Friday, January 20, 2017

The Battle to Control America Begins…NOW!

Everything you’ve heard is true.

Witches practiced black masses in the woods around Salem. Frozen alien bodies are stored in clandestine government installations. Washington D.C. was designed by geomancers to harness ley lines. The shot that killed President Kennedy was a magic bullet. Phantom hitchhikers travel the country’s highways, bound for a location no living soul should ever see. A secret war is being waged for the soul of the country. And without you even knowing it, you’re caught in the crossfire.

I am extremely proud and excited to announce the newest third party publisher contribution to Goodman Games’ Dungeon Crawl Classics RPGSecret Antiquities! Secret Antiquities is a new series of game supplements for DCC RPG. Part journal, part zine, Secret Antiquities documents Esoteric America, a weirdly historical campaign setting inspired by real American history, folklore, and urban legends as seen through the unique lens of DCC RPG. Fans of The Chained Coffin undoubtedly know I believe America is as strange a place as Nehwon, Middle Earth, or Hyperboria, and makes an exciting and extraordinary setting for adventure.

Each issue of Secret Antiquities will examine a different aspect of Esoteric America, translating myth, history, and folklore into DCC RPG terms, allowing judges and players to either set their own campaigns in this weird American landscape or to import new and exciting game material into their own DCC RPG campaign.

Secret Antiquities chronicles the occult secrets of Esoteric America and the clandestine war being waged by the forces of light and darkness for the very soul of the county and its people. Will you stand with the Uncle Sam and preserve the American Dream or will you side with his dark reflection, the Anti-Sam and work to corrupt the country into the American Nightmare? The choice is yours! Along the way you’ll encounter hoodoo priests, Thomas Edison’s forgotten inventions, the true story of the Roanoke Colony, chupacabras, frozen aliens, Men in Black sorcerers, and even stranger things (but not Stranger Things—until we get the license anyway).

The premiere issue of Secret Antiquities explores some of the patrons of Esoteric America, larger-than-life entities granted immense power by the forces of belief and veneration. These American patrons include such characters as Uncle Sam,the patron of the United States; The Anti-Sam, the patron of the American Nightmare; The Dead Rock Star, patron of fame and excess; and Stagger Lee, the patron of badasses

This inaugural issue contains seven patrons: five of which are fully described including invoke patron tables, spellburn, patron taint, and new spells, and two abridged patron descriptions with only the invoke patron tables. Although designed for Esoteric America, guidelines are given for each allowing them to be easily used in more traditional DCC RPG campaigns.

Secret Antiquities #1 is now available in both printed and PDF format via Lulu. The weird landscape of Esoteric America is calling. Are you brave enough to venture across this magnificently strange county? The choice is yours...