Welcome to "Superstition: A Call of Cthulhu Adventure."
"Superstition" is a 1920's Call of Cthulhu campaign set in the American southwest. Investigators will start in Arkham, working for the General Cable and Telegraph Company but move quickly to the Superstition Mountains, east of Phoenix.
The "Superstition" campaign is fairly long and may last for a year or more. Players should have regular access to the internet and the Call of Cthulhu rulebook (preferably Edition 5.5). Postings will be twice a week although over-achieving players may post more frequently.
Throughout this website I will use the words "him, he and his" when referring to Investigators. That doesn't mean that this is a male only game. Female players and investigators are encouraged to apply.
Occasionally the "Superstition" campaign will refer to actual historical events or people. This is intended to provide a pseudo-historical flavor to the game, not to defame these people and their accomplishments. "Superstition" is a game, not a history lesson.
A word to the uninitiated: Call of Cthulhu is a horror role-playing game based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. It contains scenes and concepts that may offend some readers. If you are offended by eldritch horror, mutilation, occultism or graphic violence please do not apply.
All of the material in this website is Copyright© 1999, By Scott Reeves.
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General Cable and Telegraph (GCT) was founded by Colonel Gregory Chapman shortly after the Great War. It has the reputation of a rough-and-ready, quick working construction company willing to take on difficult projects in dangerous locales. GCT contractors have worked on telegraph, telephone and power lines in postwar Europe, Africa and the Orient.
Although GCT flourished in the late 1910's, new technologies (electric telephone and radio) and Colonel Chapman's eccentricities have seriously weakened it's stability. The company sits on the edge of bankruptcy and the fragile truce between Colonel Chapman and GCT's other shareholders may soon come to an end.
Colonel Gregory Chapman is a decorated veteran of the Great War. His unit, part of the Army Corps of Engineers, saw little combat but President Woodrow Wilson himself declared their efforts "Vital to the War Effort."
As Colonel Chapman ages, what were once charming quirks have become serious handicaps to his business. He refuses to embrace, or even use, the telephone. Radios are banned from the GCT headquarters. Old friends, and their children, occupy key company positions, regardless of their competence or, in some cases, criminal tendencies.
In spite of these problems, Colonel Chapman remains optimistic. He runs his company with vigor and aplomb, regaling his employees with inspirational speeches, gifts and expensive company celebrations. He capitalizes on his status as a "War Hero" making frequent speeches and public appearances throughout Arkham.
All of the investigators should be either shareholders or employees of GCT. See the character creation section for possible occupations.
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Sorry, applications are now closed.
- Download the Byakhee Character Generator. Please submit all characters as attachments in Byakhee format.
Note: If you cannot run Byakhee on your computer, you can still apply. Write out a character sheet yourself and paste it into an e-mail message.
- Distribute 93 points between your investigator's characteristics.
- STR, CON, POW, DEX, APP: Minimum 3, Maximum 18
- SIZ, INT: Minimum 8, Maximum 18
- EDU: Minumum 6, Maximum 21
Note: age may raise attributes above or drop them below the stated limits. Please adjust attributes for age after you've assigned your 93 points.
- Read over the the list below before choosing an occupation. You may choose any occupation you wish but remember all of the characters should be employees or shareholders of the General Cable and Telegraph Company.
Probable occupations include:
- Engineers: Your character is probably a civil or electrical engineer. He may have a military, civilian and international background.
- Accountants and Lawyers: Every corporation has a few of these. Criminals may pose as accountants for purposes of embezzlement, blackmail and corporate espionage.
- Laborers, Foremen, Heavy Equipment Operators: General Cable is a construction company so manual labor is plentiful. Criminals (especially racketeers) may pose as laborers to start or solve labor problems.
- Spokesperson: Your character may be a representative of the shareholders or even leader of the project team. Retired (or defunct) Clergymen and Entertainers may hold similar positions.
Uncommon occupations:
- Soldier or Military Officer: Your character may know Colonel Chapman from The Great War; He's not above giving positions to old friends. Your character may or may not be qualified for his position.
- Dilettante : Possibly a shareholder or relative of a board member. Your character may have received a "courtesy position" in the company. He may or may not be qualified.
- Artists, Antiquarians, Musicians, Professors and other academics: May have "courtesy positions" in the company. Your character will need an excellent background explaining how he got his job and why he no longer works in his old profession.
- Reporter or Private Investigator: Your character may be posing as a laborer or accountant. A local newspaper or shareholder may have hired him to check on General Cable's shaky finances or business practices.
If you would like to play a character occupation that isn't listed here, use common sense. Of course, if I receive excellent characters that don't fit into these molds I will try to accommodate them. I may change some of your investigator's skills if I don't think they fit well with his role in the company.
- Provide a description and background for your investigator. Byakhee doesn't provide a space for character backgrounds so paste them into the main body of your character submission e-mail. Your investigator's background and description should include:
- What your character does at General Cable and Telegraph and how long he's been there.
- His feelings towards Colonel Chapman and General Telegraph.
Note: I would prefer characters with a personal stake in the company. They may love the Colonel dearly, have a large cash (or criminal) investment in the company, have no other job options, etc. It makes my job easier if the characters have a common bond that motivates them.
- A lively physical description and personality. Small phobias, hangups and habits can be very entertaining. I would also like your character to have a "cause" (something he cares deeply about: civil rights, a close relative, good whiskey) and a pet peeve (something that really makes him angry).
- Two friends, relatives or coworkers that may step in if your original investigator "meets with the unforeseen." You don't need to provide character sheets or detailed backgrounds for these characters but give me a glimpse of their personalities and relationships to your investigator.
- Interesting things. Maybe your character is a devoted opponent of the Volstead Act and runs a still in his basement. Maybe he served in the Great War and lost a limb or nearly died from exposure to mustard gas. Maybe he lived near Chinatown or Little Italy and ran errands for a mobster. Maybe his father worked on His Majesty's Railroads in Africa and he learned a second language and culture. Make your character interesting and give him strong ties to the world of the 1920's.
- Explanations of any unusual skills. If your manual laborer knows a bit about medicine or the law, tell me how.
- Provide an "in character" writing sample. I would like to hear your character's voice and see your writing style. You may create a fictional situation (make sure there's dialogue) or write some (or all) of your character's history and description in a first person monologue. Please label the writing sample and paste it below your character's history/description.
Note: The writing sample and character history are the most important parts of your character application. Please don't skimp.
- Tell me about yourself. I don't mean to be nosy but I'd like to know who you are. Please include:
- Your real name
- Your E-mail Address
- Your age
- The country where you live
- Your RPG experience
- Your PBeM experience
- Your Call of Cthulhu experience
- Why you want to play in this particular PBeM
- Finally, paste the last three steps into an e-mail message, attach your Byakhee-generated character sheet and send them to this e-mail address: Great_Scott@worldnet.att.net. Please put the following information in the subject line of your message:
[Superstition] (Your character's name): Character Submission
Take your time. Applications are open until Monday, June 21st. After the 21st I'll take one week to make "casting" decisions and send out a list of Investigators on Monday, June 28th. I will respond to all character submissions.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.
Good luck everyone!
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Hello!
My name is Scott Reeves. I'm a freelance illustrator* living near Phoenix, AZ. I'm also an avid role-player with about 10 years of experience.
"Superstition" is my second PBeM. The first, "The Kilowatt Kid", is going strong and moving into its third month. After looking, unsuccessfully, for a good live CoC game in Phoenix I decided to return to the internet.
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*If you'd like to see some of my work, you can visit my on-line portfolio. Some of the illustrations are a bit...er...elderly. Contractual obligations limit what I can "publish" via the internet. You can also see some of my newer work in Atlas Games' upcoming card game Corruption and Ars Magica: Ultima Thule, Steve Jackson's GURPS: Who's Who, GURPS: Warriors, and In Nomine: Corporeal Player's Guide.
I apologize for the shameless personal plug.