# Fellowship of the Witching Hour OOC Thread (Full)



## Dlsharrock (May 13, 2008)

Seeking players for a new Call of Cthulhu game set in Arkham, circa 1941, with a WWII backdrop.
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Mystery, occultism and mythology; compelling subjects best left to the open minded among us, perhaps, but with America teetering on the brink of war, and the onset of conscription seeming more and more inevitable, many are eager to distract themselves from the horrors of the real world by amusing themselves with the levity of the imaginary. Thus do a group of likeminded individuals seek solace in the Witching Hour bar, an atmospheric 'haunt' on the corner of Garrison and Main. Here they meet once a week to enjoy one anothers' company and to discuss mysteries, intrigue and strange local news.

Soon their casual interest and discussions progress, to be replaced by a more deep-seated fascination. So captivating do their discussions become, and so intriguing the news they share, that they begin venturing out together, beyond the safe confines of their favourite bar and into the moonlit streets and shadowy avenues of Arkham, there to observe first hand those many places where strange events have supposedly taken place.

This begins as entertainment, a way to experience exhileration in the spooky surrounds of a graveyard at midnight, or a purportedly haunted stretch of road in the gloomy forests outside Arkham. But when the group begin to experience first hand the things they have only previously talked about, their initial amusement escalates and becomes something altogether more exciting. Evidently, strange things really are abroad in the dark streets of Arkham.
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I'll be running this on one of two forums (haven't decided which yet). My current preference would be Enworld, but I'm also advertising for spaces on Play@Yog-Sothoth. Whichever forum I get more interest, I'll probably choose that as the venue. Either way, this is your standard play by web format 

So if you're interested in exploring Arkham, unravelling eldritch mysteries and battling the chaotic forces of a world at right angles to our own, get in touch with character suggestions. Chaosium Call of Cthulhu rules please, not d20 CoC. (Yes, I realise this is Enworld, which makes that blasphemy, but there you are).


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## Dlsharrock (May 21, 2008)

Bumping/editing this as I felt my original plug for this game was probably a bit confusing and not entirely what I wanted it to be. This is a more straight forward introduction. I'm also hoping to garner at least one interested player from here on Enworld to join others I'm seeking from Play@Yog-Sothoth and various pbem ad centres.


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## Dire Lemming (May 21, 2008)

I'm interesting in Call of Cthulu but no nothing about the rules.


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## Dlsharrock (May 22, 2008)

No problem. I'd be more than happy to be the lucky son-of-a-tentacle to introduce you to CoC! Though, be warned, you may never look back 

This also applies to anyone else who is interested but reluctant because they don't know Basic Roleplay rules (Chaosium's version). I know them inside out and will happily lead you through the character creation process and point out the more important aspects of play, like sanity. As the name suggests, it's a very easy system to pick up.

My suggestion for you Dire Lemming, and anyone else who'd like to play but doesn't (or does) know the rules is to simply submit a character proposal including name, gender, age, occupation, background and any other information you want to include to flesh him/her out. You can do this in the time honoured tradition by listing the basics then writing the background, or provide him/her as a kind of narrative introduction. Depending on your preference I'll then either roll up your character for you using the details you provide as the skeleton or help you do so by email (probably best as you'll then have a better understanding of what each stat represents). If you know Basic Roleplaying and the CoC system, of course, feel free to submit a completed character. There are no restrictions other than the need for your character to have an interest in the mysterious and the strange (as they will be joining the group introduced in the first post of this thread) and must fit with an early 1940s theme.

The town of Arkham has a very famous/infamous university which may be an excellent premise for your character if you're stuck for ideas. Professors, -ologists, students, scholars, scientists etc. can all feasibly hail from Miskatonic University, especially as the Witching Hour bar is within walking distance.

In-game I'm more than happy to lead players through processes like combat and so on.


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## greenstar (May 22, 2008)

Never played the game but interested in learning. Is a eccentric female artist name Arabella Ruthers good enough?


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## greenstar (May 22, 2008)

Haven't thought of all the details for the background yet.

Name: Arabella Carrington
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Occupation: Artist
Background: Arabella is the daughter of a rich family in Boston. Her parents wanted her to be a proper woman but she was always eccentric and thought everyone was boring. She got tired of her family and moved to Arkham to be a artist. She hangs out at the Witching Hour with a few other people to talk about strange things.


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## Dlsharrock (May 22, 2008)

Arabella sounds good to me: an artist is one of the example occupations given in the character gen chapter so you've hit the perfect note. The background could use some more meat though. Why was she drawn to the idea of the Witching Hour group? She probably heard about it from a friend, or maybe she saw a small ad looking for new members in a local paper. Does the strange and occult interest her? Or is she just after something a bit different?

Is she already a professional artist, is she a student studying a fine art degree (or graphic design, history of art, etc etc) at MUAM (Miskatonic University of Arkham Massachusettes)? She could even be a newly qualified teacher! In the case of the latter two, she might have read about the group meet up on a bulletin board or heard rumours about it in the university grounds.

Some things to think about (for anyone who wants to play, actually):

- the character's basic demeanour and physiognomy. Are they strong, weak, well educated, intelligent, lacks common sense, hard-nosed, practical, unusually brusque, shy, extraordinarily beautiful, ugly as a bulldog? In short, physiological and psychological aspects that might contribute to the basic stats covering strength, constitution and health, dexterity, appearance, size, intelligence, education, general knowledge, power and luck. 

- Do they have any notable skills or talents? BRCoC is largely skill driven so this, along with above details, will help me determine what skills best suit your character.

- If the character isn't not at MUAM, do they have any degrees, college education? They  needn't have studied at MUAM. Any college/university anywhere in the world is fine provided it ties into the background.

- Birthplace, nationality.

- Marks, scars, mental disorders. I prefer emotional scarring to be represented by nothing more serious than phobias and no more than one phobia per character to keep things on an even keel at the outset. There'll be plenty of scope for the character to turn into a gibbering wreck once the game gets going  IME, a well thought out phobia, particularly one that ties in with the character's background, adds a fun dimension to the game.


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## Dire Lemming (May 22, 2008)

Adam West
Age: 32
Sex: Male
Occupation: Medical Doctor

For some reason I'm just feeling incredibly uncreative today.  Adam became interested in the occult for similar reasons to most people.  Because it was something unusual.  However, he ended up getting more and more interested, and has a shelf full of related writings.  He then heard about bar and decided to check it out, finding a nice place to discuss his favorite subject with like minded individuals.

I suppose he's intelligent and well educated, but not particularly remarkable in other ways.

He was born in Maine and went to school there, then decided to move to warmer climes.

He hates clowns.


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## greenstar (May 23, 2008)

Arabella Carrington
Gender: Female
Height: 5'3"
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Occupation: Artist
Age: 24
Appearance: Attractive
Personality: Stubborn, energetic, practical
Skills: Art, history
Other: Average strength. Dexterous. Born in Boston. American/British
Background: Arabella is the second child of a wealthy family in Boston that got rich selling perfume and has a few politicians. Her parents wanted her to be a proper lady but she is eccentric and thought her family was boring and so were other wealthy people. When her parents started telling her to look for a husband she got tired of them and moved to Arkham to be an artist. Arabella used her families money to get into MUAM so she could get an art degree. Part of the reason is because her family didn't want her to go to a university. One day she heard about the group at the Witching Hour from one of her friends at the university and because she is interested in anything weird she joined them.


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## Dlsharrock (May 23, 2008)

I have three interested players so far. Plenty of room for more.
Any other Enworlders fancy donning their trilby, loading their revolver and stepping out of their comfort zone into a world of tentacular fun? Go ahn, It'll be great!

[SBLOCK=Greenstar]
Thanks Greenstar for meating out the background of the character a bit more. That's great. Do you have an email I can use to contact you? (Write format: you AT email.com). I'll flesh out your character stats and discuss things like skills with you. I'm also writing up a quick introduction to the basic ruleset so you know a little of what to expect.[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Dire Lemming]
Dire, I'm feeling your heart's not in it! Don't push yourself to do something you don't want to do my friend. If you'd like to take a couple days to think about your character please feel free, but don't play if you don't really want to. Seriously.

If you're happy to get stuck in with us though, post your email (format name AT email.com) and I'll get in touch to flesh out your stats and such. It'd be great to have you in the group! Oh, I'm also writing up a quick introduction to the basic ruleset so you know a little of what to expect.[/SBLOCK]
Positions are still open. Looking for some great investigator ideas- as a non-forum applicant has pointed out characters related to the war would work well, European refugees fleeing wartorn countries, or American conscripts killing time between training. Other less orthodox 1940s professions could include movie or news bulletin voice over artists ala Don LaFontaine, a barber seeking something a bit more interesting than hair in his spare time, an architect with a particular interest in spooky gothic mansions, a politician or rich politician's disillusioned son/daughter (could be a cool angle for you Greenstar), an electrician, a famous actor or actress seeking obscurity in a small Massachusetts town, engineer, mechanic (lots of work for these in pre-war America), dress-maker or tailor, museum curator, inventor and so on...


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## Dire Lemming (May 23, 2008)

Actually, my heart is fully into it!  It's my mind that's being obstinate.  I can't seem to come up with good ideas at the moment.  I'm thinking about something like The Great Gatsby or something.  I don't know.  I did consider an inventor but didn't have any further ideas on the subject.  That could be really fun though if I could think of some details.

Anyway, my email address is shoelip AT hawaii dot rr dot com.


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## Dlsharrock (May 23, 2008)

Sounds like today's just not condusive to the old creative juices. Let it settle for a while in your own head and come back to it after a gap. The Great Gatsby is a good basis for ideas, though chronologically it's set two decades prior to our game. Some of the themes about war would still slot neatly into place, and the characters are quite generic I feel; they'd fit comfortably anywhere within that 20 year timeline with a bit of tweaking.

I thought of some more ideas to inspire potential players:

_Jazz musician or singer/crooner
Owner of a gunshop (some interesting possibilities here )
Romance or pulp novelist (maybe looking for inspiration in the Witching Hour group?)
Taxidermist (not actually my idea, but a character played by someone in my last CoC game)
Stream of consciousness follow-on: taxi driver, or train driver
Factory worker (investigators don't have to  be glamorous!)
WWI veteran, now retired, soldier
Encyclopedia salesman_


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## Dire Lemming (May 23, 2008)

A novelist would be cool too!  Wasn't Conan written around that time?

I really like the inventor idea though.


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## greenstar (May 23, 2008)

Is there a way to give my e-mail so only you can read it?


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## Dlsharrock (May 24, 2008)

Sure. Send it to david AT farcountryweb DOT co DOT uk

I'm tied up with the Ceramic DM until tommorrow so I'll drop by and see what's happening here then.


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## greenstar (May 24, 2008)

Check your e-mail.


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## Dire Lemming (May 24, 2008)

Adam West
Age: 30
Height: 6'
Sex: Male
Occupation: entrepreneur/inventor
Personality Traits:  Introverted, eccentric, intelligent, educated.  Dislikes clowns.
Appearance: Tall, thin, and always somewhat disheveled.  He isn't really ugly, but doesn't seem to work too much at making himself look good.   

Like all dedicated inventors, Adam is a bit eccentric and introverted.  After his first successful invention, the Double Barreled Baby Bag, (a high tech and stylish baby sling with seating for two) he was contracted by the army to help design an equipment sling for soldiers and completed his first prototype in just under a week after several days of testing it seemed he had worked out most of the kinks but was still not quite satisfied, however, when he turned in his progress report he was told that the current model was acceptable.  Despite his reservations, he was given a large check and told that his contract was complete, and to leave it alone.  Since then he has avoided government contracts and is working on a new invention, a new type of brassiere, unfortunately he has had trouble testing it.

Thanks to his two successful inventions, Adam is quite well off.  He moved to the town of Arkham in an attempt to get away from the veritable insane asylum of New York city.  He could also afford a much nicer house out here, so it really was perfect.

Aside from inventing, Adam's other great passion is the occult.  The mysteries of things not explained by science.  He's spent over fifteen hundred dollars on books on the subject and has a nice little library in his oversized house where he currently lives alone.  It was quite a pleasant surprise after moving to Arkham when he read a mention of the Witching Hour bar in the local paper.  He's since been visiting each meeting as what is probably his only social event, while managing his business, and working on his new product.


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## kookalouris (May 24, 2008)

*Possible new player Gerry says Howdy (and Ia!)*

Hi,  I'm Gerry, that non-forum poster you may have heard about.  

In real-life, I am phone tech support in Fort Worth, Texas but for the game, I have three budding character ideas so far...

A Miskatonic University professor.  Possibly a European scientist who barely escaped the Nazis, possibly secretly working on a occult 'Manhatten Project' for the US.

A minority actress, whose non-WASP background prevents her from getting roles worthy of her talent (which may mean she is a B-actress getting C-roles.).  At this time, she is paying the bills being a fake medium who may have accidentally discovered a glimpse into the Mythos

A farmboy turned Army Air Force pilot (one skill you can't fake).  Is now on medical leave for classified reasons, though rumor has it his bomber ran into something strange 'up there.'  In any case, he is probably the only survivor and is possibly 'Section 8.'

That's it for now, let me know what y'all think and I will play off your riffs.  Looking forward to the game.

My email address is kookalouris AT gmail DOT com

Gerry


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## Dire Lemming (May 24, 2008)

Awg!  A Texan!  Run away they kill everything!

Hi Gerry!  Were your parents all out of 'a's?  

Well... Adam West needs a test subject for his new experimental Brassiere.

Also, feel free to quote that out of context any time.


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## greenstar (May 24, 2008)

I vote for the Air Force pilot or the actress.


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## kookalouris (May 24, 2008)

*Captain Blake ready for inspection...*

Hey Y'all,

DL, If you lived in a place where even the ants can kill you, you'd take a 'proactive' stance as well.  

Sorry, that's just the envy talking, Hawaii is a near-paradise, Texas can be more like the 'other place' at times. 

Looks like I'm going for the Air Force pilot, so the custom brassiere is probably out (of course, there's always muted lighting and LOTS of beer, possibly causing a loss of SAN).

But to work...,

Johnny Blake was the archetypal farmboy from Kansas, Iowa (or one of those big square states) and very content being such.  His mother was originally from a small town in New England and died young.  Johnny was raised by his aunt and uncle and considers his cousins his siblings.  Such a boyhood might have boring to some but Johnny was content until he saw his first biplane crop duster.  From then on, he was determined to fly no matter what.

All Johnny's spare money went to flying lessons and with time, he became a good crop duster and a wild barnstormer.  Still, he had to borrow time on other's planes and had no real money of his own.  But there was the Army Air Force...

Less than a year later, Captain Blake had proven himself enough to be a bomber captain.  While on a training mission with his beloved crew, the plane was destroyed due to as yet 'unknown reasons.'  In any case, Blake was one of the few survivors.  With no real cause, the cause naturally fell to pilot error.  Given Johnny's mad ravings at the time, the brass felt that the pilot had cracked up and he was given convalescent leave.  

At this time, he is using his disability check to track down his mother's family in the Arkham area.  Having been forever changed by whatever he has seen, the mundane has no real appeal for him and he hangs out at the Witching Hour for the company.

By some miracle, Blake has been able to buy a broken-down plane he has been putting together to get to fly.  But with every passing day, it looks like he will be offered a medical discharge with a strong hint that he should take it.  Once discharged, he will probably never be able to fly professionally again and will have to sell the plane.

I will stop here as I want to get feedback on possible character options.

Lovecraft was very into tainted family legacies.  Blake's mother may have been (in vain) trying to escape some terrible fate back home.  There are probably some remnants of the family in Arkham.  It may be that Blake is looking after a family inn, this could give the game a base and plot device.

For all of his talent and intellect, Lovecraft was very racist and possibly sexist (in that women didn't even seem to EXIST in his stories except as tools of monsters).  It should be said that Lovecraft was very much a man of his time and his views were not unusual.  It could be that Blake is a minority (or even a woman 'Jonni Blake', with some modification of the grounded pilot storyline).  This may be more realism, social commentary or just plain unnecessary complication for the game, however.

What happened to Blake's flight?  Whatever David wants.  It could have been a simple accident but because Blake hit his head on the way out of the plane, he doesn't remember and there isn't enough other evidence to know otherwise.  Or, it could be brush with the Mythos, whatever serves the game.

While the USAAF believes Blake to be broken, the extent of his injuries is up to the GM.  After the crash, Blake was mentally and physically damaged but may not be now or still is, depending on game needs.  Before any eldritch loss of SAN, it would be a fair bet that Blake would suffer what we in this decade would call both post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor's guilt.

A broken plane and an inherited inn are for David to use as he wishes.  The plane would work as the game needs (which may mean not at all).  What is more important is that we have a pilot if we need it.

That will do for now, let me know what you think...


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## Dlsharrock (May 24, 2008)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> he was contracted by the army to help design an equipment sling for soldiers and completed his first prototype in just under a week after several days of testing it seemed he had worked out most of the kinks but was still not quite satisfied, however, when he turned in his progress report he was told that the current model was acceptable.




This sounds like the famous ankle sling from Band of Brothers, used by paratroopers on D-Day it invariably snapped when the chute opened. Now we know who the culprit is!



			
				kookalouris said:
			
		

> For all of his talent and intellect, Lovecraft was very racist and possibly sexist




Most male authors of the time were. Look at Conan, Tarzan, Sam Spade, Dick Tracy. Women were, at best, there to be ravished, at worst, there to be rescued. Personally I think it's part of the charm of literature of the period, though I know plenty of women who'd kick me in the nuts for saying so.

A female pilot might be cool, though I'd suggest she's a bit of a tom boy.

Plane: good idea. Though if the group intend to use it for taking their game and their investigations overseas it'll require some repairs and investment:







I'm happy also for Blake to be the owner of the Witching Hour bar. I daresay he's the one behind instigating the whole thing.

Note for other players: if you can work assets and such into your own background, particularly cars and things like that, I'm happy to consider them. This isn't D&D where you need to play at least four years before you can get your hands on a decent cart horse 

That said, there are 'other' things in CoC that players will be striving to hold in their grubby mits. You can't have any of those off the cuff


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## greenstar (May 24, 2008)

Did you see my e-mail? I'm not sure I got your address right.


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## Dlsharrock (May 24, 2008)

Just saw it Greenstar. Mail sent.
Thanks.


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## Dire Lemming (May 25, 2008)

Hey, well, you found out my inspiration.  If only the damn army brass hadn't cut my funding I could have completed it and avoided that disaster!  Now in a few years Adam will have to suffer the guilt of knowing that his unfinished invention cost the lives of US soldiers.  Assuming he's still alive and sane.

I think it would be great if she were a female pilot.  It'd be unusual, and it'd give Adam another Guinea Pig.  

Adam will have whatever kind of luxury car was popular three years ago.

Also, how did you know where I'm from Kook?!


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## Dlsharrock (May 25, 2008)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Adam will have whatever kind of luxury car was popular three years ago.




1938 Cadillac?


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## kookalouris (May 25, 2008)

*My powers are beyond your understanding...*

DL,

How did I know where you were from?  I used my Mi-Go brain cylinders to analyze the internet aether in a non-Euclidian way.  It's on page 12 of the Necronomicon.

Well, that and it is an integral part of your email address...

Gerry


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## greenstar (May 25, 2008)

Arabella's car would probably be a piece of junk.


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## Dlsharrock (May 25, 2008)

greenstar said:
			
		

> Arabella's car would probably be a piece of junk.




Or just eccentric? A motorbike with sidecar?






Now I really must go to bed.


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## Dire Lemming (May 25, 2008)

I like me car!


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## greenstar (May 25, 2008)

That would fit.


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## kookalouris (May 25, 2008)

*More character spitballing...*

OK, to work...

Sam Ripley was born to the Gilman family of Mass. in 1914.  Orphaned under mysterious circumstances, the newborn was given to the closest relatives, the Ripleys, farmers in Kansas.

Whatever the reasons, the Gilman boys accepted Sam as a sibling.  And Sam spent a generally happy (if somewhat dull) childhood on the farm.  One of Sam's older cousins was a WWI vet turned crop duster and taught young Sam some flying lessons once he saw the young kid's enthusiasm.

As Sam approached adulthood, the young would-be pilot spent what little spending money was available on lessons and plane rental.  Soon Sam took over the crop dusting and got a reputation as a part-time barnstormer.

After a few years, Sam was able to fly in Europe.  Ripley made many friends and now worries about them with the worsening conditions and then the War.

And then with a new plane and crew, Sam planned a world crossing as a publicity stunt.  The flight went well until some point and then no one really knows what happened next.  Sam's plane was wrecked, the crew dead or missing, and Ripley suffered from sudden memory loss.

With no tangible evidence proving otherwise, the crash was assumed to be pilot error.  Sam's pilot license was revoked and the shattered pilot was grounded and forgotten.

A year later, a near-bankrupt Sam was preparing to sell the plane for scrap when elderly Keziah Gilman, Sam's long-lost and unknown aunt, asked that Ripley take over the running the family's colonial-era inn.  

With nothing better to do, Sam has taken over the running of the inn.  In a desparate attempt to increase revenue for the tavern, Sam has taken what weird books, statuettes, and various arcana from the attic as decoration for the newly-christened Witching Hour Bar in the inn.

At this time, Ripley is resigned to being grounded for life, physically and mentally damaged.

Notes and Options:

As has been mentioned before, Sam could easily be short for Samantha.  Having grown up with about five or six brothers, she would be a natural tomboy and rarely calculatingly feminine.

Sam's family connections to Lovecraft country may be nothing more than a plot device to explain why Sam is in Arkham.  Or it may hint at a tainted bloodline if that serves David's purposes.  Should an unearthly legacy appeal to David, Sam will most likely have some uncommon mental or physical distinctions (in addition to strange dreams and a facility for inhuman phenomes).

Even with a completely Euclidian genetic code, just not being completely WASP might be considered 'tainted' blood.  I will assume that Sam is of mixed ethicities but tends to resemble a WASP father.  It takes a little getting to know Sam to find out otherwise.  That way, this is as much or as little a part of the game as David wishes.
By being 'passably' WASP, this means Sam may have to work at keeping this secret (which could be a red herring for others if the GM needs it).  It could also be that Sam is illegitimate, a big deal for the time. 

I have changed the USAAF origin to a civilian origin.  The reason being is that a bomber pilot doesn't have much plot potential until the war starts for America (and I don't think it has yet when the game starts).  1941 was still the age of heroic aviators, Earhardt, Lindburgh, etc.  It would also allow a more realistic origin for Samantha who couldn't have joined the military as Samuel could.

One of the theories surrounding Amelia Earhardt's disappearance is that she was actually on a covert mission to survey Japanese military strength under the cover of a  navigation error.  It was (according to the theory) believed that the Japanese would not kill a woman prisoner (or course, this would have turned out to be literally dead wrong).  Samuel or Samantha, a covert mission would make Sam become important to the US government and maybe known to the soon-to-be Axis governments.  This might have had something to do with Sam's final flight.

So,what was Sam's final flight?  Short answer:  Whatever David wants it to be.  At the very least, it throws into question Sam's competence and sanity (which is perfect for a Lovecraft story).  Here's a mundane explanation, a very powerful storm damn near crashed the plane, Sam suffered head trauma and can't remember that this was an ordinary but tragic risk of flying.  Sam's adopted last name of Ripley is a tribute to the Alien movies (which are themselves a tribute to Lovecraft), as Ripley is another pilot who was grounded after not being able to prove fighting a monster.

Now, Sam runs the Witching Hour with the perfect mix of doubt and dread.  Who knows what powerful artifacts might be on the wall as decoration?  And, of course, this is only if David would prefer Sam in charge of the bar.

I welcome any comments, question, or suggestions.  Either way, I will keep refining the character until game start...

Gerry


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## Dire Lemming (May 25, 2008)

Heheh, the eccentric inventor harassing the tomboyish inn keeper about testing his experimental brassiere because she happens to be well endowed.  Hilarious!

Well, other than that I can't see any reason choose between Samantha or Samuel one way or the other.


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## Dlsharrock (May 25, 2008)

koukalouris said:
			
		

> Sam's adopted last name of Ripley is a tribute to the Alien movies (which are themselves a tribute to Lovecraft), as Ripley is another pilot who was grounded after not being able to prove fighting a monster.




Beautifully realised character koukalouris. I think, given the paragraph above, she needs to be a heroine. In my mind's eye she's already a dame.

In keeping with the theme or our milieu, the final flight should come to a crashing end in Bermuda I think 

The plane's still there, grounded in a stretch of beach on one of Bermuda's uninhabited northerly islands and currently home to a colony of crabs. The beach is long enough for a take off should Sam ever return and make a salvage. The island belongs to St George's Island, one of the main Bermuda colonies. 

At present the locals are superstitious of the wreck, and know the circumstances under which it came down, so they give it a wide berth. Such superstitious won't prevent casual salvage crews stripping the plane, or even hauling it away, should they come across it by chance.

Circumstances remain vague to Sam: she remembers the navigational equipment sparking out and strange lights in the sky, some kind of storm and the ever consistent memory of a maelstrom. But then she remembers nothing prior to being revived in a grubby Bermuda hospital.

Her crew were vanished and she only visited the wreck of the plane once before leaving for home. Locals couldn't be persuaded to help her with a salvage effort and the way they looked at her, or actively avoided her, made her accutely uncomfortable.

Incidentally: these public character creations are a good way of cementing relationships between PCs. I would suggest  that Doctor Adam West is an early attendee of the Witching Hour, and knows Sam well enough to know her background (or as much as kouk chooses to reveal here), making for a sort of instant friendship without all the getting to know you roleplay usually associated with new PC groups.

Those players who are choosing to develop their PCs via email can represent the characters who join the group latterly and are less well known.


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## Dire Lemming (May 25, 2008)

That sounds cool.  So kook, has Sam tried any of Adam's older aborted inventions?


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## kookalouris (May 25, 2008)

*I like what I'm hearing...*

I like what I am hearing...

I will further refine the character within a day, incorporating these ideas.

First off, it is official that Sam is now short for Samantha, people just tend to call this tomboy Sam.

I will send more later across the aether.

Gerry


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## kookalouris (May 25, 2008)

*forgot to add*

Most likely Sam would have tried Adam's inventions, particularly any drink mixes.  Maybe she has a death wish...

Gerry


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## Dire Lemming (May 25, 2008)

Oh no, Adam would never knowingly fulfill a friend's death-with.  She might as well be his _best_ friend with him being such a recluse.  He's probably good at fixing things too so if she ever has a problem with a machine he's happy to help at no charge, well, maybe a free drink and a chat.

So I guess he knows she's not a real WASP, but he really couldn't care less.  He'd also probably try to give her money if she ever needed it, considering how much he has.


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## greenstar (May 25, 2008)

Arabella could test the brassiere too you know. And is it alright if I make my character psychic? Like she could get flashes of the future in her dreams or feelings that turn out to be right most of the time. She would be suspicious but not sure she's psychic and it's one of the reasons she's interested in the strange. There could be some secret thing with her too that would be up to David. And I think Arabella would be good friends with Sam.


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## Dire Lemming (May 25, 2008)

Oh ho, now we're all just lining up to try on Adam's magic Brassiere are we?  I don't know.  The prototype was designed to fit Samantha, considering she's the only woman he knows, or at least has known for a long time.  Does Arabella have the bust?


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## greenstar (May 25, 2008)

What does WASP stand for?


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## Dire Lemming (May 25, 2008)

White... Athiest.... um.... uh... Super Pasty?

Well I got the first letter right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Anglo-Saxon_Protestant


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## greenstar (May 25, 2008)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Oh ho, now we're all just lining up to try on Adam's magic Brassiere are we?  I don't know.  The prototype was designed to fit Samantha, considering she's the only woman he knows, or at least has known for a long time.  Does Arabella have the bust?



Yes.


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## Dire Lemming (May 25, 2008)

greenstar said:
			
		

> Yes.





Wow, this is great, I'm getting everyone to make their female characters have large breasts!  

Well I suppose I can have built a prototype in her size too.  I'd assume Sam is bigger boned and more muscular from having a more active lifestyle.


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## Dlsharrock (May 25, 2008)

Absolutely not. Nobody gets to wear the brassiere.

I already have dibs, being the Keeper. And intend to wear it on my head throughout.

Yes, a description of WASP is in order kouk. I'm assuming its some kind of New York racial purity thing?

Attached to this post is a Notepad file that I've given out with previous incarnations of Fellowship of the Witching Hour and I'd appreciate if you could all download it and read it. 

I'll also be emailing it to all players. 

It really is rather precious to me that you read it. 

It basically outlines turn based methods and general in-game courtesy along with some house-rules about attendance and so on that you'll need to know before you play. Some stuff in there that all players will be doing when the game starts and if you aren't doing it, it'll be rather obvious you didn't download the file and read it and somewhat annoying for me to explain to you what you should be doing. Annoying in a rip your arm off and slap you over the head with the soggy end kind of way. 

I'll be looking at character creation tonight and sending out the RAW overview for those of you guys who aren't familiar with Call of Cthulhu 

Kouk, I'm assuming you *are* familiar?


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## Dlsharrock (May 25, 2008)

Greenstar: I'm wary of including psychic ability in terms of soothsaying, primarily because it would entail knowing what's going to happen next in the game, and as I avoid overly-linear games I may not know that myself. 

I'd be happy to include some kind of telekinesis tendency that only really exists as a state of mind in her own head and isn't true telepathy in the traditional sense. She gets 'funny feelings' for example in certain parts of a house, or interprets her dreams and bases her actions on those interpretations. She reads tarot and tea leaves, basing her readings more on the person she's reading to and the telltale signs they give away than the cards or the tea (this being a subconscious method, not a conscious deception on her part. As far as she's concerned she's reading their fortune).

It won't be real psychic ability,  but the projection of what she thinks is a psychic ability. In many real life psychics I suspect this is the case anyway and I think it'll be more fun to roleplay. 

Granted, you don't get the in-game benefit of knowing what might be lurking around the next corner, but I think that may be a bit too much of a gift. Especially as she already has the sidecar and cow


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## kookalouris (May 25, 2008)

*An unearthly child*

OK, my serve...

Building on what has gone before (and, of course, always subject to group feeling).  

Please don't be daunted by the sheer SIZE of this writeup.  I tend to write psychological sketches of my characters for my own benefit, like some actors do.  Cherry-pick only what you like (and let me know what you don't like) and I will know what to focus on.  Right now, this is what is commonly known about Samantha's life up to her adoption.  More to follow.

	Samantha Celeste Gilman was born to the Gilmans of Massachusetts, one of the founding colonial families.  Originally fleeing England to practice their own odd beliefs, the Gilman's had no real trouble increasing their numbers by 'sampling' the local natives and whatever other bloodlines they brought with them (mostly unwilling to both the trip and the sampling).

	Over the centuries, the Gilmans eventually found that old money (which usually means undiscovered crimes) can buy a kind of respectability.  The clan centered on the coastal town of Innsmouth where the Gilman's almost inhuman talent for fishing is the main explanation for their relative wealth.  As other types of peoples were gradually 'removed' from New England, the Gilmans began to mix with old but impoverished revolutionary families and only some digging can show that Gilmans weren't always just displaced English nobility.

	It began to seem almost a family imperative for the Gilmans to learn more about the world around them, particularly the stranger parts of it.  The clan helped fund the Miskatonic university and use those funds to 'orient' the school towards more esoteric pursuits.

	Which brings us to Sam's father, Professor Henry Gilman was a noted archelogist who went to strange places and brought back stranger treasures.  To his mind, the greatest treasure Henry brought back was his foreign wife, Maya.  No one outside the Gilmans really knew where Maya came from, or what combination of peoples would explain her exotic appearance and mannerisms.  Or how fast Maya learned to acclimate to New England society, right down to a near-flawless accent.  

	What was never in doubt was how much the odd couple did care for each other and how they seemed complete in each other.  It seemed the entire Gilman clan eagerly awaited the birth of the couple's first child.  When Samantha was born, she seemed perfect (the clan was only slightly disappointed in a girl and there was expected to be many other siblings to follow).

	But it was not to be...

	On a sudden family outing, the couple's sailboat was attacked by what could only have been sharks.  Or at least that was the conclusion of the sailors who had found ...most... of Henry.  Maya was found gibbering and chanting, clutching her unharmed child.

	After the accident, Maya oddly refused the sanctuary of the Gilman clan and practically fled to Kansas where the Ripleys lived.  The Ripleys were related to the Gilmans by some marriages a generation or so before but had largely avoided the more prominent family, there was something ~off~ about the Gilmans.  And the Ripley were nothing if not down to earth, right down to being generations of farmers.

	Despite not being related by either blood or marriage,  Martha Ripley could recognize a fellow mother in distress in Maya Gilman.  Both mother and child were welcome at the Ripley farm without any real speculation as to why Maya was wary of her husband's family.

	Welcoming as the Ripleys were, Maya's mental delusions and paranoia increased until she was committed to the local sanitarium where she seemed to have committed suicide in a manner so strange the staff still whispers about it to this day.  Sam was less than a year old.

More to follow...

Notes:

I have always been fascinated both Lovecraft's monsters and the reactions of the hapless humans who encounter them.  Thus, the most interesting characters to me have been the ones with a slightly inhuman heritage, how do you run from your own DNA?

I hope this background hints at a strange background but doesn't necessarily commit to one.  It could be that Sam is merely the child of a foreign woman that didn't get along with her father's kinfolk if that better suits the game.

The Gilman clan is actually from Lovecraft, specifically Innsmouth.  Those familiar with the story will get the pun.  And, if not, I encourage you to read 'Shadows Over Innsmouth.' for the sheer joy of it.

The name Celeste can mean 'heavenly' or 'from the stars.'  The name Astrid would work as well.

Some people would have realized that the name Maya means 'illusion' making it unlikely that was the real name of Sam's mother.  Although no one would question the Gilmans outright.  (current inspiration, the character Maya from the series 'Heroes', saddled with a terrible curse of her own).  This allows Maya's heritage to be determined by game needs if at all.

Martha Ripley is a play on Martha Kent, Superman's mom.  Superman started out in '39 only two years before.  And both Sam and Clark are very unusual strangers in the most common of places, initially believing themselves to be as mundane as the people around them.


Questions, comments and suggestions are welcome as always...

Gerry


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## Dlsharrock (May 25, 2008)

There's something to be said for in-game character development and there's a lot here she probably wouldn't share with our two resident bar flies. But very detailed and surprisingly, this time, I'm not going to be a spoilsport  I kinda blinked when it turned out she was linked to the founding fathers of MUAM, but so long as that doesn't carry any weight in-game it's ok.



> I have always been fascinated both Lovecraft's monsters and the reactions of the hapless humans who encounter them. Thus, the most interesting characters to me have been the ones with a slightly inhuman heritage, how do you run from your own DNA?



Same way you turn around and look at your own back, very very fast 



> Welcoming as the Ripleys were, Maya's mental delusions and paranoia increased until she was committed to the local sanitarium where she seemed to have committed suicide in a manner so strange the staff still whispers about it to this day. Sam was less than a year old.



Hm. Reminds me of someone. It remains fascinating to me to this day just how incredibly painful Lovecraft's own life was. Certainly he had plenty of inspiration for the horror he wrote so well.

Oh right, character sheets...


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## greenstar (May 25, 2008)

Scratch the psychic thing then.


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## Dlsharrock (May 25, 2008)

Not necessarily oh he of extremely concise posts. I've studied the RAW a bit about this and I think we could wrangle something with Magic Points. Not seeing into the future maybe, but... hm. Let me have a look at it and get back to you when I sort out your character sheet.


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## kookalouris (May 25, 2008)

*Let me shine a little clarity*

I should have been clearer,

The Gilman family members that helped influence Miskatonic died (or at least, left this world) centuries before Sam was born.  I wanted to hint of a family that has a centuries-long plan and, through fortune and sacrifice, Sam was removed at least temporarily from being a part of it.

As it turns out, Sam is so far removed from the Gilman aristocracy that she may have attended a few classes without even knowing of her ancestor's involvement with the school.  At game start, she is probably unnoticed by her professors as well, given her adopted and (locally) unremarkable surname.

What is she studying?  Mythic lore or occult history.  She is surprisingly at home with the odd artifacts and local haunts that she wants to know more about them.  That and she keeps busy to keep from dwelling on her perceived guilt.

As for Maya's death, it may have been ruled a suicide because there was no rational explanation for such a death in otherwise empty cell.  At least nothing science could imagine...


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## kookalouris (May 25, 2008)

*More on Sam*

More on Sam...

Saddened by Maya's loss, but honestly delighted to keep Sam in the family, the Ripleys set about raising their odd cousin.  Martha Ripley was especially delighted, having been blessed with nothing but boys, to have the chance to raise a typical little girl.

Within a few years, Martha had the loving grace to admit that Sam wasn't going to be ~typically~ anything, especially lady-like.  Sam's virtues were more typically masculine, directness, honesty, courage, optimism.  While capable of deliberate feminine charm, Sam's general nature was to be exactly who she was.

As she grew, Sam loved life on the farm but could not fully articulate a sense of incompleteness.  The idea of being able to explore all of the mysterious world appealed to her and the sheer grace and freedom of the air seemed to embody all that she was missing.

She asked her oldest brother, John Jr. a WWI vet pilot, to give her lessons in his old Jenny, now a crop duster.  He refused.  Sam simply stated that she would learn to fly if she had to spend all of her money on lessons, even if she had to sneak out to the lessons, even if she then had to dress up as a young man (not all schools allowed women).  Otherwise, she would simply 'date' as many cocky flyboys as lessons (flying or 'otherwise') might take, from Kansas to the other side of the world, if need be.

Knowing Sam's determination and her general penchant for honesty, that last threat removed ALL obstacles to John's reluctance, whatever the truth might have been.

Surprisingly, Sam turned out to be a truly gifted pilot and actually helped her family more profitably with the crop dusting than chores on the farm.  Together two pilots, brother and sister, made the dusting such a valid concern, they were able to afford a new plane.  Sam got John's hand-me-down Army Surplus Jenny.

With two pilots and planes, what had been a crop-dusting business could be an air show.  And so the two Ripleys became local barnstormers and local heroes.

But it soon became apparent to Sam that they would remain local heroes if only due to John's safe and conservative maneuvers.  What would get Sam a real plane and freedom would be more money.  And what would bring more money was more crowds.  And what would bring more crowds would be more apparent danger.

She quickly designed a more risky and flashy routine and suggested it to Junior, who absolutely forbade such a near-suicidal show.  Sam smiled and nodded which Junior mistakenly assumed was agreement.

Come the next show, Sam simply took her Jenny out of the established routine and into a dizzying loop with additional jinking and rolls thrown in.  The Jenny predictably stalled, a wing spar snapped, and the plane began to plummet to the ground.  

At the last moment, Sam managed to right the plane and landed to a cheering crowd.  She had already felt an exhilaration beyond words, as she had offered herself to Heaven and been given back the Earth as her gift.

Livid, Junior and the rest of family demanded that Sam ground herself and return to the farm.  She gently reminded them that the plane was hers as part of her compensation and she was of legal age (barely, but still).  Both were obvious to the family but the fact that the usually agreeable Sam would actually invoke her rights (property and self) over the well-meaning family was still a shock.

Ultimately reacting just as firmly, the family did not reject her but told her she could not stay at the farm until she gave up the plane.  Heart-broken but determined, Sam left the farm to an uncertain future...

I will write the last part of Sam's origin soon.

Notes:

None, really.  Sam's happy childhood is the most mundane thing about her.

Gerry


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## Dlsharrock (May 25, 2008)

> As for Maya's death, it may have been ruled a suicide because there was no rational explanation for such a death in otherwise empty cell. At least nothing science could imagine...




My intonation was that this was how Lovecraft's mother died. In the same asylum as his father. 

I realised the link to MUAM was distant. I'm just covering my back against one of those "leave this to me, my name carries a lot of weight down at MUAM/the police station/Town Hall/The Pentagon/etc" situations


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## greenstar (May 26, 2008)

Dlsharrock said:
			
		

> Not necessarily oh he of extremely concise posts. I've studied the RAW a bit about this and I think we could wrangle something with Magic Points. Not seeing into the future maybe, but... hm. Let me have a look at it and get back to you when I sort out your character sheet.



I'm a she.


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## Dire Lemming (May 26, 2008)

So how much of this would Sam's good friend Adam know?



			
				greenstar said:
			
		

> I'm a she.




Haha!  I guessed right!


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## Dlsharrock (May 26, 2008)

koukalouris said:
			
		

> Livid, Junior and the rest of family demanded that Sam ground herself and return to the farm. She gently reminded them that the plane was hers as part of her compensation and she was of legal age (barely, but still). Both were obvious to the family but the fact that the usually agreeable Sam would actually invoke her rights (property and self) over the well-meaning family was still a shock.




So you're not going with the Bermuda tri-angle? That's a shame. I liked the strange plane crash  idea. Her family's reaction seems a bit harsh too. You can't fly like that because we love you so much we don't want you to die, so to stop you, we're going to disown you?



			
				greenstar said:
			
		

> I'm a she.




Should read:
For therein, forsooth, lies your mistake kind gentleman upon whom I have invested so little and yet from whom I receive so great and shall receive greater still, I am of no doubt, in the form of a right rip-roaring rollicking Cthonian outing of the like I've not yet, nor never shall experience the like again. For I, whom you referred to as he, am in fact of the opposite gender nomenclature! I, most bold and sexist swine, am a laydee. Oh yes. May you stick that in your long stemmed pipe and have a jolly good puff, or the heavens be damned and hell be praised, for that sir is the truth of the matter.

But 'I'm a she smilie' will probably do just as well


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## Dire Lemming (May 26, 2008)

Yes, it's also be intelligible...  What?


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## Dlsharrock (May 26, 2008)

Character sheets and related gumpf sent to Dire and greenstar. 

We now have four players, one of whom has chosen to develop their character idea over email rather than thrash it out in public. 

Current members of the Witching Hour Fellowship include a doctor, an inventor, an artist and a grounded pilot. There's also the possibility of a brawler on the cards.

Will post more tommorrow, particularly about where characters live in Arkham (plus a map of Arkham), and a bit about personal assets and costs of living. I'm hoping to get the IC game thread started tommorrow afternoon.

Koukalouris, still waiting to hear if you need me to draw up your character sheet, or if you'd prefer to do so yourself?


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## Dire Lemming (May 26, 2008)

Ooo ooo!  I just had an idea for another invention!  A crank dynamo powered Tazer!  You wind it five times and it'll hold a charge for about ten seconds.  How does that sound?

Oh, and since we have a doctor he could get the idea to use it to revive someone from cardiac arrest like a defribulater or however it's spelled!


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## kookalouris (May 26, 2008)

*Sorry for the confusion...*

Oh, no.  Sam "the crazy pilot who killed her crew" is probably the LAST person anyone in authority would give creedance to.  Don't worry about her being able to pull strings with anyone.  At most, she might THINK she can pull strings.

I honestly didn't know that both Lovecraft's parents had died in an asylum.  I guess the old chestnut is true, no good horror writer ever had a happy life.

Actually, Adam will know just about all of her secrets (Sam's not the kind of girl to keep secrets) and I AM going to use the Bermuda crash.  I like the idea.  I have only put up 2/3 of her origin.  The last will be her solo flying career culminating in the crash.

I see your point, the family does come across as uncaring, which is not what I intend.  Let me amend the origin.

I am a little unclear as how exactly the characters will be constructed.  Do the players make the character from the rules or do you, David, from our descriptions?  Either way is fine with me.

Let me speed up the final part of Sam's story (up to now), I have a feeling it will answer questions I'm leaving undone...

Gerry


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## Dire Lemming (May 26, 2008)

Wow, if Adam knows her whole crazy life story that's... something.  I'm going to have to think about what he thinks of that.


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## kookalouris (May 26, 2008)

*Last of Sam's origin (provisionally)*

A slightly amended continuation of Sam's story, in what is probably the last and final part of it (so far)..


about 1933

With Sam's near-suicidal but ultimately successful maneuver, the family realized that flying was what Sam was born to do.  And working with that goal would probably keep her safer than working against it.  

As it turned out, word of Sam's flying brought a few talent scouts and promoters to her airfield.  And soon Sam was marketed as the "Flying farmgirl of Kansas", the first of many nicknames.

about 1933-1939

It didn't happen easily or quickly but gradually and surely that Sam became more and more of a pilot and a name.  Through different series of agents, managers, crews and planes, Sam became known county-wide, then state-wide, and even a minor national star.

For all of her talent, Sam was not quite the household name of Earhardt and Lindburgh.  She had arrived in the field of glamour aviation late in the game.  Many people thought that such a pretty girl didn't get her crew and planes by talent alone.  And Sam's ever-changing series of managers were amazed that Sam wouldn't 'work' the pretty airhead image she seemed to be stuck with anyway.

Despite all of this, Sam was always in demand somewhere in the world and could usually get there in her own world-class plane.  For publicity, she staged shows in just about any country able to have an runway (and sometimes, that was just a dirt road).  In additional to stunt-flying and wing-walking, Sam would also do scientific, charity and exploration missions for publicity.  

As the 1930's drew to a close, Sam began to see how much Europe was changing and feared for her new-found European friends.  She believes another World War is inevitable, it was just a matter of where and when the US would get involved (and she believed the US MUST get involved sooner than later).

It would just be a matter of time...

Bermuda, 1940?

With her fame at its peak, Sam and her crew undertook a flight near Bermuda.  Whatever reasons Sam and her crew gave the locals didn't seem to ring quite true but certainly didn't seem to be illegal.

With that, her crew left the runway on a perfect, beautiful day...

...and never returned.  At least, most of them.

To this day, and despite debriefing, then interrogations, then therapy from a score of concerned experts, Sam doesn't know what happened.  What fragments she THINKS she remembers are too fantastic to believe.

With a hysterical pilot the only survivor and no other plausible explanation for the evidence at the crash scene, the cause of the crash has been tentatively set at pilot error.  In any case, Sam was believed to have had a mental breakdown and had her pilot's license revoked.

Her life seemed over.

1940-1941

While Sam was in a Bermuda hospital, she was visited by various members of the Gilman family.  The Gilmans claimed that publicity from the crash had outed Sam Ripley as Samantha Gilman and the clan was eager to care for their long-lost foundling.

State-side, they encouraged Sam to check into Arkham Asylum for 'evaluation.'  Full of guilt and depression, Sam did so.  After a few months, the psychiatrists evaluating Sam concluded that whatever mental damage Sam had suffered essentially dealt with a past event she would be unlikely to relapse.  She was released into the care of her kindly Aunt Keziah Gilman who ran an inn in Arkham.

Grateful for something to keep her mind busy, Sam is helping her aging aunt run the inn.  She is too ashamed to face her family, despite their repeated telegrams to come home.

The tavern part of the inn has been converted into the Witching Hour, an occult-themed club and bar.  Sam chose the occult theme as the Gilman attics and basements she raided seem to have only occultish objects in them for decorating the bar.

Surprisingly, the Witching Hour seems to be holding its own, if not making a fantastic profit.  It seems there are a lot of 'incomplete' souls looking for something more than the world that they see and touch.  And Sam doesn't feel quite so alone or isolated these days...

NOTES:

In many ways, Sam's career is similar to that of Amelia Earhardt.  Both were women in a largely male field.  It is possible that both got and lost flights based on their gender.

Sam's years of odd missions in odd places allows David to have any kind of past plot device or flashback.  Her years in Europe as the Nazis and fascism grow in power affect her.  She has friends she worries about.  She believes (correctly) that war is inevitable and is willing to fight for it.

Her sudden realization of dark times ahead might have made Amelia either volunteer for a secret mission for the US (if we want to use that conspiracy theory).  At the very least, she may have spoke out publicly about what she thought was wrong.

Using her small amount of fame in this way has opened a tiny file on Sam in just about every government.  She is seen as a probable and/or turnable propaganda asset.  It might be that Sam accepted being the guest of either the commies or the Nazi in a terribly misguided attempt to 'talk them out of their sins.'  This could make Sam be labeled (wrongly) as a collaborator (if that plot line appeals to David).

I have left the details of the Bermuda flight vague to give David maximum leeway.  Should this had been a secret mission, bystanders and onlookers might have suspected something and made their suspicions known.  Most likely, Sam would have been a volunteer but no doesn't remember anything about it.

It's up to David but if Sam was found wandering outside of the plane and her parachute was missing, it would be dammed difficult for her to prove she didn't bail on her crew.

After the crash, Sam was exhaustively questioned.  With no real evidence at THIS time, Sam can't really be prosecuted.  Neither can she really exonerate herself.  Some in power consider her a criminal, collaborator or insane.  A few others might think she is all three.

Involving the Gilman family could be just a distant family finally caring for a long-lost relative or a more sinister dynasty finally regaining some measure of control over a recovered 'asset.'  Keziah Gilman is only as much plot device as David wishes.  I assume she rarely interferes due to her ailing health.  The inn has a competent enough staff, which Sam either runs or is part of.

Sam's voluntary committal would make any future attempt to commit her much easier   (and this was psychiatry's dawn.  Believing that anything could be cured with the right 'approach,' any eccentric could be committed by a 'concerned' family.)

Sam signed a lot of papers to get help, a lot she didn't read well.  She may have given the Gilmans the power of attorney which could be revealed if needed.

That's it for now.  I have place my damsel in distress and now need to get her out of it.

Looking forward to any comments, questions, or suggestions.

I will send a post of how I see her relationships with Arabella and Adam (of course, always subject to review).  And if I have time before the actual character is statted, a snapshot of how Sam is in the present day of 1941.

Gerry


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## kookalouris (May 26, 2008)

*character relationships*

Character Relationships

As I see it, Sam would be very fond of Adam.  A pilot instinctively likes those specialists who make her life easier.  If any of Adam's inventions were flawed and caused harm, Sam would still be sympathetic as she is one the few who could understand what it feels like to be guilty and disgraced.  In fact, she might be desperate to be friends with a fellow exile.  Misery loves company

Sam would like just about any one who would be her friend at this low point in her life.  So just by being a member of the Witching Hour, Arabella would be liked by Sam (and those bohemian artists might tip well, who knows?).  Considering herself a Kansas farmclod, Sam might be enchanted by Arabella's artiste schtick.

Gerry


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## Dire Lemming (May 26, 2008)

Aww....  I feel all warm and fuzzy.  It would be cool if they could have guilt over a past mistake in common.  Though Adam would always point out that there's no proof that what happened with her was her fault, he was definitely to blame for his own failure.  I'd say, since he's a bit out there, he may have designed some things for civilian aircraft that never really took of- erm, got popular.

Also, he'd definitely heard of her before he met her on his first visit to the Witching Hour, and he probably admired her somewhat, though he didn't become a big fan or anything.  After he invented the Double Barreled Baby Bag he may have even done a short publicity tour of Europe and seen one of her shows or even met her.  He's most likely a bit infatuated with her as well though he'd never let on about that.  Being a few years older than her (I'm assuming, since he's thirty) he probably also feels bad at times about all those things that happened to her as if he could somehow have helped her back then.  He probably finds Arabella pleasant but a bit trivial.


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## kookalouris (May 26, 2008)

*Possible character picture for Arabella*

The following is a picture I found while looking for a possible picture for Sam.  The art is by Ginjirou from Deviant Art.  The character is Asenath Waite, one of Lovecraft's only _TWO_ female characters, from the story 'The thing on the Doorstep.'

I don't really think the picture is 'butch' enough for Sam but those in the know would say you don't get much more butch than Asenath.   

I offer it for Arabella, player willing, of course.

Gerry


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## Dire Lemming (May 26, 2008)

I'm not in the know, but it's a good picture.  Looks like the kind of person Arabella might be.  Though she's not quite pale enough for a New Englander.

Oh yeah, and I guess he designed straps for holding down boxes or something on airplanes, but the manufacturer skimped on material costs and he didn't look into it even though he was suspicious one of them broke during turbulence and severely injured two flight attendants and four passengers, one of whom was put into a coma from the head trauma.


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## Dlsharrock (May 26, 2008)

koukalouris said:
			
		

> no good horror writer ever had a happy life.



Yes, Stephen King must be heart broken as he sleeps on his bed of money in his room made of money while he pays people to throw money at him and chant 'money' over and over. Poor shmuck. 

But it is true of course that pioneers usually suffer for their art or endeavours, receive no recognition from their wider peers and die sad, lonely and broke. It's the ones who pick up an instrument and stride behind the band wagon who usually make out. Thus must we bow reverantly to those who sacrifice themselves for something they believe in and not something they can spend. Without them the world would be a boring place. 

I don't really have anything to add to the character development side of things, suffice to say I'm enjoying the ride immeasurably  The emerging relationship between Adam and Samantha should lend the game a nice lived-in feel when we start. I'm glad the Bermuda crash is back though, and the family reason sounds better now. They were the nice side of the family after all. Background plot seeds may or may not be used, depending really on the sort of game we evolve together. 

And I'm rubbing my hands with glee to hear I have a cranky old mythos aunt to NPC  Thankyou very much koukalouris!



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Ooo ooo! I just had an idea for another invention! A crank dynamo powered Tazer! You wind it five times and it'll hold a charge for about ten seconds. How does that sound?



Like I want to send you a patent form and crack open the champagne! 
Five times though? Hm. Ever used one of those crank up camping lights? A full two minutes, at *least*, of arm-burning hell before the bulb starts to flutter and the kids start to cheer  So I'd say this one's a winner, but some pre-emptive cranking should be in order before use. Say two minutes, and we'll play it by ear in combat rounds. Most rounds are assumed to be about 6 seconds.

I can think of lots of real life applications btw. One for halfbakery dot com? 



			
				koukalouris said:
			
		

> I am a little unclear as how exactly the characters will be constructed. Do the players make the character from the rules or do you, David, from our descriptions? Either way is fine with me.




In that case, I'll roll up the character sheet and email it. Just seems quicker overall. I'll send you the CoC in a Nutshell text too as I'm still not really clear whether you have the rules or not.


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## Dlsharrock (May 26, 2008)




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## greenstar (May 26, 2008)

I like the picture. That's how I pictured Arabella. Only her eyes are a different color and she doesn't wear lipstick. I think Arabella would be friends with both Adam and Sam but not best friends and she respects Sam.


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## Lucean (May 26, 2008)

Hello

 Just wanted to introduce myself as the fourth player in this group. I will be playing the mild-mannered doctor Philip LeGraid. Still ironing out some details concerning his background, will post it here hopefully by tomorrow. Looking forward towards the game with all of you, as the character appear quite interesting so far.


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## Dlsharrock (May 26, 2008)

Places people live (Arabella):

I see her living the bohemian lifestyle in Powder Mill, largely a run down, ethnic part of the town, but one stepped in 'history'. She lives in what would once have been homes for factory workers back in the 20s, now a freehold for low income citizens and migrants (illegal migrants, for the most part). 

Powder Mill is a long, meandering road. On either side march the cramped columns of four floor Victorian terraces, each crushed and crusted against the crumbling shoulder of the building next door. Dominating the facade of each house are bay windows twice the height of a man, rotten sash shutters covered in ivy with turgid leaves of brown and grey creeping inexorably across stonework and glass alike. Three facets and three rows loom from ground to roof, topped with iron guttering and typically decorated gaily by pidgeons and their droppings. The windows themselves are sometimes improved with window boxes and flowers, but many of these have been choked by the rambling onset of ivy. A mantle of dismal coloured shingles cover the rooftops which generally sag at their apex where the rafters beneath are rotten with damp and chewed by woodworm. Ranks of crooked chimney stacks belch columns of grey smoke into the sky and the general impression is one of decrepit architecture and disrepair.

Leading to the main entrance of each house are great stairways of chiselled stone with thick ballustrades. Sneering gargoyles crouch on top of newels while the posts themselves are intricately carved- depictions of many bodies twisted together as one, or intertwined arms and legs woven with leaves and branches. No one newel is the same, all are macabre by design. 

At the top of each stairway is a stone archway festooned with ivy and etched with melancholic carvings of faces twisted into disturbingly contrasted expressions of torture or ecstatic delight. Huge front doors furnished with great brass handles and door knockers resembling impish, other worldly creatures, open onto musty smelling hallways, and interior stairwells climbing into the dark heart of each house. Each floor houses a living space, barely more than a precarious landing, a living room and kitchen. The attics are considered no-go areas, the domain of rats, spiders as big as plates and unknown secrets most tennants would sooner leave well alone.

Steps leading down and set back from the sidewalk lead to the basement apartments. Here too, ivy and thorny nettles have invariably claimed a stake, twisting through iron railings and fretwork embellished with ugly, demonic faces or pipe playing satyrs and strange, unidentifiable symbols. The yard at the foot of these steps is invariably tiny and filled with stinking debris thrown down from the street above, rotted over time into impassable compost. Only the poorest residents of Powder Mill inhabit the basement flats. That's where the rats and cockroach colonies breed!

The street bustles on a typical day, with men sun-basking on the huge exterior steps, smoking, laughing and discussing the latest boxing match. The sounds of wireless and arguing drift from open windows. Children run in the street and dogs bark aimlessly at passing cars. Ethnicity is a running theme.  Here are Hispanics, Italians, Jews and African Americans living a crushed existence in one anothers' pockets. But here also are those who choose to remove themselves from the accepted norm of Arkham life to live an alternative existence, side by side with people of every race and nationality. Such 'bohemians' as they are known, come from all walks of life and are usually poor by choice, rather than birth.

Surprisingly fights are rare, though when a spark does ignite the consequences are usually dire and ultimately violent. There have been a number of late night shootings in Powder Mill.

In years to come Powder Mill will become vacant as conscription claims most of the men and many of the women die of broken hearts. But that time is yet to come, and for now the area thrives.

--
In the top floor apartment of number 13 Powder Mill lives Arabella. Her many works of art take pride of place on walls, on eisels and stacked canvas upon canvas in corners and cupboards. The rest of her belongings live wherever they can in the narrow space. Her necessities, a bed, a table, a chair and the marvel of compact living that is her kitchen, take their chances where they may. Upon every available surface stand pots of paint, jars filled with brushes, aprons spattered with every colour in the rainbow and stacks of books on art, subject matter and, to a lesser extent, occultism. In keeping with the architecture of the building, various gruesome details can be found in her apartment. A crumbling plaster arch over the landing outside her front door, forever covered in cobweb, is carved to resemble two entwined arms, fingers like talons with horrible sharp nails interlaced and inverted so that they seem to point down toward the floor. Over the doors inside the apartment are similar archways, these made of carved wood and furnished with gargoyle faces pulling mischievous expressions, sticking out tongues, eyes screwed shut, cheeks bulging. A popular urban myth prevails in Powder Mill, that several tennants once hacked down the gargoyles in their own apartments during one desperately cold winter, using the wood as fuel. Rumour has it that these tennants met a sickening end, hurled from the windows of their apartments by assailants unknown and impaled on the sharp tines of the railings below. 

These days, nobody removes or tampers with the gargoyles, or indeed any other aspect of their building. Even the landlords, many of whom are rarely seen these days anyway, have taken to making only minor repairs. In some cases tennants are thought to be living rent free, landlords so reluctant to enter their own buildings they haven't been to collect payment in months.
--

(This is my vision, greenstar. Please feel free to rewrite the way the apartment looks to suit Arabella's tastes. From her description in your background I sense there may be a more gothic feel to her tastes and preference, but that may just be my interpretation. The above is an ecclectic description of the traditional struggling artist pad. Yours to alter however you see fit. The only thing you shouldn't change is the location and the ambient description of Powder Mill itself, plus the gothic details in the apartment, unless of course she wants to risk it and pull down the gargoyles!).


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## greenstar (May 26, 2008)

I like the description of the building and apartment. I especially like that her apartment is the 13th.


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## Dlsharrock (May 26, 2008)

Places people live (Adam West):

A few streets west of the Powder Mill district and things change with surprising abruptness. Here are the white picket fences and wooden shingle houses characterised by colonial architecture and the roving building designers of Nantucket. The Church District.

The streets are wide and clean. Cars are rare, people rarer still. There's a quietude to the place, broken only by the cry of birds or gentle chatter of locals meeting and greeting as they pass one another in the street. On a Saturday the sounds of the market in Powder Mill filter across, but this generally lends a pleasant, rather than obtrusive, background ambience. Strangely, the throng of Powder Mill give this part of town a wide berth. When they choose to travel west they go out of their way to take one of the other roads. Indeed the junction at Powder Mill and Peabody has been barricaded with a high brick wall topped with shards of broken glass. Thus does the area remain peaceful and unfettered.

Lich Street is a long, orderly road, flanked on one side by the Old Arkham Graveyard and its high stone wall, and on the other by a mixture of colonial style houses and typical Massachusetts architecture, some laid out in neat rows, others collected together hamlet-style, gathered in a decorous fashion around the grounds of the Lich Street Church. On the eastern corner where the detached buildings of wealthier residents stand is East College School and its accompanying playground. 

At a glance, and to the casual visitor taking a well mannered stroll toward the busier side of town, the Church District is a place of good people and clean living. Large manicured gardens are well presented and the homes are well maintained. All in all, a fashionable, though not overtly wealthy, part of town.

But look a little closer and there is evidence of disquiet, or at least an atmosphere of misgiving. The gates of the graveyard are firmly bolted, criss crossed with a tangle of heavy iron chains, padlocked in many places. None venture into the cemetary from this side of town, only ever through the larger entrance with its wrought iron archway leading out onto Church Street.

Some of the houses, particularly those at the corner of Lich and Peabody, are derelict, though they remain well tended by the inheriting relatives of those who once lived here. The gardens, somewhat overgrown here and there, and one or two broken windows round back, the only sign that anything may be amiss.

Most notable of all is the school, closed and deserted, its windows boarded up, playground swings swaying untended with the passing breeze.

--
Adam West, a local inventor, eccentric and introvert is an atypical Church District resident. He occupies number 6 Lich Street, his house being one of the more grandiose structures, a hybrid of colonial and New England design. The walls are shingled with wood and the roof tiled with neat rows of grey slate. The layout is unique, with a variety of bay annexes extending to conical roofs upon which weathervanes spin lazily in the wind.

Looking upon this castle-like house from the outside, with its picket fences, whitewashed walls and grey painted woodwork, one can imagine a veritable labyrinth of rooms inside. 

A front gate opens onto a gently snaking path which wanders up to a wide porch. A mailbox of dynamic proportions stands just inside the gate, resembling a cross between a bird-house and a smaller version of number 6 itself. Mail men approach it with caution, knowing that within is an intricate device which takes letters and propels them through vacuum shutes to the heart of Adam's house. Several postal employees have nearly lost fingers. There have been several complaints.

Within the house Adam has made the space his own, many of the living areas doubling as part of an ever expanding system of workshops and laboratories. Half completed creations adorn every surface, and scattered about them are screwdrivers, ratchets, tenon saws, nuts, bolts, nails, files, hammers and every other imaginable tool required for the fashioning of this, that or the other. 

Mote filled light streams through the high bay windows, illuminating metal cannisters, pipework and cogs, wheels attached to pulleys and mechanical turbines attached to motors and belts of varying sizes. Dismembered engines and engine parts fill almost every nook and cranny and yet despite the chaos, there is order here. Each step of the grand sweeping staircase leading to the mezzanine landing houses a different size cog and in many cases a small pile of different sized screws. Turbine belts hang over newel posts and schematics are nailed to walls where paintings might seem more appropriate. Every drawer and dresser is filled with an orderly array of washers, rubber connectors, wire lengths and other items of miscellany, all stored in and seperated by tiny wooden slats. Whenever Adam needs something, he invariably knows exactly where to go to find it.

Downstairs in the basement is a fully fitted workshop with fret saw, sander, engineering press and work table. Here are more tools, and the main substance of his work in progress. Steps lead up to a trapdoor which leads outside to his back garden.

Upstairs, the many rooms are preserved much as they were when he moved in, save for the addition of a library in one corner of the house and an archive in which he keeps the majority of his paperwork, keepsakes and memories. The library stands in a circular room in the southwest tower. Here he stores his vast collection of occult books on a series of custom made curving shelves which reach from floor to ceiling some twenty feet above. There's even a moveable ladder on wheels allowing easy access to the higher shelves. An iron spiral staircase leads to a turret at the top of the tower and here Adam often goes to sit and flick through the pages of one of his favourite titles, gazing out over the rooftops of Arkham and giving his mind, and his imagination, free reign to wander.

He knows little of the area, being relatively knew to Lich Street, and knows even less about Arkham itself, though he has read of several bizarre historical occurences in his books, particularly those related to Salem and the witch-hunters of that era. Suffice to say he's hoping to explore the town in more detail. The strange pall that seems to hang over Lich Street is a mystery to him. Being an introvert and not the sort to hang over his garden fence for a chit chat with the neighbours, he's had little chance to delve into the matter.
--

Again, this is my vision. It's not my intention to take characterisation away from players, but in the creation of the setting it sometimes requires some assumptions, and sometimes I get carried away  Please feel free to change anything you want about the interior state of the house, Dire Lemming, but everything about the exterior, the size, the general architecture and the Lich Street area should remain unchanged. The mail box was just an idea, feel free to discard it, or change it  Also, the ordered chaos may suggest he's a bit fussy, which may not be the personality you're going for. Change as you see fit.


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## kookalouris (May 26, 2008)

*Quick notes preceeding longer notes*

First, let me welcome Lucean and Dr. Phillip LeGraid to the group.  What  kind of Doctor is LeGraid, is he a 'shrink?'

Since I posted last, there has been a lot of good posts that I want to compose a lengthy post in reply to.  But let me get some quick notes off first.

David, I don't have the rules and I would actually prefer you make the character if you don't mind.  I trust your greater experience.  Heck, as far as I am concerned, I don't even need to see the sheet.  No one really knows that they have a STR of 17, just that they are really strong compared to others.  And not knowing exactly _how much_  you are damaged adds to the unease.

I will try and get some non-rules notes written that might inspire.

Greenstar, a little Photoshop might be able to change the eye color and remove the makeup.  I volunteer if you are interested and will let me know what color Arabella's eyes are.  Again, it's completely up to you.  I could use the picture for Sam in a rare glamour moment (with a little photoshop tweaking of my own.

More to follow...

Gerry


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## Dlsharrock (May 26, 2008)

Places people live (Dr Philip LeGraid):
Welcome to the forum Lucean 

The Southern District, or Rich District, as it is known is a far cry from both Powder Mill and the Church District. Considered by many to be the heart of town life, the Rich District is actually little more than an attractive sanctuary, removed sufficiently from the bustle and jostle of central Arkham to be quiet and clean, while being close enough to allow the fashionable rich easy access to the best facilities. Suffice to say, when the police receive a call from Powder Mill, they take their time to respond. When they receive a call from the Southern District, they try to attend at least two minutes before the call was made.

High Street is a typical artery running at a steep gradient down and through the heart of the Rich District from west to east, serving only two blocks, but two blocks whose length and breadth are greater than any in Arkham. A sweeping grandeur of road, asphalt as perfect as the day it was laid, snakes its way steadily downward through the ranks of the rich and famous, lined on either side by rows of trees and sparklingly clean sidewalks. Homes are not so much visible as glimpsed; grandiose rooftops, turrets and chimney stacks rising above the greenery of leylandi and fir, the houses themselves hidden behind walls or great expanses of hedge and set a considerable distance back from the road. Invariably the driveways leading to these houses are inaccessible, barred by wide, electric gates furnished with warnings to 'beware of the dogs'. There are no cars parked by the roadside and it is rare indeed to see anyone moving around the district on foot.

Once inside, a visitor will find themselves awed by the overwhelming sense of oppulence and extravagance lavished upon the construction of homes and grounds. The houses are in fact mansions, each with their own far ranging estates containing terraces, swimming pools and car ports. Front doors stand beneath ostentatious porchways of white stone and marble. Multiple paned windows are similarly framed with columns, corbels and stately shutters. Where lights are on inside, chandeliers can be seen hanging from ceilings illuminating the polished grandeur of rich furniture. 

A visitor to the Rich District will feel a prevailing sense of silence and abandonment. At its highest point, the aptly named High Street affords a spectacular view down and across Arkham and the visitor may feel himself to be standing upon the fringe of reality, gazing down into the rational landscape of a populated world while all around him remains deathly still and deserted.

Indeed, behind the high reaching hedgerows and brusque gates of the Rich District live some of the haughtiest citizens of this town, as removed from the rabble they perceive as society as they are from their own community, such as it is. It is perhaps their lack of spirit that gives the area its prevalent sense of emptiness. More likely the sheer untouchable nature of the Rich District intimidates most people who venture there, leaving them with an uncomfortable sense that no matter how hard they work, or how hard they try, they will never possess money enough to live here.

--

Doctor Philip LeGraid occupies one of the less impressive, but no less expensive, houses near the lower end of High Street. This location is not ideal, but gives his family plenty of privacy, room to breath and, of course, the house is close enough to the hospital that he can get to work each day without travelling too far.

His house stands, as many here do, behind a high hedge. The approach is not barred by a gate, but meanders off the road and along a well tended garden before arriving at a large circular drive. In the centre of the drive is a disc of lawn at the heart of which stands a huge oak tree with gnarled trunk and sky-reaching branches. At some point lightning has struck the tree and split the trunk asunder. Though the tree is dead, its ashen bark no longer a lustrous brown and its branches permanently leafless, the previous owners were inexplicably attached to it and included a hidden clause in their side of the house purchase contract stating none should ever try to cut down the tree. Thus the doctor has been forced to keep the ugly thing in situ. 

The house stands behind the tree and is a large edifice of gothic architecture, baroque by design, florid in aspect and immensely unique. The grand entrance stands in a shrouded arch of white marble with a front door hewn from a solid chunk of wood and engraved with a depiction of the oak tree as it probably looked when flourishing and in full leaf. A metal grill covers a small glass window and a large iron door knocker fashioned to resemble a grimacing dog furnishes the middle of the door.

Inside is a large reception with a marble floor and grand, sweeping staircase. Rooms lead off in all directions, including a vast kitchen and dining room through a large set of wooden panelled double doors, a living room to the right and a second living room to the left. A variety of corridors are also accessed from here through a succession of narrow, arched doorways, each marked with a roman numeral (the reason for which the Doctor has never been able to fathom). The rest of the interior is expansive and luxuriously spacious, well decorated by the Doctor's good wife with ornaments tastefully arranged and an abundance of softer furnishings. Rugs and cushions used to diffuse the cold, hard edges of marble and stonework. 

Being unable to comfortably climb stairs, the Doctor lives largely on the ground floor, with a library and study in the west wing and the bedroom he shares with his wife to the rear of the house overlooking the splendour of the rear garden. Upstairs is well tended by the Doctor's wife and the children have made themselves at home up there with bedrooms and a play room. Guests, when they come, are also granted one of the spare rooms on the second floor. Many of the building's original furnishings live up here, being part and parcel of the purchase detail. As the family are relatively new to the residence, they are yet to search through these furnishings and decide what they should keep and what they should discard, particularly as the Doctor's wife has been actively avoiding the task, preferring not to venture into those rooms where the furniture is stored.

The Doctor's wife also prefers to remain on the ground floor, but not because of any problems with the stairs. She has professed an uncommon fear, completely at odds with logic, of the entire second storey. Particularly she feels ill at ease when passing beneath the hatch leading to the attic or the rooms containing the previous owners' furniture. As the Doctor could never ascend the ladder with his bad leg, he never saw fit to go into the attic and readily dismisses his wife's irrational fears as unfounded anyway. Her unease is probably more to do with the emptiness of the second floor rooms and the sheer age of the house than anything spooky or untoward, especially as the children have never professed any misgivings and spend most of their time up there. 

Throughout the house, the image of the oak tree in the garden is repeated in carved motifs, decorative designs on marble plinths, small emblems on doors or door handles and intricate reliefs on ceiling roses. The reason for this seems fairly straight forward. Presumably the oak tree must once have been an impressive centre-piece at the front of the house and at some point a previous owner grasped this aspect and reproduced it as a common running theme. Most who visit the Doctor and his family notice and comment on the oak tree devices they spot around the house and it has become something of a novelty, even though the Doctor feels little love for the horrible shattered tree.
--

Again, my vision. The tree, the clause in the purchase contract, etc. should all remain. If you want to change anything it's that he lives only on the ground floor, or general decorations and the way they've been used. It should also be assumed that his family haven't explored the furniture left behind by the previous occupant yet, even if they do all live on both storeys of the house.


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## kookalouris (May 26, 2008)

*Sam as a character sheet...*

Character notes on Sam

Attributes:

Sam is about average in stats with no real limits or strengths.  Before the 'incident', she probably had very fast INT and DEX, the gifted reaction of a skilled pilot.  Her SAN is currently lower than average and will probably drop like a rock.

Her appearance was above-average so that no one, not even Sam, knows how much of her career was given to her by her talent.  This will also undermine her confidence.  Her appearance may or may not have been reduced by scarring.

To have been a buxom beauty, I picture her as a cornfed valkyrie, so her size is probably above-average but not necessarily justifying odd stats.

Skills:
Above all, Sam was a good pilot (and still might be if she could believe it about herself).
She also enjoyed the sports cars her past fame had bought for her.  She has some tiny skill piloting a boat, perhaps the Gilman influence.

In short, she could be the team transport.  She also has a few other skills handy for traveling.  During her missions, she may have picked up some lessons in navigation and survival.  She is also a fairly skilled wireless operator (operating a radio was relatively complicated in the 1940's given the fairly primitive equipment).

Combat skills:
No formal training.  It could be that Sam has learned a few tricks with fists, kicks, broken bottles and revolvers, given the places she has been.

Physical skills:  Before the accident, Sam was a 'natural' swimmer, ran to stay fit, and climbed a small mountain once to impress her flight crew.

Education:
Bright and curious, Sam has a high school diploma and has studied her peculiar pursuits with a collegian's zeal.  She may be taking classes at Miskatonic (the Gilmans may be entitled to a scholarship, this would convey no real power).  In a sentence, Sam is idly fascinated with weird mysteries in weird places and wants to learn what she can about them (history, archeology, 'weird lore', etc.)

Languages:
Sam hasn't really devoted the time to learn another language besides English (well, maybe Boston 'Bah-stan' English.  )
She may knew a few important phrases in most languages ("Get Help!", "We mean you no harm.", "Take me to your leader.").  In the world of Aviation, traffic controllers speak English so there has always been translation wherever Sam has flown.

Interpersonal skills:  Sam has a natural charm that she would rarely bend to deceit.  So openly honest skills such as Diplomacy she might excel at.  Now, too trusting of others and not of herself, she might be more vunerable to deception than her stats might warrant.

Mythos skills:  It would never occur to Sam that people might have some power over weird fate.  However, she might have picked up some skills at a very low level and a barely detectable SAN loss.  For example, she may have found some of the odd artifacts on the shelves of the Witching Hour compelling.  And studied them without having any real chance of comprehension except on a basic level.

I always wondered what would happen if someone read the Necronomicon but didn't know the language.  Would the pictures be enough?  Would the odd script itself affect through the sheer _alienness_ of it?

Equipment:

Sam might have some rusting weapons somewhere in the inn.  I assume the inn has an old Model A truck for errands.  She may have a neglected sports car of her own.
She probably knows places to get planes and exploration equipment (which is not the same as having the means).

Not quite trusting her sanity, Sam is reluctant to carry anything that could harm herself or others (although there has been no violence from Sam's mental states, she is overcautious).  She has a pawn-shop bought Swiss Army Knife deliberately bought for its worn, dull blade.

Unnaturally attracted to some of the 'worthless' items and charms found on the Gilman grounds, Sam may feel the need to wear the smaller items as jewelry.

SAN and sanity

The difference between genius, eccentricity, and madness is really rather one of degree rather than kind.

Currently, Sam has the following traits that are not yet at the point of actual mental conditions...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, irritability)
Guilt and Survivor's Guilt (feelings of worthlessness, utter lack of confidence, secret desire to be 'punished').

Also, when rescued Sam had a busted leg and concussion plus some scarring.  As far as the doctors and the head doctors are concerned, Sam should have healed past all of that awhile ago.  But, currently, Sam still has trouble remembering, walks with a cane, and believes herself to be horribly scarred.  How much is real and how much is psychosomatic is a plot device for David.

She may also be scared of heights, flying, or more accurately, piloting, especially piloting others.

Deliberately sober as a rock before, now Sam is 'medicating' with alcohol, cigarettes, caffiene and perhaps more exotic substances.  So far, her former flying reflexes and quick intuition cover how much medicating she actually does.

Any of these coping mechanisms (good and bad) can be used by David when the SAN wears thin.

I think that's enough for the sheer stats side of the character.

Feedback is always welcome.  More to follow...

Gerry


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## greenstar (May 26, 2008)

Wow there's something creepy about every characters house.


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## Lucean (May 26, 2008)

*Doctor Phillip LeGraid*

History:

The LeGraid family has been one of the most prominent families in New Orleans for over a century, being influencal in the finances, politics and culture of the fair city. It has also always been one of the most central families in the internal structure as well. It was extremely rare for the head of the family to have more than one child, who in turn would become the new head of the family. If there were more than one child, one of them would be chosen to become the new head and receive almost all of the family fortune as inheritance with the other receiving only a little or married off to another family. This had prevented the family from fragmenting despite it's great age and also had allowed it's head to remain unquestioned in their position. It was also always central that the one who had been borne as a LeGraid was the one controlling the family in case of a marriage, be it a son or a daughter, although it was almost always a son.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the head of the family was Charles LeGraid, who was considered one of the strongest patriarchs in the family's entire history. He was a shrew businessman, always anticapiting the economic and political situations to come with frightening accuracy. His only son, Michael, was however another story, more interested in attending parties and cultural events than learning of the family business, somehow believing that just sharing his father's blood was enough. However, suddenly enough to cause a scandal, Michael disappeared from the city, only to return a year later with his new-born son Phillip. A great deal of rumours spread of this, speculations of what had happened, with each one more wild than the last. The story offered by the family was that Michael had met a daughter of a poor merchant family from New York and fallen deeply in love. Never being one for thinking ahead, he had eloped with the daughter, fearing his father's disapproval. His new wife had become pregnant soon after, but had died giving birth to their son. Finally, the mourning son had returned home with the child. The power held by the family made certain that no one questioned this story too vocally and prevented it from blossoming to a true scandal.

The returned Michael was slightly different from before, being more tempered and even beginning to involve himself in the family business, but was still a prominent member of the local social life. For some reason though he seemed to avoid to have anything to do with his son, hesitant to even treating Phillip as his own flesh and blood. Charles LeGraid however developed a soft spot for the child, acting almost as a surrogate father to Phillip. A few years later Michael married again, this time to Augustine Reynolds, a daughter of prominent family in the Mid-West. Through Charles's skill the opportunities provided by this marriage lead to even more wealth and power for the family. From this marriage a daughter, Evelyn, was born and Michael treated her more as his own than he ever had Phillip, who was eight at the time of the birth.

As Phillip grew up, although never in public, a great of whispering was done of the circumstances of his birth and his standing in the family. Members of the family itself and those associated with it treated him with distain, no one more than his own father, while Evelyn was doted upon. Somewhat ironically the only member of the family aside from his grandfather who Phillip got along with and even cared for was his half-sister, who always called Phillip her brother with great pride in her voice. Despite Charles LeGraide 's attachment to the boy, it became clear to him that Phillip could not remain in New Orleans, that he was too much of a sore spot to the family and even a danger to be exploited by some outsider. So with heavy heart Charles summoned Phillip to him when the boy turned 16, and told him that he could not remain within New Orleans for much longer, that he had to seek his fortune somewhere else. Charles did however offer to pay for whatever life Phillip decided to seek for. Phillip understood, to be truthful had expected the discussion to have taken place even earlier, and three years later informed his family that he would be leaving for medical school in New York. On the day of his departure only two people watched him depart with sadness, his grandfather and his young half-sister, who begged him to stay with tear-filled eyes.

When Phillip moved to New York, it was the first time during his entire life when people regarded him as more than the mystery of the might LeGraid family. He however remained somewhat distant from his fellow students, not willing to truly expose himself to anyone, and extremely driven in his studies, as if he was trying to escape the secrets of his birth that way. He never drank much and always behaved very cordially, not letting himself loose. Despite all of this he managed to make a great deal of friends during those years, as most people found him to be someone to get along extremely well with as long as they didn't try to probe his secrets too deeply. Finally Phillip graduated as a M.D. and after having proven himself to be an exceptionally promising doctor, received more than a few offers from local hospitals as it was clear that he could not return to New Orleans. Yet he shocked everyone by instead choosing to join the Red Cross and leaving the country for foreign lands.

-------------

Have to stop now, both because I need to sleep and because that's already quite a lot of story. I'll try to get the rest up tomorrow with notes about the character. I already spoke with David about the secret concerning Phillip's birth, but I'll send him a more exact description of it, if it is alright. Let me know if there's anything wrong with the character story so far, it never hurts to point out where something doesn't work.


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## Dire Lemming (May 26, 2008)

Wow, Kook.  I'm assuming Adam doesn't know most of what's in that last post.  He wouldn't be the kind to let a friend go on like that, though he might not know what he could do to stop it, and considering how few friends he actually has, he wouldn't have to split his attention.  It would probably cut into his inventing at this point.  Kinda funny though that it's the bar tender with the most problems.

As for Adam's house.  I really like the mailbox, though after that many complaints he probably would have been up a warning sign with instructions on how to avoid injury next to it.  Or even reworked it so that the mail carrier could activate the suction manually.  Course if they then started to forget to do it he'd send complaints and finally go back to the old system if that didn't work.

One thing that was conspicuously absent from the house is materials for making prototypes of cloth objects.  I could say that machines are his love, but most of his inventions in that area haven't really been successful, so in order to fund them he's made his far more successful slings, bags, and carrying systems, or what have you.

One last thing, Adam has never had a girlfriend, and still doesn't.  As such, he's somewhat lacking in certain things that only an intimate relationship can provide, unless you have money.  So, to stop beating around the bush, Adam can afford to pay for high quality escort service, and probably has in the past, and will in the future, assuming there is such a place or people in Arkham.  Dunno if you can do anything with that information, or even want to, but I figured I'd add it just in case.  Also, considering how introverted he is he probably hires the services of the same person consistently.

Man, my character's background is so boring compared to the others.

David, I fixed my sheet, I can't send Email from my usual E-Mail application at the moment for some reason though, so I need to use webmail, which is a pain.  I can still receive it fine.  Though of course email notification for ENWorld is again broken and has been for weeks.


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## Dlsharrock (May 27, 2008)

Heh. The last post was from Lucean, Dire Lemming. 
Lucean- you don't need to post your character's entire history in the recruitment thread unless you really want everyone to know about it. If you're looking for comments/constructive advice that's fine, but I should add a note to the effect that this is all strictly out of character information, not stuff players should refer to in the game. 

Great stuff though, really detailed. If I have a suggestion it would be to have Charles removed from play and this be the reason for Philip leaving New Orleans. I don't really know why I prefer this to the existing scenario, I think maybe it's just a more compelling reason for him to leave. A way it could work out:

Charles dies and as he's Philip's only adherent in this ultra-powerful family, apart from his sister in law, this kicks the safety chocks out from under Philip, leaving him vulnerable to those family perils you hinted at (and which, IMO, should be introduced in his background). The family hatch a plan to force him out of New Orleans, or possibly to discredit him as a true LeGraid (the circumstances surrounding his birth were foggy enough after all), but then horror of horrors, it turns out Charles has left a substantial sum of money to Philip and a fairly large chunk of family property. Now Philip is in real trouble. The family don't just want him out of New Orleans, they want him dead. One or two failed attempts on his life later, he flees New Orleans with his inheritance and seeks to establish himself elsewhere. Hoping to cut himself loose of the family wrath he gives up his stake on the family business, handing it to his sister in law. If this all goes, it could also be a valid reason for his leaving the country and joining the Red Cross. Turns out the family don't consider the return of his stakehold to be good enough, find him in New York and try to kill him again.  It's no longer about the money (as it so rarely is in these kinds of families), it's about the slight Charles has paid the true LeGraids by officially recognising Philip as rightful heir. His only choice now is to head for foreign climes.

From a Keeper's point of view Charles is better dead than alive. If he remains active there's a chance Philip could use him in-game and that's one mighty powerful NPC right there. Better to remove Charles and leave the lesser power of Philip's sister in law. She can still pull strings perhaps, but on a different level.

General note for all:
Kouk, I'd like to comment on some of your character details and there's still some more OOC stuff to discuss. I'm still thinking on Arabella's psychic/magic points combo and Lucean is yet to post the finished background for his character. On top of all that, I have to go to bed 

Tommorrow I am undergoing some dental work which may put me out of action for the day (wisdom teeth out). I should be back on Wednesday to tie up lose ends and, I guess, play catch up on like 200 posts  Seriously though, it's great to see some enthusiasm for the game and I'm really looking forward to starting the IC thread, just not today as originally planned.

Apologies as I can tell everyone's revved to go, but here's a classic case of real life strikes again 

Witching Hour Bar description also to follow, and will feature in the first post of the IC game thread.


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## Dire Lemming (May 27, 2008)

I was talking about Kook's last post.

Also, Phillip doesn't have a sister-in-law.  His only sibling is his half sister who's eight years younger than him.

Also, Gerry is a Kook, not a Kouk.  

Also, Kook, how do you pronounce your name?  Both I mean. Gerry looks like your parents couldn't agree on whether to call you Garry of Jerry so they compromised.


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## kookalouris (May 27, 2008)

*What's in a name*

More game-related posts to follow but since I have few moments between places I'm supposed to be.

My name is Gerry, which is short for Gerald, as opposed to the more common Jerry.

Kookalouris is a bittersweet remembrance for me.  I was once a bad web designer with a domain kookalouris.com (it's not mine anymore if it is being used at all).  The name kookalouris on several email addresses is pretty much the only remnant left.  This is why I admire David and his farcountry endeavour.  Take it from me, it is not as easy as it might look.

I will let Roger Ebert explain what a kookalouris is:

 Kookalouris

Name for a large sheet of cardboard or plywood with holes in it, which is moved back and forth in front of a light to illuminate a character's face with moving light patterns. Popular in the 1930s; back in style again with the movies of Steven Spielberg, who uses a kookalouris with underlighting to show faces that seem to be illuminated by reflections from pots of gold, buckets of diamonds, pools of fire, pirate maps, and radioactive kidneys.

from his little movie glossary at

http://academic.sun.ac.za/forlang/bergman/tech/glossary/ebert_glos.htm

DL, use Sam's tragic history only as much as you want to, although Sam would welcome Adam's friendship (and this player likes the idea).

Were she to live a completely mundane life from this point on, Sam would probably die a remorseful drunk but not dangerous to herself or others, it would probably take decades before she took up residence in Autie Keziah's old rocker.


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## Dire Lemming (May 27, 2008)

I do like the idea too, Sam's tragedy will rub off on sympathetic Adam as he wants to help her but doesn't know how.  He really likes her, thinks she's smart, pretty, and kind, and deserves to be happy.  Like I said he's probably sort of infatuated with her, but is probably afraid of having her reject him and/or losing her as a friend so he wouldn't want to act on that.  Does that sound a little too teen angsty to you?

Anyway, he wouldn't want to let her become a remorseful drunk.  Does that make sense?


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## kookalouris (May 27, 2008)

*More notes...*

It turns out I have a few extra moments between summonings.  That or I have found a few curves in the angles of time.

Some notes:

I can really be kooky at times.   Another reason for my _nom en ligne_.

Not only is truth stranger than fiction, truth is sometimes stranger than Lovecraft's fiction.  Here is something I found while surfing the aether.

 Lindbergh's deranged quest for immortality

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7420026.stm

A famous pilot making a bizarre alliance with an eccentric inventor to LIVE FOREVER (maniacal chuckle), hmmm.

Lucean, I like Phillip as a character.  Does his first name start with an 'H' like a certain author we all like?  You may be hinting at a mythos-related origin for Phillip.  If that is the case, and you and David like, Sam can be a distant 'cosmic' cousin and/or Sam and Phillip might even be 'made for each other.'  But it's completely up to y'all.

I was considering 'casting' an actress or celebrity for the part of Sam.  I often encourage this when I GM if the source is cinematic (such as a Star Wars PBEM).  But some non-filmed sources are best cast by the participants imagination.  So I will wait and see if the group wants casting for the game.

Poor Adam.   If it helps, romance would be possible between Adam and Sam.  I didn't bother adding to her origin as the character is most certainly dead but Sam lost her lover in the 'event' and the very idea of romance _currently_  brings back the trauma to Sam.

Maybe she just needs to find the right 'kindred spirit.'

More to follow...


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## Dire Lemming (May 27, 2008)

Ooo, more delicious suffering! lol

Well that makes it even worse for Adam.  If she's shared it with him he has another reason to be insecure and pitiful.

I think we need to clear up just how much Adam knows about Sam.  Both her history and the way she is currently.  I'd assume they've know each other for around  a year since that's about the longest they could have given the dates in your character's background.  He's seen at least one of her shows while on a trip to Europe.  Maybe some sort of conference for inventors if that doesn't sound too contrived.  He'd read articles about her in the newspaper and seen her picture, so he may have recognized her when he first came to the Witching Hour.

So yeah... what would Sam have let him know about herself?

... I really ought to work on my own character's history some more shouldn't I.


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## kookalouris (May 27, 2008)

*Thoughts on Adam and Sam's background*

Hm, here are some ideas for Sam and Adam's relationship.  Let me know what you think.

Before the 'event' and before Adam's disgrace, deserved or not...

Sam would be well-disposed to any technically-inclined professional that kept her plane (her joy in life) in the air.  I can see them meeting at a flight club dinner and getting along.

Past that...

Sam wouldn't typically have had a reason to hang around a young earnest inventor (her quite conventional plane was well-kept by quite conventional mechanics) but what if...

Sam used Adam's inventions on her plane?

It could be that Adam's inventions (at the time) had a good, solid and safe reputation.
or
Adam's inventions (at the time) had a reputation for pushing planes beyond their limits (Sam's daredevil outlook at the time would have chosen speed over safety).
or
Sam (a rich and famous avatrix) was sponsored by whatever backers Adam had to put his inventions on her plane.
or
Sam (down on her luck and behind in expenses) was forced to take this quack inventor's contraptions on her plane for moola and publicity.

Or it could be that Sam and Adam simply became good friends and hung out whenever Sam wasn't touring.

It could be that they had quick fling that ended (mutually or otherwise).  Sam may have been in awe of this new Edison, feeling quite the country bumpkin.  Or Adam may have been enchanted by this wild-child pilot (the media certainly would build up an air goddess image).

If Sam did the dumping, it was probably in her wanderlust nature not to settle into one place, race or person too long.  I can't see her being deliberately deceptive but she may have not realized her casual intentions were not clear to a true innocent.

Now, after the mysterious event that shattered Sam's life...

If any of Adam's inventions were on the plane, it is unlikely that Sam would blame Adam when others might.  As no known malfunction of his inventions could account for any of the few and weird facts known about the crash.

A variant might be that Sam blames Adam, rightly or wrongly, but I can't see them being good friends afterwards.  This COULD add tension as Adam is still a paying customer.  In that case, Adam might be trying to melt Sam's cold heart, one night and drink at a time.

Having known each other before, Sam wouldn't generally feel reluctant opening up to Adam.  And don't forget, most of the facts of Sam's life would be public knowledge.  Simply keeping up with the relevant newspapers would do a lot.

Her mental state after the crash would be apparent simply by watching her sadness as she bleakly tends the bar, especially to one who might have known her in happier days...

How's that for a start, DL?  Let me know what you think...


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## Dire Lemming (May 27, 2008)

Hm, already having known her huh?  Well that is certainly vastly different than what we had originally intended, but that's in no way a bad thing.

The thing is, if they've had a past relationship then it would make their current one significantly more complicated because I'm not really sure how they'd get along when Adam didn't come to help her when she tried to commit herself.  Even if their relationship had been romantic and he'd dumped her for some strange reason he's not the kind of person to let the kind of person he knows her as end up in a place like that when he could just drive a short distance to do something about it.

In any case if their relationship was romantic she's have been his first and last.  If he did dump her it was probably for stupid reason like being upset about her risking her life with her plane or because she was always traveling.  I like the former better because it's a good contrast with her family's reaction.

I'd say the most likely reason for them to be around each other of those you mentioned is the second one.  How about this?  His first successful invention was the baby harness, thus getting him permanently stuck with the image of someone who made those kind of things, but he really liked machines allot more so he worked on those allot.  He'd actually made allot of successful airplane components but people paid more attention to things similar to the baby harness which is why such a to do was made over the strap incident on the airliner.  Nevermind that there were several other inventions of his in the plane that were actually helping to keep it aloft and continued to work fine.  He still blames himself for the injuries because he didn't catch the unscrupulous manufacturer.

The thing is, he would have known that Sam's plane has critical components invented by him, so if he'd had a strong relationship with her he's the type that would have gone to Bermuda to find her when he heard about the accident.  Though by that time he would already be living in Arkham.

Hm, Adam seems like the type that would get dumped.  It'd work out though because Sam could have moved on and gotten involved with nameless missing crew member and lost him during the flight.  Adam would likely have been too insecure about whether she wanted to see him to visit her in Bermuda in that case and would likely only try to intervene when he found out she was committing herself to Arkham Asylum.  Maybe he came to testify on her her behalf.

However, he wouldn't have revealed that he'd done this.  Perhaps he didn't know that she had gone to work at the inn afterwards and only learned about it when he first walked in the door.  Being forced to confront her again for the first time may well have forced him to grow some backbone on the spot.  If they've had a past romantic relationship though, like I've said, it would make things much more complex, and I think it would be better if their first encounter after they broke up was roleplayed in detail.

What are thoughts on all this?  Personally I think you're much more creative than I am so I'd really like to hear any ideas you have whether they fit with mine or not.


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## Dlsharrock (May 27, 2008)

Have a couple minutes before I head off to go under the knife.

Kouk.. sorry, Kook, don't know where that extra U came from. That is the oddest thing I ever heard about an aviator, even stranger than old Howard Hughes. Clearly  there's a running theme of loose screws in those magnificent men in their flying machines. Probably all that uptiddly up upping and all the down tiddly down downing. Rattles the brains 
Fascinating though, especially the Nazi sympathising stuff. Sent a chill down my spine. Forget systematic ethnic cleansing of the people you don't like, just let natural selection sort 'em out and your technology sustain the people *you* deem to be ok. Talk about playing God.



			
				Dire Lumming said:
			
		

> ... I really ought to work on my own character's history some more shouldn't I.




Not necessarily. As previously mentioned, there's plenty to be said for in-game evolution. History is ok for foundations, but don't let it stifle your creativity when you're in the game. You might decide, for example, that you don't want to play him a certain way, or that certain characteristics can be trimmed down in favour of playing up others you hadn't intended. Just my two pence, based on past experience.

I'd also like to just act the Keeper and shuffle you guys back onto the rail a bit. When you're discussing reasons for meeting up and getting together try to stick with the original theme behind the Witching Hour 'Fellowship', expounded in no uncertain terms in the first post of this thread.

At the start of the game we're going to assume this Fellowship is already established so we can head off into the meat of the game. Even players in charge of characters whose backgrounds are relative strangers to us compared with Sam and Adam will already be 'initiated' into the group. So far they've been discussing the strange and supernatural. They've probably gone on a few graveyard walks, or late night outings to known local 'spook-spots'. All characters have probably mentioned something about the spooky nature of their own homes and the places they live. Arkham is revealing itself to have hidden depths and the group are starting to see beyond the initial trivialities of their interest in the wierd and wonderful.

This is forum play, so lengthy getting-to-know-you stuff, while infinitely enjoyable for the protagonists and fine in the recruitment/OOC thread, can slow things down if roleplayed, sometimes by months. Moreover, and this is the crucial bit, the concept that player characters share this mutual interest in occultism and the supernatural should be more of a driving force than an add-on. In most of the characters it is just an add-on, usually tagged after with a sort of vagueness, when it should really be one of the most important facets of the group's driving dynamic, and certainly an integral part of each player-character. 

At the moment I'd say Arabella is the only character with a truly believable reason to get involved in a group like the Witching Hour. Doctor LeGraid is coming a close second (after some tweaking by email with Lucean). Adam has an entire library of the occult, but there's been hardly any mention so far as to why this might be. A library of technical manuals and textile guidebooks would seem more appropriate. Sam has the Witching Hour, but she could also use a nudge toward a greater interest in the mysterious forces that possibly stole her entire crew and downed her plane. This is where I would concentrate backgrounds at this point and leave the rest for the game.

Just a Keeper's point of view. Feel free to ignore me as you see fit. I'm not the last word on this stuff


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## Dire Lemming (May 27, 2008)

What's so unrealistic about an otherwise introverted person having one thing he likes to do that involved getting together with other people who share his interest in a subject?  I don't see why interest in the Occult needs to be the main focus of the characters.  If that were the case they would all be allot more similar, and therefor allot less interesting.  Adam does have a library of manuals, they're just mostly in his head and scattered around near the things they're used with.

He's started out somewhat interested in the occult but became more so as he continued visiting the bar.  Like I said, my character's background is great.  That's why I thought I should improve it.


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## greenstar (May 27, 2008)

How about Adam just got the nerve to ask Sam out while Sam was on her flight in Bermuda and was going to when she got back but then the incident happened and he didn't think he should. Now he's waiting to get the nerve again.


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## Lucean (May 27, 2008)

*Doctor Phillip LeGraid continued*

I decided to alter slightly my approach in giving the background here. In the first part of the background I posted I tried to give out information one might learn of my character through little investigation or talking with the right people. Not that any of the PC's would, but it was supposed to be information easily learned. I however understood that such information would be difficult to get from his days abroad, so I'm kind of skipping it here. I'll send the background to GM through email, but here I thought I'd rather post how he appears, what kind of a family he has and what is known of him in the town if anyone bothers ask around. I hope that's alright, thought it might make it easier to decide how to deal with the character.

Phillip himself is a frail looking man in his mid-thirties. By appearance he has many traits associated with the french-rooted people in New Orleans. His hair completely black, his eyes a darker shade of grey and his complexion slightly darker than normal. A plain looking man, Phillip is always dressed with formal style, favouring cotton or wool coats and pants with dress shirts with the collar always pulled up. His right leg is completely busted, he cannot bend it at all, and he requires the cane to walk. At times one can see hints of scarring at the side of his neck or at the back of his right wrist, both times seeming to continue towards the back. He is utterly devoted to his wife and children.

Phillip's family in Arkham consists of his German wife Elsa and his 6-year old twin children Charlene and Mathias. Elsa is a quite striking woman also in her mid-thirties, being almost taller than Phillip with long blond hair and shallow blue eyes. She has already managed to acquire a few assignments in translating some books and letters, being fluent in six languages and understanding a few more. Their children take after both parents in differing parts, with Charlotte having dark hair and blue eyes and Mathias blond hair and grey eyes. Both are active, happy and all around normal children.

The family arrived in Arkham only a few months ago, moving straight in to the rich district. Due to their status as outsiders and foreigners, there are several rumors and whispers about them. Most of them are somehow related to the following facts:
-Elsa is German, who knows far too many languages than she should and who should be far above Phillip's class. Who knows what are the true reasons behind that marriage?
-Phillip was in Europe for the last few years, acting as a doctor when the Second World War waged on.
-There is no way they should have afforded the house they currently reside in, they do not pay that well to the doctors serving in the Red Cross. Several rumors float concerning this, some claiming that Elsa brought with her some treasures they sold to pay for the house or that they carried the spoils of war back home, robbed by the good doctor from his suffering patients. The rich are more willing to spread these stories, resentful for these new residents. More reliable sources tell that the house was bought by lawyers, with no one agreeing who had hired them.
-The doctor himself is said to be extremely professional with his patients and an excellent doctor. From time to time they however say his stare will be distant and that what he witnessed during his travels around the world, especially in Europe, have left it's mark on him.
-All however agree that the family does at least seem to be very loving when together and they have already made some friends in the area. It is supposedly an old friend of the doctor who got him the job at Arkham in the first place.

As I said, I hope this format is alright with everyone. If not, just let me know and I'll post more detailed accounts of Phillip's times overseas.


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## Dlsharrock (May 28, 2008)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> What's so unrealistic about an otherwise introverted person having one thing he likes to do that involved getting together with other people who share his interest in a subject? I don't see why interest in the Occult needs to be the main focus of the characters. If that were the case they would all be allot more similar, and therefor allot less interesting. Adam does have a library of manuals, they're just mostly in his head and scattered around near the things they're used with.
> 
> He's started out somewhat interested in the occult but became more so as he continued visiting the bar. Like I said, my character's background is great. That's why I thought I should improve it.




Firstly, you shouldn't feel the need to be defensive. I'm commenting, not attacking. 

Secondly, you've misinterpreted much of what I said 

An interest in the occult needn't be the driving force for all characters. I'm suggesting that their mutual sharing of this *interest* should be the driving force for the group getting together and each character should have an integral reason for wanting to join the group, something in their makeup that makes them *want* to join and which brings them to the Witching Hour bar. They should feel compelled enough by their interest to come across town, sit around with a bunch of strangers and discuss that interest. I don't want to say 'each player needs to give a reason why their character would join the Witching Hour Fellowship' as that's a bit too meta. But I'm quite content to prod things in that direction.

I can't find where I said Adam West is unrealistic in my previous post. I think the passion for the occult and extensive and expensive library of books warrants further integration into his character, and probably should be given more air time as a reason for his attending the Witching Hour group, rather than relying solely on the idea of his being a barfly who has a past with the owner, but that's got nothing to do with realism.

Likewise, Sam has no current reason to join the group other than the Bermuda incident and the fact that she runs the bar. I'm not saying all characters in this game must follow the same basic premise, just that they should all come part and parcel with a reason for wanting to be in the game. 

I felt the OOC discussions were moving away from the original idea and setting the group up more as a collection of drinkers, chatting about one anothers' pasts, or hanging out together as barflies, rather than following the original concept outlined in the first post of this thread.


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## Dire Lemming (May 28, 2008)

I wasn't being defensive, just confused.

Now I'm not really sure how I can develop the Occult library more.  If you remember I couldn't think of any character at all in the beginning and picked the inventor because I liked the idea.  Occult interest was never the character's driving force.  I'm not sure why it makes a difference whether he comes back to the bar regularly because he's got an interest in the occult as well as the owner, or because he's got an interest in the owner as well as the occult.  They're both still reasons he comes back.  I mean, his reason for going to the inn in the first place was interest in the occult... maybe even driven further by what happened to Sam.  He could be the only one that believes her that something otherworldly really did happen there, so his passing interest would have been reinforced as he tried to find out more in hopes of helping her cope with her trauma.

Consider that Sam is the owner of the meeting's venue, I'd think that was a pretty good reason for her to attend the meetings, but maybe she feels like these people might help her come to terms with her own supernatural experience...

How's that?


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## kookalouris (May 28, 2008)

*A most peculiar obsession...*

Hey everyone...

Let me correct or amend some previous posts on my part.  I've either not addressed a few points and/or mis-addressed some others (I've got to lay off of the plutonian space mead.   ).

First and foremost, I will start with the assumption that Sam is a member of the Witching Hour 'coven.'  She knows all of the PCs and is fond of them (for various reasons or just plain familiarity).  To Sam, these are her friends and she values them all more than anyone else here in this strange town (except maybe Auntie Keziah).

As to _why_ Sam would have an interest in the occult...

Being of a curious and inquisitive nature, Sam might just have a natural interest in strange mysteries.

Possibly having a little ichor in the blood, Sam might have an _unnatural_ attraction for such mysteries (a sort of subconscious knowledge that her knowledge of the world is wrong, or the _world_ is.  Think of the Matrix's Neo and his instinctive knowledge that the world was wrong somehow, even before the red pill.).

It could be both of the above, although Sam would only be conscious of the first.

Perhaps some of the odd discussions or pictures from mouldy old tomes tickle her memory.  Remember Sam has suffered from temporary (but not _complete_) amnesia from her time over Bermuda.  In a sense, she may be a sort of 'alien abductee.'  So, imagine being an abductee with very cloudy memory passing through a science-fiction convention at a hotel.  A group starts talking about UFOs and it rings true, but you don't yet know _why_.  All you know is that you are compelled to listen and participate.  Think of the main character from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Actually, Sam doesn't need an interest in the occult to be part of an occult group.  Let me explain.

Sam has been saddled with trying to keep a bar afloat.  She needs to keep every loyal customer she can.  If she had found nothing but sports collectables at the Gilman's she would have opened a sports bar.  If she had found only rock music goodies, she would have opened a karaoke bar (well, a few decades later, maybe).

Had she opened a sports bar, she would have to develop (or at least _fake_) an interest in sports and sports teams.

Had she opened a karaoke bar, she would have to grit her teeth and become familiar with pop music.

As it was, she found a dying bar she could only decorate with weird old tomes and bizarre figurines, so by Azathoth, she's learning about the occult.

It might be that Sam herself is considered a minor mystery.  Although she (and the authorities) believe she simply cracked up in a sudden storm, others may think that Sam was at the center (or _was_ the center) of some paranormal event.  She may be popular with mystery-hunters.  If the bar is barely keeping afloat, Sam may have to 'work' her mystery status.  Or curious folks may hover around her anyway.

Think of the haunted look B-actors in struggling science-fiction series get when cornered by obsessive fans in sci-fi cons. (Doctor Lazarus from Galaxy Quest).  It could be she can't politely avoid these 'nuts.' 

It could simply be that Sam became friends with any one and them and later the group from that one first friend.  She may be a part of the occult-researching group simply out of loneliness, boredom, isolation and a terrible need to keep her mind from wandering.  Don't forget, a group that believes in 'alternate' possibilities might be the last folks to cast instant judgement on poor Sam (something she would value terribly).  Having been judged herself, she would no longer be so quick to judge eccentrics.

Don't forget, Sam could be the group's Scully.  Scully's skepticism didn't stop her from getting into the same scrapes as Mulder, simply because she worked with her open-minded friend.  And having a 'doubting Thomas' might be a useful counterpoint for David's plans.

Whew,  I hope that suggests a few ideas why Sam might now hang out with these eccentrics.  I can probably come up with more if David needs it.

Feedback, as always, is welcome (and improves me).

Next up, let me see if can correct my misunderstandings about Adam and Sam's past...

Gerry


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## kookalouris (May 28, 2008)

*"The beginning of a beautiful friendship..."*

Now let me see what I can do about understanding Adam and Sam's relationship better...

First off, so the game is not slowed down.  Whatever their relationship, Sam and Adam are good friends and won't hinder the group with any kind of spat.  I would assume their good friendship would actually speed the group's actions along.  In game terms, this subplot takes a distant back seat to the main game.

OK, to work...

I assume Sam was found by her powerful birth family very soon after the accident.  It is amazing how much power and command the Gilmans have over the seas, especially Bermuda.  It could be that the Gilmans had Sam all the way to Arkham before most of her American friends and family knew of it.  The US government might have been slow to release details of the incident to the media.

In short, no matter how devoted Adam was to his friend (and I assume that they are devoted to each other, no matter how badly any romance turned out), Adam may simply not have known before it was too late.

Don't forget, Sam _volunteered_ to be sent to Arkham Asylum, believing herself to be delusional.  With Sam's outright consent, the committal process was probably sped up.  After leaving Arkham Asylum, Sam may have stayed in Arkham partly because of Adam, in addition to looking after the inn.

As far as whether they knew each other or not before Bermuda, I must admit I went ahead and jumped the gun and assumed that they did.  Reunions are more charged than meetings for dramatics purposes (IMO).  _Casablanca_, another 1941 production, _worked_ so much better for me because it was a reunion after trauma (don't forget the classic tear-soaked letter in the rain, gets me every time).

I do like your suggestions on how the two might have gotten together and then broken up.  True to form, trying to ground Sam would only make her more determined (and again echoes her earlier relationship with her family).

If Sam was Adam's 'first and last,' it could be that Adam was Sam's inamorata as well.  Her crew member romance may have been a subconscious defiant rebound (not that she wouldn't have felt just as guilty, if not worse.  Her misguided pique may have got the poor guy killed as he would have had no other real reason to be on the plane).

It could also be that Adam's inventions kept the plane together longer than any other plane could have lasted.  Perhaps several other planes were simply destroyed (of course, this is up to David as he is the only one to know the real reason for the crash).  In which case, Sam would have to admit not only was Sam wrong about being utterly reckless but that Adam, via his inventions, saved her life.  If so, she would feel a terrible mix of guilt and gratitude regarding Adam.


Now, if Adam and Sam had met each other _after_ Bermuda, Sam would react to Adam as she would to her perceptions of his inventions (from unlikely disappointment to utter gratitude).  A _slow_ romance could then have started.  It would have to be slow given Sam's shattered heart.

Let me stop here and hear what you think, DL.  I've no problem RP-ing Adam and Sam's relationship (with David's permission and not to the detriment of the game).

Looking forward to anyone's feedback...

Gerry


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## Dire Lemming (May 28, 2008)

Your idea of the reunion is very convincing and I think we should go with them knowing each other before hand.

I actually think everything in that last post is great and should be used, except for the mutually exclusive stuff at the end of course.

What can I add... hm...

Well nothing really that hasn't already been said.  Adam of course isn't the type to hold a grudge, and would be as supportive as possible.

If information about her was covered up then it neatly solves the problem of Adam not trying to keep/get her out of the asylum.

I know, I've got a question.  What was Sam's experience in the asylum like and has she told anyone about it?


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## kookalouris (May 28, 2008)

*Arkham Asylum*

Sam's experience in Arkham Asylum was quite relatively pleasant.

Since Sam volunteered to be committed, she didn't see her committal as imprisonment.  Since Sam was so agreeable, no 'extreme' techniques were used.

In any case, Sam considers her time in AA to have been a kind of penance and would have welcomed some suffering as expiation.

From a game standpoint, here is what I am trying to achieve.

I want to hint that the Gilman family is very protective of Sam, as if they have found a long-lost daughter (which they have) or a recovered asset (which she might be), probably both.  Is a coincidence that, right out of the nuthouse, she suddenly has a place to stay and employment while in Arkham (under the watchful eyes of her witchy aunt)?

Sam's gentle treatment in Arkham may have been to put her at ease and to set a legal precedent for a forcible committal later.  It could be that the whole of Lovecraft Country is a gilded cage for Sam.

And who knows what odd doctors or patients she met while in AA?

Or not, it's up to David.  But I am setting up some plot background should he need it.

Gerry


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## Dlsharrock (May 28, 2008)

kookalouris said:
			
		

> Don't forget, Sam could be the group's Scully. Scully's skepticism didn't stop her from getting into the same scrapes as Mulder, simply because she worked with her open-minded friend. And having a 'doubting Thomas' might be a useful counterpoint for David's plans.




Yes, this is the sort of thing I meant. Background details explaining integration with the Fellowship as opposed to background details explaining integration with one another or reasons for attending the bar. This latter is fine to explore, of course, and important to establishing player character relationships. I just wanted players to think about the former as well.

In this instance, for example, its a valid reason, but the role of group skeptic has already gone to the good Doctor  Now, I suppose it's feasible to have a mythos interest group consist largely of skeptics, but that does clash with my original vision  In the opening gambit the group is formed as a means to explore the mysterious aspects of Arkham (which abound) and gives the members (who have an interest in such things) a cheap and distracting thrill as they head out in search of evidence, or at least visit sites of the more famous urban legends (first post in this thread). 

So this is the basic premise and one I'd prefer players adhere to as best they can. I'm not insisting the occult be the sole driving force in their lives (as DL said, that would make the game pretty dull): it should be a part of them, but not all consuming. But the reason for their joining the Fellowship should be based around their interest in the strange and mysterious. 

As I said, so far this seems to be tagged onto Adam and Sam's complicated and evolving backgrounds as an afterthought - and that's *ok*, really, I'm not trying to be negative. This is merely the reason I wanted to prod things in a certain direction, to establish before we play why they joined the Fellowship.

I honestly think the occult book collection is very likely the key for Adam (finally he has a chance to discuss the contents of his books with people of a like mind, instead of hiding his collection like some grubby secret) and Sam's might be her experience in Bermuda (she's not looking for understanding,  but like the young guy sailing his dinghy who, bitten by a shark, goes on to become a marine biologist with an avid interest in Great Whites, Sam has developed an illogical but driving interest in the strange and mysterous.). I would suggest this for the reason behind her opening an occultist based bar, because, on the surface at least, it seems to have captured her imagination. If you know about her internment at the asylum and loose sanity, things appear less flippant (more akin to the guy in the dinghy whose friends and family are eaten by a shark who then goes on to become a marine biologist ) To me it merely ties the game and the group together with the purpose of the Fellowship. As those development seeds are already there it makes sense to me to use them rather than come up with alternates. Make sense?

These are *just suggestions* btw. I'm absolutely not attacking anyone's characterisation or writing, or trying to take over player roles or anything like that. Both Sam and Adam are great characters and I'm enjoying watching their friendship emerge before my eyes. If any of my comments come across as derogatory or overly critical, I apologise for that's not my intention. Nor is it my intention to confuse and apologise for so doing with any of my previous posts. 



			
				Kookalouris said:
			
		

> Sam's experience in Arkham Asylum was quite relatively pleasant.




I'd like to place her asylum treatment elsewhere if I may. Nobody gets gentle treatment in my realisation of Arkham Asylum  AA is mainly used as a quassi-prison for the criminally insane and is somewhere you wouldn't send a relative or attend voluntarily (more Gotham City than One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest). If investigators require treatment they'll be taken to one of the more mundane asylums or state clinics, maybe even Arkham hospital provided the high fees can be paid (and in this instance it seems they probably can). That said, they *could* wind up in AA, if things go very very wrong for them


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## Dire Lemming (May 28, 2008)

I like your idea about the library.  Like I said, Adam's original reason for going to the witching hour was his interest in the Occult.  With the latest development of their background I'd say he'd probably lost track of Sam, so it was a surprise to find her wording there and guaranteed that he returned regularly.  Of course he doesn't just hang in a corner watching Sam the whole time.  The original reason he visited the place was interest in the Occult, and who knows, he might have been the Fellowship's first member.  Have we yet figured out how the other characters actually joined the Fellowship?

As for his place in the group, he's an eccentric inventor with a large bank account and an interest in the Occult.  Isn't that a role?


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## Dlsharrock (May 28, 2008)

Dire lemming said:
			
		

> Have we yet figured out how the other characters actually joined the Fellowship?




Yes, hence my saying only Adam and Sam lacked a reason, though we're making strides 
Arabella's is simplest and ties well with greenstar's short but sweet background. She's a bohemian and joining discussions in the Fellowship is an alternative enough activity to fit perfectly with her favoured idiom. I can also see her getting a lot out of the nocturnal sojourns the group eventually graduate to when discussions alone no longer satisfy their desire for paranormal intrigue and excitement. Somehow her whole character just slots neatly into the premise (not to detract in any way from anyone else's character, just that hers answers the initial premise very nicely).

Lucean has come up with a cool skeptic angle for the Doctor, though this may or may not be something Lucean wants other players to know in-character as I'm sure he has plans to explore the idea in-game. I think, as far as the other PCs are concerned, the Doctor's there because this stuff really interests him. I might be wrong and he might be completely open about his intentions. One for Lucean to confirm or correct as appropriate.

I think Adam's occult library is likely his dial-in to the group. He may even be the one who set the whole thing up! He's certainly eccentric enough to come up with an idea like that.

While Sam's overall  background is the most detailed of all, I think she still lacks the best motivation with regard to the basic premise of the Fellowship. I just don't see her joining a club like this. In fact, I see her actively avoiding it, though she'd likely maintain contact with Adam because she and he have that intriguing past.



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> As for his place in the group, he's an eccentric inventor with a large bank account and an interest in the Occult. Isn't that a role?




I don't recall stating that players needed to provide a 'place in the group'. That would insinuate meta-gaming and I'm deadly opposed to such things. If you're referring to Lucean's character as a skeptic, well, two skeptics in a four strong group of paranormal enthusiasts *does* seem like a contradiction in terms. 

Things could be altered I suppose, depending on how strongly Kook feels about Sam being a non-believer. We could have a  group of four who met at the bar and just sort of drifted into conversation over beer and chips, two discovering they shared an interest in the strange and paranormal, two discovering that they're both skeptics for different reasons and the group forming that way. Their discussions have become a sort of tradition each week and now the believers want to prove the skeptics wrong by taking them to find evidence, or maybe the skeptics want to take the believers to some Arkham site of wierdness in order to show them there are no such things as spooks. That might work and would perhaps rationalise their getting together better than the forming of some kind of club through word of mouth, newspaper ads and so on.

What does everyone think of that idea?


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## Dire Lemming (May 28, 2008)

I'm personally a bit confused.  You seem to think that interest in the occult is not enough to join a club based around sharing your interest in the occult with other people.  At least for Adam.  But because Arabella has no ancillary details to her background she somehow fits the game better.

I asked you how the other two characters ended up joining this little club and you just repeated what you said earlier about why they might want to join if they learned of it.

I said agreed with you that I liked your idea of the library being further motivation for Adam to join the fellowship and suggest he could have even started it... and then you pretty much just repeat yourself...

You seem to be telling me that being interested in the occult isn't enough to get together with a bunch of like minded people and discuss your interests.  That I need to have a gimick like the llibrary, a role.  Then you go on to tell me how you hate the meta-concept of roles....  

What do you want?

I'll try to just right out a long description of all my ideas put together, how about that?

Adam has acquired this occult library over time due to his interest in those subjects and when he heard about an occult-themed inn nearby he decided to visit it.  He liked the place, and even more surprising he found out that the owner was Samantha Gilman, whom he has had a long and complex relationship with.  He decided to come back some more, hoping to maybe get together with her or something, but at least to keep an eye on her, as she seemed different than the upbeat woman he once knew.

He found out that the Inn wasn't doing that great and told Sam about his collection of book, then together they formed the idea of the fellowship, that would hopefully bring in more members by word of mouth.  They also posted some new advertisements and gradually Arabella and later Lucean showed up and there we go.

How's that?


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## Dlsharrock (May 28, 2008)

Ok Dire, forget about it then.


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## greenstar (May 28, 2008)

I can see Sam having being interested in the strange. After the Bermuda incident she might become interested in finding out what happened and when she found all the occult stuff in her attic or wherever she got the idea to turn it into the Witching Hour bar and begin a group to talk about the strange. I don't see any problem with Adam except you need to figure out exactly what his relationship with Sam is. He could just be interested in that stuff and heard about the Witching Hour bar and Sam and became the first member or something. I don't know why Phillip LeGraid became a member.


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## Majic Walrus (May 28, 2008)

*Last one to the party*

Hey everyone.  Looks like I might be the last to join the party.  I had some unexpected issues which I have worked out.

In anycase we still have room for one more?


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## Dlsharrock (May 28, 2008)

Hi Majic
Welcome to the game  I assume this is Patrick James O'Doherty, brawler and lover of the liquor?

I'm hoping to start the game shortly. If you could let me know that you're happy with the character background you provided by email I'll send you a character sheet. Alternatively you can roll up your own stats if feel more comfortable doing so.

Some players have chosen to explore their character's background in this thread. Please also feel free to do so, noting where appropriate if a part of your background is in character (ie, something Patty would discuss with other PCs in  the bar) or OOC (you're discussing it here but players shouldn't introduce it as an in game element). You can, if you prefer, do a mixture of the two and post the OOC stuff to me and anything the other investigators would know to this forum.


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## Dire Lemming (May 28, 2008)

Dlsharrock said:
			
		

> Ok Dire, forget about it then.





I don't want you to feel snubbed, I just have no idea what you're trying to convince me of.

Kook, I like the idea of Sam and Adam having had a romantic relationship.

They broke it off, but I'm not sure why.  I like the idea of Sam breaking it off because she seems to have a better reason and it sort of ties in with everything else later better.

Then, pretty much everything in that post you made that I responded to by saying that we should use all of it except the contradictory part at the end.

Here.



> Now let me see what I can do about understanding Adam and Sam's relationship better...
> 
> First off, so the game is not slowed down. Whatever their relationship, Sam and Adam are good friends and won't hinder the group with any kind of spat. I would assume their good friendship would actually speed the group's actions along. In game terms, this subplot takes a distant back seat to the main game.
> 
> ...


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## Lucean (May 28, 2008)

Phillip has a reason for joining the group, but as he is extremely hesitant of even speaking of it. So I decided not to post it here, but rather come out during the gaming. I hope that's alrigth with everyone. I did send the background to David, that included that section. I hope it was alright.


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## Dire Lemming (May 28, 2008)

You know, given all these new developements in Adam's character and his relationship with Sam it kind of throws a wrench in the whole using her as a test subject for his experimental Bra thing...


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## Dlsharrock (May 28, 2008)

Dire Lemming:

If I confused you, I apologise. 
If I have repeated myself, then I apologise if covering the same point has in some way offended you, frustrated you or added to your confusion.
If you feel that I am somehow attacking your characterisation of Adam, please rest assured that this is not my intention. However, if that's how you have interpreted things as a result of something I wrote, then with my hand on my heart, I apologise.

However,
the tone of your last message was unecessarily hostile. I didn't like it. In my games, and therefore in any thread related to my games, be that IC or OOC like this one, everybody is entitled to their opinion, provided their opinion is delivered in a friendly, non-confrontational manner. 

I'd like to know what you think of suggestions I make, but I won't respond to animosity with anything but dismissal, if that.

Perhaps if you could reword your message, leaving out the hostility this time, then I'll respond accordingly and where possible I'll do my best to clear up moot points, and this time I'll try not to repeat myself. Otherwise, I think the matter is best dropped.


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## Dire Lemming (May 28, 2008)

I"m sorry for my tone, I shouldn't have let my frustration get the better of me.

Well the first thing is that you said Adam and Sam don't have a reason to be at the witching hour but the way I see it they're the only ones that do.  I actually had a reason to be there in the first place.  I guess now that point is moot though.

The second thing was that you seemed to be implying that Arabella's lack of extra details made her fit better into the game and made her a better character.

I really like the the setup between Adam and Sam I don't really understand what the problem is.


----------



## Dlsharrock (May 28, 2008)

I'm going to try to explain myself a bit better, then. If I repeat myself from before, I apologise again. I'm not sure how else to put things across other than to say the same thing in different ways.



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Well the first thing is that you said Adam and Sam don't have a reason to be at the witching hour but the way I see it they're the only ones that do. I actually had a reason to be there in the first place. I guess now that point is moot though.



Yes, they do have the best reason to be at the Witching Hour. Most of my points are about the Witching Hour Fellowship though, the club the group have supposedly formed, and I was trying to steer discussions toward including why members would *join* this club, as opposed to being present at the bar, the two being mutually exclusive in my head (the bar probably has about 30 odd patrons every night, but only four of them attend the Fellowship). Perhaps this is the source of the confusion? In future I'll try to discern better between the two. 



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> The second thing was that you seemed to be implying that Arabella's lack of extra details made her fit better into the game and made her a better character.



No, this wasn't my intended implication. Not even a bit  Her lack of extra details are neither here nor there and my only point is that she's got a sort of generic reason to join the discussion group. Just like the raven haired, sultry looking girl who lives next door to me wouldn't look a million miles out of place in a White Stripes concert, Arabella was made to attend a discussion group surrounding the occult. It's a sort of that-fits-there thing. It doesn't make her better, or worse than any other character, just gives her a reason to be in the Fellowship. Make better sense?

I mentioned Adam's occult library as another way to illustrate the same thing. If he has a collection like that, then he must *really* be into the occult in a big way. That's $1500 of books right there and in those days $1500 was a lot of money. But occultism is frowned upon in normal society, so he probably keeps it subdued in polite company. If he actually came across a club that openly discusses this sort of thing, I think he'd leap on the chance to join them. So there's motivation enough for him to join the Fellowship club (as opposed to just attending the bar) and you don't need to find another reason for him to be there- and how I saw the discussion unfolding at the time was that you guys were trying to think of reasons why Adam would be at the bar and hang around with Sam. 

As far as Sam is concerned, I hope Kookalouris hasn't also misinterpreted what I meant. She's a wonderfully realised and detailed character. Which is kinda my point. Given her background with the ultra-mysterious Bermuda crash and the whole lunatic asylum thread I felt there's great motivation already written into her story for her to be drawn to the Fellowship without exploring other angles, like her being a skeptic, or only following the theme of the bar because that's what she found in the attic.

I'd like to hear Kook's opinion on this score though, and indeed on the comments I made in my previous messages, particularly the one about two members of the Fellowship being skeptics and two being believers in terms of occultism and mystery. I think that might be a fun angle to take.

Then again, I probably am labouring a point (I do that) and if you guys just want to establish backgrounds, possible past relationships and then start the game on that footing and see where it goes, that's ok with me.


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## Dlsharrock (May 28, 2008)

Lucean said:
			
		

> Phillip has a reason for joining the group, but as he is extremely hesitant of even speaking of it. So I decided not to post it here, but rather come out during the gaming. I hope that's alrigth with everyone. I did send the background to David, that included that section. I hope it was alright.




Yes, I got the email, thanks Lucean. Great stuff. Though you didn't address my suggestion about Charles possibly dying before Philip leaves (I've sort of assumed the suggestions didn't fit with your own ideas though). 

I've not been great overall at responding to emails and such today, so if you're waiting to hear from me and I'm being rubbish and not replying, please accept my apologies. I'm sitting here with a face swollen like a beach ball, tanked up on painkillers right now  I've taken the rest of the week off to recover and intend to take full advantage by getting the game underway! Every cloud has a silver lining and so forth 

I don't know why they call them wisdom teeth. Utterly Useless Teeth seems like a much better name to me.


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## Lucean (May 28, 2008)

Dlsharrock said:
			
		

> Yes, I got the email, thanks Lucean. Great stuff. Though you didn't address my suggestion about Charles possibly dying before Philip leaves (I've sort of assumed the suggestions didn't fit with your own ideas though).
> 
> I've not been great overall at responding to emails and such today, so if you're waiting to hear from me and I'm being rubbish and not replying, please accept my apologies. I'm sitting here with a face swollen like a beach ball, tanked up on painkillers right now  I've taken the rest of the week off to recover and intend to take full advantage by getting the game underway! Every cloud has a silver lining and so forth
> 
> I don't know why they call them wisdom teeth. Utterly Useless Teeth seems like a much better name to me.




Sorry to hear your operation resulted in such discomfort. I got off pretty easy by the sound of it.

I did address your suggestion at the end of the email, or at least I intended to, but yes, you're right, it didn't quite fit the idea as that would have made Michael automatically the main heir and leave some problems overall. Also, I didn't really feel Phillip would be bringing his wife and children to the USA if there were people trying to kill him there.


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## Dlsharrock (May 28, 2008)

Thanks. Discomfort doesn't quite begin to describe it. I'll live though 



			
				Lucean said:
			
		

> I didn't really feel Phillip would be bringing his wife and children to the USA if there were people trying to kill him there.




Yes, I thought of that- had a whole array of suggestions for ways he might have dealt with the murderous intent of his old family against his new family (altered names and identites etc). But if it doesn't fit it doesn't fit.


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## Dlsharrock (May 29, 2008)

I've set up the game thread here:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=4251846#post4251846

Feel free to start the game at your leisure. I'll check in here regularly too as I know some players want to continue developing their character backgrounds in this thread. Feel free also to discuss the various IC rumours in this thread, or the game thread.

See you all in the game!

Majic Walrus, if you want to start playing please dive in. When I get confirmation from you I'll stat up your character sheet, or you can if you prefer.


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## kookalouris (May 29, 2008)

*Some very quick notes before curtain call...*

Y'all,

So much has been posted since I posted here last.  I want to write a careful and detailed reply to all.

But, first off, the game has begun and I am on right after the opening credits.

So, if nothing else, I will do my level best to get an opening post going and starting the game.

I have one question before we begin, where should detailed OOC posts go from now on, in this forum or that one?

Gerry


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## Dire Lemming (May 29, 2008)

I sympathize with your pain Dlsharrock.  Unfortunately I can't think of any suggestions to help.  Just keep using the pain killers and sleep allot... and pain sure to stop using the pain killers once it stops hurting.  Man, I can't believe I was the one being irritable...  Hey, did you get them both out at once?  I got one at a time a few months apart.  I'm not sure if I should have.

I really liked the library idea the first time you mentioned it and I still do.  He could have used it to help start the Fellowship, like I said.

Of the rumors, Adam is most interested in the phantom car one, partially because it seems to be a threat to people.  Whatever is happening, people are disappearing.  Secondly, his knowledge of machines might well come in handy.

I'll wait for Kook to post before I do though.


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## Dlsharrock (May 29, 2008)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> I sympathize with your pain Dlsharrock. Unfortunately I can't think of any suggestions to help. Just keep using the pain killers and sleep allot... and pain sure to stop using the pain killers once it stops hurting. Man, I can't believe I was the one being irritable... Hey, did you get them both out at once? I got one at a time a few months apart. I'm not sure if I should have.



Yes, that's how the dental surgeon suggested doing both teeth. In the end a filling in one and the other came out. They're usually quite reluctant to mess with them unless they have to because of the proximity of the main lower facial nerve to the bottom part of the teeth. If you can bare the gory details, mine was in quite a ways so he had to cut away a section of bone as well as gum to  get the tooth out. Thankfully the numbness in my chin went away this morning, so I don't need to worry about that being permanent. But yes, the pain is something else. Sleeping and writing takes my mind off it. And I have a wonderful girlfriend fussing round me, which makes it all worthwhile 

I'll be sure to stop the pain killers as soon as it stops hurting, thanks for the advice 



			
				Kookalouris said:
			
		

> I have one question before we begin, where should detailed OOC posts go from now on, in this forum or that one?




You can post it here if you like, but once the game's in full swing there's a danger other players (and me) might not check in here regularly. At least this is what I've found with other games. What I would suggest is all OOC matters (and *only* OOC matters) be placed in an SBLOCK thus keeping it seperate from all  your in character writing. 

If you don't already know, this is how to create an SBLOCK (I've replaced []s with {}s)

{SBLOCK=OOC Matters}the body of your text here{/SBLOCK}

The above code will return this:

[SBLOCK=OOC Matters]the body of your text here[/SBLOCK]

As mentioned in the Guidelines, I'd appreciate SBLOCKs being used sparingly for anything other than OOC. Some people use them for *everything* and it's become a bit of a personal bugbear with me


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## Dire Lemming (May 29, 2008)

[sblock]Hi![/sblock]
[sblock]My name is Sean.[/sblock]
[sblock]I use too many sblocks.[/sblock]
[sblock]Nice to meet you.[/sblock]

So I hope it's alright that I named and personalitified the waitress in the Witching Hour.


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## Dlsharrock (May 29, 2008)

Thankyou Sean 

Yes, it's fine. I made some OOC comments actually, just generally about naming and utilising NPCs or extras, or whatever the RPG/cinematic term is, in the in-game thread.

I've renamed her Cindy, but I'll be playing her with the character I gave her in the previous incarnation of Witching Hour. She chews gum a lot, calls everyone "Mack" and is a bit 'out there' for the 1940s. She's currently trying to persuade Sam to let her wear roller-skates while she serves table


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## Dlsharrock (May 30, 2008)

I've noticed posts are coming somewhat in a flurry with a long gap between the end of the turn sequence, and the start of the next. So I thought I'd suggest we up the official turn rate from maximum one turn per day per player to maximum two per day per player and see how we go. 

I'm putting it to the vote here. Kookalouris, greenstar, Dire Lemming and Lucean, please vote yay or nay for the increase. I vote yay as I can currently post twice per day quite easily.

An important note: a two post per day shift won't change the minimum period for posting, which is once every two days. It just means the game will roll along at a faster rate while we seem to have the time to post turns more often. As usual, if you can't post within two days (48 hours) of your last post, use OOC:BRB so you don't hold up the game.

Two posts per day won't come into effect until everyone in the game has voted yay. If there's even one nay, we'll stick with the one a day maximum. 

If we go for a two posts per day rule and things slow down, I'll revert things to the one a day maximum without a vote. I'll post an appropriate OOC message in this instance.

Any questions or problems understanding my babble, as always please ask.


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## greenstar (May 30, 2008)

I'm OK with it.


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## Lucean (May 30, 2008)

In general I'm for it, but how would it affect the order of play. For example, I already know that I will not be able to post tomorrow with the possible of the local morning, so with the current order I would hold up the game nevertheless that day?

And to sum it up, I'm for it.


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## Dlsharrock (May 30, 2008)

_In all my responses, I'm going to assume all players have read the Fellowship of the Witching Hour Guidelines text._

Lucean: just use OOC:BRB if holding up the game is a worry. But the minimum post remains once every two days, regardless of the maximum turns per day per player. If you fail to post after that 48hr benchmark, then you're officially holding up the game, *but not before*.

It's common courtesy afforded by my version of the sequential turn-based pbp. It means players who have some real life thing happening - and it'll be all of us at some point - don't feel intense pressure to play when they should be working, attending to their family, doing the taxes, whatever. Most of us seem able to post quite quickly at the moment, which is why I suggest cranking it up a gear. If someone seems like they're struggling to keep up, I'll just slow the pace again.

In short: the maximum turn rate might be twice per day per player, but that only means you _can_ post two times in every 24hrs, it doesn't mean you _must_ post two times in every 24hrs. It's a maximum ceiling, not a minimum requirement.


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## Dire Lemming (May 30, 2008)

I actually don't quite understand why there's any daily limit in the first place.  The turn sequence means that we'll always move at the pace of the slowest poster so no one ever gets left behind.

In other words, Yay.


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## Dlsharrock (May 31, 2008)

Headology. If you know everyone's waiting on you, it makes you less comfortable than if you know there's an official turn rate. If you can only manage one turn per two days, and you know the official turn rate is two posts per day, most people would feel like they were keeping people waiting. If the official turn rate is one post per day, you feel you have more space to breath.

Kook?


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## Dire Lemming (May 31, 2008)

Well I actually feel the opposite.  If the post rate is one per day and everyone has already posted then I have to wait for the next day even if I have time now but won't later.  With the more open system I have a choice.  So I guess the best option is for people to be rational and not worry about it.

Though of course in this case it's you who has to post first so it would be you facing the problem of posting then or forcing everyone to wait a whole day because you couldn't post tomorrow.  So see?  If you think about it you force people to wait less if you actually have a choice.


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## kookalouris (May 31, 2008)

*Posting sequences thoughts.*

I've posted a lot of thoughts in the game thread under freshly carved SBLOCKS.  But just to repeat here, I have no trouble with a posting schedule that ranges from twice-daily to once every two days.

Feedback, as always, is welcome,  

Gerry


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## Dlsharrock (May 31, 2008)

Very well. Let's try Dire Lemming's suggestion and see how that works out. 

To summarise: I'll lift the maximum posts per day limit and players should simply post as often as they like whenever they can. The 48hr max-out limit still stands (48hrs/2 days from the time of your last IC post - that's the post you made in your turn sequence and *not* OOC posts dropped into the sequence at random points), but if you can't join in anytime before that limit, you shouldn't feel you're holding up the game. If you can't post within the limit, use OOC:BRB as per the Guidelines text.


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## Dire Lemming (May 31, 2008)

Wait a sec, that isn't what I meant.  I meant that the daily limit seemed strange because the sequential order already made sure no one got left out.

I actually kind of like the sequential order because when you know you'll have to wait for the others to post before you can again it makes you take your time and consider the possibilities.  The non-linear time that is essential for that system to work also means that people can say stuff before other people even if it was posted before so that I can do stuff like what I did in my last post where I responded to Arabella before I heard Sam's mumbling.  Please keep the sequence.  It's different, but has it's advantages.  I just think the daily limit isn't needed when we have the sequence.


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## Dlsharrock (May 31, 2008)

Just to clear up confusion officially:

The turn sequence remains. At present this is Kookalouris, greenstar, Dire Lemming, Lucean, Keeper. You may break sequence to post OOC comments, but your comments should be kept in an SBLOCK unless it's something that might be detrimental to the group if anyone overlooked it (this will usually only apply to my OOC comments about game mechanics, stuff like that). IC comments should be reserved for your turn in the sequence.

Players may post as often as they like whenever they like (ie, any time of the day or night) *within the constraints of the sequence*.

Players should try to post at least once within 48hrs of their previous IC post.

If players can't post within 48hrs of their previous IC post, they should use OOC:BRB so they don't hold up the game.

If players will be away for more than 48hrs and know in advance and won't have internet access, they should let me or the group know so we can carry on without them.

If players know they won't be able to post 24hrs after their last IC post, there is no compulsion for them to let me or the group know, nor is there an obligation for them to use OOC:BRB or tell the group to continue without them. They may, however, do any of these things if they feel they want to and, more crucially, their investigator isn't playing a vital role in the current adventure. If a player takes 48hrs to post, other players should try to be patient. We play at the rate of the slowest player, not the fastest, which keeps things fair and ensures players who have lots of RL to deal with don't come back to lots of IC and OOC posts they need to read through before they can join in again- a sure fire recipe (IME) for a player to become bogged down and drop out.

Players may not use OOC:BRB if they just don't have anything groundbreaking to post. You should always try to post something, even if it's just 'Fubar  picks his nose distractedly while events unfold' (please don't post that ). Some kind of contribution is expected from all players in each sequential round. This ensures nobody hogs the limelight and everybody gets a fair opportunity to influence the direction of the game. OOC:BRB should only be used if you have some RL issue to contend with but have quick access to the internet. No matter how pushed for time you are, you have time to write OOC:BRB and hit submit.

Any confusions, questions, comments, suggestions please let me know, preferably in this thread.


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## Dlsharrock (May 31, 2008)

*And now, on an in-game note:*

*A brief history of Arkham. (Common knowledge of Arkham, history every player would likely know, at least in part)*

_For further reading on the history of Arkham Massachusetts and the regions thereabouts, please consult your local library archives. Arkham Public Library (630 Marsh Street, NE corner of Marsh at Hyde) is open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday except on public holidays (archives available with prior appointment). The library is closed on Saturday and Sunday. The university library is open to the public from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday. Only students may use the library's study and research facilities._

Arkham was founded at the mouth of the Miskatonic River in 1626 by a company of fishermen from Cape Ann led by Roger Sextant, and incorporated in 1629. Sextant vanished at sea during a mysterious storm in 1630 and was later supplanted by John Endemast, a governor assigned by the Massachusetts State Authority. Arkham originally included much of the North Shore of New England, including Marblehead, Beverly, Kingsport, Peabody, Martin's Bay, Boynton and Falcon Point. 

In 1649 a delusional Dorothy Talbye was hanged for murdering her husband, as at the time Massachusetts's common law made no distinction between insanity (or mental illness) and criminal behavior. Thereafter came the famous Salem witch trials, most of the accused in that debacle coming from nearby Salem Village which would later be absorbed by Arkham to become part of its Southern District.

One of the most widely known aspects of Arkham and Salem Village are these histories, which started with Anise, Dorothy, Abigail and Betty Talbye (daughters of Dorothy) and their friends dabbling with a collection of occultist artefacts discovered in the attic of a Salem orphanage. A succession of mysterious and terrifying calamities befell the authorities of Salem and North Arkham and John Endemast was killed, his body horribly mutilated and suspended from the high crenulations of the then town hall. The sisters were blamed, though they refuted all accusations and maintained their own innocence to the end.

The sisters were burned by the Witch Finder General in 1654. Sent by the Massachusetts State, he roused the inhabitants of then Salem to march on all suspected practicioners of witchcraft within the area. The mob surmounted the ridge where High Street now stands and razed to the ground several houses thought to be home to friends of the Talbye sisters. In the light of the subsequent fires, the sisters themselves were plucked from their hiding places, hanged from trees by their throats and flayed alive. The stronger of the four, Anise and Abigail, survived their ordeal, but were later decapitated, their heads buried in shallow graves while their bodies were added as fuel to the smouldering pyres.

Thereafter mystery and occultism became a byword for Salem and its name was abandoned by God-fearing residents who preferred to call themselves members of the Arkham community. Thus did Salem Village become South Arkham and the legend of the Salem Witch Trials become engraved in New England memory.

On February 26, 1775, a garrison of patriots stationed on the river raised the drawbridge on North Street, preventing British Colonel Alexander Leslie and his 300 troops from seizing stores and ammunition hidden in North Arkham (the bridge and road are now known as Garrison Street). During the Revolution, the town became a center for privateering. By 1790, Arkham was the sixth largest town in the area and a world famous seaport serving the China trade. Codfish was exported to the West Indies and Europe. Sugar and molasses were imported from the West Indies, tea from China, and pepper from Sumatra. Arkham's ships also visited Africa, Russia, Japan and Australia. During the War of 1812, privateering resumed.

Prosperity would leave the town with a wealth of fine architecture, including Federal style mansions designed by one of America's first architects Samuel Saltonstall, after whom one of Arkham's wealthiest streets is named. In 1941, Arkham's rambling collection of homes and mansions from Colonial America are now the greatest concentrations of notable pre-1900 domestic structures in the United States.

Shipping would decline through the 19th century. Arkham and its silting harbor were increasingly eclipsed by Boston, New York and Innsmouth. Consequently, the town turned to manufacturing. Industries included tanneries, shoe factories and the Naumkeag Powder Mill Company. More than 400 homes burned in the Great Arkham Fire of 1914, leaving 3,500 families homeless from a blaze that began in the Korn Leather Factory. The fire ripped into one part of the city but historical places including Federal Street and City Hall were spared by the fire, leaving much of Arkham's architectural legacy intact.

Today the factory industry is dwindling and unemployment is on the rise. With the onset of world war, conscription seems likely and tensions amid blue collar districts are rising steadily. Murders are on the up, as is petty crime. There also seems to be an increase in mysterious and supernatural occurences in the region.


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## Dire Lemming (May 31, 2008)

Hm... witch hunters...  Kill them all!!!  In the name of Jesus "The Pacifist" Christ!


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## Dlsharrock (May 31, 2008)

Ooooh. *Zips lips shut*. Tempting to spill more beans. Very tempting.

Get thee to a library Adam West!


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 2, 2008)

Continuing the OOC converstion in the IC thread:



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> I mean sure he was right this time but we would have figured it out pretty soon if she was willing to admit it so easily.




With respect, suggestions as to how another player might better have handled a situation, or better roleplayed his/her character, cannot fail to come across as OOC criticism of another player's IC game. It wasn't misconstrued. How would you learn what you need to know about Adam's knowledge of Philip's personality with such an inflamatory out of character remark? The full quote read: 'is this how you intend to play this character? ok, you got lucky this time, but I don't think the way you played Philip was necessary'. 

If this was a case of misunderstanding, I would suggest more careful wording in future. Perhaps, if you make it clear you're trying to discern what Adam would and wouldn't know about another player's investigator, or ask the question without tagging on feedback that might be misconstrued. The bottom line is that all players, irrespective of who they are or the character they play, have the right to portray their investigator without fear of disparagement from other players or the Keeper concerning that portrayal.

In my own mind, a PC is a solid, playable PC once he moves off the drawing board and into the game. In the OOC recruitment thread, feedback is welcome I think, and both you and Kook and to a lesser extent Arabella presented their PC ideas in public and welcomed open criticism in order to improve the character. But once the character is in-game, criticism is inappropriate and the player has complete dominion over what his or her PC does. That's just the way it is in my games.

I just wanted to clarify this and I look forward to seeing you back in the game.


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## Dire Lemming (Jun 3, 2008)

Holy crap,  I wasn't trying to criticize him, and your continued insistence that I was is becoming offensive.  Phillip did something that I as a player lacked the knowledge to respond to correctly in character even though my character would have had it, so I asked a question hoping to gain said knowledge.  Why do you have to jump down my throat like this? :\  You do realize that you're calling me a bad player _and_ a lier now don't you?


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## kookalouris (Jun 3, 2008)

*After internal debate, I decided to post this...*

David, DL;

I don't know either of you very well (and what I do know is filtered through the internet)  and so I cannot speak for either of you.

But I can speak for myself.

The frustration I sense between you two is beginning to affect my enjoyment of the game.

It may be that the disagreements between you two are fundamentally unresolvable and I can understand that.  

But it would be a shame and to the game's detriment if the disagreements were ultimately resolvable but were not resolved because of miscommunication.

So I ask that each of you preview (and then RE-view  ) your posts in the _worst_ possible light before you send them.  As you know, there are no non-verbal tones or gentle vocal inflection to soften the cold text.

In addition, please interpret _other_ posts in the best possible light.  Remember anger and resentment can so easily be _undeniably_ expressed that an unclear post is probably the most well-meant of all possible interpretations.

Rather than dwell on past actions (or possibly the unprovable motives behind them), we might phrase suggestions in the form of "In the future, maybe we could do _this_ instead of _that_ (for one possible example)."

I hope everyone here understands what I am trying to achieve in this post.  In my earnestness to get my point across, I may have verged on insulting patronization and presumption.  If so, I apologize for not having the scapel-edged communication skills I feel the game needs right now.

Remember frustration is merely enthusiasm misdirected.  Take it from a GM who has had games die of apathy, I _envy_ the arguments I'm seeing.  If all this post does is to aim some of that frustration my way, even that will be something.

But I hope this post does at least a little more than that.

More than ever, feedback is welcome.

Gerry


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 3, 2008)

Kook- your measured words are welcome, of course, and as always. 

I have only respect for all players, and began all my potentially controversial OOC messages with 'with due respect' to reflect this and *hopefully* convey a friendly, if discursive tone. It is hard to put tone across in text, and even harder to address difficult issues without instigating an argument. To further embellish, and eradicate any misunderstanding of tone, I posted my previous message as a request that Dire explain *how* I have misconstrued his message if this is the case. I had no underlying intentions or any reason to imply insulting behaviour.

Personally, I gave very careful consideration to all my wording, and especially more so after I realised Dire was misinterpreting my messages as insults in previous parts of this OOC thread.

I am sorry if this is spoiling your enjoyment of the game. It is probably no surprise to you that this is also spoiling my own enjoyment. All I really want to do is play the game.

But as Keeper/GM I feel it *is* my responsibility to enact my role if I feel the comfort of players in my game is being compromised - not a stance taken by all Keepers, but one I have always maintained both in forums and tabletop games. That comfort may be compromised temporarily by discourse like this, but in the long run players will feel more comfortable if they know the rules of play are being upheld.

So I *will* speak out against open aggression, as I have done. If the aggression is centred on me, I will speak out not just for my sake but to clarify that it's not acceptable in my game, so players in my game can feel comfortable that they will not face such aggression themselves. This was primarily my reason for the first instant Dire and I 'had words'.

This second instant I felt again that I needed to defend the rights of players. Had Lucean directed exactly the same message against Dire, I would have posted exactly the same reaction. Bottom line. 

So, going back and reviewing my messages, and those of Dire lemming, I feel there are three possible reasons why we've reached the point we've reached. 1) I'm a very softly spoken and, IMownO, gentle person. I am not surrounded by aggression, nor do I encounter it very often, so I'm not used to it. On forums and in games I actively avoid it. So perhaps Dire's way of approaching things jars with me and my first reaction is to misinterpret and over-react. I'm willing to step out of my subjectivity for a moment and accept that this may be the case. 2) I was fully justified in my reaction and the reason Dire and I have had cause to discuss difficulties on two occassions is that Dire is deliberately overstepping the mark then refusing to accept that he has done, moreover he then continues to refute any wrongdoing by closing down debate with flames 3) I have a grudge against Dire Lemming and wish to use the game to assassinate his character at every opportunity.

Realistically, one seems most likely to me. In which case I am willing to accept that I may have misinterpreted Dire's intentions, and apologise if my own reaction was misconstrued as some attempt to make out that Dire was a 'liar' or a 'bad player'. At this point, provided Dire agrees, a digital hand shake and an 'agree to disagree' is probably in order.

However, right at this very instant, the ball is in Dire's court. His previous post is the second time since this game began and only the third time in my entire 20 year span of gameplay, that I have met with open hostility from a player, and I don't like it. As far as I am concerned, I am currently considering asking Dire to leave the game, though I reserve my decision until I hear what Dire has to say pertaining to the previous paragraph.


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## greenstar (Jun 3, 2008)

From my point of view DL did ask if Phillip was always that rude which was insulting to the player. But I think asking DL to leave the game is drastic. Next time have Adam ask that IC DL if that was the problem.


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 3, 2008)

Greenstar: I have no intention of asking Dire to leave the game because of the dispute regarding Lucean's PC, that *would* be drastic and completely unecessary. I am *considering* asking him to leave because I'm not prepared to have disagreements result in flames in my game (be that with me, or between players). IMHO anything can be resolved if we discuss it with clarity and aforethought. 

I hope that clarifies my standpoint.

I fervantly hope Dire chooses to accept the digital handshake proferred, but if not, I see no other option. I have no compunction to play with somebody who sees unrestrained hostility and bad language as an acceptable way to respond to a delicate issue in an OOC thread.


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## Dire Lemming (Jun 4, 2008)

I'm sorry that I caused you all so much grief, that was not my intention.  All I wanted was to know something about Lucean's character's usual behavior so that I could better determine what Adam's reaction would be to his current behavior.  I don't know how else to explain it.  I don't want to leave the game as a quite enjoy it and don't want to throw away all the work I've invested in developing my character, but if you think that's the only way you can continue to enjoy the game then I just ask that you explain to me what I actually did wrong and I'll leave without a fuss.


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## kookalouris (Jun 4, 2008)

*Some thoughts...*

As I understand it, as I write this, it is either DL's or Lucean's IC-post so I will hold off on IC.  In any case, Sam is very interested in the interplay between Cara and the Scoobies and won't monopolize the conversation.

Thank you, David, for seeing the clumsy concern in my previous post this thread.

All I hoped to achieve was that all involved take a second look at posts, theirs and others, before acting or re-acting.  Which is not the same thing as saying y'all weren't  _anyway_.  Beyond that, I _am_ enjoying the game immensely. 

You are right by _definition_, David.  This is your 'house' and we are guests within it.  You are putting forth many times the work we are just by being GM.  Also, _generally_ if a GM's decisions are unpopular, more than _one_ player will be 'locking horns' with the Keeper.

With all that, I will stand aside and let the chips fall where they may.  So far, I hope to play Sam throughout the game, or until she is _eaten_, whichever comes first.  

Feedback is always welcome,

Gerry


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## greenstar (Jun 4, 2008)

No no he doesn't want you to leave.


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## Dire Lemming (Jun 4, 2008)

What does he want then?


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 4, 2008)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> I'm sorry that I caused you all so much grief, that was not my intention. All I wanted was to know something about Lucean's character's usual behavior so that I could better determine what Adam's reaction would be to his current behavior *snip* then I just ask that you explain to me what I actually did wrong and I'll leave without a fuss.



Firstly, I would urge you to read my previous messages in full at least once more. I've been pretty clear and edited out my usual waffle. There really is no ambiguity. Secondly, throughout this message, assume a calm and conversive tone. 

For the rest, I can only try to put it more simply.

I'm unhappy with the OOC comment made in game. That's issue number one. 

Your flame responses are issue number two, and *that's* prompting me to consider asking you to leave, *not* issue number one. 

The rest entails repeating myself, but if it helps to clarify things, I'll do so.



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Is Phillip usually this rude?



This is a question. Questions return answers and therefore information. It could feasibly be interpreted as you trying to establish what Adam knows about Philip. I would have been willing to consider that possibility. But then there's this:



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> I mean sure he was right this time but we would have figured it out pretty soon if she was willing to admit it so easily.



This is a comment. Comments don't return answers, and so they are not provided in order to learn information, only to give information. Furthermore, in context (ie, the question and comment combined with the nature of the situation being discussed), this isn't just a comment, it's a criticism, and coming on the heels of the question, makes the question part of the criticism, not seperate from it. 

Then there was this earlier comment:



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Hey Luc, she likely learned about it the same way Ara and Phil probably did. From the ads.



This supports my assumption that you think it's appropriate to give another player OOC suggestions or criticism about how they should roleplay their character. 

Just to be certain that I wasn't misinterpreting things, I asked my tabletop group, some friends from a Pbem I'm running, and my girlfriend to take a look. That's eleven people. All agree there's no other way to interpret your comments but as an inappropriate criticism of another player's PC and that the tone is confrontational.

More worrying to me, several have suggested that your behaviour thus far in the game is tantamount to trolling. I don't know if I agree with that, but your flaming and inappropriate OOC comments, forcing me to uphold pretty basic level etiquette and roleplay issues, have certainly held back the game by several days.

You ask what I want. I *request* two things:

For you to relax and enjoy the game, without worrying about other player's portrayals of their characters.

If another PC does something that infringes on what you perceive to be your game, or upsets you, discern between OOC and IC appropriately please. Players are actors, not represented by the characters they play and if a PC's behaviour seems bewildering, it may be because the player's character is acting according to information you don't have, or that your PC doesn't have. Address the character with your character. Don't address the player about the character's actions. If you want to understand what Adam would know about another PC, use measured questions and, I would advise further, use "with regard to what Adam knows about ***" or "Would Adam know that *** often reacts like this". Common sense and common courtesy should be the rule of thumb. Read what you write before you submit. 

Secondly I ask you to desist in responding with aggression and hostility to OOC comments, even if you interpret them as personal attacks (which they are not). If something upsets you, do what I do: read it, walk away and simmer. Let yourself calm down. Go back later. Read it again and formulate a measured answer without resorting to bad language or accusations of personal attacks (focus on the issue, not your pride, as someone smarter than I once wrote). Return and post the answer, reading through several times to ensure you haven't written anything inflammatory. In all cases assume the other person is simply attempting to put across a valid point of view rather than making a pointless personal attack on you.

I really cannot emphasise enough that if you respond one more time to an OOC comment with a flame response, I'll ask you to leave the game. If there's a problem between players or between player and keeper it *must* be resolved with calm, measured and logical debate. 

That's basically all I ask.


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 4, 2008)

Kook - it's currently Dire Lemming's turn.


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## Dire Lemming (Jun 4, 2008)

That third quote was just a pseudo in character aside to explain why I was asking the question in the second quote.  The fourth quote was just to answer Phillip's question since I couldn't post in character until after you already had and it would make things awkward anyway if Adam said something like "She probably learned about it the same way you and Arabella did.  The Ads we posted."

Honestly, I'd like to see what Lucean has to say about all this.  He hasn't said a thing about it, and he's the one who I directed the posts at in the first place.


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 4, 2008)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> That third quote was just a pseudo in character aside



I don't know what a 'pseudo in character aside' is. 

To my mind it was an OOC comment directed at Lucean. In-character comments should be made in-character. Out of character comments should be made out of character. The guidelines clearly state you should mark OOC comments OOC so there's no misunderstanding. There is no PICA option.

I can't find any evidence of an OOC question from Lucean concerning how Cara found out about the group. None of which explains why you attempted to discern IC details using a critical comment later in the game, so my opinion remains unchanged.

EDIT: I forgot to comment on this part, sorry:



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> it would make things awkward anyway if Adam said something like "She probably learned about it the same way you and Arabella did. The Ads we posted."



Actually I disagree. I think it would have been most acceptable. Far more appropriate than posting an OOC comment to the player. But again, this merely suggests to me that you're having difficulting defining the difference between what the character thinks and what the player thinks. The two are mutually exclusive, which is the whole point of IC and OOC.



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Honestly, I'd like to see what Lucean has to say about all this. He hasn't said a thing about it, and he's the one who I directed the posts at in the first place.



I've politely advised Lucean against commenting, precisely because of his proximity to the issue. If you'd like to rephrase your question to him in the IC thread when/if we've resolved this, Dire Lemming, I encourage you to do so in a way that makes your intentions clearer so that you have a better understanding of what Adam knows about Philip's personality. 

The fact remains, *I*, as moderator of this game, have taken issue with the comments, not Lucean. Effectively, it has nothing to do with him and he shouldn't feel obliged in any way shape or form to get involved if he doesn't want to.

Crucially: we would be having the same discussion had you directed your comment at greenstar or Kookalouris. Indeed I'd have taken issue with any player who made the comment in question. 

That said, if Lucean feels strongly about commenting, I certainly won't censor him from doing so, particularly as Kookalouris and greenstar have both commented. Though nothing Lucean says will change my standpoint, especially considering I have already sought eleven objective opinions.

More relevantly, you haven't explained how I have misinterpreted your comments, nor (more importantly AFAIC) agreed to either of my requests. My assumption can only be that you have no interest in a resolution.


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 4, 2008)

Really, this could go on indefinitely and, tbh, it's becoming more than tedious. I'd rather get back to the game and, though I don't presume to speak on anyone's behalf, I think most players would rather do the same.

So to draw a line under the whole thing:

Dire Lemming, you asked what it is that I want:

I've highlight what I request from you in post 145 of this thread.

Please indicate in your next post that you agree with both these requests so that we can get on with the game, or don't. However, if you don't agree with them, I see no way we can resolve this in a satisfactory manner and I'm going to  have to ask you to leave the game. I can't stress enough that this isn't my preference, but neither can I stress enough that I don't intend to spend any further energy debating the issue or defining what, to me, are basic roleplaying considerations.


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## Dire Lemming (Jun 4, 2008)

Well I don't know what to say.  I've been doing what you suggested in post 145 all along and you still have a problem with me.  Even if I were to tell you you're right and I'm wrong, and that I'll do whatever you say I really don't think I can because I just don't know what you're talking about.  

All I wanted to do was play the game and have fun, and hopefully help everyone else have fun, but if you can't accept me the way I am then we've got an unresolvable problem which will keep coming up no matter how many times we brush it under a rug.  

I really enjoyed playing with you guys while it lasted, especially developing Sam and Adam's relationship(thanks kook).  Still, I'm sure you'll have much more fun without me.

Dlsharrock, I hope someday you'll learn to loosen up.


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 4, 2008)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Well I don't know what to say. I've been doing what you suggested in post 145 all along and you still have a problem with me. Even if I were to tell you you're right and I'm wrong, and that I'll do whatever you say I really don't think I can because I just don't know what you're talking about.




With ongoing respect, I simply cannot make myself any clearer than I have. I'm not trying to prove you wrong, or myself right. I'm trying to *resolve* the issue. I asked for two things- an agreement that you'll abide by the basic rules of etiquette concerning OOC (whether I misinterpreted your comments or not, this is surely a reasonable request?), and that you no longer respond to my OOC comments (or those of other players) with flames.

I see no ambiguity with my previous posts. So if you don't know what I'm talking about, all I can suggest is that you read them again. All the information necessary to understanding my standpoint is there (repeated in many cases).

If you think you can agree to neither request, then yes, I think the game will be more enjoyable without you. I certainly have no compunction to continue debating this any longer.

I wish you all the best and am saddened that you chose to close your part in the game in this way


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## greenstar (Jun 4, 2008)

Crap I liked Adam. So now what?


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 4, 2008)

I've sent emails. Please check your inbox.


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## kookalouris (Jun 5, 2008)

*"We'll always have Paris."*

Dire Lemming,

I'm sorry things didn't work out.  I was looking forward to some _Casablanca_-styled posting between Adam and Sam. 

I really hope you a find a game that is more sympatico. 

Gerry


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## Dlsharrock (Jun 5, 2008)

Ok- thanks for getting back to me everyone. The general consensus is that the game should definitely go on. I'm glad.

I'll NPC Adam West, though you should expect him to fade into the background as I don't want to influence the choice of rumour you guys take.

I'll start recruiting for a new player as soon as this thread moves off the front page. I'll start up a fresh recruitment thread for two players. I'm disappointed majic never came through with his character and ideally would like five investigators in order to keep the turn sequence rolling along.

So, it's now Lucean's turn, then mine again. The new turn sequence is Lucean, Keeper, Kookalouris, Greenstar, Keeper (I'll be getting two shots while I NPC Adam West. Whoever takes over from Adam will fill that second slot of mine when they arrive).

Please don't post any more messages here for now. I'd like this thread to slide off the prominent pages in the forum so I can start up a new recruitment drive without filling the place with Fellowship of the Witching Hour threads 

Kookalouris has informed me he may have limited access for the next couple of days. Post if you can Kook, and if you miss the 48hr line we'll go on without you just for this turn.

I would advise against pursuing any detailed scenarios or relationship plots with Adam West as I intend to remove him from play as soon as possible.

See you back in the game  Here's the thread. We're on the fourth page so it takes some clicking to find and with Enworld being rather slow of late I thought a link would prove useful.
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=227926&page=4


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## Dire Lemming (Jun 5, 2008)

kookalouris said:
			
		

> Dire Lemming,
> 
> I'm sorry things didn't work out.  I was looking forward to some _Casablanca_-styled posting between Adam and Sam.
> 
> ...




Me too.  

Bye.


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