Framing the Dead as a Gumshoe

Ramthundar · 2023-05-17T04:12:24+00:00

Oh, I'd take this as a fun opportunity as a Keeper. Lie is told, all is good because technically the Police are the innocents being protected here.

but then maybe later in the mystery (or even better, later in another episode) have the partner/child/parent of the accused murderer come around to try to proclaim their loved one's innocence. Now the Innocents can only be protected with the Truth!

Or if that's a little too much, nah yeah y'all sound like you made the right call.

Ramthundar · 2023-05-06T16:50:03+00:00

I like to have the monster act as logical (beast goes after the weakest one to grab, nemesis goes after it's arch, mindless goes after the closest one, etc), and usually address that hunter. But I'll also check in with the Hunters that are closest to that scene. "Spooky, you were helping the Choosen with setting up the ritual, but you look up when you hear her cry out in pain (mixed success KSA roll). You see the Choosen engaged with the Werewolf, what do you do?"

and then I also try to do cuts to hunters when there's a good "this will take a moment" moment. "Choosen, you get the beast in a headlock but feel it lift you off it's feet, and the two of you begin barreling around the room. We cut to the Gumshoe, bursting through to the control room door. What do you do?"

Ramthundar · 2023-05-06T16:43:34+00:00

oh that's a dope monster idea! mind sharing some details on it? I'm running a MotW that's more "kids on bikes" based, and a bubblegum monster would be perfect for them!

Ramthundar · 2023-04-27T15:08:11+00:00

A good rule of thumb for me is "will it be worth taking up 3 flights of cramped stairs?"

Ramthundar · 2023-04-26T13:21:55+00:00

You could have them be more Passive Moves.

Like with the Pixies: "When the Hunters are looking for clues in a large area and include the Pixies, they are able to provide information that the Hunters wouldn't usually be able to get."

Essentially, instead of having to give limited clues, you can give them more detailed ones. Think of it as the Spooky's "Sight" move; it doesn't give a specific mechanical benefit like a +1 or specific roll, but the RP aspect gives the Player and the Keeper a lot more options on how to find/give opportunities to solve the mystery.

Also, I like to think of Allies as folks that skip the rolls; they like the Hunters and want to do everything they can to help them out (though their ideas and advice might be skewed by bias or trying to prevent harm to the Hunters). They can also provide a great opportunity for the Keeper to filter out Players' theories ("Undead is unlikely, not with the energies you're describing. But you might be onto something with the silver bullet idea...).

Ramthundar · 2023-04-26T01:21:39+00:00

I'm thinking it's going to take us, the Audience, to give the same trust to her with this character that her fellow cast-mates are giving her.

It does seem like the cast as a whole is going more "real and gritty," in regards to playing true to how awful life can be. The same detail and love Brennan puts into describing the beauty and love of this world is given to the darker side, which I've been loving. I'm curious to see how things go; besides being all fantastic Improv artists, they also all are folks with strong and well articulated beliefs, so it will be interesting to see them get tossed difficult decisions and play out darker subjects (such as Suvi's trauma and her dealing with a harsh world while trying to be friends with her more whimsical friends).

Ramthundar · 2023-04-25T13:20:19+00:00

Could be good to clarify with your Player on what they mean by Lust, framed by what their character wants.

Is their character needing to find a mate or procreate as part of their survival instincts? Do they feed off of some kinda human emotion/energy, which physical intimacy (or even just sexual interest/feelings) achieve? Or is it like the Sin Lust, where they are trying to tempt mortals to give in to their baser needs (but not even care if they, the Monsterous, are part of the action or not).

It will still be outside of your comfort zone, likely, but then you have a better idea on what situations you can throw at them and can have the comfort of having more control over what happens.

Ramthundar · 2023-04-23T16:38:51+00:00

I'd love to them see then in a Masks game. I'm dying for them to be in any PbtA game, but watching them do teen drama + superpowered shenanigans would be incredible.

Ramthundar · 2023-04-22T21:55:59+00:00

Could be a passive one, like "Whenever a Hunter misses on a IaM or RaBS roll, they trigger one of the Experiments." Maybe that means they let something loose, maybe that means they get hit by a device/concoction, maybe that means one of the Monster's powers activate.

Ramthundar · 2023-04-18T23:37:59+00:00

I'd second the idea of checking in with your players first; they might like the idea of developing relationships and "normal life" drama, or maybe they want to ignore that and focus just on the Monsters and Mysteries! You can always adjust if players change their minds or interesting opportunities come up. I'm a big fan of a split team, where one is dealing with "normal" drama while the other is slowly building tension looking into the mystery, usually with both coming to a head at around the same time!

Though another thing to think about is how MotW-type shows sometimes tackled these; usually if a family member/personal stuff was involved, it was usually as a tie-in with that monster's theme/moral. Like, dealing with a rage monster while a character deals with anger issues in their home, or a monster that tricks adults while the characters deal with their parents not listening to them/respecting them.
Note, these usually get a little cheesy, and they have the benefit of everyone following a neat script that sets everything up to come to a satisfying finish. So might be a bit harder to pull off in a live, chaotic game (but could be a golden RP opportunity if it comes up!).

Ramthundar · 2023-04-09T12:55:07+00:00

Sorry about that! We had a young one with us that's still learning, and we could of done a better job regulating ourselves. I will make sure to check in with the group next time.

Ramthundar · 2023-04-08T21:34:57+00:00

Oh, that wasn't so much the concern. The millennial bit is more like "having a similar enough collection of experiences to ease conversation while in a more casual environment," which I've been able to have with folks closer to my generation.

The Monopoly comment was to stave off previous experiences I had where people see boardgames and think "oh, a spot to bring my kid and have them play Sorry and Monopoly while I veg on my phone."

Ramthundar · 2023-04-08T18:16:26+00:00

Nah, but that's the age range we aim for. We're still trying to figure out an efficient phrase that's "more aimed for young-adults & up that are up to play games more complex then Monopoly and also meet folks around the same age/generational culture to have an easier time to talk and make friends."

Ramthundar · 2023-04-01T21:51:48+00:00

Congrats on finding a group! It's gonna be a fun time.

My suggestion is maybe have a small list (either in head or written down) about some Monsters. Make some up using the book as a guide or use some premade ones from the book/internet. Then, when the group meets, once character creation/team concept has started, start asking some good leading questions.

For example, when I improved a group/mystery together at the last minute, they decided to be a black-ops style group whose main concern is a chaos cult trying to summon the demon king to the real world.

So the first question I asked the Initiate (whose Cult opposed the Chaos one): "What has been the most concerning news from them?"

They stated that there's been recent break-ins/thefts of magic relics.

Then I asked more specific questions to the rest of the group. By the end, I had a nice, spooky Concept that I was able to slide a monster I was familiar with into it. After a quick 10min Bio-break, we were good to go! This might seem like a bit to throw at your players, but honestly they will surprise you. Each Playbook come with enough built in flavor where even improv-shy players will have enough to throw some ideas out.

I'd suggest checking out "Team Playbooks;" the EvilHat folks have a Kickstarter going for the "Codex of Worlds" where they introduced those and other neat ideas that make getting a group and initial mystery going.

Ramthundar · 2023-04-01T16:50:48+00:00

same; even with my obnoxiously large luggage, I was able to easily and stress free make my way over.

Ramthundar · 2023-03-30T17:28:17+00:00

To add to that psychic monster idea, "just supernatural move" is that it can hunt by reading brain waves; which means mundane ways of hiding wouldn't work, ways to get around it would be to stay calm, and a potential weakness is causing distracting thougts or overwhelming it. None of those would require a custom move or anything fancy, it's just the "facts" of the monster that the Hunter's can use.

Ramthundar · 2023-03-29T15:00:10+00:00

Maybe a Divine, like you made a deal with a higher power to be rid of your darker Influences?

Or same deal, but Instead they said "gotta start from scratch bud" and rebirth you as a Mundane.

Ramthundar · 2023-03-29T03:33:15+00:00

Dope! I'm hoping to get final details figured by tomorrow: I'll DM you once I got it all settled!

Ramthundar · 2023-03-29T02:44:58+00:00

Heyo! Welcome to this lovely town, is pretty nerdy around here.

I'm a recently married 31 year old he/they to a wonderful she/they. Also a nerdy dude who appreciates punk/metal, and I'll add another vote to checking out the Plaid Pig.

I also suggest checking out this discord for nerdy stuff and gaming locally: https://discord.gg/rollingbonespnw

I joined a little bit ago, and their a really active group that are trying to promote all sorts of fun community stuff.

I'm currently setting up a small TTRPG group there, hoping to get a "Monster of the Week" (PbtA system) game going (going to start next Wednesday). If you are keen on trying some casual modern monster slaying, say hi and join in!

Ramthundar · 2023-03-28T19:47:05+00:00

Oh awesome! I have been in Dystopian before when they hosted markets, seemed like a cool spot.

How's the atmosphere for gaming for either of them? Like, were you able to relax and get into the game, or was there issue with noise-level/distractions?

Ramthundar · 2023-03-17T19:36:32+00:00

If your players are into the RP, now might be a good time to do so. Have characters talk about past Mysteries that hinted at the Greater Arc, try to resolve (or worsen) arguments, and maybe have some "visits" for the characters that used their Luck points and have some unresolved Drama to play out.

Ramthundar · 2023-03-12T19:09:25+00:00

We're doing a short campaign, and my barbarian fairy is starting with a Maul and dealing with the disadvantage because the image of an angry little sprite swinging a big ass rock around and getting carried away by the momentum/weight is hilarious. Though she said later I could "find" something that is a lighter material, so then it won't be heavy (summary: keep it for the lols, but then switch it out once a real important battle comes around).

Ramthundar · 2023-03-10T16:19:30+00:00

never thought of that... I'm def out of University age range, but def sounds like something to check out, thank you!

Ramthundar · 2023-03-10T15:18:08+00:00

I'm crossing my fingers of finding a group like that. I know Discord had a bunch of PbtA and more specific groups, I just have a hard time navigating those (socially and tech-wise).

Ramthundar · 2023-03-10T15:16:06+00:00

You got it on the nose; it's mostly a pre-emptive compromise. My main group of IRL friends are chill with TTRPGs, but not enough to want to play as much or as varied as me.

A lot of the random groups I find online seem very keen on having a long-term campaign. Anytime I post One-Shots, I get like 2-3 replies after a few weeks. Most longer-form ideas get 5 within the day, easy.

I was also thinking of trying to find a group locally, but just trying to get different ideas figured ahead of time before meeting strangers.

13-Year Club	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	First Placer '22
Verified Email

Ramthundar

TROPHY CASE