Ghostlight FAQ
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Ghostlight so far, and my responses:
What inspired Ghostlight?
Ghostlight draws inspiration from a myriad of sources, including classic Gothic literature, dark academia aesthetics, and the mystique of New England's coastal towns. It was M.L. Rio’s book “If We Were Villains” that set me on the idea of doing a game set in a performing arts school. A lifelong love of Shakespeare and the Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows factored in their heavily. Since Dark Shadows aired at 4pm in the 1960s, they had to figure out how to be scary without relying on blood and gore. That got me on the trail of cozy mysteries, where we focus on uncovering secrets and getting to know characters rather than thinking about the dead bodies.
How did you approach worldbuilding?
I did a lot of research on performing arts schools like Julliard, which only takes 8-10 students per class. Imagining Collinwood turned into a school opened up possibilities, and let me play with history. For the town, I started with the real-life Provincetown, Massechussetts, and dropped both Collinsport and Cabot Cove on top of it, giving it a quirky but creepy side without making it so bad it would drive away the tourists.
What distinguishes Ghostlight from other roleplaying games?
I think the mashup of influences is unique. While I keep talking about the things that inspired me, when you put them all together, and find the ways that make these disparate parts fit together, you get an entirely new thing. That’s the fun or worldbuilding. Steal, remix, and reimagine.
How did you balance the themes of dark academia and Gothic melodrama?
Dark academia provided the intellectual backdrop, which is mainly about Shakespeare and the priviledge that we used to afford to higher education, while Gothic melodrama infused the game with suspense, intrigue, and romance. The juxtaposition works together while also creating conflict. How the characters embrace, deny, or ignore what’s happening around them can be fun to watch unfold.
What challenges did you face in developing Ghostlight?
One of the main challenges was capturing the essence of multiple genres without veering into cliché territory. Striking the right balance so that it wasn’t one thing with elements of the others, but a compatible blend of everything, required extensive research, brainstorming, and rewriting to refine the setting and the mechanics.
How did you approach character development?
From the left, moving slowly and quietly lest I startle it.
What role does the setting play?
The setting defines the characters, whether they want it to or not. That’s a lot of the point. College changes you, weird experiences shape your outlook, the people you’re forced to live with and around alter your perspective on your identity and the world. You’re in a niche, rarified major, in a school with a strange history, in a town that doesn’t get you and arguable doesn’t want you there. The setting is either going to eat people, possibly literally, or it’s going to forge them into amazing people.
Will there be expansions or additional content?
I designed this as a stand-alone, but never say never. At some point I might do a companion game about the town itself, focusing on the people who live there, the strange occurances, and the weird things that happen when you’re a regular-folk fishing village part of the year and a tourist destination for the rich and fabulous every summer.
