RPX Rollup - Episode 16 - Liminal Horror

[00:00:16] Hello, welcome to The Roleplaying Exchange. This is Adam and today my good buddy,

[00:00:20] crazy on review cultists. What's the name? Chris. Yeah. Well, there's too many

[00:00:27] Chris's, you know what I mean? Yeah, that's true. Yeah. R. Yeah. Old, old Chris and

[00:00:30] RPX Chris. Yeah. Canadian Chris as your Chris affectionately calls me. This

[00:00:36] actual rollup is your idea here. I am completely in your capable hands, sir. What are we doing

[00:00:43] today? Well, we are going to tackle the grueling character creation of a little tabletop RPG

[00:00:51] I've discovered in last year or two called Liminal Horror. And don't worry, that was

[00:00:57] actually sarcasm. This book is not crunchy at all. So yeah, Liminal Horror, it is by

[00:01:04] Goblin Archives. Goblin Archives is the company, is his gaming company, but it's Nick Erickson. And

[00:01:14] it's the book I actually have a physical copy that was published by Exalted Funeral. So

[00:01:19] and this uses the the Karen standard rules system. So like as a framework, which is by

[00:01:26] Yohkai Gal. So so there's a lot of stuff in here. Like a Karen is also used to like in

[00:01:32] the odd or into the odd and like bashing bashing land and such. And yeah, it's

[00:01:37] basically a modern cosmic horror kind of system, much in the way of like, I guess

[00:01:44] like Delta Green or esoteric or even fear itself. I think it leans more to

[00:01:49] like the fear itself side because there is kind of a thing of where they really

[00:01:54] want you to try playing investigators that are not authority figures like police

[00:01:58] and government agents and stuff. They want you to play like regular people stuck

[00:02:05] in extraordinary horror. Okay, so the system, yeah, so pulling right from

[00:02:13] there from Goblin Archives, itch or itch.io website, Liminal Horror is a rules

[00:02:19] light adaptable modern horror RPG about normal characters and their struggles

[00:02:23] against the things that go bump into the night. And if you're a fan of Jinji Ito,

[00:02:29] John Carpenter Silent Hill Resident Evil, Kothulu Monster of the Week or Silent

[00:02:33] Legion's but wanting rules light adaptable system. It is the book for you. Okay.

[00:02:41] So yeah, it uses fast and simple rules for character creation and

[00:02:45] gameplay. It has a stress system and a fallout system. So this deals with

[00:02:52] horror themes, obviously. And so to represent mechanically like stress and

[00:02:57] fear and stuff like that, they use stress and fallout rather than like madness

[00:03:02] or the like for kind of more sensitive reasons. Yeah. And they have a wound

[00:03:11] system that is detailed in it where you have armor and HP, but like it's more

[00:03:17] like hit protection rather than actual like hit points. So yeah, we'll dive

[00:03:25] into that during with care with character creation.

[00:03:27] Well, I'm looking at PDF here. I do really like the aesthetics. I can

[00:03:32] definitely see the ita Jinji Ito influence here and the title on the

[00:03:38] very front of it looks like it would belong to a Norwegian metal band.

[00:03:42] Yeah, it definitely screams kind of more porkish a little bit or like yeah,

[00:03:47] or like cannibal corpse in a way. Honestly, the book I like so when I

[00:03:53] first got into it, I saw it as kind of like a good it seemed like it

[00:03:57] might be a good fit for like for like creepypasta scenarios or scenarios

[00:04:01] based off like modern like cyber like modern internet horror kind of

[00:04:05] stuff because it just has that kind of quick and easy character creation

[00:04:09] and then like your characters are can do stuff, but like they're just

[00:04:14] squishy enough for that kind of thing. Yeah. I think I understand

[00:04:18] what liminal horror is, but for everybody who is not me, which

[00:04:23] I honestly I'm just kind of projecting here. I understand like

[00:04:26] the back rooms and stuff like that. But yeah, what it what is liminal

[00:04:30] horror before we get into the game? Liminal horror. Okay. Well,

[00:04:33] I don't so liminal horror. They use liminal horror for the for the

[00:04:36] title of this book, but liminal horror is basically like yeah, if

[00:04:40] you've been on the internet around for the last couple of years,

[00:04:42] you might hear things like the back rooms or like dream core

[00:04:47] or analog horror kind of stuff. Liminal horror kind of fits around

[00:04:50] that area. It's basically it's modern day stuff like modern

[00:04:54] day settings where you are trapped in liminal spaces. I

[00:04:58] liminal being liminal being the term for like a go between space.

[00:05:04] So like say like the hallways of an airport or like the the

[00:05:07] spaces of where you're like transitioning from an airplane

[00:05:10] like through the airport to like your to the exit and stuff

[00:05:14] of that or inside of like convention halls and stuff like

[00:05:17] that those would be like liminal spaces. Okay. So this

[00:05:21] this book I think is using its title more for like just like

[00:05:23] the modern s like horror aspect of it though there is

[00:05:27] certainly again, like I sort of got a vibe of that for this.

[00:05:31] I think that's why I was drawn to it for like the the the

[00:05:35] liminal and creepypasta sort of vibes I was getting from this

[00:05:38] book. Yeah. But yeah, like there are old powers in the

[00:05:42] setting that players or the facilitators as they're

[00:05:46] called in this one can use to torment and terrorize

[00:05:49] their their player characters. Okay. This is also a system

[00:05:53] that does not use classes. And growth like advancement in

[00:05:58] the game is not mechanical or like using a leveling at all

[00:06:01] in the system. Success and failure lead to memorable

[00:06:04] stories building relationships, encountering void touched

[00:06:07] relics and having stress fallout lead that that's the

[00:06:12] kind of stuff that will lead to your character's growth.

[00:06:14] Okay. Or demise. Yeah. It's very much a horror game

[00:06:20] where like, you're it's not going to be a power fantasy like

[00:06:23] D&D. It's it's more grounded and down to earth on that

[00:06:27] kind of stuff. Okay. And yeah, death is very much a thing.

[00:06:32] It's a very danger. It's a world of danger in this game.

[00:06:36] And death is always a possible consequence. It should be

[00:06:39] ever present but never random or unexpected according to

[00:06:43] the book I'm reading. Okay. Death comes for everyone.

[00:06:47] But some suffer a fate worse. Yeah, so this book has a lot

[00:06:52] of like decent resources on the website for goblin archives.

[00:06:58] In fact, actually as we're recording this they're actually

[00:07:00] kicks. A somebody affiliated with them is kick starting a

[00:07:04] liminal horror supplement. So it's kind of fortuitous

[00:07:08] that we're doing we're doing the recording today at

[00:07:10] least. Yeah. Yeah. So the the supplements coming out

[00:07:14] today as we record is the Parthenogenesis of Hungry Hollow

[00:07:18] and it is a small sandbox investigation for liminal horror.

[00:07:22] Something strange is happening in Hungry Hollow seemingly

[00:07:26] centered around the upcoming birth of its newest resident

[00:07:29] D&D. But yeah, I just thought that was interesting that

[00:07:33] we were like as we were recording we're going to be

[00:07:35] doing that so yeah or that that's that's happening.

[00:07:38] So also I've got my character sheet pulled up here.

[00:07:42] You are very correct in saying that it is very short.

[00:07:46] I'm not I'm not particularly familiar with the current system

[00:07:49] but I'm sure I could pick it up here. Yeah, looks pretty good.

[00:07:53] From what I understand Karen is they basically wanted to do

[00:07:57] for D&D like they wanted they wanted to do like the like

[00:08:00] D&D fantasy and stuff of that but like strip it down to

[00:08:02] it's like to the easiest like base parts like streamline

[00:08:06] it to a point where like it's it's like old school and

[00:08:09] such. So but yeah, liminal horror kind of takes a similar

[00:08:14] stab at character creation and characters in this.

[00:08:18] So I guess we'll start with character creation with the first

[00:08:21] the first step in in the the first step in character creation

[00:08:26] which is your ability scores.

[00:08:28] So in this game characters are made up of strength

[00:08:32] dexterity and control.

[00:08:35] Strength represents physicality, bronze and toughness.

[00:08:40] Dexterity is your speed, your sneaking and your precision

[00:08:43] and then control is willpower your charm and your weird.

[00:08:48] Weird is something that happens in this game as it is a

[00:08:51] modern game but it is a

[00:08:53] yeah it is set to be in a modern setting specifically

[00:08:56] a modern city and characters slowly learn of the weird

[00:08:58] and dangerous things hidden in the dark.

[00:09:01] They will bend or break under the weight of the unknown

[00:09:04] and there are various artifacts and magics that you can learn

[00:09:08] in the game to try and give yourself an edge but it could

[00:09:10] also destroy you.

[00:09:11] Yeah, double-edged sword so to speak

[00:09:15] and for those of you found along at home if you've already

[00:09:18] went out and put up a copy of this we're going to be

[00:09:20] starting on page six.

[00:09:22] So just mentioned that liminal horror and just to repeat

[00:09:26] what you said players are investigators otherwise normal

[00:09:29] people got up in mysteries that threatened to end their lives

[00:09:32] and break them down and change them investigators might be

[00:09:35] searching for answers.

[00:09:37] Trying to save a friend or looking for resonant artifacts

[00:09:41] well that sounds interesting so hmm looks like we're going

[00:09:46] to row 3d6 and take the two top is that my understanding

[00:09:50] correctly?

[00:09:51] Yeah, when you're creating a player character you roll

[00:09:54] 3d6 in order for each of their characters in order

[00:09:58] of their characters ability scores and then you may swap

[00:10:02] any two of the results.

[00:10:05] Okay, so probably between like like the ability scores like

[00:10:08] if you don't like how your strength is and you want more

[00:10:11] of a dexterous character you can swap out the like that kind

[00:10:13] of thing.

[00:10:14] Okay, so usually with some of these we always just kind

[00:10:18] of fade to black, hey we're back but with this it seems

[00:10:20] like something pretty quick and I would like to run stuff

[00:10:23] by you so I'm going to go ahead and do my first one

[00:10:25] which is strength.

[00:10:27] Okay, so this as well.

[00:10:29] I'm going to use your diaspora hope she is gentle with me

[00:10:33] today.

[00:10:34] Alright, it looks like I have rode a combined total of 15.

[00:10:39] Yep.

[00:10:41] So at this point I can just put that in with strength

[00:10:45] and then I'll rinse and repeat this.

[00:10:48] Alright, looks like I got a dump stat here somewhere

[00:10:50] dexterity at this point unless I swap something around

[00:10:53] looks like I got a nine.

[00:10:55] Oh the dice roller on the Google dice rollers not being

[00:10:58] very kind to me so although it's pretty accurate to I

[00:11:02] think but I'm going to straight up stat out review

[00:11:05] cultist myself or my my El Dente podcast version of

[00:11:10] myself though.

[00:11:12] This looks like I've rode two night like my total results

[00:11:15] on two rows or nine.

[00:11:17] I am either I've got two dump stats or try rolling

[00:11:22] again just to see if it like if it does it again.

[00:11:24] Yeah.

[00:11:25] Okay.

[00:11:25] Oh no, it didn't because it rolled two different combinations.

[00:11:30] So yeah, it's just combinations still fucked but yeah.

[00:11:33] Yeah, you know I'll swap one nine with the other nine.

[00:11:38] Yeah, there we go.

[00:11:41] If I were going to house rule this I'd say rewrote that

[00:11:44] but I mean I could take with it but it so I have got

[00:11:50] mm-hmm.

[00:11:52] Okay.

[00:11:53] So so what did your also I guess so what did you get for

[00:11:57] your character's ability scores there?

[00:11:59] All right, so I got 15 for strength dexterity nine control

[00:12:05] nine.

[00:12:06] Wow.

[00:12:06] Yeah, that's like I said.

[00:12:09] Well for review cultists which I mean names are supposed

[00:12:12] to come later but I'm going to go with that since it

[00:12:15] matched so strength is 11 dexterity is 10 and control

[00:12:19] is 13 that that seems that seems right.

[00:12:24] Take it here.

[00:12:26] Oh hit protection the step two so we've got our ability

[00:12:30] score so step two real 1d6 and determine the starting

[00:12:35] hit point or hit protection excuse me this represents

[00:12:38] the investigators ability to avoid serious harm both

[00:12:42] physical and stress.

[00:12:44] Okay, so we'll see if I get a one here.

[00:12:48] I'm going to fudge.

[00:12:50] I mean I do have a potential to get one a one and six

[00:12:54] chance always potential the fuck did you call it?

[00:13:02] It's listening.

[00:13:03] It's like well hold my beer.

[00:13:06] All right, we need a point buying system for this thing.

[00:13:09] I will I will let you re-roll that all right if I

[00:13:12] hope I get another one.

[00:13:14] Oh, I got a five.

[00:13:15] Well, thank you.

[00:13:17] I'll take five.

[00:13:19] Thank you, GM.

[00:13:21] You're welcome.

[00:13:22] But yeah, so hit protection.

[00:13:24] Yeah, so it reflects like the ability to avoid damage.

[00:13:27] It is not health and it can be recovered after a few

[00:13:31] moments of rest and then there's like a C healing on

[00:13:34] page 14 in the book.

[00:13:36] Okay.

[00:13:37] And then there is actually some things like plus

[00:13:40] blank armor is an item tag that provides protection

[00:13:44] from damage and then there's plus blank stability is

[00:13:48] an item tag that provides protection against stress or

[00:13:52] from stress.

[00:13:53] So there are things that you there are items that

[00:13:55] you can get that have tags that will help you further

[00:14:00] avoid damage and stress on your hit on your

[00:14:04] hip protection.

[00:14:05] Okay, and then moving on to step three, which

[00:14:08] is investigator details.

[00:14:09] So this is where you choose a name for your

[00:14:12] character.

[00:14:12] You roll for your background.

[00:14:14] You choose a style of clothing or look for your

[00:14:17] character, answer the get to know your character

[00:14:21] questions on page eight determine the rest of your

[00:14:25] characters traits and choose their age by rolling

[00:14:28] 2d 20 plus 16.

[00:14:31] We're oh so we're going to go straight to that

[00:14:33] before we go to starting gear.

[00:14:35] Well yeah, because well that's all like so like

[00:14:36] because step three is like a bunch of steps.

[00:14:39] Okay.

[00:14:40] Yeah.

[00:14:41] Okay.

[00:14:42] So we're going to roll a d 20, I guess for a background.

[00:14:45] Is that the first thing you want to do?

[00:14:47] Yeah, you can do that.

[00:14:48] Yeah.

[00:14:48] So yeah, if you want to do that, there's a bunch of

[00:14:50] tape.

[00:14:51] So this game uses a lot of tables that you can do.

[00:14:54] So each though.

[00:14:57] So additionally starting equipment provided through

[00:14:59] arch types.

[00:15:01] Okay.

[00:15:01] I was just reading the other thing.

[00:15:03] Yeah.

[00:15:04] So let's see probably going to be a little cheeky and

[00:15:07] have a background that's podcaster for my character.

[00:15:11] Yeah.

[00:15:12] All right.

[00:15:13] I have wrote a 14.

[00:15:15] I am a therapist.

[00:15:17] Oh wait for when you said 14.

[00:15:20] Oh yeah.

[00:15:20] Okay.

[00:15:21] Yeah, here's the thing.

[00:15:22] I was worried about this.

[00:15:23] I noticed this with the I noticed when I was looking

[00:15:26] at the physique and like the character traits in

[00:15:28] the book versus the the digital PDF.

[00:15:31] So the book has slightly they're slightly altered

[00:15:33] backgrounds in the in the in certain tables and

[00:15:37] compared to the printed book versus the digital

[00:15:40] book that you have.

[00:15:41] So just a different iteration of it I guess.

[00:15:43] Yeah.

[00:15:44] Okay.

[00:15:45] But okay so you're going with your character is going

[00:15:48] to be a therapist.

[00:15:49] Yeah, which means I may end up swapping.

[00:15:55] You're just that that that brawny it's like that

[00:15:59] brawny like you're just the brainiest of therapists.

[00:16:02] I mean every set up was a good therapist.

[00:16:04] I just said I was a therapist.

[00:16:06] All right.

[00:16:06] So tell me what you would tell me what your problems

[00:16:09] are that can be solved with pumping item.

[00:16:14] Let's see.

[00:16:15] All right.

[00:16:15] So I am going to go ahead and put therapist.

[00:16:19] No, I do like how this mentioned that you get like stuff.

[00:16:23] So with mine go ahead and what you do is podcast

[00:16:26] run list where you it isn't on the list.

[00:16:29] I mean I could just use like very online or you could

[00:16:33] do artists.

[00:16:33] I mean, yeah, you're an artist.

[00:16:36] Yeah, there's no actually I probably do artist as

[00:16:39] background because podcast because I am both a graphic

[00:16:41] designer illustrator and podcaster.

[00:16:43] So yeah, I come with a memo recorder.

[00:16:47] Oh yeah, which would probably be my phone whatever but

[00:16:50] we all get a smart phone is said a notebook and

[00:16:54] pen business cards and a small revolver.

[00:16:57] So the Lord gives us the Lord give us the Lord give

[00:17:01] us away.

[00:17:01] Take it away.

[00:17:02] I have to give you some lead therapy motherfuckers.

[00:17:06] I just think of it's like I'm a lead farmer motherfuckers.

[00:17:11] Where'd you find that is that must be in the PDF because

[00:17:13] I'm not seeing it in the physical book for which

[00:17:17] was the most current?

[00:17:18] Yeah, probably probably the one on the website because

[00:17:21] this one's from 2021.

[00:17:24] So the artist is what I if you were using that as

[00:17:28] your template you have an artistic tool of choice,

[00:17:32] a notebook, a camera and small but passionate fan base.

[00:17:39] Wow, that just fits out.

[00:17:40] That's basically all that to record.

[00:17:42] Yeah, to do it.

[00:17:43] So so I guess artistic item or artistic.

[00:17:46] Yeah, could be your zoom recorder.

[00:17:48] Yeah, exactly.

[00:17:49] Zoom recorder.

[00:17:51] Well, I'm going to pull up the PDF.

[00:17:53] I was using the physical book, but I'm going to use

[00:17:54] the PDF since stay on the same page as you.

[00:17:58] You get a notebook.

[00:18:00] It doesn't mention that you get a pen.

[00:18:02] So you're going to have to borrow the fucking pen from me

[00:18:04] because I get a notebook and oh, la di da.

[00:18:07] Look here, man.

[00:18:09] You just need to be prepared as a therapist.

[00:18:15] Maybe we should just take these cocaine and start

[00:18:17] talking about our problems.

[00:18:19] Oh boy.

[00:18:21] So under artist artistic tool choice notebook, camera,

[00:18:25] small but passionate fan base.

[00:18:26] I love that.

[00:18:27] So I guess I can just contact like, like when I get my

[00:18:31] phone or something, I could just like go on my discord.

[00:18:33] It's like, Hey, so this is happening.

[00:18:35] Yeah.

[00:18:36] Hey, it's your boy.

[00:18:37] If you want to draw my heart.

[00:18:41] Yeah, no, I can ring that bail like a subscribe.

[00:18:45] You want to see if I make it out of this love?

[00:18:47] Okay.

[00:18:48] So next up on the roster, I believe is choosing a style

[00:18:53] of clothing or look for your character.

[00:18:56] Well, I kind of figured out with that.

[00:18:57] I kind of like that's going to be for me.

[00:18:59] It just could be like green robes, black, black gloves,

[00:19:03] black shoes, black pants, top coat, whatever.

[00:19:09] I was going to try to sing ZZ Top.

[00:19:11] I think, I mean, just for me, just for like, I don't know.

[00:19:18] I feel like I should know that we're kind of doing stuff.

[00:19:21] We've got our background or Arch type.

[00:19:24] The layout is kind of breaking me a little bit here.

[00:19:27] I kind of feel like I want it to, if it's okay with you go back

[00:19:30] up to page six and let's just go ahead and just for starting

[00:19:35] out everything we, you know, put your smartphone in there.

[00:19:39] Yeah.

[00:19:40] In your coach or sheet.

[00:19:41] So and then we're going to roll one D six times a hundred

[00:19:46] for cash and that's going to allow us to buy equipment.

[00:19:50] So watch me get a fucking one again.

[00:19:52] Exactly.

[00:19:53] I'm broke.

[00:19:54] I'm a broke therapist didn't say I was good.

[00:19:56] Oh, actually, yes, it looks like here.

[00:19:58] I do get a pen with my as an investigator bundle.

[00:20:01] So I don't get the Lord that over you.

[00:20:05] Nope.

[00:20:06] All right.

[00:20:07] So one D six.

[00:20:09] Fuck me.

[00:20:10] I ran out of road and number one.

[00:20:12] So I have a hundred bucks cash.

[00:20:14] Nice.

[00:20:16] Oh, go ahead and put my money down.

[00:20:20] Big fucking wolf there.

[00:20:22] I'll be lucky to buy anything in this economy.

[00:20:24] What page was that?

[00:20:26] Was the money and stuff on page six?

[00:20:28] Okay.

[00:20:29] Let me just roll this.

[00:20:33] I have two hundred dollars to my name.

[00:20:38] Yeah.

[00:20:38] Oh, I did.

[00:20:39] I do also have a camera and a zoom recorder.

[00:20:42] So like, yeah.

[00:20:43] Mm hmm.

[00:20:44] I guess I guess you put those in notes in the book or in

[00:20:47] the, uh, I'm going to do a bullet list.

[00:20:49] Here.

[00:20:50] Well, I just put it under inventory for a hundred bucks in

[00:20:53] the smartphones.

[00:20:53] What I put for mine.

[00:20:54] So I have a memo recorder, which probably has an SC card

[00:20:58] notebook pen.

[00:20:59] Memo my memo recorder is basically your damn zoom business

[00:21:03] cards, small revolver smartphone, a hundred dollars.

[00:21:07] And now I'm going to go to my look you were kind of

[00:21:09] talking about beforehand, but I had to just follow along

[00:21:12] in a page as was.

[00:21:13] So on page eight, I am going to row and see my how

[00:21:19] professional I am.

[00:21:20] So I'm going to one d 20 because I like tables and I have

[00:21:24] wrote an 18.

[00:21:25] I am a grunge minimalist.

[00:21:27] I'm going to try.

[00:21:28] I'm going to see, I'm going to see if like a role will

[00:21:30] match mine.

[00:21:31] So what is that?

[00:21:32] Low tea.

[00:21:33] Yeah.

[00:21:33] One d 20 yet.

[00:21:35] Grunge minimalist.

[00:21:37] So I am in jeans, rock band T shirt and band T's

[00:21:43] personality.

[00:21:45] Oh God.

[00:21:46] You're a sweepty.

[00:21:47] Yeah.

[00:21:48] Oh, don't.

[00:21:49] I go to one Taylor Swift concert with my sisters.

[00:21:53] Are you really did?

[00:21:55] Yeah.

[00:21:55] So we, my folks and not my folks like basically the

[00:21:58] whole family went down to where we're going to New York

[00:22:01] but on the way to New York City for like for about

[00:22:03] like two weeks stay.

[00:22:04] We stopped through Pennsylvania in somewhere in your

[00:22:08] pen, I think Penn State, you know, like, like

[00:22:10] Penn State University area.

[00:22:12] And it was some college town we were staying at because

[00:22:14] that's where Taylor Swift concert was happening.

[00:22:16] And I technically stole my, my cousin's ticket to go

[00:22:21] there because they had asked me and I had been hymning

[00:22:24] and hawing about whether or not I was going to be going

[00:22:26] to the on the trip to begin with.

[00:22:28] And then like last minute, I was able to get the

[00:22:30] time off so I ended up going but they still had this

[00:22:33] ticket for my that my cousin was going to use.

[00:22:36] And so I ended up using that ticket to just go see

[00:22:38] a Taylor Swift concert with my sisters.

[00:22:41] It's okay.

[00:22:42] Our friendship is fine.

[00:22:44] Yeah.

[00:22:45] I mean, I've seen that in St. Claude Posse.

[00:22:48] Okay.

[00:22:48] So I'm sorry.

[00:22:50] Yeah, Adam, we're going to let you go now.

[00:22:52] Oh, that's a bridge too far.

[00:22:55] I honestly don't think about about it's a clown

[00:23:00] pussy other than the apparently their makeup can

[00:23:03] can can stop facial recognition software.

[00:23:07] Did you hear about that?

[00:23:09] But yeah, sorry, we're getting it over.

[00:23:12] We're getting we digress.

[00:23:13] Yeah.

[00:23:13] That's all part of it.

[00:23:15] So as we were going as I was facing my shame there,

[00:23:18] we after the aesthetics look, it looks like on page

[00:23:21] eight, we get the option to kind of it's about our

[00:23:24] first encounter with the unknown.

[00:23:26] So it's called the abyss stairs back, which is very

[00:23:29] neat see ish.

[00:23:32] You are you who looks in the abyss for the abyss

[00:23:34] looks back or something like that.

[00:23:36] So one through 10, I wrote a nine.

[00:23:38] So I have read something not met for mortal

[00:23:41] minds.

[00:23:42] What about yourself?

[00:23:43] Let's find out.

[00:23:44] So it's a D 10.

[00:23:46] Yeah.

[00:23:47] Listen to some asshole reach up to not me and for

[00:23:50] mortal mind.

[00:23:51] You have what bull?

[00:23:54] I haven't yet.

[00:23:56] That's what session one is for that.

[00:24:00] That I'm going to alter that.

[00:24:02] That doesn't seem right for for what I plan for this.

[00:24:05] Oh, did you read it?

[00:24:06] Stick look here.

[00:24:08] Cult activity perhaps they recruited someone

[00:24:11] significant.

[00:24:13] Yeah, myself.

[00:24:16] Oh, that's perfect.

[00:24:17] I love it.

[00:24:18] I mean, I am the review cultist college.

[00:24:23] It was near finals.

[00:24:24] They offered free pancake breakfast.

[00:24:26] Listen, it was a fam.

[00:24:28] It was a it's it's it's not a cult.

[00:24:29] It's family traditions.

[00:24:33] The last name is literally cultist.

[00:24:36] She what?

[00:24:37] Why don't you go ahead and do our last D 10

[00:24:40] rule on this table here?

[00:24:41] This is for the ideology and beliefs.

[00:24:43] What lens do they use to interpret the word?

[00:24:46] You ascribe to a specific political ideology.

[00:24:52] If you're not careful with that, I would I would tell

[00:24:54] you please re-roll that.

[00:24:56] I'm just going to re-roll that.

[00:24:58] If this wasn't the past 10 years because that is

[00:25:01] also not even like no matter which way I go.

[00:25:04] I think I I'm definitely kind of flippy floppy.

[00:25:05] Sometimes some things.

[00:25:07] So.

[00:25:08] Uh.

[00:25:08] Uh.

[00:25:09] Uh.

[00:25:11] A specific religion guides you.

[00:25:14] Well, I guess the great religion to the great old

[00:25:16] ones is a is a religion technically.

[00:25:19] Mm hmm.

[00:25:20] I have a belief in the higher power of some simple

[00:25:22] Christian.

[00:25:24] That's good Christian man with his good church revolver.

[00:25:29] Yeah.

[00:25:30] All right.

[00:25:31] So now we're going to be going down into character traits.

[00:25:36] So traits looks like hmm.

[00:25:40] Well, I'll tell you what I'm going to do this.

[00:25:43] Looks like we're going to D 10 six times.

[00:25:45] So I think I'm just going to roll my D 10s at once

[00:25:48] and then I'm just going to take the pot.

[00:25:50] Look that is my life now.

[00:25:52] That's that's very I'm going to I'm going to.

[00:25:55] Um.

[00:25:56] Let's see what this version of review cultist looks like.

[00:25:58] All right.

[00:25:59] Yeah.

[00:25:59] It's alternate reality.

[00:26:01] Yeah.

[00:26:02] I want to do six of them there.

[00:26:04] Yeah.

[00:26:04] Mm hmm.

[00:26:05] And I'm terrified to see what this is going to do.

[00:26:08] I'll read my I'll read mine off to you when we get this done.

[00:26:12] Okay, so apparently okay.

[00:26:14] Hang on.

[00:26:15] Okay.

[00:26:16] Interesting.

[00:26:18] I think I can show and tell the end.

[00:26:20] Yeah.

[00:26:21] I believe I have all of them.

[00:26:24] All right.

[00:26:25] Do you want to go first?

[00:26:27] Yeah, I'll just shoot through the gamut here.

[00:26:29] Physique it says ample body.

[00:26:32] Hmm.

[00:26:32] Does that just mean I'm a little on the plumps?

[00:26:36] I don't know what ample body means.

[00:26:39] I have a I have junk in the truck.

[00:26:42] I don't understand what the ample body means.

[00:26:44] I just apparently have a lot of it face wise.

[00:26:46] I have sharp face speech is accented virtue.

[00:26:51] I am disciplined.

[00:26:53] My flaw is I'm pessimistic and my misfortune is I'm addicted.

[00:26:59] All right.

[00:27:00] Well, for me physique is towering.

[00:27:04] Mm hmm.

[00:27:06] I feel like we just like it's reversed is like you're kind of

[00:27:10] towering versus me but virtue is humble face is dimpled.

[00:27:16] So I just have dimples flaw is quick to anger speech is choppy

[00:27:24] and misfortune is disowned.

[00:27:27] So this is this is a dark darkest timeline review cultist

[00:27:30] apparently.

[00:27:31] That's why you got kicked out of the family the cult thing.

[00:27:34] Yeah, or whatnot.

[00:27:37] Now I mean, I think it's interesting how I like random

[00:27:40] rows just to see what kind of oh yeah thing I create here.

[00:27:44] I mean they could go in your favor but oftentimes it seems

[00:27:46] like they don't.

[00:27:48] Okay.

[00:27:48] So now we've already figured out a little bit about who we are

[00:27:52] as a person.

[00:27:53] So now it looks like there's a section on page 10 that's called

[00:27:57] the party.

[00:27:58] Each player is going to create two NPCs.

[00:28:01] We're going to list one person who is significant to our

[00:28:03] investigator.

[00:28:04] What's your relationship?

[00:28:06] Give them a name, brief description.

[00:28:09] And secondly, we're going to list a contact for the

[00:28:11] investigator.

[00:28:12] So what is the context area of expertise and what is

[00:28:17] their relationship with the investigator?

[00:28:20] Hmm.

[00:28:21] Okay.

[00:28:22] So there is a table underneath those where it has like

[00:28:25] so you might be able to even like roll those significant

[00:28:30] those people will significant to you or even your contact.

[00:28:34] I think I've already been rolling so far might as well row

[00:28:38] all at least row for the significant person.

[00:28:42] So my row 1d10 and it looks like he gave me a nine.

[00:28:47] That is so utterly depressing.

[00:28:51] I got eight and 10.

[00:28:54] I wrote the other one.

[00:28:55] I may swap them around.

[00:28:57] So if your boss is your like anchor, like what kind of

[00:29:02] fucking home life do you got?

[00:29:04] Dude?

[00:29:05] Well, I mean, I actually have an example where like what if

[00:29:07] you're your spouse is also your boss?

[00:29:10] Yeah.

[00:29:11] So like that kind of thing.

[00:29:13] I'm keeping mine because that's basically my two co-hosts.

[00:29:16] Hmm.

[00:29:18] So it's like gamer and yellow is clearly review cultists

[00:29:22] bitter rival and and Mikey the East ends for evil is just

[00:29:25] a co-host.

[00:29:26] It was just a co-host.

[00:29:28] Actually, I'll see if you go either way for them sometimes.

[00:29:31] I love her dearly.

[00:29:35] So if I was going with the order that was I would have

[00:29:39] said that my boss is the most significant person to me and

[00:29:43] my one contact would be a good my good friend.

[00:29:45] I do think that's bullshit.

[00:29:48] So I'm going to swap it around.

[00:29:49] My good friend is a significant to the investigator.

[00:29:53] Yeah, I'm going to say it would be funny if my contact

[00:29:55] is also my bitter rival.

[00:30:00] Yeah, I think I might have to do that actually.

[00:30:05] I may actually switch this up a bit and go with the

[00:30:08] original idea with the most significant person being

[00:30:11] my boss.

[00:30:13] Okay.

[00:30:14] I don't think about this game is like it says like roll

[00:30:16] on the tables, but you can also just choose from the

[00:30:18] table so you don't have to strictly roll random.

[00:30:21] Yeah.

[00:30:21] So yeah, so I went with a bond gamer and yellow bitter

[00:30:26] rival also my fellow podcasting co-host and Archer

[00:30:30] currently out of work.

[00:30:32] And then my contact is Mikey also co-host and

[00:30:37] IT services.

[00:30:40] My contacts my good friend Jerry.

[00:30:42] He's a conspiracy theorist that believes in cryptids.

[00:30:46] Nice.

[00:30:47] So, you know, Jerry I'm being chased.

[00:30:50] I mean, West Virginia my catalytic converter has been

[00:30:52] cut.

[00:30:53] It's a goddamn off man.

[00:30:54] You need to get across state lines.

[00:30:55] Ohio.

[00:30:56] As a soft man like as a silhouette of a mothman like

[00:30:59] flies over your over your head.

[00:31:02] It's never the mothman Jerry.

[00:31:05] Awesome.

[00:31:06] The next thing it looks like is on this page is vehicles

[00:31:10] as a group determine s is us determine what type of vehicle

[00:31:14] or transportation the party has access to based on

[00:31:20] their backgrounds and arch types.

[00:31:21] So I think we need really have a conversation before

[00:31:24] we do this.

[00:31:25] Yeah, about 30 minute one where we figure out what make

[00:31:28] a model.

[00:31:31] Obviously it's gonna be a cheap gladiator or Tesla

[00:31:34] truck.

[00:31:34] I'm really like the Kia Soul.

[00:31:38] I think that if we were playing a game together.

[00:31:42] I think I'm your therapist and the only reason I

[00:31:48] partly believe anything that you say is because

[00:31:50] I've read some weird shit.

[00:31:52] Yeah.

[00:31:53] So you've been placed with me.

[00:31:56] I'm trying to deprogram you from the cult lifestyle,

[00:32:01] but I also think there's something to what you're

[00:32:04] saying.

[00:32:04] So I'm not giving.

[00:32:06] I'm not going.

[00:32:07] I want you so on the surface.

[00:32:09] It seems like I just have like delusions of grandeur

[00:32:12] and like weirdness lies like, oh yeah, my fellow

[00:32:14] co-host like gamer and yellow and Mikey the East

[00:32:17] Dance for evil.

[00:32:18] Like I just like uh-huh.

[00:32:20] But then like there's like occasionally I'll drop

[00:32:22] things are just like that kind of correlates with

[00:32:24] the weird shit I've seen.

[00:32:26] So what are we driving around in sir a sir in this

[00:32:33] economy?

[00:32:34] There is actually.

[00:32:35] I think there may actually be a tail for that.

[00:32:37] Hang on.

[00:32:38] Page 36.

[00:32:39] Yeah.

[00:32:40] All right, we could just randomly row.

[00:32:42] Oh yeah, I'm driving around and escalate an old one.

[00:32:45] But I don't think they make escalates anymore.

[00:32:47] I don't keep up with cars.

[00:32:49] I like how every fucking page in this book and

[00:32:52] part of my friends just is out of appreciation.

[00:32:55] There's a quote from a movie somewhere.

[00:32:57] Oh yeah, you're right at the bottom.

[00:32:59] Yeah, they're great.

[00:33:00] Like, you know, send more paramedics from

[00:33:02] return living dead on page 34 36 and a PDF that says

[00:33:07] no, it's better than safe.

[00:33:09] It's death proof from 2007.

[00:33:13] Yeah, that's awesome.

[00:33:15] Okay.

[00:33:15] So yeah, vehicle.

[00:33:16] It didn't really give us.

[00:33:17] Yeah, we basically just kind of we get to like say

[00:33:19] what kind of vehicle it is and then we it has

[00:33:21] like vehicle stats and stuff.

[00:33:24] Yeah, it doesn't look like that page had anything worthwhile.

[00:33:28] Yeah, it's really just like it comes when the

[00:33:30] vehicle comes into mechanical use, which I actually

[00:33:34] don't think the the the the printed book I have

[00:33:37] actually has that kind of stuff.

[00:33:38] It has more of the more like generalized kind of things

[00:33:42] for that kind of stuff.

[00:33:43] So that's that's interesting.

[00:33:45] Maybe that was added after after the game was released.

[00:33:50] But yeah, regardless, so you want to go with a what

[00:33:53] vehicle as a champion.

[00:33:55] I'll say a Toyota Corolla, but I mean it's just

[00:33:57] it's such a little small sedan.

[00:34:00] That's unless you unless you had.

[00:34:03] No, it's got to be a Dodge Journey.

[00:34:05] No, a grand caravan.

[00:34:09] There we go.

[00:34:11] Just the mom soccer bus or soccer soccer van.

[00:34:14] It's your van.

[00:34:16] Yeah.

[00:34:17] You know what I would do?

[00:34:18] Good thing.

[00:34:19] I'm not allowed to drive anymore.

[00:34:21] Oh yeah.

[00:34:23] Yeah, you destroyed your the Toyota.

[00:34:29] Yeah, you totaled the Toyota.

[00:34:31] So now I have to use my my my my Dodge Journey.

[00:34:35] I also got a I got to show up to some meetings and

[00:34:38] now I got to get tokens like I'm addicted.

[00:34:40] I'm gonna say he's an alcoholic and you're my therapist.

[00:34:43] Do as I say not as I do.

[00:34:47] I know my demons Jack Daniels.

[00:34:50] Yeah.

[00:34:53] Oh, I focus.

[00:34:56] All right.

[00:34:57] Go ahead and put her car down.

[00:34:59] Yep.

[00:34:59] I've added that to my I guess I'll put that under gear.

[00:35:03] Dodge Journey.

[00:35:06] All right.

[00:35:07] So next up, I guess on the roster is where are we here?

[00:35:12] So yeah, we got the vehicle.

[00:35:15] Yeah.

[00:35:15] So I guess next up is just equipment kind of stuff.

[00:35:17] Yeah.

[00:35:19] All right.

[00:35:19] Who's see him and go back to that.

[00:35:23] See, try to party the party vehicles and equipment.

[00:35:29] Investigator gear and then we're done.

[00:35:30] So there's two things.

[00:35:32] So vehicles and equipment.

[00:35:33] Yep.

[00:35:34] Pace 12 the PDF probably 10 in a book.

[00:35:37] So we determine our vehicles based on background or side bed.

[00:35:42] Now we just pick that so we're good there.

[00:35:44] We see equipment.

[00:35:46] Yeah, equipment here's a little yeah basically there's

[00:35:49] a list of possible equipment and then you basically just

[00:35:52] use the money that you got from the first place and

[00:35:56] go from there.

[00:35:58] So don't do anything.

[00:36:01] I think I'm getting perhaps a hand weapon.

[00:36:03] That's about it.

[00:36:05] I can't move one.

[00:36:07] So yeah, ancient amulet.

[00:36:10] I got I got a buck knife or a pocket knife kind of thing.

[00:36:17] Yeah, I've got a pistol but that came with my guy.

[00:36:20] But you just get grenades for 75 bucks and you I guess what

[00:36:27] it says on explosive on the right hand column.

[00:36:30] Huh.

[00:36:31] That flash bang grenades to cheese.

[00:36:34] I mean, Maltos makes sense because it's just basically

[00:36:36] a bottle of bottle of liquor and and a rag.

[00:36:39] So yeah, I mean, some of these things are real to

[00:36:42] put like an assault rifle.

[00:36:44] So an AR, you know 1500 I can see that sniper rifle.

[00:36:49] I guess I don't know what you call a sniper rifle.

[00:36:53] What caliber and all that.

[00:36:53] So I'm not going to go into gun found in here, but it's

[00:36:55] 2500.

[00:36:56] I guess you got a Barrett.

[00:36:58] Yeah, I was gonna say like the several so eight like a D8

[00:37:01] damage or D12 damage when hidden.

[00:37:03] Wait.

[00:37:04] Oh, because like when hidden, I guess when if you're

[00:37:07] hidden like you basically if you're like knelt down

[00:37:10] and you've got like the upper hand, you do extra

[00:37:11] damage for that.

[00:37:13] Yeah.

[00:37:14] Hard and like I guess yeah, I guess I guess a 50

[00:37:16] cowl can be as bad.

[00:37:17] It could be as deadly as a combat shotgun up close or

[00:37:20] an assault rifle.

[00:37:23] Really want to go into like dice picking at in

[00:37:26] damage in terms of the damage on things.

[00:37:28] I just think it's really cool that you can

[00:37:29] purchase a nation amulet for three grand.

[00:37:32] Yeah.

[00:37:34] I mean, but this is quirky and I'm not bitching

[00:37:36] about it.

[00:37:37] There's more stuff on the next page investigative

[00:37:39] gear.

[00:37:40] Yeah, but I yeah, basically this is like extra

[00:37:43] stuff on top of what you had as your

[00:37:45] investigator like from your bundle, right?

[00:37:48] So yeah.

[00:37:50] Honestly, I'm not going to touch money because

[00:37:52] we're not really starting this so I don't know

[00:37:55] that I need night vision goggles.

[00:37:57] Yeah, no exactly.

[00:37:59] Which it does make me wonder how you actually get

[00:38:01] money.

[00:38:03] I wonder if there's in the rules here like if

[00:38:06] because I know that in some game, oh yeah, wealth

[00:38:08] and wealth and treasure cash is the most common

[00:38:10] form of currency vendors both legal and illicit

[00:38:13] may require different forms of payment to

[00:38:16] access them.

[00:38:16] By the way, this is on page 15 on the PDF.

[00:38:19] Use equipment list as a basis available goods

[00:38:22] and prices though various narrative variables

[00:38:26] may alter both the price and the availability

[00:38:29] listing debt transcends all boundaries and can

[00:38:33] be a boon or a burden.

[00:38:35] That doesn't say much about job stuff.

[00:38:38] I guess like you just say that like you're

[00:38:40] making a certain amount of money every week or

[00:38:42] like or every couple of weeks kind of thing like

[00:38:45] based on the game.

[00:38:47] Yeah, I think it's a narrative thing.

[00:38:49] It's like we're you know, I've been a therapist.

[00:38:53] I probably make you know hundreds of dollars a day

[00:38:59] but depending on number of clients and all that

[00:39:01] but as this character begins the money is

[00:39:04] probably tied up and I only got like a hundred

[00:39:07] bucks in my wallet right now.

[00:39:09] So and you can also say like yeah, you're

[00:39:10] making tons of money but unfortunately after all

[00:39:13] the all the addiction stuff then you're like

[00:39:16] and all the other like life things that you only

[00:39:18] end up with like this much spending money.

[00:39:21] This is so cool though.

[00:39:22] I really I'm impressed with this book.

[00:39:25] I like the the free nature of it here.

[00:39:28] It's very like you said kind of stripped down

[00:39:31] it's got the tons of tables I like and I think

[00:39:34] we've got characters created pretty sure we do.

[00:39:37] Yeah, it's not.

[00:39:38] We're doing fairly decent.

[00:39:39] Yeah, we don't have any armor in that or instability.

[00:39:43] I guess we should probably check about that.

[00:39:45] So yeah, we have I think we're basically done

[00:39:47] as in terms of character creation because armor

[00:39:50] and stability are things that you get from items

[00:39:53] in the game and very rarely would you get any

[00:39:55] items that like would help you with your stability

[00:39:58] versus your and your armor something we didn't bring

[00:40:00] up that I actually just like was looking over.

[00:40:03] So health in this game like we haven't really

[00:40:05] mentioned like we mentioned HP but like

[00:40:08] that's more like hit protect or health protection

[00:40:12] in the system.

[00:40:14] Yeah, yeah, hit protection.

[00:40:16] So so it does take damage from from attacks

[00:40:20] from various things like whether it be a shotgun

[00:40:22] or an eldritch tentacle or something like that

[00:40:27] and once your HP once your hit protection is reduced

[00:40:32] to zero that's when you're going to start taking

[00:40:34] critical damage and depending on the type of attack

[00:40:38] whether it be a psychic attack or a physical attack

[00:40:42] it will start reducing your your attribute.

[00:40:46] So like for physical attacks, it would start attacking

[00:40:48] your strength and if it was like some kind of like

[00:40:51] some kind of fear effect or psychic attack

[00:40:54] or magic attack, it might start affecting

[00:40:56] your your control step.

[00:40:58] Yeah, and then at a certain point you'll you'll end up

[00:41:00] I think once you hit zero on your hit on

[00:41:03] your hit protection, I think you also enter deprived

[00:41:07] which is a which is on the character sheet.

[00:41:10] Yeah, and it I think it gives you some penalties

[00:41:13] as a result of that now.

[00:41:16] Kind of going into a little bit of like now that we've

[00:41:18] done character creation like going into a little bit

[00:41:20] more of the mechanical stuff for like the character.

[00:41:23] So going with like stress and fallout.

[00:41:26] So yeah, stress is identical to damage but it targets

[00:41:29] control like I said instead of like strength

[00:41:32] stress may come as a result of narrative consequences

[00:41:35] a failed save magical reproduction magical repercussions

[00:41:39] or enemy attacks stress targets HP before going after control.

[00:41:46] Now and there's a little there's a table that gives

[00:41:49] you kind of like a show of like how much stress

[00:41:51] you're inflicted by certain things.

[00:41:53] So like if you encounter something strange or odd

[00:41:55] you're probably going to take one stress.

[00:41:57] If you're in contact with something weird and

[00:42:00] unexplainable you're going to take a d4 exposure directly

[00:42:03] encountering the unknowable reality bends.

[00:42:06] That's a d6 and then there's like catastrophe like a major

[00:42:10] power omens catastrophes reality is closing is close

[00:42:14] to breaking and that's a d8 and then a d10 of stress

[00:42:18] is doomed direct contact with the old powers reality

[00:42:21] is rupturing and some moments change an investigators

[00:42:26] life forever and that's when fallout kind of comes in.

[00:42:29] So a player rolls a player's role or or choice for or

[00:42:36] yeah players players roll or choose from the stress fallout

[00:42:40] table when the character takes critical stress.

[00:42:42] So when they're when their control is actually being inflicted

[00:42:45] is actually being damaged you start rolling on the fallout

[00:42:49] table and then unless marked the fallout can only be

[00:42:53] chosen once per table each fallout takes up an inventory

[00:42:58] slot and it cannot be removed.

[00:43:01] So and yeah there's a table of I think it's like 20 or for

[00:43:06] various like fallout situations and they they can they can

[00:43:09] kind of differ like there can be some like more like mundane

[00:43:14] like stress fallout kind of things like you start developing

[00:43:17] paranoia and and those kind of things that more psychological

[00:43:19] stuff but there can also be ones where like more supernatural

[00:43:24] like magical corruption or one is mirror world that I see in

[00:43:28] the physical book anyways where everything seems okay at first

[00:43:32] but now you are sure of it.

[00:43:35] The world inside the mirror is different the sides the side

[00:43:40] glances the shifting of places it is undeniable when you

[00:43:44] first start to notice roll 2d6 if the total is higher than

[00:43:49] your max HP take a new result or take the new result.

[00:43:53] So it's like you start like you started kind of seeing that

[00:43:56] liminal space or the serve I guess kind of going into the

[00:43:59] liminal horror of the game where you're starting to have

[00:44:03] that kind of set like that weird like liminal sense where

[00:44:06] you're dealing with things just outside of our of our

[00:44:10] of our normal world as a result of it.

[00:44:12] It's a very similar to like Cthulhu or or like call

[00:44:15] if you were like fear itself and esoterist when like

[00:44:18] reality starts breaking or bleeding.

[00:44:21] So but yeah I think that's that's basically it for for

[00:44:26] character creation for this game.

[00:44:27] Yeah.

[00:44:28] Adam what do you think?

[00:44:30] Like it.

[00:44:31] I mean it was pretty quick but it seemed quick though we

[00:44:34] have said here for a while going through this all I was

[00:44:37] kind of going through the PDF as you were talking there

[00:44:40] and I was seeing the gig stuff mentioned elsewhere like

[00:44:44] further down the list and like where the character

[00:44:46] can finally is so you know between the print copy did you

[00:44:50] buy that one from Drahthor or was that from a child directly?

[00:44:53] Actually that was from Exalted Funeral like like from their

[00:44:55] website from the open the Exalted Funeral website.

[00:44:58] So okay yeah that's where I got that one from.

[00:45:01] Oh yeah so yeah the book might be the book has all the

[00:45:04] stuff in it actually just noticed in the under the gear

[00:45:07] stuff it does actually give us in the book the like

[00:45:10] your your MPC character stuff and also a very small

[00:45:14] section for vehicles which I'm guessing got elaborated on in

[00:45:17] a later version of the or like in the in Samarata or a later

[00:45:21] edition of the of the PDF so but yeah.

[00:45:25] I feel like like we did take like it's been about an hour

[00:45:28] since this game since we started this but I feel like

[00:45:31] that's just because like the nature of the show and like

[00:45:34] this kind of just like going through it I feel like if

[00:45:37] this would be a very easy like just alright here's character

[00:45:40] sheets here's some tables roll those make up make up

[00:45:43] characters I feel it would be a lot quicker than an hour.

[00:45:46] Yeah if we weren't bouncing stuff off each other and then

[00:45:49] like here's Louie my psychiatrist and you know then we could

[00:45:54] thread the needle after all that stuff is kind of done.

[00:45:57] I was looking in the book I didn't know if there's like a

[00:46:00] generating of scenarios or anything like it there's a

[00:46:02] section called mystery framework.

[00:46:05] Yeah I don't know if it might it might not be in the

[00:46:08] PDF version but there's a sparks table which allows you

[00:46:12] to like kind of come up with some some kind of like seed

[00:46:14] ideal or some seed words to help generate an idea for what

[00:46:19] you want to what do you want to kind of start working on

[00:46:21] as a framework.

[00:46:23] And there is actually kind of a guide for like showing

[00:46:26] like creating your on these are on page 26 and 27 of the

[00:46:30] book.

[00:46:30] I'm not sure what it's like in the PDF but it's like

[00:46:34] create your own mysteries and it gives you kind of like

[00:46:36] step by step on like how to do the different like

[00:46:39] how to build the framework for a mystery starting with

[00:46:42] like touchstones like create a list of things that you're

[00:46:45] inspired for like films or games or comics and stuff

[00:46:48] with that of how you want to base like what you want to

[00:46:51] base this scenario off of.

[00:46:54] And like I said there was a table of 20 like first and

[00:46:58] second words to kind of get you kind of just spark

[00:47:01] inspiration I guess.

[00:47:03] Yeah for an idea.

[00:47:05] So there's also even tables in here on how to make like

[00:47:08] relics or even like work on like do like magical spells.

[00:47:11] Yeah sounds pretty cool.

[00:47:13] Yeah.

[00:47:14] Okay so as with the PDF to spaces we're going to mystery

[00:47:19] framework which would be 29 in the PDF spaces which these

[00:47:23] stories are told are extremely important many types of

[00:47:25] horror a cabin in the woods a mall outside of time and

[00:47:29] space at our hospital all these places function as

[00:47:32] another investigator that has just as all these places

[00:47:36] function like an investigator.

[00:47:38] That's what I'm saying.

[00:47:39] Even seemingly mundane spaces are important for modern

[00:47:43] horror as well they are instantly relatable to players by

[00:47:47] using these schemas those tables we are able to imagine

[00:47:52] these spaces and vivid details it is when the

[00:47:55] facilitator introduces a weirdness strange and horrifying

[00:47:58] that's a juxtaposition is players investigators.

[00:48:01] So we've got this framework.

[00:48:03] Yeah it's going to be touchstones concepts factions

[00:48:06] and goals and their goals doom clock hooks potential clue

[00:48:11] NPCs locations with to a speed round through this here.

[00:48:15] Yeah I need to open up a Google Doc.

[00:48:18] So why don't we begin this speed round by you.

[00:48:22] Why don't you throw a touchstone and then I'll throw

[00:48:25] a touchstone.

[00:48:26] Okay let's go with Lake Placid the movie.

[00:48:31] Okay what what the element of that movie.

[00:48:33] Oh the big Gator or Betty what I think it's I.

[00:48:38] Oh okay yeah I was I was going to just go with like like

[00:48:41] just like the simple like oh just like the scenic like

[00:48:43] rustic like look like look like the setup of like a

[00:48:47] plot of a scenic Lake kind of getaway place but I like

[00:48:52] the idea of a yeah the scenic like rustic out of the way

[00:48:56] a lake environment with a single inhabitant on a cottage

[00:49:01] or a house that's on the lake that's hiding something

[00:49:05] about the lake because really that's what Betty Waits

[00:49:08] character was in Lake Placid which she was yeah

[00:49:10] he was basically the the the person that was keeping

[00:49:13] the the crocodile a secret for so many years.

[00:49:17] All right so I'm going to put I'm just basically

[00:49:19] in these notes I'm gonna put Lake Placid and you know

[00:49:24] and then what's this to a brief description so you

[00:49:27] said like an ideally kind of nature setting where

[00:49:31] there's a caretaker keeping.

[00:49:33] They may be like just outside of it like a touristy like

[00:49:36] small town or something like that.

[00:49:38] I'm like that's like the lake getaway kind of more kind of

[00:49:42] bringing forth like the up up here in we're up near

[00:49:45] Muskoka where like it's basically Muskoka the

[00:49:48] Muskokas are basically like cottage country and so we're

[00:49:51] all like the city folk from from down Toronto come

[00:49:54] up on the weekends to go to their various cottages

[00:49:57] or weekend homes by a lake so yeah.

[00:50:02] Well going with that Lake Placid seems like a really good

[00:50:06] one.

[00:50:08] What's a two tip for tats on this here?

[00:50:10] I'm just wondering what I could throw in like that

[00:50:12] because movie wise Lord also doesn't have to be movie

[00:50:17] could be a video game could be a comic or a novel

[00:50:20] that you've read some kind of Paul culture touched

[00:50:22] which is I think I had the movie I'm trying to

[00:50:26] think of what it was called.

[00:50:27] What was it about this person disappears.

[00:50:31] It's like another worldly like they went on a hike

[00:50:33] and they went through this tunnel like this road had

[00:50:36] had like a walking path and then they just disappeared

[00:50:38] and it come out the other side but they like they went

[00:50:40] over into another reality kind of thing.

[00:50:43] It's a term refers to like somebody's dead.

[00:50:46] Is it called up is absentia absentia.

[00:50:49] It's got a picture of a woman being dragged away.

[00:50:52] A woman and her sister begin to link a mysterious

[00:50:55] tunnel to a series of disappearances including that

[00:50:58] of her own husband.

[00:51:00] Mm hmm.

[00:51:01] I've never actually 2011.

[00:51:03] I don't think I've seen this one.

[00:51:05] Oh, I think I don't know.

[00:51:07] I've not seen some of the other like covers that are

[00:51:09] popping up on Google images.

[00:51:11] Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen this one or

[00:51:13] even heard of it.

[00:51:14] I can remember those pictures of me watching it.

[00:51:17] Not that it was a moment that we wanted to remember

[00:51:20] forever but my daughter was maybe two years old in

[00:51:25] a toddler and she did something while I was

[00:51:27] watching a movie and I took a picture of her and then

[00:51:30] in the back was that movie.

[00:51:32] That's how I remember it but absentia.

[00:51:34] So yeah, this okay.

[00:51:35] It's just this person disappears and all that.

[00:51:38] So I like that lost people.

[00:51:41] So maybe as like a concept like to kind of tie the

[00:51:44] two I touch stones together if you'll if you'll

[00:51:47] allow me to brainstorm a little bit here because

[00:51:50] some thoughts are popping in what if it's like

[00:51:53] whenever somebody occasionally when somebody goes

[00:51:55] swimming in the lake and they dive down,

[00:51:56] they don't come back up and like they never find a

[00:51:59] body no matter how much they dredge the lake.

[00:52:03] I'm also just kind of remembering our talk

[00:52:05] when we were doing my neighbor Totoro.

[00:52:08] I think like a year or two ago where they dredge

[00:52:11] the pond because they were afraid that like because

[00:52:12] they found they found the little girls like shoe

[00:52:15] in the water and it's like please tell me it's

[00:52:19] it's isn't is it?

[00:52:20] It's not her shoe.

[00:52:22] Oh, thank God.

[00:52:22] It's not her shoe.

[00:52:23] It's like well hang on who she with that.

[00:52:25] Yeah, there's still some girl missing and her

[00:52:29] shoe is the water.

[00:52:31] Yeah, yeah, just like that just came to mind

[00:52:35] because I was like trying to like link the idea

[00:52:37] from absentia of like a tunnel that makes people

[00:52:39] go missing to like a Lake Placidesque setting.

[00:52:44] So it's sort of like lost in the woods except

[00:52:46] you know the worst case scenario of like lake

[00:52:48] goers and campers and such.

[00:52:52] I gotta add something to it because you know

[00:52:54] me and my fascination with the missing 411 stuff.

[00:52:58] Yep.

[00:52:58] If they do come back, they come back really far

[00:53:02] away with no idea of how they got there.

[00:53:05] So I'm talking like if you're swimming in you know

[00:53:09] Vermont, if this is where this is.

[00:53:11] So if you jump into the lake in Vermont,

[00:53:14] they show up.

[00:53:14] And you show up or maybe you're out in the flats

[00:53:19] out in there was out in Salt Lake City.

[00:53:21] Oh, I do like that.

[00:53:23] Yeah.

[00:53:23] I like just it's it's sort of like I don't know

[00:53:28] if you know about the the theory of like how like

[00:53:30] how why we haven't found the Loch Ness Monster

[00:53:33] outside of it not being a thing is that like

[00:53:36] there's a lot of apparently there's a lot of like

[00:53:38] underwater they speculate.

[00:53:40] There's a bunch of like the the locks around

[00:53:42] there are like riddled with tunnels like sub

[00:53:45] like underwater tunnels and such.

[00:53:47] And so they speculate that like that's how like

[00:53:49] Nessie's able to evade all those scans

[00:53:53] and dredgings of Loch Ness is that it's just

[00:53:56] tunnels that go to different locations.

[00:53:57] But like what if it's like basically underwater

[00:54:00] wormholes?

[00:54:03] So like that's that's what's happening in the

[00:54:05] in the lake as it's taking it's some kind of

[00:54:07] some kind of device and then like perhaps

[00:54:09] maybe the if we're going to have like a little

[00:54:11] old woman that like is the only resident on

[00:54:13] the shoreline of the lake outside of like

[00:54:15] the occasional campers and such.

[00:54:18] Maybe you know maybe to pull against them

[00:54:20] from another interest of yours.

[00:54:21] Perhaps she is like some kind of she's actually

[00:54:24] some kind of like fey being or like a hag

[00:54:27] that's just living in the mundane world.

[00:54:30] That's probably worse or could even be like a

[00:54:32] servitor to one like that like basically she

[00:54:34] she does this so that like oh yeah like old

[00:54:39] old old Betsy Black has always been out

[00:54:42] there and on the lake.

[00:54:43] My grandfather remembers talking about her back

[00:54:46] when she she's never aged today.

[00:54:48] It's like it's because basically she made a

[00:54:50] deal with somebody to like just live forever.

[00:54:53] Or maybe that will it's a GM on that one there

[00:54:55] but yeah I mean I like that so faction wise

[00:54:59] was just calling the old woman and I'm

[00:55:03] going to put in parentheses is

[00:55:08] bay immortal I'll put it more immortal.

[00:55:11] I mean immoral is also like for that

[00:55:13] situation but yeah.

[00:55:15] And if you will indulge me here the other

[00:55:18] faction is state tourists.

[00:55:22] Let's have a jowl's moment.

[00:55:24] Yeah I was just like yeah like the local town

[00:55:27] like like the the the Department of Tourism for the

[00:55:29] for the town that like the lake borders on is

[00:55:32] like is is also like maybe they're not in on it

[00:55:37] but they don't like people investigating it

[00:55:39] because it draws to draws negative attention

[00:55:41] to their tourist board or their old tourists

[00:55:43] and section.

[00:55:44] Mm hmm.

[00:55:45] So we can have a scene in the in the in the scenario

[00:55:48] where like an investor inevitably goes up to the

[00:55:51] director of the Department of Tourism for this town

[00:55:54] is like you did this.

[00:55:56] You got to shut down it.

[00:55:58] We can't afford the July America.

[00:56:00] God damn.

[00:56:01] Okay so we are setting this in America.

[00:56:04] I mean we're we could be Canada.

[00:56:07] That's catch one.

[00:56:08] It's Canada day it's Canada day weekend we can't

[00:56:11] have that.

[00:56:12] Like you did it's Thanksgiving which is earlier than yours

[00:56:15] and has like Jack and hookers.

[00:56:18] So forget the play.

[00:56:20] Yeah.

[00:56:21] Doom clock.

[00:56:23] That's the next thing create a baseline sequence of events

[00:56:26] that happen if the investigators don't intervene.

[00:56:31] Actions take actions taking change to do clock.

[00:56:34] Okay.

[00:56:35] Sorry I just want to say like I really like the

[00:56:37] doom clock.

[00:56:38] It seems like it was borrowed from from the power by

[00:56:40] the apocalypse.

[00:56:41] Mm hmm.

[00:56:41] System but like it's such a good like jumping off point like

[00:56:46] it's it's such a good like tool to have as a GM like you

[00:56:49] know what the what the MPC with the antagonistic forces

[00:56:53] are going to do or what the events are going to happen

[00:56:56] if the players don't intervene.

[00:56:58] So you have kind of like a jumping off point on how

[00:57:00] to react to the players.

[00:57:02] Yeah when they inevitably gum up the works for the

[00:57:06] for the antagonist or for the the forces that are at

[00:57:10] play.

[00:57:12] How large scale do you think doom clock should go because

[00:57:15] I always start at the end.

[00:57:16] I know I always have to have no the end so then I can do

[00:57:19] a beginning because like when even when I wrote college

[00:57:21] papers I'd write the entire paper and then I'd go back

[00:57:24] and okay this is what I said.

[00:57:26] I guess this is my thesis kind of thing like that.

[00:57:29] So like I think you want to do world ending or town

[00:57:33] ending or just what I think honestly nothing should like

[00:57:36] it shouldn't actually disrupt like the status quo

[00:57:38] of the world like if the if the if the players never intervene

[00:57:42] it's just another another person gets sucked up through

[00:57:46] the the wormholes and and maybe maybe the transition

[00:57:51] maybe this is the liminal horror of it is the

[00:57:53] transitionary time between getting sucked up through

[00:57:56] the wormhole underneath the lake and like popping out

[00:57:59] in Arizona maybe they pop up in like the salt flats

[00:58:02] like emaciated and dehydrated in like maybe even

[00:58:05] like older than they were even though it's been like a couple

[00:58:09] of it's it's only been a couple of days since they went

[00:58:11] missing out in that in that in that state or or part of the

[00:58:14] work of part of the country and then they pop up there

[00:58:17] and they're now like 10 years older or like 20 years older

[00:58:20] and I think I think the end result of like the doom

[00:58:24] clock would be that the Betty white character though

[00:58:28] though the the hag character or the whatever just basically

[00:58:32] continues on like she's she's now maybe a little bit more

[00:58:36] youthful than she was before like I think maybe this could

[00:58:39] actually be like a play on like the fountain of youth

[00:58:41] like she found her fountain of youth she just needs to

[00:58:43] sacrifice an unwitting camper every couple of months or

[00:58:47] maybe once a year or so every summer a kid goes missing

[00:58:50] there are like somebody goes missing in this in this

[00:58:53] lake or aren't going missing in this lake like maybe

[00:58:57] it's not just one person's like a couple of people it

[00:59:00] it takes kind of thing.

[00:59:01] I like the idea there being like what's his sake is that

[00:59:06] the people who aren't popping back up or still suck there.

[00:59:10] So I mean theoretically if if your characters win the game

[00:59:15] then there's a bunch there's going to be a bunch of people

[00:59:17] who were lost like decades or however long she's been

[00:59:21] doing it.

[00:59:22] I mean you're going to have you know fur trappers like

[00:59:25] materializing yeah and what he's like maybe like again

[00:59:29] like when they're passing through like the the the

[00:59:33] entities or whatever are like that created the wormhole

[00:59:35] basically just pluck the occasional person out to toy

[00:59:38] with for a few decades or centuries.

[00:59:41] So yeah like you said like we have like a fur trapper

[00:59:43] who's like he's decades older than he was but he's also

[00:59:47] like still in his his old attire and stuff like that so

[00:59:50] yeah that so well and let's just start things slowly

[00:59:54] and dim clock we're going to have a park range

[00:59:56] or disappears.

[00:59:58] Okay then we're going to go out we're going to put in a small

[01:00:02] family.

[01:00:04] Oh so it's just like yeah we're going every year this this

[01:00:07] lake like eats like half like half a dozen people.

[01:00:13] Yeah my that's I got a little bit what's with the man

[01:00:16] something.

[01:00:18] Sorry they're coming back but no but they disappear from reality.

[01:00:22] We don't remember them.

[01:00:24] Oh yeah like there's just people that pop up and they

[01:00:27] remember the reality but by them going through that

[01:00:31] wormhole they've been erased like nobody remembers them or

[01:00:36] how about not reverse hydra.

[01:00:38] Yeah no nobody remembers them except for like maybe

[01:00:41] their immediate family like the like their blood remembers

[01:00:44] them but like no one out there's no other reality

[01:00:48] itself has forgotten them so like yeah it's like they

[01:00:51] just seem like they're crazy like out to the rest of

[01:00:53] the world.

[01:00:55] Yeah that's why it doesn't get like it doesn't get noticed

[01:00:58] like severely by by the rest of the world or by the

[01:01:01] public.

[01:01:02] All right I like it so I'm gonna put Canada Day cook out

[01:01:09] okay everybody disappears everybody disappears.

[01:01:13] That I know actually that should be the the last

[01:01:15] one and then like maybe just to go back to the are

[01:01:19] the end date what if like this is like the final

[01:01:23] the final sequence as it were for for the hag like or for

[01:01:27] the Betty White characters like she's basically plant

[01:01:31] like she's kind of been doing this a long time she's

[01:01:33] been doing this a while and she's ready to like retire

[01:01:35] and move on so but it requires a bigger sacrifice

[01:01:39] this year so like our end one could be that like the

[01:01:42] entire Canada Day celebration of swimmers and some

[01:01:46] of that just rowing oaks.

[01:01:49] I was gonna say her name's Kuro Toa.

[01:01:51] Yes yes yeah I love that.

[01:01:55] Yeah so she just she just did the cycle continues.

[01:01:59] Yeah.

[01:02:00] So there's a section for hooks so like if I share

[01:02:03] these notes out guys it's just very freehanded kind

[01:02:07] of don't judge me.

[01:02:08] So we're going to create multiple entry points that

[01:02:11] could be used in Tangle, the table and the mystery.

[01:02:15] Yeah.

[01:02:16] I'm gonna do that that you know I've just put some

[01:02:20] notes so podcast tip that's how you pick up to it.

[01:02:25] Oh yeah for the hooks yeah podcast tip.

[01:02:28] Yeah I guess should there be more there's probably

[01:02:31] be more than one hook.

[01:02:33] Oh yeah so there's a podcast tip there is I'm tying

[01:02:39] in with the with the with the characters a bit.

[01:02:42] Perhaps a relative of the of somebody who went missing

[01:02:45] but nobody like no recognizer anymore like like the player

[01:02:48] one of the player characters is is trying to find

[01:02:52] they're missing like family member who was there like a

[01:02:57] couple yeah brothers on that maybe maybe even like the

[01:03:00] park if you're like the park ranger guy like that first

[01:03:04] park ranger that went missing in the season.

[01:03:07] Well hold on no one remembers or here it is I mean

[01:03:13] if we were going to tie it up like your hood your your hit

[01:03:17] is the podcast like yeah I mean you're getting something

[01:03:21] there my character encounters a person said that you used

[01:03:25] to see my brother and do you remember some angry person

[01:03:28] comes in and I have no memory of them or anything

[01:03:32] like that and then I would see that would be too good

[01:03:39] tie-ins with that.

[01:03:41] Yeah and also like even for like a broader stroke thing like

[01:03:45] yeah it could just be there's like some like some local like

[01:03:47] like online or something that there's just some some tips

[01:03:50] about like a weird about weird experiences in that area

[01:03:53] like surrounding the lake maybe or how about a history of

[01:03:56] people claiming to from there like it takes back hundreds

[01:03:59] 100 years it's like you know people like mental health

[01:04:04] records and stuff like that that tie-in that this like

[01:04:08] these people are being kind of sucked out of existence.

[01:04:11] I don't know.

[01:04:12] Yeah.

[01:04:13] I have a see so town also has the town also has a strangely

[01:04:19] like this this very small town has a very strangely large

[01:04:23] homeless population homeless population because no one

[01:04:28] remembers the like nobody knows them and even their

[01:04:30] families or any of that so they're just they end up

[01:04:32] destitute.

[01:04:33] Yeah and then maybe and they don't know themselves

[01:04:37] they just feel like something's drawn back home.

[01:04:40] So maybe you could also for again for a general purpose

[01:04:42] thing like maybe you could be contacted by the the

[01:04:47] Department of Tourism to perhaps like try and like like

[01:04:51] like look into like why there's so many homeless people

[01:04:53] in this town like it's not good for business kind of thing

[01:04:56] and then one of some of the homeless you start

[01:04:58] listen talking to some of the homeless people and they

[01:05:00] tell you about the lake.

[01:05:02] Well that's definitely what your character is saying to me.

[01:05:04] Yeah.

[01:05:06] Yeah.

[01:05:07] I think so.

[01:05:08] I mean the homeless population people drawn there seems

[01:05:12] like a good hint.

[01:05:13] I think we're also kind of going into the potential

[01:05:17] clues section here.

[01:05:18] So I think so yeah with the especially that one.

[01:05:21] I'm gonna put hooks I'm gonna put I'm actually just

[01:05:24] gonna move that down.

[01:05:25] Yeah.

[01:05:27] Yeah.

[01:05:29] Yeah.

[01:05:29] I like this idea of me being a straight man and you

[01:05:32] be in the nut.

[01:05:35] The nose things the nose.

[01:05:39] I was see potential clue just people drawn there.

[01:05:43] Like maybe even like right off the hop like or because

[01:05:47] maybe maybe the memory wipe doesn't take effect

[01:05:50] immediately once the person gets sucked up.

[01:05:51] So like it takes a few like maybe a few hours after

[01:05:55] somebody goes missing.

[01:05:56] So like maybe there's already getting some reports of

[01:05:59] like somebody is missing their kid at the beach

[01:06:02] or or something like that for like for potential clues.

[01:06:06] Yeah.

[01:06:07] Or somebody's kid does claims to have come back or

[01:06:11] like or some some some adult character has come back

[01:06:15] has popped up out of the water claiming to be

[01:06:18] somebody's kid but like they should be like six

[01:06:21] or or like 10 and they're like 30.

[01:06:26] All of that.

[01:06:28] But it's coming through with

[01:06:32] hypnosis.

[01:06:33] Does that make sense?

[01:06:34] Like you put somebody under then those memories are there

[01:06:38] and stuff like that.

[01:06:40] So maybe that's the that's the thing I mean I had like

[01:06:45] bond wise there's like the you know boss who is

[01:06:49] important to me and stuff like that just his documented

[01:06:52] cases of all this bizarre stuff.

[01:06:55] Maybe that's the thing that I've read that man shouldn't

[01:06:57] is not supposed to have known like they're pulling

[01:07:00] on these people even if it's a child that was

[01:07:03] wandering the streets had made it back there from God knows

[01:07:06] where they ended up.

[01:07:07] They're wondering the streets like when you know going

[01:07:10] through counseling and whatnot you figure if they do

[01:07:14] start doing regression they remember it being

[01:07:18] you know the 1860s or something like that and

[01:07:22] you know just but it's just just reoccurring

[01:07:27] through therapy which probably you know at some point

[01:07:31] our characters are going to have to meet.

[01:07:32] I was and say either I was your psychiatrist or we end

[01:07:36] up at meeting in the first get in the first scene in

[01:07:38] the book or in the game like I'm looking into something

[01:07:43] and you're out looking for big foot there not really big

[01:07:45] foot but you know what I mean you're out.

[01:07:47] I'm looking I've heard of this.

[01:07:49] There's apparently like this was using a creepy

[01:07:51] pasta like like a like a local area in the in

[01:07:54] the in the around the town was used in a creepy

[01:07:56] pasta and so I'm just like I'm checking out the

[01:07:59] location because that's what I do for my podcast

[01:08:03] occasionally I like go to places where creep with

[01:08:05] that creep pasta have mentioned.

[01:08:08] Maybe somebody wrote a creepy pasta that's like very

[01:08:11] similar to the situation that's going on right now

[01:08:14] that could be another one another that also could

[01:08:17] just be like another hooker even like a clue like

[01:08:20] perhaps perhaps actually this this ties into the

[01:08:23] faction stuff perhaps there isn't a an opposing faction

[01:08:29] of Faye that is deciding to like fuck with the group

[01:08:33] with the ones that are setting up this this this

[01:08:36] wormhole situation and so they planted the seed

[01:08:40] of of investigators to go and look into this stuff

[01:08:44] by placing a creepy pasta online that's really

[01:08:47] similar to the situation at hand.

[01:08:50] Honeypot no man.

[01:08:51] Yeah basically.

[01:08:52] Yeah well it could even be like like the the Faye

[01:08:55] themselves because again they're kind of alien

[01:08:57] in their working so like maybe they're just doing

[01:08:59] it they're just though the ones that are in like

[01:09:02] that are they're operating this situation do that

[01:09:05] as a honeypot for certain individuals that they

[01:09:08] just decide they want to bring in.

[01:09:10] Okay.

[01:09:12] Man have you add that in here there's a we're

[01:09:15] moving quick here.

[01:09:16] Yes.

[01:09:17] In fact like what I'm going to do is when I

[01:09:18] finish this I'm going to throw what I have here

[01:09:20] and you you fill in the who the you fill in the

[01:09:24] dots if you don't care.

[01:09:25] Sure.

[01:09:26] Yep.

[01:09:27] NPCs which always was come up with an NPC other

[01:09:30] than the old lady that that's a given.

[01:09:33] Yeah.

[01:09:33] NPC so create your a list of important NPCs with

[01:09:38] their stat blocks use the Perinatural beasts

[01:09:41] for some examples or create your own monsters.

[01:09:44] Oh so this is basically for like monsters or like

[01:09:47] regular humans.

[01:09:49] Well we'll see what we'll see what it's what the

[01:09:51] monster list is Ghost swarm flesh myth well

[01:10:00] cultists frogmen mother.

[01:10:03] Yeah that's right.

[01:10:04] Yeah, yeah which Bureau child at the score.

[01:10:08] Yeah those are for various because a liminal horror

[01:10:11] does have a couple of of already existing scenarios

[01:10:14] and such so they've tossed these into it.

[01:10:18] But yeah yeah like I feel like we do need some kind

[01:10:22] of like the thing I'm kind of coming up on this is

[01:10:25] like once we once our characters get to the

[01:10:27] investigative like get to the area to investigate

[01:10:31] how do they interact with the whole like wormhole

[01:10:34] situation.

[01:10:37] Well like do they do we do we just like seek

[01:10:39] like how do we how do we get them to like I guess

[01:10:41] I guess the person that we really need to like

[01:10:43] get them to is is the old woman on the on the

[01:10:45] shore right like she's kind of the one like

[01:10:48] orchestrating some of this.

[01:10:50] Yeah I mean she would be in the woman on the

[01:10:52] shore I was thinking like you could have a sheriff

[01:10:54] or something like that.

[01:10:56] Like he's he's a change thing.

[01:11:00] I mean nothing nothing is fantastic because

[01:11:03] that you need a reason to know about the bottom

[01:11:05] there.

[01:11:08] There's they even sent divers down and they came

[01:11:12] back up and after they got changed out of their

[01:11:16] clothes there was a set of clothes that was not

[01:11:19] changed into if you go what I'm saying.

[01:11:22] Oh I see like so one went when one was taken and

[01:11:25] nobody knows it like I said I'm kind of hitting

[01:11:26] that reverse hydro thing but yeah I got you.

[01:11:30] I just I'm trying to figure out how how do we

[01:11:32] like how do the investigators actually solve

[01:11:34] this or do they not even like like do we just

[01:11:36] like they look into it they look into it and

[01:11:39] then they either decide to take the plunge

[01:11:41] themselves and go into the wormhole or like how

[01:11:47] do they I guess I'm trying to figure out is like

[01:11:50] how do how like how does it interact with with

[01:11:52] our with our players or with our player characters

[01:11:55] that's kind of the issue I'm coming across here

[01:11:57] with this.

[01:11:59] The old woman's not as malevolent and maybe

[01:12:03] she want to like kind of keep people out of it.

[01:12:07] Oh maybe it's just a force of nature so I mean

[01:12:09] you could have her you know go down there and

[01:12:13] then you have it seen from like stranger things

[01:12:15] when they get to the bottom and there's the upside

[01:12:17] down.

[01:12:18] Yeah we so so so the the the old woman is actually

[01:12:23] kind of a mix of the guy from Friday 13th is

[01:12:25] like that that camps go to death cuz that takes

[01:12:30] her as a curl toe thing oh and that was yeah

[01:12:32] growing okay.

[01:12:34] Or how about this she's both like during

[01:12:39] the day she or like maybe at certain times of the

[01:12:43] day she is like she is this person and then other

[01:12:47] times maybe at night she becomes more malevolent

[01:12:50] like she it's sort of like a werewolf situation

[01:12:52] but it's like not bound by the moon like it's more

[01:12:55] of a geckle hide kind of situation mixed with

[01:12:57] a werewolf like during the day she is this.

[01:13:00] She realizes what's what she's doing but she's

[01:13:02] like just help this old woman trying to stop

[01:13:05] people from going into the water and so she's

[01:13:07] just kind of become like that lady like that crazy

[01:13:10] lady that that tries to stop beachgoers from enjoying

[01:13:13] their fun but at night she's the one that's like

[01:13:16] orchestrating things like as like another personality

[01:13:18] takes over maybe the faith is a faith possesses her

[01:13:22] like she's got like a faith parasite.

[01:13:24] He has sundowners.

[01:13:26] I yeah I didn't want to go to like yeah real

[01:13:30] man logical cuz like I like I was yeah I know

[01:13:33] like that idea that thought process also kind of going

[01:13:35] on to like possible Schizophrenia and so that

[01:13:39] were like the or like separate identities but

[01:13:42] that's why I was kind of pulling in for more supernatural

[01:13:44] bend than the real world situation.

[01:13:48] Yeah, just get at this point though.

[01:13:50] I mean we could flesh this out later.

[01:13:52] We got a lot of good stuff here.

[01:13:54] I mean so MPC you wanted to I mean out there

[01:13:58] out of sheriff what do you do?

[01:13:59] What do you think you're gonna hang your head on?

[01:14:01] I feel like honestly this is the the area where

[01:14:04] we have like the MPC would also be like the woman.

[01:14:08] So not to not to I don't know if you've been trying

[01:14:12] to like pull away from that but like I just this is

[01:14:14] kind of like the spot where like you put like a listing

[01:14:17] of characters including the MPC including the group

[01:14:19] of the woman that's at the beach so yeah

[01:14:24] but that would require like actually doing stat stuff.

[01:14:26] Yeah, that's funny.

[01:14:27] I mean we've got something here.

[01:14:30] I would see locations so it was just it was put a set piece

[01:14:36] here real quick.

[01:14:37] So I mean the lake is a given but yeah do you want to name

[01:14:41] the lake?

[01:14:42] Here, what do you want to name it?

[01:14:46] Lake Plastic.

[01:14:47] Lake Plastic, wow.

[01:14:49] Because the lake because it always seems like it's smooth

[01:14:53] as plastic every lake hatchet.

[01:15:00] Okay.

[01:15:01] And then the town could even be called like hatchet falls

[01:15:04] or something.

[01:15:06] Like maybe the lake feeds in from a from a waterfall down

[01:15:09] there just down like a stream or something.

[01:15:12] Thank you DVD collection for giving me a word.

[01:15:17] That's exactly what I did.

[01:15:18] I was looking at my DVD collection on my shelf.

[01:15:21] It was like what's a good word in here?

[01:15:24] Army of Darkness, no not good enough.

[01:15:26] Oh, the hatchet series of slasher's.

[01:15:29] Okay.

[01:15:29] Yeah, Lake Hatchet.

[01:15:31] Let's see and another public library.

[01:15:38] A public library.

[01:15:40] Hatchet Falls, hatchet falls Historical Library or Memorial

[01:15:44] Library.

[01:15:46] Yeah.

[01:15:47] How about oh we need like there's got to be like you

[01:15:51] know how like certain parks and like beach areas like

[01:15:54] they have like sort of like where the parking lot is and

[01:15:55] then they have like usually like a venue of some kind like

[01:15:59] a seasonal venue where it's just like basically somebody's

[01:16:03] like they've made a shed or like you can pull up in some

[01:16:08] some counter space for like food and some of that.

[01:16:12] I kind of like the idea of just like Frankies.

[01:16:15] Franky Frankies, Frankies Beachside Beachside.

[01:16:19] Goods or something like that like I probably just like

[01:16:22] Frankies like just like with an apostrophe and just

[01:16:25] like no and just it's a it's a beachside kind of not quite

[01:16:29] a gift shop but like supply like like canoe and swimming

[01:16:33] supplies and then also like a small kitchen or like like

[01:16:36] well like fast food like hot dogs and burgers kind of place.

[01:16:40] Just like it's Bucky's but it's out on the water.

[01:16:43] No, it's just like one of those like seasonal.

[01:16:47] I don't know if like up here we have them like all the

[01:16:49] time like all like certain like lake areas we have like

[01:16:53] these like seasonal like little like quick and easy restaurant

[01:16:56] sort of things they or they set up like the building is there

[01:17:00] year round but they they're closed during the winter seasons

[01:17:03] restaurants and general store.

[01:17:05] There we go.

[01:17:05] Yeah, basically yeah that works.

[01:17:07] All right.

[01:17:08] So I think we kind of have we hit with pretty good some

[01:17:12] pretty decent ideas.

[01:17:13] I like the idea.

[01:17:14] I don't know if it would you know, if we were refining

[01:17:16] this out if all of it would stand as is like the I like

[01:17:20] the old woman being malevolent.

[01:17:22] I like her being kind of a caretaker.

[01:17:24] I like her being something that goes back to Roanoke.

[01:17:27] I like it being something that's maybe multiple has two

[01:17:33] two personalities of sorts.

[01:17:35] I mean there's a lot of cool things here like and yeah.

[01:17:38] I was just like yeah, like I like the idea of like her

[01:17:40] like she kind of being she's she's an antagonist but

[01:17:45] also a victim in this like maybe she started she did

[01:17:48] this with the when she was younger with the intention

[01:17:51] of like gaining like eternal youth and stuff of that

[01:17:54] but it's really not as good as she wanted to be and now

[01:17:57] she's kind of trapped in this cycle because she she made

[01:18:01] deals with powers that were that she didn't fully

[01:18:03] understand.

[01:18:04] I just think she's a lure so to speak something got

[01:18:07] a hold of her.

[01:18:08] She's as much a prisoner as everything else is and

[01:18:11] she's there maybe during the daytime she's doing this

[01:18:14] duty and at night you know she's wrapped in guilt.

[01:18:19] Yeah, I like that.

[01:18:20] Yeah, I like it when it's rare reverse the whole like like

[01:18:22] during the day she's like working for these creatures

[01:18:25] or for this anomaly and stuff of that but then the

[01:18:28] the influence is relinquished at night and like now

[01:18:32] than like basically just like yeah like you said like

[01:18:35] she's now just like the poor remorseful soul.

[01:18:39] Did you ever see the movie Endless?

[01:18:41] Endless?

[01:18:42] I have not yet.

[01:18:43] Yes.

[01:18:44] I know I have a long list of movies I still need to watch.

[01:18:49] Endless is I mean they just kind of stuck in a time loop

[01:18:52] and even regardless of how drastic of a situation this lady

[01:18:56] takes to get out of it in her moments of sanity when she

[01:19:00] wakes back up it's business as normal and that's

[01:19:03] that you know if she did something you know rash

[01:19:08] they bring her back if she drives away she the next

[01:19:13] day she's back.

[01:19:15] Oh God that sucks.

[01:19:17] I mean I don't care if she drives herself in the lake

[01:19:20] she's back.

[01:19:22] Yeah and now like when you see her and when you actually

[01:19:26] see her see her you just see a broken person who is at

[01:19:30] that point is kind of resigned themselves like you know

[01:19:35] it's someone to be pity you know what I mean?

[01:19:38] Yeah.

[01:19:39] And you know maybe she could overcome or she knows the way

[01:19:42] around because like how are you going to get to the bottom

[01:19:45] of the lake how's it all going to come to that?

[01:19:47] That's what I'm trying to figure out yeah like we may have

[01:19:50] to.

[01:19:51] Sorry I didn't mean to catch up.

[01:19:52] I'm just saying we just may have to just it may not be

[01:19:54] tunnels it may not be caves it may not be anything

[01:19:57] like that it may be something that has to be done

[01:20:02] that triggers it maybe it's you know maybe she's

[01:20:06] triggering it maybe.

[01:20:08] Oh I do like that like maybe like the investigators spend

[01:20:12] all this time trying to like it's got to be a spot in

[01:20:14] the lake when really during the day since she's possessed

[01:20:18] by this but by this force or whatever it's really just

[01:20:21] a line of sight spell that she's doing to certain

[01:20:25] or a token maybe she's Frankie who's running the shop.

[01:20:30] Yeah I like that yeah.

[01:20:32] Oh here are marks up on the map.

[01:20:34] Oh here's your change Frankie.

[01:20:37] Yeah okay so Frankie shop is is like basically like a like

[01:20:41] a grill like Frankie's grill but also it has like scuba gear

[01:20:44] like for for amateur scuba diving cast up for like for

[01:20:48] or for like here's some bodyboarding to like here's

[01:20:50] some bodyboards to go like out deeper into the lake

[01:20:53] and like and and and maybe the bodyboards themselves

[01:20:56] have like some kind of like enchantment on them

[01:20:59] so that when the person like jump jumps off the board

[01:21:01] to go like to go under they that's what it activates.

[01:21:06] I see whatever few touches can be enchanted.

[01:21:08] Yeah it could be your change back it could be a snickers

[01:21:12] bar that you purchase is whatever is tagged that's

[01:21:16] kind of the beacon that brings it to you.

[01:21:19] Yeah no I like that.

[01:21:21] So basically like the accepting something from a

[01:21:24] fey or and there's an exchange with a fey that's yeah

[01:21:28] it falls in line with that kind of mythology so yeah.

[01:21:31] I think we I think we've done it.

[01:21:34] Mm-hmm I think we have a we have a strong foundation here

[01:21:38] for for a scenario.

[01:21:40] So I mean this has been real fun.

[01:21:42] I appreciate it.

[01:21:43] I hadn't heard of this game.

[01:21:44] I've heard you talk about it quite a bit and I know

[01:21:47] that you have threatened to run it for us at

[01:21:49] GenCon this year so I have a little bit of an idea.

[01:21:52] Can I have it?

[01:21:54] Yeah it'll be interesting.

[01:21:56] Yeah it's just gonna be a fun little adventure in

[01:21:59] in a convention center.

[01:22:01] No big deal.

[01:22:03] Yeah it'll be fun.

[01:22:04] Yeah cultists is found review cultists found some

[01:22:07] like cool artifact he's decided to share with

[01:22:09] all you guys and I'm sure everything will be fine.

[01:22:14] He bought it.

[01:22:14] It's a consignment store or thing if they do

[01:22:17] at GenCon.

[01:22:19] Yeah well aside from GenCon 2024 where can people

[01:22:25] find you out there they're wanting to see more things

[01:22:28] that are most creepy most postage.

[01:22:30] Well if you are like me and you like creepy shit

[01:22:33] and like reading about creepy stories online

[01:22:36] well I've got the podcast for you.

[01:22:39] Aldente Rigamortis is a creepypasta review

[01:22:43] and discussion podcast where me review cultist

[01:22:47] and a few of my fellow co-hosts who were

[01:22:50] definitely mentioned in my character sheet here

[01:22:52] for this liminal horror roll up.

[01:22:55] We get together every week we read a creepypasta

[01:22:58] and then we discuss the merits of it and

[01:23:02] and even critique it to a degree.

[01:23:05] So if you like discussion of creepy stories online

[01:23:09] whether it be analog horror SCPs or just reddit

[01:23:13] no sleep stuff you can check it out Aldente Rigamortis

[01:23:17] and when I'm not reading creepypastas and talking

[01:23:20] about them incessantly you can also check

[01:23:23] out my tabletop RPG actual play podcast

[01:23:25] One Less Die where I just robe from review cultist

[01:23:30] and become craze on or just Chris

[01:23:33] and GM a bunch of games spanning from Shadow Run

[01:23:37] D20 of various varieties and Monster of the Week

[01:23:41] and Power of the Apocalypse kind of games

[01:23:44] with other ones kind of smattered across those as well.

[01:23:48] So that's where you can check me out.

[01:23:51] Thank you so much.

[01:23:52] I appreciate you swinging by for

[01:23:54] so if this is your first time finding us here

[01:23:56] how you can find role playing change at www.ropeplayingchange.com

[01:24:01] We are also on Twitter and Blue Sky both at RP exchange.

[01:24:07] So if you are listening to some month of June

[01:24:10] then thank you very much.

[01:24:12] You are one of our patrons drivers patrons drivers

[01:24:14] get to get to RPX row ups three months in advance

[01:24:17] if you're listening to this around September or whatnot.

[01:24:19] Hey, no shame.

[01:24:21] Thanks for tuning in.

[01:24:22] And if you'd like to catch these episodes three months early

[01:24:26] go over to patreon.com site for role playing exchange

[01:24:30] and donate a little bit of your hard-earned money

[01:24:32] so we can keep the electric on so to speak

[01:24:35] or something like that.

[01:24:37] That sounds good enough.

[01:24:38] But help us keep keep the hosting bills at bay

[01:24:41] because we very much appreciate that to take from my podcast.

[01:24:46] I will click.

[01:24:48] Yes, that sounds great.

[01:24:50] Hosting bills bad money good.

[01:24:52] Thank you.

[01:24:53] We got there.

[01:24:54] Yeah.

[01:24:55] I mean, I'm gonna space myself, sir.

[01:24:58] Oh no.

[01:25:00] Well, I guess that's it.

[01:25:02] So thank you all again for tuning in and until next time

[01:25:05] we'll see y'all later.

[01:25:06] Bye sleep well.