I'm currently constructing a horror-adventure roleplay that is absolutely saturated in inspiration by both the works of H.P. Lovecraft and the Fantasy Flight boardgame "Arkham Horror". It takes place in the fateful town of Arkham, Massachusets wherein Lovecraft set up a great deal of his mythos. However, I am attempting to be original with my ideas beyond this point. This is my first time constructing a roleplay, and I have several concepts in mind that will make up the "major organs" of this roleplay; hopefully they will be a little refreshing and enough to keep your interest.

"The process of delving into the black abyss is to me the keenest form of fascination." - Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Of things irrefutably true, that there exists a mysticism to the world is one; that which alludes simultaneously to the grandeur of life and also all the macabre happenings and sights we are privy to. After the closing of the Great War, the United States is experiencing a widespread shifting of identity. Some say it was the American progressive movement at its finest, while others say that the war snuffed out its already dying light. The Prohibition is in full swing, intolerance and prejudice towards immigrants and foreigners is rife, youth is disenfranchised with the prominent individuals of government and science has found itself called upon to answer the social questions of the time.

Arkham, Massachusets, 1925. The sea-softened town of Arkham, at once both large and small, home to schools of thought both conservative and youthful, sees most of this social struggle through word-of-mouth and printed news. Once a humble fishing village, and lies some significant distance north of Boston. It is home to the Miskatonic University, an institution known for its quality of education in the sciences of both the world and mind. Arkham is historical in that it is host to dark legends, rumors and dreadful wive's tales that have lurked about its wooded hills and rock-laden, driftwood shores for centuries. Bizarre happenings in the sea, disappearances, plagues, a furtively operated sanitarium and a number of resident cults are among this plethora of grim stories.

It would seem, however, that this morbid air that hangs over the town of Arkham is to be requited; an ancient horror, something beyond the comprehension of mere mortals and dwelling within a loathful otherworldly realm, has chosen Arkham as its bastion by which to awaken, and enslave the world of man. Once again, as happened so many decades ago, the tides of the ocean have begun to swell and recede and strange happenings are abound. An impenetrable fog broods in the hills, slowly seeping forward, and inmates of the Arkham Asylum howl madly at the waning moon.

The signs are there, patterns hinting at an imminent evil churning in the ether. For those few in Arkham who question the freakish occurrences, those who are possessed of a curiousity, courage or dark fascination to peer into the impending doom - they shall face the Old One rising.



The tentative goal of the characters, or investigators as they may be referred to, will be to work together to find out the nature of the bizarre things happening in Arkham, discover their source, battle the forces of evil and ultimately try to stop the coming of the Great Old One. However, each character may have their own ambitions that could further or hinder this task. Any number of things from a sudden banishment of monsters to a character death could mean Arkham is closer to either being saved, or consumed.

As I mentioned, there were a few principles to the roleplay I'd like to work with, both to make it vaguely unique and to remain true to the horrific, dark nature of Lovecraft's mythos. However, I'm not one for being caked in rules or a certain way of doing things, think of these more as things to chew on as we go:

1.) I want this roleplay to be dynamic, for lack of better words. Of course interactions will determine the course of the plot, but as time progresses and the Great Old One gets closer and closer to awakening, things in Arkham will change regardless of how much progress the characters have made. The utmost will be done to ensure that this does not impede the main goal of roleplaying.

2.) Should you like to join, I'd ask you work with fellow roleplayers and I to make this a very difficult roleplay. For example, as these individuals in Arkham learn of the Great Old One and its coming, battle the horrors spawning from other dimensions and even enter these otherworld realms themselves, they face great danger. Horrific sights, be they nightmarish creatures or atrocities, will pose a threat both physically and psychologically to each investigator of the paranormal. Death, insanity and disappearance are all very readily available fates for any character, be they a hardened war veteran or frail student of the university. This will not mean the end of your involvement however, another character can be brought in and the previous simply becomes part of the plotline.

3.) I'm kicking around the idea of having several semi-static NPC's, such as a university professor, deputy of Arkham, barkeep and the like. Individuals that will help track the status of Arkham, provide information, act on their own and help our investigators. Like your characters, they are not immune to meeting their ends.

4.) It is 1925. With that said, appropriate era technology applies. Characters shall fight with such things as cavalry sabres and tommy guns, but magic will be made available as otherworldly power seeps into Arkham.

5.) By this point, you should expect this RP to involve somewhat mature themes of violence, psychological development (or degradation), anguish and keep a general air of horror to itself. It goes without saying that the rules of the roleplayer's guild, as well as common courtesy should be obeyed so we may all enjoy in peace.

If you're interested in joining me on this Lovecraftian adventure, please let me know. Further details about the roleplay, a character sheet and the like will follow any interest shown.

Thanks!

I'm going to very tentatively put forth interest - it's been a while since I was in a rp with more than 3 people and I'm not the fastest poster though, so I can't guarantee I'll join unfortunately.

Also I want to let you know your choice of music is very nice.

Oooh a lovecraftian roleplay sounds great! I've been trying to find a good one to jump in on too.

And I agree ^ Very creepy background music!

@RBYDark Thank you for letting me know. Do not be put off by the potential size; I haven't quite decided how large the group should be, but like you have never been in a roleplay with more than a handful of others involved.

As for the music, all credit goes to Cryo Chamber. I could listen to this stuff for hours.

I'll continue work on the character sheet this evening. Have a happy 4th to those living in the US of A!

Thanks for the consideration. To clarify - while I have been in large group rps before, my last such rp was about 4 months ago, and I know slow posting can kill a rp. I'm mostly concerned about taking too long to post and in such event would suggest I be skipped/dropped, if I do join.

And they do sound awesome. May end up buying some of their stuff.

I'm totally interested. The threat of death for characters is definitely a plus (I'm not weird I swear). Maybe we can make more than one character to keep our options open?

Also, the name Arkham Asylum is a bit too Batman for me, but it's your roleplay.

You like to do the horror?

I may not look like it, but I've been known to do the occasional horror myself, tomato.

@Odysseus More than one would be fine. I'm glad there's some reception to the idea of character loss. As for the names, it isn't my first time seeing someone be reminded of Batman, but Lovecraft's Arkham Asylum existed some time before DC snagged the Arkham name for its own use.

@RBYDark I understand your concerns, and I'm glad you could share that plainly. That has always been an issue I've encountered in roleplays and have been unable to remedy. However, I don't want you to rule yourself out by any means, as there are any number of ways your character could take a temporary absence. Perhaps we test the waters in the initial stages of the roleplay and go from there?

Still working on the sheet.

EDIT: Here's the sheet as it is now. It's not formatted, but that's all I have time for at the moment. If you'd like to make it pretty yourself, feel free, just keep the same information.

I wish I could say I knew more about H.P. Lovecraft and Arkham, but unfortunately I've never really made time to look it up. It's on my list though!

I do have a general idea on the whole Lovecraftian cosmic horror thing and I am very interested in this premise if you'll have me.

@IndianGiver interest. But I'm not familiar with any games based on lovecraft and don't know what you mean by squishy.

@Leslie Hall www.hplovecraft.com you can find out a great deal in very little time in that archive.

@Conquer All Typically, "squishy" characters are characters with little in the means of physical attributes. They may have magic out the wazoo, but a solid hit will knock them out of a fight.

And sheet looks decent, I'll see if I can put up a W.I.P. by tonight?

I'll try and get a sheet up soon.

PS, if you want an amazing database of authentic portraits from the 20's, look up mugshots from the time.

@Odysseus, thanks for the heads-up. Would be stuck with trying to scan in old family photos otherwise.



ETA: So extra thoughts (and one reason I wanted to do this early).
1) "Quirks, ticks, conditions, sensitivities to the paranormal:" - do you mean physical conditions (e.g. asthma)? What would sensitivities to the paranormal entail?
2) What counts as combative, aside from guns? Pocketknives? Explosives?
3) How much is allowed for noncombative inventory? Are items at home supposed to be included?

I'm definitely interested.

As a person who's actively played Arkham Horror I can definitely attest to the outstanding difficulty. It's worse than Elder Sign and I've only ever won against Yig. ;( Nyarlathotep is the harder. ANYWAY, I'm definitely definitely on board.

As a warning, though, never play Arkham Horror with drunk friends. Teaching it is a challenge in itself; teaching it to inebriated people is an impossibility. ;-;

I was going to make two bootlegger characters, but if someone is interested in collaborating instead on a small gang (we could make 1-2 characters each) please PM me.

It looks like we have about 7 individuals interested by this point, and I don't want to form a large line. With some wanting to make multiple characters, I'd like to keep the number manageable, as I know there were some concerns about a large group.

With that said, let's consider the interest check finished and the RP now full, for the time being. I will create the actual thread and finalize the CS this morning.

@Leslie Hall It'd be great to have you! To be honest, I got some influence when you created Seekers of the First Flame. I realized the potential there was for working within a certain fandom/mythos and still having original thought.

@RBYDark Thank you for asking, the CS was made somewhat frantically and I'm glad there are questions.
1) That bit was originally meant to entail personality traits, flaws/merits of character, psychological/mental conditions etc. But if anyone would like to add a physical condition, feel free. By paranormal sensitivities I mean something along the lines of "Has this person had a history of vivid, often bizarre and nightmarish dreams, had visions or an awareness of the paranormal?" Nothing like superpowers, more like a sixth sense kind of thing. This point mainly relates to Lovecraft's work, where dreams and paranoia were part and parcel.
2) Guns, knives, sticks, black powder bombs, anything that they actively carry and may cause bodily harm. Exotic as you like, Arkham's residents are known for their strange trinkets.
3) Again, things they have on their person most of the time. If they have a home or hovel someplace, they could always pull something out of an old cupboard or trunk and take it with them within reason. For personal belongings I think of keys, family photos, a flask, things of that nature.

@Sixsmith I wasn't sure how prevalent the game was anymore, I only got into it some months ago. I've only ever won against Azathoth (probably because his abilities are easy to remember), but my last game with Hastur was a nightmare. Funny you mention inebriation, every time I've finished it I've been well over the limit and had to explain it in the state you mentioned - maybe missing a rule or two. It seems once you're able to learn the turn phases it works like a charm. Glad to meet another player.

The thread is up. Some rules and a very small portion of the CS have been modified.

http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/83019-old-one-rising-a-lovecraftian-adventure-horror-rp-full/ic

Also, @Odysseus you weren't kidding. A search of "1920's mug shots" yields many high quality pictures that are all framed similarly. Kudos.

@IndianGiver Did you mean to put the rules in the IC? I thought they normally go in the OOC tab. Might want to change that before too long.

@redbaron1234 I did, didn't think it mattered that much but I guess I can move it.

@IndianGiver Meh, it's just the site convention it seems.