Stapler vs. No Face

Armitage Files Session 1

I'll start by introducing our hapless investigators;

• Dr. Wilhiem Krombach - a German Alienist who, despite a few encounters with the truly supernatural, remains shakily convinced that there's still a logical explanation for all this, and that he's just the scholar to figure it all out. 
• Glen Cameron - Journalist, now a firm believer that unnatural things are afoot and rather convinced that the privileged elite are in on it, driven by a dangerous sense of curiosity. 
• Eliza Crumpot - Sophisticated high society gal, but driven by some deep instinct to seek out the the strange and terrifying. Currently has a ghostly mental construct of long dead poet in her head and is missing. Fred Monroe is searching for her. 
• Fredrick E. Perrin - Heir to the Perrin Penguin Paints fortune and passionate seeker of all things ancient, odd and rare. He is a new investigator and has yet to experience the mythos. 
• Fred Monroe - another new investigator, he is a P.I. driven to avenge the gruesome death of his brother and is currently tracking down the elusive Ms. Crumpot who fled six months ago after the last mystery.

The mystery starts on Friday evening, January 6, 1933 and involves only two players - Dr. Krombach and Glen Cameron. This is a short introductory session using Google Hangout.

A bit of background: at the end of the Invisible Path, the quick scenario we played in the fall, the fellow who plays Dr. Krombach wrote an excellent "six months later" piece in the form of a journal entry. Amoung many interesting and colorful tidbits, Dr. Krombach spoke of testing a milder version of the Liao compound found in that scenario on two subjects. One was Harry Fairweather, the troubled ex-butler of an industrial magnate who had met his end at the hands of a possessed maniac. The other was fellow investigator Glen Cameron.

Liao unhinges the user in time, bringing visions of the past or future. The two had experienced what appeared to be the primordial past in the first tests. But something terrible happened during the most recent trial - the two found themselves not in a pre-human jungle with ominous ruins, but in the burnt out husk of a modern city, an old haggard man nearby furiously writing something near a small fire. Fairweather was attacked by something unseen and when Mr. Cameron made a dash for it he was blocked by the old man pressing a letter into his hand.

Awakening suddenly, Mr. Cameron found himself back in the sleep laboratory of Dr. Krombach. In his hand was a letter, the same it seemed from the vision. Although groggy he also realized Krombach was being strangled by Fairweather. With a shock he saw that Fairweather no longer had a face, just a gaping void as if it had been torn away and inky darkness lay beneath. Just as disturbing, Fairweather's arms appeared to be rubbery and boneless. This is where play started.

Deadly.

After a semi serious debate about just making a run for it, Mr. Cameron leaped to the good Doctor's aid. In the ensuing struggle the two investigators attempted to subdue the unfortunate Fairweather. There was a stabbing with a sedative (too mild), bashings with a heavy stapler (ow) and good thrashing with a standing lamp (surprisingly effective). However, the Fairweather thing managed to smash through the window, fall three stories and limp off through the ice storm raging outside. But not before giving Mr. Cameron an evil knowing stare (as well as a faceless monster can stare).

Recovering with some schnapps the two investigators huddled about the mysterious letter and spent the rest of the night deciphering it. And that's where we ended for the evening.

A few comments about the session: Dr. Krombach's player did a marvelous job of attempting to rationalize everything. Krombach has a "science can explain everything" Pillar of Sanity. So for him, the transformation of Fairweather was a shared hallucination caused by the drug (he himself must have accidentally imbibed some while preparing the formula). Fairweather's attack was due to the slightly stronger dose he had administered. The mysterious letter didn't come from the old man in the vision, but was dropped by Fairweather. His concern then was finding the obviously wounded Fairweather and returning the letter to the one it was addressed to, a Dr. Henry Armitage (who he knew of through a fellow alienist, Dr. Peaselee). Mr. Cameron's player did an excellent job of being frantic and immediately leaping to the wildest conclusions about the supernatural nature of the events (so far, he is the only one to actually witness the mythos - a pair of Hounds of Tindalos - from the previous adventure).

Although combat is not a central feature of the game, I want this to be a very pulpy campaign, so it will definately be part of our sessions. Though the simplicity of the rules is a definate plus in my books, combat was almost too simple (though still quite dangerous), and I'm slightly worried that it'll come off too hand wavy. I may look into adding a bit more structure, especially around initiative.

And here's a summary of the leads and clues found in the mysterious letter;

1. It rambles about a great many incoherent things, obviously written in a frenzy, covered in what looks like blood and dust, has a picture of a woman with the face carefully torn away (the photo that is, not the woman, leaving a gaping black hole)
2. It's addressed to a Henry Armitage
3. It says this is the first letter, others will follow.
4. Mentions a man by the name of Austin Kittrell - seemingly a high society type
5. Also mentions an Alan Gardner, President of the Kingsport Yacht Club
6. Perhaps connected to Gardner, Diamond Walsh a notorious Boston gangster, is also spoken of
7. Positively rages and warns about a "Red Box" that is associated with a book, "mind wasps or hornets" and "The Tears of Azathoth"
8. Something about "Face Stealers"
9. Briefly mentions a new sanatorium and a mysterious patient 
10. Advises that the receiver (presumably Armitage) not conduct the ensuing investigation himself- rather he should recruit outsiders (ta-dum!)

Next up, our first tabletop session.