Here's the ooc thread for when we get started and the current PC generation thread.
Guidelines- Okay, so we established that we're playing in London, specifically London as of October 1928. I will ask that at least one character (most central to the plot in the early going) be a trained psychoanalyst or alienist, published in their field. While that's the easiest fit, a related field like medicine, anthropology or philosophy may also work. Additionally, it would be a benefit if at least one or two more players be involved in creative pursuits of some sort- painters, poets, authors, actors, playwrights- all perfectly acceptable. They may be amateurs or professionals, but creative spirits will have a vested interest in how things progress in the campaign. Another good suggestion might be a medium or parapsychologist, or people involved in spiritualism (which was somewhat in vogue at the time).
The campaign will begin with all of you attending a play called "Carcosa or, The Queen and the Stranger" being a fantasy in two acts adapted from the french and staged by Talbot Estus at the Scala Theater on Charlotte Street. You may have gotten a playbill from a friend or acquaintance or found one in a periodical you subscribe to- even less well-to-do investigators can afford to go, since ticket prices are quite reasonable. It will be helpful if you know each other in pairs or groups.
Hopefully that's enough to get the ideas flowing; looking forward to playing with you all!
OK really early pitch here, let’s call him 'Bob'.
Bob is a man around 40.
Despite growing up dirt poor, Bob was reasonably well educated thanks to being given a scholarship with the Roman Catholic Marist Brothers school due to his service to the local church as an altar boy and his naturally articulate nature. Bob was always seen as a bit of a 'mastermind' amongst the more simple East End urchins he counted amongst his friends, but not a 'soft touch', for what he lacked in brawn he made up for in cold hard tactics and brutal efficiency.
He served in the Great War (14-18) as an impressionable teenager looking to make a mark for himself and get away from his East End roots and go make a bit of a name for himself, and saw it as a way to get away from the life of a petty criminal he was set to inherit from his family. His Marist connections were enough to secure him a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant before he shipped out on ‘the greatest adventure’
Despite his intentions to move away from crime and violence, his experience at the Western Front only served to make him a little cooler and remote, and when he returned to England he returned to his old ways, running the odd criminal enterprises under the cover of often very legitimate businesses. Bob was able to recruit enough trustworthy muscle from the old neighbourhood to ensure his operations went smoothly, and with his good understanding of ‘diplomacy’ and his old boys’ network of military friends, he managed to stay just outside the grasp of the Law.
The other lasting interest Bob developed was a keen curiosity into the nature and psychology of fear, his exposure to victims of combat induced psychological injuries, such as shell shock, left him very fascinated with the human mind, his return to England, and semi itinerant ways left him much time to pursue his ‘hobby’, being able to attend lectures at universities around the country, and spend time steeped in academia.
So can I clarify the edition, its 6th ed CoC?
Okay, a couple things.. First, thanks James for allowing me to play in your PBP! I'm really looking forward to it and I hope you'll be patient with me at first as I find my feet with this style of game.
Second, should we figure out who wants to be the psycoanalyst/ alienist character? I would rather it were someone other than me. I'm new to pbps and would like to get the hang of things before being anything close to the main character.
Finally, my concept (not yet nearly as detailed as Shifty's) is to be a carpenter/ set builder type. Maybe I work for the Scala Theater? Would that sort of background fit well with the module?
Oh and my real name is Jamie, nice to meet you all!
My intro piece there is a little rough now I read it back... I was cobbling it together between tutorials!
Depending on how the stat rolls go, I may be able to broaden his skillset into a side interest dabbling in Mysticism and the Arcane, maybe he consults with the spirits of his dead comrades? :p
Either way, the intent is for him to be very intellectual, and somewhat shady... some might even go so far as to say 'shifty'?
Shifty- "Bob" sounds pretty interesting, let's roll with it. One thing I like about CoC is that the character generation rules contribute to interesting characters, so maybe once you roll up his stats we can figure out more about him from there. And sixth edition it shall be, I'm going to set up the Keeper alias on the messageboard with character generation info for folks that may not have access to the book or have an older version- though I'm not sure what the difference may be.
Jamie- Glad to have you on board! A set builder would be great- your character may know the actors in the play and may have spoken with Mr. Estus a few times but it's unlikely they would have seen the play in rehearsal, so that works very well. The Scala is mostly for amateur productions, so your character would likely have another job during the day (carpentry for instance, or maybe they're a sculptor scraping up extra work to make ends meet) and work for the Scala for a small stipend or just as a volunteer. If you have any questions I'll be happy to help you out- it's very easy to get into a pbp once it gets rolling.
Thanks for inviting me to play! I'm not sure what I want to play yet...I'm going to think over the options. I really like the potential of having a creative type, but the psychoanalyst intrigues me as well.
I also totally dig playing in London.
Okay, great. I'll definitely go with the set builder as the framework of my character, but I'll see where my stats end up before i begin to fill in a lot of the details.
Excellent. Here's the PC generation alias- all the info on the die rolls needed in case your CoC book isn't handy. I haven't put down the list of skills w/base chances yet- if it's necessary let me know.
If you reckon now is a good time, I can have a go at rolling up a draft :)
Sure, whenever you'd like. We have plenty of time to get started but if you're eager to flesh your investigator out, be my guest.
I'll call dibs on one of the creative types - I'm thinking a talented but undedicated bohemian, who has dabbled in a number of creative endeavors without being noteworthy in any of them. I'll keep fleshing him out as the month goes by.
Sounds good Jello, I think I'll veer away from my sideline occult creative type and stick with the Mil Officer/Crim/amateur Psych.
OK looking at the method I have figured that if we can swap 'like dice' then I'd just chuck the same ones in a pool and allocate from there.
So would I roll 5 sets of 3d6, two of 2d6+6, one of 3d6+3 and a D10?
And assume all rolls here using [dice] command?
I'll call dibs on one of the creative types - I'm thinking a talented but undedicated bohemian, who has dabbled in a number of creative endeavors without being noteworthy in any of them. I'll keep fleshing him out as the month goes by.Sounds good Jello, I think I'll veer away from my sideline occult creative type and stick with the Mil Officer/Crim/amateur Psych.
OK looking at the method I have figured that if we can swap 'like dice' then I'd just chuck the same ones in a pool and allocate from there.
So would I roll 5 sets of 3d6, two of 2d6+6, one of 3d6+3 and a D10?
And assume all rolls here using command?
That's right. "Like dice" are interchangeable unless you want to just roll randomly straight down the line and see what you come up with. If one of the rolls really doesn't match up, like a psychoanalyst with an 8 in EDU, I'll allow a re-roll.
I'm going to do rolls first and then create the character based on that. My initial thought, however, is to play either an author or an actor, probably an American who has traveled to London for work.
Roll 1:
Roll 2:
Roll 3:
Roll 4:
Roll 5:
INT:
Siz:
That's a pretty decent set of rolls. I might choose one of the 9's for Edu and add the 3 in to bump it up to 12, though I haven't quite decided yet. I'll post more information on the character once I've played around with the numbers a little.
Okay, here goes..
Roll 1:
Roll 2:
Roll 3:
Roll 4:
EDU:
INT:
SIZ:
Wow, minimum size. I'm pretty small for a carpenter. That 5 is going to hurt too.
Okay, here goes..
Roll 1: 3d6
Roll 2: 3d6
Roll 3: 3d6
Roll 4: 3d6EDU: 3d6+3
INT: 2d6+6
SIZ: 2d6+6Wow, minimum size. I'm pretty small for a carpenter. That 5 is going to hurt too.
You can swap your SIZ and INT if you want, since they use the same dice and modifier.
Jam you need a 5th 3d6 :)
Jam you need a 5th 3d6 :)
He's already got it assigned to the EDU. :)
3d6 - STR 3d6 DEX 3d6 CON 3d6 POW 3d6 APP 3d6
2d6+6 - SIZ 2d6+6 INT 2d6+6
3d6+3 - EDU 3d6+3
So need 5 lots of 3d6, plus one of 3d6+3 :)
Good catch, shifty. I missed it myself.
Take as much time making characters as you want, plenty of time before we begin.
Oops! Thanks Shifty. Here we go:
'Bob' is now Spencer Reeves.
Physically a rather 'average man' although a little on the gaunt side - having been rather slight of build and never really recovered from the ardours of the Western Front, with age beginning to take its toll. Mentally quite vibrant and clever. What he lacks in raw looks, he makes up for in his ability to shmooze and charm, with a sharp wit and easy demeanour. (A bit 'average indeed for my liking, would have preferred another decent roll for some dashing good looks!)
All of this is really a veneer over a slightly cool and very calculating mind.
Think Peter Cushing after a dash of charm school.
I have transcribed the rolls back in a slightly better order if thats ok, swapping that Dex for EDU.
13 SIZ
9 STR
10 DEX
11 CON
10 APP
15 POW
15 EDU
16 INT
Income 7
If this is ok let me know.
Looks good, Shifty. Keep in mind that if you age your character, your EDU score goes up. So you may want to put that 10 back to EDU for a 13 and put the 12 into APP. Then you can make him about 39 for two more EDU. Every 10 years is a point in EDU.
OK will massage that around a little as you suggest :)
I picked him as being around 40 from the get go, so will rejig the backstory a little as my math was off when I wrote it... had he gone to the Front at the beginning of the war at say, 19, he would only be 33 by 1928 (19 in 1914)... meaning he would have have gone off around age 25.
So with that noted.
Spencer is a man around 40, though his smooth and polished manerisms, along with immaculate grooming, lend him a slightly timeless air.
Despite growing up dirt poor, Spencer was reasonably well educated by way of a scholarship to the Roman Catholic 'Marist Brothers' school, granted to him mostly due to his service to the local church as an altar boy, and his naturally articulate demeanour.
Amongst the more simple East End urchins he counted as his friends, Spencer was always seen as a bit of a 'mastermind'; however despite his slender frame, he was not a 'soft touch', for what he lacked in brawn he made up for in cold hard tactics and brutal efficiency. A familiarity with violence by way of a harsh environment coupled with a calculating mind lent him a 'nasty reputation as one best not trifled with' as he grew to adulthood.
Noting that he was falling in with a bad crowd (and seeing that he was seen as a bit of a leader) his mother went in desperate tears to the Marists and pleaded with them for a solution, she did not want Spencer to end up with a lengthy stretch in Wandsworth like his father.
The solution was to send him off in service of the Crown, and into his Majesty's Army. His early education and capable mind, along with excellent references from his Marist mentors saw him eligible enough to secure him a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.
After 'galavanting around' for some time in the Service, war broke out and Spencer shipped out on ‘the greatest adventure’, the Great War of 1914-1918, where he served with honour and was elevated to Captain.
His experience at the Western Front only served to make him a little cooler and remote inside, to those who could see past his immaculatley polished fascade, and he discharged from the services, by 1920 to look after his mother, who passed away in 1922.
Spencer attempted to go into legitimate business, however the rough economic climate bore him scarce fruit, and he soon found himself back into his old social network, and before long - the odd 'good little earner' shady dealing, providing no-questions leverage to those with the pennies to pay. Spencer was able to recruit enough trustworthy muscle from the old neighbourhood to ensure his operations went smoothly, and with his good understanding of ‘diplomacy’ and his old boys’ network of military friends, he managed to stay just outside the grasp of the Law.
The other lasting interest Spencer developed was a keen curiosity into the nature and psychology of fear, his exposure to victims of combat induced psychological injuries, such as shell shock, left him very fascinated with the human mind. His flexible occupation has left him much time to pursue his ‘hobby’, being able to attend lectures at universities around the country, and spend time steeped in academia.
Looks good to me, Shifty. A few things to consider: what kind of criminal operation is Spencer involved in? What are his cover businesses? What made him interested in seeing this play? The author, Talbot Estus, is known for his macabre stories, perhaps Spencer is a fan of his?
Your 7 in income results in a yearly income of 6500 pounds, 32,500 in property and other assets- one tenth is banked in cash, one tenth in stocks and bonds, the rest tied up in property: old books, a house, etc. We won't be tracking money down to the dime or anything, but it gives you an idea of how well your character is getting on.
Your STR + SIZ results in no damage bonus, so any melee attacks will only be as powerful as your fist or weapon.
For everybody:
I've amended this alias with the list of skills with base chances for reference. Don't feel any obligation to copy the whole thing to your character's alias- just write down the skills you've put points in and the percentage, noting which are occupation skills. If you need the list for your occupation, just let me know.
Looks good to me, Shifty. A few things to consider: what kind of criminal operation is Spencer involved in? What are his cover businesses? What made him interested in seeing this play? The author, Talbot Estus, is known for his macabre stories, perhaps Spencer is a fan of his?
At present, Spencer is the Chairman of the 'Bethnal Green Benevolent Society', representing a modest collective of small 'investors' donating and lending money towards a variety of legitimate purposes.
Very little of this actually goes on, of course, as the real money is in direct loan sharking, but the nature of the business can be used to explain wads of ready cash (with little to no means of production in evidence) and launder funds coming in. Off this sit the ancillary business of hiring and supplying thugs for the odd spot of dirty work. All on the payroll as 'Loans officers', a means by which they can be paid shady money in an above board manner.
Spencer isn't totally heartless, and indeed some funds are channeled through for the actual purpose of bettering the lot of the downtrodden in his East End manor - he is 'The Guv'nor' after all. Several businesses have got their start thanks to Spencer, and several people have managed to hold onto their homes in otherwise dire circumstances through his intervention; 'A regular Robin Hood he is' - according to some.
Given some of his business is done with colourfull characters in the West End (involved in the entertainment business) he has bought a couple of tickets to see a play by Talbot Estus, a writer Spencer came across whilst looking into the macabre as part of his studies. The opportunity to mix business and pleasure too much to resist - perhaps accompanying one of the other players?
Edit. Yeah hes not big and strong, so noted on the damage - thats what hired thugs are for. And when all else fails, theres always Mr Colt.
Speaking of which, whats the story with having access to sly firearms?
I'd suspect he'd have some available - maybe a few ex-service from the great war, a souvenired Luger? or a shotguns nicked from country farms. A sword cane would be carried day to day in line with his normal sharp and dapper dress. Either way, hes not one for getting his own hands too dirty.
I'll have to look into British firearm laws from the time; I know a shotgun is entirely legal to carry around in rural areas as long as you have written permission from a local farmer to hunt game on their lands. Given your background, it's fine for you to have some firearms, since you were in the service. Concealing a weapon can cause some inconvenience if you're searched by any constables and don't have some sort of permit.
Just to reiterate and get expectations in line (for everyone), "action averse" is the best way to describe the campaign- opportunities to actually shoot that weapon will be few and far between, and likely the least desirable means of dealing with most situations. Like in any CoC game, the bulk of gameplay is really role playing, interviewing NPCs and sleuthing. Any and all fire fights are potentially deadly. The longest lived investigators resort to wits over force.
Just to reiterate and get expectations in line (for everyone), "action averse" is the best way to describe the campaign- opportunities to actually shoot that weapon will be few and far between, and likely the least desirable means of dealing with most situations.
Indeed, I'm just thinking ahead towards what someone like Spencer may be lugging, given his shady and dodgy dealings. Elder beings and things beyond time notwithstanding, someone like Spencer might normally find himself confronting more terrestrial 'monsters' of the Criminal variety. A pistol in the pants and a cut-down shotgun in the shop might not be too out of line I was thinking.
Using them is one thing, having a convincing prop to give his best "We meet at last Moriarty" speech is entirely another :)
On anything looking vaguely perilous, Spencers chief desire is to win such an encounter by AT LEAST 50 yards...
Edit:
And man, Shifty, between Spencer and Auri, you have a thing for serious character development - I feel downright intimidated!
I like spending some time getting the character sorted out, bith for my own benefit, but also that of the GM. It helps me get my game on, and make consistent in character choices through the game - if I can work out how he ticks and what he would be looking to achieve, I can get more consistency. I design the concept, and then build the mechanics to fit, then go back and tighten the description and backstory to reflect the crunch.
It also gives the GM a metric payload of potential hooks in a more 'freeform' campaign.
Aside from that, I can be a bit of a details freak, and also spend a great deal of my time 'people watching'... its quite fascinating :)
Anyhow, I just hope my detailed methodical approach lends itself to increasing the game enjoyment for everyone and helping with just that smidge more immersion.
You can swap SIZ and INT if you like and reroll EDU until you have a higher score- or I suppose we can assign a higher score to fit the character. You also need 1 more 3d6 roll- there should be five in total for str, dex, con, app and pow and a d10 for income.
My rolls:
Roll 1: 3d6 ⇒ 3d6
Roll 2: 3d6 ⇒ 3d6
Roll 3: 3d6 ⇒ 3d6
Roll 4: 3d6 ⇒ 3d6
It's done that to me in the past a couple of times. It is really annoying :P
Just so you know, GM, I'm working (albeit slowly) on my character. Given the season and a ton of other things going on, it'll be a while before I've gotten anywhere near as far as Shifty has gotten.
The holidays, you know.
it'll be a while before I've gotten anywhere near as far as Shifty has gotten.
The holidays, you know.
Look forward to getting these guys on the road when its all ready! :)
Take your time, everyone. Planning to start in January 2011, so no rush at all. I'm taking the opportunity to read through the campaign and the source material ("The King In Yellow" by Robert W Chambers), maybe do some more research if I see anything coming up.
I'll post information here and there as I think of it about Talbot Estus for those that might know his work, or about the field of psychiatry in Britain, things like that.
What the... two "1"???
Re-re-roll EDU!!! 3d6+3
I'm actually don't know if this "re-re-roll" is allowed ^_^
The boards dicemachine can be a vexatious beast!
I don't mind - two 1's is very harsh
I have no problem with re-rolling to fit your vision of your investigator, especially when I've asked for certain types of characters. Just let me know that you're doing it and it's fine.
An EDU of 12 is equivalent to a high school diploma, more than that indicating some college years. Higher than a 16 indicates some years in graduate study.
Ravenath, your income roll of 7 gives you income and possessions equal to Spencer's; your character is either a rising star in the (at the time mostly unexplored and under appreciated) field of psychology or an established presence in the field, depending on how old you want your investigator to be.
Paraphrased from the Tatters of the King campaign information:
In the 1920s, alienists or psychiatrists have been excluded from sharing in medical research. Many of their medical colleagues view psychiatrists as dull second-raters- just a step, if that, above spa-doctors and homeopaths. Cure rates in asylums have dropped in the last decade from 40% to 31% after the push to harness neurosciences to therapeutics has hit a dead end. The British government of the time doesn't support asylums as liberally as in Germany and Central Europe, allowing physicians to perform scientific experimentation. In Britain, morale is low.
There may be hope on the horizon, however. The focus is starting to shift from asylums themselves to universities and institutes like the new Tavistock Institute in London, where the link between mind and brain is being examined through rigorous and measurable research and experimentation on humans and animals. Testing of drugs and the like is performed post-mortem, however.
Hey James, would you mind if I re-rolled my size? That minimum roll is kind of extreme and I'm having a hard time conceptualizing around it. If you would rather I kept it, no problem at all.
Just in case, here is the re-roll plus the income:
Size:
Income:
That's fine with me. With a 15 SIZ, you're pretty beefy and with that 12 INT you've got a high school level education. Your income of 8 is pretty high for a carpenter, maybe you've inherited money/come from a rich family?
Just to sum up who we have so far:
Shifty- Spencer Reeves, British criminal
Jam412- Carpenter/Set builder
Jelloarm- Lucian McAllistair, British dilettante
Ravenath- Psychoanalyst
Wander Weir- American Author or Actor
PH Dungeon- ?
Meet Victor Sixsmith. Stats are in the profile and I've got the background mostly put together in my brain, just gotta write it out.
Looks good, I'm looking forward to the character bio. I haven't combed line for line through your skills to make sure all your points are spent, but it looks like you're up to speed.