Andrew Gronosky
Founder, Shewstone Publishing LLC
Our adventure frames focus on roleplaying and problem-solving. There are stories of mystery, intrigue, Gothic horror, and even a few comedies. While sword-swinging and spell-slinging are often an option, the emphasis is on improvisational storytelling more than combat.
Launching in October - follow us nowto support a strong launch!
What is an adventure frame?
An adventure frame is a solid adventure plot with enough clues and detail to let a game master improvise and make the adventure their own. It's design to hold together through all the twists and turns players will introduce, without over-planning details. This makes them 1-2 pages long and enables us to fit 101 of them in a single book!
A treasury of inspiration! Many experienced game masters don't run published adventures exactly as written, so we've boiled adventure plots down to what matters most.
Example Adventure Frame: What Foreign Magics
by Mark Lawford
Investigate an Italian wizard and his mechanical man recently arrived in London.
Genre: Intrigue
Play time: Medium (3-4 hours)
Keywords: Foreign magic, mechanical man, investigation
Hook: The noted natural philosopher Luca Guccio has arrived in London from Florence, bringing with him a marvel of continental magics - a mechanical man called “Casino”. Casino takes the form of an articulated and well-dressed torso, arms, and carved wooden head upon a wooden base filled with cogs and other mechanisms. Keen to show this wonder to Her Majesty, he displays the mechanical man to London’s wealthy, where it proves adept at the board game of Fox & Geese. If the wizards are not themselves intrigued, then a contact asks them to observe the device and, if possible, obtain drawings of its workings.
Line: The wizards must angle for an invitation to a display of Casino’s abilities, trying to work their way into the London philosophical elite. Meanwhile, Luca Guccio’s companions hold clandestine meetings with influential men, and someone reports seeing a set of mechanical legs in a crate that fit Casino, legs that are never used in public displays.
Sinker: The wizards discover that winning at Fox & Geese is the least of Casino’s gifts; the cogs and belts are for visual impact only and the mechanical man is truly powered by a spirit bound to the device and that spirit is a skilled swordsman. What’s more, Luca Guccio has perfected the construction of the artificial body and the binding of a spirit and his handlers are ready to share his art for the right price - with the possibility of constructing a seemingly immortal army under the control of the highest bidder.
Preparation Notes: Stat blocks for Luca and Casino, a display of Casino’s abilities and a way for the player characters to gain an invitation. And clues suggesting that Luca’s entourage could be followed in order to uncover more about Casino’s workings.
There's another complete adventure frame on our Kickstarter preview page!
