Session X, Part I

For the last session, I credit the PCs with experience for two major achievements:

• saving the Baroness.

• solving the mystery of the Veiled Society.

Since S was the only player able to make this session, I decided to try something a bit different: we used a simplified version of the board game Arkham Horror for the strategic direction of the game, and used my Olde School D&D homebrew for the roleplaying.

Arkham Horror is one of my favorite boardgames!  Among its many virtues, AH has many RPG-type elements, which isn't surprising since it is based upon the all-time great Call of Cthulhu RPG.  For example, one of the Investigators in AH is Harvey Walters, who is also the sample character in CoC used to illustrate character creation.


My simplified rules include:

• Rather than using the sliders for variable stats, the PC has defined stats.

• The PC's starting stats: Max Stamina 5, Max Sanity 5, Speed 2, Sneak 2, Fight 2, Will 2, Lore 2, Luck 2

• The PC can see up to one location away, but cultists and monsters may be hidden to try to ambush
o The PC can move up to two locations per round, but going farther makes it easier for cultists and monsters to ambush

• Every 1d4 rounds, DM draws a new Mythos card.
o This adds 1 to the Doom Track
o Instead of distributing clue tokens, distribute money
o If a gate opens whilst PCs at that location, they are automatically gated to the Other World and must spend 2 rounds getting back


Here is the map for Arkham Horror:

Background: The PC begins in Southside, where the party fled from the Silver Twilight Lodge and was attacked by the Dark Young!

PC’s Goal: Find out the Veiled Society's nefarious plot and stop it before the Doom Track reaches 12!


Locations:

• The fort is Administration
• The Police Station is Police Station
• Ye Olde Magick Shoppe is Ye Olde Magick Shoppe


NPC locations:

* Known to the PC

• Father Wolfwood ->  South Church
• Ranme ->  Curiositie Shoppe
• Mlle Farahani ->  Independence Square
• Brock Samson  ->  Arkham Asylum
• Lieutenant Tran ->  Police Station


* Unknown to the PC

• Dogmeat ->  Woods
• Bolo ->  Ma’s Boarding House
• B.E.G. ->  Velma’s Diner
• Egg Shen ->  The Witch House
• Papa Midnite ->  Graveyard
• The Marquise de Courcy ->  Train Station
• House Planter ->  Bank of Arkham
• House Builder ->  Uptown
• The Veiled Society ->  The Unnamable

Beginning in Southside, Nausicaä can see monsters in French Hill, a group of men in Uptown bearing a Unicorn sigil, and $1 in the Historical Society.  The party heads over to the Historical Society to grab the cash, and has an encounter where S needs to pay $3 and make a Luck (-1) check for a spell, which she pulls off, picking up Wither!

Heading back to Southside, Nausicaä no longer sees the group of men in Uptown.  Moving to Uptown,  she sees the men with the Unicorn sigil have moved to Miskatonic University and that there's $1 in the Woods.  Heading to the Woods, she comes across a canine that's scared a man up a building!

[OCC] S says, "Do we have any dog treats?"

[As DM] I say, "No, but Rain has some bulgogi."

After giving the bulgogi, Dogmeat joins the party and Nausicaä gains Max Sanity +1 and +1 to Fight!

• The PC's new stats:  Max Stamina 5, Max Sanity 6, Speed 2, Sneak 2, Fight 3, Will 2, Lore 2, Luck 2


At the Science Lab, a crazed professor charges out, pulled an ancient relic from his desk and begins uttering eldritch phrases… and Nausicaä is Blessed!

[As Nausicaä] S says, "Gee, thanks, strange professor guy!"

[As DM] I say, "Ha!  You have the Devil's own luck with these encounters!"

The entering the Unnameable, Nausicaä makes a Spot Check with a +10 penalty and sees the strange shack.  She orders Rain and Subotai to check it out, but they pause outside since they are now mind controlled.

[OCC] S says, "Great."

Heading north, Nausicaä sees House Builder and House Planter fighting in the Merchant District!  The garrison is trying unsuccessfully to separate them.


At the Curiositie Shoppe, the party meets Ranme the Half-Insane Wizard.  With him is a very depressed-looking teddy bear:

Ranme explains that, using the Apparatus, he transferred the soul of the test subject into the teddy bear.

[As Nausicaä] S exclaims, "Why would you do that?!?"

[As Ranme] I say, "For *SCIENCE*!!!!!!!!"