Episode 143: You Can’t Just Set It on Fire
June 5th, 2015 | Robin
Using the conveniently public domain 1972 film Horror Express as a baseline, we demonstrate how to adapt a movie into a scenario worthy of the Gaming Hut.
In a flood-threatened Travel Advisory, Ken takes us on a tour of the sights and horrors of his hometown, Oklahoma City.
Then Ken and/or Robin Talk To Someone Else, checking in on Keith Baker and his recently Kickstarted game Phoenix: Dawn Command.
Finally we sidle discreetly into the Conspiracy Corner for urgent whispers concerning the sinister closing of select Wal-Mart locations.
Attention, class! Anchor sponsor Atlas Games wants to enrol you in Mad Scientist University, the card game of evil genius, insane assignments, and unstable elements. Act now, Ken and Robin listeners, and they’ll throw in the Spring Break expansion set for free. Shipping within the US is also free.
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Enjoyable show as ever. A. Scott Glancy’s love for Horror Express might explain why Pagan Publishing released a scenario inspired by it: Blood on the Tracks, which was in The Unspeakable Oath #6 and the scenario collection Out of the Vault.
So what’s the Terrible Eldritch Secret about the Devon Energy building that Robin was so desperate to keep Ken from revealing?
Gene Autry warned us about the underground Phantom Empire beneath Texas! He warned us!
Great show guys & anyone behind the scenes!
After looking at all the Cthulhucon panels from the recent event, they all sound like such a fun thing to listen to & would happily do so once they’re available. The Hammer Studio plus Mythos discussion to me is such a great combination. Hearing the enlightening Adam Scott Glancy go all cultist on Horror Express is a double bonus so if that panel isn’t put out to listen to on the net, to ask him as fun will be had by all to hear that like any of the Role Playing Public Radio/Unspeakable Oath games with ASG on all the fun/history tangents in the games.
For the Horror Express talk, the idea of stealing ideas from the movie The Hidden or just having the ancient alien now realizing that the planet doesn’t suck like it did when there was little to no civilization, getting off the damn train to become some weird highlander/superman figure for evil is a great way of putting together a big recurring villain for a campaign too.
Or washed up at Oklahoma City thanks to a wendigo/Ithaqua inspired tornado. Though now curious about the assortment of good food & art there that I’ve yet to see since that glass artist sounds fun.
Being close to Oklahoma too, also apart from the myriad of what Ken mentioned, for Cthulhu games or Esoterrorists, digging up a hellmouth or some buried doom or some natural force trying to take over the land again thanks to all the drilling or the Native American/migrant people angle has plenty of local or transplanted folklore going to that state. So with some of the people there now, it can be sneaky for the GM to put in some Asian folklore in there trying to either get out of that state or build a base of power there to bridge it between things in Asia or Chinatowns (or other Asian culture hotspots) in other cities. Have fun dealing with hopping Chinese vampires players 🙂
Great interview with Keith Baker, been curious about Phoenix Dawn after hearing about it on One Shot Podcast ( http://www.oneshotpodcast.com/one-shot/90-phoenix-dawn-command/ ). I liked the point brought up in the interview on the deaths being meaningful & not just a safety parachute for other game systems. It’s interesting how the cards work more narratively in the game versus dice. Though now curious to see how Phoenix Dawn works if playing with the cards from Gloom (standard or Cthulhu Gloom).
Also isn’t the Conspiracy Corner just an odd collection of Post-It Notes written notes that Ken or Robin discover somewhere in their homes upon waking from sleep or mailed to them or courier pigeons (or other animals)?
Now picturing some Canadian beavers or Chicago tough dogs/cats/pigeons bringing Ken & Robin some little Post-It Note every now & then just to add a little more odd & spooky to life +great story/game ideas.
With the Conspiracy corner, a slower acting Pontypool (movie) thing could be going on too for that idea but enjoyed the Wal-Mart founder idea Robin had thrown out there. Oooooorrrr some bbq sauce or anti-beef based conspiracy could also be the cause of the ones in Texas going closed for that corner part of the oddity hut. Those are fighting words to go against bbq or beef in these parts :P.
The Cthulhucon Hammer panel is here in audio form: http://www.monsterkidradio.net/2015/05/monster-kid-radio-204-lovecraft-gets.html
The con itself is in the process of making the panels available in video format.
Thanks!!!
Another excellent show. Not having visited the region myself I found the travel section about Oklahoma City quite enlightening, having been working on a scenario set in the general area.
After also listening to the Hammered panel from CthulhuCon I have purchased a copy of Horror Express, which I remember occasionally turning up as the Friday late movie on thr BBC during my teen years. Keep up the good work gentlemen!
Horror Express is now sadly apt with Christpher Lee’s death yesterday.
Thank you very much for a very entertaining hour as always.
Ken is stuffed with good ideas for those of us interested in Elizabethan games, but I was wondering what nutty kernels of good stuff would he offer up to those with a yen to cross the Channel and play games in France in the era of Dumas “Three Musketeers”.
I have always thought Mark Pettigrew’s Flashing Blades was a criminally underplayed game that made great use of a wonderful setting.
Do Robin & Ken have any thoughts on the matter?
For those who haven’t yet seen Horror Express, AMC is running a Christopher Lee marathon on 6/22, including Horror Express
http://geekmom.com/2015/06/classic-christopher-lee/
Having finally found time to catch up on my DVR, I must confess a disturbed, Glancy-like love for Horror Express, flaws and all.
I wonder if my Keeper will let me play a Cossack when we start Horror on the Orient Express. Different railroad = same result.
Fans of weirdness who visit Oklahoma City would do well to visit the Museum of Osteology. They have over 350 skulls & skeletons, both animal and human, and they’re very well presented.
great issues altogether, you just received a new reader.
What may you suggest in regards to your post that you just made a few days in the past?
Any certain?