Salem

It should be clear that inspiration for the Salem universe is inspired by many different sources, some of which are related, some of which completely out in left field. We try to keep consistent with a number of things, including period realism, original game design, and so on. As Halloween approaches, I'd like to know what your favorite external references are to the world we play in. Whether its a book on colonial archicture or Michael Reeve's The Conqueror Worm (Witchfinder General), HP Lovecraft, or something else, what bits of the real world (actual or inaccurate, realistic or legendary, fiction or non) do you like having referenced in the game and what would you like to see(more of)?

I like the Lovecraft references myself and would like to see a few more of them. Salem seems to be getting a lot less dark recently though, so I don't know if Lovecraft really fits into the scene anymore.

The philosopher's stone and homunculi.

More Lovecraft and more Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts.

DarkNacht wrote:More Lovecraft and more Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts.

I really wish that salem had a much darker and mysterious tone in the darkness. Should be a place of madness.

What an excellent question! I am glad the developers realize a bit more generic material should go into Salem's narrative DNA than simply New England's mythology.

First, I'm sure I don't need to mention Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum, since Marp seems well-read enough to know it. I'm sure Marp is also aware of Murray's The Witch-Cult in Western Europe.

I agree with Mereni (and Dallane, I see) that Salem is becoming less dark in tone than it needs to be and thus requires more Lovecraft. Specifically, I recommend "The Festival" and "The Dunwich Horror," since the humanoid worm creatures would make excellent additions to the darkness. Lovecraft in general would be a good source for darkness creatures, largely because his worldview is so radically different than the standard Christian good/evil binary. The tension in Lovecraft between cosmic mystery and extreme antiquity would work well with the darkness and, I would assume, the archaeology system Carver is hinting at. A number of creatures that seem to have sentience and their own cultures would be a nice accompaniment to the Lumberwoods bestiary. Indeed, quite a few games are playing with Lovecraftian themes lately: Clockwork Empires is managing to strike a nice balance in tone, and I think some of that tone could easily work here.

Aside from Lovecraft, I would recommend Lovecraft's friend Robert E. Howard. Howard is mostly known for Conan, but his other famous creation is the swashbuckling Puritan Solomon Kane. Many of Kane's stories were set in New England (some were in Africa, if I recall, but the tone is likely all you care about) and contain usable elements.

agentlemanloser wrote:Aside from Lovecraft, I would recommend Lovecraft's friend Robert E. Howard. Howard is mostly known for Conan, but his other famous creation is the swashbuckling Puritan Solomon Kane. Many of Kane's stories were set in New England (some were in Africa, if I recall, but the tone is likely all you care about) and contain usable elements.

Oh wow I forgot about Solomon Kane. Awesome stories and a ok-ish movie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Kane

Howard was also part of the lovecraft circle.

agentlemanloser wrote:What an excellent question! I am glad the developers realize a bit more generic material should go into Salem's narrative DNA than simply New England's mythology.

First, I'm sure I don't need to mention Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum, since Marp seems well-read enough to know it. I'm sure Marp is also aware of Murray's The Witch-Cult in Western Europe.

I agree with Mereni (and Dallane, I see) that Salem is becoming less dark in tone than it needs to be and thus requires more Lovecraft. Specifically, I recommend "The Festival" and "The Dunwich Horror," since the humanoid worm creatures would make excellent additions to the darkness. Lovecraft in general would be a good source for darkness creatures, largely because his worldview is so radically different than the standard Christian good/evil binary. The tension in Lovecraft between cosmic mystery and extreme antiquity would work well with the darkness and, I would assume, the archaeology system Carver is hinting at. A number of creatures that seem to have sentience and their own cultures would be a nice accompaniment to the Lumberwoods bestiary. Indeed, quite a few games are playing with Lovecraftian themes lately: Clockwork Empires is managing to strike a nice balance in tone, and I think some of that tone could easily work here.

Aside from Lovecraft, I would recommend Lovecraft's friend Robert E. Howard. Howard is mostly known for Conan, but his other famous creation is the swashbuckling Puritan Solomon Kane. Many of Kane's stories were set in New England (some were in Africa, if I recall, but the tone is likely all you care about) and contain usable elements.

Yeah, a number of them would be pretty cool. Like Fungi from Yuggoth/Mi-Go, and Deep Ones. (They could hang out in the darkness along the coast, or they could be featured in an expedition to Innsmouth/the Innsmouth area.)

We could also have expeditions in general featuring that kind of thing, really, if it seemed like it just wouldn't fit.

Like, the last person/group to survive the Mi-Go "visiting" people's cabins or houses, wins.

Lovecraft. Period.

Thor wrote:Lovecraft. Period.

I don't think so though. Much as I like Lovecraft, I just don't think more than a few small references to it will fit into Salem. Certainly none of the monsters. The dark otherworldliness of Lovecraftian creatures just doesn't mesh well with the comic absurdity of Lumberwoods creatures. Go read Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods and then compare it to At the Mountains of Madness or The Whisperer in Darkness and you'll see what I mean.

And when it comes to scariness, Salem seems to be more about the jump scare and mistrust of your fellow man than it is about the creepy something-is-in-my-closet-and-it-is-looking-at-me horror of the Lovecraft universe. Maybe witchcraft has a chance to swing the balance, but I don't think so. Salem seems fairly firmly based around the manic fear of it's namesake historical place and should probably stay there.