Inspiration from the children's section

For discussion of the new official Pacesetter horror game!

Inspiration from the children's section

Postby seneschal » Tue Oct 13, 2015 1:55 pm

For quick and dirty inspiration, you can't beat children's books. Here are a couple that might make good Cryptworld scenarios:

Justin Richards, The Invisible Detective: Shadow Beast, 2003

Something is killing pets, and maybe people, in the sewers of 1930s London. Meanwhile, thieves have tunneled in to a bank vault, ripping apart barred gates with seemingly superhuman strength but leaving expensive valuables behind. Art Drake, 14-year-old son of a police inspector, and his friends investigate. Seventy years later, Drake's grandson encounters similar mysteries in modern London. Parallel mysteries running decades apart; not sure how you would do that in a game, but the two story lines complement and feed off each other.

Andrea Beaty, Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, 2012

I've mentioned this one before. It is a spoof of monster movie cliches but again we have youthful protagonists up against genuinely challenging if goofy creatures from beyond. Kids stuck at isolated summer camp? Check. A "meteor" falls nearby? Check. Adult camp counselors disappear then return acting strangely? Check. Fellow campers disappear, period? Check. The fact that the protagonists are monster movie buffs adds to the fun.

Any short reads you think would fit the bill? (No, Stephen King's Cycle of the Werewolf aka Silver Bullet is not a children's book! :x )
seneschal
 
Posts: 260
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:26 pm

Re: Inspiration from the children's section

Postby segeorge » Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:04 pm

seneschal wrote:
Justin Richards, The Invisible Detective: Shadow Beast, 2003

Parallel mysteries running decades apart; not sure how you would do that in a game, but the two story lines complement and feed off each other.



I've read and enjoyed some of Richards' older Doctor Who novels.

For the longest time, I had in mind a scenario that takes place in the past that would have a sequel in the present. The original idea was to run the past adventure; then eventually do the sequel with the same players running contemporary characters. I think if I did it now (or if I were running a game based on that book’s plot), I’d start with contemporary characters, then when the major plot reveal that links it to past happened, I’d have the players roll up historical characters to run that part of the adventure in our next session. That part could be concluded or run to a cliffhanger that would link up again with the present. You could go back and forth, alternating the time and location with each session. That actually sounds like a lot of fun – if you want to run a game based on the book here, count me in! :)



Scott
User avatar
segeorge
 
Posts: 75
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 7:41 pm


Return to CRYPTWORLD

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest