Hello all,
I'm back for a bit! To bring those who recognize me and have missed me hanging around... I landed the best job in the word with an IT Consulting company that most people have never heard of (unless you work in the IT world somewhere) back in February and have been busy since then. I'm in a little bit of a lull right now, waiting on a potential project to get off the ground and to see if I get hired to it. So, I'm going to have a little bit of fun while I'm listening to pod casts on IT related things.
My last module that I did at ConQuest Sac back in March, went over well. It was based on a clash between Wonderland and Oz. This coming November is ConQuest Sac Avalon and I'm needing to come up with another module to run.
I've decided I want to do something different. Instead of sending adventurers out, I want to create a "Sherlock Holmes" type mystery (well, maybe more along the lines of the Scooby Gang ... because I'm silly) and so I want ideas for this. What kind of mystery are my players going to solve. I want to make sure every single skill not the skills list is needed at some point during the game. So, while there will be combats sprinkled in the module, it's going to primarily be a skill based game.
Let's have some fun!
Don't really have a mystery for you to solve, but I run a city based campaign with elements of Scooby Doo, Lovecraft, old radio detective serials, and 70s tv cop shows and Charlie's Angels, all these things just sort of evolving as the game progresses. The Charlie's Angels angle is from a mysterious, unseen benefactor who sometimes hires them to undertake jobs for him, ranging from guarding a famous jewel that is on display to helping rescue a reluctant king from his throne.
Yeah, I am thinking of doing something vague and running with it and see where they take it.
Oh, and congrats on the job!
Thanks!
The power behind the throne form the enemy within campaign for WFRP, read it.
Congratulations! As for a mystery using all skills I would need to craft said mystery entirely to do that.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Do you have access to a copy of the 3.5 splatbook "Cityscapes?" There are a few ideas in that.
Each clue needs 2 or 3 ways to find so you don't get into a roll until you succeed fest. ( like CoC can quite often)
Have interesting results for epic fails
Success with consequence, fail with some progress are all good
Have npcs who like the party.....having city where everyone hates you ( like most whfrp ones) gets tired real quick
No cheap n trite resolutions. No sewers,not mythos,
Player input to drive stuff forward is a winner
I adore city only campaigns and run quite a few. Sometimes quite gritty, sometimes quite epic
Have creative fun and play
What is "WHFRP"?
It stands for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.
There's a new Sherlock Holmes RPG out (via kickstarter) that had a very nice mechanic for mysteries. You (the GM) handed out lots and lots of clues from a large list -- the actual number of clues that they (the party) got depended upon their rolls of their investigative skills, so there might be six clues available at a site, and they get one (randomly) for every full five points on their roll.
Then, if the party needed help, they could make rolls on an analytic skill to throw out the red herrings. So, having received four clues of the six, they could then roll something else and you'd point out which clues are actually relevant and which are red herrings.
In the published game, there were specific investigation and analysis skills, but for PF you could easily make them other specific skills. For example, it's Diplomacy or Sense Motive to get someone to tell the party their story, but it's Knowledge (geography) or (local) to figure out which parts of the story are important.
Following the rule of three, I'd suggest making three skills relevant to each task, so that the party has a good chance of having at least one of the skills and doesn't get trapped in a 'what do you mean, no one has Handle Animal?' situation that shuts the mystery dead.
There's a new Sherlock Holmes RPG out (via kickstarter) that had a very nice mechanic for mysteries. You (the GM) handed out lots and lots of clues from a large list -- the actual number of clues that they (the party) got depended upon their rolls of their investigative skills, so there might be six clues available at a site, and they get one (randomly) for every full five points on their roll.
Following the rule of three, I'd suggest making three skills relevant to each task, so that the party has a good chance of having at least one of the skills and doesn't get trapped in a 'what do you mean, no one has Handle Animal?' situation that shuts the mystery dead.
Great advice. I won't have to worry about the party missing a skill because I get to make the characters. It's a one shot for a convention so they will all be pre-generated. I'm basically going to make Pathfinder versions of the Scooby Gang. :)
My games tend to get a little ridiculous, but I love the suggestions about the clues and red herrings. I think what I need to do is come up with the conclusion first and then go about crafting the mystery around it. I've done some of that already. The game is going to be incredibly punny, but then, mine usually are. :)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Congratulations! As for a mystery using all skills I would need to craft said mystery entirely to do that.
I'll take any ideas you might have about what kinds of situations would go with various skills. :) Not asking for the entire mystery here. I already have a premise. I'm going to re-use the Necro Gnome Icon. ;)
Congratulations! As for a mystery using all skills I would need to craft said mystery entirely to do that.I'll take any ideas you might have about what kinds of situations would go with various skills. :) Not asking for the entire mystery here. I already have a premise. I'm going to re-use the Necro Gnome Icon. ;)
Awesome. Simply awesome.
Didn't you hear about that minor magical item, DC?
Didn't you hear about that minor magical item, DC?
No, I don't think I have.
Let me find the description. :D
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Magical Item: Necro-Gnome Icon - A small Gnome figurine dressed in sorcerer's clothing. With the command word "Jinkies" 5 HD worth of Zombies will be summoned. However, these Zombies are uncontrollable unless a Control Undead spell is used after they are summoned. If Item is used and no Control Undead spell is cast, roll percentiles. On a 1-45, Zombies attack the party, on a 46-89, Zombies attack the nearest non-party member. On a 90 or above, Zombies ignore everyone else around them and tear each other to shreds.
Please, please , please make the party just high enough in level that one member can be an awakened Great Dane.
How high would that have to be? I was thinking 5th level this time.
London 1800s. Lovecraft rules. Bring in all the old horror movies villains and reskin them to lovecraft monsters. Jack the Ripper, creature from the black lagoon, Frankenstein, wolfman, invisible man, etc. mr jeckle/mr Hyde creating them by combining occult with science, trying to unlock the secrets and mysteries of an old god. Mr smiley is pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Even have mr smiley as the one who hires the adventurers and maybe even look like he "helping" them from time to time.
In the second book of Rise of the Rune lords there is a Haunted House that our group scoobied. I don't think it would take much to move that house to "the outskirts of town" or some place that not even the rats will dwell.
I did do a chase scene in a dungeon once with the "Scooby Doo Hallway", where there were 3 doors to a side and the parties exited via random roll through differing doors until the roll came up where they opened the doors directly across from one another. Then the fight was on.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I did do a chase scene in a dungeon once with the "Scooby Doo Hallway", where there were 3 doors to a side and the parties exited via random roll through differing doors until the roll came up where they opened the doors directly across from one another. Then the fight was on.
That is hilarious. I may have to use this.