CARCOSA: Moons & Seasons

This is a good post about the seasons and moons of Carcosa. I like the post because I don't think enough is done with seasons and astronomy in RPGs. They are some of the strongest representations of the passage of time. Their inclusion can really make a world feel alive and really doesn't require much work.

https://rogues-repast.blogspot.com/2020/04/seasons-of-carcosa.html

CARCOSA: A PLAYER'S MAP (Hex Kit 2.0)

Don't know if anyone is in the market, but here is my version of Carcosa done in Hex Kit 2.0. An awesome mapping program that does everything I've always wanted Hexographer to do.

As a bonus, here is a simple map of Hot Springs Island (again, more of a player facing one).

CARCOSA ALTERNATIVE CHARACTER CREATION

Nice post from Throne of Salt that I think could also be used to generate characters for Carcosa.

I really like the CONCEPT table where once per session, a player can either add 1d6 points to a roll or re-roll a skill check provided they are acting according to their character concept.

This sounds like a nice house rule to mix with 5e's backgrounds, ideals, bonds, and flaws in some manner.

Concept	Aspect
1) Adventurer	Go out there and find some excitement.
2) Creator	Working, building, making.
3) Mentor	Teacher and keeper of knowledge.
4) Martyr	Self-sacrifice for others' sake.
5) Ruler	Control and command
6) Seeker	Looking for answers.
7) Healer	Fights against the world's decay.
8) Traditionalist	Upholds the old ways.
9) Mediator	The point between two parties.
10) Hermit	Isolation, solitude, wisdom.
11) Heretic	Upends faith, casts doubt.
12) Conqueror	Glorious victory at all costs.
13) Abomination	Something's broken inside.
14) Destroyer	Let nothing remain standing.
15) Chosen	Hailed as the doer of a great task.
16) Defiler	Blame and undermine all others.
17) Protector	Protect and preserve what is precious.
18) Visionary	Big-picture ideas of a better tomorrow.
19) Zealot	Of absolute faith and conviction.
20) Disciple	Follower of teachers old and new.
21) Righteous	Unshakable confidence in their path.
22) Traveler	The open road still softly calls.

BACKGROUNDS IN CARCOSA

Great post from Hmmm Marquis on backgrounds, starting equipment, and goals for characters in a wasteland, Carcosa, Black Sun, or Synthexia campaign/hexcrawl. I might be tempted to change the d20 to a d30 table and add more overtly strange techno-stuff to make it more Carcosian.

CARCOSA IS BETTER WITHOUT LOVECRAFT

D&D has its own set of strange creatures that could function as good substitutes as any Lovecraftian horror they are inspired by and, when placed together, offer an equally strange, dangerous, and morally questionable environment for the humans to move around in.

• Neogi (as a substitute for the mi-go)
• Mind Flayers (substitute for the Primordial Ones)
• Grill & Grick (as a unified hive species or mi-go substitute)
• Slaad (substitute for Deep Ones)
• Gith (substitute for Space Aliens)

CARCOSA IS PEOPLE

It wasn't until I made a Hex Kit map of Carcosa that I realized just how many human settlements there are. There are also two human "cities" (hex 0313 & 2113). I think three things help a DM maximize this: (1) the encounter reaction roll; (2) Chaotic, Neutral, & Lawful alignments; (3) PCs natural tendencies to ascribe all sorts of weight to Carcosa's non-mechanical color system. A key question for the PCs in a Carcosa campaign: "What are you going to do with all these people?"