kickstarter for The Brimstone Cradle & The Hills That Hunger. It was even a stretch goal! So a long time in the making, but it mostly just sat in a word doc for the intervening time. But I got some feedback from the Dark Marshall and made this thing even better! I’ve give you the mostly spoiler-free story of how this adventure came to be and what the premise is. The Sinister Secret of the Slugmen is the bonus adventure that tags along with Big Trouble For A Little Blood. If you’re interested, go follow the Kickstarter campaign so you get a great deal on it!
So, first and foremost, this adventure owes a bit of inspiration to The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh. The other main inspiration was the space slugs that you can encounter in Death Crawls West, the funnel that’s in the back of the Weird Frontiers rulebook. Those space slugs spoke to me and inspired the heart of this adventure! It probably has something to do with repeatedly playing Resident Evil 4 when I was younger. Also, slugs are just one of those creatures that really gross me out in real life. Drawing from things you love and things you fear is a great way of getting inspiration!
The inciting event of The Sinister Secret of the Slugmen has the PCs get into a fight with some nasty creature in the middle of town. After a quick combat, Sheriff Elvira (should she survive) tasks the PCs with hunting down Leopold Luthers, who caused this mess. Leopold is an former Confederate officer whose supposedly looking for hidden Confederate gold but has turned to bounty hunting for some short term cash. The PCs can get some rumors around town, and meet some potential replacement PCs before heading out into the swampy forest to track down their man.
At this point in the adventure, the PCs must make some tracking rolls. Hopefully they can pick up Leopold’s trail. If not, they have to deal with some random encounters. However, these aren’t just “fight the creature” random encounters. These are ones that ask the players to solve problems. Soon enough, they’ll find some points of interest, and maybe even a friendly NPC, that give them more context to the situation. There’s even a handout that you can find!
The final portion of the adventure is like a micro-dungeon crawl/ boss encounter. Wish I could say more, but you’ll just have to play it to find out! But I will tell you that I took a bit of inspiration from an Indiana Jones movie (don’t worry, one of the good ones). In the end, the players probably don’t get the reward that they were expecting, but they do get something really cool that can lead to fun adventure down the road, or maybe down the river. If my quick description has kept you intrigued, go on over and check out the Kickstarter!
What kinds of adventure reward is your favorite? Gold, magic items, social status or favors, businesses or property? Tell me below!
What Else Is Going On?
Last Stop, Perdition!
An exciting new adventure for the Weird Frontiers RPG, also compatible with the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG.
Chupacabracon
I’m running some games and helping out with the Goodman Games booth. If you’re near San Marcos, Texas then come on down!