Mysteries As

Dramatic
Situations!

An Alternative
To Clue-based
Scenario Design.

Jesse
Burneko
 Unchained Mysteries

From A Certain Point Of View 3

Deconstruction 7
Let Great Cthulhu Slumber 11
Abandon Tropes All Who Enter Here 15
Whose Job Is It Anyway? 19
Reconstruction 23
A Non-Structuralist Approach To Genre 27
Player Characters - More Than Just Investigators 29
Mystery Scenarios - A Dramatic Ecology 33
Execution 41
Beginnings… 45
…Middles… 49
…And Endings 53
Appendices 59
Making It Up As You Go Along 61
Inspiration 63

Writing & Layout: Jesse Burneko Editing: Marie Hemlock

Illustrations: Cotonbro Studio on Pexels with modifications by Jesse Burneko

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Unchained Mysteries © 2023 Jesse Burneko

2
 From A Certain Point Of
View
This text is unkind. It’s unkind to the majority The middle section rebuilds the mystery
of published role-playing scenarios. It’s unkind scenario from the ground up. It presents
to the hobby as a whole. It may even feel an alternative way to think about genre. It
unkind to you personally. So, I’m offering presents an approach to player characters
an apology in advance. What follows is a that expands them beyond archetypes that
lot of critique with a strong position. All I fulfill a functional role. It presents an organic
ask is that you read it in good faith and and dynamic model of scenario construction
hopefully take it as it is intended: A challenge. that prepares a situation to be played with
I’ll be honest. I think that the way the rather than run through.
majority of mystery role-playing scenarios Whilethissectiondoescontainsomeconcrete
have been presented and published is not lists and practical examples, it is not
very good. These scenarios basically turn intended to be used as a step-by-step set
the game master running the game into a of instructions. Instead, it is an underlying
conduit for prepackaged story content and philosophy to be considered and used with
relegate the players to being a toolbox that application and practice. Not every bit of
happens to speak in colorful voices. They it will apply to every mystery scenario you
are high on theirown supplyof clever“reveals” create. Not every bit of it can be applied
and lack any kind of actual emotional drama. in a fixed tool-like fashion with predictable
Mysteries deserve better. results. It is, again, a challenge to think about
The first section of this text is a critical and try something that is perhaps new to
deconstruction of the traditional clue-chain you.
model. I point out the problems it creates The final section talks about the skills
at the social level. In theory, we are playing necessaryto playthis kind of dramatic mystery,
a game together but the clue-chain model a scenario that does have objective truths
organizes things such that the dynamics to uncover but has no fixed path of
of the people playing have to be subordinated progression or climax. It discusses treating
and controlled in favor of a fixed experience. the player characters as whole people and
Again, I ask that you take this section as not just a team of colorfully depicted skill
it is intended: A challenge. You may see sets. It illustrates how to use information
things you really love about mystery as a method of deepening understanding
scenarios taken to task in this section. I’m and connection between the characters.
sorry, I hold no ill will toward you or what It focuses on playing the game using scenes
you enjoy. However, please think about that build on conflicts of interest between
the things I have to say and how they relate the characters and utilizing the uncertainty
to how you may be used to doing things. of revelations and outcomes to allow play
Rather than criticism, I hope you will find to arrive at an unknowable final resolution.
inspiration to try something different. Like the middle section, the third part
of this text is more philosophy than directly
3
4 From A Certain Point Of View

duplicable instruction. However, I do break everytime I play. In that regard, I am practicing

things down into some core skills to develop. along with you.
I do my best to draw attention to things to Wearerole-playerstogether.Wearepractitioners
consider in play and how to apply them. of a unique form of folk art. I truly believe
It is, once again, meant to provide a challenge that anything worth doing is worth learning
for you to try exercising some new or to do better. We can aspire to more personal
different creative muscles. and expressive methods of play. As
The majority of this text assumes a fairly opinionated as you may find this text, I hope
traditional role-playing social dynamic. It that it ultimately provides useful insight
assumes there is agame masterwho isworking into our experiences. I hope that it inspires
with a prepared scenario. That scenario us to break the chains of linear plots and
doesincludeobjectivetruthsaboutthemystery tropey bad guys. I hope that we can engage
and it has a discoverable solution. The players in play that is truly unique and expressive
are mainly responsible for playing their own of ourselves.
personal characters. It assumes uncertain
outcomes are resolved using whatever A Note On The Text
procedural method the agreed upon game
system provides. Throughout this text “player character”
However, a lot of the ideas in this text is used to refer to characters that are
apply equally to games that don’t follow controlled by individual people playing the
this traditional setup. They can apply to game. Many games refer to these characters
games with a game master but no objective as PCs. The term “supporting character”
solution. They can apply to games without refers to a character controlled by the game
a game master where everything is made master who prepares and runs the scenario.
up entirely through the course of play. To Many games refer to these characters as
that end, I have written a short appendix NPCs.
discussing these kinds of games. Additionally, there is an inline mediography
Finally, this text is written informally, as where I list books, films and television shows
if “I” am speaking directly to “you.” More that I think exemplify the topic I am
importantly, I often speak of “we” because discussing. These examples are sparse and
it is not my intention to write as if I were are intended to spark inspiration and curiosity
delivering wisdom from on high. As much for further exploration. They are not as
as this text iswritten as a critique and challenge diverse as I would have preferred but alas,
for you, it is also one for me as well. I do I am a slow reader with limited time.
not execute everything in this text perfectly
5
 Let Great
Cthulhu
Slumber
Abandon
Tropes All
Who Enter
Here

Whose Job Is
It Anyway?
 Deconstruction

This first section critically examines some of the problems that arise
from the use of the popular clue-chain structure. Everything that
follows in subsequent sections is a proposed solution to these problems.
This section is likely to be a bit controversial. I don’t need you to
agree with me. I only need you to understand my perspective and
to perhaps reflect on how any of this does or does not apply to your
play experiences.
10
 Let Great Cthulhu Slumber

In 1981 Chaosium published The Call of specific climax, usually a battle. Even games
Cthulhu role-playing game based on the that aren’t specifically mystery focused often
works of H.P. Lovecraft. That same product assume some variation on this structure
line would swiftly set the gold-standard for either in their published scenarios or game
investigative scenarios through titles such master instructions.
as The Shadows of Yog-Sothoth and Masks So, let’s go back and take a closer look
of Nyarlathotep. This formula would be at the very root of this format, the very story
further refined in later titles like Horror that Chaosium’s role-playing game took
on the Orient Express and Beyond the its name from, Lovecraft’s The Call of
Mountains of Madness. Cthulhu. Before diving in, I want to note
The structural format of these scenarios, that the racism underlying Lovecraft’s work
in turn, inspired new games designed has been thoroughly discussed by people
specifically to streamline the process of more qualified than I am. For purposes of
experiencing these kinds of adventures. this discussion, I am not looking at the
These include games like Trail of Cthulhu thematic content of Lovecraft’s work but
and Cthulhu Dark. Indeed, nearly every rather its structure which is fairly consistent
investigative game from the more Hammer across his more famous works. I also believe
horror inspired Chill (1984) to the Nordic that it is precisely the attempt to capture
folk horror of Vaesen (2020) assumes the this structural style that has led directly to
scenario structure involves a team of the modern format for mystery scenarios.
investigators following a set of clues through Consider the following diagram. If you’ve
a series of escalating encounters until they never read the story, or haven’t done so
reach a final revelation accompanied by a recently, it may be helpful to do so.

11
12
 Let Great Cthulhu Slumber 13

Thecirclesrepresentcharactersthatexemplify bit of world traveling, the “I” character does

investigators. They are potential player not actually drive the principle action of
characters. Hexagons are supporting the story. In many ways he experiences the
characters who exist primarily to provide story in nearly identical fashion to that of
information. Trapezoids are groups of the reader. Just because the character has
nameless peoplewithvarious agendas. Squares to put in a bit of effort to fetch all the pieces
and rectangles are physical items such as does not make him a protagonist worthy
statues and documents. And finally, the of our attention.
octagon is the big bad evil guy of the scenario, If we discard the “I” character as simply
Cthulhu himself. a framing device used to convey a story
More interesting are the lines. Solid lines that is fundamentally about other characters,
represent direct action. Someone or a group things become a bit more complex. Viewed
of someones takes motivated action toward from this perspective, Professor Angell,
someone else. The dotted lines represent Inspector Legrasse, and Gustaf Johansen
information received through observation, jump out as the principal investigative
research or interrogation. I’ll come back characters. Even from this angle we see
to these lines in a bit but, for now, take that early in the story there are more dotted
note how many more dotted lines there lines than solid lines, and even as the
are than solid lines. number of solid lines increases there are
Lovecraft frequently employed a device more lines that point toward characters
that muddies the waters a bit. It is the use than away from them. The characters are
of a nameless “I” character as a narrator. either receiving information or reacting to
It confuses the issue of who are the actual things happening to them.
principal characters. Is it the “I” character Professor Angel mostly spends his time
or is the “I” character simply a framing interviewing Henry Wilcox. Inspector
mechanism to tell a story about other people? Legrasse is the first character of action and
Fortunately, the point I want to make about leads a raid on some cultists in a swamp
the structure of The Call of Cthulhu remains but the only outcome of that is more
the same whichever way you slice it. information from Castro. Gustaf Johansen
Let’s assume that the “I” character is the doesn’tdomuchinvestigatingatallbutmanages
principal investigator figure. All of the arrows to fend off pirates, solve a puzzle on R'lyeh
pointing at this character are dotted arrows. and then fights and defeats the unleashed
Hespendstheentirestoryreceivinginformation monster. Does this structurallysound familiar?
from various sources, primarily the four It is not particularly difficult to imagine
principle documents in the large rectangles. a role-playing game scenario version of this
He does follow up on this information by storywhere the timeline of events is flattened.
re-interviewing witnesses to verify the Instead of being spread out across time and
information. At one point he even travels space Professor Angell, Inspector Legrasse,
to Oslo to find Johansen’s wife which is and Gustaf Johansen are known associates
how he receives the final manuscript. The of one another. Each, of course, has a vested
story ends with this character in fear for interest in dealing with the occult.
his life, assuming that the Cthulhu cult will HenryWilcoxbecomes the hooksupporting
soon track him down and kill him because character introduced by the game master.
he knows too much. Investigation into his dreams and the bas-
This is the simplest case. It is very clear relief leads to the discovery of the cultists
that despite crawling through information, in the swamp. The defeat and capture of
following up on leads, and even doing a the cultists leads to knowledge of a
14 Let Great Cthulhu Slumber

mysterious island via the supporting character artifacts, or approach it from an in-world
Castro. The journey to the island leads to point ofview, the fundamental activityremains
the final set of dangerous and climactic the same. We are experiencing a storywhose
encounters. significant content is fixed, wholly authored
Now imagine what this activity looks like bysomeoneelse,andisdeliveredtouswhether
in the real world regarding the actual by author, box designer or game master.
participants. The dotted lines are information H. P. Lovecraft begins The Call of Cthulhu
the players receive and the solid arrows with this famous sentence, “The most merciful
pointing at the characters are events that thing in the world, I think, is the inability
demand an immediate response. However, of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
the decision space around those arrows is I ask, is “correlating contents”what a mystery
very small because the information only scenario is really about? Indeed, many
ever results in passive understanding or directs popularpublished scenarios (and game master
the players to where there is more instructions) are just that, a game of
information. The events are so “correlating contents.” The players
overwhelmingly threatening that there is experience a story through carefully doled
little to do but defeat them. All the players out information and events. I think mystery
are reallyproviding are colorful details because scenarios can and deserve to be much more
all the significant outcomes and transitions than that.
are fixed.
When centering the “I” character as the A much stronger Lovecraft story is The
player we can imagine a box full of weird Colour Out of Space. To interpret it in terms
documents and artifacts that the player can of a role-playing game, imagine that the
explore at their leisure. When centering player characters are the Gardner family.
Angell, Legrasse and Johansen as player The central mystery is not “What happened
characters, we see the game master doling here?” but “What is happening to us?”
outhandouts,affectingvoicesforthesupporting
characters, and springing set piece dangers
upon the players.
The point is that whether we simply read
the story, playwith a collection of non-linear

14
 Abandon Tropes All Who
Enter Here
As role-players, we have a habit of wanting • The player is fed the informationwhether
to capture our favorite experiences from through a successful die roll, resource
other media at the table, whether that’s expenditure or some other game
the snappy beats of a good heist or the manipulation. The player then simply
inevitable tragedy of an apocalyptic disaster. performs being brilliant as if they were
However, as the previous section illustrated, an actor responding to a cue.
wecanunintentionallyunderminerole-playing
games as their own unique medium in the Both of these areverysociallyand creatively
pursuit of structure-based experiences. Just taxing. In the first case, someone must be
because the flow of the events in play a reasonably good puzzle designer and the
successfully replicates what we enjoy in players must be reasonably good puzzle
other media does not mean the actual activity solvers. In the other case, the game basically
of playis taking full advantage of this medium's stops as a player is singled out with a mandate
unique features and properties. In this section, to perform for everyone else’s
I want to highlight some favorite tropes of entertainment. The net result is that someone
mysteries that can be quite tempting to try (even momentarily) is producing content,
to capture and then discuss why role-playing puzzle or performance, for others’
games are not truly well-suited to do that. consumption.

The Brilliant Detective The Mastermind

There are few things more satisfying than This trope is the other side of the brilliant
watching the brilliant detective at work, detective coin. The mastermind is a villain
whetherthatinvolvesdrawingroomsummations, who often has some elaborate plan or is
startling conclusions from keen observations, simply so organized they are always one
or deep psychological insights into awounded step ahead of the people after them. As an
psyche. However, the problem with trying audience, the thrill is in wondering at their
to capture this trope at the table becomes strange complexity and the slow unrolling
apparent when we look at what must happen of an ingenious, if improbable, set of events.
among the real people interacting with each Considering, again, the real people playing
other. There are two primaryways this could a game, there are two primary methods
come into play. for trying to capture this effect.
• The player has to actually be able to
draw all the conclusions themselves. • The mastermind character is kept at
The game is functionally a puzzle and a distance and the clue chain trail of
if the player wants to play the brilliant the scenario always has the players
detective they must solve it for real. arriving at each event afterthe mastermind
hasalreadyachievedtheircurrentobjective.
15
16 Abandon Tropes All Who Enter Here

The players simply follow the wake of suddenly at the start of the next chapter
the mastermind’s actions until they are or after the commercial break someone
allowed to catch up at a particularly walks in the shop door and the killer is scared
climactic moment. off. Of course, once in a blue moon an author
• The scenario does feature actual will follow through with the threat, but that
confrontations with the mastermind only happens at major turning points in a
and their goals, but the outcomes are series (or because of some shake up behind
rigged in some way. Basically, someone the scenes as is likely to happen in television).
has to cheat or ignore standard game Similar to the mastermind trope, false
procedures for dramatic effect and is peril can only happen reliably if someone
expected to cover for it using social is manipulating things. This manipulation
sleight-of-hand. (Some games are more might be in the background, such as not
honest about this by having some kind following through on the threat, or artificially
of tracking tool and the players know stretching out the timeline or demands
they can’t defeat the villain until it fills behind the threat beyond credibility. Or
up. But this just means the players know it can manifest again as over-ridden
they’re doing performative busy work). outcomes of the game's procedure under
the guise of preserving tone.
Either method requires putting someone In either case, once again the
in control of the events of the game. In the consequences of the players’ actions and
first example, they’re acting as an author outcomes of the game are diminished or
leading the players through a scripted sidelined in favor of presumably preferable
narrative. In the second, they’re expected events. If nothingyou do matters (orselectively
to be master entertainers keeping a firm matters at someone else’s whim), why play?
hand on outcomes to produce a desired
effect. Both cases, again, position players The Weirdness is the Point
as primarily consumers (or performers) of
someone else’s creative choices. The Call of Cthulhu is an example of this
very trope. At the end of the day there is
False Peril a monster lying in wait on a secret island
and the revelation of its existence is the
False peril happens when something the whole point of the story. The discovery of
audience cares about comes under threat, the shocking, clever, or just plain strange
but we also know the threat can not be thing is the focus of the experience. This
fulfilled due to other properties and is a fine thing in consumable media because
constraints of the medium. The fiction we the audience can thrill at the revelation
refer to as comfort media often contains and may even leave with more questions
instances of false peril and is exactly why than answers.
we call it comfortable. The threats are thrilling As I demonstrated in the previous section,
while part of our mind also knows that things if all that exists is a relatively static thing
can only turn out so bad. to be discovered (and perhaps thwarted)
In mysteries, false peril is most common then it doesn’t matter if the path is somewhat
in cozy or quaint style stories, especially interactive. It is fundamentally equivalent
highlyserial oneswith a core cast of characters to just reading a story. The scenario lacks
and several recurring ones. It seems like dynamicism to begin with and therefore
the kindly old antiques dealer we’ve come there is nothing for the players to
to love is about to be murdered, when
 Abandon Tropes All Who Enter Here 17

meaningfully contribute to the already inert Interrogate Your Tropes

premise.
I’ve included here a handful of tropes
The Timed Reveal that are common in a wide variety of mystery
media. However, mysteries are often deeply
It is an amazing dramatic feat when a embedded within other sub-genres that
skilled author can reveal a single linchpin also come with a whole host of their own
piece of information and suddenly a bunch tropes. We frequently reach for tropes in
of diverse events cohere into a new whole. play either because they are familiar and
In some ways this is like the brilliant detective comfortable or as an act of celebration.
trope, only it happens in our own minds. However, Iwant to encourageyou to always
For a brief moment, we are the brilliant look up from the developing fiction at the
detective who suddenly sees how it all fits real people at the table and pay attention
together. to how it impacts the dynamics of play. In
Unfortunately, trying to enact this trope particular, be wary of ways in which a trope
in play is like combining all the problems requires someone to assume control, override
of the previous tropes. Not only must the the procedures of play, take on a
key piece of information be held at bay performative role, or otherwise reduce others
until the appropriate moment, but all other to the position of spectator.
events must be orchestrated such that they Tropes can be a useful shortcut to building
build logically to the core reveal. Even if common creative ground with the group.
all of that is somehow managed, then either Butwhen tropes slip from baseline inspiration
the architect of this reveal must be such a to constraints on what is allowed to happen,
skilled presenter that the reveal lands as they prevent play from fully taking on a
expected, or the players must be savvy puzzle life of its own. We are not beholden to
solvers who can deftly put all the pieces marketing executives who want to be able
together. In the end, the players are to package our creativity in a comfortable
functionally participating in an elaborate box to be sold to others on the promise of
magic trick filled with false choices, sleight its familiarity.
of hand, and forced outcomes all in service
to a prestige moment of revelation.
18
 Whose Job Is It Anyway?

Let’s move away from inspirational media moving along to the expected conclusion.
entirely and take a close look at the activity The game master is a showman responsible
of role-playing operating under the structure for entertaining the players with the provided
of the classic clue-chain mystery scenario. material.
Remember, the general structure of such Alternatively, a game master may author
a scenario is a series of scenes linked by a scenario themselves. The shadow of the
core clues which ultimatelylead to a climactic published scenario is a bit insidious here
confrontation.Theycan be linearorbranching. because they can give the false impression
The details of any given scene as it is played that all that research and detailing is
can be quite fluid and dynamic but the ultimate necessary. This may lead a game master
purpose of the scene is typicallyfixed–usually to feel their own creations are lacking. Even
the discovery of a piece of information that putting the specter of commercial products
leads into the next scene. When deviations aside, the clue-chain model puts the burden
in the superstructure occur, there are often of full authorship on the game master. Many
fail-safes to lead the players back into the details and contingencies must be thought
main flow of the scenario. through in advance and the scenario’s pacing
and development towards the climax fall
The Game Master As squarely on the game master’s shoulders.

Showman or Author The Players As Thespians

One possibility is for the game master What then are the players really doing
to use a commercially available scenario. under this model of play? Given that the
The clue-chain structure has become the goal or motivation of every scene is either
gold standard for publication. These products explicitlyorimplicitlydictated bythe scenario,
are often well-researched, well-written, and then the player's primary job is to act it
come with all kinds of detailed maps and out. Even if there’s lots of die rolling and
handouts. At the higher end of production variation in approach to the problem it’s
values, there might even be physical props pretty much the bruiser character’s job to
to place on the table. do bruiser stuff, the silver tongued character’s
In practice, the game master becomes job to do talk-y stuff, the sneaky character’s
the channel bywhich the players experience job to do slick stuff. Success and failure
the scenario. It flows from text to game primarily provides momentary set-backs
master to player. The game master performs and slightly shuffles the spotlight around.
the supporting characters according to spec, The players are there to “role-play” in
gives out information, handouts, maps and the most shallow sense of the word, speaking
props when prompted, and uses whatever in colorful voices and performing to the
additional finesse is needed to keep things specs on their characters’ sheets. It’s no
19
20 Whose
WhoseJob
JobIs
IsIt
ItAnyway?
Anyway?

wonder that characters often fall back into a character even mean? What happens if
archetypes (at best) and stereotypes (at worst). the players can’t solve the puzzle? The game
The players only have the ability to provide devolves into frustration, resentment and
characterization, not actually play fully disappointment. This is very unstable social
developed characters. territory.

The Game Master As Here Endeth The Lesson

Puzzle Designer We can see why so frequently in the hobby
we view the role of the game master as a
There is an additional layer that is not magician responsible for our delight and
necessarilymutuallyexclusive with the above. wondermentoftengrantedspecialpermissions,
The scenario, in part or in whole, mayactually especially over game procedures. While
strive to function as a puzzle in its own in turn we see why the thespian elements
right. This may include riddles or codes. of role-playing have been amplified. Talking
The clues may not be so straightforward, dramatically in character is the primary
or may not always point in their intended contribution players are permitted to supply.
direction directly, and may require some We have turned a game into a performance.
logic or reasoning to piece together. There Fortunately, there are othermethods.There
may be physical objects to manipulate such are ways to prepare a scenario that does
as drawing lines on a map and discovering not intrude authorship into the expected
where they intersect. flow of play. There are ways to distribute
So, if we’re seeking this kind of experience, the expectations and responsibilities of the
in addition to the roles of author and players that neither elevates the game master
showman, we pile the role of puzzle designer to the role of entertainer nor limits the
onto the back of the game master. This is players to amusingly voiced toolboxes of
something people get paid to do for video skills. These methods are no less creative
games, mail-order boxes and other high in their application, nor less dramatic in
production interactive spectacles. This is their outcome.
not a reasonable expectation for someone Bestofall,thesemethodsallowtheprocedures
to do as part of any kind of regular leisure of the game to be applied without the need
time activity. for mitigation, adjustment or social sleight-
of-hand to keep things on track. The method
The Players As of resolution the game provides is allowed
to freely spin the events of play into an
Cryptanalysts unpredictable and unexpected climax.

If the scenario features real puzzles the

players are expected to solve using their
own real world skill, then what does playing
21
 A Non-Structuralist
Approach To Genre
Player Characters - More
Than Just Investigators
Mystery Scenarios -
A Dramatic Ecology
 Reconstruction

In this section I examine the things we do before play. This includes

prep work that happens away from the gaming table but also shades
into what some people call session zero or simply dedicated character
creation. I’m primarily going to demonstrate how to construct a
scenario that is a dynamic ecosystem of dramatic agents rather than
a static network of information and events.
26
 A Non-Structuralist
Approach To Genre
A game usually starts with some kind of at a single image and say, “Yes, I want to
basic premise that has captured everyone’s play that.” Think of any genre you love and
imaginative commitment. Sometimes the then consider all the aesthetic things you
premise is provided by the actual game being associate with it. This can include the types
played. Sometimes it's an idea pitched by of locations, the kinds of clothing people
someone in the group. Frequently, it’s a wear, common gear, and atmospheric details.
combination of both. The premise is often It can be anything that makes up the look
rooted in some combination of inspirational and feel of the genre. These are its trappings.
source material. Trappings can be thought of as the color
Genre is a convenient short-hand forgetting palette or toy box which functions as the
everyone on the same page very quickly. basic foundation holding play together.
However, like the tropes presented in the Trappings are incredibly fun and inspiring!
prior section, there is the pitfall of assuming However, when play leans too heavily on
that genre carries with it certain expectations trappings it is in danger of becoming a
about what will happen and how it will turn tautological pastiche. We were excited to
out. This is because genre is the historical do the thing. We made the thing happen.
by-product of trends within similar media. Then we celebrate having done the thing.
Additionally, genre has increasingly been Play exists purely in self-referential terms.
used as a marketing device to set consumer To escape referent driven play we have to
expectations. However, the further back look beneath a genre’s trappings at its topics.
you go in a genre’s history the less media
conforms to the popular assumptions and Topics
repeated tropes of that genre.
Because a role-playing game is a dynamic Topics are the substantive real-world issues
set of events filled with uncertainty, we have
at stake in agivenworkof media.Theoretically,
to get away from a structuralist point of
any genre can be used to address any topic
view of genre. Instead of thinking of genre
but in the same way certain trappings tend
as a collection of things we play toward,
to cluster around a genre, certain topics
we need to conceptualize it as a collection
also tend to cluster. In fact, when we are
of things we can play with. So, I’m going
drawn to certain trappings it is because we
to talk about genre in terms of two are also drawn to the implicit topics they
components: Trappings and Topics. suggest to us. Play can feel hollow when
it is rich in trappings but never gets around
Trappings to addressing any substantive topics. Play
can also feel hostile if either the game’s
Imagery matters. Trappings are the design, or the manipulative techniques of
imaginary sensory details of media that one or more players is forcing a topic to
inspire us. Sometimes we can even look be addressed in a specific way.
27
28 A Non-Structuralist Approach To Genre

Topics exist to be actively addressed by the politics and public perception

play itself. No one person gets total say over of crime
how a topic enters play or how it plays out. • Gumshoe
In fact, if the characters and scenarios are • Trappings:Lonerdetectives,corrupt
primed with the potential energy of engaging characters, historical locales, faction
issues, then the topics never even need to violence, blackmail and kidnappings,
be explicitly stated. An awareness of them coveted items
simply pushes play past the point of • Topics: Trust and empathy,
replicating tropes (or clever combinations vigilantism, invasion of privacy, failure
of them) and into dynamic drama with real of societal systems
stakes and uncertain tension. • Occult
• Trappings: Scholarly or fringe
Common Trappings & interest characters, cosmic and
supernatural horrors, disturbing
Topics Of Mystery Genres imagery, religious iconography,
unusual locales
Here’s a few common mystery genres along • Topics: Challenging social norms,
with their trappings and topics. This list is corrupt religion, faith, outsiders vs.
not meant to be exhaustive. It is merely a insiders, mental health
small sample to illustrate the idea.
Of course, any of these can be combined,
• Cozy or spun, or subverted. These are descriptive
• Trappings: Idyllic locales, charming lists based entirely on historical precedent
characters, quirky detectives, clean and pop culture conventions. The point is
violence, clever methods, simple that when we pitch our next game, let's
motives think beyond just the look and feel, and
• Topics: Family conflicts, community into the stakes and issues that will exist in
issues, generational corruption, a state of untenable tension that can only
class warfare be resolved in play.
• Police Procedurals
• Trappings: Urban locales, cops, The f ilm Knives Out has all the trappings
lawyers, politicians, organized of a cozy murder mystery. However, every
criminals, media figures, shocking moment of it is a biting critique of class
violence, catalogs of evidence politics.
• Topics: The law vs. real justice,
organizationalandsocietalhierarchies,

28
 Player Characters - More Than Just Investigators 29

Player Characters - More

Than Just Investigators
Characters are more than just a profession primed for dramatic interactions. These
and a colorful personality. A character’s relationships don’t necessarily need to be
mannerismsareanalogoustoagenre’strappings. in tension or conflict out of the gate. In
They are the surface expression of a persona. fact, it’s possible to overdo it. If the character
I refer to this as characterization. To reach is wound too tightly in their own affairs
beyond characterization we must dig deeper there’s no room to flow into and out of the
into the characters and create the elements drama from other sources.
that make them primed to address topics.
Internally, characters are made up of values Dennis Lehane’s Patrick Kenzie andAngela
and ideologies. They believe things about Gennaro have anintense personalrelationship
themselves and the world around them. outside their professional one which is
Those beliefs motivate their action as they developed across six novels.
pursue their agendas according to their moral
and ethical compasses.Without these internal When considering the deeper aspects
drives characters quickly fall into purely of a character there are a few properties
reactive and functional modes of play. worth a bit of additional thought when it
When building their characters, the players comestomysteriesspecifically.Onedimension
can already be orienting their characters is the character’s private life outside their
towards the stakes and issues implied by role as an investigator. Additionally, insider
the game’s premise. Even the most basic and outsider status is the character’s social
elements of a game’s premise convey a sense positioning relative to the mystery itself.
of time and place. What does the character Finally,organizedorfree-agentstatusconsiders
stand for among the social status quo of the character’s positioning relative to other
their daily lives? Just one deeply held value investigators.
targeting one of the underlying topics of
play goes a long way. Private Lives
Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot has a Real human beings have relationships
particular disdain for the arrogance of outsidetheirpersonalandprofessionalpursuits.
murderers. Contrast with Jessica Fletcher The first step to fleshing out a character
from the television show Murder She Wrote beyond their archetype is identifying other
who feels more sorrow and disappointment people of emotional significance to them.
for the moral failings of the guilty. Family members and lovers are stronger
relationships than friends and business
Externally, characters have relationships associates, but any connections that are
and obligations, both personal and deeper than simple acquaintances go a long
professional. By giving some thought to the way toward fleshing out a character. It can
people close to the character they are already also be helpful to note any particular
29
30 Player Characters - More Than Just Investigators

obligations or strong descriptive qualities This is where having a strong ideological

that define the relationship. view of the character becomes critical. An
outsider character may initially be brought
Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander has in for purely professional reasons but they
complex relationships with his father, his swiftly switch to being driven by something
daughter, and a long distance romance, deeper.What starts as an obligation orcuriosity
as well as unique personal dynamics with soon becomes a moral imperative. When
each of his co-workers. outsider characters are involved it's more
important than ever for the situation to have
Insiders & Outsiders lines of tension running through important
issues.
Insider characters are immediately
impacted by the inciting events of the Nearly all police procedurals are strong
mystery. It could be that a loved one has examples of outsider characters. Pick any
come to harm or that a situation they have episode of the vast Law & Order television
a vested stake in has become destabilized. franchise and you’ll see the hostility of even
Insider characters often aren’t investigating law-abiding characters towards cops
the mystery directly, so much as trying to crawling all over their personal lives. But
deal with the immediate fallout of it. you’ll also see how frequently the cases take
This is where having all those rich personal on a personal nature for one or more of the
and professional relationships come strongly regular cast members on purely ideological
into play. Those secondary characters are grounds.
going to get woven directly into the scenario
at hand. What was potentially a very stable Organizations
social life is about to destabilize quickly.
Addressing the mystery is the only way to Another dimension to consider is whether
get the insider character’s life back under the characters are members of a formal
control. investigative organization. Organizations
have mission statements but individualswithin
In Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican an organization often disagree on how to
Gothic, Noemi Taboada becomes involved best enact that agenda. Some people are
with the mysterious events of the novel both even willing to jeopardize the organization’s
to stay in the good graces of her father and purposeifitmeanspreservingitasaninstitution
out of concern for a favored cousin. She is and vice versa. When any of the player
initially welcomed by most of the supporting characters are a member of an organization
characters as an extended family member. it is important to consider their ideological
relationship with that organization.
Outsider characters are drawn into the Organizations also have an internal hierarchy
mysterythrough some professional orpersonal withintheirstructure.Whilehierarchyostensibly
obligation but have no immediate stake in exists to create clear delineations of
the situation. They are more likely to be responsibility and keep operations flowing
aimed directly at the mystery and working smoothly, it inevitably introduces the politics
to get to the bottom of it. They are an of social status.Again, some people are willing
intrusive force and are likely to be met with to jeopardize the organization’s purpose
suspicion and resentment by the other or sacrifice relationships with people within
characters who are more directly impacted an organization in orderto preserve oradvance
by the inciting events of the situation. their position in the hierarchy. Indeed, they
 Player Characters - More Than Just Investigators 31

could even sabotage the investigation for privileges but does not carry the full authority
their own institutional goals. Consider the of the local police.
player character’s relationships with people
above them, below them and adjacent to Loners: Tough & Cool
them in the organization’s hierarchy. Also
think about their own level of ambition Whataboutthestereotypicalloneinvestigator
within it. divested of personal obligations, who goes
their own way? Believe it or not, true lone
In the television show The X-Files, Mulder wolf characters are rarer in mystery fiction
and Scully can wield their full authority than we think. However, if you insist on
as FBI agents among civilians but are playing one, then the place to focus is that
marginalized and often opposed within the strong ideology and moral compass. Again,
organization itself. as true outsiders these characters always
take up deeply personal causes whether
Finally, organizations can themselves hold that is to speak for the dead, right an injustice,
insider and outsider status. Organizations protect an innocent or strike at some other
that are known to a community carryvarying offense that has run afoul of their sense of
degrees of authoritywithin it. People outside right and wrong.
the organization will have strong opinions
about it and its role in their society. That Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archeris the picture
is a very different position from a secret perfect lonewolf privateinvestigator. However,
organization whom no one but its members in every novel Archer quickly takes a
know about. personal interest far beyond the bounds of
any professional obligation.
Dashiell Hammett’s nameless detective
The ContinentalOpworks forThe Continental
Detective Agency which has certain licensed
32
 Mystery Scenarios - A
Dramatic Ecology
Acommon metaphor for mysteryscenarios the scenario around the topics implied by
is an onion. The players peel away layers their ideologies and wire their personal
until discovering and confronting a final connections directly into the ecology. If
truth at the core. But as I pointed out in you construct the scenario first, you can
the first section, this is a very static view either revise it just before play once you
of mysteries. Everything is lying in wait, know who the player characters are, or you
in a neat organized fashion, simply biding can simplyput the characters’lives in dramatic
its time until it is discovered according to conflict with elements of the scenario directly
schedule. An alternative analogy is soup. in play.
Soup is a messy stew of various ingredients
brimming with energy. As the soup gets The Spark - Legal Crimes,
stirred by the players’ involvement it swirls
around in an unpredictable manner as various Illegal Justice
bits collide and interact. As the soup is
consumed (i.e. elements of the situation When constructing a scenario, where to
begin to resolve) whatever remains becomes start can be the most daunting question.
denser and more intense. We don’t know At the heart of anymysterylies a transgression.
what's truly going to be left at the bottom Someone does something to bring great
until the last bite. harm to someone else, whether physically,
This doesn’t mean there aren’t objective socially or financially. This event does not
answers. We aren’t making things up as we necessarily have to be the main mystery.
go along. It simply means we don’t know It could be something that happened in
how and when truths will be revealed. And the past that set things in motion. It could
wedon’tknowwhotheclimacticconfrontations be the culmination of a series of things that
will be with orwhat theywill be about. Those have been building pressure. Or it could
are functions of play, not planning. The be anywhere in the middle of things.
key is to move away from static layers of Keep in mind that harm and illegal are
information to be dug through and toward two separate things. It is possible for people
an ecology of characters to be confronted. to harm each other through entirely legal
The core difference is that characters can means. It is entirely possible for people to
carry out actions of their own in response rectify suffering through illegal actions.
to player action, while information cannot. Crimes can violate no laws, and justice can
be a felony.
A Chicken & Egg Problem I suggest putting legal issues out of your
mind and instead focus on what makes you
Whatshouldcomefirst,theplayercharacters angry. In fact, if you have the player characters
or the scenario? Frankly, either works. If in advance, look across the implications
you have the player characters you can build of their ideologies and relationships. If the
33
34 Mystery Scenarios - A Dramatic Ecology

characters were created with any kind of worse,directlyorindirectlybythetransgression.

sincerity, chances are you can see shades How do they experience this impact and
of things that would likely make the players what do they intend to do about it?
angry. Think of something that would make If you have the player characters’
all of you angry. information, you can weave their
To be clear, I’m not talking about something relationships in at this time. I don’t
that would merely be shockingly offensive. recommend that you make these characters
That’s cheap and juvenile. I’m talking about directly involved in the transgressive act,
something topical that you, personally, find but they make great targets of second-hand
upsetting. Mystery stories are about digging impact. Don’t be afraid to expand the private
up and dragging into the light what others and professional lives of these characters
wish to keep buried. There are things about beyond what the player initially wrote about
the world, great and small, that we wish them. People don’t know everything about
people would give greater attention. Find the other people in their lives no matter
a topic like that, no matter how small, within how close they are.
yourself. You can repeat this process as often as
Now, imagine a situation where someone you like for each new character you add
who has been perpetuating this injustice, into the ecology. The further out you get
has caused great harm to someone specifically from the transgression, the more you can
(perhaps to cover up more indirect or subtle shift your focus to how these new characters
harm), or imagine someone who has been are impacted by the change in situation or
suffering at the hands of this injustice has behavior of their relationships. Characters
lashed out at someone (deserving or far enough out may not even know that
undeserving). This event is the spark. This anything bad has happened, and only be
is the transgression that lies at the heart experiencing its repercussions indirectly
of your mystery from which everything else through a noticeable shift in their friend
will grow. or colleague.

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were The film Gosford Park features a large
Nonenotonlyaccusesitstenprincipalcharacters and complex cast woven together through
of murder, it orders them in degrees of links of family, business or servitude. Some
heinousness. It is rathervicious inits judgment areimpactedmore orless by degree of closeness
about who deserves to suffer regardless of to the transgression underlying the film’s
whether what they did was illegal. murder mystery.

Grow The Character Roll The Timeline

Ecology Backward & Forward
Once you have a core transgression, you Mysteries don’t have to be particularly
have at least two characters, maybe a couple complicated. Just doing the above two steps
more. Like player characters, these characters mayyieldanicelittlesituationthatissufficiently
have personal and professional relationships interesting for a few sessions of play.
and they may or may not be part of However,ifyouwanttoadddepthorcomplexity
organizations and institutions. Make a list you can do so byrolling the timeline backward
of these characters focusing on the ones or forward from the transgressive event.
who would be impacted for better or for This process will generate more events of
 Mystery Scenarios - A Dramatic Ecology 35

significance and possibly introduce new your initial event, you are deciding that the
characters as well. player characters will be introduced to the
situation at a point further down the line.
Backward… It is therefore critical that you don’t roll
the timeline so far forward that all the tension
When rolling the timeline backward take resolves itself and settles into a nice comfy
a look at the characters you have, especially status quo. The worst motivation a character
those directly involved in the core can have is, “Just leave me alone.”
transgression, and think about what choices
they must have made, and what events they It is difficult to judge where an author
must have experienced to bring them to may have started their thinking in a completed
this moment. In fleshing out the backstory, workof fiction, howeverArthurConanDoyle’s
you may discover new characters and their The Sign of the Four features an incredibly
involvement in the course of events. Indeed, complicated backstory stretching back three
you mayeven discoveradditional transgressive decades. You can pick any one of the story’s
events in the past that set the characters many deaths, thefts andbetrayals as apotential
on their collision course to the present. starting point and then see how the events
You can roll the timeline as far back as before andafterit couldhave beenextrapolated
you like. Some of the more Gothic mysteries up to thepoint of Holmes andWatsonbecoming
have their roots in events that transpired involved.
generations ago. However, you should be
careful that your backstory doesn’t become Detail Key Events
merely history. History consists of past events
that may explain why things are the way Now that you have a timeline of events
they are, but don’t have any actual immediate brought about by characters in motion and
relevance to the alive and present characters. their interactions you’re going to want to
Even if something happened manygenerations think a bit deeper about some of those
ago, there should be at least one current moments. Make a list of the most critical
and active character that is either suffering events. Thesewill likelybe those transgressive
because of those events or benefiting from moments where one or more characters
and perpetuating the consequences of those causes great harm directly or indirectly to
events. one or more other characters. But it might
include other significant moments such as
…and Forward a profound romantic interaction, or a pivotal
financial transaction.
When rolling the timeline forward simply For each of these events, you’re going
ask yourself what the characters you have to want to note down some of the finer
would do next? Like with going backward, details. These aren’t “clues” in the traditional
as you follow the characters in your mind sense. However, these are the moments
you might discover new characters. You that are likely to capture your players’
may also discover new transgressive events attention if and when they come to light,
down the line, perhaps when a character which means they’re going to have questions.
gets desperate or acts out in retaliation. Howtheplayersgoaboutaskingthesequestions
It’s important to keep in mind that this through the actions of their characters will
is all still backstory. These are not events varyfrom conducting research, to interviewing
projected into what will eventually be played. people, and perhaps even conducting forensic
When you roll the timeline forward from tests if that’s available and appropriate. But
36 Mystery Scenarios - A Dramatic Ecology

the goal isn’t to prepare for every possible one another in ways that we can understand,
investigative angle, but instead to solidify at least, emotionally. If these people have
your own understanding of these events magic or innate powers or access to unusual
such that it is easy and effortless to answer technology that comes in as detailing on
questions if and when they arise. the otherwise normal interaction.
Here’s a list of things to think about. Be This even applies to urban fantasy style
careful not to overthink things. A few solid settings where you have vampire families,
imaginative details about each one is plenty. werewolf gangs, and fae royal courts. While
these identities are typically associated with
• Where, exactly, did the event take place? horror fiction, when they come together
• What are the finerdetails of the significantin this manner they’re actually people. So
actions taken during the event? as you develop a scenario around them,
• Whowas present?Whatwas theirreaction think of them first as just families, gangs
to what transpired? What did they do and royal courts. Their unique supernatural
immediately afterward? qualities then get expressed through their
• Did any unexpected things intrude on means and methods of carrying out their
the proceedings, or did any of the people otherwise understandable motives.
involved make a mistake or suddenly
change course from their original In Jim Butcher’s Blood Rites a series of
intentions? murders is carried out by a curse. The plot
involves complex relationships between
The Supernatural witches and vampires. However, underlying
all the weird elements are the simple motives
Up until nowI’ve talked about the backstory of greed and revenge.
purely in terms of ordinary people doing
ordinary things. Of course, many investigative Reality Breakers
role-playing games have fantastic, occult,
orsciencefictionelementsinthem.Byfocusing Alternatively, a supernatural element may
on events purely in mundane terms, you be mostly a unique phenomenon localized
avoid the “weirdness is the point” problem to the scenario. These are things that have
I raised in the first section. The mystery no right to existence. They break reality
now consists of actions and motives of real as it should be, and threaten the very things
human interest and concern rather than that make us human. These kinds of
just a single strange thing to be discovered, supernatural entities are best used as
understood and probably defeated. But here extensions or amplifiers on the ordinary
are two solid ways the weird stuff can come drama already present in the situation.
into the scenario without undermining or Themostdirectwaythiskindofsupernatural
overshadowingitsrelatabledramaticproperties. element can come into the scenario is as
aweapon either physical, social or emotional.
Weird People Are Still People Anotherwiseordinarypersonsimplypossesses
power or holds sway over forces that they
When talking about fantastic ancestries can use to enact theiragendas. Here, defeating,
or alien cultures in fantasyand science fiction, co-opting or otherwise nullifying the
we’re still fundamentallytalking about people. supernatural component might make the
Their personal values and social expectations person wielding it more vulnerable but it
may be organized in an unusual manner doesn’t actually solve any of the active crises
but they will still express themselves toward in the situation.
 Mystery Scenarios - A Dramatic Ecology 37

The film Sleepy Hollow features one of Sometimes People Are Weird
the best uses of the supernatural as aweapon.
The underlying story is a perfectly sensible Sometimes ordinarypeople are so disturbed
murder mystery without the presence of the in their thinking, so nefarious in their
Headless Horseman. His inclusion simply plotting, so cruel in their motives that they
takes an already taut Gothic thriller to the might as well be monsters. That’s okay! Feel
next level. free to let evil people be evil. Just remember
that everything written above about the
Another way truly terrifying supernatural supernatural applies in full to these kinds
forces can enter into a mystery is as a by- of inhuman humans.
product of ordinary human transgression.
Such entities usually exist to either avenge James Ellory’s novels The Black Dahlia
or recreate the trauma that spawned them and The Big Nowhere both feature at least
but theydo so indiscriminatelyand indefinitely one character that might as well just be a
without empathy for context. They are all monster and are more disturbing than many
pain and vengeance without restitution or horror stories.
justice.
The Fractal
In the Japanese film Sakebi (Retribution)
men are being influenced by a ghost to drown The beautiful thing about all of the above
their partners. The ghost blames them for is that it’s fractal. You can pick any character
ignoring her plight when she was alive. that interests you and grow the character
ecology around them. You can point to any
Finally, the supernatural can act as a catalyst moment in time and roll the timeline backward
for otherwise human drama. This is an and forward following the actions of any
excellent option forall those familiarcreatures subset of characters you choose. You can
such as vampires, werewolves and the living find and add acts of human transgression
dead. Conceptually, think of these things anywhere along the way. You can sprinkle
in terms of a natural disaster that strikes the supernatural wherever you like. You
without warning. can make as simple or complex a soup as
Thinkof all theways people in a community you enjoy.
react in the presence of that sudden stress.
The key is to make sure enough human The Jo Nesbø novel Nemesis features two
drama exists so that the weirdness does independent mysteries: A bank robbery
not become the point. The simple test is turned murder and a suspicious suicide.
to look and see if discovering and destroying The two plot lines intersect through a single
the creature resolves all the crises and character who is neither the perpetrator
returns things to the status quo. If that’s nor the victim of either of these crimes.
the case, add in more trouble and turmoil
among the supporting characters. Characters In Motion
In the film Minority Report, the events One of the most important things is that
of the film are set into motion by a psychic none of the supporting characters in the
system that accuses the protagonist of murder scenario should be in stasis. They should
before he commits it. all be on the verge of taking action toward
a still active to do list. The characters should
not be at rest hoping the player characters
38 Mystery Scenarios - A Dramatic Ecology

don’t disturb their peace. The scenario should

involved. I just said that characters should
be a bubbling stew of unresolved activity. still be in motion, so ask yourself what do
Think of it like this: As the game master they do if the players don’t intervene?
you should be able to pick up any one of Assuming nothing gets in the way, what are
the characters in the scenario and play themthe next events that unfold? What conflicts
exactly as if they were your own player among the supporting characterswill continue
character. I don’t just mean in terms of to escalate unless something deescalates
characterizing their voice and mannerisms them?
but in terms of proactive action. They’re The purpose of this tool is to help decide
a character embedded in a fraught situation,what to do next when the current action
so what do they do next? Think of running has come to a rest. You can look at your
the supporting characters as being nearly future projection and if there’s something
indistinct from how the players play their there that the players’ actions haven’t
own characters. This will become critical derailed, that can easily just be the next
in the next section. thing that happens. Remember, nothing
in your future projection should involve
The Danish television series Forbrydelsen decisions or actions of the player characters.
(The Killing) features a large cast of It is purely about what the supporting
characters and takes two full seasons to characters would do next unhindered.
solve a single murder. All the characters
are constantly following their own plans The Swedish/Danish television series Bron/
and agendas and are constantly reacting Broen(TheBridge)featurespoliticallymotivated
to each other’s actions and decisions. serial killers with extremely elaborate plans
that simply progress when the main
Dangerous Tools characters fail to prevent it from happening.

Up until now everything has been about Tripwires

preparing material that happens before the
player characters become involved. Here Tripwires are little trigger conditions that
are a couple of tools that do involve projecting cause a supporting character to drastically
a bit into play itself. These tools can be a change their behavior. They are useful for
bit dangerous, because there will be a launching supporting characters into
temptation to think of them as things that escalated action. Just think of something
must happen or that you should be playing that might occur that will cause the character
toward as preplanned events. You must avoid to change course from their current agenda.
doing that. They are simply a way to help Not every character needs a tripwire, but
decision making in play. The minute a player some of the major players may benefit from
action or system outcome invalidates them, having one.
abandon them immediately. You can always Tripwires should be simple and obvious.
revise them based on the current state of The resulting behaviorshould be a permanent
play. change in the character’s agenda.
Again, these are not things that anyone
Future Projection should be angling to make happen. They
are not “gotcha” reveal moments. They’re
This is nearlythe same as rolling the timeline just notes. If they happen, they happen. If
forward except now it does extend past they don’t, they don’t. Abandon them if
the point where the players will become
39 Mystery Scenarios - A Dramatic Ecology 39

something in play changes the focus and The result of the above process is not
priorities of the character. the story that will be revealed to the players.
It isn't even a history of events that will be
In Georges Simenon’s novel Maigret tend explored by the players. The point of play
un piège (Maigret Sets a Trap) one of the is not to carefully and patiently dole out
characters has the tripwire: Should the real this information in a dramatic and
killer get arrested she will commit a copycat entertaining manner. That is writing.
murder to protect him. Instead, the purpose of this is to prime
the game master for playing on equal footing
This Isn’t Writing with the players. In many ways, it is simply
the backstory of all the supporting characters
Finally, none of this should be thought in the scenario. Therefore, the only thing
of as writing. It is preparation for play. It’s that matters at this stage is the game master’s
a subtle distinction. Writing, or perhaps more own enthusiasm for the material. Are they
specifically authorship, takes into excited to play with, not merely present,
consideration an audience and the impact the situation now boiling in their hands?
on that audience. You write for some real
or imagined group of people. The players
are not an audience.
 Beginnings…

…Middles…

…And Endings
 Execution

This final section focuses on play itself. It presents the dramatic

actions of both the player characters and supporting characters and
the resolution of uncertainty and tensions among them as the heart
of the game. It downplays performance and entertainment as goals
of play and virtually eliminates the idea of a mystery as a puzzle to
be solved as an intellectual challenge. Every word here is written
with the idea that both the players and the game master are just
playing the characters within their purview with authenticity and
abiding by the outcomes of whatever ruleset has been agreed upon
to inform the course of events.
44
 Beginnings…

Let’s review what we have so far. We have own organization, but one who carries a
player characters that are more than just political agenda with regard to how things
investigative archetypes and performative are handled. It could even be someone from
personalities.Theyare fullyrealized characters one of the player character’s personal lives
withguidingprinciplesandpersonalrelationships whonowfindsthemselvesinadifficultsituation.
and obligations. We also have a complex The point is the supporting characters should
backstory full of aggrieved supporting already be forwarding their plans as a kind
characters circling around buried of interference on what is, in theory, simply
transgressions crying out for revelation and a fact finding mission.
resolution. Now we just have to bring the
two together. Throughout Dennis Lehane’s novel Gone,
Baby, Gone the police are constantly trying
Opening Scenes to redirect the two main characters' attention
elsewhere.
The great thing about working with an
ecology of dramatic characters rather than For characters who have no formal reason
a carefully plotted chain of clues is that to become immediately involved, the
you have a lot more options for starting. options are much more diverse than some
You can start with any little piece of it, no of the more contrived reasons such as
matterhowsmall.Ifanyoftheplayercharacters mysterious letters from previously unknown
are members of a formal investigative relatives. One option is to put a player
organization, then you can simply send them character in the direct path of a supporting
out on assignment to look into any incident character’s agenda. This could be a deliberate
that would attract the attention of their action taken by the supporting character,
organization. However, even if the characters or it could be an opportunistic one. It could
are getting involved for professional reasons, even be an accident. The key is to make
the opening scene should never just be about this an actual dramatic interaction and not
information gathering. just a quest giver situation where the
When the player characters arrive at a supporting character doles out some kind
location with a purely investigative agenda, of mission and then just waits for the player
look at all the supporting characters and character to dutifully return with the results.
see who might also be around with their A good test is to ask yourself if the supporting
own agenda. Perhaps someone with a vested character is genuinely using the player
interest in having the player characters look character to accomplish something they
in a specific direction is present. It doesn't could not accomplish for themselves.
even need to be entirely antagonistic. It Directcollisionsbetweensupportingcharacters
could be an ally, even someone from their and player characters should present the

45
46 Beginnings...

player with real choices to make about the Finally, a bolder option is not to worry
immediate situation. Even if the supporting about the playercharacter’s direct involvement
character asks for help in some way it should in the scenario initially. Instead, look at
be okay for the player to refuse. Here are the character’s personal life and identify
some stronger opening scene ideas for this a source of conflict within it and then simply
kind of immediate confrontation. begin with a scene around that drama. If
the supporting characters in the player
• Some aspect of a supporting character’s character’s life are linked up with the drama
well-being is suddenly placed in the of the scenario, then the natural motion
player character’s hands. of all the other characters will eventually
• A supporting character takes advantage come to the player character's attention.
of a player character personally or There’s no rush. Plenty of mystery stories
professionally, possibly intentionally open with the character's natural lives before
or opportunistically. anything particularly mysterious comes to
• Aplayer characterwitnesses a supporting light.
character doing something that should
not have been observed. The early portions of James Ellroy’s novel
• A supporting character attempts to harm The Black Dahlia spends its time developing
a player character directly. the private interactions of its principals
Dwight Bleichert, Lee Blanchard and Kay
The Ross Macdonald novel Find a Victim Lake before introducing the main mystery.
begins with Archer finding an injured man
on the side of the road. The film Chinatown The Party Is Over
starts with an impostor hiring Jake Gittes
for a routine surveillance job. The film Aquestion you might be asking is: Shouldn’t
D.O.A. opens with the main character being the opening scene be the same for everyone?
poisoned. Aren’t the players a team? My strong answer
is: No. Place each character into whatever
Another option is for a player character opening scene is most appropriate for them.
to become involved more indirectly through Evenwhencharactersareprofessionalsworking
the interaction of two or more supporting for a formal investigative organization rarely
characters. This is strongest when one is the whole team dispatched to the same
supporting character is from the scenario location with the same mandates. Instead,
and another is from the personal life of the work is divided and different people
the player character. Basically, all the above work the case from different angles. Take
circumstances are valid except that they the traditional idea of the party and kill it.
occur to someone the player character cares Won’t players not involved in a scene be
about. The actual opening scene then usually bored? My argument is that if the content
involves the player character being is primarily focused on emotional concerns
confronted with the fallout or consequences over intellectual information gathering and
of the interaction having occurred. collating then that contentwill capture people’s
attention. As I wrote elsewhere, players
Dashiell Hammett’s novel The Maltese involved in a scene need not feel obligated
Falcon opens with Sam Spade’s business to be entertaining or focus on character
partner being murdered while out on a performance in the theatrical sense. If the
surveillance job. core content and resolution of that content
is of appreciable value to the group then
 Beginnings... 47

the activity as a whole will be entertaining all independently pursuing their own leads
without anyone ever holding that as a core and personal lives. Their activities are tied
responsibility. together through a web of corruption among
If everyone is privy to what everyone else other characters.
is doing then doesn’t that lead to
metagaming?Yes!Metagamingisgood,actually. The content of opening scenes is both
Character proximity and involvement is easier to form and more flexible in direction
irrelevant if the players are engaged with if they’re more specific to the dramatic
each other. Connection among the real-world concerns of the characters involved. The
people is what matters. Let them comment entire point of building richerplayercharacters
on each other’s scenes. Let them discuss is to allow the players to express those
courses of action together. Let them add characters fully and not just exist as a set
incidental details from the sidelines of a of skills for acquiring information and a
scene they are not in. Just because a player’s quirky personality to vocalize. Placing a
character isn’t involved in the current fictional character into scenes of immediate dramatic
action doesn’t mean that player can’t be relevance is to look the player in the eyes
involved in the social aspects of play. and ask, “Okay, show me who this character
They’re right there at the table. Creatively you’ve built really is, for real.”
include them.

James Ellroy’s novel L.A. Confidential

focuses on three main characters who are
48
 …Middles…

Opening scenes have an advantage in that from the details of play as they unfold, plus
they can be thought about in advance. After solid preparatory work in the scenario itself.
all, the game has to start somewhere, and In play, this is not about inventing things
there’s nothing wrong with the game master out of whole cloth but feels more like picking
just placing each character into a situation. a choice from a list of options. Let’s take
Butifthegameisn’tstructuredaroundfollowing a look at what to focus on to keep scenes
clues through a web of planned scenes, then engaging and consequential.
how does the game flow?
Instead of following a path of clues, the Truth Will Out
game follows the characters’ choices and
the consequences of their actions. This The least interesting thing about a mystery
includes the supporting characters who are is its solution. The best mystery stories are
active agents and not just static caricatures still enjoyable even if you know the solution.
lying inert until they are discovered by the Good mysterystories can be amusing puzzles.
player characters. Therefore the next scene Great mystery stories are character dramas
is a simple matter of deciding which about digging up things others would rather
character to focus on next. Generally, one stay buried. Therefore, the primary job of
of two opportunities presents itself: the game master is not to gracefully lead
the player characters to the truth with skillful
• A player has an idea about where their pacing, but rather to play the supporting
character goes next and the game master characters’ desires to keep the truth buried.
establishes extra details like who else In this struggle, the truth will come out one
is present. way or another.
• The game master selects a supporting
character and either has them take direct Henning Mankell’s Wallander novels are
action involving one or more player so detailed and journalistic in style that it
characters, or imagines some off screen doesn’t feel like the main character, Kurt
action they have accomplished and Wallander, solves anything. He is simply
establishes a scene in which one or more thorough and dedicated. The solutions rarely
player characters must contend with come as a shock to the reader and the novels
the consequences of those actions. are more about the corruption of the modern
world straining Wallander's aging provincial
It is important to note that this is not values.
improvisation or making things up as you
go along. These are solid decisions made

49
50 …Middles…

Clues After All and truthfully. There is no need to try and

prepare a list of all the facts the players
Let’s face it, the player characters are might discover about a situation. The answers
going to investigate. They are going to ask should either be obvious from the scenario
lots of questions both about the physical notes that have been prepared, or easily
environment and of the supporting characters. extrapolated from them with just a little
So there will, in fact, be clues. But there’s bit of thought. This is not improvisation
a reason this information is in the section or making things up as you go along. It is
about playing and not about preparation. simply speaking the truth about the situation
These aren’t things to be thought of and as you imagine it.
planned out in advance, but rather brought The feverish desire to enumerate and
to light opportunistically in play. account for every possible course of inquiry
Information should never just point to in advance is typically driven by a fear of
another source of information. Instead, as the players jumping too far ahead in the
the player characters uncover evidence it progression of events. But in this case there
should deepen their understanding and their is no plot to outpace. It is never too early
involvement in the still active elements of or too late to figure things out. Similarly,
the ongoing situation. They should become there is no concern with being clever or
enveloped by the dramatic ecology of devious or challenging, so there is no fear
characters. of the players outwitting the scenario too
quicklyor easily. When the players ask factual
Expository Clues questions, give factual answers.

One type of clue mostly reveals facts about Dramatic Clues

events that have transpired at some point
in the past. They are usually discovered Anothertype of clue heightens the dramatic
by a player character simply looking for stakes of the situation, because it either
them or by perhaps running or requesting reveals something emotional or psychological
some kind of forensic test, if that is about a specific character, or it illuminates
appropriate. In mystery stories these types arelationship between two ormore characters.
of clues are often discovered by minor On the surface, these clues appear just as
characters away from the core action and factual as expository clues, however,
delivered in some kind of report. If they dramatic clues open up actionable possibilities
are discovered by the principal characters, in ways that simple foundational information
the scenes tend to be short and to the point, does not.
because these kinds of clues are largely Whether we like to admit it or not, gaining
expository in nature. information about the private lives of people
gives us a degree of power over them. With
In Agatha Christie’s novel Murder on the power comes choices about how to exercise
Links, Poirot asserts that chasing clues is it. Since the scenario is not just a single
work for dogs. He is primarily referring to problem with a single solution, but instead
these kinds of fact revealing clues. a complex system of character interactions,
the potential for social collateral damage
In play, these clues are really no different in the pursuit of the truth is a real concern.
than a player asking a clarifying question Taking any kind of action on this kind of
about the current environment or situation. information puts the player characters
They should be answered straightforwardly
 …Middles… 51

directly in the path of supporting characters further a personal agenda. (This, of

and their agendas. course, can be any kind of antagonistic
It should be clear that unlike purely encounterbut an often overlookedversion
expository clues, which are likely to have of this is the trading of leverage in an
more obvious and straightforward avenues interrogation).
of followup, dramatic clues present moral
and ethical ambiguity. This is the main reason Youcanseeallthesedynamicsintheanthology
that this style of mystery scenario cannot television series True Detective. It spends
be a linear or branching chain of information. almost more time on how the investigation
The game is driven entirely by the players’ strains and erodes the personal relationships
choices about how to handle the sensitive of the main characters than it spends on
information they learn about the other the investigation itself. Additionally, the
characters. investigation is often sidelined and derailed
by corrupt insiders with political agendas.
In the Danish television series Forbrydelsen Finally, third parties frequently confuse the
(The Killing) the evidence frequently turns issues by taking advantage of the chaos
the attention of the detectives toward major caused by the inciting crime.
political figures who happen to be in the
middle of tense situations of their own. Much Previously, I mentioned that itwas important
of the show's tension revolves around how that the supporting characters be in motion
pursuing justice threatens to upset delicate toward their own agendas and that the player
political proceedings. characters have strong worldviews. When
those two things are in place, these tensions
Interpersonal Drama should arise quite naturally. When a scene
appears to lack energy or focus, evaluate
Scenes should rarely be just about finding the characters for points of tension, and
information. In fact, information acquisition then have a character make any kind of
should either be a gateway into or a side bold move toward resolving that tension
effect of the interpersonal drama between in their favor.
the characters involved. The focus of any
scene should not be, “what can be learned Player vs. Player
here?” but rather “how do the characters
treat each other?” Here’s a list of dramatic Different groups have different tolerances
tensions that often arise between characters for tensions that arise between player
in mysteries. characters. However, if everyone is playing
their characters in good faith, the procedures
• Tensions between personal responsibility for resolving tensions are clear, and the
and obligations and the needs of the outcomesarerespected,thenconflictsbetween
investigation. (These tensions often player characters can be a wonderful source
arise between close relations). of drama.
• Tensions over how the investigation If the characters are built with strong
should be focused or proceed, especially worldviews and they are drawn into the
over the handling of persons of interest narrative ecology, then pretty soon the
and other sensitive information. (These characters are going to differentiate each
tensions can often arise between allies). other over the issues at stake in the scenario.
• Tensions that arise when characters Once you’ve dropped the idea of everyone
try to take advantage of each other to acting as a coherent team, then there’s no
52 …Middles…

need for everyone to agree on a single course get tested and strained, even between
of action or approach. Players can stick to strangers. Supporting characters should care
their characters’ ideologies and convictions about how they are treated by the player
and take appropriate actions based on them. characters and then act on those feelings.
Theseactionswillhaveconsequences,possibly They are not just data mines from which
negative ones, for the other player characters information is extracted and then forgotten.
and that’s a good thing. Let the player Similarly, people don’t just sit around hoping
characters be free moral agents. that people snooping around their business
will go away. They take proactive steps to
Patrick and Angie’s relationship is protect the things they care about, including
heartbreakingly put to the test in Dennis other people. If things turn out poorly, they
Lehane’s novel, Gone, Baby, Gone. They don’t necessarily just give up. They try new
have incredibly different opinions on how and perhaps more desperate things.
to handle the case and their romance suffers Whencharactersaremorethanjustobstacles
because of it. and react to the consequences of systemic
outcomes, then tension can actually increase
Moment-to-Moment from moment to moment. Rather than lose
energy, requiring it to be rebooted almost
Outcomes from scratch from scene to scene, the game
gains energy from narrative shifts no matter
One important thing to think about is which way they fall.
that tensions and conflicts between
characters are opportunities for change, In Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Scandal in
not merelyobstacles.An obstacle is something Bohemia, Sherlock Holmes is prevented from
that simply stands between a character and stealing a compromising photograph at a
something they want and once dealt with critical moment. As a result, Irene Adler is
is largely discarded. Whereas an actual able to see through his ruse and abscond
consequential confrontation transforms one with the photo still in her possession.
situation into a new situation in which all
parties involved have a different set of choices
as to how to proceed than they did before.
In mysteries, investigators dig through
people’s lives for better or for worse. Bonds
of trust, friendship, status, respect and loyalty

52
53 ...And Endings

…And Endings

Now we can step back and look at how to be in that spoonful until we lift it out
the game flows holistically. There are scenes and look at it. Whatever remains in the bowl
that arise by following the player and becomes just a little bit denser and clearer.
supporting characters’ actions. Information We continue to stir and spoon until the
existswhichdeepenseveryone’sunderstanding very last spoonful which is the scenario’s
ofthecharactersonanemotional,psychological climax and it is simply made up of whatever
andmorallevel.Withinscenescertaintensions, remains and the maximallyintensified activity
conflicts and other uncertainties are resolved around it.
by whatever procedural means the group
hasagreedon(i.e.gamerules).Thoseresolutions Solutions Are Not
result in permanent shifts in the situation
that close off some avenues while opening Resolutions
up others. All characters have new choices
to make given the outcomes. Ultimately Discovering the solution to a mystery is
we are looking at how the characters treat not itself a resolution. In some fiction the
each other when truth seekers meet truth resolution happens to line up with the
buriers, and the social collateral damage revelation of the solution. However, trying
in that struggle. to guarantee that in this context runs into
I hope you can see that the game itself the same problems I outlined when
is a much more dynamic system than a linear discussing the timed reveal and the brilliant
experience flowing smoothly from a starting detective tropes. It requires someone forcing
hook to an ending climax. Plot, in the typical things to progress in a certain way at a certain
storysense, is the by-product created through pace.
play itself. It is simply the record of the Instead, the discovery of a solution opens
scenes and the changes that come about up the question of what to do about it. There
in them. may, in fact, lie quite a bit of drama beyond
With all this shifting uncertaintyand motion, the moment of understanding, especially
howthen does the game everreach an ending? if the characters disagree on what to do
The key is in learning to identify smaller about it and take different courses of action.
resolutions and then intensify the activity This is even more likely to occur if you’ve
around whatever remains unresolved. successfully avoided the “weirdness is the
I return to the soup metaphor. The point” trope.
dramatic ecologyof characters and the energy Additionally, the entire solution usually
of their unresolved concerns is the soup. consists of not just who but how and why.
Investigative action is like stirring the pot, There may even be a secondary question
agitating its components. Any single moment of whether the characters can prove it.
of resolution is like spooning out a bit of Therefore, it’s possible for a character to
the soup. We don’t really know what’s going be knowledgeable about only a part of the
53
54 ...And Endings

solution. Given this dynamic mode of play, character. A character might die, become
it is impossible to predict what part of a imprisoned, or be driven from the area such
mystery will become known when and to that their actions can no longer meaningfully
whom, or what they’ll choose to do about impact the situation. These types of
it. resolutions are loud, indisputable and often
Finally, because the player characters may come about through displays of superior
be acting independently and not necessarily physical or social force. It’s clear why they
coordinating their efforts, the solution may are so common in popular media.
become known to the players but not fully
understood by the characters. This situation The middle portion of Season 3 of the
allows the players to leverage dramatic irony television series True Detective features a
if they wish by intentionally entering dramatic shootout that resolves the mounting
situations contextualized bywhat the players tensions in a community and pretty much
know, but the character does not. ends one leg of the investigation without
This is why guiding the players toward fully resolving the narrative.
the mystery’s solution in some organized
manner is unnecessary. There are multiple A more subtle type of resolution involves
avenues to the truth and it will come to an emotional shift in the character. The
the player’s attention one way or another. character realizes that theyare either satisfied
The more the players learn, the more their with what they have achieved or realizes
characters will take decisive action driving that there is no point in continuing to pursue
play toward a resolution. their current agenda. This is not simply a
change in priorities, which may happen
The television series Colombo is entirely quite frequently, but a definitive sense of
predicated on letting the audience in on closure.
the solution right away. In some episodes, Recognizing a character has come to this
it’s even pretty clear that Colombo has a kind of emotional ending requires whoever
pretty good idea who did it early on. The is responsible for the character, player and
series derives all its drama from watching game master alike, to have a strong
Colombo put the pieces together to actually understanding of the character'svalues. There
confirm his suspicions. is a certain kind of creative honesty that
needs to be cultivated between the person
Identifying Resolutions and their character(s). There is a delicate
balance to be struck between a character
There is abit of askill involved in recognizing pushing too farand acharacternot persevering
when a situation is fully resolved with nothing enough.
ofparticulardramaticinterestworthcontinuing
to pursue. Mostly it’s about identifying when In the film Knives Out one character spends
the characters have reached their final fates the majority of the film trying to cover up
with regard to their original investment in her involvement; however, when that leads
the scenario. They have either successfully to someone else getting hurt, she has a change
attained, or been permanently thwarted, of heart and gives up. This ends up opening
from fulfilling their agenda. This includes the door for the mystery’s real resolution.
any shifts in their agendas that might have
come about during play.
The most obvious set of circumstances
concerns the physical well-being of the
 ...And Endings 55

Escalations character was thwarted in the short term,

doesn’t mean they can’t strike back with
Thekeytopreventingthegamefromrunning an escalation.
in circles is remembering to have the However, if tensions are really high in a
characters who have not reached resolutions situation, consider that you really might
to escalate either in response to be at a make or break resolution point. A
confrontations oras otherparts of the scenario character that tries to escalate beyond a
begin to resolve. An escalation is anything certain point begins to look stubborn and
that raises the stakes of the situation. Physical absurd. This goes back to my point about
violence is an obvious option, but there creative honesty. Does the character really
are plenty of ways to escalate socially or have more fight in them or not? Only your
emotionally. genuine connection with the character can
answer that question.
• A character’s career status could come
under threat. Failures
• Social, emotional or physical harm could
come to someone the character cares I want to challenge the perception that
about. a mystery is no fun if the players don’t solve
• A character could come under financial it. This comes about from treating the
distress. contents of scenes as a mere obstacle course
• A character’s reputation or dignity could where the reward forovercoming the obstacle
be damaged. is information on where to find the next
obstacle. The obstacles are relatively fixed
In Jo Nesbø’s novel The Devil’s Star a leading up to the final climactic obstacle.
corrupt cop is prevented from killing amurder Therefore, failure to overcome any obstacle
suspect who has the potential to reveal the threatens to stop progress toward the
cop’s corruption. In response the corrupt solution.
cop offers to help save the main character’s Many games jump through unnecessary
career if he agrees to kill the suspect in prison. hoops to solve this problem, eitherbydeclaring
When the main character instead takes the certain strategies automatically successful,
suspect and goes on the run the corrupt doling out plentiful meta-currency to render
cop kidnaps a member of his family to try failure meaningless, or simply assuming the
and draw him out. characters are a diverse enough toolbox
they can just keep switching tools until
There are two things to avoid through something succeeds. Similarly, I dislike the
escalation. The first is repetition. If a character terms “fail forward” or “succeed with cost”
keeps trying to achieve their goals through as those techniques often assume there is
variations on the same method, it’s likely somewhere specific to move toward and
time to escalate. Look for an approach that frequently trade significant situational
is both different and increases the dramatic change for less inconvenient personal or
tension. momentary setbacks. All of these methods
The other is when a character faces a devalue failure as a dramatic opportunity
momentary setback. It can sometimes be in favor of preserving the game's assumed
easy to misread a minor defeat as a resolution. structure and pacing.
This generally comes from thinking about One of the main reasons that it's important
characters as obstacles rather than capable that all the characters in the story are
agents in their own right. Just because a motivated, independent dramatic agents
56 ...And Endings

is because it means outcomes which go Blood. Both these mysteries have similar
poorly for the player characters have real conclusions in which the detective not only
meaningful consequences. Instead of failure puts their focus on the wrong suspect, but
stopping momentum against an inert obstacle, also they help the real culprit acquire the
there is now an opportunity for a supporting item all the killing has been about. They
characterto capitalize on the playercharacter’s only realize their mistake once the villain
misfortune. So long as all characters have turns on them and both would be dead if
active agendas, there’s always actions for it weren’t for a last minute arrival of allies.
them to take which will keep the dramatic
dynamics alive. The End
In Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, Ultimately, we have a few axes of uncertain
Hercule Poirot fails to realize the significance activity. One axis iswhen andwhat information
of the innuendo underlying the answers about the mystery’s solution will become
given by a character he interviews. This known, and what the characters will do
failure directly results in two additional about it. Another is which characters will
murders. escalate to fulfill their agendas, how and
towards whom. And finally, in what order
When things go badly for a character, the subsets of the tension in the scenario
look at the other characters in the scene, will resolve.
determine who benefits, and have them Eventually there will be some last thing
act on that gain. If there isn’t anyone in that needs resolving and that will be the
the immediate scene, consider what end of the game. However, I will note that
characters not present might now have an often it is recognized in hindsight after it
opportunity to take action off screen and happens. Be open to everyone looking at
then hit the player character with the fallout their characters and notes and realizing
of those actions. By constantly having that what just happened was truly the end.
supporting characters concretely succeed It may seem like this process risks having
when the player character’s fail means the large things resolved too soon, leaving only
situation is escalating and moving toward a puddle of minor loose ends that wouldn’t
a resolution, albeit perhaps a tragic one. make for a very interesting climax. Let’s
The point is that because the scenario look back at the core of the entire process.
is made up of dynamic characters in motion, First, we’re treating the inspiring genre
the player characters can make mistakes, as a collection of relevant topics to be
take risks, suffer setbacks and lose addressed and not just colorful trappings
confrontations and the result is that the to revel in. The raw material of the game
situation becomes more active and tense. is of substantive interest and raises questions
Failure in mysteries is often measured in that can only be answered through play.
blood and heartbreak. If the players don’t Second, we’ve made those topics concrete
find their way to the solution, the solution byconstructingascenariobuiltfromcharacters
will painfully find its way to them. acting on plain real-world motives. If
supernatural elements are involved they
If you want to see what total failure in are layered in as an enhancement to the
a mystery looks like I suggest either reading relatable drama. The action of this scenario
Henning Mankell’s The Dogs of Riga or is still in motion when the player characters
watching the Prayer of the Bone episode become involved. The supporting characters
of the British television series Wire in the are primed to take action of their own.
57 ...And Endings 57

Finally, even if the player characters remain ordinaryhuman crisis, nowbroken and bloody,
wholly focused on information seeking, what crying out for resolution.
they discover deepens their understanding Whatever that thing turns out to be, it
of the supporting characters and raises only got there through our play together.
questions about the right way to proceed. It wasn’t orchestrated by anyone in particular.
This keeps the main content of scenes focused In a very real sense, we are responsible for
on how the characters, allies and enemies it. Whatever events transpire around this
alike, treat each other in the pursuit of their final strand of tension truly will be the end.
agendas. As tensions between the characters
begin to resolve, whatever remains escalates. I recommend either reading Jame Ellroy’s
The cumulative effect of this process is The Big Nowhere or watching the second
that tension is always rising around and season of True Detective. Both feature multiple
circling toward something of real-world protagonists that circle a central mystery.
concern. There is nothing minor about the However, each protagonist meets their own
things people care about, especially in the personal fate unique to them, at different
dramatic context of secrets and lies. It can times, over different issues.
be rather profound to discover that once
you’ve locked up the murders and slain the
monsters, there remains some overlooked
 Making it
Up As You
Go Along

Inspiration
 Making It Up As You Go
Along
Up until now I’ve been talking about games until they propose a solution. Sometimes
with a very traditional setup. The players the game master just accepts that
all control one character and the game master solution, or there’s a formal mechanism
has a prepared backstory focused scenario such as a die roll to determine if this
where they play all the supporting characters. solution is correct.
There are games, however, that leave a lot • There is no game master and players
more blank space to be filled in during play take turns running scenes that are largely
itself. made up, whole cloth, based on what
My concern is that a lot of these games they think should happen next. Often
don’t actuallyalleviate the problems I outlined there is some mechanism for
in the first section of this text. They instead determining a solution, even if it’s just
obfuscate them under the guise of “narrative a turn limit.
control” which is to say passing the talking • Finally, there is a format very similar
stick around. This technique either cedes to the last one, but the game design
total control to one person on a moment- itself takes a much heavier hand in
to-moment basis or asserts that everything guiding play. This can be anything from
is a collaborative effort up for grabs all at a rigid scene structure with a dictated
once. The net result is that someone has purpose to each scene, a series of hyper
to step in and act as a kind of head editor focused leading questions, or a complex
to keep the game holding itself together. point tracking economy that sort of ebbs
Sometimes it is done covertly by the most and flows in an expected manner that
socially savvy player at the table, but eventually triggers a fixed end game
sometimes it's even done by the game design condition.
itself.
Obviously, I can’t speak to every distributed The point is that these techniques all still
narrative game everdesigned. I have observed, result in a guided experience. They just
however, fourcommon shapes to these games. move around who the guide is. They all
still treat the contents of the scene as an
• There is a game master and they have obstacle that simply gates the next scene.
a solution (usually a monster) and They still promote expected genre structure
sometimes a list of ingredient elements over fluid play dynamics.
and starting hook, but otherwise they In practice, they feel like narrative coloring
improvise the entire structure of play books. The drawing is more-or-less there;
guiding the players toward the final we're just taking turns filling it in. If someone’s
confrontation. contribution doesn’t fit inside the lines, it
• There is a game master and maybe a gets marginalized and sidelined to keep things
pile of ingredient elements, and the game in bounds. Again, these games obfuscate
masterkind of throws things at the players that by moving around or providing
61
62 Making It Up As You Go Along

mechanical cover for whomever is doing

the editing. I highly recommend playing the game
There is one game that I think does the and reflecting on how its lessons apply to
no scenario, no game master mystery very more traditional play. In fact, if you’ve never
well. It is the onlyspecific game Iwill mention. played a no scenario, no game master game
It’s Dirty Secrets by Seth Ben-Ezra (Dark before,Irecommenditasafirsttimeexperience
Omen Games). It largely adheres to all the for that style of play. I suspect you will be
principles I’ve discussed. surprised at how familiar it feels after all.

• The action follows the investigator or If you’re concerned with leaving loose
a supporting character targeting the ends in a game where you are making things
investigator. up as you go along then I suggest reading
• Scenes are focused on what characters The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. It
say and do. famously leaves one of the murders
• Uncertainties are resolved using an unresolved and even Chandler himself never
unpredictable tension building mechanic. had an explanation for it even after it was
• Information develops connections brought to his attention.
between characters.
• Mysteries are solved in an unpredictable
order.
• The play group may become aware of
solutions before the investigator does.

62
 Inspiration 63

Inspiration

• Authors • The Red Riding Trilogy (2009-2010)

• Raymond Chandler • Sakebi (Retribution) (2006)
• Agatha Christie • Sleuth (1972)
• Arthur Conan Doyle • Television
• Jame Ellroy • Bron | Broen (The Bridge)
• Caroline Graham • Columbo
• Dashiell Hammet • Forbrydelsen (The Killing)
• P. D. James • Law & Order (franchise)
• Stieg Larsson • Murder, She Wrote
• Tannith Lee (Cyrion, a unique swords • Prime Suspect
& sorcery take on Sherlock Holmes) • Touching Evil
• Dennis Lehane • True Detective
• Ross Macdonald • Wire in the Blood
• Henning Mankell • The X-Files
• Sharyn McCrumb • Games
• Jo Nesbø • Circle of Hands by Ron Edwards
• Dorothy L. Sayers (Tripwires are adapted from here)
• Georges Simenon • Dirty Secrets by Seth Ben-Ezra
• Films • Dogs in the Vineyard by Vincent
• The Baztan Trilogy (2013-2014) Baker
• Chinatown (1974) • The Sorcerer’s Soul by Ron Edwards
• D.O.A. (1950 or 1988) • A Taste For Murder by Graham
• Knives Out (2019) Walmsley

63
 Dead Celebrities Sell
More Tabloids

Introduction 69

Elements Of The Scenario 71

The Backstory 73

Dramatis Personae 77

The Murders 85

Running The Scenario 89

The illustration on the previous page is titled “Casos de Pavor - Los Satánicos”
and was created by an artist known only by their signature, “Dorantes.” It is
one of countless pieces of Mexican pulp art created in the 60s and 70s. While
the image contains many dated elements, I felt a cabal of men sacrificing a
young woman fit the theme of the scenario too perfectly. The original is part
of a collection owned by Ted Frankel and appears here with his permission.
68
 Introduction

Dead Celebrities Sell More Tabloids is a cast of characters with some thoughts
a mysteryscenario featuring multiple murders, about their motivations, and a couple of
blackmail and necromancy. It is set in Los reminder notes about details. The historical
Angeles during the mid-1950s and involves research I did was little more than internet
a few real-world historical figures and searches and skimming a fewobvious articles.
locations. However, great dramatic liberties I had simply internalized all other thoughts
have been taken with the historical record. and ideas during the process of sketching
I wrote this scenario in response to the out the scenario, and didn’t bother to write
Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations them down.
and the resulting amplification of the MeToo Unfortunately, communicating the scenario
movement. I was pretty angry about the to you is an act of writing. Do not confuse
rampant abuse by powerful men beneath the organizational structure and extra detailing
the glitz and glam of Hollywood. In this presented here for anything that is necessary
scenario, under the veneer of noir and to create your own mystery scenario. The
necromancy, are issues of coercion and notes necessary to run a scenario for oneself
loss of bodily autonomy. and a document for commuting those same
However, I want to make this perfectly notes to be used by someone else are simply
clear: When I run this scenario, I never put not the same thing.
the player characters in that kind of situation. I think a lot of published scenarios give
Violence and manipulation? Of course! But a false impression of the work necessary
never true helplessness. I recommend that to prepare a role-playing scenario, especially
you do the same. to new game masters. This scenario was
Finally, I want to note that the scenario drafted over the course of a weekend. A
as presented here is not the same text I few hours of research (which wouldn’t have
created to run it for myself. I mentioned even been necessary for a more familiar
before that scenario creation is not writing. time and place) and a couple of hours of
I stand by that. note making, mostly about the timeline and
The text I used to run this consisted of characters, was all that was required.
little more than a bullet point list of events,

69
70
 Elements Of The Scenario

The backstory of Dead Celebrities Sell re-imagined Jules Roth as a necromancer.

More Tabloids is rather complex. To help In this scenario he is searching for the secret
breakitdown,I’mgoingtoprovideanoverview to immortality while secretly reanimating
of the majorelements. Some of these elements dead celebrities in order to acquire blackmail
are based in historical fact. I have tried to material on the living Hollywood elite.
call out what is real and what I have made Roth’s method of re-animation involves
up. acquiring film footage of the deceased. He
then processes that footage using an
Jules Roth alchemical process and plays it back, on
a loop, through a projector. So long as the
The main historical figure in this scenario corpse of the original person is within the
is Jules Roth. He was the longtime owner light of the projector their spirit is
of The Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the momentarily returned to their body, albeit
final resting place of many celebrities. Jules enthralled to Roth.
Roth was not a good man. He bought the
cemeteryin1939,twoyearsafterbeingreleased The Bust of Rasputin
early from San Quentin where he was serving
a sentence for securities fraud, after being In 1915, sculptor Naoum Aronson made
the subject of a nationwide manhunt for a bust of Grigori Rasputin, mystic adviser
skipping bail. to Nicolas II, the last Emperor of Russia.
He cheated on his wife, vaudeville dancer Aronson primarily lived in Paris until 1940,
Virginia Carville, with the cemetery when he was forced to flee the Nazi invasion
superintendent’s daughter, Alta Philips. He of France. He moved first to Portugal and
prevented non-whites from being buried then to New York, where he died in 1943.
in the cemetery including Hattie McDaniel, When he fled France, most of his works
the first black person to win an Academy were moved to the Louvre. The Nazis tried
Award. He committed tax fraud to purchase to move large amounts of art to Germany,
a luxury yacht which was supposedly for including Aronson’s sculptures. A train
disposing of cremated remains at sea. He heading for Berlin was loaded, but French
let the cemetery fall into such ruin that parts engineers sent it on a circuitous route through
of it had to be sold off. And yet, he somehow France for 40 days. It eventually arrived
managed to retain control of this historical in one of the French villages. The artworks
landmark until his death in early 1998 while were unloaded, handed over to the French
he was still under audit for misappropriating Resistance and transferred to a children’s
more than two million in cemetery funds. home in Les Andelys, where they were
He was 98 years old. rediscovered in 1952. The sculptures were
RothmarketedthegraveyardasTheCemetery added to the art collection of Yad Labanim
of the Immortals. Along those lines I have
71
72 Elements Of The Scenario

Museum (today known as The Petach Tikva women. They use a combination of coercion
Museum of Art), in Israel. and false promises to extract sexual favors
Rasputinwasfamouslyhardtokill,supposedly and then dump the women when they get
having been poisoned, shot, beaten and bored or find some new conquest. They
drowned. In this scenario, the bust is rumored are almost all married and use their wealth,
to contain the secret of immortality. Jules status and connections to cover each others’
Roth hired a thief with ties to international infidelities.
smuggling to steal it. However, in a deliberate They have no single meeting place. Instead,
nod to Dashiell Hammet’sThe Maltese Falcon, they arrange private parties which often
the bust floating around the scenario is a include renting out nightclubs and
forgery. The thief double crossed Roth, kept restaurants for an evening. It is not
the real bust, and sent along a forgery. uncommon for them to trade around the
women that they prey on at these events.
Jack Dragna Invitations to these events travel by word
ofmouththroughLions&Lambsmembership,
Jack Dragna was a real-world mafia boss leaving no paper trail. They carry challenge
who operated in Los Angeles from 1931 coins to prove membership. If asked about
until his death in 1956. In the 1950s, his these coins by outsiders, they simply say
power was waning, partially due to a new it’s a private gentlemen’s club.
police chief William H. Parker. Parker was The Lions & Lambs Club are the realvillains
interested in cleaning up corruption within of the scenario. It is the thing a lot of the
the police force, which included cracking characters will fight hardest to keep secret.
down on organized crime. The crimes of Jules Roth and Jack Dragna
Dragna hangs over this scenario like a are well-documented, but the MeToo
specter. He lies at the intersection of several movement showed us the number of horrors
key events which threaten to bring unwanted that go unrecorded and unremembered.
attention to his illegal dealings. In particular, How much abuse remains invisible from
illegal gambling plays a key role. a time when women had less power and
the mass public forum of social media did
The Lions & Lambs Club not exist?
I made up the Lions & Lambs Club. I am
The Lions & Lambs Club is an organization unconvinced it is truly fiction.
of my own invention. It is a private network
of Hollywood producers, directors and other
powerful men who functionally use talent
agents as pimps to hook them up with young

72
 The Backstory 73

The Backstory

Jules Roth was released from San Quentin high-stakes poker game. The kind of game
prison in 1937. By 1939, he had acquired a he normally can’t afford to participate in.
controlling interest in the Hollywood Forever The poker game took place in the back
Cemetery. For purposes of this scenario, room of The Ruby Room, a nightclub owned
during WWII he had become obsessed with by Roger Wade and frequently used for
immortality and began researching the meetings of the Lions & Lambs Club. It is
occult. also a front for a gambling den operated
By the late 1940s, Roth had developed by Jack Dragna. However, the club (and its
a technique for animating and controlling secret gambling rooms) were closed in the
the dead using film footage of the deceased. late night hours of this private poker game.
By interrogating his undead “friends” he The game was attended by Roger Wade,
has gained direct access to the darkest secrets EddieGieger,acastingagent,TerranceRutledge,
of many still living rich and powerful people. a film director, and Joe Canino, a Dragna
He uses knowledge of these secrets as leverage enforcer. All these men resented Owen’s
to gain assistance in executing and covering intrusion into the game, but couldn’t resist
up his financial crimes. his intriguing stake.Theybegrudginglyallowed
Roth eventually learned that the bust of him to play.
Rasputin sculpted in 1915 by Naoum Aronson As the game was winding down, Terrance,
wasrumoredtocontainthesecretofRasputin’s who had already been having a lucky night,
legendary constitution. Believing this would won an extremely tense hand, reaping an
further Roth’s quest for immortality, he hired exceptionally large pot. As Owen looked
a thief to steal it. on in horror realizing he’d lost his delivery,
Unfortunately, after stealing the bust, the Eddie accused Terrance of cheating. In the
thief had a copy made and passed the forgery heat of the argument, Eddie grabbed a gun
along to his smuggling contacts. Through off Joe. He had observed Joe carrying it
illicit channels, the false bust made its way earlier in the evening. Eddie shot Terrance.
to Los Angeles. It was given to Owen Mars, In the ensuing shock and panic, he dropped
alocal courierwho slips in smuggling drop-offs the gun, grabbed the package containing
between his legitimate deliveries. Owen the bust, and fled the scene.
is fully aware of the illegal and often valuable Realizing that Dragna would not be happy
nature of these side jobs, a fact that mixes that a murder committed with one of his
poorly with Owen’s gambling addiction. enforcer’s guns had happened in one of
Curious about its size and weight, Owen his gambling establishments, Joe immediately
could not help but peek at the contents of swore Roger and Owen to secrecy with
his illicit package. Seeing what he assumed threats of dire reprisals. To deepen
was an extremely valuable piece of artwork, everyone’s complicity, he gave Roger explicit
he gave in to his dark temptation. He used instructions on how to clean up the blood
the bust as collateral to buy himself into a and charged Owen with disposing of the
73
74 The Backstory

gun. Finally, Joe drove out to the coast and Mona from the bungalow he had rented
dumped Terrance’s body into the sea. for her and had Carmen move in.
Unfortunately, the sequence of tragic events
does not end here. However, they do become The Bust
a bit more fractured. They can be treated
as overlapping clusters. In desperation, Mona returned to Eddie
Geiger,who had been laying lowaftershooting
The Girl Terrance. She told him what Sternwood
had done to her. She had hoped that he
Mona Brady came to Los Angeles with would be sympathetic and perhaps connect
stars in her eyes and only a few dollars to her with a legitimate job. Instead he laughed
her name. Shortly after her arrival, she sought at her and blamed her for losing Sternwood’s
out Eddie Geiger after a few inquiries about interest.
talent agents. Eddie didn’t see much Unsure of what to do with the bust of
potential in Mona’s acting ability but he Rasputin he had stolen from the poker game,
unfortunately saw a great opportunity for Eddie had kept it in its open box in his office.
his contacts in the Lions & Lambs Club. During their conversation, Mona noticed
Eddie brought Mona to one of their events the strange object in the box and picked
at The Ruby Room and introduced her to it up just as Eddie happened to make a
HarrySternwood, an influential film producer. particularly cruel remark. Impulsively, Mona
Sternwood proceeded to take advantage turned and hit Eddie with the bust, crushing
of Mona through a combination of false his skull. His body was discovered by his
promises, social pressure, and financial secretary, Agnes Taylor, later that afternoon.
dependence. He set her up in a small Still carrying the bust and filled with pain
Hollywood bungalow and kept her there and anger, Mona wanted to confront Harry
as a mistress. His promises of finding her Sternwood. She took a taxi to the only place
a role in a film began to ring hollow and she knew she might find him, The Ruby
his demeanor became irritable as he grew Room. It was early enough in the day that
bored of Mona. the nightclub was closed, but Roger Wade
Sternwood learned of Terrance Rutledge’s was there handling some administrative
disappearancewhen hiswife, Eileen, reported tasks. The distraught Mona demanded that
him missing three days after he was shot Rogertell herwhere she could find Sternwood.
at The Ruby Room during the poker game. In her fury she told Roger what she had
Sternwood confronted Roger Wade about done to Eddie and threatened to do the
it. Roger tried to deny any knowledge of same to Sternwood.
it, but Sternwood eventually pressured him Roger quickly realized that a murder
into revealing what had happened. investigation into Eddie’s death that lead
As he was tiring of Mona, Harry Sternwood to Mona and the bust might eventually draw
began to covet Terrance’s own mistress, unwanted attention to The Ruby Room,
Carmen Jones. Carmen was receiving similar the gambling operation, the Lions & Lamb
treatment from Terrance as Mona was from Club and ultimately his own complicit
Harry. Harry told Carmen that Terrance involvement in Terrance’s murder. He
had fled gambling debts to the mob and immediately tried to calm Mona down and
would not be coming back. He immediately convince her that it would probably be best
pressured her into entering his “care” and if she simply left town. He eventually
out of sheer fear for her future stability, persuaded herto give him the bust in exchange
Carmenacquiesced.Harryimmediatelyevicted for some money. Mona, however, did not
 The Backstory 75

leave town. Instead she checked into a local away from him. He then forced Owen to
hotel to give herself some time to think pace around his living room while Roth
about her next move. filmed him much to Owen’s confusion. Once
Roger figured Joe Canino would have the Roth had enough footage, he shot Owen
contacts necessary to fence such an unusual Mars dead.
art object. Additionally, Roger had gambling Roth emptied out one of Owen’s closets
debts of his own and asked Canino to use to use as a make-shift darkroom. Once the
any money he got for the item to pay them footage was developed, he projected Owen’s
off. soul back into his body. Now under his
Canino took the bust to his boss, Jack influence, Owen told Roth all about the
Dragna, and explained that Roger Wade poker game and what had happened there.
wished to use it to cover his debts. Dragna No longer useful to him, Roth turned off
not only agreed, but against Joe’s objections the projector and left Owen’s lifeless body
decided to keep the unusual sculpture. Joe behind.
had no idea how to press the issue without
revealing the bust’s involvement in a murder The Pictures
that took place on Dragna’s turf, a murder
which Joe had covered up. Through his usual Hollywood connections
Roth was able to determine that the “Eddie”
The Gun at the Ruby Room poker game was probably
Eddie Geiger, a local casting agent. Much
After the murder of Terrance Rutledge, to his surprise, the very next morning he
Joe Canino gave his gun to Owen Mars and read about Eddie’s murder in the newspaper.
told him to dispose of it. Owen, concerned Roth posed as a personal friend of Eddie
for his safety after losing the illicit package and persuaded his next of kin to have him
he was supposed to deliver, instead chose buried in The Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
to keep the gun. For a couple days, he tried This was not difficult as Roth offered to
to discover the whereabouts of the stolen cover the funeral expenses himself. The
bust, but he had only learned Eddie’s first very night Eddie was buried, Roth dug him
name that night and lacked the connections up and transported the body to Roth’s home
to track him down. in the Hollywood Hills.
On the other hand, it did not take Jules Roth hosts a lot of parties on the yacht
Roth very long to track down Owen, through he purchased with cemetery funds. He hires
his smuggling contacts, when his expected people to surreptitiously film his guests.
package did not arrive. Owen was stuck After exhuming Eddie, Roth went through
between dealing with Roth, whom he the footage of his yacht parties and got lucky.
mistakenly assumed was just an illicit art It turns out Eddie had attended one of his
dealer, and the fear of betraying Joe Canino, parties along with other Hollywood insiders.
a mob enforcer. Owen pointed Canino’s This film was all Roth needed to reanimate
gun at Roth and begged him to give him Eddie.
more time to get the package back or acquire From Eddie, Roth learned about Terrance’s
the money to pay for the lost item. murder, Eddie’s theft of the bust, and Mona
Roth carries the necessary equipment hitting him with it. In trying to learn more
for animating the dead (an 8mm camera, about the whereabouts of Mona, Roth
and alchemical developing materials) in a discovered that Eddie had hired a private
medium sized black bag. He could tell Owen investigator, Philip Toomey, to follow and
was no killer and was able to take the gun photograph all the members of the Lions
76 The Backstory

& Lambs Club. Eddie kept these photographs closed the door and stayed up the rest of
in case he ever needed serious leverage the night wondering what had just happened.
on his associates. Of course, Eddie never showed up to the
Roth realized he had discovered a jackpot office.
of blackmail material, and asked Eddie where Roth realized that the photos of Terrance
he kept the photographs. Eddie said he had and Carmen combined with the recent
given them to his secretary Agnes Taylor disappearances of Terrance and Mona along
with strict instructions to never open the with Sternwood’s sudden interest in Carmen
box, to keep it well hidden and only ever could be interpreted as Harry Sternwood
give it back to Eddie. having a clear motive to get rid of both of
Roth decided to take a chance. He drove them. Roth leveraged the threat of this
Eddie's corpse to Agnes Taylor’s house in implication to force Sternwood to help
the middle of the night. He used a projector revitalize the career of Roth’s wife Virginia,
powered by the battery in his car to animate a woman who hasn’t been in the limelight
Eddie and have him walk up to the front since her vaudeville days. But as much as
door. Roth hoped Agnes would be too Roth enjoys keeping Sternwood on a string,
frightened to do anything other than honor he still doesn’t know where Mona went with
Eddie’s request for the box. the bust after killing Eddie.
Rothwas mostlyright.Agneswas completely This is the state of affairs at the top of
shocked to find Eddie on her doorstep. Eddie, the scenario. The mob doesn’t want
completely unaware of his undead state, attention brought to the gambling at The
simply re-assured her that he was okay and Ruby Room. Joe and Roger do not want
that there had just been a big the murder of Terrance Rutledge traced
misunderstanding. Eddie explained that he back to them. No one wants the existence
needed the box he had given her. Agnes, of the Lions & Lambs Club exposed. Roth
not knowing what else to do, complied. is poised as a bull about to charge through
Eddie thanked her and said he’d see her all of it in search of his bust.
in the morning at the office. Agnes simply

76
77 Dramatis Personae

Dramatis Personae

The following is a more detailed look at So, he doesn’t do a lot of work to cover
each of the characters involved in the scenario. his tracks. Assume that if player characters
Theyareorganizedintocategoriesthatrepresent go looking for evidence of Roth’s crimes
higher stakes in the immediate situation. they will find it in obvious places. He doesn’t
The group at the center are the most active, wear gloves when handling weapons. He
have the strongest motives and the most casually throws away used materials from
to lose. The group on the edges are involved his development process. He looselyrecovers
through secondary and tertiary connections, graves. He hides his financial crimes in
and have less of a personal investment in methods that will only fool casual accounting.
the outcome. Roth also has two bases of operation.
He owns a house in the Hollywood Hills
In The Center and a private yacht. He throws a lot of parties
on the yacht but doesn’t invite a lot of people
This is the primary cast of characters. to his home. There is a locked lower deck
When running the scenario, these are the on his yacht where he keeps a few of his
characters you should return to most most valuable bodies in freezers. There is
frequently to consider how they have been also a large locked room in his house where
impacted bywhat the player characters have he has multiple projectors lighting it. These
done and what they intend to do about it. projectors are animating an entire gathering
Yourfirstresponsibilityistoplaythesecharacters of dead celebrities who believe they are
with authenticity and gusto. at a party. Their reanimated state impairs
their sense of time.
Jules Roth
Harry Sternwood
The historical Roth plus my imagined
process of how he animates the dead were Sternwood is a Hollywood producer who
outlined in a prior section. At the start of abuses his position to prey on young women
the scenario, Roth is entirely focused on with dreams of stardom. Sternwood is married
finding the bust of Rasputin and his only and has thus far been successful in keeping
lead is Mona Brody. Roger Wade and Joe his infidelity a secret largely with the aid
Canino have a vested interest in not telling of other Lions & Lambs Club members.
Roth about the bust, because as long as Atthestartofthescenario,heisbeingblackmailed
Roth is focused on finding Mona his attention by Roth who has photos of both him and
is away from The Ruby Room and the Lions Mona Brody as well as Terrance Rutledge
& Lambs Club. and Carmen Jones. Since Sternwood recently
Roth is arrogant and sloppy. He believes jilted Mona for Carmen the photos could
that he can always find a way to acquire be used to implicate him in the disappearance
leverage over people to get what he wants. of Terrance. Roth isn’t asking for money.
77
78 Dramatis Personae

Instead he’s forcing Sternwood to help Joe Canino

revitalize his wife’s career.
Sternwood is desperate to get the photos Canino works as one of Jack Dragna’s
from Roth and so are his fellow Lions & enforcers. He’s mostly in charge of making
Lambs Club members. Until he can achieve sure the gambling operation at The Ruby
that, his sudden attention toward an older Room runs smoothly. At the start of the
woman is raising a lot of questions. It is scenario Joe is primarily concerned with
entirely out of character for Sternwood to making sure that any investigation into the
suddenly be boosting the career of an aging murderof Eddie Geigerdoesn’t get connected
former vaudeville star. Unwanted attention with the disappearance of Terrance Rutledge
to Sternwood’s associations is unwanted which would draw unwanted attention to
attention for the Lions & Lambs Club. The Ruby Room.

Roger Wade Tripwire: If Canino discovers that Owen

was shot with the gun he was supposed to
Roger Wade is a business man who has dispose of, Canino will try to retrieve the
his fingers in a lot of pies. In addition to weapon before it can be traced back to
running The Ruby Room as a legitimate him.
nightclub, he frequently plays host to the
Lions & Lambs Club as well as operating Tripwire: If Canino discovers that Roger
illegal gambling rooms for Jack Dragna. At is skimming money off the gambling profits,
the start of the scenario he is also being he will give him a short deadline to repay
blackmailed by Roth, as the photographs it before taking it to his boss. If Canino
clearly show both himself and The Ruby finds out why Roger is skimming the money,
Room minglingwith the infidelious Hollywood he may try to confront Roth.
elite.
He has already been questioned by Roth Tripwire: If Terrance’s body is discovered,
about Sternwood and Mona, but Roger has Canino will try to quickly pin the murder
opted to claim ignorance of Mona’s on someone else, likely Terrance’s wife.
whereabouts. In Roger’s eyes, to tell Roth
about Mona and the bust would be simply Mona Brody
trading risking one scandal for another. He’d
rather have to deal with broken marriages Mona Brody came to Hollywood with
than murder charges. only a little savings and dreams of stardom.
In the meantime, Roger is paying Roth Almost immediately she fell prey to Eddie
to keep quiet, using money he’s skimming Geiger and Harry Sternwood. She is awoman
off the top of gambling money that should who has been used, abused and discarded.
be going to Jack Dragna. He knows it's only At the start of the scenario, she is staying
a matter of time before the missing money at a hotel, living off the money Roger Wade
is discovered. He needs to both replace gave her for the bust. Money that will soon
the missing money and get out from under run out.
Roth’s control. She is a woman filled with righteous fury.
She killed Eddie Geiger when she lashed
Tripwire: If Roger learns that Mona Brody out in anger but she is not a murderous
didn’t leave town as he instructed, he will person in general. She wants to expose Harry
do whatever it takes to make her disappear Sternwood for the abusive monster that
and ensure Roth never finds her. he is and would love it if she could take
 Dramatis Personae 79

the whole Lions & Lambs Club down with each other. Their passion has cooled and
him. However, she also doesn’t want to get they have a mutual don’t-ask-don’t-tell
caught for Eddie’s murder. policy about extramarital dalliances, but
respect and care does underlie their
Agnes Taylor relationship.
Roth thinks his wife doesn’t know about
Agnes Taylor is Eddie Geiger’s former the locked room with the party of
secretary. Discovering Eddie’s body has left reanimated celebrities in it. He tells her
her traumatized. That trauma was amplified it's his private workshop where he
when she received a visit from Eddie after experimentswith recording equipmentwhich
his funeral which she attended. In a state is why she may hear sounds coming from
of shock, she simply did what this Eddie it. However, Virginia has a secret spare key
wanted and gave him the box he had given to the room. Oddly, she isn’t horrified by
her for safe keeping. the contents at all. In fact, she frequently
At the start of the scenario, she hasn’t visits the room when Roth isn’t home and
told anyone about her experience because delights in playing hostess to the “guests,”
she doesn’t think anyone will believe her. many of whom are from the era when she
She is unsure of what she experienced and was a young vaudeville star.
fears she may have given the entrusted box At the start of the scenario, Virginia is
to someone impersonating Eddie. She wants enjoying the sudden revitalization of her
an explanation for her experience and also career by Harry Sternwood. She believes
fears she may have unwittingly made herself her husband is behind this sudden interest
an accessory to something more nefarious. in her talents but is unaware of the
blackmail. In general, she will take action
Wives & Mistresses to defend her husband, her career and her
undead “friends.”
All of these characters are women attached
to men. All of those men are awful. They Alta Philips
vary in degree of complicity in their lovers'
schemes and most are unaware of the main In real life, Alta Philips was the daughter
web of murder and blackmail. They don’t of the superintendent of The Hollywood
necessarily have strong agendas out of the Forever Cemetery and was already in a key
gate but do have a vested interest in how management position when she met Jules
the scenario plays out. Therefore they are Roth. She was a trained paralegal and likely
likely to become vitalized by the events in helped Roth in acquiring the financial
play. It is important to review them from information necessary to obtain a
time to time to evaluate their relationship controlling interest in the cemetery. She
to the developing situation. was romantically involved with Roth for
decades that definitelyoverlappedwith Roth’s
Virginia Carville marriage to Virginia Carville. The degree
to which Alta remained complicit in Roth’s
Virginia was Jules Roth’s real-life wife. I financial crimes is unclear to me.
don’t know much about her except that For purposes of this scenario, I imagine
she and Roth were together a long time Alta is fullyinvolved in Roth’s financial crimes.
and she was a vaudeville performer. For She loves Roth but also cares about the
purposes of this scenario I imagine that cemetery. She knows the misappropriation
Jules and Virginia actually do care about of funds is hurting the cemetery but is in
80 Dramatis Personae

too deep to easily repair the damage. She continue to “care for” her as Terrance had
does her best to manage the cemetery while done. At the time, Carmen lacked resources
placating Roth’s personal greed. of her own, and saw no other option but
to accept.
Tripwire: She does not know about Roth’s She was friends with Mona and they often
body snatching activities. If she finds out, supported each other emotionally at Lions
she will gladly hand over tons of incriminating & Lambs Club parties. She is suspicious
financial evidence. She will look for a way about Mona’s disappearance because many
to either downplay her own involvement of Mona’s things are still in the bungalow
or seek immunity. Carmen now inhabits. Fortunately, she has
been left to her own devices lately, because
Linda Sternwood of Sternwood’s sudden preoccupation with
Virginia Carville. She really wants to find
Linda lives a life of privilege, because and help her friend Mona in whatever way
she is married to one of Hollywood's most she can.
powerful movie producers, HarrySternwood.
Linda is blissfully unaware of her husband’s Eileen Rutledge
infidelities and the extent of his cruelty.
Ironically, she is more concerned about Eileen Rutledge is the wife of film director
Harry’s sudden professional interest inVirginia Terrance Rutledge. While Harry Sternwood
Carville. Since Virginia is much closer in at least puts in a modicum of effort to maintain
age to herself, Linda is concerned there his marriage, Terrance has neglected Eileen
maybemoretothisnewandunusualrelationship. terribly. Eileen knows about Terrance’s
Linda is used to her husband nurturing young gambling habit and she even knows all about
talent which she mistakenly believes to be the Lions & Lambs Club. She is terrified
more of a fatherly relationship. The sudden to tell anyone, for fear the members will
attention given to an older woman has Linda use their influence to destroy her. She hates
worried. watching her good friend Linda Sternwood
living in naive ignorance, but can’t bring
Tripwire: If Linda learns of her husband's herself to tell her what’s really going on.
infidelities, she will file for divorce and seek On some level, Eileen is relieved that her
to financially squeeze him. husbandTerrance has gone missing. However,
another part of her would like closure.
Carmen Jones Additionally, she can’t take full control of
his estate until he is legally declared dead.
Carmen Jones’s story is similar to that of To this end, she has a vested interest in
MonaBrody.Shecomesfromapoorbackground discovering what happened to him.
and came to Hollywood hoping to build a
better life. Like Mona, she found herself The Deceased
a victim of the Lions & Lambs Club. She
was lured into the hands ofTerrance Rutledge. As implied by the heading, these characters
At the start of the scenario, she is living are dead. Obviously, they won’t be doing
in the small Hollywood bungalow formerly much during the scenario but it’s important
occupied by Mona. Harry Sternwood told to understand their personalities and the
her that Terrance had to flee town because circumstances of their deaths.
of gambling debts and that Mona had decided
to go home to her family. He offered to
 Dramatis Personae 81

Terrance Rutledge he lost the bust of Rasputin that he was

supposed to deliver to Jules Roth in a poker
Terrance Rutledge was a prominent film game.
director before he was shot by Eddie Geiger When Roth tracked him down, he tried
and his body was disposed of in the ocean. to defend himself with the gun he had been
He was good friends with Harry Sternwood, given by Joe Canino to dispose of, but Roth
whom he knew both professionally and managed to get control of the weapon. Roth
through mutual membership in the Lions held Owen hostage long enough to film
& Lambs Club. At the time of his death, him, then shot him, and finally reanimated
he had several gambling debts, andwas having him long enough to find out that the bust
an affair with Carmen Jones whom he was had been lost in a murderous poker game.
financially supporting to foster her At the start of the scenario, Owen’s body
dependence. Terrance has been reported is still in his apartment and has not yet been
missing by his wife, Eileen, but very little discovered.
is being done to actively investigate his
disappearance. Undead Celebrities

Eddie Geiger Thereisanongoingpartyofundeadcelebrities

in a locked room of Jules Roth’s house in
Eddie Geigerwas a Hollywood talent agent. the Hollywood Hills. The room is lit only
In between legitimate talent recruitment by the flickering light of multiple projectors
hewouldintroduceyoungwomenthatmatched that keep the “guests” alive.
certain profiles to members of the Lions These undead celebrities are mostly
& Lambs Club, knowing full well they would themselves. However, they trust Roth
be taken advantage of and never actually completely for reasons they couldn’t really
start a career. Eddie was financially state. They mentally exist in a kind of fog
compensated for this service. However, for where they don’t really notice the passage
added social insurance, Eddie also employed of time or question their environment. As
a private detective, Philip Toomey, to far as they are concerned they are simply
photograph members of the Lions & Lambs at a party that they arrived at recently, and
Club with their illicit lovers. are awaiting the arrival of their good friend
Eddie shot Terrance Rutledge at a poker Jules Roth. Virginia Carville occasionally
game and then was subsequently murdered visits them without her husband's knowledge.
by Mona Brody after she was jilted by Harry Both their mental fog and their trust in
Sternwood. Eddie’s body was exhumed and Roth is not unbreakable. They can be made
reanimated by Jules Roth, who used him aware of their circumstances with enough
to acquire incriminating photographs from effort and evidence, although they will resist
Agnes Taylor. Eddie’s bodycurrentlyoccupies seeing the truth as much as possible. Also,
a freezer in the lower decks of Roth’s yacht. they fall completely lifeless the minute they
leave the projector’s light.
Owen Mars They will not commit acts of violence
on Roth’s behalf. If Roth is attacked in their
Owen Mars worked for a legitimate courier presence, they might rush to his aid the
service. However, he would occasionally same way a friend would intervene in a bar
take on illicit deliveries for a smuggling brawl, but they can not be turned into a
operation for extra cash, while using his murderoushorde.Theyareresistanttophysical
regular deliveries as cover. Unfortunately, damage since they are already dead, but
82 Dramatis Personae

any debilitating wound that would stop a Geiger. However, Detective Atherton is on
living human would stop one of them. Jack Dragna’s payroll. He will actively steer
the investigation away from any mafia
The Detectives connections or establishments such as The
Ruby Room.
These characters are highly optional. They
are provided as potential foils for the player Tripwire: If the body of Terrance Rutledge
characters.Theyare ostensiblyrunning parallel is discovered, Atherton will receive a call
investigations, but all have highly personal from Joe Canino requesting he snag the
motives.Iftheplayersendupbuildingcharacters case. Atherton will then try to quickly pin
that would fill the role of these characters, the murder on someone else, likely
then ditch them in favor of the player Terrance’s widow, Eileen.
characters. It is also possible to simply not
include them as they make an already Detective Rick Novell
complex situation even more complicated.
Rick Novell is Detective Atherton’s junior
Philip Toomey partner. He is unaware that his partner is
corrupt. He truly believes in his job and
Philip Toomey is a private investigator the pursuit of justice. He is perceived by
whose clientele are mostlydistraught husbands a lot of his fellow officers as idealistic and
and wives looking for evidence of their naive.
spouse’s infidelity. He has taken a lot of
workfromEddieGeigertofollowandphotograph Tripwire: If he discovers his partner’s
many of the Lions & Lambs Club members. corruption, he will try to expose him. Unless
He is responsible for taking the photographs forced to do otherwise, however, the LAPD
that have fallen into Jules Roth’s hands. He is likely to close ranks to protect one of
doesn’t know Roth has the photos, or indeed their own, up to and including sacrificing
what Eddie did with them at all, but does Novell.
understandtheirpotentialuseassocialleverage.
At the start of the scenario, he is a little A Note On Identity
concerned about the murder of Eddie Geiger.
He is wondering what happened to all the The above cast of characters probably
photos he took for him. It’s one thing to seems pretty white and heterosexual. This
provide evidence for above-board divorce is somewhat intentional, as the scenario
cases or fodder for some tabloid is about white male heterosexual hegemonic
sensationalism, but it’s another thing to be power. This is one of the topics that play
connected to potential blackmail material. is meant to address. However, if you see
He’s worried that if the photos get used opportunities to play with those dynamics
for nefarious means, that he may be by altering any identity component of these
implicated as an accessory. He would very characters, I encourage you to do so.
much like to find and recover those photos. I would like to reinforce that these
characters are not the main characters. The
Detective Gordon Atherton backstory that leads up to the start of the
scenario is not the story. The players are
Gordon Atherton is a homicide detective not passive consumers who simply learn
for the LAPD He is currently the lead about these events as if they were readers
investigator assigned to the murder of Eddie
83 Dramatis Personae 83

ofanovel.Thegamemasterisnotthestoryteller or institutions is entirely left to the comfort

relating the tragic tale of these characters. level of the group. That kind of content
Theplayercharactersarethemaincharacters. enters play only through choices made by
They are fully fledged human beings with the people actually playing the scenario.
agency. They should be as diverse as the Character fidelity and appeals to historical
playerswant. Diversityconfronting hegemonic realism are only excuses. Everything that
power makes the scenario more powerful, comes into play is a choice made by a real
not less. person sitting at the table. That person is
Finally, the degree to which the player accountable for their choices.
characters directly experience prejudice
and oppression whether from individuals
84
 The Murders

Here’s a detailed look at each of the three grabbed Joe Canino’s gun and shot atTerrance.
murders. The purpose is to clearly lay out He meant to scare him, but instead the shot
the sequence of events that took place, so went straight through Terrance's head and
that if and when the player characters go lodged in the wall behind him. The force
looking for concrete clues, it should be knocked Terrance backwards and toppled
relatively easy to answer their questions. him and his chair onto the floor. In a panic,
This is not an exhaustive list of everything Eddie dropped the gun on the table, grabbed
the characters might find if they go looking the box with the bust off the table, and fled
into these events. The intention is to provide out the back door into the alley.
a firm enough foundation that additional Joe Canino immediately took control of
information can be easily extrapolated. the situation. First, he made Roger and Owen
swear they will tell no one about what
Terrance’s Murder happened there that night. Next, he handed
the gun to Owen and told him to walk back
Terrance was murdered at a poker game out the front of the nightclub, go home,
that took place in a back room of The Ruby and ditch the gun somewhere along the
Room. The room is lit by a single hanging way. He instructed Roger to clean up the
light and is mostly occupied by a round, blood using cleaning supplies from the
felt covered poker table. The room has two nightclub’s janitorial closet, and then to also
doors directly across from each other. One go out the front door of the nightclub and
door leads out into a hallway that connects go home. Owen and Roger both followed
with the main club. The other door exits Joe’s instructions, except Owen kept the
the building into a back alley. gun.
Joe Canino was sitting closest to the After giving his instructions, Joe Canino
hallway door. Roger Wade sat directly across went out the front door of the nightclub,
from Canino. Eddie Geigerwas sitting closest got into his car, and drove a long and circuitous
to the alley door. Terrance Rutledge sat route back to the nightclub’s back alley door.
directly across from Geiger. Owen Mars He re-entered the poker room from the
arrived through the hallway door and placed back door, dragged Terrance's body out
the box with the bust in it on the table. Joe into the alley and tossed it into the trunk
Canino moved over closer to Eddie Geiger of the car.
to make room for Mars at the table. That’s Canino drove out to the Santa Monica
when Geiger first noticed Canino had a Pier. There, he weighed the body down
gun. using heavy tools and tape from a toolbox
At the end of avery unlikelywinning streak, he kept in the trunk of his car. After tossing
Eddie accused Terrance of cheating. Terrance the body into the ocean, he drove home
laughed it off and reached for his winnings, where he cleaned out the trunk of his car
including the bust. On impulse, Eddie
85
86 The Murders

using bleach and other solvent cleaning immediately call the police without touching
supplies. anything in the room.
After striking Eddie, Mona, still holding
Eddie’s Murder on to the bust, fled out the office, down
the stairs and into another taxi. She had
AfterHarrySternwoodknewhehadCarmen the taxi drive around for a while before
Jones on the hook, he drove over to the hitting on the idea of going to The Ruby
bungalow he rented for Mona Brody. He Room, hoping to find Sternwood himself.
told her that she had no future in movies, She instead found Roger Wade, who was
and that she had to be out by that evening. at the nightclub going over financial records.
He then left and returned to the studio where It took some coaxing, but Roger eventually
he works. Mona started to pack a bag, but got Mona to come clean about what had
then decided to take a taxi to Eddie Geiger’s happened. He gave her some money in
office. exchange for the bust and recommended
Geiger’s office is on the second floor of she leave town. Instead, she checked into
abuildingwith othercommercial office spaces. a hotel just a few blocks away from The
The front door leads into a small space with Ruby Room.
a desk and a couple of waiting chairs. This
is where Eddie’s secretary, Agnes Taylor, Owen’s Murder
usually works. A second door leads from
Agnes’s workspace into Eddie’s office. Owen Mars lived in a small third-floor
Eddie’s office is furnished with a desk apartment in a not very good area of town.
that faces the door, a couch that is situated The front door opens directly into the main
off to one side and a few indoor friendly living area which is furnished primarily with
plants in the corners.Aset of windows behind a couch, an armchair, and a small dining
his desk overlooks the street below. The table. A tiny kitchen area lies off to the right,
bust of Rasputin was in an open box on and a door into a small bedroom lies to
the floor at one end of Eddie’s desk. the left.
Agnes was out getting lunch for both Eddie After losing the bust at The Ruby Room,
and herself. When Mona burst into his office, Owen had been lying low and taking only
Eddie stood up from his desk, walked around enough courier jobs to pay the bills. He
to the front of it, and leaned against it before took the gun that Joe Canino gave him
asking her what was wrong. Mona frantically everywhere because he was terrified that
told him about Sternwood while pacing sooner or later, someonewould come looking
anxiously around the room. for the package he lost.
Eddiewasunsympathetic,andevenmocking. After learning about Owen through his
Monabeggedhimtofindheranotheropportunity. contacts in the smuggling operation, Jules
By that point her eye had fallen on the strange Roth drove to Owen’s apartment in the middle
object in the box next to Eddie’s desk, and of the night. He walked up to the apartment
she impulsively picked it up. When Eddie via the stairs carrying a medium-sized black
insulted her, she swung the bust around bag containing an 8mm film camera, portable
and struck Eddie hard on the back of the development equipment and chemicals
head. He fell forward onto the floor, and including unusual herbs, roots, fungus and
lay still while bleeding profusely from the mosses used in his necromantic workings.
wound. Agnes Taylor would discover him He knocked until he woke up Owen. When
there about fifteen minutes later, and Owen answered the door, he forced his
 The Murders 87

way into the apartment closing the door exactly what woke them up, no one called
behind him. the police.
Owen immediatelypicked up the gunwhich Roth put the gun down on the small dining
he had left on the coffee table and pointed table, went into Owen’s bedroom and
it at Roth. Roth, seemingly unphased by emptied one of his closets onto his bed.
the gun, demanded to know what had Hethenusedtheclosetasamakeshiftdarkroom
happened to his delivery. Owen immediately where he developed the 8mm footage he
confessed to having lost it, but not where had just taken of Owen using his necromantic
or how, and asked to be given time to either formula. He didn’t bother to restore the
find it or gather enough money to cover closest nor dispose of the used chemicals
its loss. in the darkroom.
Over the course of this exchange, Roth Roth returned to the living room and used
slowly moved toward Owen until he was the camera and the developed footage to
close enough to grab the gun. Even with reanimate Owen. Owen stood up and walked
the tables turned, Owen refused to tell Roth over to the armchair where he sat down,
what had happened to the package because trailing bloody footprints from where he
he feared reprisals from Joe Canino fordrawing fell over to the chair. Once there, Owen
unwanted attention to the illegal gambling freely answered all of Roth’s questions
at The Ruby Room. explaining both the murder at the Ruby
Roth then pulled the 8mm camera out Room and Eddie Geiger’s theft of the bust.
of his bag and forced Owen to pace around Finally, Roth turned off the camera, leaving
his apartment while being filmed. This baffled Owen dead in his armchair. He packed up
Owen but he saw no choice but to comply. his equipment and left the same way he
After a few minutes of filming, Roth shot came. He didn’t even bother to lock Owen’s
Owenstraightthroughtheheart.Owencollapsed apartment door. At the start of the scenario,
in front of his coffee table. The shot woke no one has yet discovered Owen’s body.
up a few neighbors, but given it was a bad
neighborhood and most being unsure of
88
 Running The Scenario

If you’re going to run this scenario, the A Note On Tripwires

single most important thing is to take creative
ownership of the supporting characters and I’ve provided tripwires for many
play them with authenticity. I’ve done my characters. These are simply obvious points
best to explain their motives, describe their of escalation given circumstances that may
actions up to the moment play begins, and arise in play. Resist the temptation to play
orient their starting agendas. The moment towards these tripwires or try to make these
playbegins, players start having theircharacters events happen. If they happen, they happen,
take action, and the systemic procedures if they don’t, they don’t. Tripwires are not
of play start to kick in. It then becomes plot points to be brought into play at the
your responsibility to play the supporting game master’s whim.
characters and abide by the outcomes of Additionally, the characters are not scripted
conflicts. computer characters. They can change. Part
I can’t tell you how the scenario is of taking creative ownership of the characters
supposed to unfold. I can’t tell you what is being honest with yourself about what
the climax is supposed to be about or who events cause shifts in their agendas, loyalties
will be involved. Those things are purely and actions. By the time a tripwire event
the by-product of play. Abandon all notions rolls around the character may have changed
of controlling pacing, sequencing revelations, so much that the suggested escalation no
or playing for dramatic effect. Relinquish longer makes sense, not just physically but
the responsibility for making the story emotionally as well. That’s a good thing.
happen or being maximally entertaining. Abandon tripwires the moment they are
Don’t try to be clever, shocking, misleading, no longer relevant.
coy or obfuscating.
Give clear factual answers when players Historical Accuracy
look for evidence in the obvious places.
Focus on information that deepens I don’t know much about 1950s legal
understanding of characters and draws procedure or forensic science. I don’t know
connections between them. Have your a lot about how movies were made in the
characters proactively fight to defend the 1950s. I don’t know a lot about which
secrets and people they care about. Be municipalities had been incorporated into
attentive for resolution points and escalate Los Angeles by the 1950s. I certainly don’t
whatever remains. Embrace the unknown know anything about smuggling, tax evasion,
and respect the outcomes of systemic money laundering or mafia run gambling
procedures. The story will take care of itself. establishments. You don’t need to know
anything about those things either.
If you or someone in your group happens
to be an armchair or academic expert on
89
90 Running The Scenario

these things, great. That can be wonderful will happen if the characters don’t interfere.
authentic content to bring into play. Otherwise, Nothing that happens after Eddie’s murder
remember that we are not crafting a historical is sacred.
novel for mass media consumption that will The characters could be assigned to the
be criticized by people who know about murderof Owen Mars. Someonewill discover
these things. When these issues arise, be Owen’s body eventually. That person could
generous with yourself, make your best be a neighbor, one of Owen’s fellow couriers
educated guess and move on. It’s more or someone inside the smuggling operation.
important to be consistent with your A fun option is to have the player characters
accumulated decisions in play than faithful be in charge of investigating the smuggling
to real history. operation itself and start the game with them
being given Owen’s name as a possible lead.
Starting Scenes This results in them discovering the body
themselves.
As a side effect of having no planned path The characters could be responsible for
through the narrative and no fixed climax, investigating illegal gambling out of The
you can start characters in multiple situations. Ruby Room. Such investigators usually aren’t
This means you can also discard the notion interested in arresting individuals, but
that the players must act as some kind of instead focus on building a case against the
team and they can each start in a situation ringleaders who run the operation. The
more custom tailored to their individual scenario could begin with the characters
characters. Here are some possible starting discovering that Roger Wade appears to
points based on various professions and be dipping into the gambling winnings.
social roles.
Lower Ranking Officers
Local Law Enforcement If the player characters are lower ranking
officers who wouldn’t be put in charge of
Thereareseveralstartingpointsforcharacters an investigation, they could be part of a
who are part of local law enforcement. Any team or task force. Bigger investigations
of the obvious criminal activity could be often break up the work among junior staff.
a starting point. Any of the above could be reframed as a
The characters could be following up on routine follow-up that leads into a bigger
Terrance Rutledge as a missing person. Simply discovery.
start with them talking to Eileen Rutledge Remember that regardless of rank, there’s
in her home. Alternatively Terrance’s body always someone higher up the chain. The
could wash up on shore or be discovered higherupyou go the more politicallymotivated
by a fishing boat. You can start the characters and potentially corrupt that person is likely
down by the pier, examining the body. to be. As investigations start to steer toward
The characters could be assigned to the power players such as the wealthy or the
murder of Eddie Geiger. You can always mafia, mandates are likely to come down
ditch the characters of Detectives Atherton from on high. Such mandates will be to
and Novell in favor of player characters. tread lightly at best and steer clear at worst.
A bold option is to roll back the starting Internal department conflicts are awonderful
point of the scenario to the point when source of drama.
Agnes Taylor calls the police. Treat the rest
of the backstory as a future projection that
 Running The Scenario 91

Federal Agents treatment by either Terrance Rutledge or

Harry Sternwood. She will claim that she
One of Jules Roth’s key financial crimes came to stay with her friend, but found her
is tax evasion, and he was the subject of a missing.
nationwide manhunt in the 1930s. It’s a bit Agnes Taylor might also consult a private
of a legal stretch, but having federal agents investigator about her experiences. She will
look into Roth isn't an unreasonable use explain that shewas given aboxforsafekeeping
of literary license. The scenario could begin by her employer who was murdered. She
with the characters investigating Alta Philips will then explain how a man who looked
with the hopes of turning her against Roth. like and claimed to be her employer came
to collect the box and how she complied
International Agents out of fear and confusion. On reflection,
she would like to know why someone would
Post World War II there were international impersonate her murdered employer.
task forces put together to recover Jewish
art stolen by the Nazis. Anyone attached Occult Experts
to such a team would have a vested interest
in the stolen bust of Rasputin. International Alternatively, Agnes Taylor might seek
investigative characters could have followed out an occult expert. She would tell any
the trail right to Owen’s door with his corpse such character exactly what she might have
to be discovered just beyond it. told a private investigator, only she would
want to know how it was possible her dead
Private Investigators employer could return to life and visit her.
A relative of someone buried in The
Eileen Rutledge, despite having no love Hollywood Forever Cemetery might seek
for her husband, would still like closure if out an occult expert if they came to believe
only to gain full access to his estate, should that bodies were being stolen from their
it prove that he is dead. She would be willing graves in the night. No one but someone
to pay a private investigator to look into interested in the supernatural would believe
the matter. She knows Terrance is a gambling them.
addict, but doesn’t know where he gambled. Someone investigating Owen Mars’s murder
She would point out Harry Sternwood as might discover the strange ingredients left
a good friend of Terrance. She would admit in his closet. They might seek out an occult
that she knew Terrance was having an affair expert initially as a consultant to discover
with a younger woman, but doesn’t know what they might be used for.
her name. She will not immediately reveal
her knowledge of the Lions & Lambs Club Civilians
as a social organization because of her fear
of reprisals. She knows the Lions & Lambs It’s much harder to break down the
Club frequently met at The Ruby Room numerous types of ordinary people who
but doesn’t know that’s where Terrance might become entangled in this situation,
also gambled on occasion. but there is usually a way. A friend, relative
Carmen Jones might also consult a private or criminal associate of Owen Mars might
detective about the disappearance of her discover his body. Anyone who works in
friend Mona. However, she doesn’t have the The Ruby Room or for the mafia might
a lot of money to pay. She will not be very discoverevidenceofRogerWade’sembezzling.
forthcoming about her relationship and Anyone who works in the hotel where Mona
92 Running The Scenario

is staying might gain her trust. Characters intimidating warnings that could escalate
who work in the film studios could have to violence.
avested interest in HarrySternwood’s sudden
desiretorevitalizethecareerofanoldvaudeville The Lions & Lambs Club
actress, or have something at stake because
of Terrance Rutledge’s disappearance. Terrance Rutledge and Harry Sternwood
The key is you can start all the players are the only two named members of the
right at points that are immediately relevant Lions & Lambs Club, but remember there
to their character concepts. You don’t need are others. They are mostly Hollywood
old friends asking for favors, mysterious insiders, but a few wealthy politicians and
inheritances from previously unknown businessmen are also members. They all
relatives, or letters asking for aid. They can stand to lose something if this particular
have a personal or professional stake in vice becomes exposed. That’s why they
any of the dramatic circumstances across all cover for and protect each other. None
the entire scenario. of them will hesitate to use their wealth
and influence to protect the club.
Blank Spaces Remember that they don’t have a single
meeting place. Their events are invitation
There are some areas of the scenario that only that spreads via word of mouth among
are left abstract because their individual the members. New members have to be
members are not primary characters in the vetted, invited, introduced and vouched
dramatic ecosystem. However, theyare forces for by someone who is already a member.
that influence the characters’ decisions. It New members are always considered a bit
may become necessary to add characters of a risk until proven otherwise.
and other details in these areas if the player
characters start digging in deep. The core Roth’s Blackmail Victims
principle for all of them is to keep it simple.
Always go with whatever appears to be the Jules has been gathering information from
most obvious choice to you. the dead for a long time. He mostly uses
that information as leverage to obtain favors,
Organized Crime score lucrative business opportunities and
coerce others into helping coverup his crimes.
There are two major criminal enterprises He rarely uses it for straight up money but
involved in the scenario. One is the there are a few exceptions.
smuggling operation for whom Owen Mars Among the wealthy elite, it is best to treat
worked as a courier, and Jules Roth has at Roth like an oracle. He simply knows things
least one point of contact. The other is Jack that no one else should know and he knows
Dragna’s gambling racket. how to use that information to get what
For either of these, feel free to invent he wants. He doesn’t have as much direct
other bases of operation and bit players. influence inside local law enforcement or
For both of these, people are needed to the mafia, but there’s almost always someone
arrange meetings with clients, collect and at the top who he can lean on to bring down
launder money, move goods around, and pressure from above.
keep a lookout for any signs of trouble. If
the player characters start digging too deep
into things, they will likely receive
93 Running The Scenario 93

Immediate Families closing ranks to protect their power and

influence. I wanted a supernatural element,
Do the Rutledges or Sternwoods have and an organized crime element, and these
children? Are Mona Brody’s parents worried decisions added additional layers and
about her? Who were the next of kin who complexity. There’s nothing less dramatic
arranged Eddie’s funeral? Will anyone mourn about a simpler situation.
Owen Mars when his body is discovered? I also want to reiterate that for your own
These characters, if they exist, don’t know scenarios, you do not need to do the amount
anything useful and most don’t have an initial of writing I’ve done here. Start with a bullet
stake in the situation. You should feel free point timeline of the scenario’s backstory,
to invent them if the player characters start a list of characters with some notes about
looking in those areas. Also, don’t hesitate their motives, and maybe a few additional
to develop them into something more notes around areas where the players are
substantial if player characters start likely to ask some more detailed questions.
connecting with them emotionally. That’s plenty of preparation. One to three
pages, even for a scenario of this complexity,
Final Notes is enough to run a compelling mystery. I’ve
providedyouwith the characters and timeline
This scenario is extremely complicated. in list format. You should be able to run
The complexity helps illustrate a lot of the this scenario with little more than those
points about mysteries as dramatic situations. two pages. When you focus on playing the
However, a scenario does not have to be characters instead of guiding the plot, the
this complicated. The whole thing could amount of necessarydetailing goeswaydown.
have been about a young woman murdering
her abuser, and the Lions & Lambs Club
Dramatis Personae
• Jules Roth, ex-con owner of The Hollywood Forever Cemetery
• Alta Philips, Roth’s girlfriend, paralegal and cemetery operator
• Virginia Carville, Roth’s wife and ex-vaudeville performer
• Owen Mars, a courier and gambling addict
• Jack Dragna, a mob boss
• Joe Canino, an enforcer for Jack Dragna
• Eddie Geiger, a casting agent of dubious reputation
• Agnes Taylor, Geiger’s secretary
• Terrance Rutledge, film director and member of the Lions &
Lambs Club.
• Eileen Rutledge, Terrance’s wife
• Roger Wade, owner of the Ruby Room nightclub
• Harry Sternwood film producer and member of the Lions &
Lambs Club
• Linda Sternwood, Harry’s wife
• Mona Brody, would-be starlet, abused and discarded by
Sternwood
• Carmen Jones, formerly Terrance’s lover and Harry’s new lover
• Philip Toomey, a private detective
• Detective Gordon Atherton, homicide detective on the mob’s
payroll
• Detective Rick Novell, Atherton’s partner

Inspiration
• Novels
• L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy
• The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
• Films
• Sunset Blvd. (1950)
• Gods and Monsters (1998)
• Television
• “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” - The Twilight Zone, S1E4
The Backstory
• 1937 - Jules Roth released from San Quentin after serving only 5
years on a longer securities fraud sentence.
• 1939 - Jules Roth obtains controlling ownership of Hollywood
Memorial Park Cemetery.
• Jules Roth begins reanimating celebrities to obtain blackmail
material on the living.
• Mona Brody is introduced to Harry Sternwood via Eddie Geiger.
• Harry takes Mona to Lions & Lambs Club parties at The Ruby
Room where she meets Roger Wade, Terrance Rutledge and
Carmen Jones.
• Jules hires an international thief to steal the bust of Rasputin.
• The thief hands off a forgery to smugglers who give it to Owen
Mars for delivery.
• Owen loses the bust in a poker game to Terrance Rutledge.
• Eddie shoots Terrance after accusing him of cheating and steals
the bust.
• Joe Canino disposes of Terrance's body in the ocean.
• Harry learns about Terrance’s death from Roger.
• Harry jilts Mona for Carmen which leaves Mona on the street.
• Mona confronts Eddie, kills him, and flees with the bust.
• Agnes Taylor discovers Eddie’s body.
• Mona sells the bust to Roger at The Ruby Room and checks into a
local hotel.
• Roger gives the bust to Joe to cover gambling debts to Dragna.
• Jules tracks down Owen, kills him and learns about Terrance and
Eddie.
• Jules reanimates Eddie and learns about Mona and the photos of
the Lions & Lambs Club.
• Reanimated Eddie retrieves the photos from Agnes.
• Jules blackmails Harry to help revitalize Virginia’s career.
• Jules blackmails Roger Wade for money over The Ruby Room’s
involvement in the Lions & Lambs Club.
• Roger Wade starts skimming money off of the gambling money to
pay Jules.
The Abbot of a local monastery is found drowned in his bath.
Tortured cries are heard nightly from a locked tower the Abbot
had previously declared forbidden. A desperate monk seems to
have something to say but they are sworn to a vow of silence.
There have been reports of a ghostly child seen walking the
grounds. What is going on? But more importantly…
What do you do?

Unchained Mysteries is a three part, system agnostic, critical

examination of mystery scenarios for role-playing games. The
first part deconstructs the popular linear or branching scene
structure whereby a mystery unfolds as the players follow a chain
of clues from one scene to the next. It's a hard look at the
creative limits, unfair demands, lack of uncertainty and removal
of player agency in this common scenario format.
The second part discusses rebuilding the very idea of a mystery
from the ground up. It starts from the premise that role-playing is
its own unique medium not beholden to the constraints,
assumptions, structures, and tropes of other media. Proceeding
from the heart of a dramatic mystery, a desperate crime, a
scenario is built outward through a vibrant cast of supporting
characters impacted by that crime. The methodology results in a
scenario that is teeming with unresolved dramatic tension.
The final part discusses the practical execution of the scenario in
play. The focus is to move away from the idea of concrete clues
and planned reveals. Instead the focus is shifted to active and
motivated supporting characters that bring the player characters
into their crises. The mystery is no longer an inert thing to be
discovered but rather a set of conflicts still in motion and
desperate for resolution.