A column about roleplaying by Robin D. Laws Over the years I’ve occasionally been asked, most often by Simon, how GUMSHOE and player narrative control might work together. My answer has always been the same—uh, they kinda mostly don’t. GUMSHOE assumes that the solution to the mysteries the PCs investigate remains fixed once established in […]
by Jason Fryer “There are eight million stories in the naked city; this has been one of them…” ~ The Naked City (1948) Be it police procedural, horror, or spy thriller, characters are integral to the GUMSHOE campaign, influencing and expanding the narrative with their personal stories. However, although ever-present, one vital character remains oft-forgotten […]
Return to Screamhaunt Castle Screamhaunt Castle disappeared years ago. Tonight, it returned to its birthplace of Gravenstein. Now the adventurers must contend with ghosts, ghouls, and things that go bump in the night to investigate the cursed place. To add to their worries, Madame Vex the seer has given the adventurers a very disturbing card […]
“Some curiosity may be felt as to his history; I will trace it with the utmost truthfulness, according to his own words, adding any necessary explanations. He told me that he was eighty-eight years of age when he came here, and that he was the son of Prince Ragoczy of Transylvania by his first wife, […]
In the latest episode of their globe-trotting podcast, Ken and Robin talk TimeWatch settings, THE KRAKEN, and the Lovecraft film fest.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of GUMSHOE we invited fans and Pelgrane pros all over the world to play their favorite Pelgrane Press games today! Here’s a sampling of the day’s goings-on and shenanigans thus far. Games were streamed: Upcoming books were playtested: Designers shared their work: Monstrous Dramaturgy: Kostroma Adventures were had: Campaigns launched: Heroes made (and their […]
In the latest installment of their milkshake-drinking podcast, Ken and Robin talk boring choices, E. L. Doheny, Epidiah Ravachol, and Jakob Bohme.
I’ve been binge-watching last year’s seasons of “Arrow” and “The Flash.” One moment both shows frequently resort to, in keeping with their balance of superhero action and emotive interactions, is the inspirational exhortation. One character, the figure everyone else needs to save the day, succumbs to doubt. Another cast member then breaks the self-doubter from […]
GUMSHOE is a hybrid system. On the one side are the fundamentally GUMSHOE investigation abilities. These allow you to get information without a random test to see if you find the book in the library, or decode the encrypted document. They also allow special benefits, which can interact with the other side of GUMSHOE – […]
In the latest episode of their incisive and probing podcast, Ken and Robin talk reskinning history, mythos spam, Kremlinology, and Whitley Strieber.