I am pleased to announce that Empire of the Ghouls has definitively won the patron voting for the next Open Design project; it stands 50 votes in the lead. However, since we haven't quite met the commission yet, I'm leaving the field open to new patrons until the 31st.

At some point between now and the 31st, we'll hit the commission mark, and the project will not accept new patrons for several months. It may reopen during a playtest phase, or it may not. If you were just waiting for Ghouls to clinch it, please sign up today. Standard memberships are $30, and Patron of the Arts memberships start at $75. Sorry, apprentice memberships are now closed. More details after the cut.


What's Open Design?
I'm returning to an old, old model for writers with the next adventure I write: patronage. In the medieval age and in the Renaissance, patrons were the ones who commissioned artists and writers. There was no such thing as a "publisher". People who wanted books paid someone directly to write them.

The OpenDesign projects are about applying that strategy to RPG adventures. They use a publishing approach that avoids the pitfalls of corporate game development, and they provide a way to share design knowledge with interested gamers.

What is the Empire of the Ghouls project?
The Empire of the Ghouls: Suggested Levels 8-12
This Underdark campaign-adventure pits the party against a civilization of intelligent, shadow-powered, hideously strong ghouls who dominate the Underdark and have enslaved gnomes, dwarves, and even the drow. They are now ready to expand their power even further, allying with Demon Lords and even the God of Death. A prophecy tells that they will steal an ancient artifact to empower their race, and rule ever greater territory, until the world shakes before their terrible appetites.
If the ghouls plans succeed, their power will double and redouble, and shadow-walking assassins strike down every ruler of the surface world. The party must enter the Underdark and destroy the ghoul empire at its heart.
At around 128 pages total, "Empire" will take a minimum five months to write plus time to playtest, edit and typeset. You'll see the process unfold over the summer and fall, and you will have the completed work in hand before Halloween.


Who are you?
My name is Wolfgang Baur. I've been professionally involved in the RPG field for 15 years, starting at TSR and later at WotC. I've written for every major D&D setting, though I'm best known for things like Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, Forge of War, Frostburn, Planes of Law, the Book of Roguish Luck, Assassin Mountain, "A Rose for Talakara", and adventure design in general.

I've written more than a dozen adventures for Dungeon magazine, and used to be its editor. I'll do all the writing, organizing, and scut-work for Open Design. You just decide what you'd like to see in the adventure.

How many patrons will there be?
There are roughly 100 patrons needed to commission the work. Since there's no retailer, no publisher, no distributor, and no print costs, even a tiny audience makes it worthwhile to design exclusively for patrons.

What do I get?
You'd get the complete adventure and description of the Empire of the Ghouls, written with thoughtful suggestions by experienced gamers. If you join as a Patron of the Arts, you also determine some of the monster choices and essay topics discussed during the writing of the manuscript, plus extra attention to your own design questions.

It will be professionally laid out, with high-quality maps and illustrations. The final work will be available both as a PDF and as a paper POD book.

How to Join
Please click the button below for the standard membership ($30), or review the patron of the arts ($75 to 100) membership for access to additional perks.

Yes, Open Design is going to rip, tear, and shred its way to some great adventure. I hope you join the small community of crazed cannibal gamers, right here.