BtS at the Open House?

[Hendrik]

Hey there,

I plan to GM at the Open House, do my best, and strife as any GM would to offer adventure, danger, honour and glory … and spread the good word on BtS!

As I am terribly excited (already), merry as a lark actually, that there will be an Open House 2012, I thought to share my ideas.

I would be pleased as punch to hear what others plan to GM for BtS. Maybe my good LordZ, MrLoucifer, Cybermancer, Mephisto, etc? Who of the BtS crowd plans to be at the OH and do you plan to GM, if so, pray tell what?

Ok, that said, let me give before you give , the following is what I plan to do but contents may change subject to whatever Kevin, Julius, Alex or Wayne say should be changed.

______________________________________________________________________
“OPERATION MINOTAUR”
______________________________________________________________________

Palladium Game Line: BtS (with additional inspirations from Recon)

Brief Description: 1940s WW II adventure-archaeology style and recon mission in Greece.

The war is not going terribly well for the Allies. It is the summer of 1941, almost all of Europe is either in German hands, in retreat, part of the Axis or a Nazi ally. The US are supporting notably Britain with ammunition, ships, etc. but are officially still neutral despite very serious diplomatic reprimands against the German Reich upon repeated U-Boots hits on U.S. convoy ships. Britain has won the Battle of Britain but her Army has not recovered from Dunkirk yet. The future of the free world looks bleak. The knowledge of the technical superiority of the German forces has been learnt bitterly; courage and a just cause alone will only hold out against it for so long. But that is not all!

There is serious speculation about secret German projects far beyond what has been seen so far. There are even rumours that certain elements in the higher echelons of the Reich actively believe in and search for powerful artefacts, dabble in black magic and even worship a dark cult, although that is, of course, ludicrous.

YOU are a hastily assembled group of draftees and strange volunteers. You were drilled hard and have all received jump training at Camp General Robert Toombs in Georgia. You also received basic language training in Greek. You are not told why, but yours is not to ask but to do or die …

Although the game has a 1940s military background, female players will certainly have no problem to play (and not only nurses! I know better than that) and are certainly very welcome.

Minimum and Maximum player: 2-6
Length of game: 4-5 hours
Will pre-gen characters be provided? Yes.
Age Requirement: Players of any age are welcome.
Day and time you would like to run: Friday.
______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: A.M.E.N., Re-Election”
______________________________________________________________________

Palladium Game Line: BtS (possibly as a N&S crossover)

Brief Description: BtS men-in-black and murder extravaganza.

London. Today (maybe 1960s). Terrible Murders have occurred. Mutilated bodies. Is it organized crime or gang warfare? A psychopath on the loose? Terrorists? Scotland yard is at a loss and ... something is just not right!
As was to be expected the press is in an uproar. Tabloids scream for action. The Prime Minister is getting nervous, polls are bad. Special measures are required and such have been authorized by the PM. The desperate political leadership is grateful that MI 12 (censorship) and MI 16 (scientific intelligence) have never been disbanded.

YOU are on Her Majesty’s service and do your bit under the eye of providence in what said directorates really became: the SIS extremely hush-hush Directorate of Paranormal Intelligence and Information Control (MI 33) or as it is referred to in TS communications: The Amen Group. The Director, Mr. Pi, is convinced that the occurrences are supernatural. Pi’s chief of staff, Sir William “Bill” Tanner, has called you to his office: YOU must deliver London if not all of Britannia from Evil … and the PM from a sure fail in this horrible close of his re-election campaign.

Minimum and Maximum player: 2-6
Length of game: 4-5 hours
Will pre-gen characters be provided? Yes.
Age Requirement: Players of any age are welcome.
Day and time you would like to run: Saturday.
______________________________________________________________________


______________________________________________________________________
“Squid-U-Like”
______________________________________________________________________

Palladium Game Line: BtS

Brief Description: Elder evil is to be unleashed on mankind and only you stand in the way.

YOU are part of the Internet Organized Group of souls and free spirits (“IOGA”; A for anima, meaning soul and spirit in Latin), its members interested and believing in the supernatural. Many of this group are old and new hippies, loads of new agers, and all sorts of people believing in many, many strange things. Only YOU know the strangeness is the truth!

YOU are supernaturally talented and have decided to fight evil wherever you can. Recently, the forums have been full of strange hints, threads have been closed without reason, but what is more, you have heard rumours that the erstwhile free-for-all forums now have clandestine sections, invitation only. As hard as you have tried you never got into them. Now, however, you have heard that something bad will happen. As your friend and fellow poster FLWRPWR24 wrote to you, “Man, you will think I am blitzed, but I feel transubstantiated. See, I just got dibs on a coke and was gut wadding at Skippies’ when I overheard a pig talking to some Ivy Leaguers in REAL fancy rags. They sure had a gas, you know, but … evil like. Anywho, I heard them talking about IOGA and really seriously way-out weird bad stuff. Will say more about that later, cat. For now, the thing is they said something would be going down at the Nat History Museum on 21-5-2012, midnight. The bad stuff they said was so bad, only hearing it felt spaced-out insane. I was so afraid. Man, that was a bad trip, so: I fired up my flip-flops and flaked out of the joint sooo quickly they probably did not even see me. Just wanted you to feel me on this, will talk to you later!” FLWRPWR24 never wrote another post and did not react to PMs.

The 21st May 2012 is a night of the new moon - and the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, “UN Diversity Day”, although you have a feeling that the kind of diversity you will find will not be the good sort. It is now the 21st. YOU have arranged to meet in front of the Natural History Museum.

Minimum and Maximum player: 2-6
Length of game: 4-5 hours
Will pre-gen characters be provided? Yes.
Age Requirement: Players of any age are welcome.
Day and time you would like to run: Sunday 6.
______________________________________________________________________

Cheers
Hendrik

[Shawn Merrow]

Great, now I need to rob a bank so I can go to the Open House.

[Lord Z]

This looks like a great selection, Heavy H. I would not try to run three games at five hours each in the same con, but you would know better than me what it would take to burn you out.

You ever run a con game before? Rifter 0.1 had an interview with the Megaversal Ambassadors. They had some interesting advice along these lines, like run the investigation or exploration heavy games early in the con and save the combat heavy games for Sunday when players are tired and some not thinking clearly. I can forward a copy of the article if you like. Having never run a con game myself, I am deferring to the experience of others.

I will not be attending. I work every weekend.

Operation Minotaur seems like a lot of fun. I am curious about how you would work female heroines into the scenario. I recently ran a similar Cthulhu game in which the PCs were prisoners of war, starting in a Nazi PoW camp. The female characters were a Jewish history and occult from the University of Berlin and a French Resistance fighter from Paris. I do not know how I would have gotten those characters into Greece, perhaps as local guides or Russian defecting spies... Then again, you could simply say that in your world, women were US and Canadian soldiers.

[Hendrik]

Hi there, oh greatest of Zs (but for Zorro I think),

This looks like a great selection, Heavy H. I would not try to run three games at five hours each in the same con, but you would know better than me what it would take to burn you out.

I think/hope I will be ok. One game a day for 4-5 should be fine, but let’s see, hope I am not hoarse on Sunday or before!

You ever run a con game before?

Yup, several, although my great con days feel like being a hundred years in the past. The single and biggest issue for me always was the noise level. The GM’ing as such is fun.

Rifter 0.1 had an interview with the Megaversal Ambassadors. They had some interesting advice along these lines, like run the investigation or exploration heavy games early in the con and save the combat heavy games for Sunday when players are tired and some not thinking clearly. I can forward a copy of the article if you like. Having never run a con game myself, I am deferring to the experience of others.

I would love to see the article and would much appreciate if you could send it my way.

I will not be attending. I work every weekend.

That, good Z, is a true shame! I would have very much enjoyed to meet you! Well, some other time, then, the world is a small place.

Operation Minotaur seems like a lot of fun.

Thank you, I hope it will be!

I am curious about how you would work female heroines into the scenario. I recently ran a similar Cthulhu game in which the PCs were prisoners of war, starting in a Nazi PoW camp. The female characters were a Jewish history and occult from the University of Berlin and a French Resistance fighter from Paris. I do not know how I would have gotten those characters into Greece, perhaps as local guides or Russian defecting spies... Then again, you could simply say that in your world, women were US and Canadian soldiers.

You hit some of the really good game professions for women, like professor for something, resistance fighter (who can help but think of the Résistance lady from “The Longest Day”?) or soldier of an army that allowed women under arms, Soviet Red Army notably IIRC. I further thought of war correspondent (Margaret Bourke-White is a good example!) and secret agent (it’s before OSS, right? So, she could be a Signals Intelligence Service agent or from the War department, etc.)

Kindest regards
Hendrik

[Rimdall]

Hendrik, I'm planning on running at least 2 BtS games again this year. I don't have them planned out enough to give a description just yet, but that's coming soon, I hope. I'd like to play in "Operation Minotaur" if the game schedule permits.

[Hendrik]

Hendrik, I'm planning on running at least 2 BtS games again this year. I don't have them planned out enough to give a description just yet, but that's coming soon, I hope. I'd like to play in "Operation Minotaur" if the game schedule permits.

Honoured to have you! Let's see then how the schedule looks like...

I am very much looking forward to your descriptions!

Cheers
Hendrik

[Soldier of Od]

I don't want to pour water on anyone's fire here, but I just thought I'd better point out that anyone who wants to play in any game during the open house will have to turn up on the day and sign up as usual. We can't reserve spots or play favourites.

I will be there first thing in the morning to sign up for Hendrik's game!

[Hendrik]

I don't want to pour water on anyone's fire here, but I just thought I'd better point out that anyone who wants to play in any game during the open house will have to turn up on the day and sign up as usual. We can't reserve spots or play favourites.

I will be there first thing in the morning to sign up for Hendrik's game!

Thank you, Ian, for both and especially your interest!!

Soldier of Od is, of course, right. Games need to be held open until the Open House so that everyone has an equal chance to play in the games he wants, including all those fellow geeks who do not frequent the boards. I think that is just common sense and fair!

That said, I am happy for any show of interest and feedback (can only make the con games better, I hope), although I am aiming at enticing y'all to say what you GM and, even more than that, whether you come to the Open House - because there are a lot of you guys I would really like to be finally able to put a face to the name/nick, chat and game together in some dice-to-the-table games, be that as GM or player.

Kindest regards
Hendrik

[Xar]

I'm fairly sure that I'll be able to go. Here's a game that's been percolating in my head for a while.

There Must be a Bug Going Around

Palladium Game Line: BtS (with a little NB rules added--contacts from NSG)

Brief Description: Terror in Academia! Cultist strives to unleash ancient horror on a small midwest campus.

Students at Asheville College are falling to a wasting malady. At first they become ill, weak and dehydrated. Symptoms worsen and students are starting to be hospitilized, then die. No apparent connection between many of the cases frustrates authorities.

You are members of, or friends of the parapsychology department of Asheville College. A strange dead insect from one of the dead student's room is brought to you by a trusted contact. Is there a connection? Why are there more of the same insects infesting the campus museum? Can you put it together before more students die, or worse?!

Minimum and Maximum players: 2-6
Length of game: 4-5 hours
Will pre-gen characters be provided? Yes.
Age Requirement: Players of any age are welcome.
Day and time you would like to run: flexible

[The Dark Elf]

I'll run a BTS game where Beyond arcanum and Tomb grotesque have been written but Gremlins are afoot of N&G printing!!!

[mrloucifer]

I would be pleased as punch to hear what others plan to GM for BtS. Maybe my good LordZ, MrLoucifer, Cybermancer, Mephisto, etc? Who of the BtS crowd plans to be at the OH and do you plan to GM, if so, pray tell what?

While I've been to a couple of the them and had serious blasts at both, I honestly do not know if I can make this one. I'm a full time student right now (therefore no money) and will be until May of next year if all goes well. Unless I get a good payin job right out of college or have some sort of windfall between now and the O.H., I doubt I can make it. But never say never, you never know what could happen till it gets here.

And if I show, I'd be tickled till I spit blood to both GM & play in some BTS games.

[Lord Z]

Mr. Lucifer, wherever a Boogeyman makes a child cry, you will be there in spirit.

Dark Elf, that is funny.

To all the GMs, does anyone intend try recording their game? My understanding is that many Open House games get recorded in part or in full on video or audio. Despite numerous Open Houses and numerous recordings, so one has ever shared what they recorded as far as I can find.

Xar, setting a game on a college campus seems to work very well. For one thing, it matches the tone of BtS well while recalling numerous horror films. Even better, campus maps are readily available and make great visual aids.

Hendrik, the a war correspondent is a great idea, and I would not have thought of it. Now that it is mentioned, I remember a War Correspondnet OCC in Macross II RPG. I did not know about fighting female soldiers in the Red Army. Did they see a lot of combat during WWII? -- I am just curious.

Concerning Her Majesty's Secret Service, the spoke seems a little broad for a single session. Are you confident that you can get through what you have planned within four hours?

[Hendrik]

Hendrik, the a war correspondent is a great idea, and I would not have thought of it. Now that it is mentioned, I remember a War Correspondnet OCC in Macross II RPG. I did not know about fighting female soldiers in the Red Army. Did they see a lot of combat during WWII? -- I am just curious.

Concerning Her Majesty's Secret Service, the spoke seems a little broad for a single session. Are you confident that you can get through what you have planned within four hours?

Hi there, great Z,

RED ARMY FEMALE SOLDIERS
Yup, the ladies saw lots of combat. The Soviet Union had the first female combat pilot worldwide (in the 1930s). The so-called Russian Amelia Earhart and highly decorated commander of an all-female airforce combat regiment Major Marina Mikhailovna Raskova. The Soviet Union had a total of 3 female combat regiments (air force) with over 30,000 combat missions. Aside from that, there were lots of female Soviet partisans. Regular Army deployed women as snipers, machine gunners, tank drivers, medics, communication personnel and political officers. (Quick Source: Wikipedia on female soldiers of the Soviet Union)

I am not particularly interested in the Red Army or female soldiers, aside from finding Major Raskova fascinating, but I always found the arguments against women in the miltary - aside from allowing the reproductive base to be killed - not so terribly well thought out, i.e. more tradtional than really logical. The Soviet Union is a "good" early example of a modern military using women for "good" military effect.

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE: too much for a 4 hr. con game?
Well, let's see... but, yes, I am a bit unsure myself. However, I think it is possible. I think the focus must be on action instead of much of any detective work, although I think that con games in general are not well suited to detective work. What I will try to do for all my games is giving them a quick paced urgency with short breathers in between, such as e.g. "you have now 5 minutes to decide your course of action, whom to interview, where to go or whether or not to split the party for that". Let's see if I can pull that off, will depend much on my day-to-day energy level. Anyway, will try to make all that as fun as possible, of course

WAR CORRESPONDENT OCC
(Edit: Sorry, I though I had already answered that. So filled in here (again?))
Thanks, that's interesting, will check for that OCC. For the game I would not need it though, I think. My idea for the war correspondent is a (photo) journalist occupational background plus, methinks, the Latent Psychic or Psi Mechanic OCC. I think I will also give her a piloting skill. My model for this is a cross between Amelia Earhart and Margaret Bourke-White, although I might instead of merging the two into one leave it as two characters, a pilot psi mechanic and a war correspondent/photo journalist latent psychic ...

Kindest regards
Hendrik

[gaby]

Great ideas.

[Hendrik]

Great ideas.

In as far as your kind words pertain to my sketches, thank you very much, Gaby!

Now, regarding women at war, I found a good article with loads of pictures: World War II: Women at War (source: The Atlantic), which is part 13 of a 20 part retrospective on WWII.

Cheers
Hendrik

[MurderCityDisciple]

Hendrik...I'm not sure how many days I will be attending, but all your games sound wicked cool.

I will do my best to get in on one. I've never actually played BTS...but I have owned the two old books for decades. (Original BTS and Boxed Nightmares)

[Hendrik]

Hi there, MurderCityDisciple,

gee, thank you very much! I will see you at the OH then and hopefully rolling some dice together!

BtS is simply the best (horror-genre) game ever since cookies were invented.

Cheers
Hendrik

[MurderCityDisciple]

All your game ideas sound excellent....I'm not sure if I will be there all 3 days though.

I do live within driving distance, so other than having to work Friday, I should be able to make it to Sat and Sunday's offerings.

If I can get in on just one game, the Sunday Squidish one would be my choice.

Cthanx

[Hendrik]

Cthank Ulhu. Cthou R'welcome. Very, R'lyeh.

Fhtagn!
Hendrikulhu

PS:
Unspeakable Vault ... VERY NICE squid webcomic

Selected Strips:

Fashionable Cultists' Corner (Unspeakable Vault)

OCCULT noteBOOK 6200 (Unspeakable Vault)

[MurderCityDisciple]

Cthank Ulhu. Cthou R'welcome. Very, R'lyeh.

Fhtagn!
Hendrikulhu

fHTAGN' Awesome!!

I have played a lot of Call of Cthulhu and it is going to be interesting to play a supernatural horror game not based on tropes which have been done into the ground. "Oh my another Deep One...aghast!!"

[Hendrik]

I think I will do something completely scandalously novel and quickly go heavy on the adverbs, nigh ignoring adjectives - that should do the trick and be sufficiently unlovecraftingly, R'lyeh insanely cool.