Re: He Calls Me By The Thunder v3
Chekhov's Cannon!
The nurse screaming at the character with echolalia = screaming in stereo
I love how Yithian Steve can't even read English yet still acts like a superior being.
That echolalia bit was truly inspired.
And yeah, Yithian Steve is such a tool.
Hope you liked all the new developments since the original RPPR version!
Some suggestions! Refinement is an endless process:
-I may have mentioned this before but I have totally forgotten. I like giving the characters an injury with a mechanical disadvantage. It is logical and thematic with the Civil War. Secondly, it give the players an immediate sense of vulnerability, which is perfect for setting the mood of a horror game. Third the vulnerability creates an impetus for the characters to rely on each other (ie I only have one hand, you have two hands and we need two hands to use a shovel). Overall the random injury table strengthens the adventure significantly.
- Chekhov's cannon. If it is important that the cannon be investigated before the players make it to the plantation, I suggest moving the cannon adjacent to the road for easy access but clearly state the cannon is very stuck in the mud.
- Players in a rut. If the players start to feel frustrated or that they are running into arbitrary walls when initially trying to get the not-Evelyn to speak (or if the players get stuck in general) I suggest writing a minor side bar where you discuss using the african american spirituals to draw the players outside to the other clue locations, or have voices sound upstairs to draw the players to the gold clue location or have the mad union soldier start making noise by shooting randomly outside. You already did this in the podcast, but you might want to explicitly define these techniques when you write up the adventure.
- A plot hole? Correct me if I'm wrong on the following.
1.Yithians attempting to contact Evelyn in a dream.
2.Evelyn repeatedly draws varients of a SYMBOL trying to get it correct. This paper is found in Evelyn's room.
3.Yithians (in dream) tell Evelyn that writing the SYMBOL will complete the mind transference procedure. Evelyn notes this in her journal (found in room).
4.Late Evelyn's husband makes sonic wards on several wooden stakes by carving SYMBOL into the stakes and surrounding the plantation with them.
Is this correct? Or are there two different symbols, one that completes the Yithian mind transference, the other than creates a sonic ward.
If players get a hold of the sonic ward, creative investigators will try to replicate it so you should include stats for a sonic ward spell.
According to your narrative Evelyn's husband made SEVERAL of these sonic wards. Without totally losing his mind. So this to me suggests that the sonic ward does not cost Sanity (or costs a very limited amount to make several wards at once) but probably costs magic points per ward.
In general Call of Cthulhu spells that are broadly effective (flesh ward, Elder Sign) cost a decent amount of Sanity per use (iirc). So if the sonic ward is a spell that only costs magic points, it's effectiveness must be VERY limited. Alternately you could say that the first use of the sonic ward costs a set san loss (4 or something) and creation of subsequent wards by someone who knows the spell (lost the required san) only costs magic points.
These are all minor points. The adventure is very tight as it is!