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Author Topic: Pulp Alley: Memento Mori, DevLAM '17  (Read 8284 times)

Offline Vagabond

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #30 on: November 16, 2017, 11:13:56 PM »
Was it Dr Johnson or Oscar Wilde who said "When a man is tired of pilchards, he is tired of life?"

Doug

I believe it was Sam Johnson the fishmonger who originally said that. ;)

Offline dinohunterpoa

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #31 on: November 16, 2017, 11:47:23 PM »
I believe it was Sam Johnson the fishmonger who originally said that. ;)

Exactly!  ;)

http://www.samueljohnson.com/tiredlon.html

"Because life is made of inspiration, dreaming and insanity in about equal measure."
- Erzsébet Báthory - 1560-1614 (?)

Offline Muzfish4

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #32 on: November 17, 2017, 12:01:19 AM »
Awesome thread! Really great reading. I appreciated the very interesting travel tips as well.

Offline Mad Lord Snapcase

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #33 on: November 17, 2017, 07:18:15 AM »
PART 1

………….and so it begins.

After a swift whisky and soda at Bigbury Golf Club, Sir Douglas D’Emfore had arrived at Buckland-Tout-Saintes the home of Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond who was to be accompanying Sir Douglas across to Burgh Island. Sir Sidney, recently returned from India, where he was the Governor of Khalabar, had retired to his estate in Devon after a scandal involving his wife, Lady Ruff-Diamond and the Khasi of Khalabar. Sir Sidney had recruited three ex-military types as back-up should fisticuffs occur; Seaman Willy Staines, Big Willy McGrin and Private Bill Pahrts.  These three all came from a small village in Ayrshire. The village is dominated by the small, Presbyterian sect known as the Wee Frees. It is a custom in the village to name all second sons William and send them off into the world to make their way. Hence, in the Secret Service, the three are known as “The Three Wee Free Willies” which their superiors find to be wildly hilarious (their superiors are all ex-public school so no more need be said). On the trip down, Sir Douglas had been studying Professor Eric Tyldis-Function’s magnum opus ‘Pilchard Fishing: A Definitive History’. To complete his cover as a serious student of the pilchard, Sir Douglas had learnt the age-old Pilchard Toast:

Here's health to the Pope, may he live to repent
And add just six months to the term of his Lent
And tell all his vassals from Rome to the Poles,
There's nothing like pilchards for saving their souls!


By contrast, Special Investigating Agent Vagabond had swilled down a brown ale in the Sloop Inn whilst awaiting his sidekick for this undercover mission, Sir Algernon Paget-Snapcase. Sir Algernon had recently returned from Africa after leading the expedition formed to find the legendary Oozlum bird in the territory of the bloodthirsty ‘Noshas’, a tribe of feared cannibals. Sir Algernon  had recruited three ex-policemen, James ‘Basher’ Smith, Dr Harry ‘Flashy’ Flashman and John ‘Bruiser’ Smith. Basher and Bruiser are brother's, sons of Zebedee, they were known in the force as the Two Disciples because they didn't keep to the straight and narrow confines of the law. Dr. Flashman liked to consider himself a forensic scientist, a new and burgeoning science.

This rather eclectic mix of aristocrats and ruffians met on the jetty the next morning to travel by boat out to Burgh Island. Sir Douglas was expecting to meet Dr. Alexander Sweet as part of his cover as a serious pilchard researcher. Agent Vagabond’s cover, as a simple tourist would allow him to merely step ashore and explore the island in the hope of uncovering it’s mysteries.

The adventure commences:

The boat docks at Burgh Island, adjacent to The Pilchard Inn.


The passengers prepare to disembark.


Sir Douglas meets Dr. Sweet and his retinue.



To be continued……………………….
« Last Edit: November 17, 2017, 07:38:44 AM by Mad Lord Snapcase »


Offline Doug ex-em4

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #34 on: November 17, 2017, 11:09:55 AM »
Gad...! These pictures bring the adventure back to me in all it's demonic horror and terror. Would that we had never set foot on that accursed place.....

Reader - continue to study the drama as it unfolds from Snapcase's pen - IF YOU DARE....!

D'Emfore (bart).

(aka Doug)

Offline marianas_gamer

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #35 on: November 17, 2017, 11:31:21 AM »
 lol  lol
Got to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight.

Offline dinohunterpoa

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #36 on: November 17, 2017, 10:40:52 PM »

Looking good GREAT!!!  :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*

Offline Wolf Girl

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #37 on: November 18, 2017, 12:34:06 PM »
Amazing!  :-* :-* :-*


Mila Phipps, Pulp Girl
mila@pulpalley.com

Offline Mad Lord Snapcase

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #38 on: November 28, 2017, 10:18:29 AM »
PART 2

I should have mentioned in the previous blurb that we were using Pulp Alley as the ruleset for this game. Pulp Alley is a long-time favourite of mine but this is the first Gothic Horror game I’ve played with these rules. As expected, no transition was necessary and everything went well. The only major change I made was that there was no time limit for the game to finish. The reason being, this was the last game of the DevLAM '17 event and I wanted the participants to encounter the full horror of the goings-on at Burgh Island. Vanessa Ives had to be found and rescued at all costs. As we were all from far-flung outposts of the Empire, it would not be easy for us to meet up again to finish the game.

The game started on the Sunday afternoon after the lobster, smoked salmon and Muscadet had been consumed. Old Scrotum (the wrinkled Snapcase family retainer) served up a rather smelly blue cheese with the port and we were set for a roller-coaster ride! It turned out that we finished round about 01:30am on the Monday morning. Now I see why Dave and Mila have a strict six turn limit! We managed to take photos but forgot to take any notes. I am now struggling to piece together the sequence of events as my memory is clouded by copious consumption of stiffening libations. I am sure Sir Douglas and Agent Vagabond will chime in with abuse corrections and heckling suggestions at the appropriate points, so on with the show.

As the protagonists prepare to disembark, a quick view of the minor plot points. The Leagues had to obtain two minor plot points before discovering the location the islanders thought Vanessa might be kept prisoner.


As you can see from the tip-offs on page 2, the Leagues were both intent on speaking to Noah Fence, the organ grinder (more sense might have been obtained by speaking to the monkey!).

Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond stops to chat to a local couple about the possibility of obtaining some fresh pilchards.


The leagues cross paths as they seek out Noah Fence but are cautious at this point and refrain from any vulgar brawling in the street. Giving each other the cold shoulder, they seek out information from the locals.


Considering that the organ grinder was a perilous plot point (the monkey bites), both players threw some good dice and received their next tip-off. Sir Douglas received information that it would be to his advantage to speak to Neil B. Formy, the eccentric hermit of Burgh Island. Agent Vagabond was directed towards the newspaper vendor, Dick Aiken. Noah felt sure that Dick would know something that could aid the boys from Scotland Yard.

On their way to interview Dick, the boys from the Yard observe the local Peelers chasing a suspect up Temple Road. Nothing to do with the game (a red herring (not pilchard) that they didn’t fall for) but it added a bit of local colour!


Initially ‘Basher’ and ‘Bruiser’ attempt to interrogate the newspaper vendor but don’t seem to have the necessary tact and subtlety. Failing their challenge, the Leagues discover that there is more going on here than a simple kidnapping. Horror of horrors, Dick Aiken metamorphoses into a Shtriga and attacks going for ‘Basher’s’ jugular.


After a sphincter-tightening struggle the Shtriga is knocked out and Paget-Snapcase finds a crumpled piece of paper in the vampiric witch’s mouth, directing them to search out Moe Lester, Burgh Island’s lamp lighter.


Sir Douglas with his man Staines, observing the struggle from afar concludes (as does Agent Vagabond) that there are supernatural forces at large on Burgh Island. Stiff upper-lips and straight bats are now required. They must push on into the unknown to discover Vanessa’s fate………………

TO BE CONTINUED…………………
« Last Edit: November 28, 2017, 11:29:49 AM by Mad Lord Snapcase »

Offline Mad Lord Snapcase

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #39 on: November 28, 2017, 10:19:12 AM »

Offline dinohunterpoa

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #40 on: November 28, 2017, 11:46:26 AM »

A true Penny Dreadful!  :-*

Offline Doug ex-em4

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #41 on: November 28, 2017, 10:53:30 PM »
Coming along nicely, Snapcase old fruit. I must say, I missed out on the unfortunate double entendres that appear to afflict the names of so many of the Burgh Island residents. I imagine it can be quite embarrassing for them on occasion.

Incidentally, just remind me who was The Most Important Man On The Board, will you?

D’Emfore (bart).

Offline Mad Lord Snapcase

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #42 on: November 28, 2017, 11:02:04 PM »
Quote
Incidentally, just remind me who was The Most Important Man On The Board, will you?

I seem to remember definitely stating that it was yourself, Sir Douglas D'Emfore who was TMIMOTB ('twas just when you were holding that service revolver to my head, by sheer coincidence!).   ;)

Offline Remgain

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #43 on: December 10, 2017, 06:28:16 PM »
So?
We're eagerly waiting for the next chapter! :)

Marco


We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

George Bernard Shaw

Offline Vagabond

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Re: Memento Mori
« Reply #44 on: December 11, 2017, 12:16:58 AM »
So?
We're eagerly waiting for the next chapter! :)

Marco

You and me both, and I was there.

I think the problem was this was the last game in a three day marathon and we didn't finish until two in the morning, had maybe had a little too much alcohol and things were getting a little hazy.
I remember sir Douglass head butting his way into a room through the lath and plaster wall, you know these aristocratic types have fairly solid foreheads and the being a terrifying spectacle in there and then it's all a bit loose after that.
The photographic evidence is not quite as forensic as we might have liked.

I'm sure the Mad lord has it all under control and will eventually post the remainder of this report, even if it is total fiction.

 

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