Hello everyone! Today let's discuss DCC #34: Cage of Delirium, by Wes Schneider, with soundtrack by Midnight Syndicate, featuring this amazing cover by Erol Otus!

But first, for those who missed it, make sure you check out this interview with Stu Horvath that recently appeared on our YouTube channel!

 

Now, on to today's update. Let's talk about DCC #34: The Cage of Delirium, written by a man who is now one of the principal designers of D&D at Wizards of the Coast.

"The cream rises to the top,” as the old saying goes, and over the years we’ve found that the writers we appreciate enough to hire are often appreciated by other publishers, as well. One such writer is F. Wesley Schneider. His current title is Principal Designer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.

Many years ago, Wes was a freelance writer looking for work who stopped by the Goodman Games booth at Gen Con. His presentation at that meeting is, to this day, one of the most impressive job interviews ever. That led to several assignments, including DCC #34: The Cage of Delirium, an adventure originally manufactured with a CD packaged into the inside back cover. Wes was kind enough to jot down some notes on this important adventure.

 

Dungeon Crawl Classics #34: Cage of Delirium shouldn’t exist. A nonlinear horror adventure integrating the gothic music album Gates of Delirium by Midnight Syndicate, the project was plainly too different from the other offerings in the DDC line, too niche, and too complicated to produce. To this day, I’m still surprised Joe Goodman was game.

A lifelong fan of horror roleplaying, I frequently use music to help build an ominous atmosphere during my games. This made the work of Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka’s Midnight Syndicate familiar compliments to my long-running Ravenloft campaign. I purchased Midnight Syndicate’s Gates of Delirium during Gen Con in 2001 and remember taking notes while listening to it in my hotel, already imagining how to string the tracks together into a full adventure. I’d go on to elaborate on that plot in the coming months, imagining in detail how I’d run an elaborate, gothic novel of an adventure for my group. And like so many passion projects, it went nowhere—just a creative flight of fancy playing out only on notebook pages.

Years passed and I found myself working on Dragon magazine while freelancing on various projects, such as Goodman Games’ Dungeon Crawl Classic line. After I’d completed work on Dungeon Crawl Classics #12: The Blackguards Revenge, Joe asked if I had anything in mind for something next.

I can’t believe Joe was game for a 64-page gothic horror adventure ignorantly paralleling Poe’s “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether.” I never expected Ed and Gavin would be amenable to a hack-and-slash tale rooted in the world of their Gates of Delirium album. I can’t imagine the price and logistical pain of bundling a CD and an adventure together to ensure players got a very particular, atmospheric ghost story. And certainly no one foresaw the whole thing getting nominated for Best Adventure at the 2007 ENnies.

I’ve spent my life making games and that work regularly reaffirms that it’s a wonder that absolutely anything ever gets created. The odds are stacked against every creative venture, and the best plans can slam into a wall for infinite, unforeseeable reasons. But the first barrier should never be telling yourself an idea is too wild to pursue. Be audacious. If you’re lucky, you’ll find parters like Joe Goodman, Edward Douglas, and Gavin Goszka who see audacity as exactly the reason to try something new.

And always keep your notes.

 

Thank you Wes for these memories! Here are a few images from the adventure. So much great art in this title!

Backers, tell us your thoughts in the comments!