MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

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Nvision
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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by Nvision » Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:03 pm

If you're looking for a good underground location, Edinburgh has a decent set of tunnels, vaults, and buried buildings of the old city. If you go south to Paris you could utilise the catacombs, which would make for a very appropriate backdrop to impending carnage. Walls lined with the remains of six million dead, anyone?

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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by Eibon » Fri Apr 05, 2013 12:19 pm

Edinburgh is great. I love the way there were shops, pubs and brothels down in the vaults. It's like something out of Poe!

On the subject of sea platforms: there were a number of Nepoleonic sea forts on the South Coast of England which has some of the qualities of an oil rig. If people want to do some research try:

http://www.subterraneanhistory.co.uk/

(http://www.subterraneanhistory.co.uk/20 ... forts.html for the most oil rig like example)

There's a brief history at: http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sh ... tforts.htm

It probably doesn't help for this adventure, but it might inspire something else.

I've now heard podcast 28, but I'm going to carry on here:

Diving equipment is an issue. Deep sea diving was only just coming on line in the 1920s (the adventure Bad Moon Rising covers the history of diving suits). A Bathysphere is the most likely form of deep sea exploration at this time (first dives around 1930).

The Tower Subway was closed to pedestrians in 1898, following decline caused by the opening of the new Tower Bridge in 1894.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnels_un ... ver_Thames for more on tunnels. I don't think any of them will do what you want.

I must say I'm unsure why the adventure is happening in London? If the artifact was found in Mercia (an area of Viking activity) and Gibson lives in a manor house, then why are things happening in the City of London? There would be manors in the suburbs, but in London proper they become town houses. But it would kind of make more sense for Gibson to live in the North East and is called in because he's local, and events could take place around Newcastle. This would be a less heavily used area than London?
Last edited by Eibon on Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by Dr. Gerard » Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:37 pm

Eibon wrote:Edinburgh is great. I love the way there were shops, pubs and brothels down in the vaults. It's like something out of Poe!

On the subject of sea platforms: there were a number of Nepoleonic sea forts on the South Coast of England which has some of the qualities of an oil rig. If people want to do some research try:

[link]http://www.subterraneanhistory.co.uk/[/link]

([link]http://www.subterraneanhistory.co.uk/20 ... forts.html[/link] for the most oil rig like example)

There's a brief history at: [link]www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_solentforts.htm[/link]

It probably doesn't help for this adventure, but it might inspire something else.

I've now heard podcast 28, but I'm going to carry on here:

Diving equipment is an issue. Deep sea diving was only just coming on line in the 1920s (the adventure Bad Moon Rising covers the history of diving suits). A Bathysphere is the most likely form of deep sea exploration at this time (first dives around 1930).

The Tower Subway was closed to pedestrians in 1898, following decline caused by the opening of the new Tower Bridge in 1894.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnels_un ... ver_Thames for more on tunnels. I don't think any of them will do what you want.

I must say I'm unsure why the adventure is happening in London? If the artifact was found in Mercia (an area of Viking activity) and Gibson lives in a manor house, then why are things happening in the City of London? There would be manors in the suburbs, but in London proper they become town houses. But it would kind of make more sense for Gibson to live in the North East and is called in because he's local, and events could take place around Newcastle. This would be a less heavily used area than London?
All good points, and worth bringing into the discussion. Thanks for the research -- lots of great inspiration for further game support. I love Edinburgh, and its absurd angular streets surrounding the castle.

On the other hand, we've gone a fair way down the London road at this point, focusing on Camden, and have found a wealth of supporting details. There's a canal, multiple independent subterranean systems, manor houses and nearby London University. I do hear you on the overuse of London. The use of obvious choices comes of under-pressure brainstorming. Something to be said for exploring untrod ground. But since some game maps and setting material have already been devoted to London, there's also a case for building on an existing foundation...

Maybe we should put a few of our choices up for a vote?
Keeper of the Cthulhu Dark "Secret Everest Expedition" PbP scenario
Rip Wheeler in the Call of Cthulhu "No Man's Land" scenario
Plays for Keepers

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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by Eibon » Mon Apr 08, 2013 1:15 pm

Dr. Gerard wrote:All good points, and worth bringing into the discussion. Thanks for the research -- lots of great inspiration for further game support. I love Edinburgh, and its absurd angular streets surrounding the castle.

On the other hand, we've gone a fair way down the London road at this point, focusing on Camden, and have found a wealth of supporting details. There's a canal, multiple independent subterranean systems, manor houses and nearby London University. I do hear you on the overuse of London. The use of obvious choices comes of under-pressure brainstorming. Something to be said for exploring untrod ground. But since some game maps and setting material have already been devoted to London, there's also a case for building on an existing foundation...

Maybe we should put a few of our choices up for a vote?
I've corrected the links so they should now be active.

The last time I was in Edinburgh I thought how the monumental architecture seem to bludgeon you was its grandeur! Even more so than London, it feels like it wants you to know that the Establishment is in charge!

Yes, I understand why you started with London, particularly as England is a foreign land to you. I think I'd like to see a reason behind the location, and if you've found that in Camden, then that's great. While an adventure which can be relocated to any city would make it more versatile, Cthulhu adventures tend to have a locale. The Viking connection suggests the North East of England, which tended to be the bit they raided/settled (The Dane Law).

Camden Lock is an interesting bit of London. Camden Town is one of those bits which was a separate town which was absorbed into London as the capital grew (although definitely part of it by 1920s). One thing people often don't realise about canal ways is that the water is usually not deep. Narrow boats have shallow draughts (three to four feet max). So although the waterway looks quite wide on Google Earth, it is shallow. Locks are more dangerous because you are changing level, so when the lock is in use water is rushing from one level to another, but I doubt much can be made of that.

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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by Dr. Gerard » Tue Apr 09, 2013 1:06 am

Eibon wrote:
Dr. Gerard wrote:All good points, and worth bringing into the discussion. Thanks for the research -- lots of great inspiration for further game support. I love Edinburgh, and its absurd angular streets surrounding the castle.

On the other hand, we've gone a fair way down the London road at this point, focusing on Camden, and have found a wealth of supporting details. There's a canal, multiple independent subterranean systems, manor houses and nearby London University. I do hear you on the overuse of London. The use of obvious choices comes of under-pressure brainstorming. Something to be said for exploring untrod ground. But since some game maps and setting material have already been devoted to London, there's also a case for building on an existing foundation...

Maybe we should put a few of our choices up for a vote?
I've corrected the links so they should now be active.

The last time I was in Edinburgh I thought how the monumental architecture seem to bludgeon you was its grandeur! Even more so than London, it feels like it wants you to know that the Establishment is in charge!

Yes, I understand why you started with London, particularly as England is a foreign land to you. I think I'd like to see a reason behind the location, and if you've found that in Camden, then that's great. While an adventure which can be relocated to any city would make it more versatile, Cthulhu adventures tend to have a locale. The Viking connection suggests the North East of England, which tended to be the bit they raided/settled (The Dane Law).

Camden Lock is an interesting bit of London. Camden Town is one of those bits which was a separate town which was absorbed into London as the capital grew (although definitely part of it by 1920s). One thing people often don't realise about canal ways is that the water is usually not deep. Narrow boats have shallow draughts (three to four feet max). So although the waterway looks quite wide on Google Earth, it is shallow. Locks are more dangerous because you are changing level, so when the lock is in use water is rushing from one level to another, but I doubt much can be made of that.
Actually, the lock is a nice element to look at. It would be great to provide some mechanical means of flooding without making it the only obvious solution. I'd also like to locate a possible ice storage facility nearby to spark possible player ideas. With a few drastic solutions on hand, the scenario would feel more open ended.

A few Viking ship burial mounds had been raided in Scotland by the 1920s, so I can imagine university and museum competition to get their very own relics in hand.

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk 2
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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by Eibon » Wed Apr 10, 2013 4:02 pm

Dr. Gerard wrote:Actually, the lock is a nice element to look at. It would be great to provide some mechanical means of flooding without making it the only obvious solution. I'd also like to locate a possible ice storage facility nearby to spark possible player ideas. With a few drastic solutions on hand, the scenario would feel more open ended.

A few Viking ship burial mounds had been raided in Scotland by the 1920s, so I can imagine university and museum competition to get their very own relics in hand.

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk 2
The ice house sounds like an excellent find. I can see that being used. Sounds like things are shaping up nicely. The only thing is that the Elder Things are not going to want to go to an ice house. So that might be something that needs some thought.

Yes, Scotland has it's own little history with the Vikings, particularly the Scottish Isles. Orkney was settled by the Norse for may centuries with a church dedicated to Saint Magnus. But the South East of England was the Saxon heartland and so you tend to find Saxon and Celtic artefacts, but few Scandinavian ones that are not connected to trading (i.e. London, as a major port, has always had traders visit, but it is very unlikely that you could find a "frozen" Viking ballast-stone in the Thames Estuary).

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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by JH33 » Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:14 pm

Hello,

First of all a massive thank you for the podcast – I recently caught up with all the back catalogue and have really enjoyed it. It’s cemented my second coming as Cthulhu fan so thanks very much. As a father of one it’s also a great comfort to hear other people trying to juggle their lives and gaming! I originally came across you via Skype of Cthulhu and you’ve since lead me to various other fantastic sites. Thank you very, very much and congratulations on a years worth of recordings!

Secondly, I’ve just listened to 28 and thought I might be able to make a possibly useful suggestion for the scenario you’ve been developing in terms of specific London locations. If you’re after a large size town house inhabited by the upper classes and near the Thames and near underground rivers you might want to think of looking at houses near St. James Park – say Bird Cage Walk or other streets coming off Green Park like Half Moon Street. Running underneath St James is the Tyburn – which I think is the now culverted remains of the river that originally ran through the marshland there. I can't tell if is directly connected to the lake that is there at present from a quick bit of research but seems plausible. See:
http://www.silentuk.com/writeups/tyburn.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyburn_%28stream%29 .

It also appears in an antiqu’s shop on Oxford Street http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grays_Antique_Centre

Given the proximity of Buckingham Palace and Westminster this does also give you some scope to increase the pulp aspects if you wanted…. At the very least there could be scope for suggesting strange things appearing in the middle of the St James Park which given it is in between Bucks and Downing Street would look quite impressive!

If these are of interest and it’s any use to you to have someone on the ground I’d be happy to try and take some photos/poke about it as I work nearby.

No worries if this kind of thing isn’t quite what you’re after though.

Anyway, thanks again for the podcast – it’s great!

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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by Keeper Dan » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:43 am

Hi JH33, welcome to the forums!
We're glad to have you in the community and getting back into the swing of gaming. Scheduling can be tricky with family obligations, but it can be done.

As you'll hear in the episode due to release this weekend, we chose to go with Camden Town's catacombs for the climax of the adventure.
http://www.silentuk.com/writeupabove/camden.html

Does anyone know of any large estates in that direction? I'm creating my own manor house plans for the adventure, but a location to put it would be very useful. I try to stay on the side of historical accuracy when I can, but I can always replace an existing building in town if needed.
Keeper Dan of the Miskatonic University Podcast

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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by JH33 » Thu Apr 11, 2013 12:59 pm

Thanks for the welcome!

The catacombs look a fantastic location with loads of potential. I don't know of any estates nearby but given the proximity of Primrose Hill and Regents Park it would certainly seem reasonable for there to be some very large town houses nearby. The only thing I pesonally think that might feel odd is if you gave the house a large grounds and placed it in the middle of Camden. You might want to think of looking further North towards Hampstead Heath if that's what you're after. I could be wrong though as London is filled with unexpected bits of architecture and buildings and I'm not that familiar with Camden to be honest!

Looking forward to see how it all develops.

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Re: MU Podcast 027 – 6-Word Brainstorming

Post by Eibon » Thu Apr 11, 2013 4:53 pm

Keeper Dan wrote:Does anyone know of any large estates in that direction? I'm creating my own manor house plans for the adventure, but a location to put it would be very useful. I try to stay on the side of historical accuracy when I can, but I can always replace an existing building in town if needed.
There is a little history at: http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/le ... history.en. I haven't been able to find a house in Camden Town occupied by the 1st Earl Camden (he seems to have Devon connections), but I don't think it's impossible.

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