Vornheim - A sprawling megalopolis in the barren north, an urban labyrinth of towers, bridges, and serpentine catacombs. Setting features include class division, esoteric laws and customs, court intrigue, and unconventional (though frequently terrifying) monsters. From Zak S's "I Hit it With My Axe" web series, and the "D&D with Pornstars" blog.
The World Between - Jack Shear's gothic-weird setting from his "Tales of the Grotesque & Dungeonesque" blog, which has been collected in a free PDF here. As per the author's suggestion, I'd place Vornheim in the corrupt and decadent nation of Caligari, with the option for the players to eventually visit surrounding lands, like Nordic Frostreave or disputed vampire warzone Harrowfaust.
I'm leaning strongly towards using the Advanced Edition Companion, because I like the additional classes therein and like the race/class separation. As noted in the "Dungeonesque" primer, I'd remove race/class restrictions, however demihumans would be slightly socially stigmatized (a disadvantage to some, or an advantage if one prefers to draw attention!)
Vornheim is a city of thousands of guilds, the push and pull of which drive everything--politics, economy, fashion, religion. The players would start as very recent initiates of the Delvers Guild, a company of vagabonds who take on odd jobs that would lead them all over Vornheim, from its highest towers to its cavernous foundations, and even outside its massive gated walls.
Important things I guess:
Number of players: I haven't run a lot of big-party games, so let's say 5 max. (We can add more later once we're more in the groove, and in the meantime there will be plenty of hirelings/followers/fanatics/helpful stalkers ifthe party needs padding)
Posting rate: I'd say at least once a day is ideal, but I don't demand more than that. I'm also pretty flexible.
Tone reference (in brief): Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake (court schemes, gothic architecture), Alice and Wonderland (strange customs, nobles with grudges, strange animals), Wuthering Heights by Emiy Bronte (corruption, ghosts, regrets), Beetlejuice (dark humor, bizarre otherworldly landscapes, trickster spirits), Poe, The Shelleys, Lord Byron, Lovecraft, Hitchcock
Interest? Ideas and suggestions are also welcome!
Also, the aforementioned "Tales" PDF has a good discussion of the definition of "gothic" if anyone needs clarificaton!
