The Enemy Within
Gumshoe in the Old World Campaign Blog
TEW Interlude: Night's Reach for Laundry
The Enemy Within has hit pause due to the availability of players to continue the campaign. I do have an idea to progress the story with parallel adventures run with groups of differing composition - but, that hasn't panned out just yet.
In the meantime, while I await the convergence of stellars bodies, I have been using my time to fiddle with Night's Black Laundry.
Sometime last year, I tried it for the first time - using the rules from Pelgrane Press's Night's Black Agents (Gumshoe high action espionage versus vampires) to run a game in Charles Stross's The Laundry universe - where Cthulhu meets paperclip audits in modern UK government bureaucracy. I combined a little of Trail of Cthulhu's Idiosyncratic Magic (which Rough Magicks expanded) with the core skills and setup of Night's Black Agents - then sprinkled in some computer and occult focussed abilities. Voila!
It worked out well, except the players struggled a little with character generation. While NBA offers packages to for a standard point cost, which form the basis of a character's background, the players always seemed to end up at a loose end on point allocation. Despite guidance and advice, all seemed to struggle a bit. I want to run a game where the players could get on and have fun, without worrying about the numbers.
Then I read Robin Law's The Gaean Reach...
Robin has taken Gumshoe system and masterfully blended it with elements of his game Skulduggery. Skulduggery seems to be all about getting the game going with easy character generation and prompted script taglines for a bit of narrative energy. In The Gaean Reach, these mechanics mean that the crunch part of character generation happens in moments. With the numbers assigned, players can concentrate on the story of their character and why they've set out on a path to vengeance.
Gaean Reach character generation uses a set of cards, which outline Knowledge, Persona and Life. Each has a selection of Investigative and/or General Skills with point values. Once all combined, the player can tweak the scores a bit and add a few spare points - then get on with the story and the game.
I adapted the approach for Night's Black Laundry. Players select a Background, Persona and Department card - which says something about where they came from before The Laundry, how they interact with people, and where they've been assigned at Capital Laundry Services. They can tweak scores - providing nothing assigned drops to zero; add 3 points to Investigative skills; and, add 15 points to General skills. Then they're done.
In The Gaean Reach, taglines are the other new feature to grace standard Gumshoe. Taglines provide pithy quips, retorts and comedowns intended to convey the flavour of Jack Vance's books and short stories of the setting. If a player uses the tagline very well, they earn lots of tokens; not so well, but in the right way, they earn just one. The player can use those tokens to buy extra expertise, use General skills with zero ability, or even save them from certain death. The tagline/token economy helps grease the wheels of play and conjure the right atmosphere.
In adapting the mechanics to Night's Black Laundry, I have taken the (frankly offensive) office banter and buzzwordplay of modern business and dropped them into the tagline pot. When you're idea-showering your next mission from soup-to-nuts, we'll all know when to car park discussion about the elephant in the room.
- Night's Black Laundry character sheet
- Night's Black Laundry character generation cards
- Night's Black Laundry tagline slips
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TEW #3: Jewels and Jawbones
By way of preamble, last night proved to be the end of the current, and first, adventure in The Enemy Within sequence, which means it went as planned - which is nice for a change! As it happens, it ended rather thoughtfully and with a minimum of bloodshed, which was also very interesting.
With my eye on the ball in earlier sessions, I suspect I could have left one character Shaken from Stability loss in this part of the adventure and the others not too far behind. I became far more wary of the presence of dead bodies and rat men, requiring several rolls from each character and some careful Stability point management.
I prepped specifications for a drug, which ultimately didn't see use due to some forceful action from our Road Warden, Konrad. I suspect it will make an appearance later - no GM prep goes wasted, as Kevin Kulp noted in a Gumshoe thread about it.
Anyway, on to the session itself...
The Session
We started in two locations - the sewers beneath the river port of Delberz, and the marketplace outside the temple of Ranald directly above.
The group had split, with Amelie and Erich below, and Konrad, Eva and Ende above. The duo below stood in the shadows of a side pipe and watched three rat things scuttling by. Amelie gasped and Erich swung around to silence her (Amelie failed her Stability test), noting the scarred cheek of one figure. Erich could see these figure wore skulls on their heads, giving them the appearance of giant rat people; Amelie could see nothing of the sort, whipping herself into a state of panic, especially when Erich suggested following the three men. It seemed clear to the urchin that the scarred man must be his friend, Franz. What was he up to?
On the surface, the doctor sought out a street trader to ask if they'd seen anything suspicious, while Ende consulted her maps and Konrad withdrew into the shadows of the temple. As Eva purchased a couple of meat-on-a-stick delights, the manhole cover they'd emerged earlier rose and a rat head appeared. Both Konrad and Ende react badly, the road warden aghast and the halfling stumbling and dropping her notes on the floor (failed Stability). Eva turned at the sound of Ende's fall and (with a successful Stability roll and a successful Athletics) darted across and slammed the cover down on the ratman. Swearing echoed up the pipe.
The trio decided to follow, with Eva sharing a bet with Konrad that these were men and not rats. The gruff road warden, shrugging off his jitters about these horrid creatures, accepted the easy money.
In the sewer, Erich and Amelie had walked down the tunnel when they heard the cursing. The rat men reappeared before them, but this time - with some reassurance from Erich - Amelie realised the ruse of these men-in-masks. Two stepped forward, drawing swords, while the third stayed back. One of the sword-bearing men attempted to jump across the sewer flow, but (totally screwing up the roll) misjudged badly, slipped and fell in.
As Konrad descended the ladder from above, he glanced down and saw the guy at the back extracting a red triangle of material from inside his robe (Notice). The sight took him back to the hidden fight club beneath the granary.
Konrad had wagered on the first fight, but got dispirited with his loss. Nevertheless, he and Erich had stayed around for further fights. The third had been between two wiry fighters who looked equally matched in their potential. As they lowered the second fighter, Konrad saw him palm a red triangle from inside his leather vest and press the packet to his nose.
When the fight started, they circled each other, sharing a few punches and feints, then the second fighter stumbled and paused. The first immediately took advantage and started hitting hard, the crowd above cheering and shouting enthusiastically. Then the staggered fighter shook his head and surged forward. His first struck his opponent in the belly and even over the clamour of the crowd, Konrad could hear the crack of ribs and the wet tear of flesh. After that the fight became utterly one-sided, bones and flesh breaking and rending with every punch. The crowd roared, and the two nobles watching seemed to froth with exciting, almost orgasmic in their response. In the end, the organizer hauled the first fighter up. All but dead, the man had clearly sustained a bestial assault, folds of intestine visible through his bloody torn abdomen.
Back in the sewer, Konrad reacted instinctively. He dropped down the ladder, like a human cannonball, striking the man beneath hard (Athletics) without injury to himself. The triangle of fabric flew from his hands, the content scattered across the sewer flow. Konrad grabbed the man by his scruff and belt, throwing him bodily across the tunnel. He landed hard and heavy against the path on the opposite side, cracking his skull and knocking him out cold (fantastic Strongman roll with extra spend).
Franz reacted to the situation by turning to run along the tunnel to alert the others, but Erich called his name. Franz turned and seemed to half recognize the caller, so leapt across the flow, with sword drawn. Erich struck out at Franz's weapon (Street Fighter versus a poor roll for Franz with Weapon Training) and knocked it into the water. He pleaded with his one time friend to stand down and explain what was going on. Franz uttered something about a ceremony and that Skreth would be preparing already to bring an end. Eva scoffed that the three men had hardly offered much resistance.
Konrad spoke up and Franz focussed on him for the first time. After a moments pause, Franz said, "Aren't you dead already? I'm sure I killed you...". Konrad hardly missed a beat, though Erich and Eva seemed worried and intrigued by the odd comment. Konrad convinced Franz, who seemed bewildered and distant (failed Stability check) that he and the group represented an Altdorf branch of the rat cult (Blather). Franz appeared convinced and hurried them in the direction of the hideout, urging them on as the ceremony would have started already.
Amelie took a moment to search the body of the cultist out cold and found a fabric triangle in his robe. Eva took it and checked the content. She found a salt-and-pepper powder speckled with flecks of green. She pulled a couple of bottles from her bag and completed a quick analysis based on her expertise (Alchemy, Medicine, Occult Studies). It appeared to be some kind of stimulant dosed with a small amount of what appeared to be warpstone. Eva fished around in her bag and found a sedative which she believed strong enough to knock out someone taking the drug before it kicked in.
With Franz leading the way, Konrad chose to brazen the entrance into the hideout under the guise of the Altdorf branch. Ende hid beneath Eva skirt with her crossbow and a sock filled with small rocks as back-up. When they reached the top of the stairs, they found a single cultist and between Franz and Konrad (Blather) they negotiated their presence and access to the ceremony. Once they'd passed through the outer room, while most went to get ceremonial robes, Konrad slipped back and coshed the unsuspecting fellow.
Inside, it seemed clear that like the short-cut into the basement of the Dralst house, this too was some crypt or similar place. Elaborate masonry slabs and pillars scattered about the interior, and one robed they found a bridge spanning a section of the sewer. The ceremony lay in a large, vaulted chamber beyond, with half-a-dozen cultists surrounding Skreth. Skreth stood amidst a pile of bodies, holding a small bound volume in his left hand, and with some sort of ceremonial dagger tucked in his belt.
Erich noted the body of Klauss on top of the pile. Eva realised from a distance that he appeared bruised but unharmed (Medicine). The chanting left the cultists oblivious, so the group spread out and stood behind the men in the circle. Erich realised he recognised a face amongst them as one of the servants in the neightbourhood around the Dralst house.
Eva stepped into the circle as the chanting gathered in strength and snatched for the dagger in Skreth's belt (Athletics). Skreth reacted too slow, but continued chanting - so Eva came in close and made to strike with the weapon. Engrossed in the ritual and too slow to react (Street Fighter), Eva stabbed Skreth in the mouth, piercing his tongue out through the bottom of his jaw. Gurgling blood, he thrashed to pull free; two cultists witnessing the attack turned and ran, while both Ende and Amelie felt a cold sweat break and their guts churn at the sight (a couple of failed Stability checks). Konrad stepped in and coshed the cultist behind Skreth, while everyone else engaged with varying degrees of success.
While Ende missed with a crossbow bolt, she managed a stunning strike to the groin with her Watch-issue knuckledusters that burst one of the cultist's family jewels. (The group agreed at this point that both male characters should have a Stability check, which Erich narrowly failed).
In the end, three cultists lay unconscious, three ran, and Skreth lay dead at the centre. Eva took the grimoire from his hands and kept the ceremonial dagger. Ende seemed confused and distant (with only 4-points of her Stability remaining). She gazed at the pile of corpses and muttered, "You are dead already, Konrad. Look." The group inspected the pile and pulled out the corpse Ende pointed to. Clean shaven, less weathered, but ultimately dead, the body resembled Konrad like a birth twin. A search of his tattered and bloody scraps of clothing revealed a letter address to Herr Kastor Lieberung concerning an inheritance, from a lawyers firm in Bögenhafen. It would appear that Konrad stood to gain a considerable sum of money...
From a GM perspective
I ended up happy with the way this ended, especially as the group found a relatively bloodless way to end the threat. Indeed, Eva seemed quite sympathic to that fact that the cult was composed of downtrodden servants who, like their masters, simply sought to have a club of their own to retire to in the evenings. The suggestion of Skaven kept the threat real until it obviously wasn't and then the group found a way to deal with it without getting too heavy.
From a campaign perspective, I have set a few wheels in motion and cast some threads about that the group can follow-up later or ignore. What created the burned tunnels? What ritual was Skreth attempting to cast and how did it come into his possession? Who was Pierre? What were the nobles up to? How did the cult come into possession of this dangerous drug? And what about that inheritance?
This adventure replaces the original Mistaken Identity from The Enemy Within. I have said from the outset that I don't plan to keep slavishly to the original campaign, because that opens the campaign up to abuse in the hands of anyone who has read or played the original, even if only in part. I can assume my players that while a few elements remain and the conclusion might well be more or less the same, the road to get there has plenty of surprises.
From the perspective of using Gumshoe, I thought it went well enough. If anything, my own handling of the game system needs to improve. I might tweak the Ability list, as I think the current set might benefit from an Interrogation-style addition - something for the forceful extraction of information without resort to physical injury with Torture.
Once I got in the swing, Stability checks came easily enough - and I definitely can see them becoming a serious threat further down the road. The characters will need to face threats with caution and moderation, else suffer the onset of creeping insanity.
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TEW #2: Sewers and Sibilance
At the end of the last session, the group had discovered three dead bodies in the home of the Dralst merchant family. Wary of drawing attention and blame upon themselves, they went out into the street to hail local authorities and alert them to the tragedy.
The second session kicked off, with a very brief recap and the current state of affairs. Having raised the alarm with neighbours and called for the watch, the Black Caps arrived - a half dozen men and women. A stern man, with his cap rolled and tucked in his belt, appeared to lead the squad. Dark brown hair combed back tight across his pate, a narrow, severe face with a carefully trimmed goatee and ice blue eyes.
Inspector Jesco Kofyn introduced himself to the characters, who he'd gathered in the lounge of the Dralst house. A female halfling wandered around the room with two metallic chains dangling from her outstretched fingertips, looking like nothing more than ornate plumb bobs.
Kofyn asked each character their name, origin, purpose in Delberz and where they'd slept the previous night. Each revealed just enough information to satisfy the Inspector, who didn't appear overly suspicious of their intentions. Erich didn't reveal his specific association with the household. Eva detected a slight accent in Kofyn's tone (Linguistics), suggesting he would likely have been raised and educated in Altdorf - and that work in Delberz likely indicated a 'demotion' and exile from his former stomping ground. The general reading of Kofyn suggested an honest and above board temprement. He didn't seem to be out to trick or frame them (Sense Motive).
During the questioning, one of the watchmen came in and had a muttered conversation with Kofyn. The three victims were Ernst Dralst, son of the house owner Klauss, and two servants, Ottin and Götz. Erich was rather taken aback by this, and admitted to knowing Franz, who also worked here as a servant. It would appear that Götz and Franz were twins - their only distinguishing feature, a scar on Franz's right cheek. It would appear that both Klauss and Franz had gone missing.
Having finished with his questions, Kofyn asked the group to stay in Delberz for at least the next two day, offered them a place to stay in a watch owned apartment, and assigned Ende to stick with them during their stay. Ende could sense that Kofyn had been unimpressed by her input on the Dralst situation, as she had drawn no insight from her readings of the house.
The group gathered in the street to continue their own investigations. Words with the neighbourhood servants (Streetwise, Charm, Reassurance) revealed nothing untoward the previous day and sightings of all inhabitants. The servants had occasion to go to a local drinking hole, but hadn't last night. Klauss - a rather rotund chap in his fifties - had occasion to leave the house for afternoons and evenings in a local gentlemens' club, to which he would travel on horseback. The characters recalled a spot for sheltering and feeding a horse in the backyard, but no sign of the animal itself. The old, grey mare would be simple enough to spot, local servants suggested.
The characters followed up on the missing horse, splitting up and visiting two prominent horse traders near the two exits from the town, but found nothing. A small donation also found no such horse had left through the gates in the last 12 hours. Anyone with that horse would certainly have been noticed, as the murders appeared to have taken place in the dead of night, which would necessitate any departure from the town at the time calling on a guard to open the gate.
While not keen on the idea, the characters realised they would need to enter the sewers to see if they could find the other end of the tunnel leading into the hidden cellar at the Dralst house. Ende used the collection of maps (Cartography) in her possession to find the ideal way in - locating an open water course - part of the river Sowr - that feeds into the sewer, before joining with the Delb.
The opening to the sewer reeks. A narrow stair descends from street level to a path along the side of the stream. A short way beyond that, the flow disappears underground. With lanterns in hand, the characters entered the sewers. Darkness enveloped them, demanding use of the lanterns in hand at all times. A stream of soiled water flowed along the centre of the tunnel, deep enough and with sufficient strength of flow to cause a danger to anyone who might fall in. The characters can hear distant sounds - the scratching and chitter of rats amongst them. The Delberz sewers seem to be a conglomeration of structures, old and new. The natural flow of the Sowr keeps the filth moving through tunnels, drowned cellars, sunken crypts and natural chambers. At once brick, then masonry, then stone - the tunnels and pipes wind about them.
Ende uses her maps and general sense of direction to guide the group until they find the underground access to the merchants house. The wall of the sewer has been shattered and torn aside, the debris littering the tunnel beyond. It appears to be some ancient and moldering crypt, thick with dust and bone dirt. A trail of half a dozen footprints leads from the sewer tunnel, through the crypt, and out into the hidden cellar, where another wall lies shattered. A search of the ground (Evidence Collection) suggests that those who broke in took the time to remove their boots and shoes - a remarkably urbane nod to courtesy for killers who tore two servants apart with animal-like ferocity.
Not wanting to risk disturbing any watch who might remain on site, they withdraw from the cellar and go back to the tunnel. The characters spot a smooth, narrow tunnel on the wall opposite the break-in. The tunnel is very tight - only large enough for a small human or a halfling. Erich looks in, but seems wary. The tunnel smells like burned stone. Ende offers to investigate and crawls a considerable distance. Aside from some accidental collisions with very narrow cross tunnels and pipes, the burned channel progresses somewhat haphazardly for 1/4 mile before emerging into another sewer. Across the opposite side of that channel, a further such burned tunnel continues on. Ende chooses to turn around and go back.
The existence of the strange channel worries the party. What might cause such a perfectly excavated and smooth channel, other than magic? (the revelation doesn't require an Ability as the players come to this conclusion themselves, but Occult Studies would have sufficed). Erich - having found the silver brooch in the shape of a rough triangle of sticks at the murder scene - mutters about the Horned Rat and the legends of ratmen. So many stories - might there be substance to them?
Having satisfied themselves with their other investigations, the group set off, down flow. The light from their shuttered lanterns flickered off brick and masonry walls, the fetid flow of sewage filling the tunnel with a noisome vapour. Various side tunnels, chambers, inflow pipes and other deviations, including routes to the surface, broke off from the main path, but the party stuck to the trail. On two further occasions the group found smooth tunnels in the walls, smelling of burnt stone. It didn't make sense to them any more than the first, so they simply made notes and pressed on.
About a half mile from the cellar of the Dralst home, Konrad paused and gazed ahead in the flickering lamp light (Notice). The faintest movement caught his eye. Brick tunnel had given way to uneven, stained masonry - and ahead, part of the wall moved. A curtain, weighted at the bottom to keep it taut. The slightest movement in the air behind the curtain had betrayed its presence. The group cautiously approached - and looking behind it discovered a narrow stair leading upwards. Ende checked her bearings and surmised they had travelled into the south-west of the town (Cartography), probably close to - or beneath - a broad, square marketplace surrounded by traders and tavern. Each would likely have a cellar or underground drystore - any of which might be accessible from this point.
With due caution, both Erich and Ende climbed the stair (piggybacked Silent Movement), while the rest kept careful watch on the sewer passage. A dozen deep stairs rose up and around a curve, before opening into an occupied chamber. Both of the characters crained their necks to look around the bend. They saw two robed figures with protruding snouts emerging from their hoods. Ende restrained a gasp of astonishment at the sight (a narrowly achieved Stability check, which Erich passed comfortably). A hissing conversation shared between them revealed some talk of a meeting and someone by the name of Skreth leading the ceremony. The room clearly had at least one other exit and contained a couple of small barrels - which Erich recognised as contain spirits (Consume Alcohol), suggesting the room lay beneath a drinking establishment or a vintner.
Wisely choosing not to intercede in a situation with little tactical information or idea of numbers.
Amelie and Erich withdraw a short distance down the main tunnel, while Konrad, Eva and Ende head up to the surface, using an iron-runged ladded a 100 yards upflow. Those heading to the surface find that Ende's mapwork does indeed deposit them in a market place, the largest in Delberz in the shadow of the temple to Ranald, god of traders. At this time of the evening, a few traders and peddlers remain, while boisterous beggars and coal-eyed prostitutes linger in the shadows.
In the sewer, Amelie and Erich have crossed to the other side of the tunnel and secreted themselves in a sideflow (Conceal). They wait patiently, keeping in the shadows and clear of the trickling liquid in the centre of the pipe. They do not have to wait for long, as three figures push back the curtain disguise the entrance to the lair. The characters can hear muted and sibilant conversation, the figures cloaked, their long and narrow snouts protruding from their hoods.
Watching intently as the trio pass (Notice), Erich sees the stiffness of the snouts and realises these are not ratmen, but ordinary humans sporting horse skulls like crowns. The enlongated bone gives them an appearance like rats, but nothing more... Amelie holds a gasp in check, while Erich catches a glimpse of a face beneath one cowl - and spies a familiar scarred cheek. Franz!
From a GM perspective
I must admit to owing something to A Murder in Marienburg for this session, although the path of the adventure always led into the sewers - unless the players really insisted on going in another direction. I had prepared for the contingency they'd choose to stay above ground to continue their investigations - in which case the 'rat men' would come to one of them, and another kidnap would hopefully lure them below.
I have covered the introduction of Ende in a previous post (see New Recruit). The scene had value because not only did it give the new player a chance for introductions, but also gave the existing players the opportunity to consider their own discoveries - though they chose what to share with Kofyn carefully. The Kofyn scene provided the familiar setting of the Christie-esque gathering of suspects, though the Inspector wasn't looking to pin anything on the player characters without sound evidence.
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New Recruit
Key to Monday's session was the introduction of a new character - Ende (short for Enderanellia) - a halfling consulting astrologer with the Delberz branch of the Black Caps (the watch). It was a bit of an odd situation with this character, as I generated it on behalf of my wife and I was mindful that the key aim was to come up with something that filled a few of the groups gaps in the slew of Investigative Abilities.
Essentially, the biggest shortfall came in the more intellectual area - the more specific pursuits of an academic kind, not covered by the social orientated Academia ability.
We didn't have anyone with Cartography, Astronomy, Cryptography or Bureaucracy. At the end of the last session, the characters had uncovered the murder most foul of a merchant and two servants - and looked to alert the neighbours and watch to clearly set themselves as innocents. Why would murderers be so keen to raise the hue and cry?
I knew that I would start the next installment of the adventure with members of the watch and the characters at the house in question. I wanted to have the watch headed up by a rather astute and forward thinking fellow, willing to use cutting edge techniques in some semblance of CSI: Delberz. What profession might fill that role?
More importantly, I needed to have a character who could have a reason and freedom to join the party as an ongoing member. That could be a member of the watch, but it would be simpler if they just worked with them. Some sort of consultant or contractor seemed in order.
In the mix, I came up with the consulting astrologer. The halfling has taken her interest in the stars (Astronomy) into interesting directions, making a name for herself as an insightful alternative in investigations. Like psychic detectives in the real world, this halfling has made her name with readings of the stars (with a fine collection and knowledge of star maps - Cartography), something she has experience of in a scientific capacity. She has a keen eye and a capable grasp of police procedure (Bureaucracy), applying her special connection to the stars in reading the signs and between the lines (Cryptography).
I introduced the character as background detail in the sessions opening scene, as Inspector Jesco Kofin questioned the group over their discovery of the murder. It provided a useful recap of the events from the last two sessions and introductions to get the new player involved and informed.
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Failed My Stability Check
Having finished my second session - though not yet ready to summarise it - I'm conscious most of all about what I'm not doing well. Or, what I perceive to not be doing well.
I spoke to one of the players because she's interested in seeing someone run Gumshoe - and I have warned her not to expect any great insight. I consider myself a neophyte at the system, a dabbler with some small experience, but certainly nothing to write home about.
I have run four adventures for TimeWatch RPG, one for Night's Black Agents, one Bookhounds, three Trail of Cthulhu (including The Black Drop and an as yet unpublished playtest expedition) and an Esoterrorist ... I think. Yes, that's ten adventures, but half of them have been single session con games when the letter of the law didn't seem to matter so much as to do something exciting and engaging.
I realise at the end of last weeks session that I hadn't called for a single Stability check - despite more than a few moments when it would have been appropriate. This week, I did manage a couple - but, it probably warranted more.
I'm keen to ramp up my use of Investigative Abilities to cross-buy benefits. For example, one character wanted to use Cartography to get the upper hand on the murderers, who appeared to have made their hideout in the sewers - and I was inclined to offer a few points of specific pool spend in Silent Movement or Conceal in getting around the security precautions of their lair. Having access to maps should mean the character can find ways around their precautions because of the mish-mash of old, intermingling structures - cellars, crypts, bolt-holes, sinks, storm drains and so forth.
I feel - given the reading I've done and the adventures I have previously won - that this sort of trade off of Ability pool for advantage should come more naturally. The various system and supplement books for Gumshoe contain a wealth of examples.
Anyway... I need to get more comfortable with the game - as do the players. I'm possibly being too hard on myself. Self-criticality dogs me.
On the plus side, I had a revelation about how to finish up the current adventure next week, tie off a couple of loose ends, and leave the way open for the next stage in The Enemy Within
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The Enemy Within Pool Party
The Gumshoe game has a strong emphasis on facilitating clue hunting through a broad range of Investigative Abilities. The Character Sheet for The Enemy Within has a considerable pile of these Abilities, and the players have the option to draw on any of these in driving their characters through a scene on the lookout for information.
I often find I suffer from cognitive whiteouts when I'm faced with characters in a scene. I describe the situation, ask what the players want to do - and when they come back at me with questions, I find myself stumbling suddenly to handle their queries. In an ideal world, I'd like to know immediately if they have the Abilities necessary to pick up fairly obvious - though not necessarily Core clues. However, I'd also like to have an immediate frame of reference as to whether I can improvise any additional clues or useful snippets of information based on the rest of their Investigative Abilities.
"Doesn't someone in the group have an interest in medals and coins? Well, you do notice an elaborate case on the wall, walnut and glass with a purple velvet interior studded with polished coin-sized tokens. Do you want to spend a point of Numismatics?"
So, I have created a subset of the character sheet to serve as a point of reference for Investigative Abilities. I made it so that I could track the total points in the party pooled into any given ability and how many characters made up the pool. However, it might equally serve as a replacement for the Investigative Ability section of my existing The Enemy Within character sheet design.
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TEW #1: Mare Tales and Murder
I haven't posted about the first session of The Enemy Within yet as this week has proved busier - and more tiring - than I'd expected. The session, to my mind, went well enough - though I'm a poor judge!
At the very end of our character generation session, last week, the four characters arrived in Delberz on the river. It isn't clear where they have come from or how far they have travelled. We left that open for later clarification.
The group - doctor, road warden, dilettante and urchin - made their way to The Charred Mare drinking hole near the docks and acquired a drink through deception. The doctor, Eva, sought a game of cards, but came away wanting, as the crowd seemed more into knuckle bones or the knife game. The dilettante, Amelie, negotiated a place to sleep for the night with Rummel, the owner of the Mare.
Erich and Konrad (urchin and road warden, respectively) followed some of the drinkers out of the Mare and into the warehouses beyond. [[Read More]]
Let's Talk
Personally, I found the first session of The Enemy Within interesting to participate in. The session focussed solely on character generation (and a stronger me should have called the session to a close at 10.15PM, instead of kicking off the start of the adventure). Despite best efforts by one player, we rolled no dice - because Gumshoe character creation is about building - whether in terms of personlity, associations, drives or the slightly chrunchier business of assigning points.
I suppose I could have muddied the waters of creativity by bringing some kind of random character creator tool along, but... You notice I said 'muddied the waters' back there. Random tables might occasionally offer a nudge or a push, but they also often serve to constrain and bound creativity. The stuff you roll becomes a wall, a prison - and you miss the fun of the journey.
I know it can be overwhelming to have someone ask you to create a character from scratch. [[Read More]]
And So It Begins
I assure you I have nothing but the best of intentions in running a game of The Enemy Within. I played it more than 25 years ago in the first blustering spurt of roleplaying that made up my gaming career. Back then, I enjoyed to play - something I find it an increasing struggle to do these days. We would spend long, lazy, sweltering summers playing games in a friend's family's caravan, out on their front drive. I suspect we didn't drink enough water, which might explain the at best hazy memories and sense of delirium about the whole period.
Initially, I played a gnome; later, I followed his demise with a heavily accented road warden.
In the cold light of day, all these years later, The Enemy Within has retained a spot in my gaming heart... [[Read More]]
Character Sheet
A Gumshoe character sheet for The Enemy Within - it's a first draft and a work in progress. Probably needs quite fine handwriting to get stuff into the spaces available...
I have tried to keep to the flavour of the First Edition skills, while also including a spread that will work with Gumshoe. In some instances, you might want to broadly interpret what a WFRP skill represents in terms of a Gumshoe Ability.
For example, Consume Alcohol is carousing and such like. You have the ability to ply individuals with drink to extract information, while remaining in control and sober. You might find this the only means to dig up information from vagrants, bar room regulars and high society inebriates.
Currently, I'm working on the basis of capable, but ultimately green, adventurer material... [[Read More]]
Points of Reference
Murder in Marienburg on Amazon
Night's Black Agents on RPGNow
Shades of Empire on RPGNow
Trail of Cthulhu on RPGNow