Miskatonic University Campus

I really enjoyed working on the translation of the MUP intro, and I'd like to continue playing with Audacity and sharing any info on Japanese horror for people to use. Inspired by Doctor Gerard and the History Lecture series, I'd like to make something similar and post it here whenever I finish an episode. I do want to make sure that I am not going to be stepping on anyone's toes before I start though, so I'd like to ask if it's okay with the admin's and users of this forum if it's okay to pursue this.

Thanks again!

Hi flashbackjuice! Can I help you in any way? Would you be interested in framing these segments within the "history lecture" umbrella that we already have going, or are you thinking of something completely different? Either way, you won't step on toes if you make something cool that we can play. (Caveats are that it has to use pod-safe audio and avoid plagiarism, obviously). We love to play with sound, so please feel encouraged to contribute and get in touch if you have questions.

Speaking of Japan, I just found an excellent vintage postcard that clearly depicts a Meiji-era party barge towed by Deep Ones.

That is something I've explored a little on concept-wise. Deep One societies in regions different than Innsmouth and Ponape.

The Great Lakes.

I came up with a scenario with lot's of red herrings that took place on Great Lakes. This was in my very early days of Keeping, so it was kind of hokey (or seems like it now). The idea came to me after buying HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP on VHS. Anyway, here it is, a couple of early stage of changing Deep-O's who worked freighters up and down the St. Lawrence Seaway around Michigan to Chicago and were raping women along the whole boat ride. It was spawning season they'd jump off the boat and go looking for women. But these fellows were kinda smart. Sometimes they'd actually dress up as Bigfoot/Sasquatch or werewolves to throw off suspicion. Never ran it, but remembering it now, it might be worth-while if somebody else wants to. I still might use it for a one-shot.

I'd bet it would take a while for the investigator's to figure out it was Deep Ones. I can see a lot of them tramping through the woods looking for Bigfoots and buying silver bullets for werewolves.

Dr. Gerard wrote:Hi flashbackjuice! Can I help you in any way? Would you be interested in framing these segments within the "history lecture" umbrella that we already have going, or are you thinking of something completely different? Either way, you won't step on toes if you make something cool that we can play. (Caveats are that it has to use pod-safe audio and avoid plagiarism, obviously). We love to play with sound, so please feel encouraged to contribute and get in touch if you have questions.

I haven't decided yet, to be honest. I was considering doing an intro and making the show from the desk of a professor in the East Asia Studies department in Miskatonic University (in association with the Miskatonic History Department), but if that is too much trouble I can just put together the reports and have them as part history lecture umbrella. Whichever is more convenient for you guys.

I appreciate the help, but I know you guys are pretty busy, so I wouldn't want to bother you guys too much.

That's a stunning postcard. Do you know where it's from?

fallingtower wrote:That is something I've explored a little on concept-wise. Deep One societies in regions different than Innsmouth and Ponape.

Meet the Kappa:



This is a creature from Japanese folklore that often abducts children and solitary swimmers in rivers, and feeds upon them. In the mythos, I don't think it would be a stretch to consider these as evolutionary off-shoots of the deep ones. In fact, I love the idea that each region has their own version, which gives a real sense of the time frame that these deep ones could evolve based on location. And how people change into these things leads to fun spectulation.

As fallingtower said it can be fun to challenge players into rethinking what they know about the mythos creatures, and this can be especially true depending on the location you're in.

While I'm agreed on doing twists of the mythos beasties in a game, I'd also say to grab Strange Aeons II (with it's scenario set in feudal Japan), the Blood Brothers books & the one recent entry of Bumps in the Night from Pagan Publishing. For a fun thing also come up with your own stuff for local mythology close to your group or where they're going. One great thing about this game of mystery & investigation is it doesn't have to always be about the Cthulhu mythos but the people should have the skills to look into whatever if it's something folklore related like the kappa, ghosts, werewolves or other things. Best way to keep them guessing is inconsistency so send them off on some side missions occasionally to not only bump up the occult skills but stuff they're not expecting.

flashbackjuice wrote: Meet the Kappa:

This is a creature from Japanese folklore that often abducts children and solitary swimmers in rivers, and feeds upon them. In the mythos, I don't think it would be a stretch to consider these as evolutionary off-shoots of the deep ones. In fact, I love the idea that each region has their own version, which gives a real sense of the time frame that these deep ones could evolve based on location. And how people change into these things leads to fun spectulation.

As fallingtower said it can be fun to challenge players into rethinking what they know about the mythos creatures, and this can be especially true depending on the location you're in.

Love it - horror induced PSA. After Kappa catches you, he scolds you if you ate within an hour before your swam before he feasts.

tty!
Cory

fox01313 wrote:While I'm agreed on doing twists of the mythos beasties in a game, I'd also say to grab Strange Aeons II (with it's scenario set in feudal Japan), the Blood Brothers books & the one recent entry of Bumps in the Night from Pagan Publishing. For a fun thing also come up with your own stuff for local mythology close to your group or where they're going. One great thing about this game of mystery & investigation is it doesn't have to always be about the Cthulhu mythos but the people should have the skills to look into whatever if it's something folklore related like the kappa, ghosts, werewolves or other things. Best way to keep them guessing is inconsistency so send them off on some side missions occasionally to not only bump up the occult skills but stuff they're not expecting.

The more I think about this the more I think that it doesn't necessarily have to be up to the keeper to decide. I used to think that everything had to have some mythos link, but as Lovecraft and his contempories have shown, things don't necessarily have to be set in stone. Things can be contradicted or changed to give a greater sense of mystery. There could very well be other things running around besides creatures of the mythos. I think the deciding factor about whether to make things mythos linked or not is based on the players: as the game goes on, what kinds of conclusions will they reach? How will the keeper use those conclusions to change the nature of the beasts and keep the players on their toes? As long as the keeper is willing to adapt to the mindset of the players (or use it against them!) the creatures can have more fluid origins, or no origins at all to get the imagination going!

Thanks fox01313 for your insight!

On a related note: I have finished the first script for the first "lecture", and will record it tomorrow. WIll also start work on the second script too.

fox01313 wrote:[...]Strange Aeons II (with it's scenario set in feudal Japan)[...]

Red Eye of Azathoth do also have a scenario set in feudal Japan.