My Victorian Horror campaign notes (For Fruthaka, kinda long)

[jezter6]

As someone who has visited the lovely metropolis of Staunton, VA, I just wonder how much you can do in a small town like that, and even then 115 years ago when the town was probably smaller.

I mean, what's even in that town besides the Hershey plant?


Of course, with the mountains right there, there is opportunity, but I don't know what's really in them mountains (strange old mines, sacred indian burial grounds that conjur up bad things when people desecrate them).

I think part of the fun of the big city horror game is that the city is huge, tons of people, yet only a few people (the troubleshooters) ever manage to see them and know they exist. I think it adds a little bit extra when only a small group seems to be the only ones attracting the attention of evil beings from dimension X.

 

[DnDChick]

I've had that same argument with myself before, Jezter ... that's why I am still undecided. Using our home town brings a little familiarity to the game, but I can't help but wonder how quickly the novelty will wear off. :\

 

[jezter6]

As soon as you walk the 10 paces between one end of town to the other.

 

[DnDChick]

Staunton was a railway hub for the C&O railroad. It was a big town (relatively speaking) in 1890 ... it just hasn't grown much since then. lol

 

[jezter6]

Since I am bringing up my old Hershey Foods days, there is a LOT of good information about hauntings and REALLY weird crap going on in Hershey, PA in many of the buildings (a good bit of them owned by hershey foods at one point or another).

If you want a neat little town to run some eerie stuff in, it's a pretty neat town. I don't know if the amusement park was around back then, but if it was...the haunted house full of REAL haunted stuff is a theme I've wanted to explore for quite a while.

 

[DnDChick]

Another story idea:

Fire on the Mountain
Something is killing miners at a mountain top mine. Men are found slaughtered like animals, crushed as if dropped from a great height when there is no way for them to have had such a fall, and even burned almost to a cinder. The miners are threatening a strike, and the company has sent in thugs to keep them working. The work site is becoming a powder keg of heavy-handed strike breakers, scared but angry miners, and company men who just want it all to stop so the work will get done again. Meanwhile, the strange killings go on. The miners are now starting to suspect the strike breakers – but that doesn’t explain the killings that took place before they arrived.

The Real Story: The miners have drilled close to the nest of a wyrm (you can use the wyrm from D20 Modern, or a low-age dragon from D&D). They are far too close for the wyrm’s comfort and it is attacking the miners to drive them away from its precious clutch of eggs. If the miners or strike breakers find out about the creature, they want to kill it. If the company men find out about it, they want to capture it and put it on display. All the wyrm wants to do is defend its young – it is the innocent party in this case. The fate of the little dragon and her eggs depends on which side the PCs chose: the miners and strike breakers, the company men, or the wyrm itself.

This is a Victorian-era science fantasy version of one of my favorite Stark Trek episodes, The Horta. Inspiration can come from a great many places.

 

[The_Universe]

Damn - this is a lot *my* victorian/old west horror game...

This is just like the time I was going to run a game with cowboys and dinosaurs, and then Broncosaurus Rex beat me to it! YARGH!

 

[DnDChick]

No need to compete, Universe.

We can share ideas ... what was your campaign like?

 

[The_Universe]

No need to compete, Universe.

We can share ideas ... what was your campaign like?

My campaign still *is* thank goodness - I'll post some of the details shortly.

 

[DnDChick]

Spiffy! Can't wait to hear how things are going.

Mine hasn't started yet. Unfortunately, since I want to wind down my Lord of the Rings game before I start it and I still have a StarWars d20 game going on that I need to get back to, I'm not sure when I will get to launch this one.

I really want to do it, though, and it was well-recieved by my players.

Maybe I will start it on Halloween ...