Author Topic: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign  (Read 16518 times)

clockworkjoe

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Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« on: August 24, 2013, 03:02:20 PM »
Well, I finally got my print copy of the Dreamlands campaign, so I plan to run it. I will alternate between Eclipse Phase and Sense. Running Sense won't take up as much time to prep, since it is already written.

So, I have started this thread so RPPR players can post their character back stories. I will reward good stories with bonus skill points.

Character Generation rules

6th ed. Call of Cthulhu

All PCs live in New York City in the year 1925.

add +3 to each player character’s POW (up to a maximum of 18). 

Their SAN scores start at pow x 4 rather than powx 5.

Each begins play with addiction to opium, morphine or heroin as an indefinite insanity.each player character also begins with bonus skill points related to the factors that contributed to the addiction

PCs must have a reason to be addicted: "Keepers, be certain to make the players detail these characters lavishly. Make it clear that every detail matters: the character’s backstory, hopes, dreams, fears, loved ones, and especially what factors keep them coming back helplessly to their drug."

Some example reasons:

1. you needed the drug to cope with the pain of wounds and/or shell shock suffered in the Great War. add +10 percentiles each to First aid and Bayonet if you were a foot soldier, to Swim and Boating if you were a sailor, or to navigate and Spot hidden if you were an infantry officer, a navy officer or a pilot.

2. you needed the drug to cope with the pain and terror of a terrible accident. add +10 percentiles each to dodge and Listen.

3-4. you needed the drug to cope with the stress of the impossible demands of work and/or family. add +10 percentiles each either to accounting and Bargain or to persuade and psychology.

5. you needed the drug to escape the flashy, shallow, desperately careless excesses of the modern age. add +10 percentiles each to art (choose which art form) and Fast Talk.

6. after reading too deeply in a translation of the dreaded necronomicon, you needed the drug to make peace with your despair of finding meaning in a hopeless world. add +10 percentiles each to Cthulhu Mythos and Library use.


« Last Edit: August 24, 2013, 03:05:00 PM by clockworkjoe »

Wooberman

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2013, 04:01:25 PM »

Tim

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2013, 05:05:05 PM »
I need the drugs to cope with fact I am just so much better then everyone else at all things. The character takes the highest stats from the group and add +1. Same with skills but + 10 percent.

Seems legit.

PaperGangster

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2013, 06:32:31 PM »
"It all started in a place called Bryson Springs.  I was in a small-town sheriff's jail cell when I saw the man dragged into the sky by this strange lookin' dummy.  There were more of these dummies tryin' to yank lots of the townsfolk and some of the more prominent citizens into the air, but some of us banded together and fought 'em off. 

"And then things started to get weird.

"Lucille and I left Bryson Springs behind and struck out into the midwest.  Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa; it seemed everywhere we went, we'd run into some damn fool tryin' to fiddle with things man weren't meant to fiddle with.  Some listened to reason, some fiddled wrong and got splinched by Things Man Weren't Meant To Fiddle With; Lucille had to tell a few to knock it off, and when she talks, crazy people listen.

"One man, though, this Professor Something-Foreigny: he tried to talk back.  Seems he'd figured out a magical reset button, or something.  While Lucille spoke, he waved his hands and said some stuff that he needed to dislocate his tongue to say; when the smoke cleared, he was dead and Lucille and i were... here.  New York, 1919.  Seems odd to mention the year?  You don't know where and when I'm from, and I ain't sayin'. 

"Why am I takin' opium?  Because nobody'd ever believe the stories."

beej

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2013, 10:40:33 PM »
\o/
"Old R'lyeh Brewery. Enjoy a cold one on the Great Old One!"

BenignSpy

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2013, 03:58:55 PM »
Francis Lewis (1850-)

His mom died in child birth, so Francis spent all of his early life with his father. At first the crew of The Stalker were not to keen on the baby/toddler on their ship (what true sailing man wants to be seen walking the deck with an infant?) As he grew a little older he was readily accepted, as much for his hard work as for his fearless stupidity; a drunk six year old is truly a funny sight. By the end of the Opium Wars, young Francis was as much a smuggler as anyone else on the ship.

He was also chasing the "Midnight Oil". It's not a good idea for a drug runner to get hooked on the product, but Francis was young, naive, and the other sailors were not above peer power; besides he wasn't an addict in any way, and you need someone to test the product. Everyone looked the other way when it came to this particular transgression, but the sailors all said they'd step in if Francis went too far.

With the end of the Opium Wars there wasn't as much of a need for smugglers in the Far East. The Stalker pulled odd jobs where it could; even honest work when it had too. It was a dull time punctuated only with the death of the senior Lewis. The death of his father sent Francis deeper down the rabbit hole than he'd ever been. Sober, he knew he didn't want to be in anywhere near the Far East, and The Stalker ended up in the Caribbean.

The Stalker's arrival in the Caribbean could not have been better timed. Cuba was fighting the Spanish for independence, and American civilians were supplying arms. There's lots of money in guns, and only half the risk with the U.S. Navy looking the other way. (Just like in the Opium Wars.) The money was pouring in, and his drug habit was well under control until the U.S.S. Maine blew sky high. With the Teddy Roosevelt getting his way, the Cubans wouldn't be needing Lewis' arms to fight the Spanish that much longer...


Staring fifty in the eyes, Francis thought retirement seemed like a grand idea; he'd saved up a fair amount of money, now it was time to enjoy life. Francis passed on command of The Stalker to his first mate Bernard, and settled in the North East U.S. It was a peaceful existence, an economic depression sure, but much better than the building tension over in Europe. A peaceful decade until some Serb shot an Archduke.

He tried to resist the call to adventure, he really did, but some "businessmen" found out about his past, and that left Francis with little choice. On the plus side his "partners" did get him a brand new ship. Christened Juliet, she was more than a match for anything on the seas except the most modern military vessels.

Unfortunately, there were plenty of modern military ships in the Atlantic, and the most dangerous of those were bellow the waves not cresting the waves. Germany's unrestricted U-boat warfare drove Francis off the deep end. The "Midnight Oil" became an ever more common ritual, as well as copious amounts of drinking; thanks to that instead of having made money, by the end of the war, Francis owed a fair amount to his partners.

He still owes them money, and tires to close the gap by making booze runs from Canada to New York. (He's making some progress. He's such a steady customer, and a good employee, that the mob has all but forgiven his interest payments [it'd be no good for Francis to off himself while still making them money]) When he's not at sea, he's baked out of his mind, still trying to forget the horror and stress of German U-Boats. It's been an interesting 75 years, but Francis Lewis is not ready for another adventure...
Who Dares, Wins

Gorkamorka

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2013, 04:53:20 PM »
This is hands down the oldest PC I have ever seen.
Gorkamorka (Fridrik)

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2013, 06:42:34 PM »
Map of the dreamlands for your use.
http://www.mockman.com/dreammap-bw.jpg
Gorkamorka (Fridrik)

clockworkjoe

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2013, 06:51:38 PM »
We finished session 2 of the campaign last night. The PCs went to Inaquak and quested to see the Oracle of the Crystal. Fortunately, they all survived and are now traveling to the south to Llhosk.

Gorkamorka

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2013, 07:05:47 PM »
Cool.
Where is this campaign on the release schedule?
Gorkamorka (Fridrik)

clockworkjoe

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2013, 07:12:18 PM »
Cool.
Where is this campaign on the release schedule?

Current campaign queue

Fortunes of War
Tribes of Tokyo
Better Angels
Eclipse Phase: Duality
Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man

It will be some time.

I am thinking of altering the campaign cycle after we finish Fortunes of War and Tribes of Tokyo - maybe just alternate between the campaign and one shots, so we can get through a campaign faster. A commentator on Reddit did mention our campaigns can be hard to follow because of the cycle we currently use. Thoughts?

Gorkamorka

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2013, 07:24:18 PM »
The 3 in two weeks was definitely an improvement.

I'm not sure about doing one_shot/campaign_1/one_shot/campaign_1 scheduled.    It could be a real hit or miss.  I, as an example, would love if you did NBA/one_shot/NBA but hate it if you did Iron_Heroes/one_shot/Iron_Heroes.
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Dom

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #12 on: September 18, 2013, 09:41:09 PM »
I like two campaigns at the same time, for the same reason Gorkamorka posted.

PirateLawyer

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #13 on: September 19, 2013, 01:36:43 PM »
I really like the proposed change. A more rapid posting schedule for a campaign would definitely help the audience's ability to keep track of the narrative.

Teapot

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Re: Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man - RPPR Campaign
« Reply #14 on: September 21, 2013, 11:46:49 PM »
Just as a test you should post an entire campaign at once.

Otherwise, I like the two at a time as it gives more variety. Though maybe after a campaign finishes you should do a few more one-shots before jumping into the next one.