The 1950s' Thread

[Diamond Cross]

So the game is a supernatural thriller set in the 1950s. This, of course was before the advent of the hacker and the widespread use of computers. IT TV shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, you always have a character that can hack into any computer system using magical means or otherwise, in order to research for information.

But, since this game is set in the 1950s, that means computer hacking is out, at least for the most part.

So, how was research done? And what are some really good resources on the 1950s?

 

[billd91]

How was research done? They went to the reference section of libraries and consulted reference books ranging like periodical indices.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If you weren't the researching type, you made friends with research librarians, court clerks, records keepers...and "connected individuals" if you're looking towards the criminal underworld.

Or as private eyes & cops said, you do "legwork."

 

[Cyronax]

If you weren't the researching type, you made friends with research librarians, court clerks, records keepers...and "connected individuals" if you're looking towards the criminal underworld.

Or as private eyes & cops said, you do "legwork."

So you're saying my mafia contacts are also a good source for writing my grad school papers?

 

[Nagol]

So you're saying my mafia contacts are also a good source for writing my grad school papers?

Not necessarily writing them, but they're a great source for guaranteeing a good mark.

 

[Scott DeWar]

there are also the olde texts kept in special restricted access vaults where 'escoteric' texts may be squirrled away.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

So you're saying my mafia contacts are also a good source for writing my grad school papers?

Well, yeah. How else does one intimidate the prof into an A?

If my friend Jimmy Knuckles here says muon synchrotron radiation can account for the energy difference in the observed spectrum, then muon synchrotron radiation does account for the energy difference in the observed spectrum.

Capiche?​

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So you're saying my mafia contacts are also a good source for writing my grad school papers?

That depends on what your grad school paper is about, dunnit?

there are also the olde texts kept in special restricted access vaults where 'escoteric' texts may be squirrled away.

Some in private hands: see Johnny Depp's Ninth Gate and 90% of the Mythos stories.

"Hello, is this the rare books department at the HPL Memorial Research Library at Miskatonic University? Good, good- what kind of credentials do I need to present to gain access to your collection?"

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Not just libraries, but museums, too, keep items in storage in vast dusty cabinets hidden away from view.

Likewise, churches, monasteries and the like maintain archives of all sorts-- parishioners, birth and deaths, religious events and functions, and so on-- so maybe certain churches keep more occult info locked away, info on exorcisms, undead sightings, historic witch trials and burnings, etc....

And, of course, computers did exist, though not really in a "retrieve data from a database" sort of way. But I could envision a super-secret military project in which a warehouse-size computer and many warehouses of punchcards as sort of data correlation machine. Maybe like a google search that takes 8 months to complete, or something. available with the right contacts in government, if that's an option to PCs.

(Oh, and the Roswell crash of 1947 brought still-poorly-understood alien computer technology to Earth. So in the 1950's "Google Alien" was available to those with a sufficient security clearance. )

 

[Scott DeWar]

I have heard some strange rumblingings from librarians at the University of Columbia, Missouri reguarding their rare collections.

but if this is about a fictional/alternative 1950's this could be a possible teology department holding at some university.

otherwise, Micontonic U just may be right up there with the shriners and freemasons on escotarcies.

Not just libraries, but museums, too, keep items in storage in vast dusty cabinets hidden away from view.

Likewise, churches, monasteries and the like maintain archives of all sorts-- parishioners, birth and deaths, religious events and functions, and so on-- so maybe certain churches keep more occult info locked away, info on exorcisms, undead sightings, historic witch trials and burnings, etc....

good points!