Weird Tales Shadowdark Jam

Key Submission Guideline

• Weird Tales: You must visit weirdtalesgamejam.com to receive your randomly selected Wierd Tales cover assignments.

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I was motivated to not use the following elements from each cover.

1. The Thief of Forthe: Ah, the good old days when a man could abduct a woman by candlelight, and it was considered a romantic adventure.

2. A Witch Shall Be Born: Move over, workplace harassment seminars! This cover takes the cake for inappropriate HR violations.The power dynamics here are as subtle as a brick to the face, making this a perfect example of what not to put on your LinkedIn profile.

3. The Lamia in the Penthouse: Welcome to the world’s worst Airbnb listing! This cover features a woman who looks like she just came from a Marilyn Manson concert, surrounded by the demonic Yelp reviews of her previous guests.

I did however lean into the Thief of Forthe story depicted on the one cover and used information from the other two covers as locations or NPC etc in this adventure.

"The Thief of Forthe" is a 1937 fantasy short story by Clifford Ball, set in the dangerous city of Forthe. It follows Rald, a thief hired to steal the Eye of Tharamur gem from the Tower of Mung. As Rald navigates supernatural threats and deadly traps, he soon uncovers the gem’s dark secrets. Spoiler: things quickly go downhill for both Rald and Forthe. This isn’t your typical "hero saves the day" tale.

As for the cover, it was the least cringey of the three options, though it still raises some questions. Seriously what is that wizard doing? I decided to revisit Forthe in my Shadowdark adventure. Years later, I imagine the city is as welcoming as a shadowy crypt. My mission? To shine a flickering torch into the chaos surrounding the Tharamur gem.

WORDS: DAN FREDERICK

I UTILIZED CANVA AND DALL E TO DESIGN THE COVER, INTERIOR ART AND GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT.

Shadows over Forthe is an independent product by Dan Frederick & Gritdark LLC, published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG (c) 2023 The arcane Library, LLC.

This adventure (restricted to 8 pages) is set as FREE - please feel free to snag a copy for FREE and have fun gaming!

If you enjoyed this feel free to check out my other Shadowdark material: The Frost Bound. Also PWYW/FREE. It's 24 pages of some cool adventures.