The Shadow over Wal-Mart

About the adventure

Out of all the alien gods, eldritch horrors and sickeningly deformed monstrosities that populate The Spaces Between, none compares to the unimaginable horror of being trapped in an endless Wal-Mart at two in the morning on a Thursday. This adventure inhabits a very specific sub genre - absurdist capitalist horror. You will wander an environment that seems familiar and even banal, but then slowly begin to notice things aren’t exactly as they seem at first glance. By the time you realize that something is deeply wrong, even by 2AM Wal-Mart standards, will you have the willpower and the sanity not to succumb to the deep and deadly Wal-Mart Trance? Or will you manage to escape with your life and mind intact? This adventure takes place in the contemporary United States, although Covid will not exist in this version of reality.

Additional Details

How to prepare

Players will need a functioning microphone and access to Zoom. If they would like to appear on webcam, players are welcome to do so, but this is not required.

What I provide

I will be rolling my own dice, guiding the story, and providing unique pieces of art and photographs to illustrate the adventure as it happens.

Gameplay details

This is a horror game, and as such will involve themes of mild body horror, incarceration/claustrophobia, aliens, and weird creatures. Note on the theme and content: this adventure is designed to poke fun at certain aspects of American capitalist society and corporate culture. It is not meant to satirize or criticize ANY individuals based on socioeconomic status or income and as such will NOT rely on “People of Wal-Mart” tropes or humor. Players are asked to respect this rule and not use class differences for comic or absurdist effect.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

(none)

How will character creation work

When creating your character, keep in mind that they are meant to be a normal person living in contemporary times (although not during Covid) with no extraordinary abilities or characteristics. If you would like to play a Wal-Mart customer in this game, please think of a good reason why your character would visit a Wal-Mart at 2AM on a Thursday - examples may include returning an expensive purchase, buying an item that they need immediately such as a plunger, motor oil, or an indoor AC unit, or them being a bored night owl. If you would like to play an employee, please give some thought to which section of the store your employee works in, what their duties involve, and their attitude towards the corporation and their fellow employees. Players will be subject to Sanity checks that result in “Wal-Mart Trance” effects as they make their way to the store and explore it. Depending on your level of sanity, your character may begin to act very strangely. The easiest method to create a Call of Cthulhu character is https://www.dholeshouse.org/ - I will ask that you send me a link to your character sheet on that site or a PDF or screenshot of it before game time.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
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