[Call-of-Cthulhu] Cthulhu Mansions of Madness

[Anael]

Game Name Cthulhu Mansions of Madness

Game System Call of Cthulhu

Theme Hope and despair

Flavour Modern Horror

Plot Summary System: Call of Cthulhu Number of players: 3-4 Post Rate: About 2 per week Deadline: TBD Open to new and veteran players Henry Washington was the founder of the Cryptic Collective. Over two decades ago it started as a simple website where people could congregate and talk about the paranormal without too much judgment. From there it grew into a YouTube channel and a podcast. Eventually, some of the early core members began to do actual investigations. When Henry got sick the Collective slowly fell to pieces and many members went their own way. It has been two years since anyone heard from Henry until each of you got a package in the mail. Inside was a farewell letter. He knew he would be passing on soon and gave his cousin and mother directions to mail these out to you upon his death. Along with the letter was a USB containing some of his research. Henry's letter It's been a minute. Sorry for ghosting. Life got wild, and I wish things played out differently. We were supposed to get rich and famous! We were gonna prove the paranormal was legit to everyone! I wasn’t supposed to get sick. I'm leaving you guys my work and THIS IS IT! Yeah, I know, I've said that before and it never panned out. But for real, this time it's different. I know I was onto something big. This research I've been digging up over the years? It's gold. Some of it was nearly impossible to find. All these spots are connected, I’m sure of it and I wasn’t the only one. Property is being bought up in the surrounding area by one specific group. Can’t get a good lead as to who. So listen up. Go crack this mystery for me. Make that documentary and get rich and famous in my place! Catch you later. Looks like I’m on the other side of the investigation this time. Henry P.S. I left the old warehouse to the Collective. I left a surprise there for each of you that had remained true to me until the end. It is yours now. And remember this pic? Good times Character Creation You will have been a part of the paranormal research group for one reason or another or perhaps just a really close friend/relative of Henry’s who has their own motives for joining in. Name: Age: Occupation: Description and Background: What was your role or connection to Henry? What have you been doing in the interim? What are you looking for? Fame? Riches? To debunk the paranormal? Thrills? Chills? You may roll here https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...77#post9894377 to get a better idea of you character. Two choices for creation. 1) Rolling straight 3d6 and 2d6+6 respectively for stats. *You get one free reroll for any one stat and may keep the higher of the two rolls. If you use this method you wont have to roll for luck and will start with 75. 2) You may swap one pair of 3d6 and 1 pair of 2d+6 stats with each other. You still get the bonus reroll as well. If you choose this method you will be rolling for luck.   Great Barrington, Massachusetts The Fitzgerald Mansion A collection of verses taken from pieces of a short story collection that saw only minimum printing. The actual book is hard to find. These were uploads I happened to come across. The title of the book is Horrors of Fitzgerald Manse by Jacob Almsworth. The place is currently abandoned and there have been incidents of missing persons! February 12th 1865 Johnny came marching home, hurrah, marching home from the war. He’d been out there protecting the family honor. His brother Billy didn’t come marching home though, Confederate grapeshot hit him in the guts at Bull Run and that was the end of him. Not that Johnny got off scot-free, he copped a bullet in the head at Appomattox: didn’t bring him down but it sure messed him up. JUNE 11th 1953 It crouched in the dark, comforted by the nearness of that which it cradled in its arms. Murmuring happily, it traced a finger along the blade still slick. Absently it put its finger in its mouth and licked. Spat. Made sightless by the darkened room, it paused to listen, head cocked to one side like an animal. No sounds. They had gone at last. It chuckled. It did not think they would find it, not in here. March 17th 1984 The man flung the bedroom door open and rushed in, his bathrobe flapping crazily, his slippers slapping on the wooden floors. Hurriedly he knelt down and emptied his pockets, the shotgun cartridges tumbling out onto the hearth. Quickly he started scooping them out. The solution was finally within his grasp. For the first time in months, he was truly happy; soon he would be free. He whistled as he worked at emptying the shells, sitting on the bricks of the cold fireplace. He was so engrossed he did not hear the soft gurgling behind him until it was too late. Police Blotter: Date: 07/22/2022 Time: 6:48 PM Incident: Report of Screams of Distress Location: 1307 Fitzgerald Plank Road Details: • Response: Police responded to reports of screams of distress. • Investigation: Officers interviewed a group of teens near the location. • Missing Person: One of the teens was reported missing after apparently entering the property. Current Status: Investigation ongoing. (This police blotter has been scrubbed. This came from the only newspaper that ran this. The paper was pulled before release.)   Salem Gazette April 10, 2010 Obituary Address: 42 Willow Berry Avenue CORBITT, Lynn Anne Meyers Lynn Anne Meyers Corbitt, aged 22, passed away in childbirth at her home on April 10th, 2010. A graduate of the Pierpoint School, Lynn was married to local businessman Bernard Corbitt. Funeral services for both mother and child will be held on Saturday afternoon. Lynn is survived by her parents, Edward and Shirley Meyers, and her husband, Bernard Corbitt, president of Corbitt Importers of America. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and the community. Police Blotter: Date: June 8th 2022 Incident: Pet Kidnappings Details: • Suspect Arrested: Randolph Tomaszewski • Connection: Recent rash of pet kidnappings • Status: Released due to lack of evidence • Prime Suspect: Yes Location: Neighborhood surrounding Central Hospital Employment: Tomaszewski is a patient care assistant at Central Hospital. Incident Summary: Police today announced the arrest of Randolph Tomaszewski in connection with the recent series of pet kidnappings. Despite his release due to insufficient evidence, Tomaszewski remains the prime suspect in the disappearances of nearly a dozen dogs and cats from homes and yards near Central Hospital. Previous Incidents: Many of the missing pets were later found in parks, often mutilated or partially eaten, which has fueled strong public outcry. Current Status: Police continue to investigate and hope this lead will eventually help close the case. August 10th 2022 (From a missing persons poster) Cheryl Anne Garvin age 3 blonde hair and blue eyes. Has a distinguishing red mark on her left cheek. Anyone who may have any information please contact the Detective Carlos Rodgriguez at xxx-xxx-xxxx. November 22nd, 2022 ConspiracyGuyx67 - Blog Post The bizarre string of children and pet disappearances continues. Residents are urging the Mayor to take more significant action. The total as of today is 7 children and 20 pets missing, all within a five-mile radius. Police seem incompetent, having no real leads. It is like they aren't even trying. March 15th, 2023 ConspiracyGuyx67 - Blog Post The missing children phenomenon had seemed to pause back in January with no new reports, leading many to think the culprit had left the area. But a few days ago, another dog and a teen went missing, raising concerns among the population that the perpetrator is back. This is so strange that this isn't getting more attention. Stay tuned for more updates on this unsettling situation. If you have any information or theories, drop them in the comments below. *Note: ConspiracyGuyx67 blogs and website have all been 404’d. Social media seems non-existent.   NORTH CAROLINA October 29th 2022 Reality Ghost Hunter YouTube Show Transcript Host: Hey everyone, welcome back to DumbGuyVsGhosts! Today, we're in Tuckasegee, North Carolina. After wandering around for what felt like forever, I think I finally found the spot linked to an old legend I read about on ScaryNormanB’s Substack. It's kinda like those haunted roads where something pushes your car and leaves handprints, or you might see a ghost car. But this one is supposed to have a ghost mansion. Let's check it out! [Silent driving] Host: Alright, so I turned down Running Cedar Springs. Been on it for a bit and just spotted the empty barn mentioned in the story. Progress! Wait, what? Low gas? I swear it read half a tank last time I looked. Car electronics are acting weird. Sigh Let me pull over. [Camera turns off, then back on] Host: Alright, cameras are back. Some of the footage is definitely experiencing interference. Sighs and looks around I'm running low on gas, so I'm gonna head up the road. [Silent driving] Host: Look, you see it! It's a mansion! Maybe I found our ghost house. Points down the road, sputtering noises Guess that’s it. We’re going on foot from here. I'll call AAA after we check out that ghost house. Walks quietly towards house, camera goes dark [Ten minutes later] Host: Bad news, guys. Definitely not a ghost house. It’s a guy and his daughter with an actual butler! Pretty nice folks. They invited me for dinner. Gonna talk to them to see if they know anything about these ghost stories. I don’t get great reception in there so no inside shots. [B]Comment:[/B] I heard this was his last upload. Can’t find the video anymore. Only the transcript. Probably a publicity stunt, lol. He’ll post again in two months, you watch. Reply: YO! The guy legit went missing! They found the car and everything. Addendum: An odd number of abandoned vehicles have been found in the area.   OAKLAND California An article on a conspiracy site by Aliensstolemyunderwear Alien, Robots and the Strange Conspiracy to Buy up Property in California by Aliensstolemyunderwear What if I were to tell you that aliens were buying up property in California? How about alien robots!? This all started when a friend of my introduced me to this private investigator friend of his while we were at a bar. When I started talking about aliens this guy said he had a story for me. It was an active case he was working on in Oakland. Apparently a lot of homes have been going up for sale and rumor has it the same group is buying all of them up. He got called to this one house. We’ll call her Rose. Rose said that her neighbor a man in his seventies had recently moved out and she found the whole thing odd. That home had been in his family for a couple of generations and he never showed any signs of wanting to leave. On a few occasions he told her he’d die in that house. Fast forward a few months and these people begin to knock on the doors of the community. Well dressed and very polite asking if they were interested in selling their home. One night she sees her neighbor get into a car with these folks. The next week the house is up for sale. When she went to go speak to him he was all smiles said he finally found a place he belonged and he wouldn’t be lonely anymore. She asked the PI to look into the new neighbors so he sent his assistant over. That night his assistant went missing! His last text from her was that the place was really empty. A few pieces of furniture here and there almost as to give the illusion someone was living there. Then she saw the couple standing inside the home standing and staring at the TV. They had these huge grins on their face and they stayed like that for several minutes. She sent him some pics. I’ll include it in the notes. He took over the case thinking there must be some connection. From his research he found this group is buying up property not just in California but the whole U.S. He even spoke to the couple real creepy he said. They were too nice and all smiles. Then the lawyers came wanting to know why he was harassing their client and what research he was doing. This is going to be a several part series stay tuned. Update: The PI sends me this letter he said he got from this guy who was unknowingly looking in to the same thing. Apparently his brother joined some group and he was looking for him. This guys sends him this rambling letter with numbers on it. Now the freaky part is that the PI is getting scared cause he is seeing these numbers everywhere after this. Update: The numbers wont leave me alone either. It is getting real creepy. Hey, there are these guys in white suits outside coming up my driveway as I write this. Maybe they’ve come to take me away to the insane asylum. *Note- this is the last update. The author of this was never heard from again. The article was quickly 404’d after these events.   I don't have much on this one yet and I doubt I'll be able to get anything more. I'm not holding up too well. There is a golf course in Florida that has been experiencing some weird things. Contact this guy xxx-xxx-xxxx his name is Jason he used to work down there. NOTES This is a modern campaign. The biggest difference really is the addition of the computer use skill. Sure, you can “know” about names like Cthulhu and stuff just like today but there’s a huge difference between mainstream occult and actually experiencing the mythos. We will be using the optional luck rule. Any questions feel free to ask.

[Acathala]

Anael is a great DM, and you’ll have a great time. I won’t be applying as I think I have enough games on the go.

[Hotshot lasgun]

ill play! feeling some army ranger who saw something freaky in desert storm

[separateunion]

I'm interested as I was in another paranormal game that went belly up. However, I have zero experience with this system and only know a tiny bit about the lore (general pop culture knowledge of Cthullu and playing the Elder Signs board game). What information would I need to have in order to create a character?

Also, I've heard that the Cthullu games have a madness factor that eventually drive the players insane and, from what I understand, out of the game. If that's the case, how will that be handled? I'd like to know if I'm getting myself into a game where I'll eventually have to exit before it ends due to in game circumstances.

[Hotshot lasgun]

Originally Posted by separateunion

I'm interested as I was in another paranormal game that went belly up. However, I have zero experience with this system and only know a tiny bit about the lore (general pop culture knowledge of Cthullu and playing the Elder Signs board game). What information would I need to have in order to create a character?

Also, I've heard that the Cthullu games have a madness factor that eventually drive the players insane and, from what I understand, out of the game. If that's the case, how will that be handled? I'd like to know if I'm getting myself into a game where I'll eventually have to exit before it ends due to in game circumstances.

its cosmic horror. somebody goes insane or gets eaten, come up with friends and relatives to pick up the torch

[Anael]

@separateunion
Yeah hotshot is right. You don’t need any experience I can walk you through the whole creation process. And yea there is a sanity mechanic. Typically at some point your investigator will go permanently insane or will meet a gruesome but possibly heroic end. Unless it is a particularly brutal scenario, you make a ton of bad choices or the dice just generally hate you odds are you’ll make out it of a single scenario. But as your investigator continues on their sanity will be chipped away at (there are mechanics for restoring some sanity points) until it is gone or their luck runs out and the mythos claims them. If you do we roll up a new character for you. You take over an npc etc.

That in part is the fun of it! At least for me. You’re not a superhero . You’re against terrible odds but still you persevere to hold back that coming darkness if just for a little longer. It’s not all bleak it is a very character driven game and there is often splashes of humor as you all fumble your way through .

Also hello Hotshot

[separateunion]

I'm in. Just need to know what I'm rolling for and if there are any specific lore details I'd need in order to create a character.

[Anael]

@separate

Click on the link I provided: you roll for Str, Dex , Con, appearance, power, luck . 3d6*5
Then. Int , size and Education 2d6+6 *5 . You come up with an occupation either before or after you see the results and we go from there

[Hotshot lasgun]

Originally Posted by Anael

@separateunion
Yeah hotshot is right. You don’t need any experience I can walk you through the whole creation process. And yea there is a sanity mechanic. Typically at some point your investigator will go permanently insane or will meet a gruesome but possibly heroic end. Unless it is a particularly brutal scenario, you make a ton of bad choices or the dice just generally hate you odds are you’ll make out it of a single scenario. But as your investigator continues on their sanity will be chipped away at (there are mechanics for restoring some sanity points) until it is gone or their luck runs out and the mythos claims them. If you do we roll up a new character for you. You take over an npc etc.

That in part is the fun of it! At least for me. You’re not a superhero . You’re against terrible odds but still you persevere to hold back that coming darkness if just for a little longer. It’s not all bleak it is a very character driven game and there is often splashes of humor as you all fumble your way through .

Also hello Hotshot

waves creepily

[separateunion]

If I went with Accountant, is that an acceptable occupation?

[JanaCobaltSky]

I'd like to play a cat burglar who is a kind of Robin(a) Hood, dispensing part of her loot in cash to the homeless. And making valuable friends with them with the same move.

(Do you have the board game? )

[Anael]

@Jana

I had the board game years ago. Not anymore. I'm fine if you want to play a burglar. Hey, they may have joined the paranormal research group as a cover to be able to get into places to swipe from. Keep in mind the Henry and research group connection as you flesh out the character. You will have known these people for a time. Did you tell any of them that you are a career criminal? etc.

Also cleaned up the Intro post. I have no idea why it sandwiched everything together.

[Hotshot lasgun]

Copying over gunruns stats

str 50
dex70
con 50
app 45 (spitfire tomboy)
pow 65

edu 80
int 75
siz 55

climb 40
credit rating 30
cthulhu mythos 13
dodge 70
drive auto 30
fighting (brawl) 70
firearms (handgun) 70
firearms (rifle/shotgun) 70
intimidate 25
jump 30
library use 45
language (english) 80
listen 40
mechanical repair 25
psychology 30
sleight of hand 40
spot hidden 45
stealth 40
swim 30
throw 30

[Hotshot lasgun]

Originally Posted by JanaCobaltSky

I'd like to play a cat burglar who is a kind of Robin(a) Hood, dispensing part of her loot in cash to the homeless. And making valuable friends with them with the same move.

(Do you have the board game? )

maybe amy and your character were childhood friends? amy went the high road and you took the low road, and now were back together?

[Whovian]

Blurb Hello and well met one and all. Whovian here... very much into the mystery, intrigue, and suspense that CoC tends to lend itself to... with a healthy measure of terror and a double helping of mystery, of course. I am not certain which *version* of CoC you'll be using as the CoC isn't tagged with a version in the aforementioned thread above. In truth, it doesn't really matter as I don't have much experience anyways, excepting for a couple "episodes" of 7e, which was set in Egypt about 100 years ago. Now *that* was a load of fun. Anyways, I've rolled some attributes in the thread we were directed to... and I think I rolled well enough or average enough to play someone/something reasonably well enough to be believable. :chuckle: Since I've now rolled in that thread, I seem to have my attributes in place. In order of proceeding progression; STR: 60| CON: 60 | SIZ: 50 | DEX: 50 | APP: 70 EDU: 65 | INT: 80 | POW: 55 | LUCK: 75 Reasonably average, with a calm and intelligent, and relatively attractive, head upon his shoulders. I very much think I can work with that. I don't really know what the numbers mean, but I know that 50 is the middle, and they're all 50 or above. Check, check, and... check.

Concept Name: WIP... but probably something cool, like "Trent" or "Kip". :chuckle: Age: WIP, but I don't want to go too young, nor too old. I am 42 IRL, and that has afforded me some measure of experience(s) in life that I will likely desire to carry over into a CoC campaign. Occupation: WIP Description and Background: WIP

Blurb I'd like to begin this second blurb with a comment, I am using ample fieldset boxes largely because I own and use a wideset doubled up wraparound screen... and if I don't condense some of the text, then the boxes are all massively *wide* and look utterly horrible to my eyes. (Basically I have to crane my neck from side to side a whole far lot, and it annoys me to no end. Anyways, with that being said, I have a couple questions in general. Namely... tone. And also, please tell us a little more about Henry. What did he do outside of the Collective? Was he a detective (literally or otherwise?), or a professor? If the latter, could he have been someone who taught me, or engaged with me at a local college while I was pursuing my education? Basically, more information so that I (and others) might understand best how we connect to the man!