Gygax 75 Challenge: Week 1

Following along with Dragons Never Forget and the Gygax 75 Workzine I decided to do my own take on the challenge.

If you don’t have the time or desire to check out the links, the Gygax 75 Challenge is look at an article Gary Gygax wrote detailing a method of developing a campaign setting for D&D in 5 weeks.

Week 1 is a collection of bullet points serving as the setting’s pitch, and a list of a few inspirations.

Pitches

• A world recovering from an apocalyptic flood, people have just began to start exploring the changed world around them, abandoned by the Old Gods who watched over them.
• The land is covered by the ruins of an ancient civilization, one in which the Old Gods walked the Earth, coupling with humans, producing monsters as offspring.
• Many have begun looking for answers below these ruins, discovering revelations and insights that show them the true nature of reality, and how to reshape it.
• Others believe monsters carry aspects of their divine lineage, and study, fashion artifacts from their horns and teeth, or even consume their flesh and blood in attempt to become closer to the Divine.
• Technology is roughly late bronze or early iron age, although with the typical D&D anachronistic view of technology – its more for tone than actual restrictions. Also horrific bio-technology built out of monster parts.
• Only human player-characters to start, and no Clerics. I am debating on either having only Fighters & Magic-Users, or allow everyone to cast magic based on utilizing monster parts in ritualistic blood magic or horrific Cronenberg-esque “gadgets”, or through grim insights that allow casters to rewrite reality, but threaten to tear their essence from their body.

Inspirations

• The Book of Enoch, and associated texts – pretty much the setup for the setting, in inspiration only, not a literal take on the texts
• Monstress – visually, monster inspiration, and the war between the Arcanics and the Cumaea
• The Dictionary of Mu – an amazing pulpy sword & sorcery setting that has a tone similar to what I want, as well as being a great example of using Biblical influences
• Bloodborne – storytelling, Insight, the Healing Church, Pthumeria
• Hollow Knight – storytelling style, tone, environmental inspiration, and especially the Radiance
• Various “Near East” (I need to find a better, less Eurocentric term) and Mediterranean mythologies – a constant source of joy and inspiration for me
• David Cronenberg – body horror + unnerving take on technology

Mood Board (work in progress)

I don’t really know how to use Pinterest so the sections/dates etc. may be weird. I also realize I grab a ton of material. I should probably start sifting through to get a more consistent aesthetic.