Every game needs one

First. Well, second actually as the storyteller was first...

Anyway, nice to meat you all. Let's go crazy together.

Nice to meat you too, Lord Byron.
I look forward to being on a steak-out with you. Who's going to be top-side?
If things go south, I reckon we can wing it.
Hopefully we won't have to chop anyone in the ribs.
I don't want any ham actors in the party, but it's better than mince-ing fops.

Sorry...couldn't help myself!

Howdy folks! Glad to be on board.

Welcome aboard one and all. It is my intention to post something substantive to the game at least twice a week and then allow a few days for replies. I realize we all have lives. This is a published scenario and I will be sticking to the adventure as written since I've never run it before. If you know what it is (I did not use the published name) please do not spoil the fun for others.

As I indicated in the recruitment process, I'm not particularly fussy about what version of CoC you use to generated your character sheets as long as you have a sheet to help determine outcomes of encounters or research or whatever. That will be my next request for you -- to send me a character sheet using the character outlines you have provided so far.

Here are the Quick Start rules for Chaosium's Seventh Edition:

https://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu-quickstart/

I'm also perfectly happy with the D20 version or the 5th edition.

Thanks for gaming with me. I hope this will be fun -- and horrible at the same time.

Nice to meet you all.

Looking forward to gaming with you all.

Good to be playing! I'm looking forward to a great adventure with all of you.

Keeper - What year is the game to be played in?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:21, Sat 23 May 2020.

Is there a good character sheet template?

My apologies to you, Byron or anyone, if you took offence to my punning; it's never my intention to insult or offend (at least out of character!). I sometimes forget that English isn't everyone's native tongue.

@Jesus: If I'm not mistaken, the year should be 1921 - one year before Tutenkhamun's Tomb was discovered.

The original newspaper clipping was dated January 1921 -- almost two years before Carter found Tutankhamen. Though digs in Egypt are quite well know. South America is less well explored. It will be March of the same year before you all arrive in Lima -- late summer there.

No worries Mr. Carpenter. No offense taken, just a little embarrassed about myself. English is indeed not my native language, but meet and meat, well... And I fear I don't even have auto-correction to blame.

Anyway, looking forward to a great game with all of you. And I will check at least my IC posts prior to publishing.

In reply to haruspex (msg # 9):

Thanks! I missed it.  I was going to have my character’s nickname as Lucky, but with a luck of 35, nope!

Hi all, Dr Ashton-Psmith here, Monty to his friends. That’s a silent P, but I shall hear if you don’t say it!

Monty is a Zoologist and University Lecturer. He is looking forward to an adventure!

Hey everyone!

Excited to play!

Hi all - can't wait to start gaming with everyone!

Is anyone else travelling from England? Maybe we can meet up aboard ship.

I initially thought of being closer, like in Mexico City or somewhere else on the continent, but...

... having been to England after 'hiding' throughout WWI, getting to know there will be no further family funding of my travels, partly because of my hiding throughout WWI, that could be a great reason to contact Mr. Larkin and become part of his expedition. And it would indeed put me on a ship from England towards the new world.

In reply to Dr Montgomery Ashton-Psmith (msg # 15):

Charles is leaving London in something of a hurry and the company would be welcome!

Walter is starting in London.

I've placed Generic CoC D100 character sheets in everybody's character details section -- feel free to edit them, or replace with your own preferred flavor. Some had expressed interest in a d20 online generator (I use it a lot) which is here:

http://www.pathguy.com/cthulhu.html

It will generate a web page with the final character. I Select All > Copy > Paste into a Word doc and clean up a bit. Word seems to retain the overall structure pretty well.

Here's a D20 modern mono type sheet you can use if you want the same flavor as the other layout:

link to a message in another game

There's a 7th edition generator here (look under the CoC drop down):

https://www.dholeshouse.org/Default

But you have to create an account to use it.

When you are rolling for stats, please roll 4d6 and drop the lowest dice using the in game dice roller.



NOTE: Some of you moved ahead with a point buy, which is fine, but you can try your luck and roll instead. But if you roll, no going back!
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:18, Sat 23 May 2020.

For those travelling from England, can I propose we meet aboard ship. We don’t need to RP a big lengthy intro, but can at least say we all know each other a bit as our voyage continues. I suggest we do a voyage from Southampton to Kingston, Jamaica, then on to Lima in Peru via the relatively new Panama Canal. We would be at sea for about a month.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:08, Sun 24 May 2020.

Question on skills.

Would a motorbike come under Drive Auto or Ride? General or specialised?

While there are aspects of balance involved in riding a motorcycle that may be equivalent to staying up on a horse, I think the mechanical skills to work the gears and brakes, the knowledge or road rules, etc. make it a Drive skill.

In reply to Dr Montgomery Ashton-Psmith (msg # 20):

Sounds good to me.

In reply to haruspex (msg # 22):

Thanks.

In reply to Dr Montgomery Ashton-Psmith (msg # 20):

Sounds good to me.

In reply to Dr Montgomery Ashton-Psmith (msg # 20):

Amigos, Jesus would like to join the sea voyage in Kingston, Jamaica.
He has taken the first ship out of New York City sailing to Kingston, Jamaica.

In reply to Jesus Ortega (msg # 26):

We will see you on board.

I will of course be travelling first class...! One has to maintain standards, even when visiting foreign climes.

How fun! Ez is quite the opposite, he likes to live like the locals and immerse himself in their culture. one of his hashtags is #gonenative.

@Ezra: Harker is practically a native himself; having lived out the Great War in the Cloud- and Rainforests of South America since practically its inception. I'm sure we'll get on famously. Not so sure about some of the others that have signed up though...one of Harkers hashtags is #WorkingClassWarrior...gulp!

We may know each other, even if in passing. I served in the areas as well as a doctor.

@Harker: Funny, Archibald was as well in Middle and South America during the Great War.

Hmm...it's possible, if not socially, then perhaps professionally.

It depends on what you've been up to in the area, I suppose; Harker is a bit of a dispossessed Soldier of Fortune, so he's got around a bit and fought where the pay is good enough, rather than for King and Country. He's really more of a guide than a soldier though; he likes the wilderness better than the city.

@Lord Byron: Same goes to you as well, then. Harker is a working class man, so if you do know him at all it's because you've worked with him in some fashion, but it's unlikely that you'd recognise him by name, unless something extraordinary happened to bring them closer.

It's possible that he was part of an expedition or unit either of you've operated with.

In reply to Harker Carpenter (msg # 32):

I agree that it's unlikely that we remember each other unless something special happened. However, as much as Archibald is a #Lord, he's also the #BlackSheep of his family. He turned his focus towards adventure and traveling, so he is not the usual Lord.

Absolutely! No other way to travel!

In reply to haruspex (msg # 19):

With CoC 7th Ed is it ok to use option 3 (choosing where to place rolled characteristics) on page 58?

Additionally are you ok with me taking the War Experience package for Walter, based on his background?

Thanks.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:14, Mon 25 May 2020.

Could be an ironic nickname!

In reply to Dr Montgomery Ashton-Psmith (msg # 36):

I was going to drop the "Lucky" nickname until our wonderful, thoughtful and benevolent keeper allowed us to roll 4d6 and drop the lowest dice roll, so I rerolled.
I can now say, Jesus "Lucky" Ortega's luck is real! (Yes, this player will suck up for better luck!)

Is, by any chance, any of the PCs (or Professor Larkin) a published author of a book about Peruvian or South American pre-history? If so then Walter quite possibly has a copy as he has been studying on his trip across the ocean......


I don't know if this counts as background research but, prior to leaving London, Walter will have bought the best maps of Peru that he can find and will have been studying them as well.

Also, just to add that I presume that we're being paid to join the expedition and that has already been resolved by letter before agreeing to join and travelling so doesn't need to be discussed over dinner? Is that correct?

You found no published research by Larkin or any of the other team members (you won't even know their names until you are under way.)

Larkin will offer to pay your travel to Peru and underwrite the cost of the expedition expenses, but there is no actual pay involved. He has however described the missing pyramid as a treasure trove, with gold and other valuables ready for the taking. You get the feeling he is less of a scholar and more of a treasure hunter.

Thanks. Understood.


Understood with Larkin.

With other team members I was thinking more of a lucky coincidence in that Walter is reading a copy of someone book and they introduce themselves as the author.

Is Captain Lines with us? He hasn’t posted yet so I was wondering if he was active.

Oh, thought I'd mention...please don't pay too much attention to how my characters portrait is dressed; especially the hat. It was that or Gibbs from Pirates of the Carribean. It was the closest I could find with mutton chops and handlebar for facial hair. Ah well.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:26, Wed 27 May 2020.

In reply to Harker Carpenter (msg # 44):

Lol, I struggled to find a good tache without goatee!

Question answered! Welcome Captain Lines!

And an impressive 'tache it is, if I do say so!

In reply to Harker Carpenter (msg # 47):

Why thank you good sir!

In reply to Harker Carpenter (msg # 44):

If you can find another image for Harker that works better then portrait submissions are open again for RPOL.

I will be submitting Walter's portrait for the next cycle of submissions, which starts on 1st June.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:13, Wed 27 May 2020.

One thing I haven’t allocated is money? I wasn’t sure how to manage it. My character is fairly wealthy, so I just assumed that I would have enough cash on my person to cover any sundry expenses, and maybe letters of credit should I need more funds from the bank. On that basis are you happy if I make any minor purchases needed?

I intend to go shopping before we head out, probably for some more adventuring gear like my own machete.

In reply to Dr Montgomery Ashton-Psmith (msg # 50):

It's dictated by your Credit Rating skill. If you tell me that then I can tell you your cash.

---

On a separate note please can I just clarify who Walter got to know on the ship across from England as it is going to be relevant I think (based on something that Walter just figured out).

GM - Walter will have travelled on the ticket he was sent by Prof. Larkin. Was that first class? If it was first class then I think that Captain Richard Lines, Charles St. John Meecham, Dr Montgomery Ashton-Psmith, Lord Archibald Byron and Walter Luscombe all probably met on the ship and may well know each other a little.

What do people think? Do they want their characters to have previously met people?

In reply to Walter Luscombe (msg # 51):

My credit rating is 50 which puts me in the wealthy category.

Re the journey, if necessary I will have upgraded my ticket to first class. I assume that I will have met most of those who travelled from London. I spent much of the time on deck and in the bar, reading and drinking. I suspect any gentlemen travelling alone would naturally gravitate towards each other, especially if they are vaguely sociable.

In reply to Dr Montgomery Ashton-Psmith (msg # 52):

According to the CoC 7th ed rules with a CR of 50 you have $250 in cash on you, have $25,000 in assets and have a spending level of $50 (purchases up to this level per day don't need to be accounted for as long as you don't take the mick and do it every day).

In reply to Walter Luscombe (msg # 53):

Ta.

The tickets sent by Larkin would not have been First Class, they would have been Second Class, but anyone with a Credit Rating of 40% or above would have upgraded for the journey.

Nice page on the Mauretania here to give a sense of travel in the age:

https://americanhistory.si.edu.../exhibition/5_3.html

Interesting little read!

In reply to Harker Carpenter (msg # 56):

Agreed. Love the look of the gentlemen’s smoking room!

Unfortunately, Harker is far more used to the scenario depicted in the image of the "Black Gang" than that of the smoking room!

In reply to haruspex (msg # 55):

Thanks for this. Walter would have upgraded himself to 1st class and so would Monty from the sound of it.

In reply to Harker Carpenter (msg # 58):

Know your place peasant!!! :)

In reply to Walter Luscombe (msg # 59):

Correct.

GM, happy for the party to leave on Monday, but I believe that Peru is Catholic so we might find most shops and public buildings closed on the Sunday, so we effectively have just he Saturday to prep and shop. Not a problem , but does limit our time.

I didn't manage to find time for this game. Neither to finish character stats nor to involve IC.

Sorry for letting you dowm, but I guess there are enough active players to not cause much of a hassle by withdrawing Archibald.

Have a nice game, well have a nice nightmare. ;)

How long before Jesus runs out of quotes!!! :)

In reply to Dr Montgomery Ashton-Psmith (msg # 64):

If it is bothering folks, I'll stop.

In reply to Jesus Ortega (msg # 65):

It's fine with me.

I'm just impressed at your ability to find relevant quotes!

Walter now has a portrait!

In reply to Walter Luscombe (msg # 67):

And a handsome devil he is too...

In reply to Walter Luscombe (msg # 67):

Congrats!  Looks like a good "old" photo.

Thanks. The original which I submitted is this one and I believe is of a genuine Somerset Light Infantry Captain from WWI.

GM - please can I double check something as I'm a little bit confused. If this is deliberate and I should ask this IC then please say.

Essentially is Jesse suggesting that we form a separate expedition to the pyramid to Larkin's expedition? Sánchez seems to have concerns about Larkin's expedition but appears to be happy to help us (who are members of it) in researching the pyramid so I'm a little bit confused as a player. If this is deliberate then please say and I'll ask this IC.

Thanks.

I'm sorry of I suggested that. The professor at the museum had hoped to mount his own expedition, but he does not have the time of funds to go before Larkin. He will ask you to save the find for the museum if you find it and not loot it, but he is not asking you to go on his behalf.

He is offering, hoping to persuade you to his cause, the results of his student's research -- as soon as she gets back from the basement -- and she's been gone a long time now.

My wife and I are headed back up north over the next few days. I am unlikely to post until next week some time.

In reply to haruspex (msg # 72):

OK - understood.

Thanks for clarifying.

Okay, as a noob to the system I’m a bit lost on the SAN check. If I have read it right I do the following:

My POW is 35 and I have 0% Cthulhu Mythos skill, so my SAN is 35.
I roll 1d100. 35 or less is a success, so -1 SAN. 36 or more is a fail so -1d6 SAN.

Is this right?

That is correct. The d100 system always (almost always) tries to roll lower than the target number to succeed. Same with GURPS. Then I learned D20 and now my Sanity is reduced even lower than yours!

Good luck!

GM, you are correct on my weapon.

You can take the beginning of a round to load up to two bullets in your gun and fire at the end of that round if you wish. To fully load the gun will take a full round.

You are correct about Luck's weapon also.

That's correct for Charles' armament - such as it is.

Sorry for not posting for a few days - work and RL have been manic!

Is Walter with the group that has gone downstairs to find the girl?

Thanks.

No. But I think very soon you will all hear that something is going on in the basement!

The Rate of Fire for my pistol is listed as 1 (3). What does this mean? I read it as I can fire one shot normally, or 3 shots rapid fire with a penalty to hit. Is this correct? If so, what is the penalty?

From Da Rules:

Many handguns are capable of firing 2 or 3 shots per round.
Firing one shot allows for a more careful aim and steadying
of the weapon. Firing more than one shot places speed above
accuracy. When firing two or three shots in one round, roll for
each shot individually, with all shots receiving one penalty* die.

*Since I had to look this up (more familiar with older editions of CoC):

A bonus or a penalty die is an additional tens die rolled with the two dice rolled for 1d100. So three ten sided dice are rolled. One is designated the single digits the other two are designated the tens dice (10, 20, 30, etc.) In a bonus die situation you get to count the best tens die option as yours. In a penalty die situation you count the worst (in this case the highest) roll as yours.

Notice that the dice roller at RPOL is not very good at doing this. You will have to roll each 1d10 individually, designating which one is the single digit dice in the Reason for Roll. If you forget to designate, or if you just want to roll 3 x 1d10, we will assume that the first dice rolled is the single digit die and the next two are the tens dice. Remember to check the box in the roller that records each die!

In reply to haruspex (msg # 84):

Thanks. Pretty brutal rule, especially if your skill is poor. Think I might have to aim carefully!

Apologies, I’m away for the weekend with sporadic internet at best. Will catch up when I can, but if in doubt I intend to shoot to kill!

Sorry to do this. My work is demanding more of my time and the IT group is looking over my shoulder at my online activities -- it's their laptop I use. They've been laying my colleagues off and are expecting those they keep to increase their efforts top make up for the gaps. I'll be cutting my presence on RPOL to a bare minimum for a few months, and closing this game down.

Thanks for gaming with me. I'm sure we'll all come out on the other side sooner or later.

Stay healthy. Stay sane.

In reply to haruspex (msg # 87):

Thanks for letting us know.

Be seeing you!

adiós mis amigos

That's a shame but best of luck with things.

My time has opened up, and I wonder if any of you might be interested in restarting this adventure?

Let me know if you would.