Colonial Gothic: Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown is a location supplement for the Colonial America fantasy horror system Colonial Gothic written by Jennifer Brozek and published by Rogue Games.
By Aaron T. Huss
Elizabethtown is a fully-detailed location (which can be used as a mini-campaign setting) for use within Colonial Gothic. It contains specific information for players and Game Masters to take the events of the town at face value or for those who need to know what’s really going on. It is a magnificent concept for product lines, providing an ample amount of information at a great price. This is a great way to expand your adventures and campaigns without taking them into completely new directions.
CONTENT
Elizabethtown is broken down into two basic sections: Player Section and Game Master Section. The Player Section contains all the information a player needs to enter Elizabethtown and interact with its residence. There is information about the different people and places along with information about the surrounding Native territories. Rounding out the section is a group of Town Crier announcements giving the players a scoop of recent events.
The Game Master Section takes everything within the Player Section and expands upon the truth. It dives into the different applicable societies, such as the Freemasons, explains the secrets of the people and places, and gives you the “this is what really happened” for all those Town Crier announcements. In addition, you get a few new bestiary and a detailed mini-campaign framework. It’s not a detailed framework, but it is a time-line of events for creating a mini-campaign using the information contained within.
OVERALL
A definite must-have for Game Masters. If the characters are going to spend any amount of game time in Elizabethtown, the players will benefit from a copy as well. There’s no need to be completely naive against the horrors of Colonial Gothic. You cannot beat the price, although the value of its contents are worth much more than that.
RATINGS
Publication Quality: 9 out of 10
Elizabethtown has a very simple and efficient layout and format. The content is very easy to read and understand and there are just enough illustrations to get a visual feel for what the content is providing. It follows the same simplicity of other Colonial Gothic products while dividing up the player and game master sections very clearly to avoid spoiling any possible adventures. Even though the product is so short, Rogue Games took the time to add a table of contents making the major sections that much easier to find. The only thing it is missing are PDF bookmarks as it is an electronic-only product.
Mechanics: 7 out of 10
Elizabethtown has a good number of new mechanics, although they are hidden from plain sight. The bulk of the player information is for background and historical information, allowing the players to better understand the town they have come upon. Delving into the Game Master sections opens up the secrets of this town and the hidden purpose of the publication. There is a good list of NPCs, places to visit within the town, and a small selection of bestiary. The only thing that is missing from the mechanics is a direct tie to the rest of the Colonial Gothic setting. Yes it is designed to be a ready-to-use location, but other than its geographical location, there is little to tie it to the rest of the chaos throughout Colonial America.
Value Add: 10 out of 10
Consider this: Elizabethtown is a PDF/eBook only product which sells for $0.99. You are getting more than your money’s worth when purchasing the product. However, that is not where the value lies. The true value of the publication is its completeness. You are presented with a fully defined, described, and detailed setting within Colonial America including all the major people, locations, groups, and events. This is not just an adventure location, the PCs could spend many sessions deciphering the secrets and ridding this town of the multitude of chaotic afflictions. I will not share what those are as it would spoil a possible series of adventures (such as a mini-campaign).
Overall: 9 out of 10
Elizabethtown is an excellent concept for Colonial Gothic. Not only do you get a fully-fleshed out location for players and adventures, but you also get a whole group of conspiracies and possible diversions during a long-term campaign. Can the PCs save this town from its own destruction?