THE DEVIL'S MUSIC
An RPG Fundraiser for Appalachian flood relief
Music has power, family – a power to raise you up and cast you down. It isn't so much good or bad...but it can be used by evil folks for bad intents. And in Holbrook, KY, in the late spring of 1956, that's just what happened. A crackling, spitting, sound came over the airwaves and out of the speaker on that old Catherdral radio and when it did...
Well family…that would be telling.
You want to know more, you're just going to have to join us around the gaming table.
The Devil's Music is an adventure written for the Old Gods of Appalachia Role-Playing Game published by Monte Cook Games. Seats at the table (and some other goodies) are being offered to raise funds to support the victims of the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
The adventure runs about 4 hours and is intended for 4-7 players. The sessions can be played in person (I'm in Boston; you'd need to get yourself here) or using an online system and will be scheduled at the convenience of the winning bidders in the first 3 months of 2025....but registration ends on New Year's Day.
Now, we wouldn't expect you to go out and do battle against the forces of darkness all alone, so we've invited a bunch of special friends from different worlds to join you at table. Each session will have a special guest player – some from the world of gaming or horror writing, media, or something else a little special.
Every dollar that we raise is tax-deductible and goes to support the relief efforts in parts of Appalachia afflicted with damage from the flooding.
F.A.Q.
Is this tax deductible? Yes. We're collecting under the fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)3 corporation, The Professional Burlesque Society. PBS will be issuing receipts to everyone who donates that they can use on their taxes.
Where is the money going? That depends on how much we raise. Ideally, we raise a ton of money and spread it out to a few different charities. More likely, we'll be giving it to one of the funds managed by The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. If you have a suggestion of an organization we should donate to, let us know.
I've never role-played/used the OGoA RPG No worries! The system is easy to use, we provide pregenerated characters, and can have a short orientation session prior to the game if you want one.
Where is this happening? My guess is we'll be playing most sessions online. Whatever platform we use, you won't need to pay to use it. If we have critical mass in a specific area, I may travel there to run a session.
When is this happening? Games will be scheduled at the convenience of the players. We'd like to have all sessions completed by the end of March 2025.
How many sessions are you running? As many as we have players for. Each session will have at least 3 players and we'll run it as many times as needed to accomodate everyone who registers before January 1 , 2025.
Who is running the game? The host of 7-Minute GM is Alex Newman, a multi-media gamemaster with decades of experience in tabletop role-playing, LARPing, theatre, historical recreation, and generally bringing the imaginary to life.
What else can I get? We're also selling off naming rights for NPCs, places, and businesses ( Just the thing to get for a friend - or enemy! - who has everything) and copies of the adventure.
Will we be able to get a copy of the adventure? Players will get a copy of the adventure included as part of their winnings. Other folk will be able to get a copy in exchange for a donation, but those won't go out until all sessions have been played.
Suppose I want to donate more (or just donate and not play)? We were hoping you might ask something like that. That's why in addition to the things you can purchase, there's a “Donate” field where you can pledge as much as you like.
Is this associated with Deep Nerd Media or Monte Cook Games? Only thematically. There's no legal connection between those good folks and us.
Who are the Special Guests? That would be telling…
Why Are You Doing This?
Almost 20 years ago Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Immediately after the event, a lot of resources were poured into the area – but support and donations began to slow down after just a few months. In November, about 3 months after the storm hit, I raised some money, gathered up a pair of brave friends, and we drove from Boston down to Waveland, MS, stopping in Georgia to rent a trailer and fill it full of food and supplies.
In late summer of this year, hurricanes and tropical storms coming north from the Gulf of Mexico dumped an historic amount of rainfall on Appalachia. This caused streams to leave their banks, sewers to overflow, and dams and levees to fail, destroying homes, businesses, and lives. Once again, many people rallied to support those in most need. But once again, some three months after the event, the need is still great and support is beginning to dwindle.
As we move into the holiday season – and the colder weather – I wanted to do what I could to help out, and my days of loading up a trailer and doing a few weeks of carpentry are behind me. But there are other skills I thought I could put to good use, a community of good folks that I thought might like to pitch in, and this seemed like a natural fit.
PLEDGE REWARDS
A Seat at the Table Come play with us! You'll get to join a group of explorers and adventurers in a 4-hour gaming session.
The Whole Dang Table Gotta a bunch of friends who you want to play with? This is for you! A 4-hour session for you and up to six friends.
The Name Game Name a personage, place, or business after yourself or someone you admire in a single session. We will do our best to accommodate specific requests but do have final editorial say.
The Name Game Deluxe As above, except the name you sponsor will be used in every play session and appear in the printed adventure as well.
The Devil's Music Adventure Book Run the adventure on your own! Donate and get GM's notes (printed and PDF) as well as digital files like images and sounds! Note: this will not be released until all sessions have been run, estimated April 2025.
