How common are murders in CoC scenarios?

[BRP Investigator]

For the moment, I’m planning and writing a couple of CoC scenarios. It might end up in a longer campaign set in London, Berlin and probably also some Scandinavian capital (probably Stockholm). Murder investigations will be central to the plot. How common is that for this game? Is it more or less standard or just quite common? 

[Nozbat]

In my view, it happens all the time. Life is cheap for cultists and whether it’s getting rid of potential enemies or sacrificing innocents to diabolical and uncaring gods, it happens pretty often in my writings. The best published scenario, in my view, Masks of Nyarlathotep starts with a murder. 
 

It’s common in my opinion and also very standard. If it’s a Scandi-noir type production, lots of murders are needed btw.

[BRP Investigator]

2 hours ago, Nozbat said:

In my view, it happens all the time. Life is cheap for cultists and whether it’s getting rid of potential enemies or sacrificing innocents to diabolical and uncaring gods, it happens pretty often in my writings. The best published scenario, in my view, Masks of Nyarlathotep starts with a murder. 
 

It’s common in my opinion and also very standard. If it’s a Scandi-noir type production, lots of murders are needed btw.

Ok, thanks! We have played a couple of scenarios so far, but I feel it might get a bit too predictable with more murders. Still, they are very handy to include in the plot. And since I have a sort of underworld focus, murders do make sense…

[Ian Absentia]

"Missing Person: Unresolved" has figured highly in my experience.  It's generally spared the Investigators (and the Keeper) the legal entanglements of custody and questioning involved with finding an actual corpse, and sometimes motivated them out of frustration that there's no evidence of an actual crime for the authorities to investigate.

So, implied murder.

!i!

Edited February 13 by Ian Absentia

[BRP Investigator]

8 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

"Missing Person: Unresolved" has figured highly in my experience.  It's generally spared the Investigators (and the Keeper) the legal entanglements of custody and questioning involved with finding an actual corpse, and sometimes motivated them out of frustration that there's no evidence of an actual crime for the authorities to investigate.

So, implied murder.

!i!

Interesting! That’s something else than arriving to a crime scene with a dead body. Could you perhaps give me an example or two? 

[EricW]

You could have a lot of fun with murders in CoC. If players fixate too strongly on the wrong NPC, have the NPC turn up dead, if you can possibly do so in the framework of the scenario. "Oops, got that one wrong..." 

[Ian Absentia]

12 hours ago, BRP Investigator said:

Interesting! That’s something else than arriving to a crime scene with a dead body. Could you perhaps give me an example or two? 

A couple of common scenarios from books, TV, film:

• Upon responding to an invitation to a home/office/event regarding an important matter, the Investigators are informed that their contact hasn't been seen in several days or weeks.  No one seems to be able to provide helpful leads.  Suspicious, but no explicit evidence of foul play.
• Same invitation, only the Investigators are informed that the person has recently died prior to their arrival.  Circumstances may be suspicious or mundane, but oddly coincidental given the recent invitation.
• Same invitation, only upon arrival the Investigators are informed that the person doesn't exist.  A fake invitation?  An elaborate ruse?

!i!

[BRP Investigator]

17 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

A couple of common scenarios from books, TV, film:

• Upon responding to an invitation to a home/office/event regarding an important matter, the Investigators are informed that their contact hasn't been seen in several days or weeks.  No one seems to be able to provide helpful leads.  Suspicious, but no explicit evidence of foul play.
• Same invitation, only the Investigators are informed that the person has recently died prior to their arrival.  Circumstances may be suspicious or mundane, but oddly coincidental given the recent invitation.
• Same invitation, only upon arrival the Investigators are informed that the person doesn't exist.  A fake invitation?  An elaborate ruse?

!i!

Thanks, man! That’s for sure useful. But what I meant was actually titles of published CoC scenarios with murders in the plot.