One Night at the Shelterwood Inn by Unenthuser, Goblin Archives, Haunted Table Games (itch.io)
Not that long ago Josh Domanski, Brad Kerr, Matthew Morris, Ahimsa Kerr and I met up to play some games together (as PNW designers). Sitting in the back of Guardian Games, Josh ran for us an adventure set at a roadside inn where bad things are happening, and no one is who they seem.
Cut to a few weeks later, Caleb Huett & Sean Ireland of Haunted Table Games reached out to Josh & I to see if we would be interested in collaborating on a crossover adventure in the leadup to their kickstarter for Triangle Agency. Using the adventure Josh had ran as the foundation, we were able to create something truly special.
The adventure was designed to act as a foil for each system. Each set of PCs are the NPCs in the opposite system. This creates a dynamic setup that offers two very different approaches to the same adventure.
LIMINAL HORROR
The setup is simple. The PCs are on a trip together heading to Coldwater Lake (the town in The BLOOM) when a crash forces them to walk through a storm to the Inn (as they’re hounded by something stalking within the night).
When they arrive at the hotel, things are not as they seem. Something is off with the people at the inn and something is wrong out in the dark.
The NPCs are undercover agents trying to cover up what is growing below the inn.
In true LIMINAL HORROR fashion, players are forced to choose whether they want to survive, save, solve, or stay whole. It is a game about normal people in very abnormal situations, and how they are forever changed by the experience.
Keep your eye out for LIMINAL HORROR pre-gens using the NPCs from the Triangle Agency side.
TRIANGLE AGENCY
The setup is a direct foil of the LIMINAL HORROR framing. Playing as paranormal agents of The TRIANGLE AGENCY, players are sent to contain the Anomaly growing below the inn. In essence they are playing the NPCs from the LIMINAL HORROR portion, undercover agents trying to contain both civilians and the paranormal events below.
For an extra layer of fun the NPCs (the unwitting investigators) use my favorite LH party framework…journalists. Taking direct inspiration from Scooby Doo, these LIMINAL HORROR characters (that may become cannon…) run a small investigative show called This Mysterious Life. This setup creates a major problem for the Triangle Agents as it means the NPCs will be actively trying to figure out the strange that has befallen Shelterwood Inn
TTRPG Design as Collaboration
I find that TTRPG writing as a collaborative process is so rewarding. Getting to work with Sean, Caleb, and Josh on this project was a blast. Bouncing concepts, iterating and riffing on ideas, and pushing each other helped make a fantastic one-shot with a unique system crossover.
PREGENS
As a fun bonus I decided to make some LIMINAL HORROR pregens using the NPCs from the Triangle Agency side of things. I even took the text from the adventure and restructured it to fit the party framing.
Links
One Night at the Shelterwood Inn by Unenthuser, Goblin Archives, Haunted Table Games (itch.io)
Triangle Agency, Paranormal Investigation TTRPG KICKSTARTER
The Bloom (final manuscript is approaching release)
Print Releases
LIMINAL HORROR core zine in print
The Mall in print
The Bureau in print
The Fear Bundle 11 modern horror ttrpgs (many of them LIMINAL HORROR) in print
TRAPPED IN AN ENDLESS I-KRÄLA in print
The Devil Game in print
Tunnels in White in print
Deluxe Edition
Not long ago I was able to get a draft framework for the LIMINAL HORROR Deluxe Edition we are writing (me, Josh Domanski, editing by Jarrett Crader, Art throughout by Zach Hazard). It is going to be something truly special. I have a feeling my next substack may be giving a sneak peek at the framework…