Play@YSDC

Greetings all. First of all we shall be creating character concepts prior to creating the actual characters.
So this section is for each of you to produce an overall concept for your character (name, sex, occupation, loose background, etc). As well as finding some reason that links each character together and provides a reason why they might be travelling in the same car from Arkham to Ipswich.

The game is set in the 1930s, probably October 1933 (not that it matters) and I would suggest that you have all been at a convention in Arkham and are now returning to Ipswich. Whatever that convention was I will leave to you, whether it was a social thing or something occupational.

You will find that the list of occupations has been reduced to those I think would best fit this scenario. However if you can think of a sensible reason for the inclusion of another occupation, I am open to arguments.
At the moment they are;
Artist, Author, Member of the Clergy, Doctor of Medicine, Engineer, Journalist, Lawyer, Librarian, Parapsychologist, Professor (academic).

Access to firearms will be limited to what you find, in other words no characters bristling with weapons please. Being able to shoot is okay, but having something to shoot depends on the circumstances.

Also you have access to a 1927 Ford model ‘A’ motor car. I would suggest that this belongs to the player who has the best Drive Auto skill. It comes free of charge.

Once the concepts are decided we shall begin construction of the character using the ‘Quick Fire Method' of character creation (point spread as opposed to dice rolls), as per the 7th ed rule book page 48, but with slight alterations (this is basically the same as that used in the ‘Quick Start Rules’, which are free to download at; http://www.chaosium.com/chaosium-free-downloads-center/

Players are; Victoria Silverwolf, Mr Handy, HoneyDog, Evil_Scientist,Cearlan and (possibly) Wruter.

Alister Sergeant is a researcher of genealogy and local lore. His main interest is county cemeteries – he travels around the Miskatonic Region compiling data of graves, assembling huge registers and catalogs. He is not specifically interested in the occult, but he knows that certain esteemed families of the county dabbled in witchcraft and the like. Alister used to be a TA at the Department of History at Miskatonic University, but fell out recently with the Head of the Department, Professor Ashley. Alister’s genealogical research revealed that Professor Ashley, despite his claims, is not descended from one of the founders of Arkham, but is rather a bastard son of a local drunkard, or something equally outrageous. For Alister, this is just a piece of trivia, but Professor Ashley fired him… Alister is now looking for a new position, and in the meantime, he is continuing his research.

Possible connections:

He is a historian, with an academic / university background. He gets along well with most colleagues (expect Professor Ashley).

Alister can be on a field trip (surveying cemeteries between Ipswich and Arkham). As a local historian, he can be a tour guide of sorts, showing interesting places to tourists or journalists.

Maybe the convention can be an antique auction? Such an event can gather characters with different interests (somebody can be selling inherited objects, somebody can be interested in buying rare books, etc.)

William Kieffer

Architect

Kieffer is originally from San Francisco, California. He studied Architecture at the renowned school at MIT and during his stay, fell in love with the New England countryside, especially its buildings. He decided to make his home here and now has a successful partnership based in Ipswich, designing mostly residential properties, although they occasionally do the odd commercial one, such as a shop or restaurant.

He served as a reserve Naval officer in the war, serving on a cruiser doing convoy escorts and patrols in the Atlantic, although (luckily / unluckily?) his ship saw no combat. He met his wife at the Ipswich Historical Society, and they share a love of rare books.

He is a social person without being too gregarious, and he prefers quiet pursuits such as reading, walking and playing bridge with friends. He makes a fairly steady income as he and his partner keep the business small and manageable. Overall he is quite content. However, lately his wife has become ill, suffering from fainting spells. The problem is as yet undiagnosed, and this is always at the back of his mind. The couple have no children.

OOC:   I like the rare book idea for the conference. Kieffer has been looking for a particular first edition for his wife as an anniversary gift

Evil-Scientist.
Alistair is great.

HoneyDog.
I think the occupation of Egineer from the list we are using will, with a few minor adjustments, will best fit your concept of an Architect (more on that later). But your overall concept is great

So far the idea of you all attending some sort of Antiques Convention is good, it provides both Alister Sergeant and William Kieffer with a common link. We have to wait to see how the others would fit this idea to their characters, and how the five of you would all be sharing the one car.

Priest, can architect fit under the category of artist? But I'll change if it's not suitable.

Could I play as a taxi driver whose cab the other characters have hired?

Mr. Handy wrote:Could I play as a taxi driver whose cab the other characters have hired?

That could be good. I'll have to work an occupation skill list for you.

Cabbie/Chauffer; Drive Auto, Fast Talk, Listen, Mechanical Repair, Navigate, Psychology, Spot Hidden, any one other skill.
Credit Rating: 9 - 30

HoneyDog wrote:Priest, can architect fit under the category of artist? But I'll change if it's not suitable.

Mght be okay. I just thought the Engineer occupation skill list might fit better with some of the skills changed, which we'd also have to do to make Artist fit.

Engineer; Art/Craft (Technical Drawing), Electrical Repair, Library Use, Mechanical Repair, Operate Heavy Machinery, Science (Engineering), Science (Physics), any one other skill.
Credit Rating: 9 - 70

Artist; Art/Craft (any), History or Natural World, one interpersonal skill (Charm, Fast Talk, Intimidate, or Persuade), Other Language, Psychology, Spot Hidden, any two other skills.
Credit Rating: 30 - 70

Architect; Art/Craft (Technical Drawing) Electical Repair, History, Library Use, Science (Mathematics), Spot Hidden, any one other skill
Credit Rating: 30 - 70.
Would that be a better fit?

Evil_Scientist.

I am presuming that Alister Sergeant has Professor as his occupation. If so then his occupational skill list would be;

Professor (academic, your choice of specialisation); Library Use, Other Language, Own Language, Psychology, any four other skills as academic or personal specialties.
Credit Rating: 20 - 70

It should be okay to play an architect with those skills? I've kind of got it worked out in my head now. I think Accounting might be a more suitable skill though than Electrical Repair, as he has his own business. What do you think?

I think the other skill should be Bargain, as he would no doubt have to negotiate fees, materials etc. with clients and contractors.

Priest wrote:Evil_Scientist.

I am presuming that Alister Sergeant has Professor as his occupation. If so then his occupational skill list would be;

Professor (academic, your choice of specialisation); Library Use, Other Language, Own Language, Psychology, any four other skills as academic or personal specialties.
Credit Rating: 20 - 70

Yes, that's right.

As personal skills, I want to add something rather un-academic, like Survival, to reflect that Alister spends a lot of time out in the field, researching cemeteries in villages off the beaten track, and so on.

HoneyDog wrote:It should be okay to play an architect with those skills? I've kind of got it worked out in my head now. I think Accounting might be a more suitable skill though than Electrical Repair, as he has his own business. What do you think?

I think the other skill should be Bargain, as he would no doubt have to negotiate fees, materials etc. with clients and contractors.

That would be fine, I'll just swap Electrical Repair for Accounting. However there is no Bargain on the 7th Ed skill list, so it would have to be Charm or Persuade (either of which seems to cover bargaining).

evil_scientist wrote: As personal skills, I want to add something rather un-academic, like Survival, to reflect that Alister spends a lot of time out in the field, researching cemeteries in villages off the beaten track, and so on.

Fine Personal Skills will be covered once character creation begins.

Dorothy Leigh

Concept: Spunky Girl Reporter

Editor of the high school newspaper and head of the yearbook committee, Dorothy (Dotty to her friends) was hired as a cub reporter for the Ipswich weekly. Her latest assignment was covering that boring antique auction in Arkham. She daydreams about solving some big criminal case, like in the movies, but so far no dice. Her closest contacts are Mom and Pops, her big brother (a college football hero), her friends from high school, a not-very-serious boyfriend, her coworkers at the Ipswich rag, and her gruff old bear of an editor. In her leisure hours she enjoys dancing, jazz, the movies, radio, love pulps, and trashy novels. Her biggest goal is to get a job with a real newspaper in the Big Apple.

Victoria Silverwolf.

Dorothy Leigh is great, she will fit in nicely. How do you see her connection to the others, and why does she need to get home to Ipswich so urgently?

In fact that question goes to everyone, what are your connection to each other, and why do you need to get back to Ipswich so urgently with the weather and all?

I'm just sharing a ride with these folks to save some money. Cheapskate editor.

I'd like to get back to Ipswich because I've got a deadline!

I was thinking of a reporter as well - but VS beat me to it

How about this one then;-



Maynard Heldstom - Parapsychologist

Born of third generation Swedish immigrants, it transpired that America was truly the place where anyone's dreams could be reached with hard work. His grandfather set up a farming equipment repair shop which became widely known, something carried on by his son. The family business now extends throughout Massachusetts. However all is not well in Maynard's life. He has been disowned by his father due to his desire to follow a different path to repairing and selling farm implements. No, Wanting more Maynard took his leave as soon as he could and worked his way through University where he gained his degree in Physics.

Having a strong interest in the phenomenon of the world of spiritualism from his mother's side of the family, (they were from Oregon after all - strange people from the West Coast), he was soon dismayed by the amount of fakirs and charlatans that infested this supposedly noble vocation - oh the damage Blatavski and her cohorts had wreaked! In order to try and redress this balance - get restitution for the injustices where the credulous were being fleeced on a daily basis, he has devoted his time to debunking these fake mediums and their kith and kin ... by the use of science.

As for why he is travelling with these other people, he too attended the auction and struck up a conversation with either Alistair or William. Possibly Dorothy is after a story about the spook hunter?

There are only seven occupational skills listed for me. Every cabbie should have Navigate, so that's probably the one that's missing.



Sean O'Reilly

Cab Driver

Sean is a friendly, smooth-talking cabbie from Arkham. It's tough for him to make ends meet, but he works hard and manages to scrape by and earn a living. He knows he shouldn't be driving his passengers out to Ipswich at night in this weather, but they were willing to pay extra...

Thats fine, all that's needed now is a concept from Wruter and then we are ready to give flesh to the bones.

Cearlan.
I'm going to change the title 'Parasychologist' to 'Psychic Investigator', just being pedantic but I think the term 'Psychic Investigator' fits better with the time. Skill list stays the same though

Mr. Handy.
Whoops! Miscounted, yeah Navigate is fine. I'll add it to the list

<cough> The Dhole's House

Judith Howard

Occupation: Librarian

Judith, an Englishwoman, works as a junior-level clerk at the British Museum library in London, accustomed to spending her days among the dusty stacks filling out index cards, shelving books and occasionally assisting visiting academics with their research. When her department's regular buyer falls ill her manager asks her at short notice to travel across the Atlantic to procure a rare volume for the archives at an auction in Arkham, Massachusetts, USA. Unmarried and untraveled, bookish and reserved, she is very much a fish out of water in America. After the auction she is anxious to return home to England and, unable to get another taxi and unsure of directions, accepts the offer of a (rather crowded) lift to the airfield at Ipswich.