What if the entirety of the area we call Appalachia was lifted out of its current position, and becomes an isolated demiplane? How did this happen? Why did this happen? If this happens in the 1930s, do technological innovations of the modern day exist, or did other developments occur?
These are the questions I'll be trying to answer as I start writing my Dark Appalachia campaign for BECMI. Dark Appalachia has a defined border that disappears into impenetrable mists that no one ever returns from if they enter them. The residents of the area do know that they were not always isolated, since historical references from before the 1930s exist in their libraries and newspaper archives. Every expedition mounted to try to navigate through the mists at the edges of Dark Appalachia have never come back, even attempts to sail down the rivers, which flow into the mists and then also disappear.
Magic became reality when the area was "lifted" from Earth, although it's understated and more formulaic than a typical fantasy world, and it's usually rather insidious. Psychic ability also exists in all its forms, yet is rare. Many monsters exist, including all the cryptids of Earth legend, and lair in the wilderness around settlements.
As for religion, all the versions of Christianity that existed in the 1930s exist here, as well as some new denominations. Nature worship returned and is now practiced in the hills, hollers, and mountains, and pagan gods (perhaps just powerful monsters?) occasionally walk the earth, hungry for worship and sacrifice. The occult sciences are all functional, although no one is sure whose cosmology is real, since the situation Dark Appalachia finds itself in seems to exist outside the cosmos, and even with magic and psychic abilities the true nature of the cosmos cannot really be determined. Satanic worship has also become quite widely practiced, owing largely to the occult sciences becoming reality, but is almost never practiced openly since it is still heavily frowned upon, and with good reason since the horrific stories and legends attributed to this religion seem to be truth in this land. Any other philosophy or cult that existed in the 1930s or prior in the United States may also be found in Dark Appalachia.
The practice of magic itself is generally the province of the witch, warlock, or evil creatures, although well-intentioned wise women and cunning-men heave learned some benign spells to protect themselves, their friends, and their communities. However, even good magic can attract the unwanted attention of evil men and women of magic and fouler things besides. The use of magical formulae and rituals seems to ripple outward, the energy spent or invoked seemingly sending a beacon out into the world, alerting the supernatural to its use, even when it is for benevolent purposes. The more powerful the magic, the further away it can be sensed. A simple charm performed for good luck may escape the notice of all but directly nearby entities and spellcasters, but a powerful summoning will be felt for miles. For this reason, magicians often only use magic in hidden places or on warded or holy ground.
The side of good in Dark Appalachia tries to keep the supernatural under control with the means at their disposal, to reduce the possibility of complete lawlessness and violence that would inevitably occur if creatures or magic were widespread. The side of evil also tries to keep their efforts secret due the benefit of working in the dark, unseen by prying eyes. Secrecy aids both good and evil, but for different reasons, and is truly a double-edged sword. There are those who actively seek out supernatural and human evil and attempt to eradicate it, hunting it to the remotest hollers, in the darkest sewers, and deep in the loneliest wilderness. These hard men and women are devoted to protecting humanity in Appalachia from annihilation and they are always at work to find out why their country is isolated, and perhaps discover a way to rejoin the humanity of Earth. The most urgent work at hand, however, is to eradicate the inhuman creatures and evil sorcerers that are bent on working with the side of evil.
More will come on this blog about this particular campaign as I begin to assemble it. I want to run it at a local game store and see who I can introduce to the BECMI rules, which are my favorite of all time, especially the iteration of them contained in the Rules Cyclopedia. I do have a copy of all five of the boxed sets (which I've assembled via PDF into a huge print omnibus so that I have all the rules that don't exist in the Cyclopedia!). I think it will be interesting to see how someone reacts to this ruleset that's only been exposed to 5e, which is what's generally played at this particular store (they host learn-to-play events each week due to demand, which is awesome).
