Incorporating Local history into a game of CoC

[Prof. Dietrich Hes]

My home is located on the very top of Broad mountain in the Poconos in the US.  Now for some "Jim Thorpe" is a small town named after a Native American olympian and known for it rich areas of recreation for hiking, rafting, etc..  Well, not to sound like a travel ad, I'll get to the point.

We can step back in time when the town was known as "Mauch Chunk", a dirty coal mining town set in the Lehigh Valley.

Many people know the story of the "Molly Maquires".  In case you are not 100% familiar with it, follow this link:  http://www.visitjimthorpe.com/new/history.htm#molly

also see the story of the "Hand Print", as that will be come key to this story line down the road.

While thinking about where to set my "game", I was looking at my address and it dawned on me, why not base the whole thing around the area I love.

Basic premise will be the Mollies are a Cthulhu front.  Although forced to disband in 1877, they continued to operate in secret.  They are partially funded by the Packer estate, and the current owners of Mine #9. Since they also operate the mine, they are digging deeper into the hills to find some old relics of the past.  

This scenario gives me alot of terrain building ideas, and the perk is I can just drive off the mountain and into town to take lots of pictures.  I can also go to the library and find all the maps and floor plans I need.  There is also an occult shop in town and I might have to dig a bit deeper there and see what I can find.

on a side note:  Asa Packer ran for president in 1868, so technically I guess you can say the push for "Cthulhu for President" started along time ago

[supervike]

That is a wonderful idea!

I can't imagine a better way to base a game story line (or even a real story) than off a real place, with real people....It lends automatic credibility to it.


I'm a bit jealous...I'd love to play through the scenarios you're building.

This line worries me though....

"There is also an occult shop in town and I might have to dig a bit deeper there and see what I can find."

I do believe that is the basic premise in about half of Lovecrafts stories....the next thing you know you will be half deranged, speaking of ancient races and undead gibbering things..... ::

[WitchfinderGeneral]

Good story!
I'm looking forward to see some of your painted miners! :-)
Unfortunately any interesting things around here happened before the    colonisation of America, far too long ago.

[Prof. Dietrich Hes]

Supervike,
  do you come to any of the HMGS-East conventions?  I might run something like this in the future there.

Good call on the Occult shop.  ::  Its called the "Emporium of Curious goods".  Although it wasnt around during the time frame I am shooting for, it will be located in the town as a "home" base.

WFG,
  Technically, everything I am doing happened before 1920, I'm just using a "past" history to make the scenario.  It will be a new section of the mine that opens the mystery some 50 years after.  I'm not sure where you live in Germany, but with the rich history of Europe, I am sure there are many better stories there. I am going to use the Foudnry miners, but if you know of anyothers please let me know.

Below is a picture of Jim Thorpe:



Yup, thats it, Huge population of 4200 people  

I'm working on a new map of the town to lay things out better, but the two buildings in the lower right hand are the Packer Mansions, the one with hte red roof is Asa's, and the other one is Harry's.  The large church in the top row center is St. Marks.  That should be a good place for interesting ideas. The other structure in the middle of the town with the bell tower is the police station and court house.  The carbon county jail is located just off to the right of the picture.  


I think the interesting part of this is the fact that the town is so small that you can actually walk the entire town (all 3 roads) in about a half hour.  so even within the time frame of a tabletop game, the usual "ok, now you sut flew to Cairo" doesnt come into play.  Players can actually investigate different areas at the same time. and since I have walked this town numerous time, I can almost tell you it takes 10 minutes to walk from the Occult shop to the Jail.

I did forget to mention that there is an old castle ruins in town........  This place is weird!!!!  I'm just trying to figure out how to get the floor plans of the diffferent locations during hte 1920's.  Some will be easy, but I am not sure how to ask the Sheriff for a floor plan of his building.  

I also started my time line for the Asa Packer/Cultist tie in last night.  There are some interesting things that completely follow history but can lead to an actual theory that Asa was involved with the Mollys.  Granted it sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory, but it fits for my story.

So I was also thinking about which creatures to incorporate.  Ghouls and Ghasts from the mine, a Dark Young near the old chapel ruins, and perhaps the deepest creature to be found can be a hunting horror from the mine as well.

Here is another line drawing of the town to show jsut how close everything is:



I have a bad feeling this project is going to get out of hand!!!!!  

[PeteMurray]

This is an awesome idea--and Jim Thorpe could be any of a dozen Alleghany towns in Maryland and West Virginia, too (I love the Appalachien Mountains and the towns up and down them.)

Since your town is in a valley, maybe the hills on either side of the town have ancient megaliths, stones raised during the days of the Indians. Sometimes a strange stone covered with painted hieroglyphs will be found near them, and Professor Farnsworth has a theory that once every seventeen years, the megaliths point to where the sun will set on the Winter Solstice.

But why would someone go through the trouble of marking this time? And why this year is the valley beset with a strange fog which cannot be pierced by the noon sun?

[Prof. Dietrich Hes]

Pete,
 thanks.  this story is basically writing itself right now.

The MCCIT (Mauch Chunk Cthulhu Investigation Team) jsut got back from a quick run down the mountain to get some pictures.  The team consisted of Myself, and my two kids (aged 2.5 and 6). I know its a odd name but my daughter likes it, so I'm keeping it.

this is what the ruins look like:



Strange part is, while having pizza in town for our post-investigation wrap-up, A woman approached me and asked where I was from.  She was very curious at the manner in which I was speaking with my daughter about the ruins.  We spoke briefly about our little excursion and she said she would be right back.  She returned a short while later with a slip of paper in her hands with a name and phone number scrawled on it.  It is the contact information for a local historian who has all the documentation for the castle before it fell into ruins.  No real story yet, but I will be contacting him tomorrow to see what else I can find.  I guess it was odd getting a "player handout" while in real life, but it definatly has me intriqued.

Quick roll on my sanity check....  Damn, down 3 points      

It was weird getting the paper from her, as there seems to be a real story behind the place.  Tomorrow I'm heading back to the occult shop without hte kids to see what I can find.

[Etranger]

The local antiquarian is taking an interest? You know what that is going to lead to.  

Why did the Indians avoid the valley so much? And what of their tales of human sacrifice? Just what was it that desired blood so much?

Those hills must be riddled with caves & old mining tunnels. A church up against the hillside like that must surely have secret passages leading away from the crypt....

[Prof. Dietrich Hes]

Etranger,
 my story jsut got a whole lot weirder yesterday.

I had some of my notes and such printed out and was looking at a few things, and wihle stacking some papers, I made a bizare discovery.

If you draw a line from the jail to the train station, and then connect lines from St. Marks church, Asa Packers mansion, The Opera house, and the catle ruins, it makes the elder sign    :   the only part missing is a line that cuts through a road that leads into the mountain in a location I have never been to yet! The road name is "High ROad" and it cuits deep into the hill but is a residential area so I never really went up that far, but NOW ia have a reason!

Below is the Elder sign overlaid on the town:



I didnt get a chance to ask at the occult shop yesterday, as they were very busy as there were alot fo tourists in town, so I got my usual supplies and got out of there.  I dont like town when there are that many outsiders.

There is also alot of Native American hsitory in the valley.  I know this one family that lives by me that is very active in the Indian community here.  They we me one as I helped the youngest boy "coyote" when he was lost by the park. So atleast I have some point of origin for research in this area.

I almost wish I was making some of this up, as this little "game" design session is getting a touch weird, but it is fascinating.

[Prof.Witchheimer]

That sounds gripping, Steve, keep up the reporting! Would like to hear about the investigation of the "Unknown Location" :-)

[Prof. Dietrich Hes]

Well, I drove through high road today, jsut for a quick look.  And wouldnt you know that I did find something.  Roughly positioned at the proper mark, is a   ohhh get ready for it......

An Abandoned house!  

Its the only one in town.  I didnt get a good look as I was running late, but hte construction seems to date it to atleasst the 20's.  It did catch me off guard as I was driving through the road, I was rounding hte bend and I was thinking that I was in the right area, but all there are were houses, till I came across this one.  So, barring any futher investigations, I have found my "unknown location".  Now I need to stop into town and find out what the building is, and why it is abandonded.  I will head back tomorrow with hte team and get some photos.  I will also see if there are any neighbors around that can tell me anything about it, in particular any "ghost" stories.

I also went to do a quick run through of the Mauch chunk cememtery, but there was a service and I didnt want to intrude.  It is right up the hill form the Asa Packer mansion, roughly posiitoned inbetween there and the ruined castle.

I'm going to have to do a new map soon to show all locatios, with a bit more detail.  I wish I could get google earth to work on this computer, as that would be quite interesting.  I also want to use some of my old civil engineering tricks to get a good survey of the land as well.

I think at this point I have enough notes for a short story, or if I pushed it a lower level novel.  I guess the best part is that I have not even begun to fabricate anything.  Everything is jsut falling into place on its own.  

I know I need to paint some things up for this but I almost find this little investigation a little too interesting.

[Prof.Witchheimer]

An Abandoned house!

No! Unbelievable Try to come in and look for the signs, Steve!

[Etranger]

There will be a story attached to that house....

Maybe some of the old mine tunnels also follow those lines? It could be a clue as to where the artefacts are located underground? Perhaps it points towards them if only someone can "read" the sign?

At this rate there won't be much fiction needed to write this tale.

[Prof. Dietrich Hes]

Etranger,
 I agree there has to be a story if it is the only abandoned house in town.  There is ALWAYS a story with places like that.

The actual "switch back" rail road was on the other side of the valley, leading to another mine, so its on the same side as the castle and mansion jsut further up the mountain.  I havent even got into any of hte hsitory of that portion yet!

However,  there are many strange walls with doors and such leading into the moutnain side.  I will get lots of pictures as they will better explain instead of jsut explaining them.  those are all over the same side as the Church and the abandoned house.  Although I know what some of them were used for, and that some were old foundations of houses, it wil lstill be interesting to do some "adjusting" of the story and find some good turn in the story there.  

Witchheiner,
 I almost wish I was making this up, too many of the pieces are falling together WAY too easily.  Once I investigate further into the house I am sure something will come about.  I do want to triangulate the position to make sure it is where I need it to be, but then again, further investigation might lead to something else  

I still ahevnt mentioned the old run down carriage house by HArry packers mansion.  I think the last time I was there someone had spraypainted all sorts of occult things around it.  that will make some interesting pictures.

Well, I am off to jot down some more things in my journal.

[PeteMurray]

Below is the Elder sign overlaid on the town:

...

An Abandoned house!

AAAAAAAH!!!
AAAAAAH!!!
AAAAAAAAH!!!!
     

Move right now.

[Gunslinger]

I think we should make Prof. Hes call in every hour on the hour or at least post every hour so we know his whereabouts and have all his notes.  This way, WHEN he disappears mysteriously, we can all descend on the town and conduct a mass search.

If we have all the info up front, along with his schedule, we can pick up where he left off without going by his house to get his notes, where the cultists are sure to be waiting in ambush.

=)

Pat