I haven't picked up Hell in Freeport yet. Or rather, I have, of course. It's in my backpack that I take back and forth with me to work (along with the Eberron Campaign setting, which I had planned on re-reading before I started all this Freeport jazz) but I haven't actually started reading it yet, and I won't until at least I finish Silverthorn, which I'm also reading. It's one thing to pick up a physical book, but sometimes also read sections of a Kindle book on your phone, or a pdf on your computer, but its another thing altogether to try and read two physical books concurrently. Even if one is a D&D sourcebook and one is a fantasy novel, and they otherwise have little in common. (Although the Krondor scenes with the Mockers is pretty good urban "fantasy Godfather" stuff like Freeport offers.)
Not too long ago, relatively speaking, I wrote this post here: Freeport vs Five Fingers, which is an updated and expanded version of this even earlier post. Given my rather withering opinion at the time, it might seem odd that I'm undergoing this whole huge Freeport Trawl project. But, honestly, I was in a poor mood with regards to Freeport at the time, whereas now I'm feeling more charitable. I always knew that that was a problem with Freeport, but it won't be as much of a factor with every product. Freeport's tone is kind of all over the map. Sadly, I'm about to enter a phase where it was especially hoaky and kitschy, with lots of puns, bad jokes, and wink wink nod nod references. I think that that peaked in "Black Sails Over Freeport" after which it got toned down significantly. It doesn't completely go away; it's still there, but significantly less of an issue in most of their products, as I recall. Most of them have the darker tone of the actual Trilogy, where theyplay Lovecraft fairly straight. I'm much less familiar with the latest products, and the Return to Freeport pdf I literally just bought a week or two ago and haven't read it at all, so we'll see if it swings into silliness again before its done. I wish I could find a decent actual play podcast for Freeport, but I can't so... I'll have to just read them the old-fashioned way, I guess.
Although only the last of the Bleeding Edge adventures was explicitly set in Freeport, they were all kinda sort set in the greater Freeport setting. I'm considering adding them to the list. They're actually quite cheap right now; pdfs are on sale for less than $3 each. I've already got them all, but y'know. If you don't, now's a good time to buy. Honestly, they might permanently be on sale for all I know. I doubt too many people are buying 3e adventures still. (Curiously, they're cheaper on the Green Ronin storefront than from DriveThru. But I dunno. That might not be accurate anymore later.) I'm going to redo the read list and add them as optional. Curiously, they famously had a more "mature" tone and focused more on horror elements. Allegedly, anyway. Maybe it'll fit what I want out of Freeport better than a lot of the actual Freeport products.
Just what I needed; expand my Freeport "to read" list by six more titles! Luckily, they're just modules and aren't really very long. Speaking of integrating stuff that isn't strictly speaking Freeport related, I'm wondering how much I can borrow from Warhammer's Enemy Within, after noting in my last post on the subject that Freeport reminded me of a smaller take on many similar beats. Two ideas immediately come to mind:
- The original Kastor Lieberung mistaken identity thing was always a cool idea, and I've thought of borrowing it for something for a long time. Why not start Freeport with the PCs finding a wreck on their way into town where sea devils or something attacked a smaller carrack not far from Gandesse Island, and while on board, they find a PC lookalike who is going to claim a noble patent or other large inheritance in Freeport? Like Kastor, he's actually a cult member, and the inheritance is fake; it was bait created by a bounty hunter. That way, the PCs will immediately start having the same complications; a bounty hunter who thinks that they're the actual cult member and his entourage, and a cult who thinks that he's holding out on them with his big inheritance.
- Rather than having the PCs be the belles of the ball at the beginning of "Madness" I want to downplay their fame and influence. Sure, they were invited, and they get to meet important people, but many of those important people aren't really very clear why they're there or why they're being treated as if they're important. So they get the experience, but rather than it being a major change to their social status in town, it's a much more modest one. That way, they can continue to do the remainder of the Freeport modules without having to adjust to a social situation that those modules don't assume.
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