Continuing on the idea of using Elder Sign location cards to frame a Cthulhu Hack RPG, I’ve never posted any of my plays before so I’ll give it a try. Hopefully this will not be like watching another person’s vacation pictures.

Continuing on the idea of using Elder Sign location cards to frame a Cthulhu Hack RPG, I’ve never posted any of my plays before so I’ll give it a try. Hopefully this will not be like watching another person’s vacation pictures.

Walter Marshall, archaeologist, 34 years old and lives in Arkham.
Strength:14 Dex:10 Con:13 Wis:15 Int:12 Char:9
(In Cthulhu Hack for a check you must roll under these numbers on a D20)
Items: Pistol, smokes, lighter, flashlight,
Special abilities: Swings & Leaps, Steady hand, Scrounger

He is just out of school and made an incredible discovery of mummified bodies in South America. The Miskatonic Museum in Arkham took a chance and gave him a modest space to set up an exhibit. Being his first dig, this could be his big break. He spent a lot of time, resources and money on this, and it cannot fail. Walter left the dig site early to oversee the exhibit, and left his friend and partner back in South America at the dig site. Just last week this partner suddenly disappeared without a trace.

First location card is below.

(I decide that this would be a book that comes in the mail)

Walter is researching at the library when he overhears colleagues talking about strange things that are happening at the museum: strange sounds, lights, things moving around by themselves (the usual creepy stuff) no one has seen anything yet, but there is a lot of rumbling. This intrigues Walter, this exhibit could be his big break and it cannot fail, he has too much time and money invested in it.

He decides to head over to the museum; besides he hasn’t been through all of it yet, and now would be the perfect opportunity.
(GME: Does he know any of the other exhibits there? Yes/ Is it open? Yes/people inside? Yes)
He walks in and the receptionist gives him a package that came in the mail for him.
(GME: Suspicious? Yes / Large? Exceptionally No)
Walter looks over the package and it looks to be hastily wrapped, and is small, the size of a small journal. He carefully tears open the brown wrapping paper
(GME: Anything happen? No)
Inside is a small, leather bound journal with a note hastily taped to the cover. He recognizes the handwriting of his partner, but the note and the cover look to be stained with dried blood.
The note says: “Keep this safe, hide it, and DON’T READ IT!”
Why write that? As an archaeologist his partner knows that he cannot resist the temptation of the unknown…but does he take the chance and open the book?

Walter cuts the string and attempts to open the book
(Flashlight roll: 1 FAIL, steps down from a D8 to a D6, Flashlight is used for the investigate and research)
The book is somehow locked and will not open, but it seems to possess his mind and he quickly becomes obsessed with the book, it lures him, then torments him. (Lore from the card)
(Sanity roll: 2 FAIL ) Suddenly horror and fear grips his mind, and he becomes hysterical, screaming at the top of his lungs…one minute later (this is the Hack consequence for failing the sanity check) he comes to his senses sitting in the bathroom on the floor covered in sweat, still holding the small journal in his hand. He looks closer and indented in the leather is the symbol of a skull surrounded by lightning.
Walter had never felt peril (from the location card) like that before, and he shivers thinking what could have happened had he opened the book. He buries it deep in his bag and leaves the bathroom.
(GME: Anyone hear him? No / Is he alone in the bathroom? Yes)

End scene