Some GUMSHOE scenarios give players the opportunity to pick up small temporary pools. In Trail, for example, reading the collected letters of a crazed physicist might give a 2-point temporary pool that can be spent on Occult, Physics or Astronomy. The players can use these points as they would regular points from their character sheets. […]
Category Archives: Gumshoe
GUMSHOE general category
In the latest episode of their cooperatively informative podcast, Ken and Robin talk tight-lipped informants, the 18th century antiquarian spy Philipp von Stosch, mid 90s SF cinema, and dancing plagues.
In the latest episode of their invitingly wealthy podcast, Ken and Robin talk investigation by monkeywrench, Karen Twelves, SF film on the 80s-90s cusp, and 10th century Viking raids.
In the latest episode of their mountainous, densely forested podcast, Ken and Robin talk leads, clues and details in GUMSHOE, Jennell Jacquays, the banner SF film year of 1986, and H. floresiensis survival.
We are very excited to announce that we have officially partnered with the community built INVESTIGATOR system on Foundry! Just like the 13th Age system, we will be working with the current developers to continue to improve the system over time. They’ve done incredible work, and we really appreciate the time and love that they’ve […]
GUMSHOE, as we always say, is the game system where you always find a clue. If you’ve got the right Investigative Ability, you get the information. When designing scenarios, however, it’s useful to divide those pieces of information into different categories. My usual mental breakdown (building on the Clue vs Lead division) Leads: A piece […]
It’s not that he doesn’t blink; it’s that when he does, a shudder runs through him, as if he sees something wonderful or terrible when he closes his eyes, even for an instant. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like he’s fractionally too fast. He looks over at the telephone, and then it rings. He […]
Several GUMSHOE games offer the players the power to retroactively add contacts and allies into the story. Night’s Black Agents has the Network ability, there’s Correspondents in Trail of Cthulhu, and the GM might offer a contact for an Investigative spend or push. Some tips on using such characters: Start with the scenario If you’re […]
In the latest episode of their 12-sided podcast, Ken and Robin talk randomness vs choice in RPG design, the Chicago Film Festival, Tristan Zimmerman’s Shanty Hunters, and saving Franz Ferdinand.
It’s been some time since the Poison Tree campaign was announced, even by the sometimes leisurely standards of Pelgrane. It’s currently on my desk undergoing development and additional writing. The core concept of the campaign is unchanged from those early articles – a series of connected adventures across the generations, from 1650 to the present […]