Author: Marcus Bone Page 1 of 9

Hailing From Darkest Stars: A Coriolis Scenario

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On February 23, 2025

In Community Content Publication, Coriolis, Scenario

In Hailing from Darkest Stars the player characters are drawn into a mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Consortium scout ship Almuashir. Tasked by their Patron with discovering the fate of this ship, they will be informed that a single member of its crew has supposedly returned – unseen and unannounced – to Coriolis Station. Investigating this individual will lead the party across Coriolis, to places new and old, in a race to discover what they might know.

But the characters are not the only party wanting to find the lost ship and uncover its dark secrets. Within the Consortium powerful factions collide in what will become a deadly contest to secure an ancient artifact, the contents of which might spell doom for not only Coriolis Station but the entirety of the Third Horizon!

Hailing from the Darkest Stars looks to create its own distinct version of the Coriolis milieu, a darker, more threatening setting where the powers of the Dark Between the Stars are foremost in the setting, lurking just behind the otherwise normal trappings of polite society. In doing so, this scenario introduces a different type of Coriolis story, one that presents new challenges to the characters of this fantastic game setting.

Beware… as only great evil hails from darkest stars!

 – Hailing from Darkest Stars is available for US $5.00 via DrivethruRPG –

For Whom The Bell Tolls: A Scenario Outline

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On February 21, 2025

In Liminal, Scenario

Centuries have passed and yet still the traitors of an ancient King are forced replay their betrayal and death each Sunday evening. But will the death of their torturer bring an end to their suffering, or will lit lead to more death?

In For Whom the Bell Tolls, the characters’ Cabal is thrown into a mystery of forgotten rites, misguided desires, and a secret cult hellbent on dominating the Hidden World  for their own personal gain!

Written in a outline format, rather than a complete scenario, this adventure was originally written for a gaming convention that was cancelled due to a Covid lockdown, and has been reviewed and expanded here. Note that while it was designed for three specific pre-generated characters – a private detective (a Tough), a necromancer (a Magician) and a Determined, additional party members can be added with ease.

IMPORTANT! THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT A COMPLETE ADVENTURE!
Rather it is an outline providing the main plot, core NPCs and the major events for a Game Master to create their own Liminal scenario based on the presented premise. Most of the ‘connective tissue’ required to turn this outline into a playable adventure is left to you, dear reader, to create.

– Download For Whom the Bell Tolls (PDF, 11 pages, 1.3MB) – 

The Marshwood Vampire: A Casting the Runes Scenario

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On February 18, 2025

In Casting the Runes, Scenario

A Casting the Runes Scenario written by Linden Dunham

In the west country county of Dorset, a local doctor’s suspicions of a vampire preying on the district’s inhabitants proves to be well-founded. What will the Investigators do and how will they ever find The Marshwood Vampire?

The Marshwood Vampire is a scenario for the Casting the Runes roleplaying game. In this adventure the Investigators will travel to the west country in an attempt to track down and destroy an evil reborn. But things, of course, are never what they seem and recent wrongs, old manors and reluctant locals all stand in the way on the party’s success…

– Download The Marshwood Vampire (PDF, 10 pages, 776KB) –

 

 

Immersion amid a Sea of Confusion: A Review of The Secret of Chimneypots

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On February 17, 2025

In Casting the Runes, Review

The Secret of Chimneypots is a short scenario written for the glorious Casting the Runes roleplaying game (itself a derivation of the GUMSHOE ruleset modified to replicate the Edwardian ghost stories of M R James). Produced as an exclusive reward during the game’s crowdfunding campaign in 2020, the scenario is a self-contained mystery that can be easily run in a few hours.

Written by Christian Jensen Romer and released by The Design Mechanism, this publication is 30 pages all up and can accommodate a party of any size (although the author recommends up to 5 Investigators). Similar in design and layout to the core Casting the Runes rulebook (see here for my thoughts on that book) it has a very evocative cover drawn by Júlio Rocha, and a liberal sprinkling of period photos and line art throughout (including a very nice piece illustrating the adventure ‘McGuffin’ and some decent maps).

The adventure itself is set in the winter of 1900 and revolves around the strange events arising from the death of one Lionel Sharp, the owner of the small country holding called Chimneypots House. Drawn into this mystery, the Investigators will soon discover that the hauntings at the house are far darker and menacing than any simple ghost of the manor’s previous proprietor.

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Quaint Mysteries & Curious Ghost Stories: A Review of The Predestination Engine & Other Stories

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On February 17, 2025

In Casting the Runes, Review

So dear reader, please allow me to indulge myself with a little story, one that harkens back to the airy days of late 2022, when half asleep and somewhat saddened by the prospect of travelling to work, your erstwhile reviewer was drawn once more into the world of quaint mysteries and curious ghost stories. We all know the story, an innocuous Facebook post, the lightest of clicks on a seemingly innocent link and the next thing you know you’ve suddenly added yet another book to your already overgrown RPG library… sigh…damn you DrivethruRPG!

Now, while, I know that little scenario was a little facetious, in this case at least, it does act as an appropriate lead into my experience of purchasing the wonderful The Predestination Engine & Other Stories; a collection of six scenarios by Paul StJohn Mackintosh and Tobias Cooper for Mr Mackintosh’s much respected Casting the Runes. That said, while my alter ego seems as if he was somewhat fooled or coerced into this purchase, I was overjoyed to delve once more into a new supplement for this fantastic roleplaying game.

For those of you who might not know of Casting the Runes, it is a game I’ve waxed lyrical about previously (see my review here). However, to save you time, let me reiterate my quick introduction with the following: Casting the Runes (or Casting the Runes: Occult Investigations in the World of M. R. James, to give its full name), is an impressive implementation of Pelgrane Press’ GUMSHOE open game system, set against the world of M R James’ unique late Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories. Of course, for some of you, the writings of Montague Rhodes James might not ring too many bells, but rest assured, if you’re a fan of horror, you will have most definitely felt his (indirect and direct) influence in everything from modern fiction, television, movies, and more. In fact, M R James’ stories are so much a part of the British ethos that even today his tales are still regularly being brought to life through a variety of media old and new.

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