Hello everyone. I know I've been quiet, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working on this project. I've been tinkering in the background, tweaking and reworking it until it better resembles what I imagine it one day may become. I wanted to explain myself here so that there are no surprises when I release the next draft.

Too Grand of a Concept 
The initial pitch for Messenger National Park relied on a background series of wide reaching global events. The presence and importance of these plot events caused a few problems. First, There was no mystery. The explosive nature of events made sure that The alien aspects of the park were common knowledge. It was also Impossible to incorporate into an existing world or campaign. and it required too much exposition and setup at the start of a campaign. The module concept needed to be trimmed down 

Clear Reason or course of action 
The first draft is mostly a list of interesting locations. The most common critique I received was that there was no reason for players to enter Messenger and not much for them to do once they got there. I think the original partly because the players are assumed to be reckless treasure hunters and adventurers, as is common for the dungeon fantasy setting fantasy setting. However that assumption falls apart when ported into a context designed around modern day investigative horror. What the players need is some sort of core mystery to drive them deeper into the park. They may never find the answer, but something needs to hook them in.

Representing the National parks
What interests me about the national park system is that it is built on contradicting ideas; tourism and conservation, education and entertainment, for the people but not for everyone. When I first started this project, I was inspired by the idea of creating a counterpoint to Mystery Flesh Pit National Park. In my opinion Flesh Pit provides incisive commentary about the extractive and exploitative side of the parks, but does not really acknowledge the aspects of the park system that I and so many hold dear.

 My first attempt at rewriting the module framed the park as some sort of massive government coverup. This provided a mystery for players to uncover but ultimately it was unsatisfying. It was at odds with my original intent.

 It is not radical or newsworthy for me to say that The National Parks system, like many parts of American society and government, are currently under threat. The National Park System is at risk of being stripped of its ability to fulfill its conservation duties and turned into a purely tourism based venture. In light of this, I wanted this project to be something that, while not celebrating the National Parks, better acknowledged the efforts and ideals of those devoted to conservation. Because ultimately that's why I started this project in the first place 

Wrap-up 
Whew, sorry for getting a bit long winded at the end. Anyway, that's my thought process. I can't wait to share with you what I've been working on!