10/20/22

i review 'liminal high school' and interview the author evlyn moreau

I bought this new zine from Evlyn Moreau (I recommend following or subscribing to her patreon, she posts free use art in high frequency) called Liminal High SchoolAccording to the author, it's as if The Breakfast Club took place in Silent Hill.

I read and then reread this zine while lying in different positions on my bed and then sent the link to purchase it to ~6 friends.

I feel that would make a good blurb. 

I will write more blurbs for it now.

'I felt myself strongly relating to the character I created.'

'I absolutely love this release. It's simple but has depth like homemade vegan lasagna.'

'It's very well executed in a sweet way that makes me think of the creator a lot.'

'While reading this zine I felt calm and detached from reality almost like a robot that has reprogrammed itself with what it wants and can effortlessly and automatically do whatever it wants with complete control over all impulses.'

The zine provides tables and alternate rules for creating Liminal Horror (a modern horror hack of Cairn [a hack of Into the Odd and Knave]) characters in high school that feel genuine but aren't simple caricatures or anything like that.

Let me partially introduce you to the first character I rolled up. (the bold text being the generating tables)

Student Archetype: You are the... Bookworm (bury yourself in a book)

What's cool about this table is that characters can recover d6 HP when they do the activity listed in parentheses. 

Reputation: You are known for... A flaw (often something that adults disapprove of)

I'm going to say it's vandalization, or just being destructive in general.

How are your grades: You are barely keeping up but you are doing ok.

Personal Connections: Significant person... Ghost of your best friend. Contact... a teacher.

The ghost of your best friend is already a great hook for starting an adventure and I'm not even finished with character creation. 

When you confide in your significant person you recover d6 HP. Contacts generally trust your character and you are instructed to give them an area of expertise

There are NPC portraits on this page.

Cell Phone: Last year's model but with a badly cracked screen.

Here the zine has an optional rule to use cell phones as a way to reduce a player's stress or inflict additional stress. I really like this but you'll have to get the zine and see it for yourself. 

Players then get 2 rolls to 'spend' on 4 different tables for starting gear. 

The last bit of character creation is to roll on the 'what bounded you all together' and 'personal bonds between students'. 

There is a subtle artistic social commentary throughout this release that surprised me. There are layers to the text like homemade vegan lasagna. This is good. These I will leave for you to find for yourself. 

Liminal High School is something I would like to play and write adventures and content for. I hope to see others releases made specifically for it soon. 

It's a submission from The Tales of the Void: Liminal Horror Jam going on right now at itch. 

An interview with the author

When do you enjoy making art the most?

When I go drawing at the coffee shop, early in the morning or late at night. I like when there are a few people around and a quiet vibe, it helps me focus.

What are your favorite materials you use to make art, and any other material you would be interested in learning?

I simply draw on normal sheets of paper with a pen or pencil. My favorite pens right now are Uni Pin. Oh, I would love to get better with watercolors but I rarely give myself occasions to practice.

What's the coolest thing you've ever drawn and why?

For now, I would say that my favorite work is still what I drew for 'Where the Wheat Grow Tall'.

What do you do on the internet if you're bored?

I often watch videos about astronomy or space exploration. But when I get bored I often try to do off-screen activities like painting minis, crafts or going on a walk.

If you could leave yourself a present in the future what would it be?

An immortal pet that I can sneak in my handbag and who communicates with me telepathically. Well, I guess that I am describing a familiar. 


(if you'd like to support this website there are links on the right to purchase my zines)

edit:

Evlyn tweeted that she is planning to add the following to Liminal High School to make it a ~20 page physical release:
-student character sheet
-stress fallouts table for teens
-weird teachers and weird students table
-optional character advancement focusing on the student's life (grades, relations, etc)
-a short adventure

This entry from the Tales from the Void Jam called Mary's Stall would pair nicely with Liminal High School. It's about a haunted bathroom stall. 

This is a photo of my favorite teacher from high school. I plan to use them as an NPC in my first session of Liminal High School.

Here is a recipe for a vegan lasagna from the singer of the Cro-Mags that my friend said was 'good'.
 


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