MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

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Keeper Dan
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MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by Keeper Dan » Tue May 05, 2015 1:16 am

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In episode 78, Dan, Jon and Murph load up their typewriter drums and tighten the screws on organized crime and the Mythos.


Campus Crier
Atomic-Age Cthulhu Fiction has been released!

A print edition of Cthulhu Through the Ages is now available.

Chaosium has released an "Enhanced Horror on the Orient Express Download."
We just added files to this download so that you can load the core game books onto your iPad or Kindle and resize the text. In addition, we added two booklets of hi-resolution Player Maps and Keeper Maps, added a 1923 Calendar, and replaced the European Route Map and the Air Routes Map with ones of high resolution as well. With this purchase you receive the following items in the indicated formats. If you previously purchased the Horror on the Orient Express PDF you should be able to log into you account, go to the COMPLETED ORDERS section, and download the files.
The Bundle of GUMSHOE is almost done! Night's Black Agents, Ashen Stars, Mutant City Blues, and more!

Strange alien-like life zones found beneath Antarctic glacier - Dust off your Lovecraft and your Laundry Files, then detour to Mars

Antarctica's Mysterious 'Blood Falls' Explained In New Study - via Huffington Post

There is a moon in the Firefly 'Verse called Hastur. It’s a moon of Beaumonde in the Kalidasa system. More here.


E-Mail Feedback
Keeper Kent:
Hey Keepers!

Thanks for answering my question on episode 77!
Concerning Analysis Paralysis, I had an interesting moment of it mid-combat during a recent session. I was running "The Haunting" for my new group and they had reached the Floating Dagger portion of the scenario. My players took turns taking damage from dagger for three rounds. Fortunately for them, I was rolling crap for damage. Well, after one player took the dagger for the third time, I realized they had no clue what to do other than slowly die. To break the paralysis, I gave one of the players an Idea Roll. Luckily he passed and I told him the best time to grab the knife might be while it is wedged in his partner's back. Things went better after this.

You guys talked in the main topic about dream settings. I immediately thought of a place in my neck of the woods: Mammoth Cave. I'm sure a cave system could be problematic, but one of this size could have a lot of hidden horrors. Plus, the cave system is here in Kentucky so there is potential for crazy hillbillies.

I'm wanting to bring a Hound of Tindalos into a game soon to use as a kind of curse on a character. I think it would inspire paranoia and a sense of coming dread. Are there any scenarios that use the Hounds? Or do any of you have any thoughts on using a Hound?

Congrats on meeting your funding goals on Joyride! I hope I can clear up some money to throw a little your way. In the meantime, I will tell people about the show. Keep of the good work!
Keeper Kent
Assorted mentions during the Crier:

Plan 9 From Halloween

The Descent

As Above, So Below

We have a great feature at the end of the show that is a recording of an orientation for the Laundry organization from Keeper Ant UK. It’s too long to insert here, but it’s a lot of fun so stay tuned after the leadout bumper.


Cryptocurium Spotlight
The June Parcel of Terror has been announced!

Contents:
“At the Mountains of Madness” Wall Plaque (Fragment 1)
Dracula Sticker – A high quality pearl finish die cut sticker of Dracula from the classic Universal Monster film. Produced from original artwork
“Winifred Sanderson” Spell Book Page– A recreation of a page torn from the grimoire of the eccentric Salem witch, Winifred Sanderson. Printed on high quality parchment paper.
Chucky Magnet– “Hi, I’m Chucky. Wanna play?” The fifth in our series of exclusive “slasher magnets” available ONLY through the Parcel of Terror.
“Jigsaw Piece of Flesh” Pin– The “Jigsaw Killer” would carve jigsaw shaped pieces of flesh from the bodies of victims that failed his test. This was meant to represent the piece of the “human puzzle” each victim was missing. Cast in solid resin
Mystery Candy Item


Main Topic
Organized crime and the mythos. The published adventures are full of crooks and gangsters, and it's often a popular investigator career choice. Crooks and rum-runners are up at all hours of the night, operating in lonely places. Smugglers hide out in old tunnels and making odd contacts. What does a mob hit man do when his target is a deathless shaman? What happens when the mob turns to the mythos for aid in furthering their capabilities? What about mobsters as uneasy allies to more law-abiding investigators in fighting mythos threats?

Links to stuff we mentioned:

Ghouls of the Miskatonic: Book One of The Dark Waters Trilogy

King of Chicago (on YSDC)

King of Chicago (on DriveThruRPG)

Missed Dues and Other Adventures

Diehard Game Fan Review of the 7th Edition Keeper's Screen Pack
Keeper Dan of the Miskatonic University Podcast

Scott Dorward
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Re: MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by Scott Dorward » Tue May 05, 2015 10:06 am

Great episode, chaps! I love scenarios involving organised crime and the Mythos. There's something delightful about having hardened, driven characters, used to inspiring fear, suddenly discovering that they are far from the scariest things around.

You mentioned Blackwater Creek in passing. It is actually another organised crime scenario. The default mode involves a group of bootlegger player characters heading into rural Lovecraft Country to secure a new source of locally produced whiskey. You can also play it as a team from the Miskatonic University heading to the same place for different purposes.

While the Missed Dues and Other Adventures collection was only available at Gen Con 2013, both Missed Dues and Blackwater Creek are in the new Keeper Screen pack. A revised version of The Moonchild, Paul's scenario from the collection, appears in Nameless Horrors, which should be out soon.

There is, as you may imagine, a long and storied history of organised crime in the UK. Rather than write an essay on the subject, I'll just mention a few items of potential interest.

A recent TV series named Peaky Blinders is about gangsters in Birmingham just after World War I. I've yet to see it, but I've heard nothing but good things about it.

There was a rise in crime of all sorts during World War II, partly driven by the black market. Many previously honest people became criminals, often inadvertently as the law became more draconian, and many turned to gangsters to get around rationing restrictions. I've written a scenario about wartime gangsters and black markets, named The Meat Trade, for the upcoming World War Cthulhu: London book.

In the 1960s, some London gangsters became celebrities in a similar way as those in prohibition America had been. The Kray twins in particular used to rub shoulders with the rich and famous, largely through the nightclubs they ran. Their rivals, the Richardson Gang, were less glamorous and even more brutal.

Moving on from organised crime, if you want to see an interesting horror take on the Blood Falls, you may want to watch a recent Austrian horror film called Blood Glacier. It's actually a pretty mediocre film, but it has some ideas worth nicking.

Jon mentioned that he was having trouble getting the hang of GUMSHOE. Would you like me to run some Trail of Cthulhu for you? I've finished the opening section of A Poison Tree, and it works as a one-shot.

Oh, and I loved Keeper Ant UK's Laundry piece at the end! Terrific stuff!

KeeperAntUK
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Re: MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by KeeperAntUK » Tue May 05, 2015 11:26 am

Thanks very much Scott, just a little silliness leaking out of my brain ! Plus, any old excuse to try out new accents and characters :)

Thanks also to guys for allowing it on the podcast ... Much appreciated.

I have a few ideas for further episodes, and I'll try and keep them shorter in the future. I just got a little carried away!

Another great episode guys :D

Keeper Jon
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Re: MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by Keeper Jon » Tue May 05, 2015 3:24 pm

Scott Dorward wrote: Jon mentioned that he was having trouble getting the hang of GUMSHOE. Would you like me to run some Trail of Cthulhu for you? I've finished the opening section of A Poison Tree, and it works as a one-shot.
Hmm... how can I put this? YES!!! :cthulhudance:

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Re: MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by WinstonP » Tue May 05, 2015 3:33 pm

[thunderclap]

Here's all the organized crime related material for CoC (classic era) that I can think of:
Scenarios
Blackwater Creek - Missed Dues; play as mobsters
Call of Duty - Free scenario by Dennis Detwiller; includes mobster enemies
Day of the Beast (campaign) - includes mobster enemies
Dead in the Water- Kingsport (encounter with rum runners)
Dead Man Stomp - CoC rules; scenario involves mobsters, can be run with PCs as criminals
Fear in a Bottle - Dead Leaves Fall; includes mobster enemies
The Hopeful – More Adventures in Arkham Country; includes mobster enemies
The Innsmouth Connection - Before the Fall; includes mobster enemies
The King of Chicago - The King of Chicago; includes mobster enemies
The Little People - Fifth Edition Keeper's Kit (CHA5110); play as mobsters
Oath of Blood - Blood Brothers
One in Darkness - The Great Old Ones; includes mobster enemies
The Secret of Marseilles - The King of Chicago; includes mobster enemies

Other Articles and Material
Arkham Unveiled/H.P. Lovecraft's Arkham - entries on Arkham gangsters
Kingsport/H.P. Lovecraft's Kingsport - entries on speakeasies and other local criminals
"Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" - The Black Seal #1
Meet the Walsh Family - Island of Ignorance; Mythos-connected rum runners
"What You Should Know About the Tommygun" - The Unspeakable Oath 14/15

[disappears in a puff of smoke]

Scott Dorward
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Re: MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by Scott Dorward » Tue May 05, 2015 5:05 pm

Keeper Jon wrote:
Scott Dorward wrote: Jon mentioned that he was having trouble getting the hang of GUMSHOE. Would you like me to run some Trail of Cthulhu for you? I've finished the opening section of A Poison Tree, and it works as a one-shot.
Hmm... how can I put this? YES!!! :cthulhudance:
Excellent! Given the time difference, weekends may work best for us (afternoon your time, evening mine), but I can also be available most Fridays.

I can take up for five players, and ideally no fewer than four. Do you know other players who may be interested and available? If not, I can try to round some up.

KeeperAntUK
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Re: MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by KeeperAntUK » Tue May 05, 2015 5:47 pm

Can we have a game log, recording or write up of the game when you play it ? Pweeeeeeeeeeeeease :mrgreen:

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Re: MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by Scott Dorward » Tue May 05, 2015 5:54 pm

KeeperAntUK wrote:Can we have a game log, recording or write up of the game when you play it ? Pweeeeeeeeeeeeease :mrgreen:
At the risk of being a grump, I may have to decline. This is a project in development and I'm not sure it's a good idea to get recordings out there while it's in this state. Sorry about that!

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Re: MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by KeeperAntUK » Tue May 05, 2015 6:01 pm

Perfectly reasonable response Scott .... No grump-risker are you :D

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Re: MUP 078 - Leave the Mythos, Take the Cannoli

Post by caddy1071 » Fri May 08, 2015 3:31 am

Hi! As a note - I've run my version of Blackwater Creek (my standard investigators version - pre-gens to get the pre-primed conflicts of Scott's original gangster version) at a few Cons, and I have threatened multiple times to run it online... Sounds like this time is as good as any to move forward on that promise. :p I think I've gotten it where I'd like it, and I'd love to share. Love the scenario, and entirely would like to involve others in the goodness - I'll put in a post on the play board if anybody is interested.

As an aside - if you need another Trail player and our prestigious Keepers can't make it, I'd LOVE to sit in - I've been wanting to get in on a Trail game forever, that would be flipping awesome. :p

Great show guys!

tty!
Cory
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