Would anyone be interested in relating their Eldritch Horror games as storylines. I tried on BGG but they refused hands down as I think they only want the Stats side of things.

Doesn't have to be a long narrative, just a chance encounter or a significant battle during a game. Maybe name the GOO, the situation, the city or wherever the encounter took place.

I suppose it depends on if you view EH as just another game or as an experience.

Thanks.

Here's what I posted (tried to).

A gate in Istanbul had to be closed, defended by a Gug, I was playing a 4 investigator solo game...Lola Hayes and Mark Harrigan meet, Harrigan has his Kerosene and the double barrelled shotgun (can't use both), Basically, he gives Lola the DBS....this is how it played out...(albeit in my head).

Mark Harrigan, Lola Hayes....Istanbul..

Lola looked up briefly as Harrigan bustled his way into the hotel lobby.

Spotting her, he smiled, and made his way over,a heavy bag hanging from his right shoulder..

"Good to see you, Lola." He slumped into the chair opposite, placing the bag gently on the floor.

"I'm sure it is." she replied laconically.

His looked harded..."Now look,..if.."

She rose from where she was seated, " Follow me....Mark"

Harrigan slung the bag over his shoulder and followed her up two flights of stairs. She stopped at room 26 and kicked the bottom corner of the door..

.

"Same effect", she grinned brandishing the key.

The room was dour and hot, despite the open window and withdrawn curtains. Harrigan threw the bag onto the double bed...."I've brought you a ..." he heard the door slam shut behind him.

Lola kissed him fully on the lips..."Appearances darling..",she whispered, putting a finger to his lips.

Harrigan nodded, a little distracted. He opened the bag, pulling out a notebook, some scrolls and a book.

"These should help."...." But this, will give you an advantage not even 'They' can't resist."

He handed her the Double barrel, "It's loaded."

Her gaze wandered slowly from the gun, over his sweat soaked shirt, until their eyes locked..

"I Love You."

BGG has quite a lot of these, posted as session reports.
If I understand your intention, you would like players to share some storylined events instead of whole storylined sessions?

If that's the case, I think it's harder than a session report because you don't have the context of the whole session. And many events are are fun or interesting only in such broader light.
This might be the reason you got a cold response.

Either way, it would be reasonable to provide your own example storyline if you want to encourage others. (ninja'ed)

Ah, PBF's also have quite an amount of similar narration.

BGG has quite a lot of these, posted as session reports.

If I understand your intention, you would like players to share some storylined events instead of whole storylined sessions?

If that's the case, I think it's harder than a session report because you don't have the context of the whole session. And many events are are fun or interesting only in such broader light.

This might be the reason you got a cold response.

Either way, it would be reasonable to provide your own example storyline if you want to encourage others. (ninja'ed)

I think you've summed that up well, and indeed I am not criticising in anyway how BGG run their site. I just think that certain encounters could make interesting reading. Yes, I've my fair share of RP. I'm not entirely sure relating the whole experience is relevant. Make the context clear, that seems reasonable..

I'm all for it, but just relating, "I had the shotgun, I blew it to pieces, we won.".no, that doesn't work...

Ah, PBF's also have quite an amount of similar narration.

It really isn't about similarity, it's about letting gamers express their experiences. Those that have no wish to do so, that's fine. But I'm sure there are a number that do. After all, EH is set in an environment when Horror and Wierd fiction was at it's foremost.

Would anyone be interested in relating their Eldritch Horror games as storylines. I tried on BGG but they refused hands down as I think they only want the Stats side of things.

BGG has quite a lot of these, posted as session reports.

Ah, PBF's also have quite an amount of similar narration.

It really isn't about similarity, it's about letting gamers express their experiences. Those that have no wish to do so, that's fine. But I'm sure there are a number that do.

There are, and they already do.

So:

You don't need to convince those who already write.

You are not trying to convince those who don't want to.

What's left?

If you are not trying to convince anyone to write, then I have guessed that you would like to read some of these stories. Just that you have trouble to find these*.

That's why I gave you information about some of the possible locations.

* supported by your assumption that people at BGG are only interested in stats

Here's how it finished....

Harrigan looked around for signs of the creature...he was sure his information was correct...

Yet despite it all, nothing.

He stepped out into the alley dragging the jerrican of imflammable fluid.."Useless"..

Suddenly, the whole fire escape, almost a ton of twisted steel crashed to the ground not twenty feet behind him...

"God ****"..turning he hurled the jerrican in the direction of the cacaphony..

"Lola...now would be good.."

The jerrican slid to a halt a couple of feet in front of the monstrosity, not that it noticed, as one enormous appendage crushed metal and sent fluid spraying in all directions...

"LOLA"..

Lola Hayes stepped out from behind a pile of garbage, the stench of kerosene watering her eyes..

Almost in unison the double barrels fired...not in the direction of the creature, but the kerosene.

They watched as the creature stumbled towards them, an inhuman roar escaping it's inverted jaws, a monstrous brazier..then a loud 'thump' as it succumbed to whatever firey hell it had been condemned.

They sat for a moment staring into the burning effigy...

"Well, that's that.." Harrigan muttered.

Lola pulled herself upright, "Not quite darling." She nodded to the faint blue flickering emanating from one of the side alleys.

"I'm going to put this to rest.." Without a backward glance she marched off in it's direction..

Harrigan grinned.."God help them....."

Ah, PBF's also have quite an amount of similar narration.

PBF...clarify.. I live in France..and googling it...probably isn't the same result. Thanks..

Ah, PBF's also have quite an amount of similar narration.

PBF...clarify.. I live in France..and googling it...probably isn't the same result. Thanks..

PBF stands for Play By Forum.

The narration style varies by group, some posts are very brief while other make a good reading. For example, check out the few the last posts of this game finished with defeat .

BGG's Eldritch Horror Play-By-Forum is located here . I suppose the threads with more "thumbups" may be more interesting, but that's just a guess.

Play By Forum

Ever since picking the game up I've always wanted to write up a game as a story, structuring it through journal entries of each investigator.

In fact, a few months ago, I started doing just that in a four-investigator game against Cthulhu. I was really enjoying it too, but after a half dozen rounds and over 10,000 words I just ran out of steam and quit.

I kinda regret that now, because after continuing with the game and it looking like something was about to go spectacularly right, it all went spectacularly wrong instead and I could've probably tied the story up.

I might try it again some day, maybe with three investigators, just to lessen the bulk of text required. It'd be a nice project to complete.

It seems like a really cool idea. The name should be: Be your own little Lovecraft.

Ever since picking the game up I've always wanted to write up a game as a story, structuring it through journal entries of each investigator.

In fact, a few months ago, I started doing just that in a four-investigator game against Cthulhu. I was really enjoying it too, but after a half dozen rounds and over 10,000 words I just ran out of steam and quit.

I kinda regret that now, because after continuing with the game and it looking like something was about to go spectacularly right, it all went spectacularly wrong instead and I could've probably tied the story up.

I might try it again some day, maybe with three investigators, just to lessen the bulk of text required. It'd be a nice project to complete.

I'm not sure I'd be inclined to write a book, but just certain passages that maybe affect the outcome of the game or complete part of a mystery.

I used to own a FR RPG Online world set in The Silver Marches. I know it isn't strictly the same, but we used to have some very creative writers on our forums, it's always interesting and important to let creativity be expressed, especially in a world where virtual gaming is overtaking reading.

Anyway, thanks for the replies and steering me in the right direction.

I keep thinking about certain memorable moments in the game, and I figure I should write them down (though not necessarily in a story format). I hope some of you will get a kick out of them and I'd really like to hear some others.

I won that first game against Nephren-ka, and I like to think Monterey would carry that haunting with him for the rest of his life. Cos we all love happy endings

I actually had something similar happen with Tommy today. I think the essential Tommy, the metaphysical "soul" that connects all the various Tommys in all the parallel Earths, might have something in it that requires him to come to terms with the criminal element in humanity, and the human element in criminals. I had him being guided across the vast wastes of Russia by the smuggler Finn Edwards and his criminal associate--certainly by necessity and not by choice. But they faced impossible odds together, defeated Gods together. In the end, Finn gave all he had to finish what Tommy started, and maybe it was this sacrifice that gave Tommy the courage to offer his own life in the fight for the world...

Anyway,really amazing stuff Eldritch Mike, you do a extraordinary job of showing one of the big draws of this game...I think it's a true pleasure trying to discern the narrative thread that binds a series of random events, and also a great pleasure when those random elements just naturally give the illusion of intelligent design. Both your examples nearly give me shivers with how perfect they are. Between this and your "How did your last game go" thread I think you should be on FFG's payroll for what an excellent job you do showing off their game.

And I hope you don't think I'm slighting you Bern1106; your vignette is wonderfully flavorful and atmospheric, especially the hints of the oppressive squalor that must surround those lonely and desperate few who are burdened to know the truth of the world...and struggle against it. You give the Investigators great personality too (although I envision Mark as being much more mopey about his dead wife). Anyway, I hope you haven't been discouraged from posting more because I'm eager to read it.

OK, here's my own. Game was against Yig, but let's pretend it was against something with more tentacles...

The black motorcycle races across the African desert, the massive cloud of sand it kicks up is a storm unto itself. Leo Anderson, its rider, keeps his profile as low as possible against the stinging winds, his long coat flapping madly behind him. Finally, he spots what he was searching for. In the distance, but fast approaching, great black tentacles burst through the sand, as tall as the skyline of some alien, animate city. And weaving through the lashing, eldritch rage of those tentacles, a tiny silver object, the biplane The Mark of Kane.

Leo cuts a a quick right towards the tallest dune in the area, barely able to control his speed and momentum, kicking up another great wave of sand. He shoots up the slope like a rocket and, flying off the top, leaves the surly bonds of earth. At the same time, Charlie Kane lights two sticks of dynamite on the tip of his massive cigar then, with jerk of his free hand, flips his single passenger plane upside down. Suspended in the sky for one dread moment Leo stands on his bike and stretches every atom of his body as far as it can go. Its not enough! Charlie begins steering with his knees and leans out the open roof. Suspended upside down above an unforgiving earth hundreds of feet below he sees--the tips of Leo's fingers brush the dynamite! Charlie drops them into the firm grasp of Leo Anderson!

"Special delivery for Cthulhu's a--" the rest of the American Senator's witty remark is drowned out by the roar of the ancient horror whose head now breaches the desert sands.

Leo finds his bike hurtling straight towards the beast's gaping maw-a mouth large enough to swallow whales and still growing wider. Leo stands on the seat of his bike, steadies himself. He throws the lit sticks into the cavernous darkness of the creature's nightmare gullet and watches their light disappear, then kicks off in a great leap from the bike, right before it too is swallowed in darkness. The strange desert wind carries Leo far. He lands hard but confidently, right in front of an archaeological dig. The scientists and scholars there gape in disbelief at the man who fell from the sky, but he just stares ahead, waiting for the--

BOOM!!! BOOM BOOOM BOOOOOM!!!!!!!! The desert erupts in one titanic fireball after another. Finally Leo speaks, his voice grittier than all the sand in the Sahara and manlier than ten thousand lumberjacks:

"Whoever had the calamari--" Leo calmly puts on his sunglasses as the nerds around him run in a panic, flaming and charred chunks of alien flesh raining down all around them--"orders up".

[sorry, I hope I haven't ruined the tone of this wonderful thread with my silliness. This was inspired by a turn where Leo was heading into Africa to confront an Epic Monster in terrible combat, but then the Dynamite showed up in the reserve, Charlie Kane had it delivered to Leo, Leo used it to kill the monster and passed on through to the Pyramids to resolve an expedition encounter instead. The idea of Leo casually killing an epic monster while "just passing through"--especially while leaving a giant explosion behind him--struck me as so comically absurd that I couldn't help but laugh. It seemed beyond even the most ridiculous pulp yarn, straight into the realm of awful 80s action movie schlock...and that inspired this...whatever this is...]

[Here's another in game occurrence that's made me laugh, but that I don't quite have the will to write a story about. Two games in a row I got the Location Encounter where you can search an Elder Thing's body and, if successful, gain an Item from the Asset deck. Now, I'm not sure that's very good fluff in any case, because there are few, if any, Items in the Asset deck that make much sense to find on the body of an alien colonist frozen millions of years before the first human civilization. But twice in a row I got Fine Clothes out of the encounter, which struck me as especially bizarre. My conclusion: although the Elder Things hibernate naked, they are actually very snappy dressers.]

I think I should be on FFG's payroll too

But seriously Acanthus, your line about "trying to discern the narrative thread that binds a series of random events, and [the] great pleasure when those random elements just naturally give the illusion of intelligent design" is, I think, what appeals to all of us who play this game and I'm glad Bern1106 made this thread because I love hearing these stories.

Your post was utterly hilarious, by the way. I think "manlier than ten thousand lumberjacks" has to be the quote of the week.

Speaking of Leo and characters across parallel earths, I know exactly how that scenario would've played out for my Leo. He would've fumbled the dynamite into his own mouth, gagged and fallen off the bike into the midst of the archaeological dig, then exploded, taking all the scholars and scientists with him (and probably destroying some priceless artefacts in the process too) - because that's the kind of track record Leo has for me. Clearly, the Leo of your universe is far more competent. And manly.