Call of Cthulhu: The Vengeful Dead
6 Aug 2011: 7 pm: Vengeful Dead, Call of Cthulhu, from Bumps in the Night
- Adam Scott Glancy: GM
- Timmy Wong: The British Lord Chelmsford
- Me: Boxer, Benjamin "Mountain" McCabe, who had accidentally killed an opponent in the ring
- ???: Late Arrival Mr. Noah Gardner
- Brian: Maximillian (Max) Wren, manager for Benjamin McCabe. He had a rental car.
- Adams: Joshua Foote, likes to fish
- ??? (male): Rachel Weiss, young lady from Brooklyn, calling herself Miss Rosen
- Corey: Stage Magician, Peter Bullman
Adam Scott Glancy hadn't intended this to be a Generic Tickets only game, but had accidentally described it as such in the program book. So, he was prepared to take the first seven people who showed up. Technically, I was number eight, but one of the early folks was only there to set up the recording equipment. Sure, if there'd been an extra spot, he'd have taken it, but he didn't want to bump anyone, for which I was grateful. There were, I think, over twenty people present when the GM arrived, most of whom stayed simply to see the look on his face, not because they thought he'd let them in.
There were, in theory, three other potential PCs, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, and a psychologist, Dr. William Barrows. But, the GM thought that it would be better to cut the Coopers and to play the psychologist as an NPC. The psychologist wound up being a replacement character later on, and, as far as I can tell, the Coopers were pretty much non-entities, so that was the correct call.
My notes indicate that the GM advised us not to get our PCs shot and noted that a shotgun does 4d6 damage. The notes also say "Spread anyone out like a crazy woman's skirt", probably the result of getting hit with a shotgun.
The PCs were going to the Grand View Lodge in West Virginia. It was Thursday, April 28, 1921. The lodge was well off the beaten track, and getting there meant taking the train to Floyd, then getting some kind of transportation to the hotel, which might have a couple of vehicles.
The closest town to the hotel / lodge was Gauge, which was not even on the trainline. Gauge was home to a few hundred people, most of whom cooked at home. It had dry goods, an agricultural supply store, and Wedge's Cafe, which catered to locals, i.e., business men on lunch hour. It also had antique stores, aka tourist traps.
Most of the county was not even electrified, although Floyd was. The hotel had a phone connected to a party line for the county. There was also a phone in the town hall, and perhaps one in the sheriff's office. The sheriff had a Model T car. My notes also say, "electric -- not electrified".
There was no sweet shop. The town had a county clerk, a single doctor's office for a single doctor, and one or two deputies in addition to the sheriff. Prohibition was in effect. There was some alcohol at the lodge, though not a great deal of it, all legal, as it had been bought and owned before Prohibition. And there was a picturesque cemetery.
It was 6 miles from Gauge to the lodge. If one had a problem requiring the sheriff, one generally had to ride a horse to town to tell sheriff there was a problem, so response time would be slow.
Max, Benjamin (Benjy), and Dr. Barrows were met by Mr. Stanley from the lodge. Mr. Stanley was 6'5" and had a motor coach. Max and Dr. Barrows got in, and, to Dr. Barrows' surprise, Max told Benjamin to meet them at the lodge.
Dr. Barrows: You're going to make him walk to the lodge??
Benjamin: It's only 6 miles.
GM: Only rich folks on vacation do the hiking thing. Others are too dang busy.
GM: You're going to be playing a white Caucasian -- er --
Amused player: A _white_ Caucasians? I thought I was gonna be playing one of those _black_ Caucasians!
The Lodge had three floors, four with an attic. There was no basement. Alicia Beardsley was the owner's daughter.
The late arrival, Noah Gardner, arrived via farm truck and called to wire for money. Miss Rosen took a room with a closet that opened both into her room and into the room on the other side, where a professor, Myron Stevens, was staying. The GM noted the potential for farcical comedy. Miss Rosen's player liked that idea.
My notes say that Little River is north of Gauge, while the lodge is south, and mentions a dirt closet, as well as a crying woman being confronted by a man in his 40s, the Hills, but gives no further information on this.
The butler / chauffer was Oliver Peterson. Marping was the clerk. There was a Mr. Knowles. The chef was Winifred Barr. There was a gardener and two maids. The guests were not introduced to the maids.
Guests in addition to the PCs included Mr. and Mrs. Milner. There was a guest named Patrick, and my notes say that he was "Like USA Officer". In addition to Dr. Stevens, there was also a Dr. Clayton Sommers who had written a fantastical book about Haitian Voodoo. There was also a woman named Vivian.
In addition to the main building of the lodge, there were two cottages with outhouses, which were unoccupied. There was a boathouse, and there were stables. The dining room was on the ground floor, and the big lunch consisted of very high end cuisine. Benjamin, with his 15 Constitution, managed to make the six mile run and arrive in time for lunch.
Max tried to get Benjamin to agree to work with a sparring partner, but Benjamin said he'd rather use a dummy first. He was very afraid of killing someone, which frustrated Max no end as Benjamin didn't make money for Max when he wasn't fighting! Dr. Barrows suggested Benjamin jump rope, which he was fine doing.
The GM noted that the sports of the time were Boxing, Baseball, and _College_ Football. I noted that this meant that boxers were the equivalent of Roman Gladiators when it came to the equivalent of Patrician women, and indeed, Vivian seemed quite interested in Benjamin.
News over dinner was about the discovery of a dead body, although whose had not yet been determined. It seemed that there were a number of candidates who had gone missing.
I think folks figured it was Kevin Hill. He disappeared from his parents' farm while doing his chores. Other candidates included a drifter sometime in March, one who left without being paid. I think he was named Donald Wildes. And there was Wilma Frye who vanished around the end of March, and folks said that her husband beat her. My notes also mention a Shawn Fagin, saying "not a local", and that there was a woman named Clarie Lans whose husband was "raising holy hell about the discovered body".
The visitors never did find out a lot about that. As the GM noted, several times, we were doing so much to each other that he almost didn't need a scenario.
Miss Rosen hid her handbag, and, as the GM put it, "Everyone changes into their extremely voluminous 1921 nightclothes."
Miss Rosen: I'm going to forget to bolt the inside of the walk in closet.
GM: You have made your idea roll -- do you _want_ him to walk in or not walk in?
Miss Rosen: To walk in.
This Myron Stevens did, hastily retreating, but not before Miss Rosen made sure he got a good enough look to indulge in serious fantasizing.
The next day was Friday, 29 April 1921. Max was still frustrated with Benjamin.
Max: Go take a nap -- you'll feel better. Wait -- what are you thinking of doing?
Benjamin: Well, if I knew that, I'd tell you.
Max: Go take a run.
Benjamin did that, and Max talked to Patrick, wanting the military man's take on his boxer who refused to reenter the ring.
Patrick: A failure of character! Either a man's a man, or he's not!
Meanwhile, the body found in the river was identified as that of Kevin Hill, who'd been missing about a week. And the doctor had the most offensive idea! He wanted to cut Kevin's body open to find out how he'd died! Absurd! Obviously, Kevin was murdered! The body had been disemboweled, opened up like a hog!
Someone: The drifter must have done it.
One of the locals: Perhaps a foreigner. Like -- how long have you been here?
One of the PCs was a little concerned about the locals finding out that Lord Chelmsford was English, and, therefore, a foreigner.
Lord Chelmsford: Find _out_ I'm English? Once they _realize_ I'm English!
My notes mention Montague Summers' book, The Vampire, His Kith and Kin, which we'd been trying to recall, and the fact that, at this point in game time, the next train wouldn't be until Sunday 1 May 1921.
Someone (quite possible me): Who's the one single man?
Someone (quite possibly the GM): That'd be you.
Now, the previous evening, Peter Bullman, the stage magician, had told a story about how he'd been responsible for a young man's death because the young man had tried one of Bullman's dangerous escapes and hadn't made it. I found out after the game that this had been a complete fabrication on the magician's part, but none of us knew it at the time. Max felt that he could take advantage of this tragedy, purely for Peter's own good. And Benjamin's. And Max's, coincidentally.
Max: I'm going to give you the opportunity to work off some of that guilt by making someone feel better. I want you to pretend to do one of those SEE-ances.
Peter: How much are you paying me for this?
Max: It's help son -- help. You can't put a price on help.
They settled on $500, a figure with which Max was quite comfortable, but which Peter thought was Max's absolute limit.
Max: He _wants_ to be deceived.
Meanwhile, Joshua Foote caught fish, which the cook offered to cook. I think he accepted the offer.
Max asked if Peter needed a Ouija board.
Peter: Ouija board? Oh no, that's amateur stuff.
Max, however, insisted on being in the room.
Max: I got an investment here -- can I hide in the room?
Peter protested that this might jeopardize things.
Max: Jeopardize? You're faking, ain't you?
Peter: Yes, but it's a delicate kind of faking. (pause) If you want to pay me more...
Max agreed to pay another fifty dollars. My notes say something illegible about flash paper.
Meanwhile, Miss Rosen and Lord Chelmsford were playing billiards, but the game went rather... oddly, with balls curving. It looked to Miss Rosen as if her opponent had deliberately messed up a shot to give her a chance.
Miss Rosen: I'm going to slowly look up at Lord Chelmsford and raise my eyebrows. (to Lord Chelmsford) You've played billiards before, yes?
Lord Chelmsford: I'm insulted.
Meanwhile, Max reminded Peter that the man whom Benjamin had accidentally killed was Manny "Mad Man" Vargas. Could Peter please say that Mad Man forgave Benjamin? And wanted him to get back into the ring?
Peter: Despite appearances, I am a professional. Now, get under the bed!
Peter sold Benjamin a complete line of crap about how they'd made a connection, and how he could contact dead spririts -- sure, it was dangerous, but for a friend -- oh, no, not all _that_ dangerous, really, it would all be under control... You get the idea.
Peter tried to run a proper fake séance, but something happened. The trunk started shaking, voices that were neither his nor Max's sounded saying that something was coming, and all three people in the room were generally alarmed. Benjamin asked if everything was all right.
Peter (trying to pretend to be Mad Man): I'm reliving the fight.
Once Benjamin was out of the room, Max came out from under the bed.
Peter: What the hell was that?
Max: That was amazing! Here's an extra 10 bucks!
Peter: You better pay me a hundred extra! What the fuck was that?!
Max: You didn't do that yourself? I want a rebate!
Peter: Wait a minute -- yes, it's me.
He collected his money.
At some point, Max's player slipped up on the pronouns. This does sometimes happen when one crosscasts.
Peter: It may be hurting your boxer's mental health by calling him "she".
Peter left the room, but Max remained, looking in Peter's trunk, hoping to reclaim his $500. Alas, he didn't find it, and Peter returned.
Peter: What are you doing in my room?
Max (pointing to the trunk): This thing was shaking again!
Peter: I imagine you were looking for my money.
Max: Why would I do that?
Peter: So you could add that generous tip...
Meanwhile, Mr. Noah Gardner, the late arrival, went to Miss Rosen's room. He exited into Myron Steven's room via the closet, giving no indication that Miss Rosen wasn't actually in her room.
Myron Stevens: Oh! I see.
Noah Gardner: Sh! Not a word.
Someone: Let's not do this again.
Miss Rosen later went to her room and noticed that there was a Certain Item that was no longer there. Miss Rosen's player decided to make a Willpower roll to avoid screaming, and I think she blew it. Certainly, someone, I think Joshua Foote, convinced Benjamin that he had better make sure that Miss Rosen opened the door so that they'd be sure she was all right. I think he managed to convince her to open the door, and she laughed somewhat hysterically, but assured him that she was, indeed, all right.
Benjamin had also, I think, told Foote about the séance after learning about the weird behavior of the billiards, and Foote somehow convinced him to break in Peter's door. Peter was Not Pleased and made his ire known. Benjamin was crushed and agreed that he was completely in the wrong.
Benjamin: I'm going for a run.
Peter: It just keeps getting better.
Peter (to Joshua Foote): Sit down. I'm gonna tell you a little about magic.
Joshua: I sit on the chest.
Peter: Get the fuck off the chest!
Peter (I forget whether it was addressed to Benjamin, who did it, or to Joshua, who convinced him to do it): You punched my door. No! You _punched_ my door!
Peter (to either Joshua or Max about Benjamin, as he gets increasingly drunk and irate): He can't even do anything on his own.
Peter (again, to either Joshua or Max -- I think Joshua): I don't know shit about it, but you don't know double shit -- you stay quiet and _stop punching my door!_
Apparently, I did a very good confused, guilt-ridden boxer.
Someone: It's the open mouth that does it.
GM: That slack jaw.
Meanwhile, Peter took his money and put the chest in the hall.
Miss Rosen decided to take one of the two vehicles available, the one Max had rented, and leave.
GM: Rosen is leaving.
Noah Gardner: I have to find some way to follow her.
GM: Yes, you do. You could make a call.
Noah Gardner: I'm gonna get right on it.
Miss Rosen had stolen money from the mob, and perhaps killed her mobster boyfriend. I'm a little vague on the details. Her purse originally had her money and her gun.
Noah Gardner was the federal agent tracking her. He'd removed her gun, but left everything else. Miss Rosen panicked. No money wouldn't be as frightening, but no gun? Obviously, the mob had caught up with her and meant to kill her! Therefore, she fled.
Noah Gardner showed his badge to the Lodge staff, and they let him take the Lodge vehicle, aka the remaining vehicle available.
It was now 11:30 at night. Rosen and Gardner had escaped the scenario, as the GM put it. Whatever happened, they would not be returning. And, they had conveniently removed the only means of escape for all of the others.
The GM said that they could take over one of the NPCs. Gardner's player declined, but Rosen's player decided to take Dr. Barrows, Benjamin's therapist.
The lodge staff explained apologetically to Max that Miss Rosen "appears to have borrowed your car."
Max: It's okay. It was a rental.
He decided that he wouldn't even bother telling the guy at the dried goods store from whom he'd rented the car.
Hotel Staff (with 1920s logic): We won't be letting any more Jews into the hotel.
At this point, someone told the story about Groucho Marx being told that he couldn't use a hotel's swimming pool because he was Jewish.
Groucho: My daughter's half Jewish. Can she go in to the waist?
My notes indicate that the GM called for a 2xPOW roll, and I think Foote and Lord Chelmsford made it.
GM: I don't think you guys need anything supernatural. You're scaring the shit out of each other.
As near as I recall:
Foote was frightened enough to go out into the lake on the boat in an attempt to be safe.
GM: You're safe -- in the middle of the lake.
Foote: I don't feel safe.
Someone: I'm scared of the house.
For reasons I completely forget, Peter was in Joshua Foote's room. I do recall that Foote had requested to be woken early with breakfast.
Lodge staff member: Mr. Foote? Your breakfast.
By now, Mr. Foote had reached the opposite shore of the lake. He made his way into Gauge. It was now 30 April 1921, and the next train wasn't until the following day.
Lord Chelmsford noticed that the drains were draining clockwise. They should have been draining counter-clockwise.
Lord Chelmsford: Bullman!
Either he or Peter Bullman, or perhaps both of them, noticed that his reflection in the mirror was wrong. It was the reverse of what it should have been.
Lodge staff member (knocking on Mr. Foote's door): Breakfast is served.
Peter (in Mr. Foote's bed, hungover and sleepy): Mr. Foote is cancelled.
Lodge staff member: Very good.
But, the man wouldn't go away.
Lodge staff member: We can't find Mr. Foote.
Peter: Maybe he's gone fishing.
Peter (I think): Oh man! Finally someone has problems who aren't me!
Perhaps now was when Peter spotted his reflection in the mirror. Certainly, someone cried out "Bullman! Bullman!", and... it might have been Peter Bullman himself.
Peter tried to get everyone together and figure out what was going on. The theory of poltergeists came up, but the GM noted that, at least in the world of the scenario, there was a problem.
GM: Poltergeists? Never move shit when you're looking at it.
And, the chest and the billiard balls had clearly moved in front of witnesses.
Lord Chelmsford (to Peter): Because we believed you when you lied, we should believe you now?
Peter: Yes.
Lord Chelmsford: Just wanted to make sure. (Starts to leave)
Benjamin backed Peter up, to Dr. Barrows' dismay.
Dr. Barrows: This is going to set us back weeks!
Benjamin: I know what I saw.
Peter (to one of the skeptics): You're gonna stick your head in the toilet, but you're gonna call me crazy?
The skeptical person: Yes.
Alas, by now, we were already about half an hour over time, and folks had to go to sleep or to very late games. So, we never actually got to the scenario, despite having had all of the cars and just about all of the guns taken out of the scenario. A good time was had by all, and I hope that Pagan Publishing will make the characters used in this run of the scenario available on line, if not in the book.
