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DAILY GAME IDEAS
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John Aynge
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 6:21 am    Post subject: DAILY GAME IDEAS Reply with quote

The idea is that every day someone puts up a little something to help others with adventure hook, artifacts, races/cultures, write ups on historical elements, or what ever strikes the fancy of any contributor.

Adventure seed:
A noted scientist, William McLaglen, has discovered a mysterious magnetic wave acting in a pulse form. It's erratic and fairly weak, but it's getting stronger each time it's felt. He is prepared to share his ideas and an invention that he has created to locate this specific "oddity" before a consortium of researchers in the United States.

INCLUDING THE PC'S/HEROS:

The Hero’s can act as a body guard to the Professor.

Meet him at the consortium.

Become involved in a running gun battle that breaks out at the consortium as Thule Society members attempt to steal the invention and either kidnap Dr. William McLaglen or end his life so he can not create another such invention.

One of the HERO'S may have studied under the professor and wished to meet up with his older mentor.

One of the HERO'S may have fallen in love with the Dr.'s daughter, Maureen McLaglen and wish to see her at the consortium.

The HERO'S may have been duped into stealing the invention and or kidnapping the Dr.

Subplots:
Maureen, the Dr.'s daughter, has had her mind invaded by Thule society occultists who are controlling her to get closer to a party member. This strikes up a romantic relationship. When/if she finally breaks away from this control things could be interesting as she relates the truth "I have no feelings for you." to the poor HERO.

The Magnetic Wave Pulse is a newly reawakened Atlantean device that the Thule Society:
A: Wants to find
B: Has turned on and doesn't want found
C: Has left abandoned after being attacked by ferocious Crocodile people (insert your own culture)
D: Wishes to keep it secret, and not allow others to find it. They believe that this pulse will eventually destroy all those not of "PURE" blood lines.

PLEASE add ideas and thoughts to the above plot. Tomorrow, hopefully, someone will come up with something new.
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Prof_Scrumtumbler



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PostPosted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like it! All my ideas have been for things inside the HE, so this is a great way to start an adventure on the surface.

At this point, I think the heroes would definitely have to be framed for something (maybe the kidnapping of the Prof, or maybe a related murder of one of the curators) so that they have to run from law enforcement and see the seamier side of life. It would be best if they become wanted by the mob, just to really complicate things.

The professor, kidnapped or not, might have been clever enough to disburse and hide several vital components of the artifact, which would mean that the players are not only on the run from their various adversaries but also in a race to recover the pieces before their enemies do. It might run like Indiana Jones or the Davinci Code from there.
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My idea was more of an overarching campaign idea inspired by Planet of the Apes and the Mehar of ERB.

After arriving in H.E., the players would find a quaint village of farmers who work huge feilds. The disquieting thing about the villagers is that there only seems to be 3 or "types" of people. If you get four boys together, at least two of them look like twins.

It turns out that babies are not born, but delivered from the central city. The city has more looka like people and a distinct race of nobles who look like pterodactal people. After a dissection, even 1930s medicene can discern the nobles are modified humans.

The city's "Eternal Emperor" is another story. The set up is that he is a true pterodactal men.
His race has "adanced" so far that they can't stand to be around each other and each one thinks he is worthy of running a kingdom. They've used the "simple" biology of humans to clone servants and pliant "copies" of their own race.

The race of "nobles" are simply admistrators and failed experiments in the Emperor's efforts to make himself a Queen out human flesh.

Of course the Emperor discovers the secrets of human biology through vivisection and all that gruesome stuff.

Pretty much classic Pulp stuff. What may be more intriguing is what to do with these clones once the Emerpor is killed, especially since everyone is literally bred for their role.
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 8:33 pm    Post subject: Re: DAILY GAME IDEAS Reply with quote

John Aynge wrote:

The Magnetic Wave Pulse is a newly reawakened Atlantean device that the Thule Society:

B: Has turned on and doesn't want found
C: Has left abandoned after being attacked by ferocious Crocodile people (insert your own culture)
D: Wishes to keep it secret, and not allow others to find it. They believe that this pulse will eventually destroy all those not of "PURE" blood lines.


B, C, and D, but with an additional twist... WHOSE notions of "Pure" blood lines are we talking about mmmmm? What if the aforementioned Atlantean device is something that has a few rather unpleasant side effects (maybe the magentic wave pulse has a bad habit of killing ALL people on a mass scale) and the aforementioned Crocodile people or someone else knows this.

Now say these nosy and somewhat dangerous outsiders show up claiming to be from the surface world (whatever THAT is) and these Thule Society goons mistranslated some Altantean text. "Eliminates your ethnic group of choice" actually means "Causes Extinction Level event or your money back!" or something to that effect.

Hey... those Croc-folk didn't want the thing around anyway... it's DANGEROUS! If they want to take it back to their civilization that's one less group of evil outsiders that are running about causing trouble.

Of course, the heroes only learn of this at the 11th hour, which makes stopping this particular Dastardly Deed all the more important! Imagine when the Thule Society finds out exactly what they brought back as well. Maybe in the end you'll find Heroes and Villians calling a quick truce to crash William McLaglen's premier event to demonstrate the Atlantian dohicky and prevent the scientist from unexpectedly wiping the surface world out!

...Just my 2 cents.
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 8:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Von Ether wrote:

Pretty much classic Pulp stuff. What may be more intriguing is what to do with these clones once the Emerpor is killed, especially since everyone is literally bred for their role.


I like! To make it real freaky make sure to make the apparentally subservient people completely content with their existence, to the point that the characters may have more to fear from the peasants than the rulers.

If you are looking for a good source for such a culture where one group appears to be the victims yet is completely OK with is check out the Octavia Butler short story "Bloodchild". Think of a coming-of-age story of a young couple that is planning to concieve their first child. One young man... and a creature somewhat akin to "Alien" in both appearance and reproduction. Granted, a "birth" sequence is bad enough, but the fact that the humans in the story completely accept their lot, and the interaction between humans and the beings that use them as hosts is the kind of chilling stuff that lingers with you for a long, long, time.
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John Aynge
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 5:43 am    Post subject: DAY 2 Reply with quote

A NEW thought for a NEW day. Today we'll look at a GROUP. The HEX book introduces not one but TWO antagonist style groups in The Arcanum & The Thule Society, but leaves us lacking a group of people with more altruistic approach towards The Hollow Earth and humanity (above and below). The format that I tried to use didn't WORK in the forum. I've tried to make this as easy to read as possible.



The Torchlight Society

Adventurous men and women throughout history have braved hardships, suffered indignities, and all too often died while blazing the trails that so many others have followed. One organization supports, preserves, and catalogs these individuals: The Torchlight Society. The Torchlight Society is a loosely organized club dedicated to exploring, mapping, and shaping our world. Society members are not inclined to sit back and watch as the worlds mysteries are revealed before their eyes and ears as movie reels and radios transmit the findings of others. Torchlight Society members are the men and women you see and hear about leading those expeditions into unknown and often uncivilized realms. Society members have set foot upon all seven continents, and often have led others to the wonders of those same continents.

History: The Torch is Set Alight

The original Torchlight Society was founded Roman legionnaires who kept account of the many lands they visited through an oral tradition of story telling, and often shared their stories with others. When like minded soldiers crossed paths they would share stories and information. As the years passed a loose knit group of common historians and story tellers amongst the ranks began to organize these tales into a more complete form, and it was during this time that a symbol was chosen to mark the members of the Society so they would recognize each other. A small pin etched with a torch aflame was worn on the scabbard of their swords (Gladdius). The torch was a reminder of days when the story tellers had shared their stories around camp fires, and symbolized the shining of light upon the unknown and exposing it to the world. As these legionnaires left the service some chose to settle in new lands, while most chose to return to their original homes, and in this way the loosely formed Torchlight Society began growing and encompassing the different countries of the world. Those that survived their tumultuous livelihoods found their tales often requested to be heard by the children of their families. The legionnaire’s stories of foreign wonders, cultures, people, and adventure whetted the appetites of others to follow in their paths.

What keeps the Torch burning

The Torchlight Society is made up of men and women of all cultures and countries that strive to explore and conquer the unknown. Explorers, adventurers, and educators have all had prominent roles in the Society’s history. Persons such as Richard Byrd, Amelia Earhart, Roald Amundsen, Robert Peary, Christopher Columbus, Erich Weiss, and hundreds of others have been or are members in good standing. Membership is voted on yearly with new members nominated from the body of the Society and voted on by all members. It takes 75% of the vote to receive an invitation to the organization. At the same time a president is chose to serve for a period of one year. A member must be in good standing for five years before they may be nominated from the body to run for Presidency. The Society is seen as an elite club by the majority of the members who see membership as a privilege. The Society has remained a badly kept secret for the last several decades. As explorers have become celebrities and celebrities have become explorers the press has begun to ferret out information about The Torchlight Society.

What does The Torchlight Society know about The Hollow Earth

Several members have come across information regarding The Hollow Earth, and those members have been silenced; either by their governments censorship (Ricahrd Byrd), threats by mysterious organizations (Charles Lindbergh and his baby), and disappearances (poor Amelia Earhart should have listened to the warnings. Earheart does not disappear until around July 2nd 1937 so this event may not have happened by the time most campaigns will begin). Still the chance to set foot upon virgin lands is what drives most of the members of this society. Threats and death will only slow down the truly devoted, and an inner circle of tight lipped confidantes have begun to pool their resources and information much like the legionnaires that originally formed the group. This small group of scientists and explorers believe that there is something to the stories of Ultima Thule, and all signs are pointing to The Thule Society being on the move. Some of the members of The Torchlight Society have been abducted and escaped from captors that they claim are Thule Society members. While several other Torchlight Society members have vanished and not returned. The Torchlight Society has let it be known that all members and explorers and scientists should be on their guard.

What is the Torchlight Society doing now

The Torchlight Society has had enough. They are fighting back by learning all they can of The Thule Society’s movements and plans. All information pertaining to Ultima Thule is being sought and redistributed to all members of the Society. Several Society members have begun to believe Ultima Thule is the straw that may destroy the Societies credibility from within. The Terra Arcanum and The Thule Society are working to break apart The Torchlight Society, and have begun trying to unsettle the whole organization with infighting and mass exodus as several members are being pushed to withdraw from the “quacks” society by both rival factions. Sadly these members are forgetting the plights of several of their former members, and abandoning the ideals of The Torchlight Society. Those members that have stayed the course are prepared for attacks on their credibility as well as their bodies. Smaller groups of explorers and scientists have formed to work together to study the legend of Ultima Thule and tear from the darkness the secrets that have been shrouded for so long.

Original Torchlight Society Motto:
We shall bring light to bear into the darkness and expose the unknown.

Recent unofficial motto:
Our world is awash in dark threats
We don’t suffer threats kindly.

PLAYER INVOLVEMENT & STORY SEEDS

1.The players or player is being nominated to join The Torchlight Society.

2.The Players or player is already a member of the Society and occasionally serves the society (aka goes on ADVENTURES for the Society).

3.The players or player are bringing a new member into the Society.

4.The Thule Society is trying to kill a player or players because of their involvement with The Society.

5.One of the player’s significant other (could be spouse or girl/boy friend) is a Terra Aracanum plant.

6.A Torchlight Society member has disappeared, and the only thing that’s been found is his Torchlight Society coin brought back by a Sherpa. The Sherpa SAYS he left the side of his employer when the reached the “Enlightened Land”.

7.The Torchlight Society has asked the players or player to infiltrate the Thule Society or the Terran Aracanum Society.

8.There is a wake for a Torchlight Society member and the players or player:
a.Are approached by his son, daughter, wife, man servant, etc to finish his last quest.
b.Discover this beloved member was a Thule Society member as well.
c.Learn he/she was a fraud.
d.Left behind a wealth of information about a long lost land (Hollow Earth, Mu, Ultima Thule, Atlantis, R’Lyeh and such thing), but that information has been hidden.
e.Had built a huge drilling machine intended to burrow through the earth, huh, WHY?


9.A message goes astray and a player receives a telegram that makes him or her believe that one of The Torchlight Society members is a mole working for Terra Arcanum.

10.Reporters are hounding the players or player because they have information leading them to believe the player or players are members of the Society.

11.A case of mistaken identity leads a player or players that would NOT be asked to join the Society to receive an invitation.

12.A friendly wager with another member leads to a fabulous adventure.

13.A female member of The Society comes back from an exotic destination, and a few weeks later starts to “show” that she’s pregnant. She confides in the player or players that the father is NOT of “this world”.


14.The Society holds a contest to see who can bring back the most incredible artifact.

15.An aged and beloved member of The Society years for one last adventure. To die and be buried in some unknown land

16.A reporter character tries to infiltrate The Society.

17.The coins (each member receives a coin with the same torch aflame motif that the original legionnaires carried) of members are being stolen. Now a member has been found dead, and their coin missing.

18.At the request of Erich Weiss (Houdini) player or players attend a séance/spiritualist “event”. While there one of the players is possessed by an Atlantean spirit after touching a “spirit stone”.
a.The player remains possessed until the players can free him or her.
b.The player “shares” their body with the Atlantean spirit and become somewhat BI-POLAR.
c.The players body is now dying or aging much more quickly than ordinary as the spirit drains the players life essence
to continue it’s own (it’s daily recharge is coming from the player)


19.A player or players has become involved with the MOB, and the MOB wants:
a.A list of all current members of the Torchlight Society.
b. The Mob has learned of Hollow Earth, and they want “A piece of the action”. The Mob has an old Greek map and they want the player or players to lead them to that SHINY CITY in the center.
c.A Thule member infiltrated the mob. The mob does NOT appreciate this. They want the player or players to LOCATE and BRING BACK this person.
d.To find some LOST item or place.
e.Wants to, legitimately, support a Torchlight Society expedition. What better way to launder money.


20.The Torchlight Society is approached by the president of ANY country, and asked to help locate a lost national treasure.

21.A player or players uncover the truth behind the raid on Innsmouth (Feb. 1928)

22.The player or players discover R’Lyeh

23.A movie produce approaches the player or players about doing a movie based on The Torchlight Society and wants to involve them
a.The Producer is a reporter trying to get info.
b.The Producer is a Thule or Aracanum member.
c.The Producer IS a producer and just wants to make a movie.
d.The Producer is a distant relation to Atlanteans and wants to find the Hollow Earth so he or she can find “home”.
e.Is working for the Torchlight Society, and this is a PR move to bring the Society out of its ages long secrecy.
f.The producer is a sleaze bag that wants to get a player or players into bed, and the whole movie is a sham.


24.At the Torchlight Society Christmas/Holiday party a major announcement is made.
a.There has been a major new discovery in Central America regarding the Chupacabra
b.A member is leading an expedition for a group of wealthy investors in the Antartic and is looking for more members to come.
c.The Torchlight Society is being disbanded.
d.A dying member makes it to the door of the party and dies. He has matchbook with a crude map of Japan on it with an X in the ocean.
e.A bomb goes off as Thule Members raid the place.


25.One of the players is just nominated for the presidency.

This organziation could still use alot of work, and I'd appreciate any assistance in making it more interesting and or entertaining in the game.

Who's the CURRENT president?
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Von Ether



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PostPosted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 8:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

GregH wrote:
Von Ether wrote:

Pretty much classic Pulp stuff. What may be more intriguing is what to do with these clones once the Emerpor is killed, especially since everyone is literally bred for their role.


If you are looking for a good source for such a culture where one group appears to be the victims yet is completely OK with is check out the Octavia Butler short story "Bloodchild". Think of a coming-of-age story of a young couple that is planning to concieve their first child. One young man... and a creature somewhat akin to "Alien" in both appearance and reproduction. Granted, a "birth" sequence is bad enough, but the fact that the humans in the story completely accept their lot, and the interaction between humans and the beings that use them as hosts is the kind of chilling stuff that lingers with you for a long, long, time.


... Octavia is my literary goddess. 'nuff said. Smile


My add to the daily links ... I've noticed that there's no map for the H.E. setting. I think for those of us who "get it" that's a feature, not a bug.

It does leave a little more work for the rest for GMs though. So I've done a quick search for maps of Pellucidar* and Pangea.

http://www.erbatlas.com/pellucidar.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pangaea_continents.png
http://faculty.gg.uwyo.edu/heller/Historical%20Geology/Historical%20Lect%209/pangea_map.htm
http://www.scotese.com/

I also tried to find a free resource for making random maps, but no luck.
Sad

*I never realized how much of Pellucidar is not explored. The map also gives you the feel that there's even more world out there on the edges. Smile
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If memory serves correctly, Pellucidar is a reversed image of the surface of Earth, where continents are oceans and oceans are continents (and probably mirror image as well). I'm thinking of going with that. Plenty of room to roam in and introduce new stuff with the Pellucudar model to run with.
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:04 am    Post subject: DAY 3 Reply with quote

Today’s DAILY THOUGHT was about PROPS, and then MAKING a prop. Unfortunately my camera has decided to IXNAY that idea.

GRRRRRR.

Okay, so INSTEAD:

STORY SEED: INTRO TO THE HOLLOW WORLD.

Inspired by GREGH and The Poseidon Adventure. GregH has listed a link for CRUISE SHIP lay out here:
http://www.exilegames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=56

Cruise ships are FUN for the WHOLE FAMILY. So, let's go for a cruise.

APRIL 1935

The RMS OLYMPIC, the sister ship to the Titanic, is about to be taken out of service, but before she goes to the bottom of the drink there is to be one last glorious cruise. The best of the “old guard” of the WHITE STAR LINE have been brought on board for this last cruise as a reward for excellent service. The ship is going to be filled with celebrities, politicians, newsmen, and a plethora of other VIP’s. The cold frigid weather of April 14th isn’t bothering anyone and spirits are quite high.

As a memorial the RMS OLYMPIC will be stopping at the last known spot where her sister the Titanic sank on April 14th 1912, and a wreath will be thrown into the waters below, while a bell chimes for each life lost. At 11:40 Molly Brown will give a speech to commemorate the date. Then all hell breaks loose.

The ship lurches horribly, and a cracking sound is heard followed by the screams.

SHIP SINKING:

1.Another Iceberg has struck the ship and caused it to begin sinking.

2.A Hollow Earth Sea monstrosity has come up from the depths, having escaped through a fissure, and is dying. Its death throes are causing massive damage to the ship.

3.Thule Society (those crazy guys) have sabotaged the ship, and by doing so have ensured the deaths of several dignitaries and politicians. Perhaps there are several individuals from The Torchlight Society on board, and the Thule Society has decided to send a message.

4.A maddened scientist believes that he has found a fissure to the Hollow Earth, and it is directly below where the Titanic Sank. This memorial has given him the perfect opportunity to exploit the fissure. To make this character a wee bit more sympathetic he is “maddened” due to the loss of his wife and child who died aboard the Titanic. He TRULY believes they are not dead and are alive in The Hollow Earth.

GAME IDEAS:

1.The players have an entire adventure aboard the sinking ship which has many air pockets. Think The Poseidon Adventure. They are rushing about saving people, and trying to figure out how to get out. At the end of the adventure they configure a way to solve the problem and right the ship. It begins to rise. CHEERS and CELEBRATION ensues as the ship reemerges into the inky darkness of the night. The Players are HEROS. This is when the pterodactyls are spotted, or the huge head of a water sea beast or some other PLANET OF THE APES style shock ending letting the players know they are now trapped. Welcome to Hollow Earth.

2.The session could be a one shot ordeal, and the players play CELEBRITIES. This thought is based on a Live Action Call of Cthulhu game designed for six people, and they all played celebrities of the time. As a one shot it’s a lot of fun, and makes for an excellent dinner party style game. However, a campaign where players are playing celebrities could be a lot of fun as well.

Continuing the game:

1. A Thule Society member in an Iron Mask or some other pulpy kind of thing comes forward, and WELCOMES the survivors to the NEW WORLD. HOLLOW EARTH NEEDS SLAVES, as the bull whip cracks.

2.The players discover the remains of the Titanic, and obvious clues to lead that many people survived the ordeal. If the Scientist from above is still alive then he tries to form a party to track down the survivors.

Feel free to add more ideas. That's the whole idea!
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:46 pm    Post subject: DAY 4 Reply with quote

A couple of hours early on this one, but what the heck.

A NEW DAY and a NEW thought.

PROPS

A good prop can make a good game great. A great prop can’t make a bad game any good at all. Before you decide to create an amazing prop make sure you can create a really good game to go with that prop. A prop may influence or inspire a game, but a prop should not be the entirety of the game. An amazing GIZMO isn’t going to make a lousy game suck any less. Make a great game, make a great prop, and you’ll have a really great game where the players can interact with the story in a physical sense.

You can describe an ancient tablet of Atlantean runes all day long, and the players will go along with it, try to imagine it, and its going to get the job done. Their imagination is going to be more impressive than any prop your or I could muster up. However, give your players a tablet with Altantean runes on it, and they are going to touch it, look at it, read it, and give it a ton of attention. It’s going to be a big hit, BECAUSE people like to touch things.

So, let’s make an Atlantean tablet with glyphs/runes on it. Oh, and I’ve never made one of these before so don’t get your hopes up.

SUPPLIES:

SCULPY
A MIXING BOWL (however you won’t mix anything with it)
DRINKING GLASS (You won’t be drinking anything either)
Some kind of rolling pin.
Texture making items. (Anything that’s got an interesting texture: Your sidewalk, a wall, the carpet (a carpet you DON’T LIKE), rubber stamps/scrap books items.
A pencil or non bristle end of a paint brush.
Some basic paint supplies (acrylics) Possibly some primer.
An EYELET (for making the amulet)
Some string, leather strip, something to tie to your amulet so it can hang around your neck.
A STOVE
Some tinfoil


Keep in mind this is an ATLANTEAN tablet. It doesn’t have to be a square or a rectangle. NO, it can be whatever you want it to be. It can be a HAPPY LITTLE CIRCLE, or a GROOVY TRIANGLE, or whatever you imagination can come up with. Non-Euclidean, anyone? Well, Bob Ross has inspired me to do a HAPPY LITTLE CIRCLE.


Okay, gather up that stuff. I’d imagine the sculpy will be the most expensive thing, but you might have a substitute around the house.

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab1.JPG
A pic of the supplies I used.

I’m going to make a fairly thin tablet because it will use less sculpey, and it will “cook” faster. Work the sculpey a bit (knead it, pull it, smash it) to get it malleable.

Slap that sculpey down on your tinfoil and use the rolling pin to get it to the size and shape you want. I’m trying for a circle on this one. Thin or Thick is your call, but the thinner it is the less scupley you use, and that saves a few bucks.

Once you have about the basic size take your MIXING BOWL and put it UPSIDE DOWN on top of the sculpey. Your using the mixing bowl as a COOKIE CUTTER. Press the mixing bowl down and twist it. Pick your bowl up, wash it, and put it away. You wife will NEVER have to know.

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab2.JPG

Take your dull pencil or your NON-Bristle end of a paint brush and make the outer perimeter of your CIRCLE jagged. Ancient Atlantean tablets may or may not lead to SUPER HIGH TECH GROOVINESS, but they should look a bit more antiquated and roughed up. This is an easy step, and you just take the pencil or brush and cut off the edges of the circle and make it look ROUGH.

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab3.JPG

It was at this point that I decided a TABLET, even a CIRCULAR TABLET, is only SO COOL. What would make it COOLER would be to have an AMULET in the middle of the tablet. So, using the drinking glass we use it as a COOKIE CUTTER, and we cut out the CENTER of the circle.

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab4.JPG

Okay, now we have the AMULET/CENTER CUT out, but I think the TABLET would be more useful for a CAMPAIGN if the tablet was cut into smaller pieces. Pieces that have been lost, and must now be found by players. Take your pencil or brush and cut the circle into four pieces. I think four pieces of roughly the same size is the way to go, but you can do whatever you think is cool. See pic for example.

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab5.JPG


Here is the amulet and tablet as they appear at this point.
http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab6.JPG

I’ve got my tablet, okay not bad I suppose, but what about the glyphs? Well, you can make up your own; you can hit the web and do a Google search for runes, glyphs, or sigils. I’m going to use some of my own making, and a few ripped off from a book on The Golden Dawn, and maybe I’ll break out that NECRONOMICON that they put out in paper back several years ago. Why did I buy that thing? Oh, yeah, because I’m a sucker that will buy just about anything related to Lovecraft that’s not all PLUSHED OUT!

Using your pencil or non bristled brush end you just carve/write GLYPHS & RUNES & RUNES & GLYPHS. Add some pictographs if you want. I don’t see how you can possibly go wrong at this point. MAKE YOUR RUNES FAIRLY DEEP!

Here’s my GLYPHS and RUNES
http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab7.JPG

Now to add some TEXTURE to the whole thing and give it a more ancient feel. I used a textured rubber stamp. I picked mine up at a Hobby Lobby, but and DIY, hobby, or scrap book store should have them. Take your texture and press it into the sculpey. Press it hard enough to give you the detail you want, but be careful not to eradicate your runes and glyphs. If you’ve made the runes deep enough this won’t be a big deal, and you’ll get great texture and great runes.

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab8.JPG

What my amulet and tablet look like so far.
http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab9.JPG

Close up on the amulet, and now you STICK in the EYELET. This gives you a place to put the cord that will hang around the player’s neck. You could make an eyelet out of clay by hollowing out a section at the top of your amulet or just creating a hole in the amulet where you want the string to go. I happen to have 50 or so eyelets left over from making ELDER SIGNS (both old and new), so I might as well use them up.

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab10.JPG

Cook that bad boy at 250 for 30 minutes.

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab11.JPG

Take out of the oven, and let cool until it reaches room temperature.

Take amulet/tablet outside or to a well ventilated area. SHAKE PRIMER A LOT, and SPRAY. Do this TWICE to make sure you got a really thick coat without gobbing it all up. Spraying it twice is better than OVERSPRAYING it once. Remember, we don’t want to lose all the detail of those glyphs by filling it all in with PRIMER. Also, you could just prime it by painting it black by hand. I’m lazy. SPRAY for me, thank you.

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab12.JPG

Once that is COMPLETELY and TOTALLY DRY you can pull out your paint and dry brush your amulet and tablet. I went with GOLD colors.

DRY BRUSH: Take a large crappy brush, beat up brush, or a brush that you are about to ruin. Dab up to half way on the bristles into your color (gold for me), and then take that brush and WIPE OFF ALL THE PAINT onto a cloth, towel, or a paper towel. Yeah, WIPE THE PAINT OFF. Then TEST to make sure you got it all off by flicking it across the TIN FOIL you cooked the amulet/tablet on top of. If a little paint happens to stick to it then that is fine, BUT if you get a line of paint then keep wiping paint off.

NOW that the BRUSH is DRY, you flick it across the amulet and tablet. The color is slowly going to build up on top of your amulet and tablet pieces. You are going to see some of the black come through. THIS IS OKAY! At this point you keep dipping and wiping, and flicking the brush across the surface (you can flick the brush back and forth quickly across the pieces like white washing a fence MATRIX style as long as the brush is DRY) until you get the look you want. I suggest starting with a very dark gold or bronze, the once that’s on and dry, pick a lighter gold and dry brush that one. You can put on as many layers as you want, but going form DARKETS to LIGHTEST will give you the best visual effect (says the color blind guy).

DRYBRUSHED AMULET AND TABLET PIECES
http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab13.JPG

At this point you are closing in on the finish line. I didn’t like the fact that my runes didn’t POP OUT enough. So, I took black ink (you can use black paint) and painted each rune. The black really made the rune POP against the gold.

Here’s what it looks like:
http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab14.JPG

Take your cord or leather strip and put it through the eyelet of your amulet.
http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab15.JPG

That’s it. You have created an ATLANTEAN AMULET and TABLET that leads to… well you can write your own adventure. I just help make the props!

http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab16.JPG



A few close ups of the TABLET
http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab17.JPG
http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab18.JPG
http://cthulhudreaming.com/tab19.JPG

Here’s a link that will take you to a page with ALL the pictures in one place, but NO instructions.

http://www.cthulhudreaming.com/PROPS.html



UPCOMING PROPS:
Weathered Maps and Journals (super easy)
SKIN MAPS (super easy)
Large tooth with runes and blood dripping action (Not so hard).
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Jack Nevada
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also, the props cd available from www.cthulhulives.org has all sorts of neato paper props to do up right. plus intructions on how to make em look gooood.
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brilliant!!!

Last edited by Von Ether on Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:18 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow..that's impressive...can you make one for me?!?!?!?!
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 8:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shocked

*hands over two Style points*

Damn, that is kewl!
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Also, the props cd available from www.cthulhulives.org has all sorts of neato paper props to do up right. plus intructions on how to make em look gooood.


I own this product, and I use it for nearly EVERY Call of Cthulhu session I run. The props are super easy to make, the instructions are amazing, and there are FREE PROPS that you can download and try out on that same site.

When I run a game at Gen-Con I always try and make sure each player has some small prop when they begin. A P.I. has his private investigator card, a student has his library card, and so on.

You GET your moneys worth on this one, and there is also a FONT set that is darn groovy as well. Quite frankly the entire site is worth a gander. I check it out at least every couple of days.


Quote:
Wow..that's impressive...can you make one for me?!?!?!?!


I could or...


Quote:
*hands over two Style points*

Damn, that is kewl!


What's cool is getting STYLE points. Thanks that's awesome.


Quote:
Brilliant!!!


Thank you kind sir.

Well, unless it's against the rules of the forum in some way, and I'm told "NO, YOU CAN'T GIVE STUFF AWAY"; I'm going to be giving that prop away in a day or so. I'm thinking a contest. Best STORY SEED idea to use the prop, gets the prop. I'll post it all up once I'm ready to roll with it.

SCULPEY IS YOUR FRIEND!
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