If you couldn’t already tell, my site has a new look! It’s pretty similar to the old one, except that the featured images are a lot easier to change, and the big area on the main page is actually a featured content slider, so when I have more content that I want to feature, the image will change! If there’s one drawback to this layout, it’s that I can’t make my blog a featured page without it trying to show all of my recent posts instead of just one, so the third one will probably be the Sketchbook, once I get that page up and running.
I also have a logo now! I made my fairy dragon logo last month while applying for a graphic design job, and I’m very happy with it. I’ll probably talk a little more about its significance later on, because now I want to get into writing about this new game!
The Mystery of the Haunted Barge by S.L. Vilkman is a supernatural adventure in which players take on the roles of a team of investigators called to check out the strange reports surrounding a mysterious new restaurant on the shores of the Mississippi River. To say more than that would be a spoiler — even to show my character designs gives away a little bit about the true nature of the game — so I’ll say a little more about it under the “read more.” If you read the description on DriveThru RPG and you think it’s something you’d like to play, please don’t let my post spoil the surprise! I’ll try not to give away too much, anyway.
These are the three characters that I designed for The Mystery of the Haunted Barge: from left to right, there’s Dr. Fimnixar, Rebekka, and Daniel. I think my favourite thing about this project was figuring out how the extra thumbs would work, how they would affect how the Doctor holds things. Daniel’s transition was also fun to draw, as was Rebekka’s tangled hair and frantic expression. Having now read the module, it’s not hard to sympathise with Rebekka!
As for the module itself, it’s definitely one that I would like to run, once I overcome that obstacle of actually putting together a gaming group! It is so easily adaptable to any gaming system, and would fit in so well with an established campaign in a modern setting with supernatural/science fiction elements. I would probably choose to run this one as part of a Doctor Who RPG campaign, but it would be equally easy to run it on the Fate Core system or any system that you prefer.
The work that Vilkman put into this module is very apparent, from the multiple blog posts at the start of it to the optional dice rolls for weather (depending on the weather, players can notice different things about the cover’s derelict barge) and the clever use of the d100. If I were to run this game, I would desperately hope that one of my players would roll a 100, just to see how they would deal with it! Several possible endings are suggested for this adventure, and all of them are surprisingly non-violent.
I am now working on a new project for S.L. Vilkman. I can’t write much about that one right now, but I’m already looking forward to sharing it when it’s available!
Vanessa Ellis 