If you’ve been hankering for a new Weird Frontiers funnel, then you need to check out Massacre Grounds! It’s currently crowdfunding and needs a little extra love so that it can make it! I met the author at NTRPGCon and we were able to chat a bit. I could tell he was real proud of what he’d created and that he was super eager to share it with the world. But I’m sure that you want to know a little more about the adventure, the new PC class, and the good sized bestiary so keep on reading to find out more!

So Massacre Grounds primarily features a new funnel adventure. What's the premise for the adventure? 

The premise of the adventure starts with a group making the journey from Phoenix (on foot) to Fort Righteous, in the Arizona Desert. They are responding to an ad in the local paper advertising jobs and possible land opportunities. The PCs quickly learn that the desert is a dangerous place. Fort Righteous introduces the group to the Paths system (see the Weird Frontiers core book) and a whole community that follows the Righteous path. After the fort, the group is further introduced to the dangers of the Arizona Desert, as well as some of its beauty and wonder. The characters are given a chance to tame a wild part of Arizona history a mustang.

As the story develops, they are introduced to many new personalities. The group will investigate the murder of two local miners and be exposed to the supernatural. The investigation will lead the group to the first run-in with the evil band called the Coyoteros, and the ensuing battle will lead the characters to their first interaction with the Yavapai Apaches and the new chapáya rider class. After interacting with the Apache warriors, the group will have an option for further interactions with the supernatural or to head to the Colossus Outpost. Once they arrive at the outpost, the characters are introduced to a local mining operation and several new personalities. The group is asked to join the Arizona Volunteers to fight against evil forces that are threatening the area. The story climaxes on their first mission and introduces the group to a new villain—a hermit who has been consumed by evil and controls the dead. The characters will have to confront and battle Roscoe the Recluse.

You mention a lot about growing up in Arizona and the history there. Was there a tall tale or piece of wild west history that was was especially formative to you or to this adventure?

Every area in this adventure is based on a real place in Arizona. Fort Righteous is actual based on Fort Utah and the settlement that originally founded the City of Mesa, where I live and worked as a police officer. The Mormon settlers that built the fort also formed friendships with the Pima and Maricopa Native American communities that were already living in the area. They all banded together to keep from being attacked.

The Arizona mustang herd is still alive and present living by the Salt River. We moved to Arizona when I was young and one of the first things my family did was buy horse. We grew up riding all over Arizona. I wanted the players to experience this, so the PCs get an opportunity to tame and befriend a mustang. This is great fun, but if you don’t make your rolls, it can be quite dangerous just like it is in real life.

Mining is a big part of Arizona history. Ghost stories and tales of lost gold were the tall tails that were told around campfires growing up. A big part of my childhood was spent camping and exploring Arizona on horseback. A big part of my life I was surrounded by western characters and cowboys. I call them my friends and the book is dedicated to them. There are a lot of NPCs in the book. Some of them are based directly on men and women I knew growing up. 

There are two mines mentioned in this first book. If you look close there is actually three, but players will not know much about the third till the follow up adventure. The first the Red Bell. Is a murder investigation. A good portion of my life was spent as a police officer and I wanted to pay homage to that. It also introduces the PCs to an on going to antagonist, the Coyoteros. I hope in future adventures to develop this true western style conflict. Not every evil thing in Massacre Grounds is going to supernatural. I want the PCs to get a true good guy vs bad guy feel. Don’t worry there is some weird west mixed in here also.

After the investigation the PCs are attacked and overwhelmed by the Coyoteros, but just like in any cool western, the characters are saved (at least some of them are) by the cavalry. This is the weird west, so the PCs are saved by the Yavapai Apache, Nymita(mountain lion) Riders, a sub class of the chapáya rider class. In Arizona history the Yavapai Apaches were a force to be reckoned with in the Superstiiton Mountains. I just put them riding mountain lions, who are also indigenous to the area. The Yavapai send you on an adventure to the Bloody Cave. This is a real place, but it is referred to as the skeleton cave in local folk lore and history.

The Colossus Outpost is where the PCs get to meet many of the characters from my past. Most of the NPC characters are either close friends that have passed or combined representation of historical characters. If we make our Kickstarter stretch goals, I will tell you about each character.

PCs are sent to the Massacre Grounds which is a real place. The history and folk lore surrounding it is very disputed. I gave it a Weird Frontiers make over and added an evil hermit necromancer.

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You've also got a new class, the chapáya rider, tell us a bit about it! Does the adventure make choosing that class a natural progress for those that choose to do so?

The class is based on an old school mounted warrior. Everyone in Weird Frontiers has the limited ability to ride a horse, but this is DCC/Weird Frontiers lets take it up a notch. As a mounted warrior you forgo firearms because they bother the animals. In reality most horse have to be very well trained for you to be able to shoot off them. I adapted this to the chapáya rider class, it also allows it to balance the class and not make it too over powered. The chapáya rider has three sub classes. The hatkwíla (wolf) rider, nymíta (mountain lion) rider and mhwáa (bear) rider. These animals all have individual abilities that make them unique. It is also a lot of fun, because if you make your rolls, you can do a lot of damage.

I think you've said this thing is 50 pages long, right? That's a chunky module! What are you hiding that you haven't told us about yet?

The module is designed as real world campaign setting for judges to build onto. I have spent a lot of times developing areas so judges can use it to launch their own campaigns. I also placed several easter eggs into the adventure, that players probably aren’t going to find while trying to rush through a 0-level funnel. Hopefully the easter eggs inspire judges to tell their own stories. The book has a bestiary of Arizona critters. Scorpions, coyotes, rattlesnakes, Javelina and many more. They are all in the book and can be used as random encounters. The rattlesnake cholla is a new featured monster that is developed and has art in the book. I also develop a lot of the NPCs and give the judges pictures, so they can be the focus on further adventures by me, or by them. There are twenty piece of original art. The artists did not disappoint.

Thanks for telling us all about Massacre Grounds! Anything thing I missed that you'd like to share with folks?

The book is ready to go and I cant wait to share it. The VTT assets and the annotated book are also ready(stretch goals). I hope I get to share them. The follow up adventure is written and is being play-tested right now. I want to say thank you to the backers that have already put their faith in me. It is truly an honor. As a first time author I am try very hard to impress you.

Y’all ready for another Weird Frontiers funnel? There’s been a string of crowdfunding for new WF content recently. What do you hope shows up next?

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