Saltmarsh and Beyond

 

You ever been to an actual saltmarsh? 

I mean, they're wonderful from an ecological point of view--absolutely teeming with life. A critical ecosystem that deserves our protection. And in a photo they can even seem wild and inviting at the same time.

But have you ever traversed a saltmarsh? Ever tried to hike through one? Sure, sure we send our adventurers into them, that's part of what U2 and U3 are all about. But I don't even think the modules quite get it right. 

Saltmarshes are inhospitable, mucky, stinking places that weren't fit for human habitation. Now, that might be going a bit strong on it. But seriously the mud of the swamp marshes is black, stinking stuff rife with decay and rot. It will suck your boots right off your feet, and it is no big thing to end up buried up to your waist before you even know you're stuck. And the mosquitos--oh the mosquitos. And actually not just the mosquitos, the deerflies, the biting black flies, and worse--the biting water beetles! They will alive open your foot right through your calluses. 

Marshes are rough period. Anywhere. I know because I spend my summers tromping around in them. As a mosquito abatement biological field tech during my summers off from teaching and principaling I chase, catch, identify and seek to control mosquito populations in their selected breeding habitats. And in case you didn't know, marshes are high on the list of prime real estate for mosquitoes. 

But salt marshes are a special breed of rough. For you combine the marsh with the saltiness of the sea. And the brackish smell that you sometimes find whenever you get close to ocean waters, is the perfume of choice for saltmarshes. 

Now, one might be excused for thinking I have something against Salt Marshes. I don't really. They are fantastically diverse and thriving places that are often overlooked as exploration spots by the nature loving soul. No, I don't hate salt marshes. Nor, do I hate The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh--although it is not one of my favorite modules. 

And if you were keeping up with my blog a year ago now, you may recall I had plans for a rather epic campaign that started with Sinister Secret, moved through the U series and on to some of the classic modules of AD&D fame. And Also if you recall, I wasn't going to do this with my preferred edition AD&D 1e, but with 5th edition.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Well, that's how I ended up feeling. So suffice it to say, my recent return to blogdom has everything to do, not with running modules beyond Saltmarsh in 5e ... but in getting beyond 5e myself. 

Look -- I have it a good try. I really did. And I am done. It is time to get beyond the miserable, foetid mess that is 5e.

Stay tuned for more.