Dark Revelations

Game Master baldrick0712

This is the "out of character" thread for the "Dark Revelations" campaign.

I am new to this site so any help on how to manage character sheets would be helpful. Is there some sort of List thread we can attach to the campaign or can we just use the characters tab?

I have set up my Avatar Profile similar to a Character Sheet. I filled out a Chaosium autocalc sheet for Stevie but it didn't upload well to Google Docs, viewer issues.

I have set up my Avatar Profile similar to a Character Sheet. I filled out a Chaosium autocalc sheet for Stevie but it didn't upload well to Google Docs, viewer issues.

Is "Freelancer" his actual Occupation? I could not see it in the rulebook. Maybe it's in the Investigator Handbook?

Explorer is his actual Occupation. I used it to determine skills, Credit Rating, etc.

Freelancer refers to the fact he doesn't actually work for a single employer but rather sells his services to different people based on the job and needs.

Traveler refers to the fact he has not yet put down permanent roots but will go where needed when needed.

Ex-Veteran references his military past, and that he still considers that time to be an important part of his life.

Explorer is his actual Occupation. I used it to determine skills, Credit Rating, etc.

That's what I was after, in case I want to check the right number of points have been spent. Thanks.

I may have to run a purchased scenario. How do we feel about that? I would not want you to play a scenario you'd played before. One I am thinking of buying is "Sun Spots". If anyone has already played it, please let me know. Alternatively I could come up with an original scenario but it would obviously take longer to prepare.

I'm fine with purchased scenarios. I haven't played any prepackaged stuff for CoC, my Keeper would write his own.

The blurb on DriveThruRPG says Boston, so if it's acceptable I'll update my gameplay post to set the mood while waiting for everyone.

The blurb on DriveThruRPG says Boston, so if it's acceptable I'll update my gameplay post to set the mood while waiting for everyone.

Boston will be fine whatever scenario it is as I want to focus on "Lovecraft Country" initially.

Updated Stephan to account for the Boston Hotel Room, travel expenses, and updated equipment, deducting costs as needed.

Updated Stephan to account for the Boston Hotel Room, travel expenses, and updated equipment, deducting costs as needed.

The rules say that gear which is in keeping with a new investigator's occupation/background and/or credit rating should just be owned at no cost, so unless an item falls outside of these parameters I suggest you give Stevie back some money!

[EDIT] With a Credit Rating of 55, Stevie is classed as Wealthy, with the following benefits...

Accommodation: a substantial residence, perhaps with some domestic help (butler, housekeeper, cleaner, gardener, etc.) Possibly a second home in the country or abroad. Stay in expensive hotels. Travel: first class. This person would own an expensive car or equivalent.

Stephan prefers to play down the wealthy aspect, it being mostly derived from a family disinterested in him as being family. He remembers fondly the work ethic his mother instilled in him, and couldn't readily imagine having a staff or servants anyway. He tends to tip a bit heavily as a result as well.

As he travels frequently for the doc he has yet to buy a permanent home, such a headache to deal with when away. The same situation with a car. Living in New York his occasionally used flat is acceptable, his old neighborhood comfortable, and taxis are quite prevalent, not to mention taking the trains or good old shoe leather when needed.

He does tend to spend a bit more on clothing and appearances however, both to satisfy a bit of a peacock nature as well as to play up the pulpy rugged and adventurous nature of his reputation. Such impressions better serve the doc when it comes to wooing financial donors and instilling the desire to live vicariously through the pair. To Stevie there's also something satisfying in taking money from the well to do to finance digs and explorations which ultimately end up in museums to be enjoyed by Brooklyn kids, the kind who grew up poor, just like Stevie. Part of his interest in artifacts and digs came from his mother taking him on outings to museums, libraries, and galleries as a child, simple entertainments that held something of lasting value.

It is rare for Stephan to toss about his Harkness name, few of his friends knowing the connection at all. When he does use it there must be something really important on the line. It's not that he hates the family name, he doesn't, but to him it's always been just his middle name, not the keys to a world of society and acceptance. That said, he does still enjoy a night on the town when Cousin Bill feels like slumming it, or the pair decide to crash a new speak-easy, or they attend the latest back barn fight night out near the piers.

Credit Rating 10 to 50 is "Average" so at 55 Stevie would be considered well off by most people's standards but certainly no Rockefeller. The bands and descriptions are very broad. In contrast, Gene with a Credit Rating of 10 is borderline "Poor". If the waiter ever brings the menu he will probably shudder at the prices.

Yeah, grad students in mathematics aren't known for their wealth. If we're spending much cash on fancy things I'm going to be tapped out almost before we even start.

Thanks for suggesting the character sheet from the Chaosium website.

I'm not sure what Dorothy's movement and magic points should be.

The avatar isn't the image I thought I selected. The images didn't appear formatted properly on my screen so that probably played a factor in its choice. However, it does show a fairly average looking woman, so it all worked out.

In Chrome I had to float my cursor over the images a few times to get the page to show them correctly before picking mine. Trial and error should get you the image you want, if it's an issue.

Checking in. I will be statted up and such shortly. Looking forward to it!

Welcome to the game!

Yes, apologies for my poor manners, welcome aboard.

I've posted a map of "Lovecraft Country" to the Campaign Description. The map features the fictional towns of Arkham, Kingsport and others.

Salem Witch House up for sale

Not game related but interesting considering where we are currently.

Indeed! Nice find. Maybe I'll weave it into the story somehow.

If you would like this to become a campaign then we should really be marking skills for which a success was rolled so you can make skill improvement checks between scenarios. Feel free to mark a successfully rolled skill in your profile with an asterisk or something if you want (but you don't have to - in my experience PbP games tend to be one-shots as they take so long to play).

So for the bonus die, roll a d100 and a d10, with the d10 being substituted for the ten digit of the d100 result? Seems the easiest approach for me.

For example d100: 1d100 ⇒ 94 and d10: 1d10 ⇒ 2 would give the character either a 24 or a 94 result, selecting the better option.

This would work for a penalty die as well, forcing the player to take the worst result instead of the better option.

Works well. Thanks.

That’s a good idea Stevie.

If our characters survive, I’d be happy to continue the campaign. I’ve never played Call of Cthulhu in person. My previous pbp experiences with CoC were short lived.

Depending on the game, CoC is often short-lived. :D By design, really.
My longest CoC tabletop game lasted about six years, but during that time, each player went through 2-3 PCs, easily.

I am okay with trying a campaign.

Also I'd loosely recommend the Frankie Drake Mysteries if you can find them. Canadian TV set in the 1920's for some period imagery. Nothing mythos about it, but barring the glaring mistakes it gives a good cosplay style look at the time...

Insidious inculcation of the Cthulhu Mythos into British kids by what can only be cultists within children's entertainment. ;)

Teletubbies Hidden Meanings

Just FYI, I will be out of pocket for just over 24 hours, at a Cub Scout campout. Feel free to use me for whatever nefarious purposes come to mind. I'll be back to posting tomorrow.

Stay dry, tell the hook story, have fun...

I should have responded to your post on Friday concerning the time element of the Library Use or History skill checks. the normal, 1 PM time is fine. That should give four hours (or so) at the historical society before returning to the hotel.

I'm pretty sure the collective Spending Limit of the investigators will cover the trips you are making in Ted's cab but if anyone knows how much a cab fare would be in 1929 for a given number of miles I would be very grateful.

That is a difficult answer to find. I searched for about ten minutes, finding some interesting taxi/history sites, but nothing really about fares for 1929.

From the old 1920's Investigator's Companion Vol 1: (Pretty much similar in the 7th ed Investigator's Handbook)

Taxi Rates
Taxis charge set rates, prescribed by the local community
and based on distance traveled and time spent in the cab.
Mechanical meters with timers and spring-driven clocks
automatically compute the rate. Meters can be tampered
and consequently are periodically checked and certified
by the local taxi board. Ford and Chevrolet build special
versions of their autos for Yellow and Checker, the two
largest American taxi companies.
Rates vary, but are generally higher in large cities.
Typical is an opening charge of 15 cents (the flag drop),
then a distance charge of 5 cents a mile. A clock keeps the
meter ticking at a slow pace, even when the taxi is stuck
in traffic. A waiting taxi charges $2 an hour.
Taxi drivers service all levels of the community and
are often a good source of local information, both general
and specific. A tip of 5-10% is considered customary.

Thanks for this find, which confirms we don't need to track Ted's charges (they are easily accommodated by the combined Spending Level of the group).

Strange, I made a double post and deleted one then both disappeared. Odd! Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions on what CoC7e product to buy next. Possible options...
- Investigators Handbook
- Grand Grimoire
- The Two-Headed Serpant
- Keeper's Screen

I have the investigator's Handbook. It has a bit more material on character creation, world immersion, and optional play rules regarding organizations, character creation, etc. I like it myself.

The Keeper's Screen would be useful if you run RL or face to face games, or would prefer to have a few charts close at hand w/o need to search for them. I believe it comes with an adventure, but don't have it personally.

I picked up the Grand Grimoire but to be honest I haven't cracked the spine since purchasing, an impulse buy when I had more cash than sense. From what I recall it had a plethora of spells, a few NPCs, and rules for modifying or creating spells of your own, I think.

Thanks for the tips. I will probably get the Investigator's Handbook as it sounds the most useful.

I will be AFK until Friday midday, hope everyone who partakes has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Stevie

Same, more or less. :)

No problem. Enjoy the festivities.

I will be taking the day tomorrow, making merry in whatever manner I can manage. I wish each of you whatever Greetings of the Season you may celebrate, and hope you all take a moment to enjoy friends, family, and any goodly company as might be available to you. For myself, I offer Merry Christmas and God Bless Us Everyone...

Merry Christmas everyone.

Happy New Year everyone. I will try to post more frequently now the holiday period is over.

Happy 2019 everyone, may it treat us all better than 2018 ever thought to try...

Happy New Year! I want to post with greater frequency too!

If at any time Stevie oversteps his bounds please feel free to retcon his actions or deeds. I am playing a bit close to the manners and attitudes of my great grandfather who felt woman were the fairer and better gender, but deserved to be protected and respected as a matter of principle. Misogynistic I know, and I do not intend to offend anyone.

I feel your character's actions are very appropriate and in-step with the predominant cultural norms. No offense taken here.