On October 30, Edge Studio releases Songs of New Orleans for Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game! In this upcoming setting guide, players and game masters alike can explore the mysteries of the Big Easy and fight the spread of seemingly endless supernatural threats and paranormal influences, many from the accursed city of Carcosa. Across 144 pages, you’ll gain access to the new musician archetype, rules for practicing voodoo and calling in favors, and a variety of weapons, equipment, and tomes to fight back the sinister forces arrayed against the good people of New Orleans. 

Play as a Musician 

In Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game, archetypes define an investigator’s role on a team and determine what sorts of skills and abilities they can leverage against the unknowable entities threatening the world. Songs of New Orleans introduces the musician archetype, dedicated to helping fellow investigators with the power of music. The musician puts their entire soul into their song, creating magic with every note.  

The musician can choose from several abilities, known in Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game as knacks, to help their allies. Musicians can soothe allies’ wounds and spirits after witnessing horrors. Musicians playing a Charming Song can set the mood in a room, helping allies make a point or win someone’s heart, while an Upbeat Tempo might inspire quicker footwork from fellow investigators. The musician isn’t limited to creating a helpful environment for their friends, however. Musicians can affect enemies with knacks that turn their music into a weapon, like Deafening Fanfare, which creates great pain in the inner ear of a target, or Discordant Notes, which causes an enemy to relive past trauma. 

Songs of New Orleans’s “Tools of Investigation” chapter includes a variety of instruments for musicians to play, including an enchanted saxophone called the Thunderbolt. Musicians might also discover a tome of powerful sheet music that can influence entire crowds with the songs contained within its hallowed pages.  

Mechanical Spice for Your Campaign Gumbo 

Investigators from existing campaigns might visit vibrant New Orleans for a change of pace from rainy Arkham. Become part of the social fabric of the city by participating in the favor economy or tap into the city’s rich cultural legacy by learning to perform voodoo rituals. Players can also access new weapons like the cane sword, as well as powerful new relics like the finger of St. Roch, said to heal any disease.   

The Favor Economy 

Many of the people in New Orleans get by on who they know, and who owes them a favor. Between jazz musicians, crime lords, and local government officials, an intricate web of owed favors binds the city together. Songs of New Orleans presents rules for formalizing favors from helpful or indebted allies. Players can hold favors, using them at the right moment to advance an investigation.

Not every favor is the boon it appears to be, though. When offered a favor, players must decide to either spend experience points to accept it, or decline it and deal with the consequences. Turning down a favor from a local rumrunner or alderman could spark offense and turn them into an enemy.  

The Power of Voodoo 

Investigators are sure to encounter voodoo practices during their time in New Orleans. Players can learn about the tradition’s real history and culture going back to Haiti and West Africa, and then apply that knowledge to the game rules that allow investigators to channel the power of voodoo. Investigators can learn to perform rituals to call upon spirits to achieve all manner of effects. Unlike most spells in Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game, voodoo rituals take time to prepare, and channeling the power of the spirits is generally limited to narrative scenes. However, voodoo rituals tend to have longer-lasting effects and can also become more powerful when allies participate. Game masters can also use the ritual rules as inspiration for incorporating other magical traditions into their campaigns. 

Coming This Fall

Songs of New Orleans is designed to be played with a copy of a Starter Set (such as the New Orleans-adjacent Welcome to Promise or the Arkham-based Hungering Abyss) or the Core Rulebook for Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game. Your trip to the Big Easy begins October 30, so stay tuned to ArkhamHorror.com for more details, and preorder a copy of Songs of New Orleans from your local game store or favorite online retailer today!