The world we know, our reality, is normal. People go about their daily lives, raising families, going to work and making dinner. Children cry at night, afraid of shadows or the monster under the bed. Parents sooth their children’s fears, saying “There is nothing to be afraid of. There are no monsters.” They are wrong. Our reality is stretched thin, and the veil is torn. Monsters, shadows, demons, devils, spirits, conspiracies, and aliens all exist, hidden from our normal lives. They co-exist with us. Watching us. Using us. Controlling governments. Preying on us. Welcome to Pinebox, a sleepy little East Texas town with more than its share of trouble. Whether it’s snake cultists running the local bar or vengeful spirits haunting the high school boys locker room, there always seems to be some sort of trouble brewing just below the surface.

New to Pinebox?

The following is a transcript of audio interviews taken by Jennifer Ridge, a freelance reporter working on an article for Texas Travel Destinations. It is the best way to get a feel for what Pinebox is all about.

• Interview 1: Chamber of Commerce (local businesses)
• Interview 2: Pinebox Library (history)
• Interview 3: Parks & Recreation Dept. (duh)
• Interview 4: East Texas University (local university)
• Interview 5: Henry Urbina
• Postcript

The Pinebox campaign setting focuses on the horrific and supernatural elements that lay hidden in our modern world. In this setting, supernatural entities exist but are hidden and are considered myths, legends or stories by a majority of humanity. Heroes (or Investigators) seek out the truth and often have the unenviable task of combating the evil horrors they uncover. Pinebox reflects the modern (albeit rural) world we live in, but slightly askew. Global conspiracies, hidden secret societies, and paranormal activities are real, as some among us today would argue. Imagine if the stories of hauntings, vampires, or witches were true.

Heroes in a Pinebox adventure are generally humans with normal skills, abilities, and knowledge who get caught up in the world of the supernatural. Therein lies the horror and fantasy of the campaign. While characters may gain great knowledge of the arcane and supernatural, the truth will remain hidden from the world at large. Certain government agencies and secret societies have a vested interest in preserving the status quo.

Still want more information about Pinebox? Check out this almanac-style information, download some of our freebies, or read about new Pinebox people and places in Modern Dispatch.

Maps

The City of Pinebox survey team graciously donated a map of the City of Pinebox. This map can be downloaded as a PDF, and includes the map above, a map key, and 20 pages of detailed maps corresponding to each coordinate on the grid. Your tax dollars at work!

We also have some JPGs of the city maps. Get the low resolution (1.7 MB) or high resolution (16.9 MB).

Creatures

Sometimes strange creatures are sighted in and around Pinebox. This is a working list of some of the more unusual. Chupacabra

12 to Midnight

Inside the Pinebox campaign setting, you’ll find another 12 to Midnight. [Are we conceited, or what?] Do a web search for the word “supernatural” and you’ll likely pull up a list of more than 1 million sites devoted to the subject. The in-game 12 to Midnight is one such website. After coming into a small inheritance, Lance Carson was talked into starting a professional E-zine called 12 to Midnight by his buddy Jackson Green. They quickly reunited with Dr. Glen Maclanahan, a professor from their East Texas University research days. Operating from their old college-town of Pinebox the team investigates claims of hauntings, UFOs, sinister black-eyed kids, unusual murders, strange creatures, and more. While Dr. Maclanahan and Green embrace the supernatural and paranormal part of our world, sometimes Carson and Mathis have to reign in their enthusiasm with a more skeptical approach. However, Green would argue that even the skeptics have seen more than they can scientifically explain. Against all odds, their chronicle of investigations on 12 to Midnight has attracted a small but growing list of paid subscribers, allowing the business to grow with a group of correspondent reporters.