Call of Cthulhu: Lockdown

The other game in the 11 pm - 3 am slot folded into this, because only one player showed up. Matt had a single free slot, and, while the other GM wanted to play, she decided that her player had precedence. Matt decided that he could create a ninth PC, and named him after one of the players. This player promptly claimed that PC, saying that he'd just feel weird if someone else played a PC with his name.

The game was set at a newly opened prison, which was why Matt could create an extra PC. There could always be another prison guard.

GM: Matt Wiseman

Dylan Addis: Carl Zeller, Felon / Safe Cracker

Jeffrey M. S (???): Carlos Garcia, Prison Guard

Todd Schmidt: Jim Davis, Prison Guard

Peter McNamara: Peter McNamara, Prison Guard

Preston Becker: Olivia Ortez, Hot Reporter for Telemundo

Misty Tourner (???): Dick Baum, Prison Guard

Me: Thomas Chen, Olivia's cameraman

Clarence Pitre: Pete Hammersmith, Prison Guard

Naomi Pitre: Nathan Goldstein, PR for the prison

This was the "Public" opening of new Supermax prison, whose motto was "Prison for a Profit" -- a profit to both Supermax and society as a whole. As the game opened, the head of the prison, Immanuel Zacarth (I think) was giving an interview to Olivia Ortiz, who had brought her cameraman, Thomas. Carl was also a visitor, a prisoner near the end of his sentence who, it was hoped, might be "scared straight" by a look at this new prison. Nathan Goldstein was there as the PR man, and everyone else was a prison guard.

Immanuel explained that Marion County Prison was there to educate and rehabilitate prisoners, so that they would be able to reenter society, as useful members, rather than as people forced back to their old criminal ways because crime was all they knew how to do. Olivia raised the question of Cyrus ***, a serial killer who had been executed just a few days ago, and buried in the prison cemetery.

Immanual Zacarth said that, while he did not think that the death penalty should be carried out lightly, if he himself had proven to be intractible and sentenced to execution, this was the prison where he would want to be executed. It used the most humane methods possible (I think lethal injection).

Immanuel: Any other questions?

Carl: Can I go now?

Immanuel: No, unfortunately not.

He was asked about the inmate population. He said that there were 20 inmates on Death Row. The prison had a capacity of 1,000, but currently only held 600.

He also demonstrated the security system, suddenly shouting out a threat. Immediately, the alarm started blaring, until he overrode it. The central computer system was able to respond to vocal tones.

The alarm was actually created by some device or other that Matt had with him. When Misty ran her Titanic game a couple of days later, we wondered whether we could ask Matt to coordinate with her when the Titanic sank.

The prison was constructed as a sort of a triangle, with Maximum and Minimum security wings forming a V. Administration was at the base of the V, while the courtyard / cemetery was across the top of the V.

Someone made a quip about the guards having two Petes and a Dick. The guards made semi-threatening comments to Carl, but nothing, I think, that one could actually call them on.

At one point, a compartment in the room where the interview was taking place was opened. I forget why. However, Ophelia and Thomas were both quite interested to see a ball gag there, and Thomas made sure to get it on camera.

There were two prisoners in the infirmary. One, whose name I forget, was in prison for arson. The other, Michael Carpenter, was in for sexual crimes. Ophelia asked if she could speak with them, but Immanuel and Nathan both agreed that this would be a Bad Idea, as well as unfair to the prisoners.

Then, an alarm went off and Immanuel excused himself, asking everyone to stay put. They did for a time, and Carl and Ophelia talked to each other in Spanish, agreeing that this was all the White Man keeping everyone else down.

Carl (in Spanish): Just you wait. It looks new and shiny now, but by next year, you won't be able to come in and take pictures.

Nathan asked Carl to speak in English. Then, I think, the sprinkler system started going off, soaking the donuts. At least one of the guards went to Immanuel Zacarth's office to try to find him.

GM: You see Mr. Zacarth -- some of him -- over there. Some over there.

Player: But none over there?

GM: But some over there.

Nathan insisted that Thomas hand the camera over. The guards were willing to enforce this with their guns. Ophelia instructed Thomas to give the guards the camera -- but to give her the film (or SD card, depending on when this was set). When he did, she stuck it into her bra, daring the guards to try to take it from her.

Things were weird all over by now, what with the head of the prison scattered in pieces all around his office, parts of the supermodern prison suddenly looking decades old, and something pounding against the windows and doors. The computer had decided that it was time to do a lockdown. There were no useful paper files, because everything was on the central computer system. Ophelia revealed that she had some skill with computers.

Someone: Let's get to the computers.

Ophelia: I hope to God it's a Mac.

The two prisoners in the infirmary were brought along, arms handcuffed behind their back.

When the group reached the computer lab, they discovered that the central computer had become the biggest porn server on the Internet.

GM: It's like Christmas for Michael Carpenter.

As the criminal stared in delight, everyone else started in mingled dismay, disbelief, and fascination. Then, things started getting worse and weirder. Soon, Nathaniel had reversed his position on the camera. He now wanted everything recorded, as proof, and to cover his ass.

Alas, by now, Ophelia had lost 20% of her SAN and decided that she was in Hell. She panicked and apologized for calling Thomas "Chino" earlier. Rather than try to calm the hysterical woman down, one of the guards, Dick Baum, reached down her blouse and retrieved the film (or SD card), giving it to Thomas. This, of course, only agitated Ophelia.

Ophelia: Dick made me pregnant!

Carl (in Spanish): Don't worry -- he shoots blanks. His five kids? None of them are his.

Gradually, all of the characters, I think, lost at least 20% of their SAN, meaning that they were all Indefinitely Insane. The GM took individuals aside several times. When he took me aside, he said that Thomas understood that there was nothing wrong with the hellacious situation. It was how reality was. And, some people couldn't accept that, and they were just victims. But, not Thomas. Thomas was not going to be a victim, oh no. He would do whatever it took, and he would fit into this world. But, he couldn't let the others know, of course. He had to pretend.

The prison continued to get stranger. Things that happened included:

--The arsonist turning into a lit chandelier
--One guard, Jim, I think, discovering the car of his dreams in his garage, which had somehow gotten inside of the prison
--Dick pulling a heavy suitcase, refusing to say what was in it, and not letting anyone else near it
--Nathaniel going off and then coming back with a young boy whose identity, he insisted, was no one's business
--Finding a chapel where a priest talked to Ophelia
--Finding a fully stocked bar in one of the cells. At least one PC took advantage of this, getting "a bottle of something heavy proof".

And, every few minutes or so, Matt standing up to talk to a player outside. Matt was in the worst possible seat for this, sitting against the wall, with the table in front of him and players to either side.

Various bits of dialogue:

Ophelia: This is Hell.

Someone: Was it hot?

Ophelia: Not as hot as Mexico City.

Misty (Dick's player): I'm also below 20% SAN.

Matt: Pardon me -- I need me some Dick.

Jim: If we had some explosives --

Carlos: That would make everything better.

Ophelia: The Jews -- they think they control the media. But they do not control Telemundo.

Carlos (actually, probably the player speaking out of character): And we wouldn't want to.

Ophelia: You're Jewish, Carl?

Ophelia (still going on about the Jews, speaking quite calmly): They killed our Lord.

(Matt beats his head against the table.)

At some point, I wrote a note to hand to Olivia's player.

Note: The others are weak.

Ophelia (after reading it): You said it!

Michael Carpenter and Peter were in the bar. I think Michael convinced Peter to handcuff his arms in front of him.

Michael (trying to explain his life): I just got a little carried away.

Peter: I think what you do is more than carried away.

Michael (a very large man with a beard): Well, I've never been a careful girl.

At one point, Silas, the criminal who had been executed, jumped Thomas, knocking him down. Before the naked killer could claim another victim, however, one of the guards shot him dead. Thomas, stunned by the incident, touched Silas's blood and anointed his own forehead with it.

Thomas: So, I baptized myself in his blood, and now, we're gonna bury him, right?

Someone: What??

Carl and Pete Hammersmith found a book in Michael Carpenter's cell. Pete read part of it and was disgusted. Carl read part of it and was very aroused. Thomas walked into the cell while Carl was taunting, or perhaps flirting with, Pete, who wanted the book destroyed. Thomas picked it up, but followed Pete's instructions not to read it.

Then, Peter McNamara told everyone else that he wanted them to see something. The creature who had been Michael Carpenter walked into the room. This was now a towering figure, naked and headless, with dripping maws opening in its palms.

Thomas asked the creature if it were the master he served. The creature said yes.

Thomas: I give him the book.

GM: He lays a hand on your head and bites your forehead -- and you are all fucked.

Matt now explained what had been going on. The creature, as we all knew out of character, was Y'golonac. It's sort of the patron deity of lust and perversion of all types. The ball gag foreshadowed this to all of the players, but we kept this premonition firmly separate from what our characters knew.

Michael Carpenter had gotten ahold of a book that talked about how to summon it, talking about desire lasting beyond death, I think. Now, Michael Carpenter was a schmuck, not a wizard. Oh, sure, he was a sex criminal, but that didn't mean he was very smart. So, he messed up the ritual somehow. Or something.

Silas came back from the dead, but this was due to no action on his part. And, he was used to satisfying his lusts, but was thwarted for the first time, I think.

Dick's heavy suitcase contained either a lot of money or a lot of gold. Dick was normally a nice enough guy who followed the rules because he was not going to risk his job when he had a family to support. But, faced with all the money -- well, he lusted for it, and he deserved it.

The bar, the car, and the chapel all catered to different types of desire. The young boy was the sort that Nathan lusted after. Michael had wanted his hands cuffed in front of him so that he could show the mouths on his palms to Peter. Peter had agreed to become Y'golonac's priest.

The prison was sucked into Y'golonac's own dimension, and everyone there suffered pain and perverse pleasure, dying again and again.

Dylan asked if there had been any way to stop this outcome. Matt assured us that there had been. Searching the cells earlier and finding the book, or killing Michael Carpenter before he turned into Y'golonac's avatar would have worked. This was not a no-win scenario. I was glad to learn this, but also glad that Matt pulled no punches and that we had refrained from acting like investigators who knew that they were in a CoC scenario. We had earned our PCs' doom!