A Campaign Idea- The Good Neighbors

This week, an idea stuck me for a very unconventional Victoriana campaign. I’ve had an itch to run a 1950s UFO conspiracy game for a few years now, but I just don’t have enough player interest. After reading “Lords and Ladies” by Terry Pratchett last week, I have a fun spin that could make for a series of unorthodox Victoriana adventures. Forget the 1950s and UFOs, it’s the 1850s and fairies.

In ancient times, the peoples of Britain sent the fey folk away to the Other Place. The rules and folklore that had kept their evil at bay is now forgotten by most. The wards keeping the door to the Other Place closed have been neglected and some fairies have crept through to prepare for the day when the way is open wide enough for the rest.
 The adventurers are ordinary men and women noticing the signs of the fairies’ return, the cracks in their glamour, and are fighting to uncover the truth. They can investigate disappearances in the country, secret government buildings in London, research ancient lore, and try to close the door to the Other Place. This campaign could work well with the Aetheric Branch, Selenium, Society for Spiritual Repose, or Star Chamber associations from the Victoriana 3rd edition rulebook.

Luckily there is a ton of overlap between Fairy Lore and UFO conspiracy theories to inspire adventures. Here are some examples:

According to legend, fairies have a hypnotic ability to appear beautiful or turn invisible, called “glamour”. Their glamour also gives control of humans under their spell. How can you fight invisible fairies? Are they invisible or do they just look like everyone else?

One of the most well known bits of fairy folklore is the story of the changeling. Fairies steal a child and leave a duplicate in its place. Adult men and woman are also supposedly kidnapped or led to Fairyland only to return days or years later, aged too much or not aged at all. Some don’t remember their experiences and or have “missing time”. Can their memories be unlocked? Is it really a returned person, or something else? What is the changeling left behind to do?

Some humans returned from fairyland have strange marks or scars on their bodies. What was done to them and for what purpose?

Perhaps some of the most powerful families in England have some long dormant fairy blood. If fairies can activate it, you could have an instant conspiracy in the British government, or a select few immune to the fairies glamour.

Fairies supposedly glow brightly. Could the strange moving lights in the night sky be fairy glamour? Or some sort of craft.

A fairy ring is a naturally occurring bunch of mushrooms growing a ring. According to folklore, the rings of mushrooms are caused by fairies dancing by moonlight. It’s not much of a stretch to go from rings of mushrooms to crop circles made by more intricate dances with sinister intentions.


I admit this is a bit of an oddball idea for a campaign, but the more I think about it the more I like it. It’s obvious and surprising at the same time. You can use classic UFO tropes and still leave the players guessing. There is so much rich material to mine and explore, from X-files to Midsummer Night’s Dream to keep this game fresh for a long time.