After a quick check for interest, I can see that I have enough people interested in the game to start finding players for the Eternal Lies campaign. I'm ideally looking for 4-5 players that can get into the spirit of the game and that are willing to keep the threads of the investigation in mind over the course of what could be a long campaign. During play, I will do my best to note found clues in the Campaign Info section along with an expanding summary of the investigation so far. However, taking notes of your own will be encouraged- there will be a lot of information to sift through over the course of the game, in between throw-downs with cultists and brushes with cosmic horror.
Eternal Lies begins in Providence, RI in 1937. The heiress Janet Winston-Rogers has called your investigator to look into an incident in 1924 involving her late father the entrepreneur and armchair occultist Walter Winston.
Character Creation- Each investigator will have 16 investigative ability points and 65 general ability points, with the standard 4 sanity and 1 each in health and stability for free along with the lower value for Credit Rating according to their profession. We will be using the Sources of Stability rules.
Eternal Lies also has 10 pre-generated characters for players that are either new to the system or are hard up for time to generate their own investigator. They are: an alienist or a doctor, a police detective or a private eye, an antiquarian or a professor, a criminal and a dilettante and an author and a priest. Presented in pairs, they are designed to fill a role in an investigative party- hence, if one person wants to play the alienist, someone else should not choose the doctor. Upon request, I can type some of them up for your perusal (or find a downloadable character sheet for you).
As far as occupations that are inappropriate for the campaign, I would only advise against the Hobo and Pilot professions. This is a globe-trotting campaign in the Masks of Nyarlathotep tradition, so certain professional benefits tied to a university residency, precinct or antique shop will require either interpersonal ability use in the field, postage time, or use in between locations during recovery periods in Providence. I would encourage the party to cover as many investigative ability bases as possible- even 1 point in an ability is valuable. This being at least a somewhat pulpy campaign, points in Explosives, Fleeing, Scuffling, Firearms, Weapons and Athletics will be valuable though every general ability will come in handy at some point.
Your character background/biography should be a paragraph or two long with a few descriptive sentences about your sources of stability and an idea of how you may have impressed Ms. Winston-Rogers enough that she wants to hire you for a personal matter.
Whether your characters have all met before or if you're working together for the first time, or if you belong to a secret society of inquisitive sorts we can determine together, based on what best serves the narrative.
I look forward to seeing your applications and thank you for your interest!
I will give it some serious thought.
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When in 37? Earhart disappears that year, Stalin is purging and a few other "big things" like the Hindenberg happen that year so I am just wanting to orient myself...
For my part I am eyeballing military, although maybe recently retired or on some sort of inactive status...I'm not sure how much globetrotting an active member can accomplish. I also thought about being a dilettante who is a Great War vet...
My last couple of Mythos game characters were a history teacher and an antiquarian. That said, most of my experience is with Delta Green so I tend to orient best towards military types. I dunno, the Trail/Gumshoe system is new to me so I'm just trying to get my bearings...
I will say that the game starts in August of 1937 for an appropriately humid start- so Amelia Earhart's disappearance and the Hindenberg disaster are pretty fresh in peoples' minds.
Military could be interesting, though active duty would present some logistical problems. Discharged or retired may work a bit better, but I'm willing to work with anything even half-plausible. Combat veterans get some pretty useful professional abilities, even if they have to cap stability at 10.
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What about concepts that may crossover into more than one category?
Examples:
A priest who was a military chaplain.
A soldier who was a field medic.
An ex-criminal who has been recruited by a government agency.
An antiquarian who is also a college professor.
How do those situations pan out, as far as stats and abilities go?
What about concepts that may crossover into more than one category?
Examples:
A priest who was a military chaplain.
A soldier who was a field medic.
An ex-criminal who has been recruited by a government agency.
An antiquarian who is also a college professor.
How do those situations pan out, as far as stats and abilities go?
Keep in mind that occupational skills aren't the only things you can put points in- far from it. Occupational skills just give you double the points you put into them. So I would ask what the character is primarily- if the professor specializing in ancient languages fought in the trenches, that might simply explain why he can use firearms and stayed in shape. If a cat burglar has straightened out into a private eye, they might just have some more people skills. The dilettante is also a good option if you want someone that's dipped their toes in a lot of different jobs over the years, with the family name and dwindling fortune keeping them above water.
I'm considering several options, but foremost is a young Turkish (Or other nationality)man sent to the US to live with a relative due to danger or some other reason at home. Maybe he attended college here, and is now somewhat of an antiquarian, specializing in religious artifacts. Just a thought, and it will probably change before character generation time :-). How does that concept work... note country of origin is negotiable.
Since this happened in August 1937, perhaps my character should be Soviet.
The purge
August 5 – The Soviet Union commences one of the largest campaigns of the Great Purge, to "eliminate anti-Soviet elements." Within the following year, at least 724,000 people are killed[citation needed] on order of the troikas, directed by Joseph Stalin. This was an offensive that targeted social classes (such as the kulaks), ethnic or racial backgrounds which were seen as non-Russian,[citation needed] and Stalin's personal opponents from the Communist Party and their sympathizers.
That sounds great to me, a nice counterbalance to the typical WASPy Lovecraftian protagonist.
I will note for anyone that I'll allow you to keep some of the languages known by your characters through the Language skill to be undefined so you can dedicate it on the fly and reveal that your character spoke Spanish or French or Arabic all along.
I was thinking of a prohibition-era mobster who turned State's Evidence against his crime family. The FBI crafted a new identity for him, and also found his insights into the criminal organizations useful. As such, his new identity comes complete with a job as a special agent with the Bureau.
There's potential there, but I don't think J. Edgar Hoover was in the habit of handing out badges to former bootleggers and racketeers. A mobster informant that got off with a slap on the wrist and a new identity that's looking for some of the old excitement after going straight could be great, but becoming an FBI agent afterwards is a little too much for me, sorry.
To preserve the theme of plucky investigators risking personal safety and sanity to crusade against Inhuman Threats, let's keep military and government connections in the past if you have to have them.
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It could still work without the badge. He's got a new identity and has gone legit, but old habits die hard. He misses the danger and intrigue of "The Life" and invariably finds himself delving into questionable ventures when he knows he should just keep his head down and keep walking the straight and narrow.
It could still work without the badge. He's got a new identity and has gone legit, but old habits die hard. He misses the danger and intrigue of "The Life" and invariably finds himself delving into questionable ventures when he knows he should just keep his head down and keep walking the straight and narrow.
That sounds great to me, thanks.
So, have you decided if all of the pulp rules will be used? I am currently considering a psychologist, or maybe a para.
So, have you decided if all of the pulp rules will be used? I am currently considering a psychologist, or maybe a para.
I'm going to go with hybrid mode and if we decide that going pulpier as the game goes on would be more fun, we can always dial it up.
Hybrid mode guidelines:
-Occupation descriptions do not include Pulp-mode options.
-Hypnosis is not available to investigators.
-Priests do not have Psychoanalysis as an occupational ability and cannot bless holy water, fend off vampires or exorcise demons.
-Parapsychologists cannot purchase Hypnosis or have psychic powers.
-Private Investigators do not have the Chandler-inspired alternate list of occupational abilities.
-Adventure, Duty, Revenge and Sudden Shock are suitable Drives.
-Purist-mode caps on Health and Stability are not in effect; Sanity is still capped at 10.
-Investigators do have Sources of Stability, but must (as usual) spend time with them in order to recover stability between investigations- this can be hand-waved if forward momentum calls for it by writing letters and sending telegrams home, however.
-The Keeper does not reveal the Difficulty Numbers of tests.
-Pulp style long-range and double-fisted use of the Firearms ability are out and effective bullet-proof clothing is not available to Investigators. The full-auto option for submachine guns is not used, and Investigators are not assumed to have unlimited ammunition at their disposal.
-Explosives can be employed.
-The Stability loss of repeated encounters with similar minor Mythos creatures is reduced as described in the Trail rulebook on page 72.
-Players are allowed to faint in order to avoid extreme Sanity loss.
-Confidence-based Stability recovery is not allowed.
-Recovery of Sanity from "defeating the Mythos" is not possible. Taking extraordinary action or making personal sacrifices in line with your Pillars of Sanity may garner a small Sanity recovery.
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So I think I have a character hammered out...
Robert Creswell II
I used the "Black Book" character generator linked through Pelgrane to build him, let me know if anything looks "off". Having never used the system before let me know if some of my number might be best adjusted in other ways.
I basically took skills from the office set under military and invested in some broad things that might explain upper class schooling and business with a dash of "thrill seeking". Hopefully that is represented well.
I still need to work on my pillars and sources
Born as the third generation of "new money" Robert is the son of Sir Percy Creswell, tycoon and "royal hero". The second of two sons, Robert was named for his grandfather and did what was expected of him; boarding school, military academy and then officer in the Great War. After his tour with the 13th Division Robert returned home to find his mother dead from illness, his brother dead from an automobile accident and his always stern and disapproving father having become more taciturn due to their passing.
Since the war Robert has been part of the families business, providing dutiful if not enthusiastic efforts. He has become a compotent businessman but lacks the drive and ambition of his father or his grandfather before him. Robert remains "unattached" if not a well sought after bachelor and spends his ample free time target shooting, playing polo and cricket and driving increasingly more powerful automobiles.
Robert is faithful to his family though with ample liquor he has no reservation noting the failings of his father or his complete assurance that money, more than any other factor, is the new path to power. Robert holds a mild disdain for the old peerage of the land and is exceptionally tight lipped about his time in the war. Some suspect that his lack of a wife may come from rumors that he still cannot sleep through the night without another dream or reminder of all that transpired in those days.
Robert is dutiful and patient. He tends towards a rakish ease of self in most settings but holds few close friends and is more brooding in his solitude save for when with a small select few. Now 40 Robert is in good shape for a man his age though the use of drink and tobacco along with aggressive sport will surely catch up to him soon.
So I think I have a character hammered out...
** spoiler omitted **
I still need to work on my pillars and sources
** spoiler omitted **...
I don't have permission to check out the google doc sheet; I'm going to request it from my email (jamesmkeegan at gmail) and double check it, if you would be so kind as to give me permission.
His background looks good to me, maybe a quick sentence about how he knows Ms. Winston-Rogers (either through Walter Winston, Janet herself or her late husband)?
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So I think I have a character hammered out...
** spoiler omitted **
I still need to work on my pillars and sources
** spoiler omitted **...
I don't have permission to check out the google doc sheet; I'm going to request it from my email (jamesmkeegan at gmail) and double check it, if you would be so kind as to give me permission.
His background looks good to me, maybe a quick sentence about how he knows Ms. Winston-Rogers (either through Walter Winston, Janet herself or her late husband)?
Oh yes I gave you access, sorry I meant to make it open...
as far as how he knows Ms. Winston-Rogers:
Sir Percy Creswell, Robert's father, was an acquaintance of Walter Winston, having being "set up" through various connections for business dealings. While no strong arrangements every manifested on the business side the men were known to do favors for one another and be seen together at gathering in each others respective countries.
Ms. Winston-Rogers may come to discover that Creswell was of particular value in that his business interests reached India, Africa and the Orient via Hong Kong and as such on certain occasions Creswell facilitated the transfer or certain items of interest into the United States pursuant to Winston's interests.
Creswell was incredibly Brisitsh about the whole thing doing so under the auspices of Winston being a "fine chap" but really just liking the opportunity to gain favor and retain relationships that kept Creswell in high esteem as his methods border the less than scrupulous from time to time. Something Robert is happy to talk about when properly lubricated.
So I think I have a character hammered out...
** spoiler omitted **
I still need to work on my pillars and sources
** spoiler omitted **...
I don't have permission to check out the google doc sheet; I'm going to request it from my email (jamesmkeegan at gmail) and double check it, if you would be so kind as to give me permission.
His background looks good to me, maybe a quick sentence about how he knows Ms. Winston-Rogers (either through Walter Winston, Janet herself or her late husband)?
Oh yes I gave you access, sorry I meant to make it open...
as far as how he knows Ms. Winston-Rogers:
** spoiler omitted **
Cool, thanks. I'm going to double check the point allocations from the character generator- can you tell me which five skills you took for your open occupational skills in addition to Credit Rating, Riding and Flattery?
As far as character building, it's not a bad idea to have specialties picked out to put a lot of points into, but it also won't hurt to have 2-4 points in something else in the general skills list. Since the base mechanic for general stuff is rolling 1d6 versus a difficulty that usually falls between 3 and 5, being able to add even 2 points on a noncombat roll like stealth, mechanical repair or first aid can come in useful.
On the other hand, being a wealthy Englishman with time in the service behind him and plenty of time to go shooting, boxing and driving expensive cars pretty much renders exactly the character you've made, so I can't say you really need to reassign anything unless you want to.
I'll get up my character Sunday (Monday at the latest)
Should be Athletics, Firearms, Bureaucracy, Reassurance and Accounting
Can you tell me which five skills you took for your open occupational skills in addition to Credit Rating, Riding and Flattery?
Ran the numbers- Robert Creswell II is good to go.
Sorry to hear it Cuchulainn.
So we have PirateDevon, scranford and maybe Nohwear left?
I love the Cthulhu mythos, having read a good deal of the literature in my younger years, but have no experience with the system. Is it difficult to pick up? If not, I would be happy to join in with whatever role the party needs.
The rules are pretty simple- the basic premise is that you have two sets of skills: investigative and general. Investigative skills are used to discover clues and gain special benefits in the narrative/otherwise make your investigator look smart and competent. When looking for a clue, you would just describe what you're doing and what investigative skill you're using- if it applies, you find a clue. Points in investigative abilities can be spent for special benefits but aren't necessary to spend to get important clues that drive the story forward.
General abilities are things that have exciting consequences for failure; firearms, scuffling, driving, first aid, etc. are general skills. Points placed in these can be spent to increase the results of d6 rolls in order to beat a difficulty number (usually 4 or 5). Points in general abilities refresh to a limited degree after a few hours of rest.
Trail also differs from Call in that the sanity mechanic is broken up into two different stats- stability and sanity. Stability represents your immediate mental state and nerves; being in a car accident will rattle you, but won't drive you insane. Sanity is your ability to function as a human in the normal world and a measure of how much of "the horrible truth of existence" you've witnessed. Mythos creatures and prolonged psychological stress can reduce your sanity.
If that sounds good, there are a number of free pdfs on the Pelgrane Press website.
In the Forms and Handouts section, you can find a condensed rules pdf.
The Gumshoe 101 pdf can also be very helpful for getting a simple overview of how the game is run.
Still haven't found time to build the character, though I'm trying to find time. Work travel this week, but hopefully I'll get some time in the hotel to work on this. I'll take my TofC book with me.
Take your time, no rush. I hope we can get at least 3 (ideally 4) definite players for this, so I'm willing to leave it open for a while.
okay, seems like an intriguing system and I already like the source material, so consider me in. We have a psychologist, and archaeologist, and a dilettante/soldier, so I am thinking maybe perhaps a criminal or something. A bootlegger from the southern US with too much time on his hands now that prohibition is over. Selling whiskey still makes him a decent coin, but its not as exciting as when he was shinin' and fighting the law.
Good start?
Glad you're willing to give it a shot! A criminal or a private detective would be a great addition. If you want to go for the retired bootlegger that's fine: I only ask that you work in a reason for Janet Winston-Rogers to trust you enough to send you to look into her late father's affairs and to be in Providence in time for the meeting.
I've got the basics of the Character sheet up. Still need to shop, and tie in all the background, but definitely will get finished up before the weekend is over.
Anatoly Dudko
Russian (Kulak) Male 32 years old
Archaeologist (Religious Artifact hunter)
Drive: In the Blood
Occupational Benefit: Ability to access museums, handle artifacts etc.
Investigative Skills
Anthropology 1, Archaeology 2*,, Architecture 1, Art History 1, Cryptography 1, Evidence Collection 2*, Geology 1, History 2*, Languages 4*, Library Use 2*, Occult 2*, Oral History 1, Theology 2*, Bureaucracy 1.
Languages English, Russian, German, TBD, TBD
General Skills
Athletics 8*, Conceal 4, Explosives 4, Firearms 8, First Aid 8*, Health 10, Mechanical Repair 4, Ride 6*, Sanity 10, Scuffling 6, Sense Trouble 4, Stability 10.
Sources of Stability
My family perseveres despite all we have experienced.
I love New York
The Russian Orthodox Church is my shield and my sword
Pillars of Sanity
Father Dudko (My uncle) took me in when I took refuge in the US
Dr. Chung was my favorite professor, and taught me all I know.
My loyal horse Fargo is what keeps me grounded and sane.
Hopefully! It's starting to seem like interest may be waning? If anyone that's interested without access to the rules wants me to post some of the pre-generated investigators from the campaign, I'm willing to.
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I find I have to sort of shake myself to remember the thread, which is a problem I have with most recruitments. My process is so oriented to checking my campaign tabs that sometimes I forget to look at the threads and then if I do, threads like this one that seem less active don't tend to bubble to the top even in "focus" mode.
I think my PC is ready except for background. I'll wrap that up and make a profile. When do we want to start?
I'd like to start in the next week or so, but I need at least three people with characters ready, preferably four before we start. Sorry to say, but I'm not sure how well this will work with just the two of you guys and me.
I'll do a little more active advertising and see if anyone is curious to try the system or are in the mood for a Lovecraft game.
Sorry, I have my character done, but my first post seems to have failed. I tossed the first idea, when with a police detective on indefinite leave instead. Will post up shortly.
Cool, thanks for letting me know.
I'll get up the profile, and history tonight...
Anatoly presents himself ready for adventure, and insanity.
Yeah, was playing with mechanics, seemed like the character I was working on would end up fitting "military - army" for proficient skills better than "criminal" (he would have been a driver-tough guy-gunman-country boy), and it seemed like we could use some more skills, so a detective sounded intriguing.
Without further ado:
Maxwell Marlowe
Police Detective
DRIVE Duty
GENERAL SKILLS Athletics* 6, Driving* 8, Explosives 2, Firearms* 10, Health 12, Mechanical Repair 3, Preparedness 3, Sanity 10, Scuffling 6, Sense Trouble* 8, Shadowing 4, Stability 10, Stealth 5
INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS Assess Honesty* 3, Ballistics 1, Bargain 2, Cop Talk* 3, Credit Rating 3, Evidence Collection* 3, Forensics 2, Interrogation* 3, Intimidation 1, Law* 2, Locksmith 2, Streetwise 1
BACKGROUND Maxwell Marlowe grew up the third son of a mason in Salem, Massachusetts. Max's birth had robbed his father of his bride, and the Great War claimed his two older brothers. His wife gone and his two eldest dead, Max's father could have devoted himself to loving his son, but it was the era of Prohibition, and he instead found solace in booze, gambling, and women. Max spent many nights at home alone, his father stumbling in the next morning still drunk. Before Max had hit fifteen his father was six feet under, his life claimed over gambling debts.
Max had seen the men before that night, remembered their names, and was able to identify them to the police. The boy's words proved helpful, and the precinct managed to take down the local arm of the mob, gaining them praise and recognition. With no family of his own and he now viewed as a mascot of the precinct, the police invited Max to move into the squad house. He was required to keep the place clean, and in return they made sure he finished school, stayed out of trouble, and as soon as he graduated got him into the academy. From there is was clear sailing...
Detective Marlowe met Evelyn Blake while accompanying his Captain to a social event up in the coastal town of Ipswich. He'd never seen a woman so beautiful, so pure, and for her part she was enamored with the nobility of the gallant young police detective. His lack of society status may have proved a problem in their courtship, but his Captain was from old Massachusetts money and he spoke for Max's character. Very quickly the two fell deeply in love, and in June of 1934 they were wed on her family's estate. The next May their daughter Mira was born, and the couple became the talk of the North Shore. There were rumors Marlowe was soon to be promoted to lieutenant, and likely after that Captain.
But all that changed at Christmas of 1936. They had planned to go home to her parents' Christmas for Easter, but Max was wrapped up on a high profile case, so he sent his wife up on the train, planning to follow in a couple days. That night the phone rang, it was Mr. Blake. Evelyn had not been on the train when it arrived in Ipswich, even though Max himself had put them on the train that morning. The authorities sprang into action, scouring the train and the area, but there was no sign of her. Other travelers were interviewed, but the chaos of the Holiday made it difficult to track down passengers.
On January 4th, a woman came in to the Ipswich police department and reported she had seen Evelyn and the little girl. When the train stopped in Innsmouth, a man had got on the train, said something to her, then lead her and the child off. Max was immediately notified of this testimony and the combined might of Salem police, Ipswich police, and the wealth of the Blake family descended on the shadowy port town of Innsmouth. Yet three months of tireless investigating provided even a scrap of evidence, and the department listed it as a runaway case.
Distraught and unable to work, Max was put on indefinite leave in late April. For the past few months he has searched for clues, hoping to find his beloved Evelyn and Mira, but it has been more than half a year, and his hope is fading...
When he received the letter from Ms. Winston-Rogers, he was caught offguard. He recalled meeting her at the Blake estate the summer before, and hearing of the strange passing of her father. In the letter she offered her sympathy on the disappearance of Max's family, then asked for his aid, as both an investigator and a kindred spirit.
Anatoly presents himself ready for adventure, and insanity.
Looks great! I think you may have 1 open point in investigative abilities remaining, I counted 15. And I think your Sources and Pillars are flipped- Your uncle would likely be a source of stability while your faith in the Russian Orthodox Church would be a pillar of sanity. Beyond those small nit-picks, you're good to go!
Yeah, was playing with mechanics, seemed like the character I was working on would end up fitting "military - army" for proficient skills better than "criminal" (he would have been a driver-tough guy-gunman-country boy), and it seemed like we could use some more skills, so a detective sounded intriguing.
Without further ado:
** spoiler omitted **...
Great work! I only have an issue with the Ballistics skill- I don't know if it's from a different Gumshoe system or it's an optional skill in Trail but I think Forensics, Evidence Collection and Firearms can all cover that ground pretty well, so maybe reassign the point?
From there, all Maxwell needs are his three Pillars of Sanity- the beliefs he clings to in order to make sense of this crazy world and his three Sources of Stability- the friends, family members and confidants that see him through tough times. Just a short sentence for each is great. Thanks!
I will drop Nohwear a line and see if he's still interested. I'll also do a round of advertisement in the other games I'm in and see if anyone else is interested. If we roll with the three of you, you'll each get a few more investigative points to help cover all of our bases.
Let me take a look at the pdfs you linked and see if I get any inspiration for a character. Last time I played CoC I had a retired British Army colonel. I'd probably like to do something a little less elephant gun this time around.
Great! So far we have a British Dilettante and former military officer, a Russian archaeologist and an American police detective.