# Insight's "The Silent Partner" [1920s] OOC Thread



## Insight (Jan 24, 2011)

*"THE SILENT PARTNER" - 1920S CALL OF CTHULHU - OOC THREAD*
I've changed this to an official OOC / Recruitment thread.

IC Thread
RG Thread

We'll be doing this in the late 1920s, starting in Hollywood.  This story starts in the spring of 1929.  Your characters (see below) are in some way connected, in perhaps the most ancillary way, to the burgeoning film industry.  You (the player) do not need to be conversant on the ins and outs of early filmmaking -- I know I'm no expert.  Just get a sense of what's been going on and we'll take it from there.

An important point is that the big stock market crash has not happened yet.  This is technically still the "Roaring Twenties", but only for a little while longer.  Thus, references to the Great Depression and such would be premature.

Here is a brief timeline of world events and film industry related stuff leading up to the start of the game, which is March 31, 1929:

[sblock=Prohibition]
The following is from Wikipedia Article on Prohibition in the United States

Prohibition in the United States, also known as The Noble Experiment, was the period from 1919 to 1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol were banned nationally as mandated in the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The United States Senate proposed the Eighteenth Amendment on December 18, 1917. Having been approved by 36 states, the 18th Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919 and effected on January 17, 1920. Some state legislatures had already enacted statewide prohibition prior to the ratification of the 18th Amendment.

The "Volstead Act", the popular name for the National Prohibition Act, passed through Congress over President Woodrow Wilson's veto on October 28, 1919, and established the legal definition of intoxicating liquor, as well as penalties for producing it. Though the Volstead Act prohibited the sale of alcohol, the federal government did little to enforce it. By 1925, in New York City alone, there were anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasy clubs.

While Prohibition was successful in reducing the amount of liquor consumed, it stimulated the proliferation of rampant underground, organized and widespread criminal activity. Prohibition became increasingly unpopular during the Great Depression, especially in large cities. The bulk of America became disenchanted after the St. Valentine's Day massacre in 1929. Until then, they felt that, even with setbacks, Prohibition was working.
[/sblock]

[sblock=1928 Events]
*January*
6–7 – The River Thames floods in London; 14 drown.
7 – The moat at the Tower of London, previously drained in 1843 (and planted with grass), is completely refilled by a tidal wave.
12 – U.S. murderer Ruth Snyder is executed at Ossining.
17 – The OGPU arrests Lev Trotsky in Moscow; he assumes a status of passive resistance.
31 – Trotsky is exiled to Alma Ata.

*February*
11 – The II Olympic Winter Games open in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
12 – Heavy hail kills 11 in England.
20 – A swung parliament is produced in Japan after the general election.
25 – Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. becomes the first holder of a television license from the Federal Radio Commission.

*March*
12 – Malta becomes a British dominion.
12 – In California, the St. Francis Dam north of Los Angeles fails, killing 600.
21 – Charles Lindbergh is presented the Medal of Honor for his first trans-Atlantic flight.
26 – The China Academy of Art is founded in Hangzhou, Republic of China (first named the National Academy of Art).

*April*
10 – "Pineapple Primary": The U.S. Republican Party primary elections in Chicago are preceded by assassinations and bombings.
12 – A bomb attack against Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini in Milan kills 17 bystanders.
12–14 – The first ever east–west transatlantic aeroplane flight takes place from Dublin, Ireland, to Greenly Island, Canada, using German Junkers W33 Bremen.
14 – Two earthquakes in Chirpan and Plovdiv destroy more than 21000 buildings in Bulgaria and kill almost 130 persons.
22 – An earthquake destroys 200,000 buildings in Corinth.
28 – 28 inches of snow fall in southern-central Pennsylvania.

*May*
3 – Jinan Incident, an armed conflict between the Japanese Imperial Army allied with Northern Chinese warlords against the Kuomintang's southern army, occurs in Jinan, China.
10 – The first regular schedule of television programming begins in Schenectady, New York by the General Electric's television station W2XB (the station is popularly known as WGY Television, after its sister radio station WGY). 
15 - The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia commences operations.
15 - The animated short Plane Crazy is released by Disney Studios in Los Angeles, featuring the first appearances of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
23 – A bomb attack against the Italian consulate in Buenos Aires kills 22 and injures 43.
24 – The airship Italia crashes on the North Pole; one of the occupants is Italian general Umberto Nobile.
30 – A rescue expedition leaves for the North Pole.

*June*
4 – Huanggutun Incident: Zhang Zuolin, President of the Republic of China and warlord, is killed by Japanese agents.
8 – By seizing Beijing and renaming it Běipíng, the NRA puts an end to the Fengtian warlords' Běiyáng government there.
11 – A medical doctors' strike begins in Vienna.
12 – William Walton's Façade was performed for the first time.
14 – Students take over the medical wing of Rosario University in Argentina.
17 – Aviator Amelia Earhart starts her attempt to become the first woman to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean (she succeeds the next day). Wilmer Stultz was the pilot.
20 – Puniša Račić shoots 3 opposition representatives in the Yugoslavian Parliament, and injures 3 others.
24 – A Swedish aeroplane rescues part of the Italian North Pole expedition, including Umberto Nobile. The Soviet icebreaker Krasin saves the rest July 12.
28 – The International Railway (New York – Ontario) switches to one-man crews for its trolleys in Canada. The American serial killer Albert Fish kidnaps and kills 10-year-old Grace Budd.
29 – 1928 Democratic National Convention: At the Democratic National Convention in Houston, New York Governor Alfred E. Smith becomes the first Catholic nominated by a major political party for President of the United States.

*July*
2 -Jenkins Laboratories' W3XK station begins broadcasting on 6.42 MHz using 48 lines.
2 - The Representation of the People Act 1928 becomes law, extending the right to vote to all women in the United Kingdom.
6 – The world's largest hailstone falls in Potter, Nebraska.
12 – Mexican aviator Emilio Carranza dies in a solo plane crash in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, while returning from a goodwill flight to New York City.
17 – José de León Toral assassinates Álvaro Obregón, president of Mexico.
25 – The United States recalls its troops from China.
27 – The Well of Loneliness is published by Radclyffe Hall.
28 – The 1928 Summer Olympics officially open in Amsterdam.

*August*
2 – Italy and Ethiopia sign the Italo-Ethiopian Treaty.
16 – Murderer Carl Panzram is arrested in Washington, D.C. after killing about 20 people.
22 – Alfred E. Smith accepts the Democratic presidential nomination, with WGY/W2XB simulcasting the event on radio and television.
25 – Ahmet Zogu proclaims himself King Zog I of Albania; he is crowned September 1.
27 – The Kellogg-Briand Pact is signed in Paris (the first treaty to outlaw aggressive war).
31 – The Threepenny Opera (German: Die Dreigroschenoper) by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill opens at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, Berlin.

*September*
1 – Richard Byrd leaves New York for the Arctic.
1 – Zog I, Skanderbeg III, the President of Albania, is crowned as the King of Albania.
11 – Kenmore's WMAK station starts broadcasting in Buffalo, New York.
16 – The 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane kills at least 2,500 people in Florida.
25 – Paul Galvin and his brother Joseph incorporate the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation (now known as Motorola).
28 – Alexander Fleming discovers Penicillin.

*October*
2 – Saint Josemaria Escriva founds Opus Dei.
October 7 – Haile Selassie is crowned king (not yet emperor) of Abyssinia.
8 – Chiang Kai-shek is named as Generalissimo (Chairman of the National Military Council) of the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China.
12 – An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Children's Hospital, Boston.
19 – William Edward Hickman is executed at San Quentin prison for the 1927 murder of Marion Parker.
22 – The Phi Sigma Alpha Fraternity is founded at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus.
26 – International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM) formally established with the adoption of “Statutes of the International Red Cross”

*November*
4 – At Park Central Hotel in Manhattan, Arnold Rothstein, New York City's most notorious gambler, is shot to death over a poker game.
6 – Swedes start a tradition of eating Gustavus Adolphus pastries to commemorate the old warrior king.
6 – U.S. presidential election, 1928: Republican Herbert Hoover wins by a wide margin over Democrat Alfred E. Smith.
10 – Enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor Hirohito is held, after some two years since he actually took the Imperial throne on December 26, 1926, the following day of the demise of Emperor Taishō.
12 – The SS Vestris developed a severe starboard list, was abandoned and sank approximately 200 miles off Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA. Estimates of the dead vary from between 110-127.
17 – The Boston Garden opens in Boston.
18 – Mickey Mouse appears in Steamboat Willie, the third Mickey Mouse cartoon released, but the first sound film.
22 – Maurice Ravel's Boléro premieres at the Paris Opéra.

*December*
3 – In Rio de Janeiro, a seaplane sent to greet Alberto Santos-Dumont crashes near Cap Arcona, killing all on board.
5 – Police disperse a Sicilian gangs' meeting in Cleveland.
21 – The U.S. Congress approves the construction of Boulder Dam, later renamed Hoover Dam.

*Undated*
Drought leading to famine in China.
Coca Cola enters Europe through the Amsterdam Olympics.
Eliot Ness begins to lead the prohibition unit in Chicago.
The old Canaanite city of Ugarit is rediscovered.
Turkey switches from the Arabic to the Latin-based modern Turkish alphabet.
Frederick Griffith conducts Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
Margaret Mead's influential cultural anthropology text Coming of Age in Samoa is published in the U.S.
The first (and last) Best Title Writing Academy Award is given.
The Episcopal Church in the United States of America ratifies a new revision of the Book of Common Prayer.
W2XBS, RCA's first television station, is established in New York City.
The first patent for the transistor principle is registered in Germany to Julius Edgar Lilienfeld.
Joseph Stalin launches the First Five-Year Plan.
1928–1932 – The average nonfarm wage falls by 50% in the USSR.

*Significant Deaths*
January 11 – Thomas Hardy, English writer (b. 1840)
June 18 – Roald Amundsen, Norwegian explorer (b. 1872)
[/sblock]

[sblock=1928 in Film]
Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.

*Events*
July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first true talking feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film. Previous releases Don Juan and The Jazz Singer had used a synchronized soundtrack with sound effects and music, with The Jazz Singer having a few incidental lines spoken by Al Jolson.
July 31 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's mascot Leo the Lion roars for the very first time, creating one of the most popular American film logos.
August 17 - The Singing Fool, Warner Brothers' follow-up to The Jazz Singer, is released. While still only a partial-talkie (sequences still featured intertitles), 66 minutes of the film's 105 minute running time featured dialogue or songs, making it the longest talking motion picture yet. (Lights of New York runs a total of 57 minutes.) It was the highest-grossing film of the year, became Warner Brothers' highest-grossing film for the next 13 years, and was the most financially successful film of Al Jolson's career.
November 18 - Disney's Steamboat Willie premieres. This animated short was the first film to include a soundtrack, completely created in post production, including sound effects, music, and dialogue.
December 25 - In Old Arizona, released by Fox Films, is the first sound-on-film feature-length talkie, utilizing the Movietone process. Previously, feature-length talkies used the less-reliable Vitaphone sound-on-disc process. It is also the first Western talkie, and the first sound film primarily shot outdoors.

*Other 1928 Movies of Note*:
The Cameraman, a Buster Keaton film.
Champagne, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
The Circus, starring, directed and written by Charles Chaplin.
Easy Virtue, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Farmer's Wife, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Four Sons, directed by John Ford
Interference, Paramount's first ever all talking movie.
Ladies of the Mob, starring Clara Bow, Richard Arlen and Helen Lynch.
The Last Command, directed by Joseph von Sternberg, starring Emil Jannings, Evelyn Brent and William Powell.
Laugh, Clown, Laugh, starring Lon Chaney and Loretta Young
The Matinee Idol, directed by Frank Capra, starring Bessie Love and Johnnie Walker.
The Singing Fool, starring Al Jolson and Betty Bronson.
Spione (Spies), directed by Fritz Lang
Steamboat Bill Jr., a Buster Keaton film.
Street Angel, starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell.
Tillie's Punctured Romance, starring W.C. Fields, Louise Fazenda and Chester Conklin
The Viking - the first feature-length Technicolor film
The Wedding March, directed by and starring Erich von Stroheim with Fay Wray and Zasu Pitts
West of Zanzibar, starring Lon Chaney and Lionel Barrymore.

[/sblock]

[sblock=1929 Events (Up to the Start of the Game)]
This Wikipedia page has more information on 1929 than what I am presenting below.

*January*
6 – The start of the "6 January Dictatorship" begins under Alexander I in what is renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

*February*
9 – The Litvinov Protocol is signed in Moscow among the USSR, Poland, Estonia, Romania and Latvia.
11 – Italy and the Vatican sign the Lateran Treaty.
14 – St. Valentine's Day Massacre: Seven gangsters, rivals of Al Capone, are murdered in Chicago.
26 – The Grand Teton National Park is established by Congress.

*March* 
2 – The longest bridge in the world, the San Francisco Bay Toll-Bridge, opens.
3 – A revolt by Generals José Gonzalo Escobar and Jesús María Aguirre fails in Mexico.
4 – Herbert Hoover is inaugurated as the 31st President of the United States, succeeding Calvin Coolidge. His Vice President, Charles Curtis, became the first person with non-European ancestry to reach such a high office.
28 – Japanese forces withdraw from Shandong province to their garrison in Tsingtao bringing an end to the Jinan Incident.

*Significant Deaths*
January 5 - Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov, Grand Duke of Russia (b. 1856)
January 13 – Wyatt Earp, American gunfighter (b. 1848)
[/sblock]

[sblock=1929 in Film]
Note that, since we're starting in March, some of the films listed below are in production.

The days of the silent film were numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound was on.

*Events*
January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona was released. The film was the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors.

*Other 1929 Films of Note*
Berth Marks (1929 film) Laurel and Hardy short produced by Hal Roach
Big Business, a Laurel and Hardy short
Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Broadway, a musical comedy with Technicolor sequences
The Cocoanuts, starring the Marx Brothers
Coquette, Directed by Sam Taylor, starring Mary Pickford, Johnny Mack Brown, Matt Moore
The Desert Song, a musical operetta with Technicolor sequences
Gold Diggers of Broadway, a musical comedy entirely in Technicolor
Hallelujah!, directed by King Vidor
His Glorious Night, directed by Lionel Barrymore, starring John Gilbert - Gilbert's first talkie, known as the film that destroyed his career
The Kiss, starring Greta Garbo and Conrad Nagel
The Love Parade, starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
The Mysterious Island, starring Lionel Barrymore
On With the Show, a musical comedy entirely in Technicolor
Sunny Side Up, a musical comedy with Technicolor sequences
The Virginian, starring Gary Cooper and Walter Huston

The following serials were also very popular:
The Ace of Scotland Yard
The Black Book
The Diamond Master
The Fatal Warning
The Fire Detective
The King of the Kongo, starring Jacqueline Logan
The Pirate of Panama
Police Reporter
Queen of the Northwoods
Tarzan the Tiger, starring Frank Merrill and Natalie Kingston

[/sblock]


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## Insight (Jan 26, 2011)

*CHARACTER CREATION*
"The Silent Partner" will use the Call of Cthulhu 6th edition rules.  Prior Chaosium editions of CoC are similar to this one, so you can feel free to use those and I'll make whatever minor adjustments need to be made to them.

When coming up with a character concept, remember that this game is set in the 1920s in early Hollywood.  Your character does not have to be from California (most weren't) or even from the United States, but since your characters will start in Hollywood in 1929, make sure that your character concept fits this general idea.

Any one of the following jobs would make sense for a character concept:

Creative Type (Actor, Director, Writer, Stylist, Artist, etc)
Crew (Sound Guy, Lighting Guy, Grip, Food Services, Location Scout, Cameraman, etc)
Finance/Legal (Investor, Producer, Lawyer, Accountant, Banker, etc)
Journalist, Film Critic, or Photographer
Studio Personnel (Secretary, Security, Janitor, Facilities, Procurement, Driver, etc)

So, basically, come up with your basic character idea and what purpose your character has in Hollywood.  We'll work out the game mechanics stuff from there.


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## Shayuri (Jan 26, 2011)

Doh! Is this the end of Dark Sun? 

I -might- be up for this, since it emphasizes a moderate pace and a lot of RP.

I don't own the rules though.

I am also a bit leery of a game with the reputation CoC has...I don't mind losing characters here and there, but making them IS a fair amount of work, and I do get invested in them.

That said, I've a notion of a British heiress, who's parents are into spiritualism as a fad, who is afflicted with strange dreams and waking visions...


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## Insight (Jan 26, 2011)

Yeah I just don't think 4E, with its emphasis on maps and counters and such, is a good fit for me to run PbP.  Sorry about that.

Since this is intended as an ongoing game, it will not be the reputed killing machine that CoC can become.  That works well for one-shots and convention games, but I wouldn't want someone to spend a lot of time on a character only to have them driven insane or smashed to bits right away.

I also may let people create multiple investigators and "use" whichever one seems appropriate to the scenario at hand (or even swap out between "scenes", if it makes sense).


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## Shayuri (Jan 26, 2011)

Fair enough. I can see how that would be a lot of time and work, definitely.

Consider me interested in this then.


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## jackslate45 (Jan 26, 2011)

I would be VERY interested.  It has been a very long time since I played CoC.  I enjoyed very much getting cut in half (rolled the auto failure on a dodge in a one shot at a con).  However, no one plays near me 

Character wise I would have to think about it, something online the lines of an Bureau of Investigation (1920's FBI) agent who happens to be on vacation with his fiancee. But I would have to read over the rules again to make sure I got them right.


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## Insight (Jan 26, 2011)

jackslate45 said:


> I would be VERY interested.  It has been a very long time since I played CoC.  I enjoyed very much getting cut in half (rolled the auto failure on a dodge in a one shot at a con).  However, no one plays near me




The good news is that the game system hasn't changed a whole lot since the last time you played (most likely, unless you played d20 Coc).



> Character wise I would have to think about it, something online the lines of an Bureau of Investigation (1920's FBI) agent who happens to be on vacation with his fiancee. But I would have to read over the rules again to make sure I got them right.




That wouldn't work well with my initial concept -- BUT -- I am not necessarily married to that idea (in fact, my wife would take exception to it).  We could come up with something more suitable to the characters you guys create, if need be.


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## jackslate45 (Jan 26, 2011)

I just wanted to play an law officer really.  FBI/BoI was first thought.


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## Insight (Jan 27, 2011)

jackslate45 said:


> I just wanted to play an law officer really.  FBI/BoI was first thought.




No problem.  It seems that you have a bit more of a handle on what you want to play, so let's come up with a situation that makes sense for an officer of the law.  We can move the setting to New York City or some other American locale.  Or with Shayuri's British heiress, perhaps set in England.  Could your lawman be British?  Or, on the flip side, maybe the British heiress is in America for some reason.  Or maybe your American investigator is in Great Britain on vacation, like you said.

Shayuri, any thoughts on this?


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## Walking Dad (Jan 27, 2011)

> Doh! Is this the end of Dark Sun?



 there were 3 games and all are now dead.



Insight said:


> The good news is that the game system hasn't changed a whole lot since the last time you played (most likely, unless you played d20 Coc).
> ...



I actually like d20 more than BRP (still have to look at the new RuneQuest). Just because something has many combat rules doesn't mean there have to be much combat.

Maybe interested anyway, but no OOC knowledge of French.


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## Shayuri (Jan 27, 2011)

Insight said:


> No problem.  It seems that you have a bit more of a handle on what you want to play, so let's come up with a situation that makes sense for an officer of the law.  We can move the setting to New York City or some other American locale.  Or with Shayuri's British heiress, perhaps set in England.  Could your lawman be British?  Or, on the flip side, maybe the British heiress is in America for some reason.  Or maybe your American investigator is in Great Britain on vacation, like you said.
> 
> Shayuri, any thoughts on this?




The great thing about a rich, young character who has nothing really pressing to do is that she can pretty much show up anywhere. 

Thus, I'm fine with the options being explored right now. On the other hand, with no strong opinions about what is best for me, I'm not in a position to be terribly helpful in resolving the indecision either.


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## Insight (Jan 27, 2011)

I'm going to lay out five setting options and those of you interested in playing chime in with which ones you like best and what sort of character you would play in that setting:

1. 1920s.  Paris, France.  Pretty much the first one I outlined.
2. 1920s.  London, England.  Probably more of a stuffy, upper-crust sort of air to it.
3. 1920s.  New York City, USA.  May involve stock market crash stuff if set late enough.  Maybe some prohibition / gansgter stuff too.
4. 1920s.  Los Angeles, USA.  Hollywood, baby.
5. Modern (Pick a city).  If you guys decide you'd rather do a modern settings, we can talk about that, too.

I need to point out that the city is just where things get started, not necessarily the focus of the game.  Things will probably cause your investigators to move around.


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## jackslate45 (Jan 27, 2011)

Insight said:


> I'm going to lay out five setting options and those of you interested in playing chime in with which ones you like best and what sort of character you would play in that setting:
> 
> 1. 1920s.  Paris, France.  Pretty much the first one I outlined.
> 2. 1920s.  London, England.  Probably more of a stuffy, upper-crust sort of air to it.
> ...



My vote is for LA or (Stolen from other thread) Chicago.  England would be second.  Modern just does not feel right for a CoC game.


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## Walking Dad (Jan 27, 2011)

jackslate45 said:


> My vote is for LA or (Stolen from other thread) Chicago.  England would be second.  Modern just does not feel right for a CoC game.



Same here.  How much historical knowledge would be required? Any good place to get a rough time-line what happened in this areas?


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## Insight (Jan 28, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Same here.  How much historical knowledge would be required? Any good place to get a rough time-line what happened in this areas?




If we go with LA, especially Hollywood 1920s - 1930s, here are some good sites to work from:

Wikipedia - Hollywood



			
				wikipedia said:
			
		

> By 1920, Hollywood had become world-famous as the center of the United States film industry. In 1918, HJ Whitley commissioned architect A.S. Barnes to design Whitley Heights as a Mediterranean-style village on the steep hillsides above Hollywood Boulevard, and it became the first celebrity community. The neighborhood is roughly bordered on the north and east by Cahuenga Boulevard, on the west by Highland Avenue, and on the south by Franklin Avenue. Among Whitley Heights' many famous residents have been Rudolph Valentino, Barbara Stanwyck, W.C. Fields, Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, William Powell. Tyrone Power, Ellen Pompeo, Gloria Swanson, Rosalind Russell, Judy Garland, and Marlene Dietrich.
> 
> From the 1920s to the 1940s, a large percentage of transportation to and from Hollywood was by means of the red cars of the Pacific Electric Railway.




Wikipedia - Cinema of the United States



			
				wikipedia said:
			
		

> During the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood, which lasted from the end of the silent era in American cinema in the late 1920s to the late 1950s, thousands of movies were issued from the Hollywood studios. The start of the Golden Age was arguably when The Jazz Singer was released in 1927, ending the silent era and increasing box-office profits for films as sound was introduced to feature films. Most Hollywood pictures adhered closely to a formula - Western, slapstick comedy, musical, animated cartoon, biopic (biographical picture) - and the same creative teams often worked on films made by the same studio. For example, Cedric Gibbons and Herbert Stothart always worked on MGM films, Alfred Newman worked at 20th Century Fox for twenty years, Cecil B. De Mille's films were almost all made at Paramount, and director Henry King's films were mostly made for 20th Century Fox.
> 
> At the same time, one could usually guess which studio made which film, largely because of the actors who appeared in it; MGM, for example, claimed it had contracted "more stars than there are in heaven." Each studio had its own style and characteristic touches which made it possible to know this — a trait that does not exist today. Yet each movie was a little different, and, unlike the craftsmen who made cars, many of the people who made movies were artists. For example, To Have and Have Not (1944) is famous not only for the first pairing of actors Humphrey Bogart (1899–1957) and Lauren Bacall (1924–) but also for being written by two future winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature: Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961), the author of the novel on which the script was nominally based, and William Faulkner (1897–1962), who worked on the screen adaptation.
> 
> ...




Here are a few more:

Haunted Hollywood
Film History of the 1920s
... and 1930s
Hollywood in the 1930s - fairly indepth


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## Insight (Jan 28, 2011)

NOTE: I've added some historical information, above.


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## Insight (Jan 30, 2011)

*General Character Creation*:
Here are the basic steps in Character Creation for this game:

0: Concept (see above).  We will discuss this at length in this thread before going forward with the rest.

1: Determine Characteristics.  Roll 3d6 each for Strength (STR), Constitution (CON), Power (POW), Dexterity (DEX), and Appearance (APP).  Roll 2d6+6 each for Size (SIZ) and Intelligence (INT).  Roll 3d6+3 for Education (EDU).  Sanity (SAN) is equal to POW x5.
_Note: Determining Characteristics can be after determining Occupation.  See below._

2: Determine Characteristic Rolls.  Multiple INT x5 for Idea, POW x5 for Luck, and EDU x5 for Know.  Add STR to SIZ to find Damage Bonus (this is found on a table in the book; I will let you know what this is).  Enter 99 for Max Sanity.  This number is always (99 - Cthulhu Mythos skill).

3: Determine Derived Characteristic Points.  Add CON to SIZ and divide that total by 2.  This is your Hit Point total.  Magic Points total is equal to POW.  Current Sanity is equal to your SAN score.

4: Determine Occupation and Skills.  There are many possible Occupations in the book.  I will list all of the possibilities in a future post.  Choose one of these or we can try to create one to match what you want.  Your character has a number of skill points equal to EDU x20.  Each Occupation gives you a list of 6-8 skills on which you can spend your skill points.  You can have up to a 90 in a skill (this is a change from the book -- I'd prefer not to have anyone running around with 99s just yet).  You also receive personal interest points, equal to INT x10.  These points can be put into any skill.  I'll list the skills later.
_Note: It may make sense to choose an Occupation before rolling your characteristics.  In this case, you may select an Occupation and then make your 3d6 rolls.  You can choose to move the 3d6 rolls around to suit the Occupation you selected.  The 2d6+6 rolls for Size and Int can also be swapped (but only with one another).  HOUSE RULE: I'm also going to allow a character to move up to 3 from EDU to one other characteristic.  You cannot move points TO Education from something else; this is a one-way transfer._

5: Determine Equipment.  We'll deal with equipment down the road.  

Roll 1d10 to determine annual income: 
1: $1500 + Room & Board
2: $2500
3 or 4: $3500
5: $4500
6: $5500
7: $6500
8: $7500
9: $10000
10: $20000  

Your character has 10x annual income as personal property.  10% of this amount is in the bank and 10% of this amount is in stocks and bonds or other investments that can be cashed out within 30 days.  Thus, your actual liquid property would be (annual income * 10)*0.8.  This amount is essentially what you will use to purchase equipment and whatever you need for your lifestyle.

6: Determine Additional Background.  Stuff like Name, Age, Height, Weight, Birthplace, Nationality, Religion, whatever else you want to add to round out your character.  Note that Age is somewhat limited by EDU; your Age should not exceed EDU+6 years unless you have a compelling reason.


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## jackslate45 (Jan 30, 2011)

I was thinking along the lines of Hollywood security then.  He would be a little upset about not being an actual cop (didnt go to school long enough, failed the exam.  Really depends on what my rolls are), and would be spending most of his free time working on becoming an actual officer.  He does his job well enough, hoping that the people he knows will refer him to the LAPD.

EDIT: Rolling stats here for less clutter. 5,7,14,14,11;12,16;15
2nd Edit: Arranging stats better

Characteristics:
STR: 14
CON: 14
POW: 11
DEX:  7
APP:  5

SIZ: 16 
INT: 12

EDU: 15
SAN: 55 
MAX SAN: 99

Idea ( x5 INT) 60%
Luck ( x5 POW) 55%
Know( x5 EDU) 75%

HP: 15
MP: 11

DMG: 30 (+1d4?)

Other
Occupation Skills: 300
Personal Skills: 120

Money: $3,500


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## Insight (Jan 30, 2011)

*Character Creation Example*
I'm going to create Barney Siple, actor (mostly a bit player) and sometimes grip or stuntman.

*Occupation*
Since I know I want Barney to be an actor, I'm going with the Entertainer occupation.

*Characteristics*
I'm going for Entertainer, so I have an idea of what Characteristics I want Barney to favor.  I'll be rolling 5 3d6 (STR, CON, POW, DEX, and APP), 2 2d6+6 (SIZ and INT), and 1 3d6+3 (EDU) using the EN World Die Roller.

I get 10, 11, 17, 12, and 8 for the 3d6s, a 9 and 13 for either SIZ or INT, and an EDU of 7.  I'm going to flip the SIZ and INT to better match my concept.  EDU is fine where it is.  STR and DEX are going to be his highest, so the 17 and 12 go there.  CON should be next highest, so there's my 11. The 10 will go into APP (he's average-looking, which explains why he doesn't get the leading man parts) and the 8 goes into POW.  Barney isn't a terribly forceful (or apparently lucky) guy.

*STR* 17
*CON* 11
*POW* 8
*DEX* 12
*APP* 10

*SIZ* 13
*INT* 9

*EDU* 7
*SAN* 40

*Characteristic Rolls*
*Idea (INT x5)* 45%
*Luck (POW x5)* 40%
*Know (EDU x5)* 35%

*Damage Bonus* +1d4

*Max Sanity* 99

*Derived Characteristics*
*Hit Points* 12
*Magic Points* 8
*Current Sanity* 40

*Skills*
The Entertainer occupation gives Barney the following focus skill options: Art, Credit Rating, Disguise, Dodge, Fast Talk, Listen, and Psychology, along with a personal choice based on this job, which I will select as Craft.  Barney has 140 skill points to put into these.

Barney distributes his points as follows:
*Craft - Carpentry (base 5%)* +40 for a total of 45%
*Credit Rating (base 15%)* +10 for a total of 25%
*Dodge (base DEXx2 or 24%)* +30 for a total of 54%
*Fast Talk (base 5%)* +40 for a total of 45%
*Listen (base 25%)* +10 for a total of 35%
*Psychology (base 5%)* +10 for a total of 15%

Next, Barney has 90 "personal interest" points.  He distributes these as follows:
*Climb (base 40%)* +10 for a total of 50%
*Drive Automobile (base 20%)* +20 for a total of 40%
*Grapple (base 25%)* +20 for a total of 45%
*Jump (base 25%)* +20 for a total of 45%
puts 10 more pts into *Dodge* for a total of 64%
and puts 10pts into *Craft - Carpentry* for a total of 55%

Barney also has *Own Language (English)* at EDUx2, or 14%

*Cash and Equipment*
WOW Barney is loaded.  He got a 10 for his annual income, which translates into $20,000.  That means he has a total of $200,000 in personal assets, with $20,000 in the bank and another $20,000 in stocks and bonds (just wait until October 29th, Barney!).  Barney has $160,000 to spend on equipment and lifestyle amenities.  That's an awful lot for a bit player and part-time stuntman.  If I were playing this character, I would need to explain how Barney came into this much cash.  Maybe he just got an inheritance or something.

I'm not actually going to purchase equipment for Barney, but you get the idea.  When your characters go to buy your equipment, I'll provide prices on various items.


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## Shayuri (Jan 30, 2011)

I think I'll roll first and build my concept logically out from the rolls. Works better than coming up with a great idea, and then having it destroyed by the dice. 

hmm...this actually sort of works, though I'd have liked to have at least one decent roll on the 3d6s for a good POW and/or APP...

So:

*STR *6
*CON *10
*POW *12
*DEX *10
*APP *11

*SIZ *11
*INT *15

*EDU *14
*SAN *60

*Characteristic Rolls*
*Idea *(INT x5) 75%
*Luck *(POW x5) 60%
*Know *(EDU x5) 70%

Max Sanity 99

*Derived Characteristics*
Hit Points 10
Magic Points 12
Current Sanity 60

Money: 4500 (40,000)


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## Walking Dad (Jan 31, 2011)

May I use Invisible Castle for the character generation rules? I had a light accident and my home connection is so slow it sometimes messes up the forum dice roller.


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## Insight (Jan 31, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> May I use Invisible Castle for the character generation rules? I had a light accident and my home connection is so slow it sometimes messes up the forum dice roller.




If you must.  I'd prefer all die rolling be done here, but we can make exceptions when the need arises.


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## Insight (Jan 31, 2011)

Tonight, I'll go through the various Occupations listed in the book and post the ones here that I think match your character concept.  Shayuri, are you still going for the heiress, or has something else caught your fancy?

I'll probably just post all of them and you can pick which ones seem interesting.  I'm not posting Occupations that make zero sense for the game concept (such as Tribe Member or Zealot).


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## Shayuri (Jan 31, 2011)

The stats don't seem right for an heiress. I'd expect more APP, and more money for that.

These stats speak to me of a scholar...a student, perhaps. Relative of a Hollywood bigwig, maybe. Comes to the set after classes to help Uncle Director out. Hmmm...father was also scholarly, we'll say an archaeologist and anthropologist. Disappeared one day on an expedition to South America, as did the other people on the journey. Uncle's now helping to support her and her mother as one woman's salary isn't enough to get her through school.

Moar as I continue thinking.


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## Insight (Jan 31, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> The stats don't seem right for an heiress. I'd expect more APP, and more money for that.
> 
> These stats speak to me of a scholar...a student, perhaps. Relative of a Hollywood bigwig, maybe. Comes to the set after classes to help Uncle Director out. Hmmm...father was also scholarly, we'll say an archaeologist and anthropologist. Disappeared one day on an expedition to South America, as did the other people on the journey. Uncle's now helping to support her and her mother as one woman's salary isn't enough to get her through school.
> 
> Moar as I continue thinking.




Do you want to go with a famous (ie real) director or a made-up name?  I'm OK either way.


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## Shayuri (Jan 31, 2011)

Lets go with a fictional director who is based on, and takes the place of,  a real director.


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## jackslate45 (Jan 31, 2011)

I finished re-arranging the stats a little bit.  He looks to be a college starter, studying law in order to be a lawyer.  However, he was kicked out for getting into a fight (which he won), and instead became a security guard in Hollywood.


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## Scott DeWar (Jan 31, 2011)

Hi! The enworld Lurker here. 

Just wanted to say that in '20s america, the WW1 wa still known as 'The great war'.

Also, the Santa Monica Pier was (I think) a great thing with a farris wheel and all. IIFC, the bumper cars I went to with my brother were there before the depression, as was things like the Carasel.

The beaches were PRISTINE and the air clean, as in no smog. Foggy, yes, but not smog. I can see the area of marina park, then not to exist, and the golf course  next to it being a scene of Teticularum Makabe.

And for the record, two things. I give my best wishes on the game and its fun and continuance! And as I am guessing you figured out, I use to live in Santa Monica.

Scott-The Lurker Above-DeWar


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## Insight (Jan 31, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Lets go with a fictional director who is based on, and takes the place of,  a real director.




It might be fun to do a fictional Alfred Hitchcock.  In 1929, Hitchcock was making his 10th film but had not yet made any of his famous Hollywood movies.  Your allegorical Hitchcock would be known amongst Hollywood types, but definitely not a household name at this point.

Another possibility would be a fictional John Ford.  Like Hitchcock, in 1929, John Ford would become famous later, but had several silent and talkie films to his name.  Also like Hitchcock, your fictional Ford would be known to Hollywood types, but would not be a household name.

An interesting possibility would be a fictional F.W. Murnau, director of the classic Nosferatu, a creepy film if ever there was one, especially in this era.  Murnau (or your fictional version) would have arrived in Hollywood from Germany, but would have something of a reputation in the industry.  I was thinking about using Murnau in this game anyway, so this would work out well for me.


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## Walking Dad (Jan 31, 2011)

Ok, I will try to roll here.


Edit: Wow, this is pretty bad... I don't think I will have fun playing someone that incompetent.
5, 4, 6?

I would play this in a standard CoC game, with a higher character death ratio, but not as a long term character.

Sorry, but I cannot see me having fun with this character. This isn't about power-gaming, just me not having fun playing a total underdog.


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## Insight (Jan 31, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Ok, I will try to roll here.
> 
> 
> Edit: Wow, this is pretty bad... I don't think I will have fun playing someone that incompetent.
> ...




That's too much suckage.  Go ahead and try again.


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## Insight (Jan 31, 2011)

*OCCUPATIONS*
Here are the Occupations from the book that make the most sense to me for this game.  Listed after the name of the Occupation are the skills upon which you can spend your skill points (EDU x20).

Please note that we can create other Occupations to fit a particular character concept (assuming none of the ones below can be made to fit).

*ARTIST*: Art, Craft, Fast Talk, History, Photography, Psychology, Spot Hidden, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*ATHLETE*: Climb, Dodge, Jump, Martial Arts, Ride, Swim, Throw, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*AUTHOR*: History, Library Use, Occult, Other Language, Own Language, Persuade, Psychology, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*CRIMINAL*: Bargain, Disguise, Fast Talk, Handgun, Locksmith, Sneak, Spot Hidden, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*DILETTANTE*: Art. Craft, Credit Rating, Other Language, Ride, Shotgun, and any two other skills as personal or era specialties.
*DRIFTER*: Bargain, Fast Talk, Hide, Listen, Natural History, Psychology, Sneak, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*ENTERTAINER*: Art, Credit Rating, Disguise, Dodge, Fast Talk, Listen, Psychology, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*JOURNALIST*: Fast Talk, History, Library Use, Own Language, Persuade, Photography, Psychology, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*LAWYER*: Bargain, Credit Rating, Fast Talk, Law, Library Use, Persuade, Psychology, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*MUSICIAN*: Art, Bargain, Craft, Fast Talk, Listen, Persuade, Psychology, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*POLICE DETECTIVE*: Bargain, Fast Talk, Law, Listen, Persuade, Psychology, Spot Hidden, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.
*POLICEMAN*: Dodge, Fast Talk, First Aid, Grapple, Law, Psychology, and any two of the following: Bargain, Drive Automobile, Martial Arts, Ride, or Spot Hidden.
*PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR*: Bargain, Fast Talk, Law, Library Use, Locksmith, Photography, Psychology, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.


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## Walking Dad (Feb 1, 2011)

Insight said:


> That's too much suckage.  Go ahead and try again.



Thanks. Here is my next try.

Edit:

Looks much better. I will take 3 points from the education and add it to the 6 for a 9.

*STR* 14
*CON* 14
*POW* 13
*DEX* 9
*APP* 4

*SIZ* 13
*INT* 13

*EDU* 12
*SAN* 40

*Characteristic Rolls*
*Idea (INT x5)* 65%
*Luck (POW x5)* 65%
*Know (EDU x5)* 60%

*Damage Bonus* +?

*Max Sanity* 99

*Derived Characteristics*
*Hit Points* 14
*Magic Points* 13
*Current Sanity* 65

*Skills*
The 

I envision my character as a f-ugly looking actor that tries to get cast for some monster movies. He hadn't much success so far, as you can see from his low income.

Would the entertainer profession be fitting?


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## Insight (Feb 1, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> *Damage Bonus* +?




+1d4




> I envision my character as a f-ugly looking actor that tries to get cast for some monster movies. He hadn't much success so far, as you can see from his low income.
> 
> Would the entertainer profession be fitting?




Yes, but I wonder if he would get more work as a stuntman.  In that case, you could go with Athlete instead.  Either way is OK with me.  A lot of stuntmen are former or frustrated actors trying to get work any way they can.

With your character's "looks", however, he could get work in certain kinds of movies.  He might be a thug or a "heavy" in mobster films, or as a creature in a horror movie (note: those were not all that common until much later than the setting of our game).


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## Insight (Feb 2, 2011)

For the character roster, this is what I am seeing thus far:

*jackslate45*: Studio Security Guard
*Shayuri*: Production Assistant
*Walking Dad*: Actor/Stuntman

I would like to get one more person in the game, but we can get started with 3 players if no one else demonstrates any interest.


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## Shayuri (Feb 2, 2011)

Insight, lets go with the Murnau link. He had two brothers, of which I could find no information about, so I feel like we a fairly free hand.

I'm thinking my character is working as a sort of administrative assistant type deal on the set...working to help pay for classes.


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## Insight (Feb 2, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Insight, lets go with the Murnau link. He had two brothers, of which I could find no information about, so I feel like we a fairly free hand.




It sounds like your character would be Murnau's niece.  Is that right?  In that case, was your character born in Germany or in the United States (or elsewhere?)



> I'm thinking my character is working as a sort of administrative assistant type deal on the set...working to help pay for classes.




You could be a Production Assistant.  This is a "catch-all" role that covers everything from getting the director coffee to running lines with the actors to arranging the lighting and sound people.  A relative of the director would have a good chance at landing this sort of role on a set.

Unfortunately, CoC does not seem to have an Occupation that fits this idea.  Author or Entertainer maybe?  We can create one from scratch if you like.


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## Insight (Feb 2, 2011)

I think we have a decent handle on the characters thus far, so I'd like to discuss the setting and how your characters fit together.  If someone else joins at this point, they will need to make a character to fit into what I'm going to lay out here.

The characters are all involved, in some fashion, at a new production that has just begun filming at Emerald Pictures (this is a fictional studio -- think something along the lines of an early Paramount).  The director, F.W. Murnau, is uncle to Shayuri's as-yet-unnamed character.  jackslate45's character is a security guard at Emerald Pictures.  Walking Dad's character has been signed to the project primarily as a stuntman and stand-in, but since they are still casting, he is holding out for a speaking part.

Emerald Pictures has its studios in Hollywood, just off Sunset Boulevard.  Murnau's unnamed project is filming at the Sunset Gower Studios (in 1929, this is referred to as CBC Productions, the precursor to Columbua Pictures) nearby.  This is in an area known as Poverty Row, which, in 1929 is a collection of warehouses and small studios.  

In terms of the film itself, none of you have seen a script.  The director, F.W. Murnau, has been very secretive about it.  The film has been casting for a few weeks and is expected to continue casting for a few more.  Murnau has been very picky about who appears in this film project.  Only a half dozen actors have been hired (including Walking Dad's character).  An assistant director, a cameraman, a lighting guy, and a sound technician have been hired.  There are two production assistants: Shayuri's character and a German kid who looks like he's about 18.  Everyone seems to be in the dark about the movie itself and no date has been set to begin filming.

Shayuri's character has been in on some casting sessions and even met with Walking Dad's character during his audition.  Murnau, because his English is questionable at best, has been using an interpreter.  From what you can tell, Murnau seems very interested in facial expressions and body language.  He rejects people for being "too perfect" or "too stiff".  He seems mostly uninterested in dialogue.  You wonder whether he knows that this is a "talkie", as all films are now.

So that's the set-up.  Let's come up with some names for your characters and flesh out your backgrounds a bit.

Let me know if you have any questions.


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## Shayuri (Feb 2, 2011)

Eee, it's coming together! My character is from Germany, and still bears the old family name of 'Plumpe,' so it's not widely known that she's his niece. Her university courses are focused on literatue, but she's a film afficianado and borderline worships Murnau for his works in Germany before coming to Hollywood. She hopes one day to be a writer...perhaps even a screenwriter!

Still working on a name.


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## Insight (Feb 2, 2011)

Here is a kind of NPC list of the people involved in the film:

*Actors*
Stuntman/Stand-in: Edward "Face" Pierson (Walking Dad)
Stuntman/Stand-in: George Martin
Stuntman/Stand-in: William "Buster" Burrows 
Actor: Emil Jannings
Actor: Allan Coleman (Strahd)
Actress: Virginia Warner

*Crew*
Director: F.W. Murnau
Assistant Director: David Neal
Camera: Boris Kanz
Lighting: Carl Worthington
Sound: Max Eads
Production Assistant: Renate "Renna" Plumpe (Shayuri)
Production Assistant: Frederich "Freddie" Freising

*Security & Studio People*
Head of Security - CBC Studios: Jack Thompson (jackslate45)
Security Guard: Bill Stuart
Security Guard: Charles "Chuck" Anderson
Receptionist: Henrietta "Henny" Wilson
Producer: Charles Roland
Attorney: Thomas J. Harvey, Esq.


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## Insight (Feb 2, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Eee, it's coming together! My character is from Germany, and still bears the old family name of 'Plumpe,' so it's not widely known that she's his niece. Her university courses are focused on literatue, but she's a film afficianado and borderline worships Murnau for his works in Germany before coming to Hollywood. She hopes one day to be a writer...perhaps even a screenwriter!
> 
> Still working on a name.




Make sure that your "Own Language" skill is German, then, and make sure to pick up at least some "Other Language - English".


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## Walking Dad (Feb 3, 2011)

Some background musings before doing the skill stuff:

Edward 'Face' Pierson came (like so many young men and women) to Los Angeles. Other than most, he had everything that was needed. He wasn't dumb, was tall, but not freakish so, had a great physique and (his greatest asset) a really handsome face.
All he lacked were contacts. To get one leg into the industry, he started to take jobs as a stunt man, hoping to be 'discovered' by someone important. Just as it looked liked his plan begin to bear fruits, the accident happened. He doesn't like to talk about it, but he now got a face that could stop a bullet... almost literally, as steel plates were used in the reconstruction of it.
Succumbing some time to the bottle, he heard of the project of an eccentric European film maker.
Edward (still called 'Face', but now for a different reason) got his things together and applied to the film. He is now back in business, at least as  stunt man. Perhaps for more...


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## Insight (Feb 3, 2011)

Attached is the 6th ed 1920s character sheet.  I am posting this mainly to give you guys a full skill list and see how everything is organized.  Please do not distribute this character sheet to others outside the game.


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## jackslate45 (Feb 3, 2011)

*Backround Time!*

Jack Thompson came to LA after getting kicked out of college in 1918.  Having studied how to become a lawyer, he tried getting into a law office with no success.  Having never completed college, no office would take him seriously.  

One day, while walking home, he saw someone trying to sneak their way onto Sunset Gower Studios.  He called out to them, warning them of trespassing.  The theif, startled, escaped onto the property.  Jack then informed security of the trespasser, and he was caught before any new films were taken.  Jack was then asked to become a security officer for Sunset Gower Studios.  He worked there for 10 years, and eventually became head of security for the studio.  

I was thinking Jack would be 30 years old, to explain why he became head of security.


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## Shayuri (Feb 3, 2011)

I think I'll take the Author occupation, using to represent a kind of "liberal arts college student" package.

*AUTHOR*: History, Library Use, Occult, Other Language, Own Language, Persuade, Psychology, Archaeology (the selectable skill).


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## Insight (Feb 3, 2011)

This post lists several locations important to this story.  Some of these will make sense a little later as the story progresses.  Suffice to say that your characters know of these locations as being around the general area where you work.

*Emerald Pictures - 6600 W. Sunset Blvd, Hollywood CA*
This is the filmmaking enterprise that employs the PCs at the start of “The Silent Partner”.  Some of the action may take place here, but the project the PCs are associated with is being filmed at CBC Studios in Poverty Row.
*Main Building*: This two-story building is located at the front of the property.  The vast majority of employees work in this office building.
Accounting
Budgeting
Casting
Distribution
Finance
Hiring Office
Legal
Marketing
Payroll
Production
Rights & Clearances
Sales
Security
Talent
*Executive Building*: Located behind the main building, these offices are off-limits to all but privileged personnel and guests.
Film Room
Film Vault
Isaac Steinburg’s Office (Steinburg is the head of Emerald Pictures)
Security
VPs Offices
*Sound Stages (Under Construction)*

*Enzo’s News-Stand – 1401 N. La Brea Ave, Hollywood CA*
Popular with local businessmen and talent alike, you can get copies of local newspapers at Enzo’s, as well as week-old copies of the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.  Popular magazines are also available at this news-stand.

*Rio Alto Theatre – 6065 W. Sunset Blvd, Hollywood CA*
This small theatre was, until the mid 1920s, showcasing east coast vaudeville acts for west coast audiences.  When film started to take over, and vaudeville starting to wane, the Rio Alto did not want to convert to a cinema house, so it started placing off-Broadway musicals, magic shows, and other live entertainment on its playbills.  The Rio Alto has been forced to “get with the times”, however, and now is in the process of converting its main stage to a cinema.

*CBC Studios – 1438 N. Gower St, Hollywood CA*
In 1929, this is located in an area known as Poverty Row.  It is a collection of small studios and warehouses.  Emerald Pictures uses the studios for productions until their own sound stages are completed (currently under construction).  F.W. Murnau’s project is filming here.
*Office Buildings*
Building 1: Offices for CBC Productions
Building 7: Temporary Offices for Emerald Pictures
Security Shack/Front Gate
*Studios*
Studio 10: Murnau’s Film Project
Studio 13: Murnau’s Film Project
[sblock]Note that I am aware that the Wikipedia page for Sunset Gower Studios says that there is no Studio 13.  Consider this to be "part of the mystery".[/sblock]
*Warehouses & Storage*
Storage Shed 18: Storage for Emerald Pictures
Wardrobe Building: Communal Storage for Large Wardrobes

*The Wilshire Club – 1040 N. Las Palmas Ave, Hollywood CA*
This gentleman’s club is popular with actors, writers, directors, and producers and is also where a lot of “talent scouting” goes on for “certain types of pictures”.  A rumored speakeasy may be found in the basement.



We can add other locations as the story progresses.


EDIT: I may have made a historical error on the naming of Sunset Gower Studios.  It appears that this name was only given the property after it was purchased in 1977.  We'll use this name for now because I can't find what the name was before that.  It may have just been "Columbia Studios" or "Cohn Studios" or something.  OK upon further review, the studios we're using were part of CBC Productions (Harry Cohn's company before it became Columbia).  We'll use that name from now on (and I'll edit the above and where necessary).


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## Insight (Feb 3, 2011)

jackslate45 said:


> One day, while walking home, he saw someone trying to sneak their way onto Sunset Gower Studios.  He called out to them, warning them of trespassing.  The theif, startled, escaped onto the property.  Jack then informed security of the trespasser, and he was caught before any new films were taken.  Jack was then asked to become a security officer for Sunset Gower Studios.  He worked there for 10 years, and eventually became head of security for the studio.
> 
> I was thinking Jack would be 30 years old, to explain why he became head of security.




Just a few slight modifications.  

Sunset Gower Studios is called CBC Productions or CBC Studios at this point (see above for an explanation of my error in this regard).  Also, it's only been around since 1921, which is 7-8 years before our story starts.  Jack could have been working security at another studio (or even a bank or something else entirely) before joining CBC Studios in 1921 or 1922.

Selig-Polyscope Company is a possibility for Jack's first employer.  They got out of the film business around 1919 and started running a poorly thought-out zoo from their studio lot.  The place eventually went bankrupt and was purchased by Fox to open their first LA studio.  I could see Jack working at the "zoo" and getting frustrated by the goings-on and looking for something else.


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## Walking Dad (Feb 5, 2011)

Face


*STR* 14
*CON* 14
*POW* 13
*DEX* 9
*APP* 4

*SIZ* 13
*INT* 13

*EDU* 12
*SAN* 40

*Characteristic Rolls*
*Idea (INT x5)* 65%
*Luck (POW x5)* 65%
*Know (EDU x5)* 60%

*Damage Bonus* +1d4

*Max Sanity* 99

*Derived Characteristics*
*Hit Points* 14
*Magic Points* 13
*Current Sanity* 65

*Skills*


```
o Accounting (10%) ______     o Law (05%) ______
o Anthropology (01%) ______   o Library Use (25%) ______
o Archaeology (01%) ______    o Listen (25%) ______
Art (05%):                    o Locksmith (01%) ______
o ________________ ______     o Martial Arts (01%) ______
o ________________ ______     o Mech. Repair (20%) ______
o Astronomy (01%) ______      o Medicine (05%) ______
o Bargain (05%) ______        o Natural History (10%) ______
o Biology (01%) ______        o Navigate (10%) ______
o Chemistry (01%) ______      o Occult (05%) ______
o Climb (40%) ______          o Opr. Hvy. Mch. (01%) ______ o Sneak (10%) ______
o Conceal (15%) ______        o Other Language (01%):       o Spot Hidden (25%) ______
Craft (05%):                  o _______________ ______      o Swim (25%) ______
o ________________ ______     o _______________ ______      o Throw (25%) ______
o ________________ ______     o _______________ ______      o Track (10%) ______
o Credit Rating (15%) ______  o Own Language (60%):         o ________________ ______
Cthulhu Mythos (00) ______    o _______________ ______      o ________________ ______
o Disguise (01%) ______       o Persuade (15%) ______       o ________________ ______
o Dodge (18%) ______          o Pharmacy (01%) ______       o ________________ ______
o Drive Auto (20%) ______     o Photography (10%) ______    o ________________ ______
o Electr. Repair (10%) ______ o Physics (01%) ______        o ________________ ______
o Fast Talk (05%) ______      o Pilot (01%): Firearms
o First Aid (30%) ______      o _______________ ______      o Handgun (20%) ______
o Geology (01%) ______        o _______________ ______      o Machine Gun (15%) ______
o Hide (10%) ______           o Psychoanalysis (01%) ______ o Rifle (25%) ______
o History (20%) ______        o Psychology (05%) ______     o Shotgun (30%) ______
o Jump (25%) ______           o Ride (05%) ______           o SMG (15%)
```
Edward 'Face' Pierson came (like so many young men and women) to Los Angeles. Other than most, he had everything that was needed. He wasn't dumb, was tall, but not freakish so, had a great physique and (his greatest asset) a really handsome face.
All he lacked were contacts. To get one leg into the industry, he started to take jobs as a stunt man, hoping to be 'discovered' by someone important. Just as it looked liked his plan begin to bear fruits, the accident happened. He doesn't like to talk about it, but he now got a face that could stop a bullet... almost literally, as steel plates were used in the reconstruction of it.
Succumbing some time to the bottle, he heard of the project of an eccentric European film maker.
Edward (still called 'Face', but now for a different reason) got his things together and applied to the film. He is now back in business, at least as  stunt man. Perhaps for more...


Edu 12 x 20 = 240
*ATHLETE*: Climb, Dodge, Jump, Martial Arts, Ride, Swim, Throw, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.

Climb +20 (60%)
Dodge +62 (80%)
Jump +35 (60%)
martial Arts / Fist +25 (75%)
Ride +25 (30%)
Swim +25 (50%)
Throw +3 (28%)
Personal interest (Fast Talk) +45 (50%)

0 unspent

Int 13 x 10 = 130

Drive Auto +10 (30%)
Falling +35 (45%)
First Aid +10 (40%)
Listen +25 (50%)
Rifle +25 (50%)
Spot Hidden +25 (50%)

0 unspent


_To have everything in one place. Still have to decide on skills._


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## Insight (Feb 7, 2011)

Looks good, WD.  I hope that the other players are fairly close on their characters.  Please post when ready.

I'd like to get this game started some time this week.  We can start without having everything done, but not having characters finalized makes skill checks a bit of a hassle.


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## Insight (Feb 7, 2011)

*Gear n Stuff*
Once you have determined your character's annual income, we can also calculate the cash on hand value as well as personal property, investments, savings, and real estate.

Take your character's Annual Income and multiply by 5.  Call this Total Cash for now (the game doesn't have a name for it, but we'll call it that for the purposes of character creation).
- 1/10 of Total Cash value is kept as Savings.  Subtract this from the Total Cash amount.  You can have MORE than this amount in Savings if you wish.
- 1/10 of Total Cash value is in Investments (stocks, bonds, business deals, etc) or other holdings that your character can access within 30 days.  Subtract this from the Total Cash amount.  You can have MORE than this amount in Investments.
- If your character owns a home, subtract its value from Total Cash.  Homes in the 1920s in Hollywood/LA ranged anywhere from $2000 to $5000 or more.  We'll use this amount as a placeholder amount, since most people did not pay for houses with cash (just like now).  Subtract this amount from Total Cash.  If your character rents, ignore this.
- The remaining amount is Cash on Hand.  This is what you use to purchase items.

Without posting the entire 1920s equipment list, buying equipment is going to prove to be a little challenging.  The way I want to handle this is to have you state what you want your character to own and I will let you know how much it costs.  If you're not sure about equipment, I can post some items that make sense for your character.  We can also use historical resources (such as the Sears Catalog) to figure out some prices.


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## jackslate45 (Feb 7, 2011)

Jack Thompson (In Progress)

*STR* 14
*CON* 14
*POW* 11
*DEX* 7
*APP* 5

*SIZ* 16
*INT* 12

*EDU* 15
*SAN* 55

*Characteristic Rolls*
*Idea (INT x5)* 60%
*Luck (POW x5)* 55%
*Know (EDU x5)* 75%

*Damage Bonus* +1d4

*Max Sanity* 99

*Derived Characteristics*
*Hit Points* 15
*Magic Points* 11
*Current Sanity* 55

*Skills*


```
o Accounting (10%) ______     o Law (05%) ______
o Anthropology (01%) ______   o Library Use (25%) ______
o Archaeology (01%) ______    o Listen (25%) ______
Art (05%):                    o Locksmith (01%) ______
o ________________ ______     o Martial Arts (01%) ______
o ________________ ______     o Mech. Repair (20%) ______
o Astronomy (01%) ______      o Medicine (05%) ______
o Bargain (05%) ______        o Natural History (10%) ______
o Biology (01%) ______        o Navigate (10%) ______
o Chemistry (01%) ______      o Occult (05%) ______
o Climb (40%) ______          o Opr. Hvy. Mch. (01%) ______ o Sneak (10%) ______
o Conceal (15%) ______        o Other Language (01%):       o Spot Hidden (25%) ______
Craft (05%):                  o _______________ ______      o Swim (25%) ______
o ________________ ______     o _______________ ______      o Throw (25%) ______
o ________________ ______     o _______________ ______      o Track (10%) ______
o Credit Rating (15%) ______  o Own Language (75%):         o ________________ ______
Cthulhu Mythos (00) ______    o _______________ ______      o ________________ ______
o Disguise (01%) ______       o Persuade (15%) ______       o ________________ ______
o Dodge (14%) ______          o Pharmacy (01%) ______       o ________________ ______
o Drive Auto (20%) ______     o Photography (10%) ______    o ________________ ______
o Electr. Repair (10%) ______ o Physics (01%) ______        o ________________ ______
o Fast Talk (05%) ______      o Pilot (01%):                 Firearms
o First Aid (30%) ______      o _______________ ______      o Handgun (20%) ______
o Geology (01%) ______        o _______________ ______      o Machine Gun (15%) ______
o Hide (10%) ______           o Psychoanalysis (01%) ______ o Rifle (25%) ______
o History (20%) ______        o Psychology (05%) ______     o Shotgun (30%) ______
o Jump (25%) ______           o Ride (05%) ______           o SMG (15%)
```
Occupation: 300
Dodge(14) + 55: 69
Fast Talk(5) + 55: 60
First Aid(30) + 20: 50
Grapple(25) + 20: 45
Law(5) + 60: 65;  He is a little rusty after all
Psychology(5) + 45: 50
Punch(50) + 20: 70
Spot Hidden(25) + 25: 50

Personal: 120
Credit Rating (15) + 50: 65
Library use (25) + 40: 65
Handgun(20) + 30: 50

*Money*: $3,500($17,500):
*Savings*: $2,000
*Investments*: $2,000
*House*: $4,000


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## Walking Dad (Feb 9, 2011)

Sorry, has been a while since I made a character, so I have some questions:

- what skill is used for attacking with a knife?

- can I substitute Martial Arts with Punch? I cannot see Caucasian kung fu heroes in 1920s.


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## Shayuri (Feb 9, 2011)

Just doing skills now...shouldn't be much longer.


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## Insight (Feb 9, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Sorry, has been a while since I made a character, so I have some questions:
> 
> - what skill is used for attacking with a knife?




Not sure.  I will look it up tonight when I get home.  My inclination is to either use Fist (substituting the knife damage) or create a new skill called Knife that would be base 50%.  I'll take a look through my materials and see if other characters have such a skill.

EDIT: From what I read from characters created by authors of the game, Knife should be its own skill.  I'm going to make the base/default 25%.



> - can I substitute Martial Arts with Punch? I cannot see Caucasian kung fu heroes in 1920s.




Yes, definitely.  Honestly, fist should be the default, not martial arts.


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Feb 9, 2011)

Hi,

Just noticed the CoC thread and that you are using the excellent Chaosium rules.
Can I join ?

Roy (a.k.a Strahd)


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## Insight (Feb 9, 2011)

Strahd_Von_Zarovich said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just noticed the CoC thread and that you are using the excellent Chaosium rules.
> Can I join ?
> ...




Yes!

Please take a look through the thread so that you know what we're looking for in terms of characters and the setting.  if you can, find a slot for yourself in the list of "roles" here (you'll see that the other PCs are slotted in already).  If you can't find a job for your character there, I can come up with something.

If you don't have a copy yourself, I have linked the CoC 6th ed character sheet (I think it's on page 3).


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Feb 9, 2011)

I'll take control of the Actor Emil Jannings with the entertainer occupation.
I imagine an English man, since the surname Jannings is of a medieval English origin, and is found chiefly in Devon and Cornwall.
The man is a chubby man, around ~45 years old I guess, with a long curling mustache and typical english manners and sarcasm that tries his luck in the American film industry after he came to the U.S after the great war (WWI)
A man with a touch for bird hunting (a weapon skill) and horse riding.

I'll scratch something up in the upcoming days.


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## Insight (Feb 9, 2011)

Strahd_Von_Zarovich said:


> I'll take control of the Actor Emil Jannings with the entertainer occupation.
> I imagine an English man, since the surname Jannings is of a medieval English origin, and is found chiefly in Devon and Cornwall.
> The man is a chubby man, around ~45 years old I guess, with a long curling mustache and typical english manners and sarcasm that tries his luck in the American film industry after he came to the U.S after the great war (WWI)
> A man with a touch for bird hunting (a weapon skill) and horse riding.
> ...




Actually, Emil Jannings is a real person.  He acted in other Murnau films, including Faust, before coming to America.  He is German.

You can still play him if you wish, but it might be better if you picked someone else or made up a name entirely (I can easily swap your character's name out for one already on the list).


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Feb 10, 2011)

I'll stick with the concept I wrote above.
Let's name the new actor Allan Coleman

EDIT: roll the dice. scores I can live with, thought, the EDU is quite low. Can I add some points to the EDU and drop them from the others ?


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## Insight (Feb 10, 2011)

Strahd_Von_Zarovich said:


> I'll stick with the concept I wrote above.
> Let's name the new actor Allan Coleman
> 
> EDIT: roll the dice. scores I can live with, thought, the EDU is quite low. Can I add some points to the EDU and drop them from the others ?




Yeah that EDU is fairly low.  You can take up to 4pts from your 3d6 scores and put those into EDU.


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## Walking Dad (Feb 10, 2011)

Judging from our wealth, Murnau is hiring dead cheap actors and stuntmen.


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## jackslate45 (Feb 10, 2011)

Here is what I came up with skill wise (before I start allocating points all around)

*Security Guard(From Police Man)*: Dodge, Fast Talk, First Aid, Grapple, Law, Psychology,  +  Martial Arts(Subbed with Punch), Spot Hidden.  (this is to show a  degrade from being an actual lawyer to being a Security Guard for 8  years)
Personal (ex lawyer/security training):
Credit Rating/Library use/Pistol


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## Insight (Feb 10, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Judging from our wealth, Murnau is hiring dead cheap actors and stuntmen.




Yes!  And it's perfect!


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## Shayuri (Feb 11, 2011)

*Name*: Renate "Renna" Plumpe
*Description*: 

*STR *6
*CON *10
*POW *12
*DEX *10
*APP *11

*SIZ *11
*INT *15

*EDU *14
*SAN *60

*Characteristic Rolls*
*Idea *(INT x5) 75%
*Luck *(POW x5) 60%
*Know *(EDU x5) 70%

*Max Sanity* 99

*Derived Characteristics*
*Hit Points* 10
*Magic Points* 12
*Current Sanity* 60

*Skills *(280 + 150)
*Occupation*: Author
History 20 (40%)
Library Use 40 (65%)
Occult 30 (35%)
Own Language (German) 20 (90%)
Other Language (English) 70 (71%)
Other Language (Arabic) 20 (21%)
Persuade 40 (55%)
Archaeology 40 (41%)

*Personal*
Anthropology 25 (26%)
Bargain 60 (65%)
First Aid 35 (65%)
Drive Auto 30 (50%)

Annual Income: 4500
Total Cash: 22500
Savings: 2250
Investments: 2250
House/Tuition: 4500

*Money*: 13500

Coming soon: Story!


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## Insight (Feb 11, 2011)

So, here are our characters:

*Edward "Face" Pierson* (Walking Dad), stuntman/actor/stand-in
*Allan Coleman* (Strahd), low-paid actor
*Renate "Renna" Plumpe* (Shayuri), production assistant and relative to the director, F.W. Murnau
*Jack Thompson* (jackslate45), head of security for CBC Studios

If I get the chance, I am going to start the IC thread today or this weekend.  You do not have to finalize your character before chiming in; a lot of the beginning material will be decision-making and probably not a TON of die-rolling.  

Caveat: You cannot make skill checks until your character has been "finalized" (ie, you tell me that you're done monkeying around with it).

I'm going to scan the 1920s gear list from the book and post it here.  That should make gear purchasing easier on all of us.  That probably will happen sometime this weekend.


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## Insight (Feb 11, 2011)

*POSTING*
Just a few quick notes about posting and expectations.  I want this game to keep moving.  Nothing kills a game quicker than stasis.  Luckily, because this game should not get bogged down in long combats, we should be able to keep things sailing along.

I'd like to have everyone post _something_ at least twice a week.  This is not a "hard and fast" rule, because sometimes, you may not have enough material to post that often.  I suspect that people will be posting more than twice a week.  

I do not expect long, drawn-out posts, unless the situation warrants such.  Because I don't believe people read long screeds on message boards, I tend not to be overly verbose in my posts.  As the Keeper, I am responsible for descriptions and NPC actions, so my posts will necessarily be longer than yours, on average.

When you make skill checks as part of your post (and please use the EN World die roller so I don't have to go check Invisible Castle), please incorporate the result into your narrative.  CoC is a game that does not have a lot of opposed checks; most of the time, you will instantly know whether or not you have succeeded.  You are free to decide when your character should make a skill check and which skill to use.  There are times when I will direct you to make skill checks as well.

Feel free to give minimal lines to NPCs in your narratives, as long as the dialogue does not constitute them making decisions that affect the game.  You'll have to use your best judgment here; I'll let you know if anything you do violates the spirit of what I'm talking about.

Thanks to everyone for giving this a try.  Let's have some scary fun!


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## Walking Dad (Feb 11, 2011)

Insight, have you looked up how someone uses a knife?

With his little money, face will start with big sunglasses and a scarf (he often tries to hide his face in public) and normal clothes. Maybe also a knife, if we find the rules


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## Insight (Feb 11, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Insight, have you looked up how someone uses a knife?
> 
> With his little money, face will start with big sunglasses and a scarf (he often tries to hide his face in public) and normal clothes. Maybe also a knife, if we find the rules




It appears that you just make skills for other sorts of weapons (or even other sorts of tasks -- for example, I saw a skill, Transport Illegal Alcohol).  Just make Knife a separate skill and have its base value be 25%.  So, anyone can use a knife at 25% or you can put skill points into it to be better.

On that note, if any of you want to have skills that don't have a direct corollary in the rules, let me know.  Most things are default 5%, 15%, or 25%.  Use existing skills as a guideline.  Acting might make sense for some of you.  Falling (ie falling properly on a stunt) might make sense.

Actually, scratch Acting.  You can use Fast-Talk for the process of acting, if it ever comes up in the game.


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## Insight (Feb 11, 2011)

... and the IC Thread is up!


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## jackslate45 (Feb 11, 2011)

*Skill List*

Occupation: 300
Dodge(14) + 55: 69
Fast Talk(5) + 55: 60
First Aid(30) + 20: 50
Grapple(25) + 20: 45
Law(5) + 60: 65;  He is a little rusty after all
Psychology(5) + 45: 50
Punch(50) + 20: 70
Spot Hidden(25) + 25: 50

Personal: 120
Credit Rating (15) + 50: 65
Library use (25) + 40: 65
Handgun(20) + 30: 50


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## Walking Dad (Feb 11, 2011)

Finished my skill list under my sheet, too.

What is the starting % for 'Falling'?


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## Insight (Feb 11, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Finished my skill list under my sheet, too.
> 
> What is the starting % for 'Falling'?




Hmm that sounds to me like something that would take some training.  I'd say 10%.


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## Walking Dad (Feb 12, 2011)

ok. Rest of the skills are fine? Shall I specialize more?


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Feb 13, 2011)

*Allan Coleman - A british actor (not finished yet)*

*Investigator Name:* Allan Coleman
Occupation: Entertainer
Colleges, Degrees: None
Birthplace: York, UK.
Mental Disorders: Methyphobia - Fear of alcohol.
Sex: Male  
Age: 20

*Characteristics & Rolls*
STR:10    DEX:8    INT:13    Idea:65
CON:5     APP:11   POW:14  Luck:70
SIZ:10    SAN:70   EDU:12   Know:60
99-Cthulhu Mythos 
Damage Bonus: +0
Max SAN:  99  Current SAN:  70  HP:  8  MP: 14

*Investigator Skills*
o Accounting (10%) 10% 		
o Law (05%) 05%
o Library Use (25%) 25%
o Listen (25%) 38%
o Art (05%): Film actor 40%		
o Mech. Repair (20%) 20%
o Medicine (05%) 05%
o Bargain (05%) 05% 		
o Natural History (10%) 10%
o Navigate (10%) 10%
o Occult (05%) 05%
o Climb (40%) 40% 		
o Sneak (10%) 30%                         
o Conceal (15%) 15% 	
o Spot Hidden (25%) 50%
o Swim (25%) 25%		
o Throw (25%) 25%		
o Track (10%) 30%
o Credit Rating (15%) 41%	 	
o Own Language (EDUx5%): English 66%		
o Cthulhu Mythos (00) 
o Disguise (01%) 36% 
o Persuade (15%) 70% 		
o Dodge (DEX x2) 16% 		
o Drive Auto (20%) 20% 		
o Photography (10%) 10% 		
o Electr. Repair (10%) 10%	 	
o Fast Talk (05%) 75% 		
o First Aid (30%) 30% 
o Psychology (05%) 05%
o Hide (10%) 35%
o Ride (05%) 25%
o History (20%) 20%
o Jump (25%) 25%

Firearms
o Handgun (20%) 20%
o Machine Gun (15%) 15%
o Rifle (25%) 55%
o Shotgun (30%) 30%
o SMG (15%) 15%

*Wealth:* 
Total personal property: 15000$
In bank: 1500$
Investment & stocks: 1500$
Available cash: 12000$

History:
Allan is a young poor British that moved to America to try his luck in the American film industry. This is his final chance to do something with himself. If he will not succeed their, there is a good chance he will put an end to his life or will go to be a male prostitute.
Allan is a chubby man, with a nice mustache decoratig his face to preserve an adult look. Not so strong, not too agile, he relies on his poor life experience. He dropped elementry school when he was young and received almost no education. His mother died when he was 10 y'o and his father was a drunken hunter, hunting birds, dear and boars outside in the country side of York, UK.
Allan helped his father to hunt when his father was sober. When his father was drunk and not home, Allen took his father's rifle and horse and went hunting alone. When his father was drunk and home he imagined to be in a fantasy world and played with imaginary friends - that gave him a good experience with playing fictional characters and led him to try his chance in the film industry.
After his father's death by a wild boar (never go hunting while you are drunk) Allen sold the old shack they lived in, gathered his equipment and left to try his luck in America.


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Feb 13, 2011)

I decided to lower his age since my EDU is too low for a growen up 40+ man. So he is a young lad. What about a RG thread for the characters or are we going to keep the characters over here ?


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## Insight (Feb 14, 2011)

I've attached scans of the 1920s prices from the CoC book.  I'm going to see if I can scare up any other pricing resources.


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## Insight (Feb 14, 2011)

Strahd_Von_Zarovich said:


> What about a RG thread for the characters or are we going to keep the characters over here ?




I'm inclined to keep the characters in the OOC thread.  As long as the players can find their characters, I think it's easier. - Phooey on this notion LOL


  If not, we can use an RG thread instead.


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## Insight (Feb 17, 2011)

Well, I've already grown tired of hunting down peoples' characters, so I've given in and created an RG Thread.  

Please post your finalized characters there ASAP.


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## Insight (Feb 23, 2011)

If you have anything left to do for the morning, please post your actions.  Otherwise, we will move to the evening.  

Some of you have been invited to the Wilshire Club to meet with George Martin for "water".  That is where the next action will take place.  If your character is NOT going there, feel free to ignore the next scene or so.

If you have actions you wish to take for the rest of March 31st, especially if your character is doing something other than going to the Wilshire Club (or prior to going to the Wilshire Club), please let me know.


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## Walking Dad (Feb 23, 2011)

Face will join Gorge Martin at the club. He has currently no other plans.


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## jackslate45 (Feb 23, 2011)

normally he would not, but because of the fact he had that strange nightmare, Jack would really like a drink.


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## Shayuri (Feb 24, 2011)

Normally Renna would not go, but given the request of her boss she will go so she can discretely surveil the actors and see if any of them overindulge.


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Feb 24, 2011)

Suffering from Alcohol phobia. Allan will not go to the club since it is not a must thing to do.


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## Insight (Feb 24, 2011)

Strahd_Von_Zarovich said:


> Suffering from Alcohol phobia. Allan will not go to the club since it is not a must thing to do.




Does he wish to do something else that evening?


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Feb 26, 2011)

Insight said:


> Does he wish to do something else that evening?



I posted. he came back home, read a book and fell to slumber.
That will buy me some time in my busy life.


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## Insight (Mar 24, 2011)

No one has posted to the IC thread in a week.  Are you guys bored?  Not sure what to do?  Tired of the game already?

Please let me know.


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## Walking Dad (Mar 24, 2011)

Sorry, I messed up my system knowledge. I thought Jack's check was successful. Really sorry!


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## Insight (Mar 24, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Sorry, I messed up my system knowledge. I thought Jack's check was successful. Really sorry!




It's OK.  I figured that "you don't see anyone go by" would pass for "his check failed".


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## Shayuri (Mar 24, 2011)

Haven't had as much free time as usual, and I've got a couple of games that demand frequent posting, so they gobble up more time, proportionally and...

_the list of excuses goes on..._

Anyway, I apologize. I completely lost track of when I'd last posted. Time management is kicking my butt.   I'll get right on it.


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## Insight (Apr 5, 2011)

All,

At this point, I am tempted to fast-forward the action to the next day.  The reason for this is that Strahd has had nothing to do for a long time and I'm not sure Shayuri can meaningfully contribute at this time.

If Jack and Face are _NOT_ going to do anything more with George Martin and/or the Wilshire Club, I will move things along to the next day.


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## Shayuri (Apr 5, 2011)

Hehe, let me take a look and see if I can't think of something really fast...


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## Walking Dad (Apr 5, 2011)

Insight said:


> ...
> 
> If Jack and Face are _NOT_ going to do anything more with George Martin and/or the Wilshire Club, I will move things along to the next day.




I don't see Face as one who risks his life for a virtual stranger and Martin had done nothing to be likable. Seems the movie needs a new actor...


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## jackslate45 (Apr 5, 2011)

Jack I could see trying to help him out.  However, he does not know anything about the kidnapping, and therefore is more concerned with cleaning himself of alcohol...

I half expected face to whisper it, and not be so vague.  However, looking back that is the right thing to do.   you probably shouldn't go saying "oh btw mr. drunk guy, there going to kidnap you "


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Apr 6, 2011)

Great ... lookig forward to engage Allan in the story.


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## jackslate45 (Apr 8, 2011)

Ready to flash forward when you are.  Jack goes home and sleeps it off.


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## Walking Dad (Apr 8, 2011)

jackslate45 said:


> Ready to flash forward when you are.  Jack goes home and sleeps it off.



As will Face. As far as he knows, the Martin thing was just about money and Martin will just reappear the next day a little worse to wear after some rough 'talk'. He will start to be (maybe) concerned if Martin keeps lost.


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## Insight (Apr 13, 2011)

Sorry for the delays in the game.  I've been sick since Friday night.  I'll try to get things updated tomorrow (Wednesday).


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## Walking Dad (Apr 13, 2011)

Get well soon!


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## jackslate45 (Apr 14, 2011)

indeed.  be healed by the power of awesome!


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Apr 17, 2011)

I'll be out for a personal vacation in Barcelona.
I'll be back in 10 days.

Roy (a.k.a Strahd)


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## Insight (Jun 20, 2011)

I am out for the rest of this week for Origins.  I'll try to post something today.


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## Insight (Jun 27, 2011)

Guys,

I am just not feeling any interest in this game and would like to put an end to it.  

Thanks for giving it a try.


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## Walking Dad (Jun 27, 2011)

Ok, sorry to hear that.


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## jackslate45 (Jun 27, 2011)

indeed. It was fun while it lasted though!


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## Insight (Jun 27, 2011)

This was a bit of an experiment for me, not having run CoC in a loooooong time and certainly never in a PbP setting.  After having run CoC at Origins, I am fairly certain that CoC is not a good choice for PbP gaming.  At least not how I would want to run it.

That said, thanks for giving it a try and I'm sure I will see all of you elsewhere!


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## Strahd_Von_Zarovich (Jun 30, 2011)

Yeah you are right, it is hard to play a massive RPG on ENWorld
I ran a CoC chaosium over here and it died. There is another board Yogsothoth.com for these kinds of games.
CoC is my favorite and I currently table top it.


----------

