Play@YSDC

Welcome, everybody! This is the good old out of character chat topic.

Three players expressed interest: HelplessBystander, Mr. Handy and Cotton. The game can accommodate a fourth character, so feel free to jump in!

Let's talk character concepts!

From the original announcement: wrote:Character options: The Investigators are cult specialists – deprogrammers, psychologists, their assistants. They agree to bring Elizabeth back home, out of sympathy, commitment, or for the hefty reward offered by the parents. No representatives of official law enforcement. Concerned friends and relatives of the Sandovals can also be included in the cast.

So, ideally, at least one of the characters should have previous experience in dealing with cults, new religious movements, totalitarian sects, and with breaking out a person from a closed commune of believers (no Mythos or supernatural angle, though!). The character has a reputation, and the Sandoval couple approaches them for help.

As for the no law enforcement clause: characters, however, are allowed to be ex-law enforcement.

I'd like to play Julie "Spider" Weber, Elizabeth's best friend and star of an amateur roller derby team. I don't have the 7th edition rules, but 6th edition has an Athlete occupation, so there's probably one in 7th.

Love the idea!


Athlete
Probably plays in a professional baseball, football, cricket,
or basketball team. This may be a major league team with a
regular salary and national attention or—particularly in the
case of 1920s baseball—one of many minor league teams,
some of them owned and operated by major league owners.
The latter pay barely enough to keep players fed and on the
team.
Successful professional athletes will enjoy a certain
amount of celebrity within the arena of their expertise—
more so in the present day where sporting heroes stand side
by side with film stars on red carpets around the world.
Occupation Skill Points: EDU × 2 + (DEX × 2 or STR × 2)
Credit Rating: 9–70
Suggested Contacts: Sports personalities, sports writers,
other media stars.
Skills: Climb, Jump, Fighting (Brawl), Ride, one interpersonal
skill (Charm, Fast Talk, Intimidate, or
Persuade), Swim, Throw, any one other skill as a
personal or era specialty.

I'd really like to play a deprogrammer, possible ex-law enforcement. What occupation would that be?

Can I use my Tobias Jerkins character here? He would be a private investigator and have some knowledge of the Mythos at around this time, but probably wouldn't hop in with knowledge of everything that's going on. Would that work?

EDU improvement roll (60% stat):
[dice]0[/dice]
Starting Luck roll:
[dice]1[/dice]

evil_scientist wrote:Love the idea!

Thanks! I'd come up with the character concept some time ago, and this looked like the perfect opportunity to play her.

Cotton wrote:I'd really like to play a deprogrammer, possible ex-law enforcement. What occupation would that be?

The Deprogrammer occupation is listed in the Characters thread, but you may want a different one for ex-law enforcement.

HelplessBystander wrote:Can I use my Tobias Jerkins character here? He would be a private investigator and have some knowledge of the Mythos at around this time, but probably wouldn't hop in with knowledge of everything that's going on. Would that work?

A private investigator type character is a good idea, somebody brought in as extra brains and muscle!

Some questions that might help to flesh out the character idea: What's the character's motive? Are they helping because of personal belief? Or for money? Bit of both?

But isn't Tobias Jerkins Classic era character, though, from the 1920s? On the Precipice is set in 1976. That would make him quite old for field action.

Mr. Handy wrote:Thanks! I'd come up with the character concept some time ago, and this looked like the perfect opportunity to play her.

Indeed! Roller derby is a great fit for the period, and it also gives the chance to play a physically strong and combative character (without resorting to the usual types of soldiers, policemen, etc.).

I got flashback to that (admittedly, not very good) movie with Raquel Welch, Kansas City Bomber. And also, to several stories in Laird Barron's Swift to Chase collections, which have Alaskan teenagers in the 1980s who are on a roller derby team...

Cotton wrote:I'd really like to play a deprogrammer, possible ex-law enforcement. What occupation would that be?

As Mr. Handy pointed it out, there's a listing for the Deprogrammer in the characters topic!

For ex-law enforcement occupations, here are some I see fit: Federal Agent, Lawyer, Police Detective, Police Officer...

Let's come up with a basic character concept first, I'm sure we can find or create an Occupation to fit it!

A few pointer questions: If they are ex-law enforcement, why did they leave? Was cult activity their focus in the first place, or something they took up outside their law enforcement duties?

evil_scientist wrote:

HelplessBystander wrote:Can I use my Tobias Jerkins character here? He would be a private investigator and have some knowledge of the Mythos at around this time, but probably wouldn't hop in with knowledge of everything that's going on. Would that work?

A private investigator type character is a good idea, somebody brought in as extra brains and muscle!

Some questions that might help to flesh out the character idea: What's the character's motive? Are they helping because of personal belief? Or for money? Bit of both?

But isn't Tobias Jerkins Classic era character, though, from the 1920s? On the Precipice is set in 1976. That would make him quite old for field action.

Personally, I am of the opinion of that you can never be old enough to be excused for field actions.

In all seriousness, though, I think he would definitely be motivated by a semi-personal vendetta against dangerous cults, a somewhat misplaced sense of justice, and, well, money. I think money is one of the deciding factors for him. Do you think he'll be allowed to gain an Elder Sign during this scenario? Is that allowed? I feel like I need to run my ideas through since it's a bit of a wild one.

HelplessBystander wrote:Personally, I am of the opinion of that you can never be old enough to be excused for field actions.

Agreed. But then the question is how to convince the Sandoval family that 70+ years old Tobias Jerkins has something to bring to the table? The family right now wants the best possible people, who can guarantee to return their daughter.

HelplessBystander wrote:In all seriousness, though, I think he would definitely be motivated by a semi-personal vendetta against dangerous cults, a somewhat misplaced sense of justice, and, well, money. I think money is one of the deciding factors for him. Do you think he'll be allowed to gain an Elder Sign during this scenario? Is that allowed? I feel like I need to run my ideas through since it's a bit of a wild one.

Sorry, I stressed this in my opening post: "no Mythos or supernatural angle". At start, I want the investigators to have experience with religious fanaticism, psychological conditioning, brainwashing, cults of charismatic personalities. This scenario is very much centered around such themes.

As for Elder Signs etc., well, that would be telling!

evil_scientist wrote:

HelplessBystander wrote:Personally, I am of the opinion of that you can never be old enough to be excused for field actions.

Agreed. But then the question is how to convince the Sandoval family that 70+ years old Tobias Jerkins has something to bring to the table? The family right now wants the best possible people, who can guarantee to return their daughter.

HelplessBystander wrote:In all seriousness, though, I think he would definitely be motivated by a semi-personal vendetta against dangerous cults, a somewhat misplaced sense of justice, and, well, money. I think money is one of the deciding factors for him. Do you think he'll be allowed to gain an Elder Sign during this scenario? Is that allowed? I feel like I need to run my ideas through since it's a bit of a wild one.

Sorry, I stressed this in my opening post: "no Mythos or supernatural angle". At start, I want the investigators to have experience with religious fanaticism, psychological conditioning, brainwashing, cults of charismatic personalities. This scenario is very much centered around such themes.

As for Elder Signs etc., well, that would be telling!

Sorry, I don’t think I’ve added enough detail and context, at ~70yrs old, it’s safe to assume he has a family, and it could be possible that one of his family’s members got involved in a case of good-ol’ fashioned non-mythos cults. I think a personal vendetta against ALL dangerous cults in general is something that I felt like would work.

And I’ve already developed an angle for him to be this Private Eye with extensive knowledge of Occult Esoterica. Mr. Handy and a few others could back me up on the backstory here. So I think a logical point of insertion for Tobias would be by making him one of the few occult specialists around who could offer some sagely advice on how to handle the case. After all, it’s kind of hard to find a Private Investigator that is willing to risk their life and have an extensive knowledge of the occult. Is this okay?

As for the Elder Sign, well, I don’t mind if you don’t make any promises. It’s just that I’ve written down the Elder Sign as one of his possession for another game and I kinda had a random thought if I could find a justifiable origin story for the Elder Sign. No matter, I’m fine either way. It’s your game, and I think I’ll just make it work.

HelplessBystander also plays a version of Tobias in a game on this site set in 2017, where he's 108, and he's still investigating. That Tobias has picked up quite a bit of Mythos knowledge (and an Elder Sign), but that could have happened after 1976. His character in the classic era game set in 1928 did not start with any Mythos knowledge, though he did pick some up as a result of the scenario. However, the insanity he got then could include a selective amnesia so that he does not remember it.

Mr. Handy wrote:HelplessBystander also plays a version of Tobias in a game on this site set in 2017, where he's 108, and he's still investigating. That Tobias has picked up quite a bit of Mythos knowledge (and an Elder Sign), but that could have happened after 1976. His character in the classic era game set in 1928 did not start with any Mythos knowledge, though he did pick some up as a result of the scenario. However, the insanity he got then could include a selective amnesia so that he does not remember it.

Yeah, so I could make it work if that's what the angle is, drafting up an entirely new character is both tiring and somewhat draining. I feel like playing an already-established character with a rich and fleshed out backstory would be much easier and fun. Naturally, if that doesn't work, then I'll roll up a new character.

I have to admit, I wasn't keen about bringing in Tobias Jerkins, but now I kind of like the idea of him existing in three time periods all over the forum...

HelplessBystander wrote:And I’ve already developed an angle for him to be this Private Eye with extensive knowledge of Occult Esoterica. Mr. Handy and a few others could back me up on the backstory here. So I think a logical point of insertion for Tobias would be by making him one of the few occult specialists around who could offer some sagely advice on how to handle the case. After all, it’s kind of hard to find a Private Investigator that is willing to risk their life and have an extensive knowledge of the occult. Is this okay?

The case as it is is not so much about an "occult" circle, as about an offshoot Christian / New Age hippie cult. But perhaps "Tobias '76" has some knowledge about New Religious Movements. As for the Elder Sign, he doesn't have it yet. How much Mythos does he have now?

I envision this setup:
The Sandovals contact Cotton's character, who is a cult deprogrammer. He (or she?) in turn brings in Tobias as a consultant.
Julie "Spider" Weber helps, because she is best friends with Elizabeth Sandoval.

evil_scientist wrote:I have to admit, I wasn't keen about bringing in Tobias Jerkins, but now I kind of like the idea of him existing in three time periods all over the forum...

HelplessBystander wrote:And I’ve already developed an angle for him to be this Private Eye with extensive knowledge of Occult Esoterica. Mr. Handy and a few others could back me up on the backstory here. So I think a logical point of insertion for Tobias would be by making him one of the few occult specialists around who could offer some sagely advice on how to handle the case. After all, it’s kind of hard to find a Private Investigator that is willing to risk their life and have an extensive knowledge of the occult. Is this okay?

The case as it is is not so much about an "occult" circle, as about an offshoot Christian / New Age hippie cult. But perhaps "Tobias '76" has some knowledge about New Religious Movements. As for the Elder Sign, he doesn't have it yet. How much Mythos does he have now?

I envision this setup:
The Sandovals contact Cotton's character, who is a cult deprogrammer. He (or she?) in turn brings in Tobias as a consultant.
Julie "Spider" Weber helps, because she is best friends with Elizabeth Sandoval.

Sure. No problem. He could be specialised in New Age movements at this time. If you're okay with it, then that's awesome. Tobias has about 17 Cthulhu Mythos at this point because he ended seeing the true form of Daoloth (yep, he survived that. Which is one of the reasons that I'm keeping this character).

HelplessBystander wrote:Sure. No problem. He could be specialised in New Age movements at this time. If you're okay with it, then that's awesome. Tobias has about 17 Cthulhu Mythos at this point because he ended seeing the true form of Daoloth (yep, he survived that. Which is one of the reasons that I'm keeping this character).

Ouch! And what was the cost on his Sanity?

Because it's set in 1976, Tobias should have about 76 SAN.

Tobias actually gained 19 Cthulhu Mythos (so the maximum Sanity he could ever have would be 80), and he lost 19 Sanity from that final encounter with Daoloth. He also lost a bunch before that, and he dropped to 64. His old character sheet is here.

Oh yeah. I didn't the maths properly, sorry Mr. Handy. But the story took place in 1929, so his sanity should've recovered quite a bit assuming he didn't see any other traumatic events.

The more I think about it the more it seems like ex-law enforcement isn't a good fit for the deprogrammer. Perhaps instead the character was raised by parents who joined a very strict and small sect of Christianity when he younger, and the character ended up becoming a deprogrammer because of this. And the character earnestly believes he's doing the right thing even if his methods are a bit extreme (at least by today's standards).

Cotton wrote:The more I think about it the more it seems like ex-law enforcement isn't a good fit for the deprogrammer. Perhaps instead the character was raised by parents who joined a very strict and small sect of Christianity when he younger, and the character ended up becoming a deprogrammer because of this. And the character earnestly believes he's doing the right thing even if his methods are a bit extreme (at least by today's standards).

Sounds good! We are in the classic age of deprogramming, when it mostly involves kidnapping and counter-brainwashing, and so on. Think Ted Patrick.

Also, a good source of inspiration can be the movie Faults (2014), about a deprogramming attempt that goes very wrong... I recommend it to all of you, if you are into psychological thriller / horror movies!

HelplessBystander, I'm a bit confused by your character sheet.

Tobias Jerkins, 1976 wrote:Characteristics
STR: 70
CON: 70
SIZ: 60
DEX: 58
APP: 75
INT: 70
POW: 75
EDU: 85
Luck: 85

Tobias, 1920s wrote:Characteristics
STR: 80
CON: 70
SIZ: 60
DEX: 58
APP: 65
INT: 70
POW: 80
EDU: 71 (+1 EDU from occupation)
Luck: 85

For age 67, according to the rules, you have to
"Make 4 improvement checks for
EDU and deduct 20 points among STR, CON or
DEX, and reduce APP by 15."

Did you roll for EDU improvement?
I see you deducted 10 from STR, but left CON and DEX untouched. And what's behind his +5 to POW?


Also, with 19% Mythos, his Maximum Sanity should be 80.

evil_scientist wrote:HelplessBystander, I'm a bit confused by your character sheet.

Tobias Jerkins, 1976 wrote:Characteristics
STR: 70
CON: 70
SIZ: 60
DEX: 58
APP: 75
INT: 70
POW: 75
EDU: 85
Luck: 85

Tobias, 1920s wrote:Characteristics
STR: 80
CON: 70
SIZ: 60
DEX: 58
APP: 65
INT: 70
POW: 80
EDU: 71 (+1 EDU from occupation)
Luck: 85

For age 67, according to the rules, you have to
"Make 4 improvement checks for
EDU and deduct 20 points among STR, CON or
DEX, and reduce APP by 15."

Did you roll for EDU improvement?
I see you deducted 10 from STR, but left CON and DEX untouched. And what's behind his +5 to POW?


Also, with 19% Mythos, his Maximum Sanity should be 80.

I am so so sorry. I don't have access to 7e rule book, and so I'm actually using the 6e rules for old age and are trying to, somehow, make it work. Unfortunately, it only resulted in bad maths. Terribly sorry 'bout that. I'll alter the stats in the morning and I'll make it right. Thanks for your patience. I appreciate your efforts.

Sure, no problem!

Okay, we have the three characters, so I think I will start up the first in-game topic tomorrow!!

Alright, made the necessary changes. Removed 10 from DEX, changed Max SAN, and made his POW unchanged. I think that's about it. Thanks for pointing out the bad maths. I was in a frantic rush of dividing by 5 and then re-multiplying since 7e was essentially all about making all the stats percentile-based as opposed to the smaller sums that I was used to work with in 6e so I made some silly errors and made the sheet too confusing.

Sorry, I didn't have internet access for two days at home, and now it's holiday time... So I think the start of the game is postponed until the 25th! Thanks for your patience.

I don’t think I’ll able to post on 25. the Xmas gatherings an’ all that.

Sorry, guys, turns out the last week of the year, even with the holidays going, can be loaded with work to do, I just can't find the time to post here But we have a potential fourth player, aine. So looks like a new game for the new year.

One thing I definitely need to write up is Julie Weber's connection to Elizabeth Sandoval, and some other minor background info elements for you all.

No problem. The holidays are always a chaotic time

You are not kidding about crazy hols.

Here's an idea; Nat Waldner is a young 'all american boy' who grew up on a ranch in Southern California. He is quite bright but has a slow, methodical manner that makes him come across as a bit backward. He is a big lad; a gentle giant. He could be Cotton's nephew and is tagging along as his assistant, maybe because of family pressures or work experience. Cotton could decide it's not so bad; after all, Nat's imposing size and practical skills could come in quite useful.

aine wrote:You are not kidding about crazy hols.

First you spend a few days "doing" the holidays, then a few more "undoing" them

aine wrote:Here's an idea; Nat Waldner is a young 'all american boy' who grew up on a ranch in Southern California. He is quite bright but has a slow, methodical manner that makes him come across as a bit backward. He is a big lad; a gentle giant. He could be Cotton's nephew and is tagging along as his assistant, maybe because of family pressures or work experience. Cotton could decide it's not so bad; after all, Nat's imposing size and practical skills could come in quite useful.

Perhaps he is not a relative of Cotton's character, but somebody who was broken out from a cult and deprogrammed, and now tags along as an assistant?

Player: Aine
Name: Nat Waldner
Sex: Male
Age: 20
Occupation: Rancher
Birthplace: Clanton, Alabama
Current Residence: Los Angeles, California
Colleges, Degrees: None

Characteristics:
STR: 60 (35/14)
CON: 70 (25/10)
SIZ: 80 (50/10)
DEX: 50 (40/16)
APP: 50 (30/12)
INT: 50 (20/8)
POW: 60 (25/10)
EDU: 40 (30/12)

Hit Points: 15/15
Magic Points: 12/12
Maximum Sanity (99 - Cthulhu Mythos): 99
Sanity: 60
Luck: 55
Move Rate: 9
Build: +0
Damage Bonus: +1d4

Skills:
Non-Default are bolded. Occupational Skills in Italics. Personal Interests preceded by a DOT.
Accounting (05%):
Animal Handling (05%): 70%
Anthropology (01%):
Appraise (05%):
Archaeology (01%):
.Art: / Craft: (05%): 25%
Charm (15%):
Climb (20%):
Computer Use (01%):
Credit Rating (00%): 50%
Cthulhu Mythos (00%):
Demolitions (01%):
Disguise (05%):
Diving (01%):
Dodge (1/2 DEX): 25%
Drive Auto (20%): 50%
Electrical Repair (10%): 40%
Electronics (01%):
Fast Talk (05%):
Fighting (Brawl) (25%):
Firearms (Handgun) (20%):
.Firearms (Rifle/Shotgun) (25%):45%
First Aid (30%): 50%
History (05%):
Hypnosis (01%):
Intimidate (15%):
Jump (20%):
Language (English) (EDU): 40%
Law (05%):
Library Use (20%):
Listen (20%):
Locksmith (01%):
Mechanical Repair (10%): 50%
Medicine (01%):
Meteology (05%): 40%
Natural World (10%): 40%
Navigate (10%):
Occult (10%):
Operate Heavy Machine (01%):
Persuade (10%):
Pilot (01%):
Psychoanalysis (01%):
Psychology (10%):
Read Lips (01%):
Ride (05%): 60%
Science (01%):
Sleight of Hand (10%):
.Spot Hidden (25%): 45%
Stealth (20%):
Survival (10%):
Swim (20%):
Throw (lasso) (20%): 60%
.Track (10%): 30%

Nat Waldon is a middle son from a large farming family in Alabama. The family are religious and xenophobic. Nat is more simple minded and easy going. He is 6’4”, strong and has great endurance; useful attributes for working his father’s ranch. Nat is slow and methodical so comes across as not very bright. But he shows true ability and dexterity at the rodeo and isn’t a bad shot with a rifle either. He spent a short time with the cult of The Exhaltant Dreamers after following a girlfriend there but managed to break out at the same time that Ray Tovar helped another cult member escape. He has been tagging along, rather like a faithful puppy, as Ray's assistant ever since.

Notes: Used quick skills: 70, 60, 60, 50, 50, 50, 40, 40 ,40 and 4x20% for hobbies (rifle, craft, spot hidden and track). Had to guess rancher/farm skills as: animal handling, ride, throw, natural world, first aid, mech and electrical repair, drive (off road) and meteology. But let me know what to change if necessary.

aine wrote:Nat Waldon is a middle son from a large farming family in Alabama. The family are religious and xenophobic. Nat is more simple minded and easy going. He is 6’4”, strong and has great endurance; useful attributes for working his father’s ranch. Nat is slow and methodical so comes across as not very bright. But he shows true ability and dexterity at the rodeo and isn’t a bad shot with a rifle either. He spent a short time with the cult of The Exhaltant Dreamers after following a girlfriend there but managed to break out at the same time that Ray Tovar helped another cult member escape. He has been tagging along, rather like a faithful puppy, as Ray's assistant ever since.

Notes: Used quick skills: 70, 60, 60, 50, 50, 50, 40, 40 ,40 and 4x20% for hobbies (rifle, craft, spot hidden and track). Had to guess rancher/farm skills as: animal handling, ride, throw, natural world, first aid, mech and electrical repair, drive (off road) and meteology. But let me know what to change if necessary.

Cool, I think Nat is a great addition to the cast! Please, post it in the Characters section as well!

HelplessBystander is in China for some time, so I will start up with a meeting of the Sandovals, Julie, Ray Tovar and Nat, and then bring in Tobias Jerkins a bit later!

I wasn't sure if I could visit the PbP site when I made the post. Was pleasantly surprised to find that to not be the case. Still cannot post with any regularity anywhere since my Gmail is (obviously) blocked and setting up a vpn is too expensive and inconvenient for two week trip. I'll post if and when I see my role is mentioned.

No guarantees, but will definitely promise to do better than a no-show. Thanks evil_scientist!

Okay, Tobias' thread is up as well! After some discussions I came up with a good way to bring him closer to the events of the scenario.

Ray Tovar and Tobias Jerkins are still acquainted, they corresponded about various cult-related matters. Perhaps know each other personally as well (although not too closely).

Thankd for all the thought and attention you gave for inserting Tobias! I felt like the only way to respond to this thoughtful gift would be to start with TWO paragraphs of his inner monologue instead of the usual one.

Are we allowed to read the other thread, or only our own?

Let's keep things a mystery for now You'll be allowed to read the parallel topics when eventually all the characters meet up.

Found this site, with an archive of various Christian sermons:
Sermon Audio, Decade of 1970

Oh man this seems like a great resource for games

Really sorry; I've booked a last-minute holiday. Going on Thursday and back 3rd April. I guess Nat will take a back seat on decision-making but will be ready to lend his skills to the action wherever necessary. GM can you npc him please? Don't worry about dropping him in the deepend! I'm fed up to be missing this - sounds like it's going to be a corker.

Wow, that's a nice long holiday! Have a good time!

It's a pity, of course... I'll NPC Nat, but feel free to take control if you get some time or opportunity during your holiday!

Sorry, off camping; back Tuesday.

I'm back in town, so the game will resume soon!

Sorry, I'm busy with work-related things! It might take a couple of days, but eventually I'll move things along!

I'll be away camping 7-14th June.

aine wrote:I'll be away camping 7-14th June.

Stay hydrated!

New topic or topics coming soon.

I have to figure out how to do this properly, this whole wire thing. I want to set up a separate private topic for Julie only, and perhaps a second topic for the rest of the team, where I post updates of what's coming through the wire.

Sorry for the delay everybody! But finally I have the two new chapters set up. Please, now only read the one that your character is in.

The group topic might be a bit eventless in the beginning, sorry for that, but I have some stuff in store for you too, don't worry

Sorry for the delay, will post tomorrow!

I am so sorry, but as much as this pains me to do so...I want to withdraw from this game. My school work had piled up for too long and I just don't have the time to catch up on the PbP games here now. Really sorry about this

Thanks for the notice, HelplessBystander! I wish you strength to sort all things out!

I think I will NPC Tobias for the rest of the scenario.

Really sorry about this, I thought I could keep to sorting this out, but apparently, I can't

Don't worry! Sometimes it's important to let some obligations go, so that you can concentrate on other things.

For some reason, both in this scenario, and in the previous one I ran on the site (Sukakpak), we ended up separating the Investigators all the time

I'm waiting a couple more days for a reaction from Cotton, then moving things along!

See you on an another desperate adventure one day Helpless Bystander!

evil_scientist wrote:I'm waiting a couple more days for a reaction from Cotton, then moving things along!

We are sort of on a cliffhanger. This is a moment in the game where player agency is very important... I don't feel comfortable NPCing Ray, and deciding on his actions, but looks like soon I will have to resort to just that!

'Got...to...hang...on...'

So sorry, ill at the moment.

I'm ready to continue, can't stand the suspense!

Here we go then!

Glad you're feeling better.

Are we on another nail biting cliff hanger?

Yes, we are! Sorry, it's my fault. To be continued soon. Thank you for your patience!

"Got to.... hang... on....."

Let's see how this develops...

Once again, terribly sorry for dragging this out!

Mr. Handy wrote:" We could also just tell them she's been brainwashed, which is the truth. I mean, Patty Hearst's kidnapping wasn't that long ago. There's enough underhanded stuff going on there that we can make a good case. Of course, that defense didn't go over so well at her trial, but Liz doesn't have to be defended against criminal charges."

Great 70s reference!


New chapter and post coming soon!

Thanks! I was reminded of it because I had been watching Network recently, which had referenced it.

Sorry, I'm off cycle touring from Wednesday to Saturday in a small tent in mid Wales so won't be able to post.

aine wrote:Sorry, I'm off cycle touring from Wednesday to Saturday in a small tent in mid Wales so won't be able to post.

Have a good time!

Can't wait for aine to get back so we can resume the scenario

I'm back!

Welcome back, hope you had a good time cycling!

I think this brings On the Precipice to a conclusion!

Dear Mr. Handy and aine, thank you so much for playing! And, of course, thanks to Cotton and HelplessBystander for their participation in a big part of the scenario.

Personally, I really enjoyed this run. Great players with great characters! I think we managed to evoke the strange, cultish, paranoid 1970s atmosphere.

If you wish, we can play out an epilogue, or summarize anything in particular you want to follow up on.

Also! I planned this initially as a one-shot. But. If you are interested in continuing the adventures of Nat and Julie - I'm down too! Of course, Julie will need treatment first, to recover from the shock...

You're welcome, and thank you for running the game! I enjoyed it too. I wouldn't mind playing out an epilogue, and I'd be interested in continuing our adventures, perhaps with more players. Maybe Elizabeth could have a player too in the next adventure.

Yes, I want to recruit one or two additional players, either as new characters, or, indeed, as Elizabeth!

Question:
For the next game, I'm considering a slightly modified scenario from The Stars Are Right! Have you read, played or run anything from this particular collection?

As far as I know, I haven't.

Thank you for a chilling, thrilling game, Evil Scientist! The ending felt like the start of an old X Files episode. Can I read through what Julie saw at the compound and in her dreams or will that spoil the future? I've really enjoyed playing Nat and would love to do some more; maybe once he's picked Julie and Liz up from Rehab and got himself some decent wheels.
I haven't played any of those scenarios either so count me in!

aine wrote:Thank you for a chilling, thrilling game, Evil Scientist! The ending felt like the start of an old X Files episode.

Hooray! I think the ending also felt like the ending of many X-Files episodes: the Investigators reach a partial success (like rescuing a victim), but when they go back to the place, they find that the main perpetrator got away, and THEY WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO LEARN THE TRUTH!

aine wrote:Can I read through what Julie saw at the compound and in her dreams or will that spoil the future?

If Julie shares these experiences with Nat, then yes So it's up to Mr. Handy to decide.

aine wrote:I've really enjoyed playing Nat and would love to do some more; maybe once he's picked Julie and Liz up from Rehab and got himself some decent wheels.
I haven't played any of those scenarios either so count me in!

Cool! I will make a recruitment post later.

Yes, I'll share what I observed. May I also read the other portions that I didn't see?

Yes, go ahead! Full disclosure among the Investigators!

I'm writing this from the airport, I'm going abroad for a week!

I'm writing this from the airport, I'm going abroad for a week!

Lucky sod! Have a super time and I'll keep a look out for the new game.