Session 1: A Time to Harvest (Day 1)

[pookie]

For my playing group, A Time to Harvest will be their introduction to Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition. Some have played earlier iterations, but not in some while. So our first session (April 14th, 2016) involved their creating their investigators and this was the source of their first complaint—too much mathematics! Nevertheless, they persevered and even wanted to roll up their names and background elements from the tables in the Call of Cthulhu Handbook. In particular, the Classics student shares the same surname as Boyd Patterson, one of the missing students. So they became cousins. The Palaeontology student managed to roll up the name ‘Orson Swanson’, so had to come from Pawnee, Indiana.  

In the second session (April 28th, 2016) , the four managed to make their way through Day One of the first part of A Time to Harvest in just single two-and-a-half hours. Their investigators consisted of Constance Lynch (a socialite from New Orleans who has been sent to Miskatonic to avoid a scandal and is going on the field trip because she has missed so many classes—I had to advise her player that as a student anthropologist she should have points in the Anthropology skill), Orson Swanson (paleontologist from Pawnee, Indiana who likes cars, boxing, and booze and is really going on the field trip for the moonshine), Ephraim Patterson (Classics student who wants to know what happened to his cousin), and Everett Smith (Metallurgy student whose family owns a pawnbrokers in Arkham). They all rolled randomly on the names table in the Call of Cthulhu Handbook and this is what set up Ephraim’s relationship with the dead Boyd Patterson. I also linked John Jeffrey to Constance Lynch with a romantic relationship.

From the start there were lots of questions and they were suspicious of everything. Why are anthropologists and geologists going on a field trip together? Why are we staying in this crappy dump of a farmhouse? (They were really, really unhappy with the accommodation!) Who owns this farmhouse? Are we squatting? (I could not remember who did and in the end, I simply told them that it was not important and to move on… I did tell them afterwards when I was telling them the tale of poor Jim Maclearan that it was actually owned by the bank.) Why isn’t anyone telling us what happened to Maclearan, what are they hiding from us? (Eventually Deputy Cutter did tell them later that day, but up until that point everyone just said that it was sad story and did not want to say any more.) In the meantime, Ephraim Patterson’s player was determined to get all of the information he could about his late cousin and badgered Robert Blaine quite a lot, whilst in comparison, Constance Lynch was resolutely uninterested in the fate of John Jeffrey.

They noted the presence of the working cannon in the centre of Cobb's Corners and according to the maxim of Chekhov's Gun this meant that they would get to fire it at some point. After their encounter with the Sherrif, Orson Swanson's player wanted to know if the Sherrif's Office was in shooting sight and distance... Everett's player has already suggested that there is a body under the flower bed.

Nevertheless, I managed to get them to the end of the first day and through the night and the first of the scenario’s various dreams. Having something odd happen and their having to make their first SAN rolls seemed to get their interest. I hope that it will be enough to carry on this week.

Edited May 3, 2016 by pookie

[sverbridge]

I think it would be fun to have the Constance Lynch player tell everyone that she was an archaeologist student and then not have any knowledge in the subject...okay, maybe it really wouldn't help for game reasons, but it makes for fantastic RP, and actually kind of fits in with what you gave for the character background.    

[Mike M]

Suggest using the autocalc PC sheets - does all the math for you (apart from the initial 3D6 x 5 for characteristics). Spending points can take some time with some players (I've had players spend their skill points in 5 minutes, others taking 30 minutes or more) - unless you just use the optional speed method of skill pool allocation of course.

Sounds like your players are an observant and untrusting bunch - perfect! Seems like they are engaging - asking lots of questions, which bodes well.

 

Edited May 4, 2016 by Mike M

[pookie]

2 hours ago, Mike M said:

Suggest using the autocalc PC sheets - does all the math for you (apart from the initial 3D6 x 5 for characteristics). Spending points can take some time with some players (I've had players spend their skill points in 5 minutes, others taking 30 minutes or more) - unless you just use the optional speed method of skill pool allocation of course.

 

Mike, it was an option, but the group are avowed users of Apple electronics and loath Adobe products with a passion. I even gave them the choice of pre-generated characters, but they all wanted to create their own. Which meant that they all busy using the calculators on their iPhones...

Edited May 4, 2016 by pookie

[joggiwagga]

On 5/4/2016 at 8:12 AM, pookie said:

Mike, it was an option, but the group are avowed users of Apple electronics and loath Adobe products with a passion. I even gave them the choice of pre-generated characters, but they all wanted to create their own. Which meant that they all busy using the calculators on their iPhones...

The autocalc sheets work fine in NitroReader (which I honestly recommend over Adobe Reader), probably would work in other quality PDF reader programs, just not guaranteed.

[pookie]

On the second day, both Constance Lynch (the Anthropology student) and Ephraim Patterson (the Classics students) were shocked to learn that they had shared the same dream. Both wondered once more about the flowerbed behind the farmhouse and Ephraim dragged the botany student, Louis Gibbons, to examine the flowerbed. He said that there was nothing remarkable about the flowerbed, except that it was obviously well-tended. After breakfast, Everett Smith is shocked by the strange dagger-wielding rat-thing’s stabbing of the hare out behind the farm. He does not know what to make of it and is slightly shocked, though none of his fellow students spots his unnerved state.

Out on the survey, the geologists have a quiet day. Everett Smith finds an Indian arrow head and Orson Swanson attempts to persuade Joe Harlow to sell him some moonshine. Joe turns him down, saying that Sherriff Spenser takes a dim view of drinking and moonshine. Especially in young folks…

Meanwhile, the anthropologists begin their interviews, hearing tales of devils, a missing Braithwaite girl, a strange thing in the river, and more. At lunchtime, they drive into Cobb’s Corners and get lunch at Jim’s Grill. Afterwards, Ephraim Patterson goes back to the offices of the Cobb’s Corners Gazette where the editor, Richard Wendell, has a copy of the previous year’s newspaper for him. Patterson is disappointed at the lack of information in the article, but promises to return for an interview with Wendell. Wanting more information about the death of his cousin, Boyd Patterson, Ephraim visits Doctor Perry. The doctor seems pleased to see him and when asked, explains that Boyd suffered from injuries consistent with those caused by a fall or slip. Ephraim arranges with the Doctor to take him out to where Boyd was found (Note: this unfortunately will not happen due to the forthcoming poor weather).

With Boyd having abandoned Jason Trent to read in Jim’s Grill, Constance Lynch decides to walk out with William Noakes (a possibly wealthy suitor in her eyes) and arm-in-arm they walk up towards the wharves on the river. They are admonished by Reverend Wilson for being too familiar, but continue on undaunted. On their way back towards Jim’s Grill, Noakes suggests that they visit the library where they find a clutter of books, Mable Carruthers, a helpful librarian, and her surly niece, Amanda Wells. Constance and William are surprised to learn that there are no books on folklore or occult in the library, but decide to have a look anyway. Unfortunately Constance knocks over a stack of books, including one that catches her with a glancing blow (1 Hit Point after failing the Library Use roll and critically failing the Luck roll). As William helps her up, she comments about the clumsiness of youth and their accidents, she spots that Amanda seems to start her Constance’s comment (a successful Psychology roll). The teenager is less than forthcoming when Constance follows up her comment, merely replying with a dismissive grunt.

Back in Jim’s Grill, Ephraim sees Jason Trent stuffing a book back into his pocket, but not what it was… When questioned, Trent explains that he is simply reading a history book about Massachusetts. 

More tales of folklore are gathered in the afternoon and then everyone returns to the Maclearan Farm where they share their experiences. Still concerned about the flowerbed, the investigators take another look not long before they retire for the night. When asked again, Louis Gibbons confirms that there is nothing odd about the flowerbed and identifies the flowers as pansies, daisies, and others. Both Everett Smith and Orson Swanson spot a boot print in the earth and think it is probably belongs to that of a man given its size and depth, but cannot determine if it is a left or right boot. Intrigued at the thought that there might be a body under the flowerbed, Swanson, as the palaeontologist, decides to take a sample of the earth from the flowerbed and digs down. Unfortunately he fails to find anything (he critically failed a Luck roll!).

Nobody gets a comfortable night and Everett Smith hears a buzzing at some point in his sleep... Both Constance Lynch and Ephraim Patterson awake in the morning to find that they have had the same dream as each other, and this morning they find out that Orson Swanson has also had the same dream!

[Played Thursday, May 19th, 2016]

Edited May 23, 2016 by pookie