ZineQuest and Eric Garneau mash Ritchie Blackmore’s power metal with D&D

ZineQuest is a season on Kickstarter that encourages creators to try something new by warming up the market of people willing to buy new. Clever, but so is taking two golden oldies and doing something new by blending both.

Maidson’s Eric Garneau has taken inspiration from the seminal power metal of Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow (later of Blackmore’s Night) with D&D. The campaign to bring this 36-page black and white zine to life has two weeks to find $1,000 and is nearly there. You can join in at Kickstarter.

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I’m sure fights have started over this, but I’ll say it anyway; is Rainbow ‘power metal’? I’m not sure.

I am sure that Blackmore: a high fantasy Rock & Roll zine for 5E & OSE, will contain (at least) three connected adventures if it funds. These adventures will be inspired by the 1970s incarnation of Rainbow as well as the D&D modules of the era.

The three adventures are;

• “Catch the Rainbow“: The beautiful Castle Blackmore is the last remaining triumph of a long-gone civilisation, suspended high above the landscape by unidentified magicks. But once a year, during the Year of the Fox, a brilliant rainbow bridge materialises to link the castle above with the lower regions. What riches does the Blackmore Castle contain? (formerly published as a zine; updated, re-edited, and with new illustrations for OSE)
• “Stargazer“: A chance encounter with a fortune teller brings back hazy memories of a trip to a powerful magical location. You must overcome a mysterious foe and discover the mysteries of the night sky and yourself before you can hope to find your way home.
• In “L.A. Connection“, your party must enter the Gates of Babylon at any cost to learn the truth about this strange connection to Los Angeles because they are helpless and alone in a world that doesn’t seem to use magic.

As is common in ZineQuest, the pledge tiers are straightforward, and you can support the zine by telling folks about it.

If you can pledge $8 or more, you’ll be thanked with a PDF edition of the adventures.

Alternatively, if you can find $15 to support the project, there’s a print of the black and white zine and the PDF.

Eric calculates delivery of Blackmore: a high fantasy Rock & Roll zine for 5E & OSE in December.