NTRPGcon 2025





This year I will be running a new adventure at NTRPGcon: "Wicked Doings On Yonder Mountain." We will be using Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying system. The rules a quick and easy to learn, and pre-generated characters will be provided. No experience necessary!

Description: There are some strange and dark things going on in the mountains. Your group is determined to root out the wickedness and make things safe again! This game is loosely based on the "Silver John" stories by Manly Wade Wellman and can best be described as "folk horror." Though the game may include some combat, the focus will be more on characters using their wits and creativity to solve mysteries. Fearsome critters the group may encounter are drawn from Appalachian and Ozark folklore, and characters will have access to spells from actual American magic traditions like Pennsylvania Dutch braucherei and hoodoo.

All players will get a goody bag with a free copy of a folk magic zine, some paper minis, and more!

Resources

I have provided some links below in case you are curious about the character "Silver John" or American folk magic traditions. It isn't necessary to read them to play in the game.

Manly Wade Wellman and "Silver John"

"Silver John" or "John the Balladeer" is a character from a series of short stories and books written by Manly Wade Wellman. Armed with his silver-stringed guitar and his copy of the grimoire "The Long Lost Friend," John wanders the Appalachian mountains fighting evil people and creatures from the folklore of the region. Though the best of Wellman's "Silver John" work is in short story form, he wrote several novels featuring the character, as well. The following are available on the Internet Archive to check out (with a free account):

Folk Magic of the Americas

Grimoires

Folklore of the Americas