Library Update (8)

 After a couple of games of Call of Cthulhu in which I die after only 6 paragraphs (my personal record!), my mailman brought me another book. This time is a campaign for Call of Cthulhu from Polish publisher - Dwie z Tysiąca (Two out of a Thousand). I'm just starting to reading it, but after the blurb on the last page I know, that everything is set in Egypt and also ties with the Mask of Nyarlathotep campaign (ss if that campaign needs more materials...). So I'm delving into that for now. Maybe it will be my next big campaign? IT is of course smaller than the aforementioned Masks or Horror on the Orient Express, but I can somehow glue to it Death in Luxor or other Egypt adventures. If I could have this campaign when I was running Pulp Egypt it would be a different, bigger experience. I will ask players what they want to play next. Maybe I will go back to Heroes of Rura-Tonga. And then the survivors will come to Egypt? So many options! As a side note: I'm reading it parallel to A means to freedom - Letters of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. Lots of good reading ahead of me for a time being.

RPG Update (24)

 As an ending of my last cycle of gaming, I've run a beta test of the Miskatonic Repository scenario - The Black Tree of Cold Springs by talented Diego Batres. The great classic scenario for Call of Cthulhu. I do not want to spoil anything, so let me just say, that I've run it during 3 sessions, and it went well. The scenario has a good setup, is tight with the timeline, and has plenty of good sketched NPCs to interact with. The story is interesting, and suggested PCs are a nice change from typical Cthulhu PCs.

For the next cycle of gaming, with less time to prep for adventures, I've come up with the idea to run one on one adventures from a Polish scenario book I've mentioned earlier in my last year's Library Update - Twarzą w Twarz (Face to Face). So for the next three months, I will run a scenario for each of my players. I'm starting with The Temple of Blood Goddes, by no one other than John Wick of 7th Sea fame. What's in it? Pirates, monsters, lonely islands! Madness! Cannot wait to put my single players thru this. But for now, starting to preparing for this adventure. 

Library Update (7)

 As You may know, I'm a fan of solo playing. I'm trying many different styles of games for solo play, like board games (Arkham Files are one of the best for solo plays) also role-playing games, like Alone Against the Dark from Chaosium (cannot wait for translation into Polish language other adventures in that line - Alone Against the Frost and also Alone Against the Tide). As You can see my interest is rather narrow, so when I find Choose Cthulhu books on the Kickstarter couple of years ago, I just sighed and hope for some publisher to pick it up in Poland. My prayers to the Cthulhu and his kind were answered this year. Blackmonk Games just released the first book in this series - based on the most important for many of us tale by H.P. Lovecraft - Call of Cthulhu. Here it is in its blasphemous glory:

Now I just need to find time to read/play/create it for myself.

RPG Update (23)

It is almost a month since I started writing this post. So maybe now I will have the time and clear mind to do that.

 I think, that this post will be somewhat long. For my standard blog posts. It is about the Horror on the Orient Express campaign. But for the full view of the situation, I must go back in history for more than two decades, even to the earlier century. 

When we first play in this monster of a campaign, my Keeper invited one of my friends. But he didn't join that particular game. Years later he told me, that he was supposed to be Andre Coty - an art dealer from Paris, but in secret, he was supposed to be Comte Fenalic - one of the NPCs from that campaign. So this idea stuck with me for almost two decades. 

Back to last year. This notion of secret identity was so strong, that when I planned the new Horror on the Orient Express, I decided that every player has to have some secret. Something that will be nice to reveal during the game. When we created the character, we also created the secrets for them. During this 9 months-long campaign, some of them see the light of the day, another not yet. Doesn't matter. 

When I was planning the campaign, I also decided to have a core group of Investigators - 3 of them. 

My wife - she created Maria Francesca Ludewika Stefania Masseria - a NY socialite and law student, but in fact a daughter of one of the mob bosses of this city Mafia. Her father arranged her wedding, she was not so keen on this idea, so with nothing left to lose, she runs away. Then in London, she met with old friend prof Julius Smith. Her secret - being the daughter of a mob boss.

Maria Francesca Ludewika Stefania Masseria

One of my first players - he created a William Henry Rowlinsan character, a professor of archeology, loosely based on real professor Rowlinsan. His secret is being a member of the secret society of people who know the world isn't what is at a first glance. He also knows the professor.

William Henry Rowlinsan

His wife - she created a Russian medium - Tamara Diatlowa, who in secret is a lost daughter of Car Nikolaj. Living in London quiet life since escaping from Russia. She knows professor Smith since coming to this country. 

Tamara Diatlowa

But  I also invited others to join the game as a more support cast (using tv language). From the start, I decided to plan their role and told them about that. Everyone agrees with that idea. Firstly I invited the original player from long ago, he eventually had a chance to play Andre Coty (aka Comte Fenalik), the second of my friends agreed to play a role of a NY mob boss son (in the hunt for one of my core group investigators - You know who). Andre joins after the Paris chapter and disappears in the Venice chapter.

Andre Coty

 In the Trieste chapter, our heroes are joined by Frediano Buratti (second of my players).

Frediano Buratti

So... last Sunday during the Sofia chapter couple of these secret side stories come to a very enjoyable climax. Only girls in the core group told each other their secrets. So when Frediano joins the group, Maria and he have an affair.  When everything is going great in Sofia, when they obtain the head of Simulacrum and find lost in Venice chapter Andre Coty and get on the train nobody expects what happened next. I talk before the session with both support players, laid out my plan. So the son of the mob boss needs to confirm the origin of his mistress and then kill her. But at the same time, Andre Coty (Comte) listens to everything and joins the couple. Everything went just like in clockwork. Firstly in the steamy scene, Maria reveals her secret to Frediano, and he attacks her - stabbing her with a knife, then, when she screams everyone comes running to her compartment. Andre is at the scene first and attacks with abnormal strength and speed, ripping Frediano apart with bare hands. He says a couple of words and disappears in front of the two remaining players. The shock and surprise on everyone's faces were one of the most enjoyable experiences in my whole RPG life. I think that this will be the most memorable moment of this entire campaign. 

Uch! I hope You understand what I was hoping to write here. And here I am: 

Sinister Keeper waiting for my players to arrive!

Library Update (6)

 So... I've recently received a big pack of books. I thought that I will share with You my newest purchases. First is a little book with some of Lovecraft's Dreamlands stories, called "The Cats from Ulthar". It is from the publisher that already has created 5 other books with H.P.L text. Here it is in all its hardbound glory:

Another two books, that I'm very interested in, are classics from the father of all Sci-Fi! H.G. Wells!

First is The Island of Doctor Moreau. Never watch the film, but I'm more interested in the original text.

So here it is:

The second (and the one that I'm reading to my daughter now) is The Time Machine. One chapter per day is our little ritual every evening.

 Last but not least is another book from H.P.Lovecraft. But this time it is the second part of At the Mountains of Madness with illustrations of François Baranger. The third book in a gorgeous series of albums with astonishing artwork. So here it is.

RPG Update (22)

Warning! This blogpost includes spoilers for the Horror on the Orient Express campaign!

My last entry about the Horror on the Orient Express campaign I run for some time now was one month ago exactly - on the 7th of February. After this time I can say, that I was so wrong! But let me explain.  I said that the Trieste chapter was one of the most enjoyable parts of this campaign. Well, the Zagreb and Belgrade chapters were even more fun and scary at the same time. First on its heavy dreamlands style with Ligottis touch. And at the same time, I've received Thomas Liggoti's book, the first print in Poland "Songs of the dead dreamer" with the story on which this chapter was based on. 

So it went well. The great atmosphere from the beginning and increasing pace during the climax of this adventure were very pleasing. One of my players lose his scull in Zagreb, but we play in Pulp mode, so he lost lots of Sanity points, but he is traveling further. 

Then, after a short train trip, my players landed in Belgrade. From my perspective, the city part of this chapter was not so exciting. But after players went to the bazaar and buy the whole coffin (for Simulacrum) of Rakia, well that evening was... Interesting. After that came Orasak with Granny and her house. It was one of the most enjoyable parts of this campaign to date. I know, I know, I'm repeating myself. But what can I do? It is true! So now I'm prepping for Sophia's chapter. It will be wild!

RPG Update (21)

 After finishing Conspiracy X adventure "Convoy", we started creating characters for the Polish RPG system "Dzikie Pola". It is set in XVI century Poland, so it is heavy on my country's history. Next week we will have our first adventure. In the meantime, the second group is enjoying the lavish splendor of the Orient Express and the horrors of also. So as You can see we are going strong with that campaign. But about that in the next post. For now, I'm watching saber duels, thinking about plots for the game.