First Session Notes

[rough, with details to be edited and corrected later]

I laid out the various handouts of information the characters would have access to -- What was known of the 1930-1931 MU Expedition, the articles about the new SME expedition, the known fates of the MU Expedition members, and so on. I had a typed summary for Dave about what St. John Pembroke would know about Moore and Starkweather.

Josh decided to bump up Julia's POW by four points, bumping down her SIZE, and perhaps her CON. After all, he explained, SAN is a vital, non-renewable resource.

Julian: Wuss!

I'd found the rules for war veterans, which are not in the Call of Cthulhu rulebook, as far as we could determine, but which, as I thought, are in Green and Pleasant Land. Dave took advantage of these, deciding St. John had served in the Great War for 2 years, with a loss of 1d4 SAN per year. He rolled the maximum possible loss. He also adjusted his stats, bumping up his POW, I think to 9. I'll have to check and update the wiki.

I don't know where the pencils from last time went. I only found one. And, I'm not sure where my pencil sharpener is.

I told Pamela what Alicia would know about her professor and her fellow grad student.

Then, on to the interviews.

Professor St John Pembroke:

Damon Carlsson:

Alicia:

Professor Erica Hunter:

Julia Stiles was not invited for an interview. She was both a woman and a rival explorer, and, unlike Professor Moore, Starkweather didn't want the competition.

James Starkweather: When we are done, they'll forget there ever was a Miskatonic Expedition! We shall go where angels fear to tread!

Julia Stiles: But you will never return without my help!

Starkweather: That's Captain Starkweather!

Stiles: It's Mrs. Stiles!

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[Lisa] Having read about making up receipts for the lists, I did that, though I ran out of time before I could cut them up and attach them to the relevant lists. (They were in groups of four on a sheet.)

Having them not cut up was more useful than having them loose would have been, though likely less useful than having them attached to the relevant list.

Julian was not about to play match the receipt, which is cool. It is for this that Spot Hidden rolls exist.

Dave and Josh played with the receipts and spotted things I expected them to spot -- the stuff delivered to the hotel, the peppers, the missing cement, and so on.

I screwed up my handouts, giving the obit for Douglas before the Famous Sea Captain Murdered handout, causing some confusion.

Breaking into Douglas' hotel room is a delicate thing, as the players do want the info, but don't want to have their PCs do it just because they are PCs. The current plan is to copy the important evidence, then put it all back for the police.

And, so far, no one has lied to the police. Damon and Julia genuinely did not know where Douglas was staying, and none of the others was asked. Damon has this annoying habit of not knowing anything. Annoying to the reporters, that is.