Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Do you Cthulhu much!?

Story

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,056
Location
Home
Cthuwho?

http://in.news.yahoo.com/071228/139/6oy8j.html

Moscow, Dec 28 (ANI): Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 2500-year-old advanced civilization at the bottom of Lake Issyk Kul in the Kyrgyz mountains in Russia.

According to a report in RIA Novosti, the team consisted of Kyrgyz historians, led by Vladimir Ploskikh, vice president of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences, and other Russian colleagues, like historian Svetlana Lukashova.

The expedition resulted in sensational finds, including the discovery of major settlements, presently buried underwater.

The data and artefacts obtained, which are currently under study, apply the finishing touches to the many years of exploration in the lake, made by seven previous expeditions.

The discovery consisted of formidable walls, some stretching for 500 meters-traces of a large city with an area of several square kilometers.

Other findings included Scythian burial mounds, eroded by waves over the centuries, and numerous well preserved artifacts-bronze battleaxes, arrowheads, self-sharpening daggers, objects discarded by smiths, casting molds, and a faceted gold bar, which was a monetary unit of the time.

All these discoveries suggest that the ancient city was a metropolis in its time.

Some artifacts are in fact so stunning that they point towards an advanced civilization.

For example, a 2,500 year-old ritual bronze cauldron was found on the bottom of the lake. The subtlety of its craftsmanship is amazing. Such excellent quality of joining details together can only be obtained presently by metalwork in an inert gas.

Also of superb workmanship are bronze mirrors, festive horse harnesses and many other objects. Articles identified as the world's oldest extant coins were also found underwater-gold wire rings used as small change and a large hexahedral goldpiece.

Side by side with the settlements are remnants of ritual complexes of times immemorial, dwellings and household outbuildings.

According to the researchers, the findings lead to the speculation that the local people at that time had a socio-economic system hitherto unknown to historians. As a blending of nomadic and settled life, it either gradually evolved into something different or-more likely-was destroyed by one of the many local floods.

Lake Issyk Kul has played a tremendous role since the inception of human history due to its geographic location at the crossing of Indo-Aryan and other nomadic routes. Archeologists found traces of many religions here-Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (ANI)
 

Dr Doran

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,854
Location
Los Angeles
jenny_dreadful said:
I'd be game, too.

OK, that settles it. Let's do this. Let us assume we all want this to happen in the 1920s as Lovecraft had it and as the CofC game had it too. (And as we are on the Lounge.)

1. Who wants to be Keeper/referee?

2. How does one handle dice rolls over the ether? for that matter, having only played such games in person, how does one do any of this over the ether?

3. Who wants to be involved?

If no one else wants to do #1, I will (I do have experience). But someone who has done this online before might be better.
 

Badluck Brody

Practically Family
Messages
577
Location
Whitewater WI
my 2 bits

Here is a link to a running storyline from another site, which was fun for a while. Here is how it started and eventually took on a whole different kind of venue with different characters.

http://pyracy.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7760

There wasn't really a dice roll, but rather a running story and character developement which formed a storyline. Folks just had fun and ran with the adventure. Often there were multiple stories going on at the same time, which was sharp! Some were more serious and due to the characters, some were just comic relief.

Now you occasionally had a troll or two jumping in and killing everyone off. But they were usually ignored, since it was agreed that before something vicious or scathing happened to a character, it was kind of agreed upon, just to make it more cinematic.

IE: PM saying, "Hey how attached are you to your buddy the bartender? I'm thinking about having him bumped off by a badguy to build up the plot?"

Reply: "Cool! Make it good and we'll play up the heart strings, since everyone likes him. This will also help pull the characters together for a common goal, since some of them don't like each other."

On the Title box for each thread, the character should be entered so folks don't have to have multiple Log-ons, which would drive Mk nuts.

This way folks know if they are reading about a character or a NPC.

In the beginning there is a BIO of each player's character and even some of the main NPC's, so folks know who is running them. Sometimes, new folks want to jump in and ask to run a progressing NPC. Which saves the original player hassles of jumping back and forth.

Now we could go HP LC 20's??? or just go with a generic Pulp. Which could include a bit of everything from demons and madmen, to machines and such...

20's early 30's = smaller world effect, less technology, recent world war, prohibition era gangbusters and such.

I'd also suggest a generic town or city and let it roll with the indifferent locations.

It's all about simple fun....or is it insane fun???

Anyway, I'm tired of typing gotta take a break....
 

jenny_dreadful

Familiar Face
Messages
56
Location
Los Angeles (Westwood)
Doran said:
OK, that settles it. Let's do this. Let us assume we all want this to happen in the 1920s as Lovecraft had it and as the CofC game had it too. (And as we are on the Lounge.)

1. Who wants to be Keeper/referee?

2. How does one handle dice rolls over the ether? for that matter, having only played such games in person, how does one do any of this over the ether?

3. Who wants to be involved?

If no one else wants to do #1, I will (I do have experience). But someone who has done this online before might be better.

I've played by email. Here's a really good how-to that will answer your seond question(s): http://www.dangermutt.net/coc/pbem.html. This is a good program for character generation (it "rolls" the stats, so that part is easier. Even if people fudge them, a lot of good it'll do them in CoC!): http://yog-sothoth.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=4. There are a ton of things on this site that would be useful for a keeper: http://yog-sothoth.com/index.php. I can't run the game--I try too hard to be perfect, and it drives me nuts! But I'd love to play!
 

jenny_dreadful

Familiar Face
Messages
56
Location
Los Angeles (Westwood)
Doran said:
whoah. I need to digest this. Is there a referee?

I've played similar forum games to the one Badluck Bordy listed, and yes, in my experience there were board moderators who pulled strings, made up starting points for threads, etc. But in the ones I've played, it was too free-form; whatever the players were making up wasn't as interesting as being led along a real mystery that was pre-conceived by a keeper.
 

Story

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,056
Location
Home
Badluck Brody said:
Now we could go HP LC 20's??? or just go with a generic Pulp. Which could include a bit of everything from demons and madmen, to machines and such...
20's early 30's = smaller world effect, less technology, recent world war, prohibition era gangbusters and such. All the 'players' should know is the start date. What's 'out there' is the unknown - save for the referee and a neutral party*1.

I'd also suggest a generic town or city and let it roll with the indifferent locations. MUST START AT ARKHAM!;)

It's all about simple fun....or is it insane fun??? Glub glub glub.. they all float down here, Mister.

1. I'd like to see whoever referee's this do a 'story arc' and send it to a mutually-agreed upon neutral party (one of the Bartenders around here would be just dandy).

2. Why don't we treat this like a collaborative novel, after all is said and down? "The Boss" might even like the end product enough to offer it up for printing.

3. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention - Deal me in.
 

carebear

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,220
Location
Anchorage, AK
Like a focussed "Stream of Consciousness" thread.

That should end well.

Love,

Negative Nelly :D

I like my adventures modular, structured and referee'd. And I want a helper monkey.
 

Dr Doran

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,854
Location
Los Angeles
jenny_dreadful said:
I've played similar forum games to the one Badluck Bordy listed, and yes, in my experience there were board moderators who pulled strings, made up starting points for threads, etc. But in the ones I've played, it was too free-form; whatever the players were making up wasn't as interesting as being led along a real mystery that was pre-conceived by a keeper.

I HATE FREE-FORM ANYTHING. Dancing, music, poetry, novels, sports ... you name it, if it's free form, I hate it.

VE MUST HAVE DISCIPLINE. Jenny, I nominate you as referee. PERFECTIONISM IS GOOD.
 

Story

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,056
Location
Home
Doran said:
I HATE FREE-FORM ANYTHING. Dancing, music, poetry, novels, sports ... you name it, if it's free form, I hate it.

VE MUST HAVE DISCIPLINE. Jenny, I nominate you as referee. PERFECTIONISM IS GOOD.

Your CoC character art is ready, Mr. Doran.
You can be the conductor on the Arkham-Boston Express.

duce.gif
 

Dr Doran

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,854
Location
Los Angeles
Carebear, you and I are on the same page. Story, my good man, I doubt that the bartenders would want to get involved in this.

It seems to me best for us to take it to another site, or not have it on here for other people to walk into. Not have an open thread for anyone to come in. I doubt the bartenders would be interested in working on that.
 

Story

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,056
Location
Home
Doran said:
It seems to me best for us to take it to another site, or not have it on here for other people to walk into. Not have an open thread for anyone to come in. I doubt the bartenders would be interested in working on that.

Didn't mean to imply that it'd be an open thread, since the discussion had been about doing this by email.
 

Dr Doran

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,854
Location
Los Angeles
hee hee. Yes, well, I once wrote an essay on Il Duce and perhaps I do sympathize with him a bit. I hate Stalin and Hitler, though, before you ask.

Well, I know nothing of play by email but here is one of the links that the young lady above has given and it seems to explain it:

http://www.dangermutt.net/coc/pbem.html
 

Badluck Brody

Practically Family
Messages
577
Location
Whitewater WI
I agree...

...that someone should buy another round!!

I'm also all for someone pulling the main strings and running the NPC's. This keeps folks from going superman and taking over the show..

I also agree that the bartenders probably have their hands full as it is...if we keep it fun, who's to really care?

So in the next day or so, if folks can have a basic character discription and maybe an optional NPC??

Do we need to generate stats and skills?

I've always likes to include advantages and especially disadvantages

If we do, we should only send them to the moderator and just use discriptions or sketches to describe the characters in the storyline. This keeps other characters in the dark about what characters have under their sleeves.

So the question is.....

Fixed timeline or generic?
Stats or not?
Hidden or open stats?
Where is the location?
Who will direct the 1st story?
How can I help?

As I said, I would be glad to also work as supporting cast!!

Just let me know!!
 

Story

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,056
Location
Home
Ah, com'n youse - we let Jenny Dreadful orchestrate the horrid tale and all Scotty would need to do is read over her initial story 'arc'.

Yikes - has it been two decades since I wrote for Game Designer's Workshop already??? :eek:
 

jenny_dreadful

Familiar Face
Messages
56
Location
Los Angeles (Westwood)
Doran said:
I HATE FREE-FORM ANYTHING. Dancing, music, poetry, novels, sports ... you name it, if it's free form, I hate it.

VE MUST HAVE DISCIPLINE. Jenny, I nominate you as referee. PERFECTIONISM IS GOOD.

Oh, no, I've tried to do it, and I end up fretting over it so much that it's not fun to me anymore, and then I drop the ball, wasting everyone's time. Besides, I've only gotten to be a player a few times. I know some people really like to run, but I never enjoyed it as much. Nevertheless, I ran nearly every game I ever played in, just because no one else would! Someone else, please run! I can give my opinions/offer advice about the mechanics, and point to resources, though.
 

jenny_dreadful

Familiar Face
Messages
56
Location
Los Angeles (Westwood)
Badluck Brody said:
...that someone should buy another round!!

I'm also all for someone pulling the main strings and running the NPC's. This keeps folks from going superman and taking over the show..

I also agree that the bartenders probably have their hands full as it is...if we keep it fun, who's to really care?

So in the next day or so, if folks can have a basic character discription and maybe an optional NPC??

Do we need to generate stats and skills?

I've always likes to include advantages and especially disadvantages

If we do, we should only send them to the moderator and just use discriptions or sketches to describe the characters in the storyline. This keeps other characters in the dark about what characters have under their sleeves.

So the question is.....

Fixed timeline or generic?
Stats or not?
Hidden or open stats?
Where is the location?
Who will direct the 1st story?
How can I help?

As I said, I would be glad to also work as supporting cast!!

Just let me know!!

This program is really, really good for doing the stats, with the tradtional character sheet even:http://yog-sothoth.com/modules.php?n...op=getit&lid=4. I think it's a good idea to have stats because, even if the Keeper/referee doesn't always make rolls, it's a really precise way to know the character's strengths and weaknesses. I don't know if it makes too much difference whether the stats are open and hidden... But if there are things in the personal history of the character that the character is secretive about and is unlikely to have told the other characters, orrr advantages/disadvantages that others are unlikely to know about, then we could just send those to the Keeper. All sneaky-like ;)

Timeline...I think 20's or early 30's. It doesn't matter to me very much where the location is...those Elder Gods have eyes everywhere! I know there are pre-written scenarios on the Yog-Shoggoth site, and it is also really easy to download pdfs of the main book and of scenarios published by Chaosium from...a well-known peer-to-peer program (I'm not sure if I can say it outright!). So whoever runs could use the date used in the scenario, or change it as long as the story doesn't hinge on topical events.

Oooh, I want a few days to think about my character, and I'm sure the Keeper (not me, not me!) will need some time to work out their story! Whee!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,256
Messages
3,077,448
Members
54,183
Latest member
UrbanGraveDave
Top