Jul 3, 2021 12:19 am
Game system: Gumshoe One-2-One. A narrative system for duets (GM and one player) focused on investigating mysteries. There is no need to own any rulebooks or be familiar with the system. It is very easy to learn and should be very well suited to the play by post format since all outcomes are decided in one roll (even combat, if it comes up). Link to my summary of the rules.
Genre: Surreal Neo-Noir Mystery.
David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr.) is the main source of inspiration for the tone and style of the games I hope to run.
What to expect?
Quirky characters, dreamlike narrative sequences, mundane horror, idyllic locales that are home to dark secrets and hidden dangers.
All of which are on display in the following clip from Lost Highway. The clip is spoiler free, for anyone that hasn't seen the movie, but it is mildly disturbing and contains some foul language.
The Pitch: You will play as a lone protagonist investigating a mystery in a world that is slowly turning into a waking nightmare.
This is not an advertisement for one specific game. I will periodically update this thread with new plot hooks I am interested in running using the Gumshoe one-2-one system. Each game is a separate entity. This is not a shared universe game and there will be no crossover between players. I will create a separate game for each duet. I am putting all plot hooks here, together in one post, because it makes more sense than creating three separate posts and a brand new post each time I come up with an idea for a new game using this same format. I don't want to spam the Games Tavern with my weird ideas.
The current offering of plot hooks includes:
It is the summer of 1980 in Vernon, New Jersey. Two years ago, this small ski resort town celebrated the grand opening of Action Park! The water and amusement park they hoped would keep tourism thriving through the summer months. An aura of darkness has hung over the park since an employee died of an accidental drug overdose during an employee party celebrating the end of the season last summer.
You are a journalist out of New York City, just trying to make a name for yourself. Your editor sent you to Vernon to cover the reopening of Action Park. You didn’t expect to find anything interesting. You start talking to locals and find out that they have taken to calling it Accident Park. They recount the near daily trips paramedics make to the park to attend to injured guests. You are even hearing rumors that the death last summer wasn’t quite as accidental as the public was led to believe...
Disclaimer: Action Park is a real amusement park with a unfortunately tragic history that includes 6 fatalities due to the gross negligence and greed of the original owner. This game will feature an entirely fictional story that simply uses the park’s reputation as a starting point. I do not mean to make light of the real life tragedies that happened at Action Park. All characters within the game will be fictional, not based on real people, and I will not be recreating the real life fatal accidents within the game.
It is 2019 in New York City. You have lived in the Sunflower Square apartment building for the past five years. It isn’t perfect, but it is home. Lately that home seems a little bit more quiet than normal. You no longer hear loud music coming from the apartment below you or that perpetually arguing couple next door. Come to think about it, when was the last time you actually saw any of your neighbors?
You discover that the building is empty. All of your neighbor's possessions remain but every single unit in the building has been deserted. You are the sole remaining tenant and there are several interested external parties that want to know why.
You are a freelance private eye who has been hired by an eccentric reclusive millionaire to find proof of a television show he claims was broadcast on his college TV station in the 1990’s. He says it was a late night talk show hosted by an anthropomorphic ball of string... I cannot imagine why there aren't hundreds of people hoarding VHS copies of a hidden gem like that...
You’ve scoured the internet and found no trace of the show’s existence, but your client swears it is real. He is willing to pay an exorbitant amounts of money for proof.
Do you have the skills to unravel this mystery?
Content Warning: These games feature a Parental Advisory Warning. The games may contain strong language, graphic violence, body horror, mental illness, drug use, various criminal activities, and countless other disturbing things (both real and imagined).
The most graphic and disturbing stuff will be alluded to and happen off screen, but I don’t want anyone to be caught off guard. This is going to be a dark, weird, and potentially disturbing game.
Please let me know if you have any specific topics you would like to avoid and I will absolutely accommodate that.
Characters: Character requirements will vary based upon the specific mystery you are interested in solving. Some stories require you to play a private eye or an investigative journalist. All characters should be everyday people you could meet in the real world. No super powers or magical abilities.
LGBTQ+ and minority characters of all kinds are welcome.
Game Duration: Each game will last as long as it needs to last. This could be a few months. It could be a year or more. If you solve the mystery and are interested in continuing as the same character, there is always the option of diving down another rabbit hole.
Posting Frequency: It is a one-on-one game, so we play at your pace. Ideally, I am looking for players that post 4+ times per week.
I am only available to post in the evenings (EST), but on a good night I might be able to respond multiple times. I try to make myself available to respond a minimum of 6 times per week (roughly once per day, with an average of 1 day per week where I am too busy).
How to Apply: Post here or PM me. Let me know which mystery you are interested in playing, what your desired posting frequency is, and the type of character you have in mind.
I am only looking for one or two players to start off with but will keep any additional interested individuals in mind when I am ready to launch a new game of Gumshoe one-2-one.
Genre: Surreal Neo-Noir Mystery.
David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr.) is the main source of inspiration for the tone and style of the games I hope to run.
What to expect?
Quirky characters, dreamlike narrative sequences, mundane horror, idyllic locales that are home to dark secrets and hidden dangers.
All of which are on display in the following clip from Lost Highway. The clip is spoiler free, for anyone that hasn't seen the movie, but it is mildly disturbing and contains some foul language.
The Pitch: You will play as a lone protagonist investigating a mystery in a world that is slowly turning into a waking nightmare.
This is not an advertisement for one specific game. I will periodically update this thread with new plot hooks I am interested in running using the Gumshoe one-2-one system. Each game is a separate entity. This is not a shared universe game and there will be no crossover between players. I will create a separate game for each duet. I am putting all plot hooks here, together in one post, because it makes more sense than creating three separate posts and a brand new post each time I come up with an idea for a new game using this same format. I don't want to spam the Games Tavern with my weird ideas.
The current offering of plot hooks includes:
[ +- ] Action Park
It is the summer of 1980 in Vernon, New Jersey. Two years ago, this small ski resort town celebrated the grand opening of Action Park! The water and amusement park they hoped would keep tourism thriving through the summer months. An aura of darkness has hung over the park since an employee died of an accidental drug overdose during an employee party celebrating the end of the season last summer.
You are a journalist out of New York City, just trying to make a name for yourself. Your editor sent you to Vernon to cover the reopening of Action Park. You didn’t expect to find anything interesting. You start talking to locals and find out that they have taken to calling it Accident Park. They recount the near daily trips paramedics make to the park to attend to injured guests. You are even hearing rumors that the death last summer wasn’t quite as accidental as the public was led to believe...
Disclaimer: Action Park is a real amusement park with a unfortunately tragic history that includes 6 fatalities due to the gross negligence and greed of the original owner. This game will feature an entirely fictional story that simply uses the park’s reputation as a starting point. I do not mean to make light of the real life tragedies that happened at Action Park. All characters within the game will be fictional, not based on real people, and I will not be recreating the real life fatal accidents within the game.
[ +- ] Sunflower Square
It is 2019 in New York City. You have lived in the Sunflower Square apartment building for the past five years. It isn’t perfect, but it is home. Lately that home seems a little bit more quiet than normal. You no longer hear loud music coming from the apartment below you or that perpetually arguing couple next door. Come to think about it, when was the last time you actually saw any of your neighbors?
You discover that the building is empty. All of your neighbor's possessions remain but every single unit in the building has been deserted. You are the sole remaining tenant and there are several interested external parties that want to know why.
[ +- ] The Mysterious Ball of String
You are a freelance private eye who has been hired by an eccentric reclusive millionaire to find proof of a television show he claims was broadcast on his college TV station in the 1990’s. He says it was a late night talk show hosted by an anthropomorphic ball of string... I cannot imagine why there aren't hundreds of people hoarding VHS copies of a hidden gem like that...
You’ve scoured the internet and found no trace of the show’s existence, but your client swears it is real. He is willing to pay an exorbitant amounts of money for proof.
Do you have the skills to unravel this mystery?
The most graphic and disturbing stuff will be alluded to and happen off screen, but I don’t want anyone to be caught off guard. This is going to be a dark, weird, and potentially disturbing game.
Please let me know if you have any specific topics you would like to avoid and I will absolutely accommodate that.
Characters: Character requirements will vary based upon the specific mystery you are interested in solving. Some stories require you to play a private eye or an investigative journalist. All characters should be everyday people you could meet in the real world. No super powers or magical abilities.
LGBTQ+ and minority characters of all kinds are welcome.
Game Duration: Each game will last as long as it needs to last. This could be a few months. It could be a year or more. If you solve the mystery and are interested in continuing as the same character, there is always the option of diving down another rabbit hole.
Posting Frequency: It is a one-on-one game, so we play at your pace. Ideally, I am looking for players that post 4+ times per week.
I am only available to post in the evenings (EST), but on a good night I might be able to respond multiple times. I try to make myself available to respond a minimum of 6 times per week (roughly once per day, with an average of 1 day per week where I am too busy).
How to Apply: Post here or PM me. Let me know which mystery you are interested in playing, what your desired posting frequency is, and the type of character you have in mind.
I am only looking for one or two players to start off with but will keep any additional interested individuals in mind when I am ready to launch a new game of Gumshoe one-2-one.
Last edited July 3, 2021 1:55 pm
