Bookhounds?

"Get me that writing desk", the client said. It seemed like a simple job. Now ghosts are crawling out of your drink, murderers are after your stock, mad Scottish Spaniards (or is that Spanish Scotsmen?) are selling people's legs by the pound, and the Mob reckons you owe them a prize racehorse. If you survive, make sure your commission's intact, 'cos the only thing falling faster than your sanity is your financial prospects...

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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by AndrewTBP »

Taavi wrote: Actually, if you look at the example character in the ToC rulebook, he very clearly has spent 1.5 build points to get 3 rating points on a number of stats. The way it seems to have been done is to add all the points spent on occupational skills together, then divide by 2 to get the final cost: hence the TOTAL has to be an even number. If that's not the way the online character generator works, then the official sample character is illegal...
Yes, but if I try to re-create Martin Harvesson in the online character generator, it tells me I have "Overspent by 4 of 16" so ... the official sample character is dodgy if not illegal. ;) This doesn't surprise me, because I've found sample characters in most games are slightly off. Trail of Cthulhu does need a good re-editing in places.
In any case, I was just offering suggestions, and it's Grafster's call as the Keeper to approve Investigator builds.
Last edited by AndrewTBP on Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:10 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Taavi »

Luke Carse
Drive: Adventure. Occupation: Catalogue Agent (Booklegger)
Pillars of Sanity: Pride: A hard man with brains can deal with anything; There's always a way: Seize the day, make your own luck; Family: Support dear old Ma and my sisters back in Severnford (not so much Da, the drunken communist dock worker).

Investigative Abilities:
Academic:
Languages 1 (Probably french)
Bibliography* 5 (Banned and censored books a speciality)
Law 1 (incomplete university studies)
Library Use* 1 (ditto)
Occult 1 (I don't believe it, I just sell it)
Interpersonal:
Assess honesty* 3 (Can I bribe this guy?)
Bargain*! 3 (How much should I offer?)
Credit Rating 2 (Not more than a tenner) including 1 free point from Occupation.
Intimidation*@! 2 (Maybe I'll just lean on him instead) (substituted for Flattery).
Streetwise*! 3 (Then again, that's a Docklands Tong sign; I'll pay peacable like) (personal speciality)
Technical:
Locksmith! 1 (It was open, officer)
Bookshop Stock 1
1 point in reserve

General Abilities:
Athletics@ 8 (ex military): Hit threshold is 4
Auction* 4 (my client wants this one)
Conceal*@ 5 (search my bags as much as you like, officer)
Disguise* 2 (Msieu, I am a respectable french businessman)
Driving@ 3 (If it's got wheels, I'll drive it)
Electrical Repair 1 (get that radio working, Corporal Carse!)
Filch 2 (No, lieutenant, I don't know where your boots went)
Firearms@ 3 (ex military)
First Aid 1 (Yup. He's bleeding.)
Health 10 (1+9) (Wirey)
Preparedness 4 (be prepared)
Sanity 9 (5+4) (Is it worse than an army of starving bolsheviks?)
Stability 9 (1 + 8) (Level headed)
Scuffling@! 5 (Don't mess me about, sonny)
Sense Trouble! 5 (Why's it so bloody quiet?)
Shadowing! 3 (Let's see where he's keeping the stash)
Stealth!@ 2 (Keep still unless you want a bullet in the head)

* Catalogue Agent (Occupation)
@ Military soldier.
! Criminal.

Notes:
I've substituted Intimidation for Flattery, hope that's ok.
I'm not sure why Catalogue Agents get Disguise and would rather have one of Scuffling, Sense Trouble, Shadowing or Stealth as an occupational instead.
Similarly the Catalogue Agent special ability seems rather weak as good roleplaying would do much the same (unless we are really playing up Old Blighty's caste system), so I'd rather take the Military Veteran or Criminal special ability; but this is up to the Keeper, if Grafster thinks the Catalogue Agent ability is useful/good then I'll stick with it.
Last edited by Taavi on Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Seon
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Seon »

Can someone show me the guide for creating a character using ToC rule?

I think I saw a PDF on it somewhere, but now I cannot find it anywhere.
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Re: Bookhounds?

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Seon wrote:Can someone show me the guide for creating a character using ToC rule? I think I saw a PDF on it somewhere, but now I cannot find it anywhere.
It was a See Page XX article.
http://www.pelgranepress.com/seepagexx/ ... harGen.pdf
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Taavi »

Seon wrote:Can someone show me the guide for creating a character using ToC rule?
I think I saw a PDF on it somewhere, but now I cannot find it anywhere.
If you send me a message with your email address, I will email you a copy of the Player's Guide, which covers this.

Bookhounds has some changes to the Hobo/Tramp Occupation:
"Hobo: Called a Tramp in Britain. Tramps may take The Knowledge as an occupational ability; unlike American hobos,
they have no special ability to make contacts or find out the lay of the land. They may, however, use Streetwise to
identify doors and gates “usually left unlocked” (narratively similar to Locksmith), and use their Streetwise pool as
though it were Stealth when piggybacking with other Investigators on a Stealth test in an urban area."

The Knowledge is the special insight into London you get from having been born there and lived its mean streets for years.
"The Knowledge (Academic):
Since 1865, London cab drivers have been tested by The Knowledge of London Examination System, or “The Knowledge” for short, covering 320 routes through the city, encompassing 25,000 streets within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross Road. With this ability, you know the streets of London like the back of a cab-driver’s hand. You can:
• recall details of any landmark, bookstore or other business, club, restaurant, library, attraction, or other point of interest in the London area, including clientele, hours of operation, management, and rear entrances
• find the fastest, least-observed, or otherwise best route between any two points in London, by car, bus, or train
• recall social, ethnic, or economic details of any London neighbourhood or street – who lives there, where they came from, who collects the rent
• identify important social or business figures associated with any London neighbourhood or street: criminals, clergy, union leaders, rising politicians, tradesmen, professionals, etc.
• know anything else about London geography that seems relevant: sewer lines, hidden rivers, roofed-over mews, empty lots, etc."

I'm guessing that Laura is one of those annoying people who constantly comes in to read the stock and keep out of the cold, who never buys anything, and over the years we've become accustomed to sending her out for tea, leaving the shop in her care while we get lunch, etcetera. Does that sound about right?
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Seon »

Sounds about right, yes.
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Dr. Bloodworth »

Anthony T.E. Llewellyn

Drive: In the Blood or Ennui (haven't decided)
Occupation: Dilettante
Health 9, Stability 9, Sanity 10

*Archaeology 4, Assess Honesty 3, Bookshop Stock 1, *Credit Rating 7, Disguise 3, Filch 5, *Flattery 4, Fleeing 5, *History 6, *Languages 4, *Library Use 4, Law 2, Locksmith 3, *Oral History 3, Preparedness 4, *Riding 5, Scuffling 5, Sense Trouble 3, Weapons 8
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Seon »

Sent PM, Taavi
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Taavi »

Credit Rating 7? What're you doing wiv the loikes of us, gov'ner?
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by andyw666 »

Guys, just trying to look at the PCs so far and see what other skills I should focus on for Jory. Think Luke has Auction, Biblio and Sense Trouble well covered. Jory can spend a few more points in that case on Bargain, Evidence Collection, Streetwise and The Knowledge. Plus he'll still have a good Preparedness

What other investigative skills ahve we missed?

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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by AndrewTBP »

andyw666 wrote: What other investigative skills ahve we missed?
This is where the Keeper's Investigator Matrix comes in handy.
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Grafster »

Plan on being a bit more active than I have been things periodically align such that work gets extremely busy. Though it looks like things are going very well without me, very good sign.
Dr. Bloodworth wrote: *Credit Rating 7,
Taavi wrote:Credit Rating 7? What're you doing wiv the loikes of us, gov'ner?
This is something we need to discuss a bit. In general Bookhounds is a "low rent" game. In fact the CR of the bookhound is generally limited by the bookshop +1 (in the case a CR3).

It's a game about economically challenging times forcing people to make difficult choices. At the same time Llewellyn seems to be a strong character. He uses his name to deceive people and, while he is destined to inherit a family estate he isn't cash rich now, he finances his current lifestyle with scams.

I like the idea that Dr. B. can buy a CR past 4 but spending past 4 opens up the chance of exposing the fraudulent nature of his current wealth. Thoughts?
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Grafster »

AndrewTBP wrote:
Taavi wrote: Actually, if you look at t...1.5 build points to get 3 rating points on a number of stats. ...the official sample character is illegal...
Yes, but ... the official sample character is dodgy if not illegal.
In any case, I was just offering suggestions, and it's Grafster's call as the Keeper to approve Investigator builds.
If it's OK I'm going to sidestep the whole illegal/legal, accurate/inaccurate thing. I do recall seeing an instance in the book where it looked like they were forcing occupational skills to go up in increments of 2, but I don't see any reason why it would unbalance the game for people to get odd numbers in occupational skills.

So it's fine, from my standpoint, for someone to spend 3 points and get 2 occupational skills at 3 each (6 points total).

It may turn out to be illegal but I don't think it is 1) game breaking or 2) unfair (provided the option is available to all players, which it is).
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Grafster »

I threw together a Matrix. Please plug your character data in here.

(its google doc but no sign in required. Hopefully that won't be abused.)
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Bookman »

Taavi mentioned this thread to me and I was just wondering if there was still room for a little one? If so I'll post a character outline and rough out some skills.
Ex ignorantia ad sapientiam; e luce ad tenebras.
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Grafster »

It's hard to say no to someone with a name like "Bookman" in a bookhounds game.

By my count that is six, so I think we are closed for now.

I haven't adjusted the ToC Maxtrix for the bookhounds abilities. I will do that when I get a chance (or someone can do it for me).
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Re: Bookhounds?

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Grafster wrote:Please plug your character data in here.
I've done Kelvin, whose General abilities are still being tweaked.
I've done Anthony and Luke too, and made the Health and Sanity at the top of the sheet references to the cells in General abilities, to eliminate double entry errors.
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Taavi »

[quote="Dr. Bloodworth"]Anthony T.E. Llewellyn

Drive: In the Blood or Ennui (haven't decided)

Go for "In The Blood"! Do you know what Llewellyn means?

"The name is a compound of two Old British names; Lugus (evolving into Welsh as Lleu) and Belenus, the names of two individual Celtic gods. The compounded name of Lugubelinos evolved into Llywelyn; Lu(gu)-(b)elyn"

Lugus aka Lugh, Lud, Nud, Nodens; Belenus aka Beli, Bran, Byatis...

With ancestors like that, how can you go right wrong?
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Bookman »

Belying my handle, and indeed current profession, I am actually going for a baby bookseller, a new apprentice hired by the Grants to help with the esoteric pile which accumulated under Malcolm's tenure.

Oliver Harwood
Occultist.
Drive: Probably Scholarship or Thirst for Knowledge, not having the original ToC book I am not sure about the difference.

Edit: just got the book, I think he is more of a scholarship kind of guy.

Brought up in an educated lower middle class family in Portsmouth - father a teacher and local church organist descended from the cadet branch of an old baronetcy of the Tory Squirearchy of Kent, mother's family ex-Navy (she grew up in various Colonial outposts). Went to a decent lower tier public school...but not quite decent enough, and this would be the first experience he had of not quite having the right tie. He was just old enough to be called up for the War but it finished just as he was going through basic training (Army not Navy alas...) and since he was not long-term they shelved his OTC place leaving him a private. He ended up spending his military service at Salisbury running admin for returning vets. His lack of combat experience alienated him from the soldiers in the mess and he spent his time abusing his control of the duty roster and R+R book to go for trips studying mystical Wiltshire.

When he was demobbed he managed to get into Corpus, Cambridge (not Oxford...) thanks to an old school master, where he read Theology and fell in love with the Parker Library. Again he found himself just on the outskirts of the 'right' sets because of his background. He graduated (having just missed an upper second) and returned home where he spent some time running around with old friends who had got involved with minor dodgy deals, being just involved enough to say he was without quite totally committing to the life. He moved to London and seemed set to continue the slightly shabby genteel existence drinking in Fitzrovia and working at bookies, casinos and random labour when two things happened.

Firstly his grandfather died and he was left just enough money to take an evening Doctorate in Renaissance Magic at Birkbeck (using the wonderful Warburg library). He was all set to go back to being the most qualified grave digger in the cemetary when an old friend who worked for the Antiquarian Booksellers Association told him about a bookseller looking to take on an apprentice with a large knowledge of the occult to help tidy through some strange and esoteric books in foreign languages which were bought by a useless relative with odd taste. He would be taught bibliographical skills and Ms. Grant would get a (cheap) method of cataloguing the weirdness. He has only started recently and is yet to make much headway, since he is learning from the bottom up he is frequently used to fetch, carry and deliver or used to make tea and clean things but he is starting to get a feel for the task. He plays up the seedy aspects for some crowds and the antiquarian aspect for others - such as his local church where he is trying to court a granddaughter of the Bishop of Durham (they have some really nice libraries up there). Maybe things are looking up at last?

I see him trapped between two worlds and unable to really be part of either. Not quite 'right' enough to be a real part of the aristocratic set he idolises (he dreams about discovering that he does in fact have a title) he namedrops those connections he does have. At the same time he enjoys the seamy side of life (as long as he doesn't get so connected as to risk jail etc.) and drops stories of racetracks and dodgy deals into conversations in order to shock. He likes to think of himself as cosmopolitan and too be fair has some ability to switch accent and conversation topics from 'Saarf o'the rivver' to 'I went to Cambridge, dontchaknow', but he knows he is really neither.

Answers to questions and first draft skills to follow.
Last edited by Bookman on Fri Nov 18, 2011 6:26 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Bookhounds?

Post by Bookman »

First of all:

Have you played CoC before? yes and keeper'd (good old White Dwarf when GW still supported a) rpgs and b) other people's systems)
Have you played ToC before? no but I have used the gumshoe system
Have you played PbP before? no (are there any good ones on this forum I could read to get a feel for them?)

Are you familiar with the bookhounds setting? (have you read the book?) yes (and with the history of the trade, the mythos and London generally)
If you have read the book did you look at the adventure in back? yup, 'fraid so, and studied it a little to post on the limited edition thread...

What are your expectations for a game? darkness, strange knowledge that warps my mind, the seedy underbelly of London contrasted with the drawing rooms of the rich, local politics affected by the mythos, the usual...
How frequently do you think you will be able to post? couple of times a day with no real problem, possibly more depending on day and size of post needed

Skills (first time in this system so someone might want to check my numbers)

Anthropology *(1) 2
Cryptography *(1) 2
History *(1) 2
Languages *(1) 2 - Latin and Hebrew (studied the Cabbalah)
Occult *(2) 4 (doctorate from the Warburg)
Theology *(1) 2 (good C of E)
Library Use 2
Credit Rating (1) 2
Streetwise 1 (nah mate, race 3, fix is in, lump it all on the 4 dog, absolute banker)
Flattery 1 (I would not offer this book to just anyone, Lord Hastings, most would not have the taste to appreciate it's value)
Bureaucracy 1 (Another day out of camp? I know, seems strange but there it is on the roster.)
The Knowledge 1 (bookie's runner and strange labour jobs)
Textual Analysis 1
Bookshop Stock 1

Should I think be 16. My one little irritation would be the credit rating. The way I see the character he should be a three - able to rough it (deal with 2s) or to scrub up (talk to 4s) but still not quite fitting in with rich or poor (1 or 5+) however to get that extra point I would have to drop something else (curse occultist being a starting 1). The two that are really only back-up points for other people would be history or textual analysis but again I kind of can't see a doctoral scholar without historical knowledge or who has not learnt to evaluate a text...likewise I could drop streetwise but again I kind of see that as part of the character. Thoughts?

Disguise 5 (slipping between cultures)
Firearms 4 (basic training and a little shooting at college)
Fleeing (3) 6 (Is that the right way to do it with no athletics?)
Health (3) 7
Preparedness 5
Psychoanalysis 3
Sanity (8) 9
Stability (8) 9
Scuffling 4 (the odd bar brawl)
Sense Trouble 6 (always knew when to pull out to avoid the getting caught)
Stealth 3 (definitely no dodging coppers in his past, good grief no)
Weapons 3 (fenced a little at college)

Which I think should be 55. One thing I didn't seem to spot was some sort of gambling type skill, if there is such a thing and I overlooked it I might fiddle a few points round to it to represent time at bookies/racetracks/card tables etc.
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