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!