For a visual reference and aid in picturing the times:
Jimmy's Car is a Studebaker Touring 'Big-Six' (because it can hold up to six full grown men, albeit tightly)
Ad for the Big Six
Jimmy's Green Machine
A 1920 C battery flashlight (Thomas Edison invented the alkaline in 1901)
A brass gas blowtorch
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Yellow Sign
Here is the yellow sign, found painted on the crumbling wall of the old Chapel of Contemplation. Currently the group does not have a photo or drawing of this sign.
Jimmy's Trunk : A Gear List
I assumed Jimmy had some basic equipment in his trunk, based on his career. The following was already in Jimmy's trunk:
In addition, the group purchased the following items:
- A crowbar
- A tire iron
- Three 10' sections of thin rope
- A baseball bat
- A flashlight
In addition, the group purchased the following items:
- A sledgehammer
- An axe
- Boltcutters
- A gas blowtorch
- 50' of sturdy climbing rope
- Two extra flashlights
- 20 yards of gauss that can be held over the nose and mouth
Session 3 Summary
The group met on Friday morning and continued a debate that had become a theme for them: whether to investigate the house directly or continue their line of tangent inquiries. Once again the group decided that too much knowledge was never enough when dealing with something as strange as a haunting. With this in mind they headed to the Police Station to see if they could dig anything up on the 1912 raid of the Chapel of Contemplation.
Soon after arriving, Jimmy was called away on business. The others in the group spoke with an officer who had been at the scene. He showed them a mug shot of Rev. Michael Thomas, a man who didn't look a day over 50. The group deduced that either the man was of extreme good health, or there must have been a second Michael Thomas. The group also learned that the good Reverend left behind a mummified corpse when he passed away, most likely due to the extremely hot summer and poor conditions of his cell. No autopsy was performed.
The officer also informed them of a recent report of vandalism at the old church. The intrepid investigators decided that they had delayed visiting the old church for too long. A short drive to Copp Hill Terrace revealed a weedy and rubble strewn site where the old church once stood. On a crumbled wall the group found a yellow sign painted on it, one which had obviously been placed there recently. Comparing notes later, each investigator confirmed the same occurrence: looking at the sign for too long caused a throbbing sensation, like a buzzing headache. (will supply pic when I'm home)
Before they could discuss this, the floor collapsed underneath them, causing young Ben to fall and sprain his leg. This discomfort gave way to pure curiosity as he found himself in the church's untouched basement. Church records lined the walls, two skeletons in burnt silken robes lay in a corner... but the jewel of the find was an old Latin Tome chained to a desk. Unable to remove it from its binding, the group left Harvey behind to guard while they went to a hardware store. (will supply list of gear purchased when I review the logs at home) Returning with a gas torch they quickly broke the chain and retrieved the book. Ben noted it would take him some hours to skim the text but that its roughly translated title was "Secrets of the Worm."
Without delay they proceeded to the Macario home and found it to be a decaying and foreboding hunk of stone abutted by office buildings. Inside the group found a living room filled with catholic iconography, a kitchen with rotting food set out on a table, an empty coat room, and two storage rooms filled with refuse. In the last storage room they pried open a locked cupboard and found Walter Corbitt's four volume diary. Filled with the ravings of a madman, it appeared to recount his quest for ... something. Finishing with the line "It is ready, I shall prepare myself to meet He Who Waits in the Dark."
As the group contemplated their findings, they heard a loud thud from upstairs as if something heavy had hit the ground...
Soon after arriving, Jimmy was called away on business. The others in the group spoke with an officer who had been at the scene. He showed them a mug shot of Rev. Michael Thomas, a man who didn't look a day over 50. The group deduced that either the man was of extreme good health, or there must have been a second Michael Thomas. The group also learned that the good Reverend left behind a mummified corpse when he passed away, most likely due to the extremely hot summer and poor conditions of his cell. No autopsy was performed.
The officer also informed them of a recent report of vandalism at the old church. The intrepid investigators decided that they had delayed visiting the old church for too long. A short drive to Copp Hill Terrace revealed a weedy and rubble strewn site where the old church once stood. On a crumbled wall the group found a yellow sign painted on it, one which had obviously been placed there recently. Comparing notes later, each investigator confirmed the same occurrence: looking at the sign for too long caused a throbbing sensation, like a buzzing headache. (will supply pic when I'm home)
Before they could discuss this, the floor collapsed underneath them, causing young Ben to fall and sprain his leg. This discomfort gave way to pure curiosity as he found himself in the church's untouched basement. Church records lined the walls, two skeletons in burnt silken robes lay in a corner... but the jewel of the find was an old Latin Tome chained to a desk. Unable to remove it from its binding, the group left Harvey behind to guard while they went to a hardware store. (will supply list of gear purchased when I review the logs at home) Returning with a gas torch they quickly broke the chain and retrieved the book. Ben noted it would take him some hours to skim the text but that its roughly translated title was "Secrets of the Worm."
Without delay they proceeded to the Macario home and found it to be a decaying and foreboding hunk of stone abutted by office buildings. Inside the group found a living room filled with catholic iconography, a kitchen with rotting food set out on a table, an empty coat room, and two storage rooms filled with refuse. In the last storage room they pried open a locked cupboard and found Walter Corbitt's four volume diary. Filled with the ravings of a madman, it appeared to recount his quest for ... something. Finishing with the line "It is ready, I shall prepare myself to meet He Who Waits in the Dark."
As the group contemplated their findings, they heard a loud thud from upstairs as if something heavy had hit the ground...
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Combat
I figure it is time to cover combat and how it works. Keep in mind, this is a game originally written in 1983 (or about there) so the combat is reflective of that time in gaming, and of the Horror genre.
Combat happens in rounds. The order of attack is as follows (assuming no one is surprised):
Each subcategory goes in order of Dexterity from highest to lowest. So someone with 18 Dex acts before a character with10 Dex.
1st - All firearms that are readied and aimed fire.
2nd - All skills and casting
3rd - All hand-to-hand actions, firearms that needed to be drawn (or rifles shouldered), and those who are firing for the second time in a round (some guns can fire up to three times a round)
4th - Guns that fire a third time
Knockout attacks can be made with Fist, Headbutt, Grapple, or blunt objects.
Parry - Hand-to-hand attacks can be parried. Long swords, like foils and rapiers can parry and attack in the same round. Fist and Kick can count as an attack and a parry. Shotguns and rifles can parry or attack in a round, but not both. Guns used this way take damage from a parry and can be destroyed.
You cannot parry against a weapon without a weapon. But you can grapple, and then in the next action, disarm the opponent.
Impales - Like the DnD critical, when you impale someone you do more damage. Only pointy weapons and bullets can impale. If you roll less than 20% of your skill in a weapon, you achieve an impale. Impales with knives mean the item is stuck in the defender and must be pulled out next round - this requires a successful combat skill roll.
Grapple - When you grapple with someone you roll your grapple skill against the target's grapple, if you succeed, you may then do one of several things in the next round.
Damage - For our game, you fall unconscious at Zero, you die at -5. You bleed 1 pt per round starting at Zero.
First Aid and Medicine skills - can head 1d3 on each wound. So if you are hit twice, you can have first aid done twice on you.
If you are treated by someone with the Medicine skill, you gain 2d3 per week.
Combat happens in rounds. The order of attack is as follows (assuming no one is surprised):
Each subcategory goes in order of Dexterity from highest to lowest. So someone with 18 Dex acts before a character with10 Dex.
1st - All firearms that are readied and aimed fire.
2nd - All skills and casting
3rd - All hand-to-hand actions, firearms that needed to be drawn (or rifles shouldered), and those who are firing for the second time in a round (some guns can fire up to three times a round)
4th - Guns that fire a third time
Knockout attacks can be made with Fist, Headbutt, Grapple, or blunt objects.
Parry - Hand-to-hand attacks can be parried. Long swords, like foils and rapiers can parry and attack in the same round. Fist and Kick can count as an attack and a parry. Shotguns and rifles can parry or attack in a round, but not both. Guns used this way take damage from a parry and can be destroyed.
You cannot parry against a weapon without a weapon. But you can grapple, and then in the next action, disarm the opponent.
Impales - Like the DnD critical, when you impale someone you do more damage. Only pointy weapons and bullets can impale. If you roll less than 20% of your skill in a weapon, you achieve an impale. Impales with knives mean the item is stuck in the defender and must be pulled out next round - this requires a successful combat skill roll.
Grapple - When you grapple with someone you roll your grapple skill against the target's grapple, if you succeed, you may then do one of several things in the next round.
- Knock the target down (automatic success)
- immobilize the target (Str vs Str and then indefinitely immobile)
- Disarm the target with a second grapple roll
- Damage the target with 1d6 on a second grapple roll
Damage - For our game, you fall unconscious at Zero, you die at -5. You bleed 1 pt per round starting at Zero.
First Aid and Medicine skills - can head 1d3 on each wound. So if you are hit twice, you can have first aid done twice on you.
If you are treated by someone with the Medicine skill, you gain 2d3 per week.
A. Edward "Eddie" Chamberlain
Name: A. Edward "Eddie" Chamberlain
Home: London, England
Education: Private Secondary School, 2 years at Oxford studying Archaeology (did not finish).
Second son of a shrewd and monied international banking executive and a beautiful (and one time wild) Irish rose, Eddie has fallen out of favor with his family. His older - if less talented - brother (Philip) dutifully followed his father's footsteps into the banking industry. Eddie, already studying archeology against his father (Philip Sr.), but with the support of his mother (Virginia, Philip's second wife), was engaged to the French daughter (Colette) of his father's business partner (Henri Michaud), when the Great War began. Despite the promise of a relatively safe position in the Quartermaster General's office bought with his father's influence, Eddie refused to enlist in the Royal Army and thereby brought (perceived) dishonor to his father and future father-in-law. Eddie's university funds were discontinued and his wedding canceled. Adding insult to injury, Eddie's younger brother (William) secretly enlisted though he was not old enough to do so and was later killed at Verdun. Virginia's reaction to the loss of her second child (Philip was born of Philip Sr.'s first wife) was to shut herself off from the rest of the world, including Eddie.
Eddie spent much of his youth up through his university years getting into, and then talking himself out of, trouble. Studies came naturally, and he spent a lot of free time going places and doing things a respectable young man has no business doing: scamming other boys out of their lunch money and allowances, shooting dice, sneaking into the girls' private academy, talking a couple professor's wives out of their clothes, making friends with the young women at a local house of ill repute... simply never letting his background or education or the expectations of his father impede him from getting the most out of life. When everything came crashing down after William's death, Eddie sunk into despair, spending more and more of his time getting into trouble and hanging out with folks from the seedier side of the tracks. A few brushes with the law and a near escape only won with the quickness of his tongue, shook him out of his funk and he began taking stock of his life, separating friends from ne'er-do-wells. This turned out to be less a move back towards respectablity and more a move towards being a smarter, better, con artist, surrouding himself with people he could trust. It was at this time that Rupert Murdoch, his father's accountant, offered to help fascilitate a move to the United States where more legitimate (and for Eddie, more illigitimate) opportunities were available.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Session 2 Summary
This week the group met in its full form and the five headed to Roxbury Sanitarium to speak with the Macarios. What they found was a facility that had seen better days and a staff that cared little for the patients. Mr. Vittorio Macario was beyond help, blathering incoherently about burning eyes and telling something that they had 'gotten out.' Mrs. Macario was not much more help, stating only that evil lived in the house. Out of respect for Mrs. Macario the group ceased their line of questioning. Jimmy rummaged in the psychologist's office only to find that the two had been diagnosed with a "nervous breakdown brought about by poverty and the Great War."
Their next stop was the General Engineer's office in downtown Boston who quickly pointed them to the library across the street for any public records. There they found that the house had been built in 1835 by Rutherford Rawlings and quickly sold to a Mr. Walter Corbitt (Rev. Michael Thomas as witness). They also found evidence that the neighbor was quite unhappy with the new resident, bringing two lawsuits against him and attempting to block his will to be buried in the home's basement. (Rev Michael Thomas was the executor of the will.)
The group called it a night, despite Ben's desire to enter the home immediately. The next day the group headed to the Hall of Records to determine if any resolution had been found to either case. Both were thrown out of court and the name Michael Thomas came up again, this time in reference to the Chapel of Contemplation and our Lord Granter of Secrets. The church had closed in 1912, but there was an address - 333 Copp St.
Having charmed the clerk there, Eddie got a tip to try the central police station, advice which the group quickly complied with. There they found the police report of the 1912 incident at the church. Police investigating missing children in the neighborhood were met with gun fire. The church burned down - 3 police officers and 17 cultists died. The other 54 were arrested, among them Rev Michael Thomas.
The group deduced that Michael Thomas could have no less than 100 years old at this time. Court Records stated he died in prison.
Library - Deed Transfer
Library - Article 1
Library - Article 2
Police Report
Their next stop was the General Engineer's office in downtown Boston who quickly pointed them to the library across the street for any public records. There they found that the house had been built in 1835 by Rutherford Rawlings and quickly sold to a Mr. Walter Corbitt (Rev. Michael Thomas as witness). They also found evidence that the neighbor was quite unhappy with the new resident, bringing two lawsuits against him and attempting to block his will to be buried in the home's basement. (Rev Michael Thomas was the executor of the will.)
The group called it a night, despite Ben's desire to enter the home immediately. The next day the group headed to the Hall of Records to determine if any resolution had been found to either case. Both were thrown out of court and the name Michael Thomas came up again, this time in reference to the Chapel of Contemplation and our Lord Granter of Secrets. The church had closed in 1912, but there was an address - 333 Copp St.
Having charmed the clerk there, Eddie got a tip to try the central police station, advice which the group quickly complied with. There they found the police report of the 1912 incident at the church. Police investigating missing children in the neighborhood were met with gun fire. The church burned down - 3 police officers and 17 cultists died. The other 54 were arrested, among them Rev Michael Thomas.
The group deduced that Michael Thomas could have no less than 100 years old at this time. Court Records stated he died in prison.
Library - Deed Transfer
Library - Article 1
Library - Article 2
Police Report
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Next Session: Prelude
When we ended last evening, the Jimmy and Ben had entered the morgue room of the Boston Globe and had retrieved three articles. Due to the drive out to Miskatonic, the time spent in the hospital, and then the drive to Boston, time had been eaten away. As the Globe closed and business hours waned, the two decided to call it a day.
Prior to their departure that day, Jonathon Cheatham, Esq. had given them a hotel room to share in an upscale part of Boston. (I assume that both men will accept this gracious offer - the hotel is quite nice.) It is the Parker House in downtown Boston which has had notables such as Charles Dickens and Ralph Waldo Emerson stay within its austere walls.
That evening a phone call is placed to the lobby from Mr. Cheatham. In the morning two more men will be joining your investigation, both of whom will meet you in the hotel's lobby the following morning.
Mr. Cheatham is short on details but gives you their names and states they, like you, have a special connection to Mr. Merriweather. One is a reporter for the Boston Globe, the second is described only as a 'serious man' from abroad.
((This should dovetail into our next session when the group will be combined and all four will be present. I have the third character in my hands and the fourth will be rolled up prior to 10pm Friday. Because of Dragar's schedule, the reporter may be called away on assignment at times - accounting for his absence.))
Prior to their departure that day, Jonathon Cheatham, Esq. had given them a hotel room to share in an upscale part of Boston. (I assume that both men will accept this gracious offer - the hotel is quite nice.) It is the Parker House in downtown Boston which has had notables such as Charles Dickens and Ralph Waldo Emerson stay within its austere walls.
That evening a phone call is placed to the lobby from Mr. Cheatham. In the morning two more men will be joining your investigation, both of whom will meet you in the hotel's lobby the following morning.
Mr. Cheatham is short on details but gives you their names and states they, like you, have a special connection to Mr. Merriweather. One is a reporter for the Boston Globe, the second is described only as a 'serious man' from abroad.
((This should dovetail into our next session when the group will be combined and all four will be present. I have the third character in my hands and the fourth will be rolled up prior to 10pm Friday. Because of Dragar's schedule, the reporter may be called away on assignment at times - accounting for his absence.))
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Sanity
In CoC your sanity is as important as your Hit Points -- perhaps more important. As HP can be healed over time, your sanity erodes and can only be gained back slowly and through difficult means. Like XP in DnD, sanity is granted as a bonus for good work - vanquishing evil gives you the sense that your struggle against the unknown can be won and with it piece of mind. Your sanity can also increase with Psychiatric care and drugs or by increasing your POW. (there is a third way, but we'll talk about that later)
Your sanity begins at 5x your Power. As the game progresses, different things can cause this to erode. Unseemly sights (though some professions are immune to the sight of blood or corpses) , ill-gotten knowledge, and shocking events all take their toll.
There is a skill called Cthulhu Mythos, which represents your knowledge of the greater mysteries in the universe. All characters begin with 00 Mythos. These mysteries are so terrible they have an effect on your sanity. To represent this, your total sanity can never be greater than 99 minus your Cthulhu Mythos skill. (For example: if you have a CM skill of 35, your sanity cannot be greater than 65)
When something horrible happens you will be asked to make a Sanity Check. You must roll a % roll under your current Sanity or you have failed. When you fail, you lose sanity - usually a random amount based on how horrifying the event. If you lose 5 sanity points from a single roll, you go temporarily insane for 1d10+4 rounds. This can be anything from a fainting spell to homicidal mania.
If you lose 1/5 of your current sanity in a game hour, you go indefinitely insane. This insanity lasts 1d6 months. Some insanity can be functional, like amnesia or claustrophobia, but it should be debilitating. Some investigators when they have lost this much sanity and are dangerously low will check themselves into a sanatorium for treatment.
If you reach Zero sanity points. Game over. You are permanently insane and non-functioning. A blathering idiot who needs a straight-jacket. This is the death of the mind and it is as dangerous as the death of the body.
In DnD, when you have 1 hp left, you act like it: a roleplayed cough, frail movements, or pain. You may also hang back if the action is in full swing -- because one wrong move means you're dead. Sanity in CoC should be treated no differently. People with low sanity are on the verge with frayed nerves. They may also protect themselves from having to bear more shock by letting their more stable compatriots do the dirty work.
Your sanity begins at 5x your Power. As the game progresses, different things can cause this to erode. Unseemly sights (though some professions are immune to the sight of blood or corpses) , ill-gotten knowledge, and shocking events all take their toll.
There is a skill called Cthulhu Mythos, which represents your knowledge of the greater mysteries in the universe. All characters begin with 00 Mythos. These mysteries are so terrible they have an effect on your sanity. To represent this, your total sanity can never be greater than 99 minus your Cthulhu Mythos skill. (For example: if you have a CM skill of 35, your sanity cannot be greater than 65)
When something horrible happens you will be asked to make a Sanity Check. You must roll a % roll under your current Sanity or you have failed. When you fail, you lose sanity - usually a random amount based on how horrifying the event. If you lose 5 sanity points from a single roll, you go temporarily insane for 1d10+4 rounds. This can be anything from a fainting spell to homicidal mania.
If you lose 1/5 of your current sanity in a game hour, you go indefinitely insane. This insanity lasts 1d6 months. Some insanity can be functional, like amnesia or claustrophobia, but it should be debilitating. Some investigators when they have lost this much sanity and are dangerously low will check themselves into a sanatorium for treatment.
If you reach Zero sanity points. Game over. You are permanently insane and non-functioning. A blathering idiot who needs a straight-jacket. This is the death of the mind and it is as dangerous as the death of the body.
In DnD, when you have 1 hp left, you act like it: a roleplayed cough, frail movements, or pain. You may also hang back if the action is in full swing -- because one wrong move means you're dead. Sanity in CoC should be treated no differently. People with low sanity are on the verge with frayed nerves. They may also protect themselves from having to bear more shock by letting their more stable compatriots do the dirty work.
Weapons
There may come a time when your character wants to do some damage. Below is a list of possible weapons. Only choose a weapon which is common in your era (1920). Keep in mind that concealed weapons are illegal, though carrying a rifle in your trunk would not be. Firefights and violence can draw attention, this is not a medieval frontier.
You also have to think of where you will put it. If you don't own a car or have a home, a personal arsenal is going to be out of the question.
However, I will not begrudge your choice of weapon. There are concealed weapon permits for Gumshoes and other registered lawmen. It is also entirely possible that your character, after having some experience under his belt will decide to carry protection in the future.
http://members.toast.net/jschultz/weapons.jpg
You also have to think of where you will put it. If you don't own a car or have a home, a personal arsenal is going to be out of the question.
However, I will not begrudge your choice of weapon. There are concealed weapon permits for Gumshoes and other registered lawmen. It is also entirely possible that your character, after having some experience under his belt will decide to carry protection in the future.
http://members.toast.net/jschultz/weapons.jpg
Saturday, June 7, 2008
The First Session
Jimmy and Ben, two very different personalities, arrived at Rupert Merriweather's room at exactly the same moment. They were instantly diverted by Merriweather's lawyer, a Mr. Cheatham. Cheatham explained that Merriweather was gravely ill and requested the investigator's presence. There was some talk of a will...
However, Merriweather was in intensive care and could not speak with the investigators. Until such a time as he could reveal why they were gathered, Don Cheatham asked the two to assist with a small crisis. A home Mr. Merriweather owned was rumored to be haunted. He then introduced them to the landlord, Harold McCoy.
McCoy believed that the home was most likely the target of a rich developer, considering it was the only piece of property not converted into office blocks by tycoon Jonathon Runewald. The two investigators, though barely able to suffer each other's company, agreed to take on the case for $20 a day and $100 at completion.
The two agreed to speak with the prior family, but first went to the Boston Globe's morgue files, where they found the following clippings:
Article 1
Article 2
Unpublished Article
However, Merriweather was in intensive care and could not speak with the investigators. Until such a time as he could reveal why they were gathered, Don Cheatham asked the two to assist with a small crisis. A home Mr. Merriweather owned was rumored to be haunted. He then introduced them to the landlord, Harold McCoy.
McCoy believed that the home was most likely the target of a rich developer, considering it was the only piece of property not converted into office blocks by tycoon Jonathon Runewald. The two investigators, though barely able to suffer each other's company, agreed to take on the case for $20 a day and $100 at completion.
The two agreed to speak with the prior family, but first went to the Boston Globe's morgue files, where they found the following clippings:
Article 1
Article 2
Unpublished Article
Jimmy Jones
I don't have a write up for Jimmy, but I know he's an ex-baseball player who blew his knee and now works as a Private Eye.
Jimmy's Character Sheet
Jimmy's Character Sheet
Benjamin Harrison Wilder
Name: Benjamin Harrison Wilder
Birthdate: February 13, 1899
Hometown: Worcester, Massachusetts
Occupation: Political Activist
Biography:
Ben Wilder's life had an inauspicious beginning. An only child, he was born during the Great Blizzard of 1899 - a storm that covered everything east of the Mississippi in record snowfall for three days - and delivered in his parents' bedroom by lamplight. And his father, a successful surgeon already in his 40's at the time of Ben's birth, wallowed in alcoholism to numb the stress and grisly human reality of his occupation. When Ben was still very young, his father literally drank himself to death, leaving him in the sole custody of his doting mother--a woman fifteen years younger than her husband. Though he was too young to remember it, the spectre of his father's death lurks somewhere deep in the dark places of his mind.
Nevertheless, Benjamin was a precocious child. His youth was spent delving into classic literature, philosophy, and history; as though, even as a child, he was searching for something more than the world seemingly had to offer. This insatiable hunger for knowledge did not end with adolescence: he entered college at 15 and graduated with dual degrees in Economics and Political Science at 18. He is fluent in English, Latin, and German to varying degrees of proficiency.
When he entered college, the first World War had just begun - robbing humanity of the last of its innocence - and revolution was catching like a virulent disease. It was during this time he was first exposed to Marxism; he was instantly smitten. And then 1917: The Russian Revolution trumpeted the arrival of Communism to the world and the United States entered the war - for the benefit of bankers and war-profiteers. Benjamin's meteoric rise in academia was abruptly cut short by several arrests while participating in peaceful anti-war, anti-capitalist protests and public meetings of the Socialist Labor Party.
Freed (or more bluntly, barred) from the pomp and vanity of the academic world, Benjamin turned to far more urgent and universal concerns: The Great War was the most horrifying event in human history to that point, and in his heart, he knew that many more wars would come, each successively more gruesome and costly than the last. Man must cast away his greed, ignorance, and faith to false beliefs and be empowered by the knowledge that he is alone in an indifferent universe - that we have only each other and our own might and intellect with which to survive. Young and idealistic, and charged with the zeal of his cause and the growing expansion of Communism worldwide, Benjamin has taken this task upon himself. Guided by his former professor Dr. Henry Richtor, a dabbler in the dark secrets of the world, he searches for proof of the death of God or some sign of the dormant strength in Man, natural or supernatural - anything that might be our salvation.
Ben's Character Sheet
Friday, June 6, 2008
For those who want to play around with character concepts or track their own characters on their local computers... here is a program called Byahkee.
You will need to download the core program, the 5.5 ruleset, and the investigator handbook if you want all the up-to-date rules that we will use. You may also want the Sheet Back for the character sheet. This isn't intrinsic, but gives you a place to put additional RP information.
You will need to download the core program, the 5.5 ruleset, and the investigator handbook if you want all the up-to-date rules that we will use. You may also want the Sheet Back for the character sheet. This isn't intrinsic, but gives you a place to put additional RP information.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Update
Things won't be in place to start the campaign this Friday, but everything is coming together.
First I need to get software to everyone who is playing. Please email me for the link and instructions on how to do that. If you don't have my email address, give me a PM on the abyssya.com forums.
This Friday at 10pm, Wildeyes and I will be testing the software and rolling up WE's character. Anyone who wants can test out the software as well and roll up a character.
We currently have 2 solid players and 2 players whose attendance may be inconsistent. I think one more solid player will round out the group nicely and give us a good base to start with. Waiting to hear back from someone who I will pester again today. (PS, by 'solid' I am only refering to your ability to attend. You are all solid players :-) )
This blog also has an open comments section on each post - so feel free to use it to communicate with the group as well. Check past posts for any pertinent information on creating your character.
The post below has some campaign specific information you'll need to account for - specifically your relationship to Rupert Merriweather.
Rupert Merriweather
The hook for this campaign will be a telegram you receive from a man named Rupert Merriweather - a copy of which can be found here: http://members.toast.net/jschultz/rp_telegram.pdf
It is up to you to decide how you are acquainted with Rupert - however, he is a man you have only seen sporadically at best in the last 5 years due to his failing health. It is possible it has been much longer since the time you last spoke with him.
Rupert M is an elderly man, over 70 by your estimate. Educated and refined, he is a graduate of Miskatonic University and a successful accountant. In fact, he was one of the 31 accountants to form the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 1887. A decade later, they created a standardized test, creating the title 'CPA' for the first time.
For a period of time he was a guest professor at Miskatonic University and is a partner in a prestigious New England accounting firm.
You have always found Rupert to be a kindly man, well liked, and a good husband and father. His home is stately and filled with curios of a man with fairly peculiar interests. African Masks, Mummy Hands, Monkey Paws, and books on all sorts of esoteric subjects fill his library. Despite this he seems reticent to discus such things as though afraid of inviting criticism of his hobby -- even among those who make it plain their genuine interest. Those who have ever pressed him have been told sternly that 'some things should remain unknown to human minds' and that his collection is from a more foolish period in his life.
Despite his library the man seems to hold no secrets or any reason for you to suspect him of anything out of the ordinary. You knew he was in poor health but have no idea what the telegram may be referring to.
It is up to you to decide how you are acquainted with Rupert - however, he is a man you have only seen sporadically at best in the last 5 years due to his failing health. It is possible it has been much longer since the time you last spoke with him.
Rupert M is an elderly man, over 70 by your estimate. Educated and refined, he is a graduate of Miskatonic University and a successful accountant. In fact, he was one of the 31 accountants to form the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 1887. A decade later, they created a standardized test, creating the title 'CPA' for the first time.
For a period of time he was a guest professor at Miskatonic University and is a partner in a prestigious New England accounting firm.
You have always found Rupert to be a kindly man, well liked, and a good husband and father. His home is stately and filled with curios of a man with fairly peculiar interests. African Masks, Mummy Hands, Monkey Paws, and books on all sorts of esoteric subjects fill his library. Despite this he seems reticent to discus such things as though afraid of inviting criticism of his hobby -- even among those who make it plain their genuine interest. Those who have ever pressed him have been told sternly that 'some things should remain unknown to human minds' and that his collection is from a more foolish period in his life.
Despite his library the man seems to hold no secrets or any reason for you to suspect him of anything out of the ordinary. You knew he was in poor health but have no idea what the telegram may be referring to.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Small Correction
I mistakenly said Hoover would replace Wilson. It is actually Harding who will replace Wilson. Herbert Hoover will take office in 1929. Another Hoover (J. Edgar) will become director of the FBI in 1924.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Character Portraits
You can use a character portrait to stand for your character while in the game. Here are two very different ends of the spectrum. Feel free to use them, get ideas from them, or use your own portrait:
Silent Film Stars
and
Police Photos from 1920
Portraits should be square and no wider than 200px.
Silent Film Stars
and
Police Photos from 1920
Portraits should be square and no wider than 200px.
Investigation in the 1920's
Excerpt from a CoC supplement:
In the 20's there are no intercontinental airlines. It is headline news when an aircraft staggers across the North Atlantic. Even local phone calls must go through an operator. A connection for a long-distance phone call may take an hour or more to be established; the operator will call you back when the line has been opened. There are no intercontinental phone lines. The pace of postal delivery is often excellent across town, but leisurely at long distances. Use telegrams for quick communication. Land travel of any distance depends on railroads. Only parts of western Europe and eastern North America have road nets adequate to lengthy automobile trips.Travel can't be paid for by personal checks or credit card. Only local currency pays the bills, though bank letters can be used to replenish funds.
Our campaign will begin on February 3rd, 1920. To put this in perspective - Woodrow Wilson is President and will soon be replaced by Herbert Hoover - in the first election to allow women the vote. Prohibition has just gone into effect at the end of January. The treaty ending WWI was signed June 28th 1919 and a mass demobilization of the armed forces is sending the 'Lost Generation' home. Increasing xenophobia is sweeping the country as well as the Red Scare - Communists are suspected behind every plot and new immigration is severely reduced. (It is even suggested that Prohibition was a form of anti-immigration against Italians, Irish, and other Catholics) Harlem and New Orleans begin their Jazz Renaissance, yet the Ku Klux Klan sees increased activity in the South. Radio is all the rage yet in its infancy and silent movies are in full swing.
Play Times
We will meet every Friday night at 10pm EST time.
22:00:00 Friday June 6, 2008 in US/Eastern converts to02:00:00 Saturday June 7, 2008 in GMT
Daylight Saving Time is in effect on this date/time in US/Eastern Daylight Saving Time is not in effect on this date/time in GMT
22:00:00 Friday June 6, 2008 in US/Eastern converts to02:00:00 Saturday June 7, 2008 in GMT
Daylight Saving Time is in effect on this date/time in US/Eastern Daylight Saving Time is not in effect on this date/time in GMT
Character Backstory
Start thinking about a character idea. You don't need to know any rules at this point, just figure it out from a story standpoint. Here is a list of possible occupations: http://members.toast.net/jschultz/occupations.jpg
Here's a few hints - CoC depends on investigating strange occurrences like DnD depends on 'dungeon exploration'. So, just like you can create a fluffy bard or a non-combat character in DnD - you can make a non-investigator type for CoC - but it does make it a bit harder to play. Be sure to give yourself a little bit of a hook for why you would go gallivanting in haunted houses or investigate the strange murder of a friend, etc. For instance, you could be a Zoo Keeper... but it'd be a lot easier if you were a Zoo Keeper who wanted to find proof of Big Foot.
Obviously I like an RP heavy game, so you don't have to bend over backwards to make him/her Cthulhu friendly -- I'm more excited about interesting than I am about traditional.
Second - come up with 1 or 2 contacts. They don't have to be anything detailed or concrete. These are basically fall back characters. CoC can be deadly, and with its insanity rules, some characters may have to sit out for a few months game time or become non-adventuring support characters. When this happens we will roll up the fallback character who will be set to pick up where your last character ended. These contacts also may come in to play giving you leads in your investigations. For instance, if you were a photographer for the Daily Bugle, your editor and an investigative reporter on the paper may be good contacts.
Third. (Whew... I get long winded.) This is 1920. So no computer hackers or air conditioner salesmen. Prohibition and Gangsters. Flappers and Silent Movies. Communist Scares and pre-Great Depression excess. Let me know if you have any questions.
Here's a few hints - CoC depends on investigating strange occurrences like DnD depends on 'dungeon exploration'. So, just like you can create a fluffy bard or a non-combat character in DnD - you can make a non-investigator type for CoC - but it does make it a bit harder to play. Be sure to give yourself a little bit of a hook for why you would go gallivanting in haunted houses or investigate the strange murder of a friend, etc. For instance, you could be a Zoo Keeper... but it'd be a lot easier if you were a Zoo Keeper who wanted to find proof of Big Foot.
Obviously I like an RP heavy game, so you don't have to bend over backwards to make him/her Cthulhu friendly -- I'm more excited about interesting than I am about traditional.
Second - come up with 1 or 2 contacts. They don't have to be anything detailed or concrete. These are basically fall back characters. CoC can be deadly, and with its insanity rules, some characters may have to sit out for a few months game time or become non-adventuring support characters. When this happens we will roll up the fallback character who will be set to pick up where your last character ended. These contacts also may come in to play giving you leads in your investigations. For instance, if you were a photographer for the Daily Bugle, your editor and an investigative reporter on the paper may be good contacts.
Third. (Whew... I get long winded.) This is 1920. So no computer hackers or air conditioner salesmen. Prohibition and Gangsters. Flappers and Silent Movies. Communist Scares and pre-Great Depression excess. Let me know if you have any questions.
Welcome
This is a blog to track the Call of Cthulhu campaign using the Fantasy Grounds RPG client. These pages will track old clues, leads, and storyline as well as discussion on rules and roleplay using the CoC 5.6 ruleset.
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