The Stars Are Right! Cthulhu Save Us All!-Part 2

Heres the goofy outline I made for this Cthulhu vs, Godzilla adventure. This is a continuation from my idea in Part 1

Part One: Retrieve The Necronomicon
The first phase of the mission is to recover a copy of the Necronomicon. Unfortunately, every time one of Hoover’s researchers tried to study the Book they went mad. Keeping a copy locked up was too dangerous and tended to be a trouble magnet, proving more a liability than it was worth. So he long ago implemented a policy to destroy every copy of the book that his people manage to recover. Hoover and the FBI have kept tabs on all sorts of strange Mythos activity since the Raid on Innsmouth. Thus Hoover provides the group with three choices in which they could conceivably recover a copy for the mission at hand.

Miskatonic University-The restricted book collection has one, but it’s recently been stolen. If they group wants to track down this copy they will have to follow clues that lead to Dunwich. Here a descendant of Wilbur Whateley is using it to do research. Inbred hillbillies, ala "The Hills Have Eyes" are the least of the PC’s concerns as a new Son of Yog-Sothoth is discovered to exisit.

The Hermetic Order of the Silver Twilight-A new chapter of this venerable gentleman’s club has opened in Boston. Boston’s social elite rub shoulders here while a warren of ghouls dines on their charnel feasts in festering tunnels below. The Cults copy of the book is located below this labyrinth of tunnels in a subterranean temple complex. If the Cult leader suspects that the book is in danger he flee with it into the Dreamlands with it.

Kingsport Cult- Before the Congregational Hospital on Kingport’s Central Hill could be built the old Congregational Church had to be torn down. The true reasons for tearing the church down were never made public except to say that is was a public safety hazard. The truth of the matter is that a foul cult that worshipped a strange pillar of green fire known as Tulzscha. Few people in the sleepy port town realize that the cult is still alive and well, preying on the innocent and helpless patients in the hospital above. Byakhee, undead, and cultists as well as their horrible master all stand in the PC’s way if they wish to recover the book from this awful place.

Regardless of which place they get the book from, the PC’s drag these cultists into the fray with them. These foul and degenerate souls will dog the PC’s every move seeking the glory and reward of being the ones to aid Great Cthulhu in his return to the world. It’s possible that they might need to hit two, or all three of these places in order to successfully get the book.

Part Two: Escape From Arkham Asylum
Just having the Necronomicon is not enough. While it has the required ritual in it to release Cthulhu from his Temple Prison, its not like just reading and following a recipe from a cook book. This knowledge was compiled by deranged wizards over hundreds of years after all. Yet all is not lost. One of Hoover’s last and finest occult researchers is more than capable of performing the required ritual. There are just two problems that stand in the PC’s way. The first is that this researcher is insane and locked up in Arkham Asylum. The second is that when the PC’s get inside and to the Doctor, a riot in the Asylum breaks out. The place becomes a true mad house! The PC’s must find a way to escape the Asylum with their charge all the while having to deal with insane inmates. Some encounters are comedic and some dangerous and deadly serious. To make matters worse they find themselves locked in with the members of the Cult(s) that they stole the Book from!

Optional: Recover the Relics
If you wanted to flesh it out more you could have the Investigators require a variety of rare and obscure knick-knacks that are required to complete the ritual. In the interest of keeping things moving you might only want three or four of these maguffins, after all Godzilla is on his way! If you do this make sure that the Cult(s) that they tried to steal the Necronomicon from in Part One will be a consistent and reoccurring thorn in the groups side. It might even be fun to have various groups be turned on each other by ingenuous and clever play on the PC’s part.

Part Three: Race to R’lyeh
Necronomicon? Check.
Insane Occult Researcher? Check.
Now all that’s left is for the Investigators to get their asses to the haunted Island near sunken R’lyeh and dreaming Cthuhu, say the words and perform the Ritual. Easier said then done. The journey is a whirlwind race between the PC’s and the Cult(s) that seeks Cthulhu’s favor. Of course Godzilla is almost State side.

When the PC’s finally reach the Island, Hoover, who mysteriously already arrived there first, greets them, and thanks them for a job well done. Then Hoover transforms before their eyes to reveal that all this time they were working for just one more mask of Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos himself.

Before the PC's can deal with Nyarlathotep there cultist enemies arrive on the scene! A last ditch, no holds barred, knock down and drag out fight occurs between the Investigators and whichever cult happens to be their nemesis. All the while Nyarlathotep protects and over sees the insane occult researcher as he performs the ritual that raises R’lyeh and releases Cthulhu.

With Cthulhu free a battle of the Titans goes down. At first it seems like Godzilla will prove the victor. But then in a stunning recovery the likes of which will only ever be on seen pay-per-view during a 1980’s professional wrestling match Cthulhu makes a come back and wins the day. In the aftermath of this cosmic struggle Cthulhu sinks ominously below the blood and froth tinged waves. Leaving the group alone on the beach to wonder if we have seen the last of this horror from beyond the stars, and the sinking feeling in their stomachs of "Oh God what have we done!" 
　
　
　

The Stars Are Right! Cthulhu Save Us All! -Part 1

After I posted that last picture of Cthulhu vs. Godzilla I started to think about it a little more. I started to imagine things not as if it was a cheesy B horror movie, but in the context of what it might mean in a Call of Cthulhu campaign

So I asked this question. What if the world was under the threat of attack by Godzilla? Followed by this question. What if in order to save humanity from the apocalyptic devastation of this reptilian monstrosity the Investigators discovered that the only way to stop Godzilla would be to unleash the fury of Cthulhu against it? Instead of the Investigators trying to stop mad cultists from waking Cthulhu, THEY would be the ones trying to awaken one of the Great Old Ones!

I freely admit that the idea is kinda goofy. But I think it might be fun for a short 3-4 session adventure. Something unusual to futz around with in between campaigns and be a sort of pallet cleanser if you will.
So here’s one possible set up for this slap stick comedy slash horror B movie inspired adventure.

The year is 1954, nine years after the end of WWII and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The monster Godzilla is created from the aftermath of the resulting radiation by mutating a hitherto unknown, one-of-a-kind species of aquatic dinosaur that somehow managed to escape extinction.
This nigh indestructible monstrosity has just come out of the Pacific Ocean and begun a horrible rampage that has all but devastated Tokyo. Now the monster is making its way towards the United States. The U.S. military machine has tried unleashing everything in its arsenal to stop this thing. The results are navel frigates and war planes being smashed and sunk like so many toys in a child’s bath water.

Options and time are running out.

President Eisenhower begins considering a mass evacuation of the cities along the pacific coast. It’s at about this time when J. Edgar Hoover struts into the Oval Office.
"That's it, go ahead and run. Run home and cry to mama" Hoover says.
"Are all men from the FBI loud-mouthed braggarts?" the President retorts.
"Nope. Just me baby... Just me" Hoover replies.

Then Hoover explains to the President about a certain 1928 raid under his command that took place in a backwater and degenerate-fishing village located in Massachusetts.

Hoovers plan is a long shot, yet oddly enough it’s the best hope that humanity has if they want to survive Godzilla. The theory is simple. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Hoover already has a small team of men and women assembled right here with him who will be sent to retrieve the Necronomicon, an unholy book they require in oder to use a ritual found within it pages to raise the sunken city of R’lyeh. From there we let Great Cthulhu rip Godzilla a new asshole.

The President isn’t convinced.
"How will we stop Cthulhu after? How will you fight that? With more words? Most of our people have already fled. We dont have enough men. As the leader of United States of America I will not allow this preposterous plan to go forward!"

Hoover fires back "Well hello Mister Fancypants. Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things, right now: Jack and shit... and Jack left town."

At this point the rest of the people in the Oval Office rallies around Hoovers idea.
 Suddenly a hideous voice cackles from out of the corner of the room.
"You’ll never reach the Necronomicon alive! I’ll swallow your soul!"

As the everyone turns to look towards the voice, they see what was once a beautiful secretary has now become twisted and transformed into a horrific looking crone floating a few feet off the ground. The Crone then leaps out and attacks the President with her razor sharp claws and soul sucking magic.

The PC’s have their first fight and hopefully save the President from being killed. In the aftermath of this event the President (or VP if the President bought the farm) gives his approval and the adventure truly begins.

As the Investigators leave the Oval Office to retrieve the Necronomicon and their mission to unleash Cthulhu on Godzilla, Hoover can be heard muttering under his breath "Maybe. Just maybe my boys can get the book and pull this off. Yeah, and maybe I'm a Chinese jet pilot."

To be Concluded in Part 2

The Boardinghouse -A Lazy Man's Call of Cthulhu Adventure- Part 1

Last week Evan on his blog In Places Deep posted a link to Sandy Petersen’s " The Lazy Man’s Guide To Constructing A Call of Cthulhu Adventure". You can find this article and many others as well on the highly recommended CoC website Yog-Sothoth.com. This site is easily one of the best places to go if your even thinking about running a CoC game. So the next time your in the mood for a little bit of Yog-Sothery go check it out.

As the title of the article suggests it shows you how to quickly create a CoC adventure. It was a fun and interesting article and my curiosity was peaked, so I decided to give it a shot of my own and see if I too could pull this off.

Step 1: The Situation
Petersen suggests you take a plot or scene from a favorite movie and then twist it into something new. He chose a random horror movie for his example, and I’ve decided to do the same. So I looked up horror movies and low and behold wikipedia has an entire list of horror movies by decade. I choose the classic 80s period and scroll through the list and choose the not so classic 1982 film Boardinghouse, starring and directed by John Wintergate.




Here's the plot as per it’s wikipedia entry:

On September 18, 1972, the Hoffman house was closed due to several mysterious deaths. Ten years later, the house is reopened as a boarding house by a man with telekinetic powers who inherited it. A group of nubile young women quickly move in and the killings begin all over again.

I've never seen it but this sounds like a classic T and A slasher film to me. The idea of a boarding house really resonates with me, in particular as a starting point for a CoC scenario set in the roaring 20’s. So my basic situation is an old house that a decade ago was the scene of a series of unexplained deaths. In the past few months it has been reopened and refurbished as a boarding house in Arkham, and history is about to repeat itself. For the worse...

Step 2: The Plot
Ok so its time to flesh this out a little more. In order to do so we follow these 4 sub steps:

2A: Who Are Available As Victims?
Petersen suggests that you have a cast of bystanders, villains, and allies available to bite the big one in the scenario. His reasoning being the deadly nature of the game, and of course in horror movies, people tend to start dropping like flies once things get in gear. Being that this is a boarding house we have a good list of people we can choose from. We have of course the boarders, the owner, and any support people employed by the owner like a cook, gardener, handyman, and so on.

2B: How Do The PC’s Get Involved?
This can be tricky in CoC. Since I imagine this as a starting scenario in which the PC’s have had no contact with the Mythos before, I see this as a perfect opportunity to baptize a new generation of investigators. All of the PC’s meet at the boardinghouse as either boarders renting a room, or maybe as a one of the workers in it’s employ. It’s perfect as it allows for a whole range of character types and professions.

2C: How Can The Plot Be Prolonged?
I envision the scenario playing out over a period of time with new deaths occurring slowly at first and then quickly rising into a frantic bloodbath by the end. Clearly someone or something has an agenda in the house, and it relates to the death of the family that lived in the house ten years ago. These deaths serve a deliberate purpose, that being to feed an extra-dimensional creature that had been summoned by the grandfather of the family that lived in the house before. When the grandfather passed away and his eldest daughter’s family moved into the house the creature slowly began to feed on the family finding both pleasure and sustenance in the souls of it’s victims.

2D: Why Don’t The Authorities Intervene?
After the first death at the boarding house, there is no doubt that the police will become suspicious and seek to get involved. In fact, one of the creepy residents or perhaps even the owner himself will come under the scrutiny of the local authorities. They might even be arrested for a short time and then later released after another death occurs. A fun twist might be that one resident is really a criminal and gets nailed for an entirely different crime that he had been evading for the last little while. The real reason the police wont get involved is that there will be very little evidence to suggest that the deaths are in fact murders. Perhaps the fugitive house resident commits one of the murders at the behest of the entity, his actions not entirely under his own control. But the fact that he is inclined to be violent lends the creature a certain power over controlling his actions. All of the other deaths will either be seen as accidents, unexplainable or interpreted as a suicide. Or could it be that the owner of the house through a combination of wealth, and being seen as a powerful and influnental citizen is able keep the police at bay. I see the big bad evil guy is some kind of psychic vampire who needs to feed massivly once ever decade. Perhaps he has the ability to control the minds of others like the police?

Step 3: The Wow Finish
As Petersen suggests, and I agree wholeheartedly every scenario should have a great climax to it. Since this is an introductory scenario, one of my goals is to pull back the curtain and reveal the true nature of the cosmos to the PC’s in what I like to think of as the Sarah Connor syndrome. In the start of Terminator Sarah is a normal person, just like you and me. By the start of T2 she has long shed her skin of normalcy and has changed into a full-blown true believer. This same disturbing metamorphosis happens to CoC investigators as well, as is only fitting when dealing with something as disturbing and wrong as the Mythos itself.   

With that being said I envision the climax of the adventure happening in a secret sub-basement of the house. This is the secret redoubt of the villian, who is none other than the owner of the house. Perhaps he has a shrine to some other worldly god here, or it is a place in which he can bring to bear the full power of his pyschic abilities.Maybe he has some kind of alien pets he keeps here as well, or he does weird and sick experiments on unspecting people. Probing their minds and trying to unlock further mysteries of the mind. It is here that he has rested in a deep slumber till recently when he needed to feed again and recharge himself after every decade or so.

Step 4: Finalize The Plot

OK, so here's what I’ve got it's a little rough around the edges but I think it will work well: 

Arkham 1917- Peter Wintergate is a long-lived and outspoken dilettante and secretly a kind of psychic vampire. Every decade or so he must go on a feeding frenzy in order to recharge himself with psychic energy. This energy allows him to live longer, but still age at a much slower rate than normal. In addition he has the ability to use this energy within him to perform various magical like powers. Control minds, use telekinesis, and so forth. A deacade ago he invited his eldest granddaughter Cindy and her husband Elliot McKinley, their five young children and a handful of servants to move in. Not long after the move, Wintergate begins to orchestrate a disturbing series of murders in order to recharge himself but also enact a final ritual that will allow him to access more power than he could possibly ever imagine.The deaths all appear as mysterious and unexplainable. Shortly after the death of both Cindy and Elliot, and a number of servants, the remaining house staff quit and the few surviving children are move on to places unknown. With the house empty again, Wintergate falls into a state of torpor in order to lay low and conserve his strength and power for another try in the future. A decade later in 1928, the house is purchased and renovated into a boardinghouse, named Wintergate House. Wintergate has once again turned his thoughts back to the ritual he sought and failed to accomplish in time a decade ago…
To Be Continued...Tomorrow I will finish up with steps 5-8, but I'm curious to hear what you think so far. To be honest I feel like its a little weak and cliche. But as a relatively quick and dirty method and the process seems to work so far. All in all it's really only took me an hour or two to work through things to this point thus far, and if this was just for a home campaign It would probably take less time since you don't really need to write out everything like I have for this blog post. Oh, and thank's Evan for pointing out that article in the first place, totally worth the read!