Re: [WW] First WeirdWars Session

[mdsiii@nts-online.net (Matt Smith)]

screenmonkey wrote:

> Alan Kellogg wrote:
>> >I suspect that the OSI is going to be interested in that bunker, > once 
>> >it's been investigated by Division, than Corps.

>>Matt Smith wrote:
>> You betcha. The OSI will begin keeping an eye on our heros and start
>> manipulating things behind the scenes.

>Why? The only one who knows anything is the Sarge and anyone who looks at
>the odd MG nest is going to call engineering, not the OSI.  If Sarge
>shoots his mouth off in front of some brass or even other NCOs enough,
>then he'd get reported, and then the OSI might come knockin'.  When the
>OSI comes, based on Sarge's performance, they may or may not recruit him.
> It would make sense for them to send him on a few "priority" missions
>just to test his mettle.

My thoughts here is that the OSI has a bunch of clerks sitting in
England somewhere going through After Action Reports and other
paperwork looking for Weird Stuff. It might take a few weeks, but
eventually the OSI will want to talk to the bunch that took out that
bunker. Same thing if Sarge talks, only faster. The only thing the PCs
may see is some REMF officer from "Headquarters" that interviews them
about the bunker. Even if the OSI decides the PCs Know Something,
nothing overt will happen at first. The PCs may find themselves
inexplicably tranferred to the same unit, and their orders will just
happen to put them in the way of more Wierd Stuff...

>The point is that horror is hard to do.  It's even more difficult when
>the PCs are all heavily armed and have the clearance to use their toys at will:  
>"Sarge, they look like....like they're part dog, with big teeth and ...." 
>"Izzat so?  Tell ya what, Corporal, call Arty cuz he doesn't care what
>they look like."

This problem doesn't bother me too much. To use a movie analogy, I am
as happy running Aliens(Action) as Alien(Horror). A supernatural
turkey shoot can be fun, too.

Having said that, I do plan to keep a horror atmosphere as long as
possible. As an experienced Call of Cthulhu Keeper, I've found that
evoking an atmosphere of horror is mostly a matter of description and
well- atmosphere. It never seemed to matter how well armed the PCs
were as a factor in generating horror. Of course, this was Call of
Cthulhu, where a party's armament is truly irrelevant :)

>The OSI is just one more toy, a security blanket, but still a toy.  By
>introducing the characters to a government organization that knows about,
>and is specifically geared toward fighting, the supernatural--you remove
>a lot of the isolation that is so important to running a horror effectively.
>The OSI is a cool idea, but my vote is running the game for as long as
>possible without any evidence to tip off the OSI.

But you get the much the same effect if the OSI is tipped off but
doesn't take the PCs into its confidence, except that the more alert
players will start noticing they are being manipulated and start
feeling paranoid about their own side...
  
>The descent into
>wierdness should be long, slow, and cause for the PCs to doubt their
>sanity.  I think the exitless machine gun nest was perfect in this
>regard--especially the charred corpse still going through the motions of
>reloading.  Nice Job.

>Happy Gaming,
>screenmonkey

Thanks. A slow buildup to total weirdness is what I'm trying for.