Too Little Cthulhu?

[1970]

I've had this idea since I found out that 7E was a viable thing.  The investigators are involved in the criminal underworld (on either side) in San Fransisco (Secrets of San Fransisco).  They occasionally run into strange things, kind of like that scenario in Mansions of Madness where the gangster turns into a bug thing.  Some gang is using the Mythos to maximize their profits and take out the competition.  The campaign would probably focus mostly on the mundane lives of criminals or cops or however they get themselves involved, with the Mythos sprinkled in to let them know that something isn't right.  I think it has more staying power than a monster hunter campaign (not that there's anything wrong with that), but I'm afraid that using a light touch will dilute the game somewhat.

Any opinions?

[mvincent]

1 hour ago, 1970 said:

 I'm afraid that using a light touch will dilute the game somewhat.

That should be fine. Indeed, some GM's believe this is the way CoC is intended to be run. The first season of True Detective (TV show) is an excellent example of this.

However, I would still keep the creepiness. The criminals (and even some of the cops) should regularly have some truly disturbing secrets, even if monsters are not involved.

[Darius West]

In my game one of the characters started as a jazz musician raised in a New Orleans brothel.  Since moving to Arkham he has become a pimp, a bootlegger, and ultimately used his mythos encounters to provide himself with a commercial edge over his rivals.  As his little criminal empire has grown I have found ample opportunities to have him trip over Arkham's nasty little secrets.

if you are looking for mythos hooks, try these...

1) Unsavoury hideouts.  Gangsters are often looking for abandoned properties to set up in.  Whether it is as a drop point for booze, or a hidden fuel stop for a run from Canada, a spot for a new speak, or a run-down coastal mansion for rum running, there is always the opportunity for something slithery.  Don't overdo it or it will become too predictable.

2) Cherchez la femme.  A bad woman can be the ruination of a fella I tell ya, but the suckers keep lining up for the same old honey pot.  You never know what sort of trouble a dame's gonna land you in brother.  The real trouble always comes in the best packages and it always comes with a classy name, because you wouldn't go to all that trouble for buck-toothed Daisy Mae in her hillbilly frump sack dress now would you? 

3) Money is useful, so why wouldn't a cult get in on the action?  They probably don;t advertise, but when you get right down to it, isn't the Mafia a secret society?  So what if they weren't the only one involved?

4) You can't fight City Hall.  A deeper conspiracy.  Someone actually knows what is going on, and the whole damn institution is rotten to the core I tell ya.  Ask them journalists, they'll tell ya if they ain't been snuffed yet.  Maybe the mayor's behind it all, maybe he ain't, but I guarantee that bastard's getting kickback payola from all sides.

5) Mythos vs Mythos.  Just because you worship some disgusting horror from another dimension doesn't mean that we worship the same horror, or that we're gonna get along.  It could be that a minor player or a small league outfit can use their smarts to leverage their position and set the bigger players against each other, then step in and clean up the whole pot when they're weakened.  The thing about cultists, they're crazy, too busy raving about the stars in the sky to see what is going on under their noses.

6) Sewers.  Remember how we rubbed out Jimmy that little rat and dumped him in the sewer?  Well his body ain't there no more, and that has the boss to thinking that maybe he weren't rubbed out and we got ourselves a traitor who let Jimmy walk.  Now if you get my meaning, that is your problem, capiche?

7)  There are lots of ways to make a buck.  There are lots of rackets, protection, illegal gambling, unlicensed fights, loan sharking, numbers games, narcotics, prostitution, infiltrating labour organisations, corrupt construction contracts, fencing stolen goods, you name it, go read a law book.  Suppose your loan shark lends money to the wrong guy, or one of your drug addicts is seeking out something called "The Fix What Don't Exist" ?  Or you lean on the wrong fella?  Anything can happen.

8) Law enforcement.  Even when they're on the take they are a problem.  Do some research on what the local police can bring to bear on a problem.  Also look into outfits who will be anti-bootlegger like the Women's Temperance Movement and the KKK.  Private Detectives like the Pinkertons and investigative journalists can also be a knotty problem.

There is a rich source of material on Prohibition era crime.  Whether it is contemporary movies, or more modern offerings.  I totally recommend Ken Burns' Prohibition and Jazz docos.  I also recommend Boardwalk Empire, Miller's Crossing, and Lawless.

 

[1970]

Thanks for your replies!

I ask because I remember my 4th edition book saying that the Keeper could use "real world" menaces, like bootleggers or whatever, but to always remember that the focus of the game is the Mythos.  I know that I shouldn't let a book tell me how to run a game, but I thought I'd mention anyway.

mvincent, I agree that there should be some darkness in there.  I mean, we're talking about consorting with bad bad things at worse and less than bad bad things at best.  No angels here.  Still, if it's dark all the time wouldn't it take away from the real horror, in whatever form it takes?

Darius: thanks for the adventure seeds!  I can't get enough of those.

Anyway, thanks again!