Search Results for: how to play gumshoe

How to Play GUMSHOE: a handy cheat sheet for new players

by Kevin Kulp (From the introduction to TimeWatch, his investigative time-travel game)     General Abilities are how you get stuff done. Sneaking, fighting, running… all these are done with General Abilities. If you have a General Ability rating of 8 or higher, you’re incredibly talented at that activity (and may get access to cool bonus […]

See Page XX: GUMSHOE Example Of Play

This post originally appeared on DyingEarth.com between 2004 and 2007. A column on roleplaying by Robin D. Laws We join a session of The Esoterrorists already in progress. The characters are FBI agent Juan Marino (played by Rich), science writer Martina Kruta (played by Lynne), and shady club owner Oscar Yorba (played by Tim.) In […]

GUMSHOE One-2-One from a player’s perspective

By Jason Morgan In GUMSHOE One-2-One, the player is alone against the Elder Gods in Cthulhu Confidential or the Vampire Conspiracy in Night’s Black Agents: Solo Ops. Previously, we provided advice for how GMs can convert any scenario to the GUMSHOE One-2-One system. Here, long-time One-2-One player, Nick Keller, (a.k.a. Langston Montgomery Wright from a […]

Player-Facing Combat in GUMSHOE

by Simon Rogers In most cases, GUMSHOE puts the dice in the hands of the players. Instead of the GM making a Stealth test for a creature to sneak up on a character, players make a Sense Trouble test to avoid being surprised. When the roles are reversed, it’s the players who make a Stealth […]

See Page XX: Shy Players and GUMSHOE

A column about roleplaying by Robin D. Laws Having appeared on GM advice panels for lots of years, I’m always on the alert for changes in the types of questions audience members put forward. These can vary quite a bit depending on the convention. An expensive destination show like Gen Con, or one directed to […]

From the Bubbling Vat of Playtesting a New GUMSHOE Rule Arises

One of the great things about in-house playtesting is that an off-the-cuff improvisation can suddenly prove so apt that it goes immediately into the rules draft. Or rather, the players can suddenly all at once cry, “That’s so cool! You’ve got to make that a rule!” [Cue flashback music as image goes swirly] Why, I […]

GUMSHOE One-2-One, Playtest Feedback, and Acceptable Enjoyment Parameters

I’m currently incorporating playtest feedback from GUMSHOE One-2-One into the final manuscript. We’ve never had more respondents take part in a test for any GUMSHOE project, so having this much material to work with represents a huge luxury. The higher the number of reports, the easier it becomes to identify and address the most common […]

Bubblegumshoe playtesters wanted!

Bubblegumshoe, developed by Kenneth Hite, Emily Care Boss, and Lisa Steele is the Evil Hat’s first delve into the GUMSHOE system. The design doc has been drafted and now they’re looking for Alpha playtesters to give it a spin! Interested? Great! Here is what they’re looking for: – Familiarity with GUMSHOE (have run it, played […]

Play GUMSHOE remotely using Fantasy Grounds

Pelgrane Press Ltd, the roleplaying game publisher, and Smite Works, the virtual tabletop developer, announced today that the Trail of Cthulhu roleplaying game ruleset will be released for use the Fantasy Grounds virtual online gaming table. Said Doug Davison, president of SmiteWorks “We are very fortunate for the opportunity to work with Pelgrane Press.  It […]

GUMSHOE Whodunnits: Assess Honesty

Of all GUMSHOE abilities, perhaps the most confusing is Forensic Etymology. Wait, no, it’s Bullshit Detector. Or Assess Honesty in the more genteel environs of Trail, or Liar’s Tell in Swords. The tell-when-they’re-lying ability. The customary use of Bullshit Detector is to confirm when a witness is being truthful so the investigators don’t need to […]

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