Alessandro Rocchi
In this preview we want to talk about The Black Ballad, an epic and fascinating campaign that combines metal, death and role-playing.
The project is the work of the team from Storytellers Forge, who provided us with the material for this preview, in collaboration with DiAmorte, a famous metal group. We recommend that you visit their Facebook, Instagram and their official website to stay informed about their work.
This project will be available in crowdfunding on BackerKit from March 7.
The Black Ballad Project
As already mentioned, The Black Ballad is an immense 10-chapter campaign compatible with D&D5e; the focus of the project is to combine metal music with role-playing games; it is no coincidence that each chapter of the adventure will be linked to a specific track from DiAmorte’s new album, called The Black Ballad.
The concept of The Black Ballad is really simple but very effective; the campaign begins where the others end: at the death of the characters. They find themselves at Sunless Crossing, in the city of Nox Valar (dominated by powerful clerics and their deities); here they embark on an epic mission to save this world. For this reason, the religious aspect will play a fundamental role.
On top of this starting point, a lot of narrative hooks are expected so you can adapt the campaign to any group and style of play.
In addition, the creators ensure a great possibility of truly impacting choices on the plot, which will lead to many different endings; there will also be a wide variety of monsters, new creatures and a cast of rich and varied NPC.
Only from these premises does the project seem immense, with many options ready to provide many hours of fun.
Metal and Decadent Art
We have received in preview a good collection of images that will be included in the manual. The first impact was astonishment and wonder! All the illustrations are very expressive and have given me sensations comparable to a mix between Elden Ring and the cover of an epic-metal album. Then everything cries out: “Epic!”.
Along with the illustrations, we also received an example of layout. Here too the authors do not deny themselves; the text is organized in a clear and legible way; moreover, the whole is surrounded by details perfectly realized and perfectly themed.
In short, if these are the premises, the graphic aspect already justifies the purchase!
New Contents
The Black Ballad is not only aesthetic, however, and in preview we were also provided with two NPCs, a new Monster and the first chapter of the manual.
NPCs are intriguing in terms of lore and writing; they bring a great desire to immerse themselves in this world and discover who else lives there. They are described with a broad psychological and social depth that can lead to many game situations; there are also suggestions for the narrator on how to make them better.
The new monster is fascinating both as an illustration and as a story; the abilities and actions of the Vacuum Ravager are entirely new and very inspired. Surely an opponent that every (reckless) PC group would like to face. If all opponents maintain these levels, it heralds a tough campaign but full of emotions.
The first chapter of The Black Ballad is really good. It is about the arrival of the characters in Sunless Crossing and how they will have to learn to survive and understand that there is no rest even in their own death. There is a lot of advice to the DM on how to manage the entry of Pcs into the universe and how to set and maintain the tone; it also provides a great explanation of the setting, so as to make it “alive” at the right point. The adventure of the first chapter is simple but engaging; a great start!
If the content of the entire manual will be this, then we can say that The Black Ballad is a project that will be remembered in the world of RPG!
Conclusion of the Preview of The Black Ballad
Thanks to the quality of the content, The Black Ballad project seems really convincing; given the experience of the creators will certainly aim for a highly refined and complete result and for these reasons I can only recommend you and wish the guys of Storytellers Forge the best!
Remember to follow the project on BackerKit, so you don’t miss any updates.
