Contract

“What comes with the Autumn?
Fear.
Fear comes with the Autumn.”
- Swamp Thing, Alan Moore

“They’re here, aren’t they?”
“Mr Mulder, they’ve been here for a very long time”
- The X-Files, Chris Carter

“There are things that go bump in the night…we are the ones that bump back”
- Hellboy, Guillermo Del Toro


Game Contract

Style, Structure and Tone

If the BPRD worked out of a basement like Fox Mulder, and dealt with the kind of cases that Planetary do, and were staffed by the Doom Patrol, then you’d have something like FEAR. If NCIS crossed over with Angel and was written by Alan Moore, you’d get the feel of the thing. Each session will be (time-permitting) a single story, with the conceit of it forming a single issue of a comic that owes much to Moore’s run on Swamp Thing The stories will be investigative in nature, with themes of horror and conspiracy. Morality will be in shades of grey and your masters may not have your best interests at heart, which means success and doing good may not always be the same thing. That said, scathing wit and ironic commentary will not be out of place (ala Angel).

Characters

Characters should be strange, monstrous or scarred in some fashion but not evil or unheroic. Powers will reflect this. As a field team, powers that make characters more resistant to harm (in whatever fashion) are common. Mysterious or strange powers are good, and the hook is as important as the power. Good examples are a girl with a soul but no flesh, Joan of Arc reborn in a teenager, a cybernetically enhanced Kodiak bear, a magical talking cat, the eternal spirit of drunken Irish pugilism, a were-tiger who escaped a Siberian gulag, the undead corpse of Jim Morrison, a lost lizardman of the Mayan Empire, a man always two seconds ahead of his own time. In terms of training and security expertise, characters will have a solid grounding and substantial resources, yet will also be often out of their depth or out on a limb; competent yet uncertain.

Players

I want four players. So far the slots are Gareth and Helga. What I expect out of my players is passion. That means a dedication to making the game a success and achieving its goal, which is to create a fun, creative and above all supportive environment where we can tell some great horror tales. I’m more concerned about players backing each other up creatively and socially than whether we can get into some deep character-play. I’m also very demanding when it comes to out-of-game support for me, the GM. I GM best when I feel my audience is appreciative and keen and I need to hear that between sessions, or there’s no reason for me to keep running. Plot and character hooks are part of support, but out of game stuff is equally important. Finding a reliable, regular, low-stress time and place is a big part of it too. Obviously my weekend work will be a hurdle here, as are my enormous neuroses. Your patience is appreciated.

System

The current plan is to use a slightly stripped down version of the Conspiracy X system. This uses the Unisystem, which some of you will know from Buffy, and which also allows us access to the powers in that game, and Buffy and Witchcraft. Unisystem uses a flat 1d10 roll added to stat and skill. If I manage to get a system of my own design working, however, we might use that instead. Unlike Buffy, Con X has no literary mechanics like Drama Points, and is grittier and more lethal: bullets both hurt like hell and kill you. Combat should be a last resort in many situations. However, system will be as usual in my games – a hook to provide and drive story. Chargen will be directed and semi-controlled by me to preserve secrets, maintain balance and enhance tone.