Study of Folklore and Magic in Texas and the Gulf Coast

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Apollonian

The other thing I'd look at in terms of at least cover identities is the oil industry. Whole lot of scientists stuck into that, and it's practically a byword for dirty money. What else do they find when they're prospecting in the deep waters, and what have they riled up that monster hunters might want to put down? Even if the PCs and patron aren't involved, they have plenty of reason to have contacts within the industry.

Plus, refineries and oil rigs make for great fight scene set dressing.

The Patron has extensive assets in mining, oil and natural gas. In fact, he's a stereotypical 'robber baron' capitalist who now, in the twilight of a long lifetime of shady dealings and organized crime, seems to want to make amends for the way he made his money through funding altruistic protectors from supernatural evil.

[mehrkat]

I recently went to Galveston and though there is a bridge and it is close to the mainland it's not like a creek runs through it. It's more like the Gulf runs around it and you could just keep boating past through the gulf to open ocean.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by mehrkat

I recently went to Galveston and though there is a bridge and it is close to the mainland it's not like a creek runs through it. It's more like the Gulf runs around it and you could just keep boating past through the gulf to open ocean.

Did anything in Galveston strike you as inspirational for an introductuionary adventure?

I'd want to start with some investigative aspects, move on to thriller and psychological horror before ending with Monster Hunter action.

Still haven't decided what the threat is, just that in this case, instead of the PCs arriving as high-powered troubleshooters in a situation where NPCs have already found evidence of a supernatural problem, something odd, maybe on the news, maybe which they personally witness, spurs them to investigation in their home town (at least home base, it doesn't look like any PC so far suggested would be a native-born Texan).

Were there any areas of Galveston that struck you as good sets for scenes of psychologically taut games of hide and seek? Or for scenes of furious axtion against the unnatural?

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by naloth

Perhaps this is a better view of what {the A&M island) would be like on a clear day.

Good picture; thanks. Google Maps has the northwestern approach as land. (Maybe tidal muck, which still isn't something you want to mount an assault across. Unless you're already a swamp thing, I suppose.) This pic looks much more like water (high tide, maybe).

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by thrash

UT Austin

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Isn't that dangerously close to Illuminati headquarters for the PCs? (Why, they're in secure enough control of the town even to obviously mark their territory, mundanes or no.)

I admit that I find the idea of a character at UT Austin who is pop-culture-savvy sci-fi & fantasy fan and avid roleplayer a pretty amusing idea. It's good to have a character who can make pop-culture quips in character, it encouraged good in-character dialogue around the game table, not just OOC joking around.

[AlexanderHowl]

An alternative patron would be a young billionaire who made his or her fortune in renewable energy investments. Such an individual would sponsor occult oriented research due to new age beliefs (or perhaps darker reasons). As for anthropology, there really is not a top school that far south that is west of Gainsville, FL.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

An alternative patron would be a young billionaire who made his or her fortune in renewable energy investments. Such an individual would sponsor occult oriented research due to new age beliefs (or perhaps darker reasons).

I'm quite wedded to the current Patron, J.R. Kessler of Galveston, TX.

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

As for anthropology, there really is not a top school that far south that is west of Gainsville, FL.

That's disappointing.

What about universities with good graduate or post-graduate programs connected to other applicable fields of study; e.g. Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Near Eastern Studies, Oriental Studies, Egyptology, Assyriology, Mesoamerican Studies, Indigenous American Studies, Caribbean Studies, African-American Studies, Art History, Near Eastern Archaeology, Mesoamerican Archaeology, History of Religions, Comparative Religion, Sociology of Religion, Philology, Historical Linguistics, Semiotic Studies, Ethnopharmacology and Ethnomedicine?

[a humble lich]

Originally Posted by Icelander

What about universities with good graduate or post-graduate programs connected to other applicable fields of study; e.g. Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Near Eastern Studies, Oriental Studies, Egyptology, Assyriology, Mesoamerican Studies, Indigenous American Studies, Caribbean Studies, African-American Studies, Art History, Near Eastern Archaeology, Mesoamerican Archaeology, History of Religions, Comparative Religion, Sociology of Religion, Philology, Historical Linguistics, Semiotic Studies, Ethnopharmacology and Ethnomedicine?

It is a little outside the region you are talking about, but the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque has a good archeology department with respects to Southwestern Native American archeology. (Disclaimer: I am not in the field and am from New Mexico, so I might have just fallen for their advertising)

[AlexanderHowl]

Tempe, Arizona is better if you are going into the southwest. Anyway, when you are talking about the humanities, the further you go from the Gulf Coast the better generally. Austin is #16 in history, Rice is #34, and the rest are below #50 if they rank at all. As for the more detailed programs, start emailing your local professors because they would know.

[namada]

Nice sounding campaign.

I'm from south Louisiana so I may be able to help you out with stuff you need to know from this part of The Gulf, though I'm not sure regarding your university questions. I'm a bit out of touch with that these days.

Regarding Galveston, check out a book by Joe R. Lansdale named 'The Big Blow' - it might help kickstart your east Texas mojo. I've never been to Galveston, but the book is set there, in the past though, and I liked that book. In fact, many of his short stories would make great source material for this sort of campaign.

Back to south La., you'll almost certainly want to run adventures in the Atchafalaya Basin. Some Loup Garou, or Rougarou, sightings in the area would seem a good thing to investigate for such a crew. There are lots of oil & gas pipelines crisscrossing the swamp, but folks live, fish, and catch crawfish there, plus gators, of course.

Edit:
I had to cut my post short earlier.

I wanted to add that I *think* Tulane University has a good Anthropology program on Native Americans, but I'd have to web search it to verify - same thing you could do. Also that you may want to Web search The Old Spanish Trail which stretches over much of the Gulf Coast - there's probably some history & locations along it's length you could use as adventure sites. The Shadows on the Teche is one such in my home town.