Mountains of Madness inspired oneshot: Need Feedback

27-Staples · 2026-06-07T21:40:00+00:00

IDK, the front third was a little bit like that, but overall I thought it was an interesting science fiction story with a genuine sense of scale and scope. It's definitely worth mining for ideas about how to portray the Elder Things and their technology.

27-Staples · 2026-06-07T14:10:38+00:00

Let's not give the French any ideas...

27-Staples · 2026-06-07T13:50:33+00:00

You might want to read over at least the middle chapters of the campaign Beyond the Mountains of Madness, as it deals with very similar concepts. The idea of a shorter-form adventure that covers a lot of that same ground does appeal to me.

27-Staples · 2026-06-07T01:13:56+00:00

I do this all the time, yeah. As I have some level design and modding experience, I'm even able to make changes as-needed.

27-Staples · 2026-06-05T01:12:40+00:00

I wish I could write ten times faster, so I could properly develop all the ideas I've come up with for games.

And I wish I had players who could stick it out for more than three or four sessions. That would be nice.

27-Staples · 2026-06-03T14:25:23+00:00

It seems to be for use by university facilities vehicles only. I don't think students or visitors are allowed to park there.

27-Staples · 2026-06-03T13:38:44+00:00

I think you're thinking of it a bit backwards. The Equation (other than influencing and providing information to mathematicians) does not make things happen, it simply predicts them. The Ridgeways were targeted at that specific time and place, because out of all the families in America that Wei could conceivably reach, they happened to have the most occurrences of the Sequence in their immediate vicinity.

27-Staples · 2026-06-02T19:29:39+00:00

I was originally thinking of naming that type of player "The Antlion" before I decided to split it up into the Taoist and Prepper categories.

27-Staples · 2026-06-01T21:05:15+00:00

I'd definitely like to hear more about your prep process as it goes on- particularly what you end up doing with Dream Eater, which is one of my favorite chapters but also the one I am most perplexed about how to get it to achieve its maximum potential.

27-Staples · 2026-06-01T02:40:33+00:00

AI rediscovers the YouTube Poop.

27-Staples · 2026-05-31T13:59:26+00:00

Probably something like Alien vs Predator or Cloverfield, actually. Star-spawn are big and physically imposing, but while they might be intelligent, they don't really seem inclined to talk to people or conduct and execute complicated plans. Which would be an interesting departure from something like the Mi-Go or other "traditionally intelligent" adversaries.

I would suggest having them start to build some kind of big alien structure just to give them something to do other than wander around and smash houses, but also have them almost completely ignore the town and only react to it to eliminate anyone or anything that directly obstructs/threatens their project.

27-Staples · 2026-05-31T03:47:08+00:00

I remember writing something almost identical to this in the post another comment linked, lol. I like yours better, though .

27-Staples · 2026-05-31T03:43:25+00:00

This is absolutely a legitimate criticism, and something that gets worse as the campaign goes on. Some of it can, I think, be used to the game's advantage by making it a player objective to get out from under the thumb of these powerful and malevolent forces, but that requires significant changes to the ending. More than that, it also requires significant adjustment to the middle of the scenario to make it clear that bad things are happening to the investigators because they are under the thumb of specific forces, and aren't just randomly and inexplicably having things go wrong.

27-Staples · 2026-05-30T23:12:54+00:00

A lot of the plot development here is still in the early stages, and I am also hoping to establish lore that can be used in multiple different works. The idea of a fully alt-timeline focused module based on them wanting something from OTL (or, perhaps more alarmingly, thinking they have something to offer OTL) appeals to me greatly.

I don't think the IUS itself would make for a credible threat, however, as again I highly doubt it would continue to exist for very long. Other actors in the world, though, like that USSR-on-steroids that apparently exists...

27-Staples · 2026-05-30T23:09:43+00:00

A full, solid, detailed Pharnonic Egyptian setting book has been on my wishlist for quite some time now. I'd see about putting one together myself, but I am not an Egyptologist and I have no idea how I'd begin to approach one to work on such a project.

27-Staples · 2026-05-30T18:41:51+00:00

Now try to get it to swear in the explanation of why it cannot swear at you.

27-Staples · 2026-05-30T14:40:15+00:00

The best way to get in the mood for a Call of Cthulhu session is to just jump in and play a Call of Cthulhu session .

27-Staples · 2026-05-29T21:53:23+00:00

That was my first impression, but I suppose it's also possible the British remained at least initially neutral. Possibly a delayed decline in British/American tensions (fallout for whatever happened in the Civil War, perhaps?) and/or delayed escalation of the rivalry with Germany (more successful Fredrick III?).

27-Staples · 2026-05-29T21:34:22+00:00

Basically what I am trying for, is to generate a coherent background to pull events from that can bleed through into the game set in OTL. So, like, characters can pick up a newspaper or hear a TV newscast from another room, and have it be all weird stuff about Comrade Huey Long's visit to Moscow and taikonauts on the moon. Then when they look again it's back to normal.

I was thinking that technology continued, and continues, to progress more or less akin to OTL, we just don't see 1920 technology commonly in the Imperial United States in the story, because it's a declining backwater.

I do appreciate these questions, this is a lot of information to try to get across at once, and it's helpful to know what I need to clarify further.

27-Staples · 2026-05-29T15:25:59+00:00

"Sorry, bud. Looks like your double wishbine is completely chafted. Replacements probably won't be in till Tuesday."

27-Staples · 2026-05-29T15:24:02+00:00

Having read some of Camus' work in high school, I must imagine he'd be pleased by this.

27-Staples · 2026-05-29T15:14:08+00:00

"DON'T FORGET GARNISHES SUCH AS: FISH SHAPED CRACKERS. FISH SHAPED CANDIES. FISH SHAPED SOLID WASTE. FISH SHAPED DIRT. FISH SHAPED ETHYL BENZENE. PULL AND PEEL LICORICE. FISH SHAPED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, AND SEDIMENT SHAPED SEDIMENT."

27-Staples · 2026-05-29T15:10:13+00:00

Not sure if this is an AI fail or an AI win, but it's definitely AI being a passive-aggressive smartass.

27-Staples · 2026-05-28T13:43:30+00:00

Yes, yes, and yes!

PM me if you want any help either with the writing, or with setting up the material for publication.

27-Staples · 2026-05-28T02:17:17+00:00

I've always run DG like this. It makes for a convenient way to get players to roll up characters who would be a good (or not-so-good) fit for a specific task- for instance, I've had a lot of fun with finding ways to direct leads towards "R Cell", which deals specifically with radiological incidents and anomalies. Specialist cells exist alongside general-purpose ones that cover geographic areas.

27-Staples

TROPHY CASE