London has many faces.
The upper echelons of society enjoy unparalleled luxury and decadence while, minutes away, the desperate poor beg, steal, and kill for their daily bread. The deep-rooted histories of the most storied noble families are in evidence on all sides, and yet the splendours of the world’s far corners are never more than a coach ride away.
But you, to your misfortune, are one of the few who know that London’s duplicity goes ever so much deeper.
The booming metropolis, for all its filth and all its beauty, is merely the surface. There are deep shadows in London, and in their seclusion and obfuscation, a darker city is taking shape:
It is a place where Resurrection Men ply their gruesome trade in service to scientists who seek to wrest the ultimate secret from the hands of the Creator himself.
A place where nightmare creatures stalk their human prey, the city’s anonymity and ever-changing populace leaving them free to feed upon a humanity which dismisses them as the stuff of novels and penny dreadfuls.
A place where Saints and Demons war for human souls, their battles fought both in lightning-torn skies and in the secret hearts of the faithful and the lost.
Splendour and squalor. Life and Death. Light and Dark… And you, who by fate or folly or ambition, have chosen to walk the twisting paths between these things.
Shadows Over London is a horror/mystery/adventure story intended as an homage to Victorian London’s rich Gothic tradition, with a dash of early Weird fiction thrown in for good measure.
Players will take on the roles of investigators, adventurers, monsters, or other oddities who have, one way or another, become aware of the city’s supernatural dark side.
I don’t wish to put out excessive plot detail here, because I would prefer to specifically tailor the plot to player backstories to give the greatest possible sense of relevance and engagement to the players, but suffice it to say that the story will begin with a disappearance, a baffling crime scene, and a nightmare that is too real to ignore.
Players ought to use the natures, strengths, weaknesses, and sub-plots provided as a guide toward making characters prone to becoming embroiled in this dark mystery, but please don’t feel bound to using only those cards. If you have a different idea on what to play that fits into the Gothic/Weird theme, I’d love to discuss it via PM.
You’ll surely notice the lower number of strength cards than weakness cards. This is because I strongly believe that each character should start with a strength that is based in their personality or mind, rather than overt powers or physical prowess (not that your characters can’t be incredible in these regards. Wild strengths and all that). Once again, if you have something to add, I’ll be glad to chat about it.
I intend on this being a very “yes, and” type of story, with players exerting lots of narrative control. I have some ideas, but I enjoy a good surprise as much as anyone :)
Ideally, I would like 3-5 players for the game, all of whom are willing to post in the neighborhood of every other day if not more frequently.
I value open communication above all else, by PM and in the comments section. Every issue, from character generation to posting to schedule issues, and anything else that may occur, can be handled far better if everybody’s on the same page.
Feel free to PM me with any questions. I look forward to discovering what dark intrigues lurk in the shadows with you all!
Hosted and narrated by:
Rob (FaustianBargain)
Started 07/17/15.
Scenes played: 7
License: Community License
