Nominated for an Ennie! Best Adventure Long Form!

Our Bloody Disgusting Horror Magazine Feature: TTRPG ‘The Bloom’ Combines ‘Alan Wake’ With ‘The Last of Us’ in a Surreal Adventure [Review] - Bloody Disgusting (bloody-disgusting.com)

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In print at Space Penguin Ink!

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"I Want To Go Home" a soundtrack for The Bloom: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5OOPvMcLTtZ5cuNwYY4Xlf?si=48a9811bde674b30

https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5OOPvMcLTtZ5cuNwYY4Xlf?utm_source=generator

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Abstract

Out a ways from the big city lies the town of Coldwater, named after the body of water it borders. Coldwater is a complacent place and its residents prefer it that way, thank you very much. Most townsfolk will greet you with a smile, but asking about the Incident from about a year back will get you met with cold stares and abruptly shut doors. But here’s the thing, folks have started disappearing again, and this time it was out-of-towners.

The Bloom is a sandbox adventure for Liminal Horror. Something sinister is creeping beneath the town of Coldwater. Campers have gone missing, but the townsfolk won’t say a word and the authorities are less than helpful. Can your team of Investigators find out the truth and save the town before it’s too late?

Touchstones

• Alan Wake (2010) - Remedy Entertainment
• What Moves the Dead (2022) - T. Kingfisher
• Twin Peaks (1990-1991, 2017) - Mark Frost & David Lynch
• The Last of Us (2013) - Naughty Dog
• Stranger Things (2016 -; present) - The Duffer Brothers
• Ben 10, Camp Fear (2006) - Man of Action
• Dark (2017-2020) - Baran bo Odar & Jantje Friese
• Wolverine: The Long Night (2018) - Marvel New Media
• Desert Moon of Karth (2021) - Joel Hines
• Feast (2021) - Chris Bissette
• Dying Light (2015) - Techland

What's in THE BLOOM:

• Includes multiple formats for play (starting fresh, integrating into a campaign, one-shots).
• A DOOM clock that tracks the escalating threat descending on Coldwater. Tied to investigation phases (6  hour increments).
• Custom Character Creation designed to be used specifically with this adventure.
• 20 custom backgrounds including equipment and motivations..
• 10 key NPCs, each with stats, description, desires, secrets, and how they connect socially..
• Enemies: there is a section on Hosts (including four main iterations) as well as the main threat in the module (the Hyrdra) as well as statted NPCs and some location specific enemies.. 
• Locations: The town of Coldwater Lake and its surroundings offers a major sandbox for players to explore (that changes as the DOOM clock progresses).
  • Coldwater Proper (which includes 12 keyed locations within).
  • Coldwater Camp (which includes 8 locations to investigate the disappearances)
  • Haru’s Cabin (a small cabin deep in the woods that is home to something much older that Coldwater).
  • The Gas Station (a waypoint filled with supplies).
  • Hines Farm (location of the Coldwater Lake Incident)
  • The Lodge (an old hunting lodge purchased by two suspicious newcomers).
  • Coldwater Surrounds (10-12 additional locations in the surrounding area).
  • The Forest (a dense voidcrawl encasing Coldwater)
  • The Caverns (below Coldwater).
• Appendix A: CONSEQUENCES - different potential outcomes for The Bloom.
• Appendix B: CONVERSIONS - systems to be announced.
• Appendix C: FALLOUT - d12 custom Fallouts for this module.
• Appendix D: RESIDENTS AND RUMORS - 20 additional NPCs to populate Coldwater along with rumors about town..
• Appendix E: RANDOM SEARCH TABLE
• Appendix F: Artifacts.

Also includes:

• Fully internally linked pdf (in both page and spread formats)
• Single map files from the adventure (bundled in a zip file)
• Text only format (in epub, txt, pdf)

LIMINAL HORROR (TTRPG )

The Bloom is an official adventure module for Liminal Horror (a modern hack of Cairn), it is a rules-lite, fail forward TTRPG system.  The core rules can be accessed a few different ways:

• PDF version can be purchased on it's itch.io page.
• A free web-based version can be found here.
• A physical + pdf can be purchased at Exalted Funeral.

The Bureau (a related module to The Bloom)

• Digital: The Bureau by Goblin Archives, Unenthuser (itch.io)
• In Print: The Bureau (exaltedfuneral.com)

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What about a physical version?

You can buy it now!

In print at Space Penguin Ink!

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Content Warning

This module includes elements of Body Horror, Graphic Violence, Harm to Animals, Fungi, and Religion, and the major theme throughout is Complacency.