tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post6672864128402113827..comments2024-03-29T07:35:51.362+00:00Comments on Fabled Lands: "The Unseen Hand" (scenario)Dave Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-19833013533036459022020-02-16T14:05:46.158+00:002020-02-16T14:05:46.158+00:00I guess I could best sum up the lesson of this sce...I guess I could best sum up the lesson of this scenario as: just because you've got a hammer, don't assume everything is a nail.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-82156718392842557082020-02-16T01:58:17.419+00:002020-02-16T01:58:17.419+00:00Assuming this isn't a beginning scenario (and ...Assuming this isn't a beginning scenario (and it shouldn't be for maximum effect), another way to play it is that they get off with probation and suspended sentences because one or more of the folks there did a bit of research and learned who the PCs were and what they did as a "hobby." And that/those person(s) used some of their juice to suspend the sentences because they need the PCs to help them with what they at least think is a Mythos/occult problem. The old "I'll be happy to make all this go away if you lot will do me just the teensist little favor..." Figure it'll turn out that this person knew who they were even before all this and orchestrated it hoping they'd put themselves in the position of needing a favor from him.<br /><br />Of course, if they didn't screw up and get into trouble, then the favor the person will ask will be in exchange for money, contacts, a big favor in the future, etc. Figure their best bet will be money in terms of hard cash, because there's a decent chance that quite a few of these folks will lose everything but their undies in six months or so.<br /><br />Of course if PCs don't screw johntfshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005496604068259398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-66945851435179138942020-02-15T16:49:56.164+00:002020-02-15T16:49:56.164+00:00I agree the best thing for the PCs to do would be ...I agree the best thing for the PCs to do would be nothing, but knowing most players there's no way that's going to happen. I think the fallout from getting arrested and/or making enemies of some of the most powerful people in New York could be interesting -- and I'd enjoy watching their wariness in the ensuing scenarios, when they'd be ultra-cautious about acting even when they're 99% sure. Still, in my book there's not a lot anyone can do anyway against most Cthulhu mythos entities -- it's all just a question of damage limitation while hoping to stay sane and in one piece.<br /><br />One thing you could do is have the scenario play out as written. The PCs are arrested but (assuming no fatalities) nobody presses charges. They seem to have got off lightly, but then you start to plant seeds that maybe the way they remember things going down at 55 Wall Street might be unreliable. Is it really the case that the gathering was innocent fun, or has something rewired their memories..? Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-37144879683889418332020-02-15T15:30:43.357+00:002020-02-15T15:30:43.357+00:00If I was running this scenario, I'd be incline...If I was running this scenario, I'd be inclined to throw in something real from the Mythos. Let the Crypto be rich dumbasses having fun, but have it turn out that the "goofy" ritual they're using actually calls in something real and the PCs have to save them from their own ignorance.<br /><br />Otherwise, as is, this is basically an adventure where the best thing for the PCs to do is absolutely nothing. Just ignore the whole thing. I'm not sure that's the best lesson to teach in Call of Cthulhu. Figure if the PCs do burn themselves by over-reacting, there's a decent chance that they'll under-react in the next scenario and just let whatever awful Mythos thing is in the offing occur with an attitude of "sucks to be those people but at least we're not in jail over it." johntfshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005496604068259398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-46836413166467413122020-02-14T16:24:31.957+00:002020-02-14T16:24:31.957+00:00Thanks! Though in the case of that particular scen...Thanks! Though in the case of that particular scenario ("More Precious Than Gold") the credit should really go to John Huston and B. Traven, whose Treasure of the Sierra Madre inspired it. My players would agree that I tend to set up an expected narrative only to subvert it.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-52423302224949864202020-02-14T16:19:43.618+00:002020-02-14T16:19:43.618+00:00I was aiming for that '30s screwball dialogue ...I was aiming for that '30s screwball dialogue style :-)Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-13425975960594430782020-02-14T15:03:29.951+00:002020-02-14T15:03:29.951+00:00"He can take a roll of Scotch tape for a walk..."He can take a roll of Scotch tape for a walk down Fifth Avenue!" LOL!Baron Greystonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16636292202674906870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-17369507318277705682020-02-14T12:45:22.630+00:002020-02-14T12:45:22.630+00:00I thought Firewatch was a bit of a hit-or-miss gam...I thought Firewatch was a bit of a hit-or-miss game, but the aspect you reference here was one which absolutely nailed it. Possibly it struck a chord with me at the time because I was also going through the end of a relationship, but I loved the idea of somebody in a shitty life, a shitty situation, grasping at the suggestion that maybe he'd finally stumbled into some kind of ~*~Narrative~*~ which could give his situation a deeper meaning.<br /><br />Incidentally this reminds me of your scenario from a while ago, in Tekumel I think, where some players abscond with treasure and escape into the desert but there's literally no way for them to get to safety without abandoning the whole venture and going back and throwing themselves on the mercy of their erstwhile hosts. I'm not an RPG gamer but I still find it very interesting to read your scenarios because of the way you tend to subvert the expected narrative.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15307407854003120055noreply@blogger.com