(RPG PDF Spotlight) Serenity Springs: Realm of Noxious Nostalgia

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Serenity Springs: Realm of Noxious Nostalgia

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edtion 1950's Setting by Grinning Portal Games

What happens when D&D characters have to face the horrors of a 1950's suburb?

You’ve fought goblins, mimics, and dragons. You’ve explored forgotten tombs, snowy mountains, and dangerous mines. Isn’t it time you settled down? Bought a house? Joined a community? Come on down to Serenity Springs, the best darn town ever! We just ask that you follow every rule perfectly, or else! 

Serenity Springs came into existence as a personal purgatory for Dorothy "Dotty" Davis, a housewife whose obsession with perfection and conformity led her to commit some heinous crimes. Her realm is an endless suburb of identical houses full of emotionally repressed people in a world devoid of color. The citizens put on a happy face, but life is hard between "Commie" (monster) attacks, alien meddling, supernatural censorship, and a totalitarian government that pretends everything is normal.

Product Overview:

• A detailed breakdown of the Serenity Springs setting including its key landmarks, features, NPCs, and oddities.

• Inspiration and guidance for creating your own adventures in Serenity Springs.

• Freaks from Beyond the Hayze, a 25-35 hour adventure where 5th level characters have to rescue a missing Paladin from the titular realm.

• A full soundtrack to accompany the different locals and denizens

• A unique art style kitbashed from 1950s artwork, medieval etchings, and bespoke illustrations

• Stat blocks for aliens, supernatural government agents, and more

• Over a dozen new magic items

The Setting

The first part of the book explains the setting of Serenity Springs so that you can run your own suburban adventures. It includes:

• A history of how Serenity Springs came into existence.

• Explanations of the various oddities of Serenity Springs like the nightmarish car-centric geography, the ever-present Swear Jar, the censorship of The Hayze, and more. Each has mechanical impacts on the game.

• Descriptions human residents and the G-men, Xiculans (Roswell gray aliens), Commies, and other forces that torment them.

• Fully-fleshed out and unique NPCs to help or hinder the party, like Dean Wilburn, who is deeply protective of the folks who work at his diner, or Brad Barnes the ambitious school bully.

• Eight evocative locations like the Winston Sterling Library, infamous for a mysterious disappearance, or the Whispering Pines Golf Course that conceals the G-men's base of operations.

• Inspiration, guidance, and examples to help you craft and run your own adventures in Serenity Springs. 

The Adventure

The second part of the book is Freaks From Beyond the Hayze, an adventure where players are pulled into Serenity Springs while looking for their missing paladin friend. The players' investigation will lead them all around town (including into a classic Flying Saucer UFO). They'll need to balance staying in Dotty's good graces while uncovering her nefarious plans. This adventure is for 3-5 5th level characters and takes 25-35 hours, and has built-support for adapting into an existing campaign

Supporting Material

The end of the book features reference material to support the other two sections, including:

• Custom mechanics for The Hayze and interacting with the Alien's language.

• Over a dozen magic items including the Universal Remote, the G-men's Cognitizer (inspired by the Neuralyzer from Men In Black), and an alien jetpack.

• Custom stat blocks for the G-men, Dotty, and several alien variants.

• A list of media and history that inspired the project.

Serenity Springs: Realm of Noxious Nostalgia is available through DriveThruRPG in PDF.