Play@YSDC

Hi Everyone

Welcome to Dead Man Stomp, the 4th and last in the HoneyDog Rule Book series. This should be a much more fast-moving adventure than the last. The scenario deals with some of the racial politics at the time - in the 1920's Boston had a small but long-established African-American population which was recently bolstered by immigrants from the Caribbean and Cape Verde. Will your characters survive with their sanity intact?

There are four players; evil_scientist (Isadora), Mr. Handy (Alice), innsmouth (Henry) and andyw666 (Balzac). Your familiarity means that we can get straight to the action and skip lengthy introductions.

The action begins at the Blue Heaven Ballroom in Boston. The Ballroom is also a speakeasy, it freely serves alcohol but it is patronised by the city's elite and so is left alone by law enforcement, but it is also protected by organised crime. Evening wear is compulsory, and food and drinks are not cheap. The Ballroom also plays host to the finest jazz acts in town. In short, it is the place to be.

I suggest the characters meeting outside the Ballroom. As Balzac is a trumpet player, he might enjoy jazz and has suggested the Blue Heaven for a reunion while he is in town. Also, it is rumoured that Henry may be seeing a nightclub singer.

Perhaps you'd like to begin by just explaining a little about what your character has been doing in the 2 1/2 months since the events in Vermont. Have they recovered from the ordeal? Surely a few drinks with friends won't lead to any outlandish alien conspiracies?

Alice has recovered, and is in fact more confident due to having played such an important role in defeating the aliens. She has continued to work for Henry as his typist, proofreader, and editor. She had been hoping he would show interest in her, and she is interested to see if the rumors about him and the nightclub singer are true or not,

Oh dear! I hope I haven't caused problems...

Oo, drama!!

Later today I will update my sheet and post!

Henry has just published his latest novella The Curse of the Gold Sarcophagus through a new publisher he met though contacts via Auden and the Theosophist Society. It is early days but it appears to be selling well. Over the summer Henry has started seeing a flame haired nightclub singer called Verena Jack who performs in various venues across Boston including the Blue Heaven Ballroom. Henry feels conflicted due to his interest in Alice but believes she is not interested in him. He is already on the look out for inspiration for his next book.

HoneyDog wrote:Welcome to Dead Man Stomp, the 4th and last in the HoneyDog Rule Book series.

Word is HD will kill us all off to avoid having to invest in a new scenario collection.

innsmouth wrote:

HoneyDog wrote:Welcome to Dead Man Stomp, the 4th and last in the HoneyDog Rule Book series.

Word is HD will kill us all off to avoid having to invest in a new scenario collection.

-------

Since Vermont, Isadora mostly has been patching up things with her husband, who was understandably nervous about his beloved wife's latest "adventure". He was only told the minimum: that Isadora had spent a night in the wilderness, looking for a dead journalist, and had almost frozen to death herself.

The quick sketches she made of the alien creatures and the salvaged weapon are in a sturdy, lockable safe box, hidden under her art supplies. She always carries the key on a silver chain around her neck.

Isadora's new series of paintings include enlarged snowflake/ice crystal-like structures, not unlike the patterns she embroiders on her dresses, but more rigid, less organic, more alien. She also paints many winter landscapes of Vermont locales: these are successful with buyers, as they appear more "conventional", than some of her usual works. There are some strange big birds (?) hovering over the hills, and the winter sun's rays are unnaturally cold... and there absolutely NO people, nor any sign of human presence... but those are just small details, right? It's not that Isadora is depicting an Earth after a cosmic apocalypse? Right?

Right?...

I think it might be time to intensify Isadora's visions this adventure.

And

innsmouth wrote:

HoneyDog wrote:Welcome to Dead Man Stomp, the 4th and last in the HoneyDog Rule Book series.

Word is HD will kill us all off to avoid having to invest in a new scenario collection.

Well, I was thinking about it cause I want to try a Gaslight adventure next actually. But if you all wanted to continue I might be convinced to stay in this era and not kill you. Of course, it depends on what happens now and how this adventure progresses. I think in this scenario you need to be more concerned about your sanity than getting killed though.

I'll wait for Andy before we move into the Ballroom.

HoneyDog wrote:Well, I was thinking about it cause I want to try a Gaslight adventure next actually. But if you all wanted to continue I might be convinced to stay in this era and not kill you. Of course, it depends on what happens now and how this adventure progresses. I think in this scenario you need to be more concerned about your sanity than getting killed though.

Or maybe one of us players can step up to act as Keeper for a session.

But let's see what happens here first...

HoneyDog wrote:I think it might be time to intensify Isadora's visions this adventure.

Would be interesting!

Looking back at my description of her new paintings, I like the idea of her apocalyptic visions looking like calm winter landscapes to causal observers I'm proud of this part.

I have my hands full with my own campaign, so I doubt I could run another scenario at the same time. I'd be up for either continuing this one in the Classic era or playing Gaslight after this.

I don't want to run Gaslight or Classic nowadays (although I'd be interested in playing Gaslight!), because I want to explore more settings from the 1960s-1980s period... Hence, Sukakpak, and probably something else, afterwards.

But let's not put the cart before the horse!

Yes we'll finish this one first.

Isadora can have stronger 'feelings' in this game - I think I can safely tell you there are no fungus bees.

I'll see if Andy posts today.

Sorry Guys, still catching up with some other stuff after the flu...

Balzac has continued to oscillate between his French-Canadian base and New England, as Vermont has only reinforced his belief that this hidden world of new scientific discoveries is most easily found or accessed in the latter. His academic output has suffered somewhat but fortunately his colleagues in Montreal still consider him skilled enough to warrant some latitude.

In Boston for a few days, Balzac is always keen to catch up with his American friends. And his passion for jazz, food and alcohol makes the Blue Heaven a natural magnet whereat he suggests the quartet might rendezvous. Although Balzac's own trumpet abilities are pretty amateur, he spends enough of his free time listening to bands that he is on good speaking terms with many of the better jazz players in town.

Thanks Andy!

Zeppo is going to be joining us. I suggested that his character be a friend of Balzac, so maybe they can arrive together. I suggested to Zeppo that he look at Balzac's character sheet and think about how they might know each other.

Once you two have met the other characters, we'll move inside the ballroom. The action should move pretty quickly from then on.

Cool stuff.

Thanks Andy! We'll just wait for Zeppo then.

I'm here

I've made my character an acquaintance of Balzac's from the war.

Andy, feel free to make their acquittance as strong or as fleeting as you like.

Welcome!

Welcome Zeppo! You might want to up your age a little bit to fit your great war back story as we're now 1928. Hope you enjoy the game!

Yep, thanks, I didn't realise the year was that late, I'll bump the age up.

Sorry All, I'm still struggling to catch up on RW work after nine days feeling stuffed. Apologies for not posting too regularly, hope to post properly from tomorrow. - Andy

Don't worry Andy. You must have been pretty sick!

Three weeks today since I came down with it!! What was really frustrating is you can't concentrate enough to read a book even when you are stuck in bed.

Pretty much fixed now though!!

This is my fault, but HoneyDog asked me to update my sheet, so Andy's latest post is a bit out of step.
Not sure what to do now. I can either change the sheet back or Andy can edit his post?

Hang on, I'll fix!

In the scenario of Ron being a lieutenant, I will assume he was a nurse officer (a perfectly respectable male profession at the time)? Generally nurses start at lieutenant and doctors start as captain.

I had to deal with lots of work stuff, but I'm back now!

Hurrah! I suppose you were creating doomsday devices in your secret laboratory or something.

Exactly.

You might want to advance your doomsday clocks.

Why are there 4 valves on certain trumpets?

https://musicforyoublog.com/2017/05/24/ ... -trumpets/

Personally I would guess because some players like to get a lower register - probably because they are in league with the devil.

I have to confess, I don't really know anything about jazz. I'm a rap, funk, or minimalist classical man. Actaully, I quite like some of the music of Tibor Szemzo, I was listening to him a lot last year. Do you know of him?

Can I re-use my listen roll?

You don't need to roll listen. Once you're in position you'll be close enough to see and hear everything.

SAN rolls for the mobsters (it should apply to them too, right?):

Boss 47: SAN: 1d100 46

Little Jimmy 61: SAN: 1d100 66
SAN loss: 1d6 6
Idea 50:Idea: 1d100 29
Type of temporary insanity 1d10: Temporary Insanity: 1d10 7 (Hallucination or delusion)

Other goon 62: SAN: 1d100 67
SAN loss: 1d6 4

We'll see what kind of delusion Little Jimmy will have.

For Zeppo, the dice function (two buttons right of the spoiler-button) on this board works well. You just put in what you want to roll, eg. 1d100.

Except it hates Balzac, of course.

Cheers,

Andy

Like this:

We’re about done now, guys. You might want to think about what you want to do with the trumpet, and I’ll write an epilogue.

Thanks for playing. It was the weakest scenario so far, but I had fun with it. It needed more investigating in it. I was very worried that you would all be killed by the gangsters at one point, but luckily Little Jimmy flipped his lid and got you off the hook.

I want to run a Gaslight game as I said previously, but if you’re still having fun with your characters and want to reprise them I’m perfectly happy to do another adventure for you. I’m sure I can manage running two games concurrently.

Let me know all your thoughts.

Thanks, HoneyDog! I agree that it was a fun run, despite the weaknesses of the scenario.

I'd love to bring back Isadora for another adventure.

Hi there Honeydog,

I'd love to play in a Gaslight adventure, haven't done that for years (decades)! For preference, I'd rather just play in one new adventure, not two at the same time, rather not split my limited powers of attention too far.

That said, if the majority would prefer to keep going "classic" era, the increasingly unbalanced and disturbed Balzac will tag along.

Much appreciated!

Andy

Thank you, this has been a fun scenario! I'd be happy to bring back Alice for another Classic era adventure, and I'm also up for anything Gaslight.

Thanks Guys. Have a look when I announce the adventures and see if they take your fancy. I'll save places for everyone who's interested. You're very welcome to play both Andy, although I know you're doing a few games right now. It would be a shame not include Balzac in any new Classic adventure though. I won't announce them both at the same time, so it might give you (and me) a chance to get used to one before the other starts. I'll start the Gaslight first.

Thanks HD! Henry is available for further classic era adventures!

Finished! I hope it was a satisfactory conclusion. Perhaps later you'll all decide how you might use the trumpet.

In the meantime you can roll your skill checks. Sanity took a battering for many of you, so please roll 2d6 for Sanity gain for stopping poor Turner. You might want to consider some psychiatric treatment, particularly Ron. As he had Temporary Insanity, I suggest that he becomes irrationally angry if he confronts anything or anyone to do with organized crime. How does that sound?

I'm glad of the interest in a new adventure. Zeppo, please feel free to involve Ron.

I'll start it early next month, and keep you updated by posting on this thread.

Sanity gain (current level 56):
[dice]0[/dice]

Do you have a list of what skills we've used successfully? It may be some time before I can go through the story and see for myself.

I don't Mr. H, but we have lots of time to take a look before the new adventure begins. I can have a quick look next week maybe.

Thanks for the game, HoneyDog!

Usually I just search the game forum for all my posts and look for skill rolls.

But this time I checked my skills as we went along! I've got quite a few. I'll roll for improvements later.

Sanity gain
[dice]0[/dice]

Isadora will undergo deep sleep treatment for a couple of months to get herself together.

Improvements for Isadora:
Listen 25% actually, Listen 43%, so no improvement
[dice]0[/dice]
Improvement
[dice]4[/dice]

Occult 45%
[dice]1[/dice]

Psychology 20%
[dice]2[/dice]
Improvement
[dice]5[/dice]

Spot Hidden 30%
[dice]3[/dice]
Improvement
[dice]6[/dice]

Balzac sanity roll...

[dice]0[/dice]

Balzac skill rolls:

Medicine 87%

[dice]0[/dice]

Spot Hidden 50%

[dice]1[/dice]

Improvement
[dice]3[/dice]

Grapple 45%

[dice]2[/dice]

Improvement
[dice]4[/dice]

Cool bananas! That's not too bad a scoop for old Balzac.

Thank you for the game, HoneyDog!

Spot Hidden (55% skill) XP check:
[dice]0[/dice]
Listen (60% skill) XP check:
[dice]1[/dice]
Psychology (60% skill) XP check:
[dice]2[/dice]
Psychology increase:
[dice]3[/dice]

You're all very welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I've decided to start your Classic adventure first, the Gaslight will need more consideration of how it's going to work.

The scenario is 'The Chapochaug Tunnel Haunting' by Bret Kramer which appears in The Arkham Gazette 0. It should be a fairly short one (I think), but quite free-flowing.

As 4-5 players is already enough, is it possible to set up a forum Mr. Handy, if I supply you with the game description later, without advertising on the 'I'm thinking of running a game' forum?

Innsmouth, you'll need to update Henry. And Zeppo, let us know if you want to continue, and if you want to keep using Ron.

HoneyDog wrote:You're all very welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I've decided to start your Classic adventure first, the Gaslight will need more consideration of how it's going to work.

The scenario is 'The Chapochaug Tunnel Haunting' by Bret Kramer which appears in The Arkham Gazette 0. It should be a fairly short one (I think), but quite free-flowing.

I'm in!

Henry San gain
[dice]0[/dice]


Henry Soot Hidden 25
[dice]1[/dice]
[dice]6[/dice]

Henry Listen 25
[dice]2[/dice]
[dice]4[/dice]

Henry Punch 50
[dice]3[/dice]
[dice]5[/dice]

I'm happy to hold off and wait for your Gaslight adventure, if you don't mind! - Andy

While I'm very glad to have you on Gaslight, that's a shame to hear! There's a botany angle to it, in case you're tempted...

If we're down to three players, I'll announce it on the main forum. I plan this to be the first of three adventures using Miskatonic University as the connection, so hopefully Balzac will return to his old stomping ground.

Mr. Handy, I think we've finished with this forum, so feel free to put it away at your convenience.

Word is no Balzac in Season 5 but they might bring back the guy from Season 1.

innsmouth wrote:Word is no Balzac in Season 5 but they might bring back the guy from Season 1.

You mean Norman Owens?