Brindlewood_Bay_Book - Brindlewood Bay

Written by Jason Cordova Additional contributions by Calvin Johns, Petra Volkhausen, and Steffie de Vaan Art by Cecilia Ferri Graphic design and layout by Harald Eckmüller Editing by David LaFreniere Published by Jason Cordova This game’s mechanics are based in part on Apocalypse World by Vincent and Meguey Baker and The Between by Jason Cordova ---  BRINDLEWOOD BAY Introduction 4 Gameplay Basics 7 Maven Moves 21 The Keeper - Basics 33 The Keeper - Advanced 45 The Dark Conspiracy 67 The Midwives of the Fragrant Void 75 Advanced Sendings & Servitors 87 The Children of Persephone 103 Mysteries 110 Session One 155 Appendix 163 ---  INTRODUCTION IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY is a roleplaying game about a group of elderly women—mem- bers of the local Murder Mavens mystery book club—who find themselves solving actual murder mysteries in their quaint New England town. They become aware of a dark occult conspiracy connecting the murders, and will eventually have to defeat that dark conspiracy to save their community. The game is directly inspired by the television show Murder, She Wrote, but also takes inspiration from the cosmic horror genre, “cozy” crime dramas, and American TV shows from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. TThhee SSeettttiinngg Brindlewood Bay is a small coastal community in Massachusetts. A whaling town in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is now largely a tourist spot. Many locals have turned their homes into bed & breakfasts, and the town has antique shops, comfy dining spots, and artists and artisans of all kinds. Guided fishing trips are common. TThhee MMuurrddeerr MMaavveennss The Murder Mavens is a mystery book club that has been meeting on the top floor of The Candlelight Booksellers every Saturday evening for the last ten years. The Murder Mavens are particularly fond of The Gold Crown Mysteries series by Robin Masterson, featuring the globe-trotting super-sleuth, Amanda Delacourt. The Mavens themselves are all elderly women whose partners have passed away and whose children have long flown the nest. Now, they’re enjoying their golden years in the picturesque town of Brindlewood Bay, keeping their homes the way they like, pursuing their hobbies, and finding comfort and companionship in each other. The Mavens are also amateur detectives, and by the time the game starts, they have helped local police solve several high profile crimes. Sometimes people approach them to get their help on a case, but usually the Mavens just stumble onto it—much to the chagrin of the authorities, who almost always resent their meddling. 4 ---  INTRODUCTION TThhee MMiiddwwiivveess ooff tthhee FFrraaggrraanntt VVooiidd Brindlewood Bay is geographically and historically significant to a dark cult called the Midwives of the Fragrant Void. At the start of the game, the Mavens don’t know anything about the Midwives, but as players we know they are a Hellenic death cult of men and women dedicated to bringing forth the “chil- dren” of Persephone—chthonic monstrosities that will usher in the End of All Things. As the game progresses, the Mavens will become ever-more-aware of the supernatural connections between the murders they are investigating, and will eventually come to understand the role of the Midwives of the Fragrant Void. They may begin to dabble in the occult in order to combat the dark forces arrayed against them, come face-to-face with a child of Perse- phone, or even be tempted to join the Midwives themselves. CCoonntteenntt WWaarrnniinngg On the surface, this game is about little old ladies solving murder myster- ies—and it is definitely that! But it is also more than that: the game (and this text) becomes very dark as you progress through it. Cosmic horror, graphic violence, ritual sacrifice, and other unsavory things come up quite frequently. Additionally, this book occasionally touches on sensitive subject matter, such as sexism, sexual desire, the violence of America’s gun culture and consumer culture, and other topics. You may decide that this is not for you, and that’s ok! There are other excellent mystery-horror games out there for you to read and play, including Cthulhu Dark, Lovecraftesque, and The Society of Dreamers. 5 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS GGaammeeppllaayy BBaassiiccss TThhee CCoonnvveerrssaattiioonn aanndd MMoovveess Gameplay in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY is mostly a conversation. One participant, the Keeper, says how the world behaves; they frame scenes and present challenges to the other participants, the players, who are responsible for saying how their character, a Murder Maven, reacts. This is all largely done via a back-and-forth conversation between the Keeper and the players; the narrative authority—who gets to say what—changes from time to time, but it’s always within the confines of the conversation. The conversation ends when a player describes their Maven doing something that triggers a move. At that point, you read the text of the triggered move, do what it says (usually rolling dice and interpreting the results), and then narrate that part of the story, as needed. Once the move is resolved, you return to the conversation. It won’t always be as clean as that when you sit down to play—the Keeper may prefer to shift the spotlight to another charac- ter in the middle of resolving a move, returning later when it’s dramatically interesting—but that is generally how the game should go. AAbbiilliittiieess Abilities are the Maven attributes that are applied to most die rolls in the game. They each have a modifier from -3 to +3. The abilities are: Vitality, Composure, Reason, Presence, and Sensitivity. Use VITALITY if the Maven’s action involves strength, dexterity, endurance, athleticism, or raw physicality. Use COMPOSURE if the Maven’s action requires a steady hand, a calm disposition, or intense concentration; or if they are trying to avoid a fear- based reaction. Use REASON if the Maven is studying books, researching a problem, examin- ing a crime scene, or otherwise engaging their mental faculty. Use PRESENCE if the Maven is trying to charm someone, intimidate some- one, or capture someone’s imagination. Use SENSITIVITY if the Maven’s action involves occult or supernatural forces; the Keeper may decide that an action that is seemingly governed by a different ability is actually governed by Sensitivity because of the supernat- ural, spiritual, or occult nature of what is being undertaken. 7 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS RRoolllliinngg DDiiccee In most cases, when you roll dice because a move instructs you to do so, you roll two six-sided dice, sum them, and then add the modifier from the relevant ability. You then check the result against the text of the move. If a move refers to a “hit,” it means a result of 7+. If a move refers to a “miss,” it means a result of 6-. Moves also frequently have success tiers: a miss, 7-9, 10-11, and 12+. AAddvvaannttaaggee aanndd DDiissaaddvvaannttaaggee When you have an advantage, you roll three dice, keep the two highest, sum them, and then add the modifier of the relevant ability. You will most often have an advantage because of the following: ∙ A move gives you an advantage. ∙ The Maven is using an unmarked item from their Cozy Little Place in their action (see page 17). When you’re at a disadvantage, you roll three dice, keep the two lowest, sum them, and then add the modifier of the relevant ability. You will most often be at a disadvantage because of the following: ∙ A Condition negatively impacts your Maven’s action (see Anatomy of a Character Sheet, Conditions, page 16). ∙ The Keeper believes it’s appropriate under the current circumstances. If circumstances would cause you to both have an advantage and be at a disadvantage during an action, they cancel each other out and you roll as normal. Note, however, that advantage and disadvantage do not “stack,” nor can one outweigh the other. For example, if you have two Conditions, each of which would plausibly put you at a disadvantage, and one move that gives you an advantage, you would simply roll as normal, without advantage or disadvantage. 8 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS TThhee CCrroowwnnss The Keeper will be very hard on Mavens when describing adversity because players have a powerful tool that allows them to resist: putting on a Crown. After a die roll, and after an outcome has been narrated, the player can choose to put on a Crown and increase their die result by one success tier (so, a miss becomes a 7-9, a 7-9 becomes a 10-11, and a 10-11 becomes a 12+). In that case, we narrate a different result, and what was previously narrated does not occur (we say it was a different timeline that we got to collectively experience but that did not actually happen). Example: Oli’s character, Hyacinth, is attempting to escape the clutches of an angry mobster she has just revealed to be the murderer in a case. Oli triggers a move, rolls his dice, and gets a miss. The Keeper describes how the mobster catches Hyacinth and throws her off a cliff—to her death—to prevent her from bringing her evidence to the police. Oli decides he doesn’t like this outcome and puts on a Crown, making his die result a 7-9. This time, Hyacinth escapes but drops a piece of information the mobster can use to track her down later. You may be asking yourself: “Why does the Keeper fully narrate a result that they know the player is just going to discard by putting on a Crown?” Answer: because it’s fun! The Crown lets us glimpse different timelines, play them out, feel them, experience the anguish and terror, and then… do something different. It’s sort of like one of those old Choose Your Own Adventure books: part of the fun is making the wrong choice so you can see the disaster that befalls your character (and putting on a Crown is like putting your thumb on the page of those old books so you can go back and choose something else if you chose poorly). 9 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS MMoovveess There are three types of moves in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY: basic moves, Maven moves, and custom moves. This chapter focuses on the seven basic moves: the Day Move, the Night Move, the Meddling Move, the Cozy Move, the Gold Crown Mysteries Move, the Occult Move, and Theorize. TThhee DDaayy MMoovvee When you do something risky or face something you fear, name what you’re afraid will happen if you fail or lose your nerve, then roll with an appropriate ability. On a 10+, you do what you intended or you hold steady; describe what it looks like. On a 7-9, the Keeper will tell you how your actions would leave you vul- nerable, and you can choose to back down or go through with it. If you go through with it, the Keeper describes what it looks like. On a 12+, you do what you intended or you hold steady, and the Keeper will tell you some extra benefit or advantage you receive. Describe what it looks like. The Day Move is used when Mavens take risky actions during the day, or when they encounter something scary or unnerving during the day. The Keeper has final say on which ability is used for the roll. TThhee NNiigghhtt MMoovvee When you do something risky or face something you fear, name what you’re afraid will happen if you fail or lose your nerve. The Keeper will tell you how it is worse than you fear. You can choose to back down or go through with it. If you go through with it, roll with an appropriate ability. On a 10+, you do what you intended or you hold steady; describe what it looks like. On a 7-9, you do what you intended or you hold steady, but there is a complication or cost; the Keeper describes what it looks like. On a 12+, you do what you intended or you hold steady, and the Keeper will tell you some extra benefit or advantage you receive. Describe what it looks like. The Night Move is used when Mavens take risky actions at night, or when they encounter something scary or unnerving at night. In BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY, nighttime is more dangerous than daytime, and so the Night Move is written to have more perilous outcomes for the Mavens than the Day Move. The Keeper has final say on which ability is used for the roll. 10 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS TThhee MMeeddddlliinngg MMoovvee When you search for a clue, conduct research, or otherwise gather informa- tion, describe how you’re doing so and roll with an appropriate ability. On a hit, you find a Clue. The Keeper will tell you what it is. On a 7–9, there’s a complication—either with the Clue itself, or a compli- cation you encounter while searching. The Keeper will tell you what the complication is. On a 12+, you also find a Void Clue OR you learn something about the dark conspiracy in Brindlewood Bay (Keeper’s choice). The Meddling Move is the main way a Maven turns up Clues and is the most frequently triggered move in the game. The Meddling Move is written to cover all types of information-gathering actions, and the ability used for the roll should match whatever action is taken. For example, if a Maven is gathering information by sweet-talking a local law enforcement official, her player would roll with Presence. If they are gathering information by silently listening to a conversation they aren’t supposed to hear, her player would roll with Composure. If they are digging through books at the local library, they’d roll with Reason. And so forth. The Keeper has final say on which ability is used for the roll. TThhee CCoozzyy MMoovvee When you have an intimate moment with another Maven while one of you is engaged in your Cozy Activity, you may each clear an appropriate Condition. If it’s your Cozy Activity, you can also stumble on a Clue relevant to the active mystery. Tell the Keeper what it is. The Clue cannot conclusively solve the mystery by itself. This move serves the practical purpose of clearing Conditions, but is principally designed to show the close relationship between individual Murder Mavens, and to give a glimpse into their lives in the community of Brindlewood Bay. It’s also a risk-free way to find a Clue. 11 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS TThhee GGoolldd CCrroowwnn MMyysstteerriieess MMoovvee Once per mystery, when any Maven says “This reminds me of something that happened to Amanda Delacourt!”, work with the other players to describe how something that is happening in the situation reminds the Mavens of an event from one of the Gold Crown Mysteries. At a minimum, you must provide the following information: ∙ The name of the Gold Crown Mystery in question (no repeats, please!). ∙ The problem or situation Amanda found herself in that is similar to what the Mavens are experiencing. ∙ How Amanda eventually overcame the problem or resolved the situation. Then, take a 12+ to a single relevant roll OR state a fact about the current situation that the Keeper must incorporate. Note: Generally-speaking, this move can only be used once per mystery, per group. The Murder Mavens share a love for the Amanda Delacourt novels penned by the mysterious author Robin Masterson, and will frequently refer to Amanda’s troubles when investigating mysteries of their own. This move is very power- ful and, generally-speaking, can only be used once—total—per mystery. TThhee OOccccuulltt MMoovvee When you engage in an activity related to the supernatural or the occult for the first time, imagine what your actions would look like as a move. Say what triggers the move and roll with Sensitivity. On a hit, it works; work with the Keeper to write the move—it is now a move all Mavens can use for the rest of the game and your roll stands. On a 7–9, you must also mark the Crown of the Void. On a miss, it’s not something the Mavens can ever do and you also mark the Crown of the Void. Note: The Keeper can require you to have a strong fictional justification for doing so before attempting to trigger this move. At the beginning of the game, the Murder Mavens have little to no familiar- ity with the occult, and they are entirely unaware of the dark conspiracy of the Midwives of the Fragrant Void. As the game progresses, they will become more attuned to the deeper mysteries, and may even begin to dabble in the occult themselves. This move helps cover those situations and creates new moves based on what the Mavens undertake. But beware! This move is incredibly dangerous: even a hit can push the Maven one step closer to retirement. 12 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS TThheeoorriizzee When the Mavens have an open, freewheeling discussion about the solution to a mystery once they have gathered a number of Clues equal to at least half the mystery’s Complexity (rounded up)—and reach a consensus— roll plus the number of Clues incorporated into the theory or otherwise explained away, minus the mystery’s Complexity. On a 10+, it’s the correct solution. The Keeper will present an opportunity to take down the culprit or otherwise save the day. On a 7–9, it’s the correct solution, but the Keeper will either add an unwelcome complication to the solution itself, or present a complicated or dangerous opportunity to take down the culprit or save the day. On a 6-, the solution is incorrect, and the Keeper reacts. On a 12+, a person involved in the dark conspiracy of Brindlewood Bay also reveals themself to the Mavens. Note: It doesn’t matter who rolls Theorize when the time comes. Additionally, Theorize cannot be taken with advantage or disadvantage, nor is it subject to the effects of other moves. The success tier can be increased by putting on a Crown, but only if every Maven does so. There are no canonical solutions to Brindlewood Bay mysteries—the solu- tion is whatever the players come up with at the table, based on the Clues at hand. Theorize is meant to simulate those great scenes in mystery stories where the protagonists are puzzling aloud about who might have done it. MMaavveenn MMoovveess && CCuussttoomm MMoovveess The proper way to think about the differences between the basic moves, Maven moves, and custom moves is that each represents a different level of fictional specificity. Put more simply, the basic moves cover roughly 75% of all actions the Mavens might take in the story; the Maven moves are for narrower circumstances involving talents that are unique to a particular Maven, and account for about 20% of their actions; and custom moves are for niche cases, usually for highlighting something specific to a mystery, or a dramatic, one-time action, and account for less than 5% of all actions. The moves that are created from the Occult Move are also considered custom moves. The next chapter discusses the Maven moves in more detail. 14 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS AAnnaattoommyy ooff aa CChhaarraacctteerr SShheeeett This section briefly details each part of the character sheet and is addressed to players. NNaammee You should circle any given name you wish and then come up with a surname on your own. Alternatively, you can come up with both given name and surname. SSttyyllee A Maven’s personal style should reflect her basic outlook on life. Mavens don’t always have to be dressed in a manner that matches their style. CCoozzyy AAccttiivviittyy The Maven’s Cozy Activity represents their favorite hobby or pastime (apart from murder mystery books). No two Mavens can have the same Cozy Activity. EEnndd ooff SSeessssiioonn These questions represent roleplaying goals for the session. You can have three questions marked, and the first question on the list is always marked. For each marked question you answer “yes” to at the end of the session, mark an XP. At the beginning of a new session, you can unmark your two elective options and mark two different ones, or leave either or both the same. XXPP TTrraacckk When you mark all five boxes on the XP track, erase them whenever you wish and mark an advancement (see Advancements, below). There are two ways to mark the XP track: 1) by answering “yes” to an End of Session question and 2) when the text of a move instructs you to. AAddvvaanncceemmeennttss When you mark an advancement, immediately apply its effects to your character sheet. When all advancements have been marked, your Maven can no longer collect XP or advance, but they are in play until forced to retire by the Crown of the Void or until you decide to retire them (see Putting on a Crown, below). 15 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS AAbbiilliittiieess These are the character attributes that are applied to most die rolls. ∙ Use Vitality if your Maven’s action involves strength, dexterity, endurance, athleticism, or raw physicality. ∙ Use Composure if your Maven’s action requires a steady hand, a calm disposition, or intense concentration; or if they are trying to avoid a fear- based reaction. ∙ Use Reason if your Maven is studying books, researching a problem, examining a crime scene, or otherwise engaging their mental faculty. ∙ Use Presence if your Maven is trying to charm someone, intimidate some- one, or capture someone’s imagination. ∙ Use Sensitivity if your Maven’s action involves supernatural forces; the Keeper may decide that any action that is seemingly governed by a differ- ent ability is actually governed by Sensitivity because of the supernatural, spiritual, or occult nature of what is being undertaken. CCoonnddiittiioonnss Conditions are traits that cause you to make die rolls at a disadvantage if they would plausibly hinder your Maven during an action. You can have up to three Conditions. If you would ever take a fourth Condition, you instead mark one of your Crowns (see Putting on a Crown). Conditions are removed as the result of moves or when the Keeper instructs you to do so. MMaavveenn MMoovveess Unlike the basic moves on the Reference Sheet, a Maven move can only be used if you have it written on your character sheet. The Maven move is one of the ways you personalize your Murder Maven. 16 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS PPuuttttiinngg oonn aa CCrroowwnn ((TThhee CCrroowwnn ooff tthhee QQuueeeenn aanndd TThhee CCrroowwnn ooff tthhee VVooiidd)) The next section of the character sheet is divided into two parts: The Crown of the Queen and The Crown of the Void. You will occasionally “put on a Crown,” in which case you mark a box from one of these two sections. You must then do as the marked text instructs before the current session ends. The Crown of the Queen represents the idea of your Maven as a woman. The text involves flashbacks to her life as a partner, mother, and sister, and present-day scenes that show her being romantic or sexual, or having a complicated inner life. The entries can be marked in any order. The Crown of the Void represents the effects of the dark conspiracy on your Maven. The text is always marked in order, and the last box heralds your Maven’s retirement from the game. AA CCoozzyy LLiittttllee PPllaaccee This section of the character sheet is where you note interesting and distinctive items that can be found in your Maven’s home in Brindlewood Bay. This section also functions as an equipment list, since anything from the Cozy Little Place that might reasonably be on a Maven’s person in a scene, is. Items from your Cozy Little Place can be marked to get an advantage on a die roll associated with their use. Generally-speaking, they cannot be unmarked, but marked items remain in your Cozy Little Place for use in future scenes, in which case they add to the fictional positioning of your Maven’s actions but do not convey a bonus to a die roll. At the beginning of Session One, you and the other players will have an opportunity to add items to your Cozy Little Place. After that, items can be added as the result of moves or when the Keeper instructs you to do so. 17 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS SSttrruuccttuurree ooff PPllaayy ((SSeessssiioonn TTwwoo aanndd OOnnwwaarrdd)) The following structure of play applies to every session starting with Session Two. Session One has its own structure, which can be found near the end of the book. RReeccaapp Mysteries that are not resolved by the end of a session carry over into the next session. The Keeper will spend a few minutes re-capping where the mystery stands at the beginning of the session, with an emphasis on the Clues that have been found. The Keeper will also mention the Void Clues that have been encountered. The players should remind everyone at the table what Conditions their Maven has. If there isn’t an active mystery, focus the recap on Void Clues and Conditions. RReessoollvvee CClliiffffhhaannggeerrss ((iiff aapppplliiccaabbllee)) If the previous session ended with one or more cliffhangers, resolve them with regular play. Continue regular play until some downtime is reached in the story, at which point you should continue to the next step, Beginning of Session. If the previous session did not end with any cliffhangers, skip this step and go straight to Beginning of Session. BBeeggiinnnniinngg ooff SSeessssiioonn This is a short housekeeping phase in which players mark new End of Session questions (if they wish) and resolve moves that take place at the beginning of a session. CCoozzyy VViiggnneetttteess Each player narrates a short vignette showing their Maven enjoying her life in Brindlewood Bay. These scenes should be light and breezy or warm and cozy; they should show the Maven enjoying her hobbies, helping with a community project, or working around her home. TThhee KKeeeeppeerr PPrreesseennttss aa NNeeww MMyysstteerryy ((iiff aapppplliiccaabbllee)) If a mystery was solved last session, the Keeper will present a new mystery to the Mavens. The Keeper will also inform the players of the mystery’s Complexity, from 6 to 8. If you didn’t resolve the mystery from last session, skip this step. 18 ---  GAMEPLAY BASICS IInnvveessttiiggaattiioonn ((RReegguullaarr PPllaayy)) The bulk of the session will be taken up by the Murder Mavens’ investigation of the active mystery. The players can pursue any leads their Mavens might be interested in, or they can request downtime scenes in which we see the Mavens bonding with each other or members of the community. CCrroowwnn SScceenneess There are two special sections on the character sheet: The Crown of the Queen and The Crown of the Void. When text from those sections is marked during play, the player of the Maven in question must do as the text instructs. This frequently means narrating a specific type of scene. Players can narrate such scenes whenever they wish, but must do so before the End of Session. EEnndd ooff SSeessssiioonn The character sheet has a section called End of Session. At the end of the session, each player should read aloud the questions they have marked there. They mark XP for each one that can be answered “yes.”. DDeebbrriieeff Do a short debrief of the session. We recommend the Stars & Wishes tech- nique from the Session One chapter near the end of this book. 19 ---  MAVEN MOVES MMaavveenn MMoovveess Generally-speaking, Murder Mavens are defined by the things that make them the same: they’re elderly women, they love mystery books, they each have a deceased partner, and so forth. Maven moves are how they stand out from each other; they represent the special talents of each Murder Maven and help define how they operate within the setting. There are two sets of Maven moves: classic and alternate. Before play begins, the Keeper should determine which set they want to use in their campaign. Moves from one set should not be used with moves from another set in the same campaign. CCllaassssiicc MMaavveenn MMoovveess The classic Maven moves are largely inspired by male detective characters in American TV shows from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. The text from each move follows, along with a short bit of advice for players for why they might want to pick that move. Note: No two Mavens can have the same Maven move at the start. Addition- ally, no two Mavens can have Dale Cooper and Fox Mulder at the same time, though a single Maven can acquire both during the course of the game. BB..AA.. BBaarraaccuuss Once per mystery, if you and/or any number of your fellow Mavens would suffer physical harm, you can describe how that physical harm is just narrowly avoided. Pick this move if you want to keep the Mavens relatively safe from physical harm, or if you want to describe daring escapes. FFrraannkk CCoolluummbboo Something about you causes the elite of society to not take you too seri- ously. What is it? Once per mystery, when you do the Meddling Move in a place occupied by the rich and famous, you find an additional Clue, even on a miss. Pick this move if you want to be good at finding Clues, or if you want to have scenes where you get under the skin of elites. 21 ---  MAVEN MOVES DDaallee CCooooppeerr Add 1 to your Sensitivity (max 3). At the beginning of each session, the Keeper will give you a Void Clue in the form of a strange, unsettling dream you experience. No two Mavens can have this move at the same time. Pick this move if you want to explore supernatural weirdness. SSoonnnnyy CCrroocckkeetttt You have a very stylish wardrobe—people say “Wow!” whenever they see you around town. Describe your Style in a little more detail and then add Stylish Wardrobe to your Cozy Little Place. When you use it to get an advantage on a die roll, leave it unmarked. Pick this move if you want to be highly effective in social situations, or if you want to describe your Maven’s fabulous outfits. FFrraannkk DDoowwlliinngg You have a strong religious background. Describe it. When you use this move, describe how your faith is helping you resist the Void. Then, unmark every box on The Crown of the Void. You are still Obsessed with the Void if you unmark the Pomegranate Kernel. You may only use this move once. Pick this move if you want to lean into danger by embracing the Void, or if you want to have scenes showing how your religion is affected by the Void. Note that the effects from The Chariot are not reversed if it is unmarked. If it is marked again, the effects get applied again, but Reason can never go below -3 and Sensitivity can never go above 3. TToomm HHaannssoonn You can easily pass for someone much younger. If you’re in a situation or environment where being younger is a benefit, your rolls are made with advantage. Pick this move if you want to move easily through places the Mavens would normally find challenging because of their age, or if you want to explore themes of youth and aging. MMiillttoonn HHaarrddccaassttllee You have an additional End of Session question that is always marked: “Did you inflict extrajudicial punishment on a wrongdoer?” Pick this move if you want to advance a little more quickly, or if you want to explore the idea of having a personal moral code. 22 ---  MAVEN MOVES JJoonnaatthhaann HHaarrtt You used to live a globetrotting, jet set life, and you still have a touch of glamor about you that will never fade. Add 1 to your Presence (max 3). Pick this move if you want to be highly effective at influencing others with your charisma, or if you want to explore a backstory related to being rich & famous. AAnngguuss MMaaccGGyyvveerr When you improvise in a situation using whatever is at-hand, ask the other players and Keeper to name three objects you find in the environment. So long as you can give a plausible explanation for how these three objects together are helpful in the current situation, you get an automatic 12+ on a single associated die roll. This move can be used once per mystery. Pick this move if you want to be rewarded for your improvisational skills as a player. TThhoommaass MMaaggnnuumm You are a secret personal friend of Robin Masterson, the mysterious author of The Gold Crown Mysteries. You have access to Robin’s resources when- ever you are outside Brindlewood Bay: her homes, her vehicles, and even her checking account. Additionally, the Mavens always get both benefits of the Gold Crown Mysteries Move instead of having to choose. Pick this move if you want to make The Gold Crown Mysteries a central part of the story. FFooxx MMuullddeerr Someone connected to the dark conspiracy is helping you behind the scenes. Tell the Keeper that the thresholds for each layer of the dark conspiracy are reduced by 1. Once per mystery, after at least one Void Clue has been encountered, you can have a secret meeting with this informant, who is always shrouded in darkness or otherwise disguised. You need only describe what the scene looks like—the location, the physical environment, how the mysterious person arrives on the scene, etc. The actual conversa- tion happens off-screen. Then, you can declare that a Void Clue encountered during the mystery is now a regular Clue. The informant will only fully reveal themselves during the Void Mystery, at which point you can have normal scenes with them. No two Mavens can have this move at the same time. Pick this move if you want to make the occult conspiracy a more central part of the story. 23 ---  MAVEN MOVES MMiicchhaaeell KKnniigghhtt You have a trusty mode of transportation—an oversized sedan, a motorbike, or an old truck—that has gotten you out of more than one sticky situation. Give it a name and add it to your Cozy Little Place. When you use it to get an advantage on a die roll, leave it unmarked. Pick this move if you want a vehicle to be a defining trait of your character, or if you want to have chase scenes. RRiicckk && AA..JJ.. You have a sibling who is your polar opposite in terms of fashion sense and personality. Describe them to the Keeper and name them. You can always request a scene with your sibling. You can also call on them for help, in which case you take advantage on any die rolls associated with actions they assist you with. However, that help always comes at a cost. Pick this move if you want to interact with a recurring character, or if you want to explore your past through the lens of sibling rivalry. RR.. QQuuiinnccyy You have a medical background; describe it. Then add a Medical Bag to your Cozy Little Place. When you use it to get an advantage on a die roll, leave it unmarked. Pick this move if you’re interested in a more forensic approach to investi- gations, or if you want to be highly effective when helping characters in physical distress. JJiimm RRoocckkffoorrdd At the beginning of each session, the Keeper will narrate an answering machine message you received. The message is always from the same unknown person, and they will ask you to do some particular task, seem- ingly unrelated to the mystery. If you complete the task in the same session it was assigned, mark XP. The messages and tasks will get increasingly strange and disturbing the more marks you have on The Crown of the Void. No two Mavens can ever have this move at the same time. Pick this move if you want to advance a bit more quickly, or if you’re interested in exploring surreal horror subject matter. 24 ---  MAVEN MOVES SSccaarreeccrrooww At the beginning of each session, a stranger presses something into your hand or leaves something in a place where you find it. The Keeper will tell you what it is. It functions as a Clue, but isn’t attached to any particular mystery—you can use it in the present mystery or save it for the future. Pick this move if you want to have more influence on the solutions to the mysteries, or if you want to explore the possibility that someone behind the scenes is helping you. CCoolltt SSeeaavveerrss Once per mystery, you can take a 12+ on a single roll related to a wild or daring physical feat. Pick this move if you want to engage in wild or daring physical feats, or if you want to have a story that is more action-packed. GGoorrddoonn SShhuummwwaayy You have a feline friend with whom you share a strong bond. This extraordi- nary kitty can do tricks and follow simple commands. Name your precocious puss and add them to your Cozy Little Place. When you use the cat to get an advantage on a roll, leave it unmarked. Pick this move because cat. RReemmiinnggttoonn SStteeeellee You’re very talented at passing yourself off as someone you are not. If there is a piece of identification or a disguise that would help you with your ruse, you have it. Say what it is and add it to your Cozy Little Place. Pick this move if you want to be sneaky or deceptive in how you conduct your investigations, or if you want to describe ridiculous costumes. 25 ---  MAVEN MOVES AAlltteerrnnaattee MMaavveenn MMoovveess The alternate Maven moves are largely inspired by characters from mystery books. The text from each move follows, along with a short bit of advice for players for why they might want to pick that move. Note: No two Mavens can have the same Maven move at the start. Addition- ally, a number of moves can only ever be taken by one Maven. Finally, Robert Langdon and Clarice Starling cannot be in the same game. AAuugguussttee DDuuppiinn The first time you enter a Location, you can ask the Keeper, “What is about to happen?” They will answer truthfully, though not necessarily completely. If your Reason is 2 or higher, you can also ask, “Why is it about to happen?” The Keeper will answer truthfully, though not necessarily completely. Pick this move if you want to have extra information before you enter a new space, or if you want the Keeper to reveal their hand a little bit. EEnnccyyccllooppeeddiiaa BBrroowwnn Once per mystery, you can introduce a piece of real-world trivia about some- thing in a scene. That trivia is a Clue. Pick this move if you want to be good at finding Clues, or if you want to have fun looking up random bits of trivia while you play. FFaatthheerr BBrroowwnn Once per mystery, you can narrate a flashback from the perspective of the unknown killer. Nothing in the flashback is necessarily true, but when you’re done, ask the other Mavens to define a Clue based on what you narrated. The Clue cannot conclusively solve the mystery by itself. Pick this move if you want to have scenes where you try to see things from the perspective of the killer, a classic of the mystery genre. HHeerrccuullee PPooiirroott Increase your Reason by 1 (max 3). Pick this move if you want to generally be a more effective investigator. 27 ---  MAVEN MOVES CCaaddffaaeell You are a highly skilled herbalist and have an additional Cozy Activity: Herbalism. If there is an herbal tincture or decoction that would be helpful in a situation, you can take the time to make it. If you do, add it to your Cozy Little Place. Pick this move if you would like more options for Cozy Activities, or if you want to apply practical solutions to problems. NNaannccyy DDrreeww You know that Robin Masterson hasn’t written an Amanda Delacourt book in years and that her name is used as a pseudonym by dozens of secret ghost writers because you are one of those secret ghost writers. So long as you keep the secret, the Mavens always get both benefits of the Gold Crown Mysteries Move instead of having to choose. If you ever reveal the secret to anyone, you get a second use of the Gold Crown Mysteries Move during the mystery in which you reveal it, but take the Condition: Marked by the Robin Masterson Network, and you no longer have access to this move. No two Mavens can have this move at the same time. Pick this move if you want to make the Gold Crown Mysteries a central part of the story. FFrraannkk && JJooee Once per mystery, when you would suffer grave physical harm, describe how you are knocked unconscious instead. Take the Condition: A Little Rattled. You always wake up in the perfect place to continue the investigation. Pick this move if you want to stay relatively safe from harm, or if you want to be adventurous and/or get into lots of trouble. SShheerrlloocckk HHoollmmeess The first time you encounter a Suspect, you can declare something about them based solely on their appearance. This information is absolutely true, but it is not a Clue, nor can it conclusively solve the mystery. Pick this move if you want to influence how characters are perceived, or if you want to have more say in the mystery solutions. 28 ---  MAVEN MOVES RRoobbeerrtt LLaannggddoonn Once per mystery, you can change a physical object that is a Clue into a Void Clue by describing secret markings, unusual patterns, or otherwise strange, occult details that are on it. If you have unlocked Layer Three of the Dark Conspiracy, tell the Keeper that the thresholds for each remaining layer are reduced by one Void Clue. No two Mavens can have this move at the same time. This move and the Clarice Starling move cannot be in the same game. Pick this move if you want to make the occult conspiracy a more central part of the story. PPhhiilliipp MMaarrlloowwee Once per mystery, so long as no other Maven is in the scene, you can do a first person narration of your arrival in a Location or your first encounter with a Suspect. Whatever you narrate is true, but it cannot conclusively solve the mystery. No two Mavens can have this move at the same time. Pick this move if you want to narrate scenes like the protagonist from a hard boiled noir story would. JJaannee MMaarrppllee During the day, you can enter any place you wish, and move about freely once you’re inside so long as you don’t do anything actively hostile to any people who might be there. Pick this move if you want to lean into the idea that people trust you because you are a little old lady. MMmmaa PPrreecciioouuss RRaammoottsswwee You have two additional Cozy Activities; pick them from the list on your char- acter sheet or write your own. Additionally, once per mystery, so long as you are engaged in one of your Cozy Activities, you can trigger the Cozy Move with a resident of Brindlewood Bay who is not a Maven. Finally, during the Cozy Move with another Maven, whichever Maven is doing their Cozy Activity can stumble on a Clue as normal OR clear another appropriate Condition. Pick this move if you want to lean into the cozy themes of the game, or if you want to make the community of Brindlewood Bay a more central part of the story. 29 ---  MAVEN MOVES CCllaarriiccee SSttaarrlliinngg This move has no function until you solve a mystery and put a Suspect behind bars as a result. Thereafter, you can name an imprisoned Suspect your Consultant. Once per mystery, you can go to the prison the Consultant is being held in and ask them about that mystery. This triggers the Meddling Move as it would when questioning any other character, but the Consultant’s answers and behavior are affected by your most recent mark on the Crown of the Void: ∙ No marks: The Consultant is mocking or insulting. ∙ A Shadow in the Garden: The Consultant claims to see malevolent spirits all around you. ∙ The Chariot: The Consultant reveals a Void Clue, even on a miss (but no extra effect on a 12+). ∙ The Pallid Mask: The Consultant also reveals the name of a character who will be killed if you don’t do something to help them. ∙ The Pomegranate Kernel: The Consultant will also profess their love for you. If you reciprocate their love, clear Obsessed with the Void and lose access to this move. If you reject their love, take the Condition: Marked by [Name of Consultant] and lose access to this move. The Consultant will eventually escape and come after you. Note: No two Mavens can have this move at the same time. This move and the Robert Langdon move cannot be in the same game. Pick this move if you want to have an intense, ongoing side story with a malevolent character. SSaamm SSppaaddee Something about you makes you seem like you have a bit of an edge. What is it? During the night, you can enter any place you wish, and move about freely once you’re inside so long as you don’t do anything actively hostile to any people who might be there. Pick this move if you want to defy the expectations people have of you. 30 ---  MAVEN MOVES TTiinnttiinn You have a canine companion with whom you share a strong bond. This incredible pup can understand what you say with near-perfect comprehen- sion. Name them and add them to your Cozy Little Place. They gain the power of speech once Layer 5 of the Dark Conspiracy is unlocked, but only you can understand them. No two Mavens can have this move at the same time. Pick this move because talking dog. VV..II.. WWaarrsshhaawwsskkii Increase your Vitality by 1 (max 3). Pick this move if you want to be a stronger, quicker, tougher Murder Maven. NNeerroo WWoollffee Your Cozy Little Place is anything but. Add the following to it: Gourmet Pantry, Orchidarium, Full Bar, Private Elevator, House Boy (name him). No two Mavens can have this move at the same time. Pick this move if you want your luxurious home to feature prominently in the story, or if you want to get things done by impressing people. PPhhooeenniixx WWrriigghhtt Whenever you find a Clue that is an object, you can physically manipulate the object to uncover a further secret about it—a hidden detail, a secret compartment, a scrawled message, etc. This extra detail is added to the Clue; it cannot cause the Clue to conclusively solve the mystery by itself. Pick this move if you want to have a lot of influence on the mystery solutions. 31 ---  KEEPER BASICS TThhee KKeeeeppeerr -- BBaassiiccss The remainder of the book is presented as if the game designer is speaking directly to the Keeper, and so the tone and presentation is a bit less formal than in previous chapters. YYoouurr RRoollee This is a game about investigating murder mysteries in a quaint New England town. You’ll present the basics of a mystery to the Murder Mavens, who will then begin an investigation, gathering clues to help them figure out who did it and ultimately bringing the culprit(s) to justice. If you have played other tabletop roleplaying games where the characters solve mysteries, much of BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY will feel familiar. However, there are three significant differences with most of those games you need to be aware of: ∙ The clues are not located in specific places, and, in fact, can be found wherever the Mavens are looking. ∙ You don’t know the explanation to any of the murder mysteries until the players do the Theorize move. ∙ The murders are part of a larger conspiracy involving a death cult deter- mined to summon a monstrosity from the depths of the ocean. In addition to presenting the mysteries and managing the machinations of the cult, you are generally responsible for portraying the world around the Mavens. This means you give voice to all the various characters they interact with, you describe elements of a scene when needed, you challenge them with dangers and obstacles, and you show how the world reacts to the actions they take. You have a lot of responsibility as the Keeper, but understand that you don’t have to be a creative genius or improvisational wizard to run BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY. Mystery sheets, the Dark Conspiracy sheet, and this text not only help you keep the game organized, but also provide you with loads of inspirational details; there are many instances when it is the players’ responsibility to describe the game world rather than yours; and, if all else fails, you can take a break to think about what should happen in the story, or even ask the players for their ideas. 33 ---  KEEPER BASICS Finally, while everyone is responsible for making sure everyone else is having a good time and maintaining each others’ boundaries of safety and consent, it is your responsibility before play begins to make sure the players understand what kinds of subject matter might come up in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY. This game is generally lighthearted, but occasionally explores some dark and provocative themes—murder, ritual sacrifice, and pregnancy horror, among others—and you need to make sure players understand what they are getting into. If you know your normal playgroup isn’t likely to handle these subjects with care or respect, you need to be honest with yourself about that (and possibly not offer BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY as an option on your regular game night). If you’re running BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY at a convention or in some sort of public space, like a Twitch stream, you need to exercise extra care when presenting the game to players and/or viewers. MMaannaaggiinngg tthhee TToonnee aanndd PPllaayy SSttrruuccttuurree BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY is a game that plays with tone. On the surface—and, indeed, for much of the gameplay—it is light and cozy. What makes the game special is when that cozy bubble is occasionally punctured by danger, supernatural weirdness, or outright horror. Your initial reaction to this sudden shift will be to minimize it or eliminate it altogether because other tabletop roleplaying games have taught you the importance of “maintaining tone.” This is a mistake in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY. In BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY, your job is to follow the mechanics of the game wherever they go and then lean into that place once you arrive. Trust that the game’s structure will always get you back to that cozy place, and that the strange feeling you have watching these elderly women go back to baking and knitting after they just encountered a group of masked cultists on the beach is the game working as intended. The thing you should try to more actively manage is the shift between day and night, and the movement of the investigation from place to place. Some mysteries, especially those that encourage the Mavens to roam around town, start at one time of day but can transition to another, or they suggest lots of different places to investigate. In mysteries like this, you should let one or two scenes per character take place in the starting time period and then fast forward to the next time period, or let one or two scenes take place in one location and then move the action to another location. 34 ---  KEEPER BASICS Players will naturally want to be busy-bodies and do everything in a short time span, or focus their whole investigation on one place, but don’t let them: you have the power to find a good stopping point in the scene and say, “Let’s fast forward to evening time” or “Let’s call it a night and catch up with the Mavens in the morning” or “I think you’ve done all you can here, let’s move somewhere else.” Some mysteries have a more closed nature, in which case most or all of the action takes place in one time period or one place. And that’s ok! Just be sure the next mystery you do is a little more open-ended so you have some balance. The more interesting thing to consider is why. Why strive for this balance between day and night? Why keep the action moving from place to place? For starters, it’s just more interesting: BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY is a cinematic game, meaning it’s supposed to have the feeling of a movie or TV show, and that means it needs to be paced like a movie or TV show, with time jumps and scene transitions. It’s also a matter of balancing danger: in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY, daytime is safer than nighttime, and well-lit places are safer than dark places. Ultimately, there are no right or wrong answers. The important thing is to simply pay attention and trust your instincts. You’ll eventually settle into a rhythm. 35 ---  KEEPER BASICS AAnnaattoommyy ooff aa MMyysstteerryy Here I’ll cover everything you need to know about managing mysteries. I’ll do that by going over each part of the mystery sheet. Some mysteries deviate slightly from this structure or have elements that are unique to that mystery; we’re going to ignore that stuff and focus on the elements that are common to all mysteries. TTiittllee The mystery’s title is never withheld from the players—tell them what it’s called. CCoommpplleexxiittyy A number between 6 and 8 that represents the relative length and difficulty of the mystery. Always tell the players the mystery Complexity. PPrreesseennttiinngg tthhee MMyysstteerryy These are the details you need to explain to the players when beginning a new mystery. This section frequently indicates the manner and place in which the Mavens learn about the mystery, usually through one or more scenes. In most mysteries, you will also be required to introduce the Sus- pects during this process. Sometimes the presentation can simply be read aloud to the players; other times it’s a more dynamic, interactive experience. The important thing is that you read this section carefully beforehand, and have a good understanding of how you need to go about it. Sometimes there’s an establishing question. This is a question posed to a player during the presentation of the mystery. The goals of the establishing question are to personalize the mystery for one of the Mavens, to give the group more of a reason to be invested, and to give the player answering the question a chance to shape the events to come. MMoommeennttss These are colorful bits that you can sprinkle in wherever needed. They reinforce the mystery’s themes and, frankly, make you look like a rock star Keeper whenever you drop them into a scene. 36 ---  KEEPER BASICS SSuussppeeccttss These are the non-player characters who are most likely to turn up during the mystery (though it is not necessarily an exhaustive list). Each Suspect has a name, three descriptive details, a short explanation of their personality or motives, and a quote to inspire your roleplaying. LLooccaattiioonnss These are places which are connected to the mystery in some way. Each contains a short description plus a Paint the Scene question posed to everyone at the table the first time the Location is visited. Paint the Scene is a Keeper technique wherein you ask the players, sometimes out-of-character, a question about a place, the answers to which help explore a theme or idea associated with that place. Locations can be highly localized, such as the rooms in the mansion that is the focus of All Hallow’s Scream, or spread over a much wider geographical area, such as the various spots around Boston in Exit Stage Death. Impor- tantly, the list of Locations is not exhaustive; use it to inspire your own creations and improvisations. CClluueess These are uncovered during certain moves. When it comes time to reveal a Clue, scan the list and pick the one that makes the most sense in the moment or is the one you find most interesting, and work it into the story. Clues are written to be diverse and flexible—you should be able to find something that fits. Also, you can change the Clue or add to it as much as you wish (just be careful your changes and additions don’t cause the Clue to solve the mystery by itself). The next chapter has more advice about revealing a Clue. VVooiidd CClluueess These are special clues the Mavens may discover during their investigation. These Void Clues have no direct bearing on the mystery’s resolution. Rather, they are meant to show the influence of the Midwives of the Fragrant Void and their dark conspiracy. When the time comes to reveal a Void Clue, scan the list and pick the one that’s most interesting to you or best fits the moment, and then work it into the story. Alternatively, you can use Void Clues from the Children of Persephone chapter of this book. Don’t forget to trigger the Day/Night Move if the Void Clue is particularly unsettling or scary. 37 ---  KEEPER BASICS KKeeeeppeerr PPrriinncciipplleess This section explains the general principles you should bear in mind when running a game of BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY. You will occasionally find yourself in a situation that isn’t explicitly covered by the rules or where you need to make up something on the fly. So long as you are following the Keeper principles, your improvisations will come across as authentic and fair. The Keeper principles are: ∙ Play to find out what happens ∙ Make the world and everyone in it seem real ∙ Be a fan of the Murder Mavens ∙ Sometimes, disclaim decision-making ∙ Keep it cozy ∙ Make the nighttime dangerous ∙ Keep dangerous characters occluded ∙ Present the Void in a matter-of-fact way PPllaayy ttoo ffiinndd oouutt wwhhaatt hhaappppeennss You have a mystery, a cast of Suspects, and a list of Clues, but none of it is set in stone. Be willing to let the session unfurl on its own terms. If a player has a cool idea that doesn’t quite match what’s on the mystery sheet, go with it. In fact, many parts of the game will explicitly challenge your precon- ceived ideas—answers to establishing questions, answers to Paint the Scene questions, the Gold Crown Mysteries Move, and Theorize, to name a few—so be flexible and ready to incorporate things you hadn’t considered. MMaakkee tthhee wwoorrlldd aanndd eevveerryyoonnee iinn iitt sseeeemm rreeaall Describe the world in sensory-rich detail. You have some help here: the Suspects in a mystery each come with three descriptive details and notes on how to play them, and key mystery Locations have Paint the Scene questions to help enrich the scene. Use these as a foundation for how you approach everything in the world. Give non-player characters not listed among the Suspects three descriptive details to bring them alive; create a Paint the Scene question for a place that takes on sudden importance. BBee aa ffaann ooff tthhee MMaavveennss This doesn’t mean “let them win.” It means “give them challenges that make you root for them.” 38 ---  KEEPER BASICS SSoommeettiimmeess,, ddiissccllaaiimm ddeecciissiioonn--mmaakkiinngg You are co-creating the story with the players. Let them chime-in to flesh out the world, describe things they see, and get invested in what’s happening. Also: when you aren’t sure how to react, ask the table for advice. KKeeeepp iitt ccoozzyy This is a very important principle for capturing the feel of the game. Don’t let dangerous scenes take up the whole session, and don’t always focus on the grim details of the murder or the dark conspiracy. Reveal and discuss those things as needed—or as required by the mechanics—but always return to the soft, cozy aspects of the setting: cut to the day when appropriate, showing the Mavens living their lives in Brindlewood Bay; encourage the use of the Cozy Move, especially if a Maven has a Condition; and ask lots of questions about the Mavens’ lives in this charming little town. MMaakkee nniigghhttttiimmee ddaannggeerroouuss And yet, any scenes at night should be heightened by a sense of dread or pregnant with grim portent. In this game, the main characters can be placed in direct, physical danger, which is a departure from the cozy crime dramas that inspire it, but necessary for it to have real stakes—and appropriate, considering the dark conspiracy that underpins the story. KKeeeepp ddaannggeerroouuss cchhaarraacctteerrss oocccclluuddeedd The Mavens will frequently be put in physical danger before they have solved a mystery. It’s very important that any time a character threatens the Mavens, their identity is unknown—to the Mavens, to the players, and to you. They must always stay in the shadows, be wearing a disguise, or escape before a Maven can identify them. To do otherwise would risk saying too much about the potential solution to the mystery. Once the Mavens have engaged in the Theorize move, you can disregard this principle for the mystery in question. PPrreesseenntt tthhee VVooiidd iinn aa mmaatttteerr--ooff--ffaacctt wwaayy Void Clues and the unfurling conspiracy of the Midwives stand in sharp relief against the cozy backdrop of Brindlewood Bay. The temptation is to pres- ent these things in a “scary” manner—perhaps with exaggerated, Vincent Price-esque mannerisms. Unless you feel particularly confident in your ability to be “scary” at the table, you should present creepy things in a calm, measured, matter-of-fact way. That calm, plain presentation will itself stand in contrast to the things being described, which is its own kind of creepy. The players’ imaginations will do the rest. 39 ---  KEEPER BASICS KKeeeeppeerr RReeaaccttiioonnss You will frequently be asked to define and narrate complications resulting from a die roll, or otherwise “react” to a situation. Generally-speaking, a good reaction is one that complicates a Maven’s life in an interesting way and follows logically from the established fiction. Think of a natural reaction based on what’s happening in the story, or choose a reaction from the list below, modifying as needed. You’ll also have access to new reactions as the campaign progresses (see Chapter Six: The Dark Conspiracy). No matter what, always follow up with, “What do you do?” ∙ Separate the Mavens ∙ Kill a Suspect ∙ Inflict a Condition ∙ Put a Maven in danger ∙ Show a Maven being killed ∙ Remove an item from their Cozy Little Place ∙ Have an official show up ∙ Reveal a Void Clue ∙ Cut to Commercial SSeeppaarraattee tthhee MMaavveennss The Mavens will usually want to stay together, so complicate their lives by separating one or more of them from the group. Are the Mavens looking around a creepy old mansion? Perhaps one of them enters a one-way secret passage. Are they getting nosy in the middle of a swanky cocktail party? Have a guest come whisk one of them away. Are they snooping around a private yacht? Maybe a shadowy figure locks one of them in a cabin. The important thing is that whatever happens next to the separated Maven(s) should be fascinating or perilous. KKiillll aa SSuussppeecctt Nothing will get the Mavens’ (and players’) attention like having a Suspect turn up dead. This reaction is particularly effective if the Mavens were start- ing to narrow in on this character as the perpetrator of the original murder that kicked off the mystery. Note that this is a very strong Keeper reaction, and only appropriate as the result of a missed roll. 41 ---  KEEPER BASICS IInnfflliicctt aa CCoonnddiittiioonn This a trusty, go-to Keeper reaction for nearly any situation. A Condition is a one-word adjective or short phrase, and it should follow directly from what- ever just happened in the story. For example, if a Maven got side-swiped by a car peeling away from a crime scene, you might give them the Condition: Banged-up. If they just had a very frustrating, condescending conversation with Sheriff Dalrymple, you might give them the Condition: Irritated. If they are having a little too much fun at Abner Vidal’s Halloween party, you might give them the Condition: Had One Too Many. A Condition can be cleared by the use of the Cozy Move, or because you think it’s appropriate given the circum- stances. Conditions are discussed in more detail in the next chapter. PPuutt aa MMaavveenn iinn ddaannggeerr “Danger” can mean physical danger or something else. Is a Maven sneaking into a warehouse after hours? Maybe a shadowy figure trains a gun on her and tells her to go back where she came from. Are the Murder Mavens tagging along with a fishing tour in order to question the tour operator? Maybe a powerful storm suddenly appears on the horizon. Is a Maven participating in The Jolly Good Baking Show? Maybe the custard for her tarte tatin isn’t set properly. Putting Mavens in danger is discussed in more detail in the next chapter. SShhooww aa MMaavveenn bbeeiinngg kkiilllleedd Kill a Maven! It’s totally fine. Make it gruesome, if you want. The players can always put on a Crown to get a fictional do-over. Note that this is a strong reac- tion that is only appropriate as the result of a missed roll, and even then only if it was adequately telegraphed as a possibility beforehand, such as in the Day or Night Move, or in a conversation between the Keeper and player that preceded a roll. This reaction is never appropriate as the result of a missed Meddling Move roll. RReemmoovvee aann iitteemm ffrroomm tthheeiirr CCoozzyy LLiittttllee PPllaaccee Just like inflicting a Condition, this is a very dependable, go-to reaction for many situations. If they were using something from their Cozy Little Place, have them lose it—it breaks, it gets stolen, it gets misplaced, etc. RReevveeaall aa VVooiidd CClluuee You don’t have to wait for a 12+ on the Meddling Move to reveal a Void Clue. You can reveal a Void Clue just because it feels right in the moment, or because the Mavens haven’t encountered one in awhile. I like to reveal at least two or three per mystery, regardless of how the dice go. Also: don’t forget to trigger the Day/Night Move if the Void Clue is particularly unsettling or scary. 42 ---  KEEPER BASICS HHaavvee aann ooffffiicciiaall sshhooww uupp This reaction is a very important genre convention and should be used liber- ally. The idea is that an official, usually a member of local law enforcement, shows up and interferes with the Mavens’ investigation in some way. Note that we use the term “official” very loosely here—anyone with authority over the situation will do. A nosy maitre’d can be just as troublesome in a fancy restaurant as a surly detective can be at a crime scene. CCuutt ttoo CCoommmmeerrcciiaall This is a very special Keeper reaction, one that pays homage to the televi- sion shows that inspired the game, and suggests that BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY is itself a television show. Here’s how it works: if a Maven undertakes a perilous or dramatic action that provokes a die roll, and that die roll is a miss, you can say “Let’s cut to commercial!” before the outcome is narrated. Then, give the player of the Maven a short prompt. The player may then narrate a commer- cial inspired by the prompt. If they do so, return to the regular scene and allow play to continue as if they had rolled a 10-11. This Keeper reaction is actually a powerful benefit to the players, so be judicious with how often you use it—once per mystery is plenty. Below is a list of prompts you can use for Cut to Commercial, or make up your own: ∙ ∙ Happy Jack’s Lumberjack Lum- Challenge coins for survivors of ber Liquidation Furniture Sale mass shootings ∙ ∙ Calamity Raccoon’s Good Time VitaMagic ∙ Pizza Farm Le Guillotine kitchen gadget ∙ ∙ Mike “The Gorilla” Murphy, Attor- Class action lawsuit against ney at Law DrinkPlus ∙ ∙ Possum-Be-Gone Midas Touch Gold Dealers ∙ ∙ DrinkPlus - “It’s a soft drink PLUS Dermavast skin products ∙ so much more!” The National Honeydew Council ∙ ∙ Herb the Herb novelty plant TurtlePlus pet store - “It’s turtles ∙ The Holy Spirit, an alcoholic bev- PLUS so much more!” ∙ erage for Christians Situational comedy: That’s My ∙ Sugarama Breakfast Cereal, fea- Mama! ∙ turing Shuggy the Sugarcane Them’s Good Eatin’, Depres- ∙ Ne Plus Ultra Cosmetics sion-era novelty foods ∙ DegreePlus University - “Get your degree PLUS so much more!” 43 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED TThhee KKeeeeppeerr -- AAddvvaanncceedd This chapter contains advanced tips and techniques for being a Keeper in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY. Nothing in this chapter is strictly necessary to run the game, but the advice here will enrich the experience for both you and the players. DDaayy MMoovvee vvss.. NNiigghhtt MMoovvee The Day Move and the Night Move are going to get rolled for the majority of non-investigation actions requiring a die roll, and so you need to have a good understanding of how they work, how they differ from one another, and when to trigger them. The first thing you need to be aware of is that these moves do not have miss conditions in their text. Should a player roll a miss, they most likely fail in the action they were taking, but not necessarily—it’s up to you whether they fail or succeed. In either case, you will perform a Keeper reaction. In general, this Keeper reaction should be stronger than the complication or cost they might have incurred on a 7-9, and it should flow logically from the established fiction. Another thing to understand here is that these moves are a negotiation between you and the player. The player tells you what they are afraid will happen if they fail or lose their nerve. You are free to disregard what the player has offered when considering how to react—especially if the player’s sugges- tion is soft or nonsensical—but if they have given a good, genuine answer to what they are afraid of, you should do your best to incorporate it. Doing so sends a signal to the player that this is a collaborative storytelling process, and they’ll be eager to give you good stuff to work with in the future. The Night Move has a slight wrinkle: after the player says what they’re afraid of, you must tell them how it’s worse than they fear. Again, when saying how things are worse, you can disregard what the player suggested if what they suggested was too soft, but do your best to riff off what they give you. Another important aspect of “telling them how it’s worse” is being honest about how it’s worse. If it’s possible for the Maven to sustain a serious injury, tell them that. If it’s possible for a Maven to be killed, tell them that. They have the option of backing down after you say how bad it’s going to be but before they actually roll. The player is going to feel cheated if they roll, get a miss, and then you narrate their Maven being killed when you didn’t previ- ously tell them this was a possibility. 45 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED One final thing about the Day Move and the Night Move: they trigger when- ever a Maven is facing something they fear. This is a passive use-case (and thus easy to forget), but a very important one for a game that has horror elements. The Mavens will witness things that are shocking or horrifying (such as encountering a Void Clue), and depending on how they handle themselves in that moment, things could get very sticky for them. Trigger the Day or Night Move to see if they can keep it together (in most cases, they will be rolling with Composure). You might be wondering how a Maven can back down or try a different way when the move was triggered passively. It’s a good thing to wonder about, and the answer for how to handle it will depend a lot on the specific circumstances. It could be that backing down is not possible or that there is no good alternative option, in which case just make that clear to the player. Generally-speaking, it probably means the Maven has to abandon the moment, or give up the thing they were trying to accomplish in the first place. It might mean they have to react in a way that isn’t being frightened. Perhaps it’s even an opportunity to show what a badass they are by taking some kind of direct action in the face of their fear. A note about “saying how it’s worse than [they] fear:” just go for it. If the Maven is trying to run away from a Servitor of the Midwives and they say they might fall down and injure themselves if they fail, feel free to say: “It’s worse than that—the Servitor catches up to you and tears your guts out, killing you.” Remember: the players have total control over whether their character actually dies via the Crowns, so just go big when it comes to the stakes—it’s more fun that way. The tricky thing is if the player goes big themselves by putting death on the table when they say what they are afraid will happen if they fail or lose their nerve—what then? Well, you still must say how it’s worse than they feared, but in this case, “worse” might mean long-term effects after the character is dead, such as how it affects their surviving family members or the town. If you’re unsure, ask the table for their input. A related note: sometimes players tell me they felt like they didn’t have a choice when it came to putting on a Crown—that if the alternative to doing so is character death, of course they’re going to do it. My answer to that is twofold: 1) they did have a choice: BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY embraces an ethos that players have ultimate control over when their character dies, and choosing to have them die rather than using a Crown is a valid choice if it’s dramati- cally interesting, and 2) their agency took place earlier in the Day/Night Move when they were given a chance to back down or try a different approach. 46 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED Finally, what counts as day or night? If the scene is taking place during the day, use the Day Move; if it takes place at night, use the Night Move—easy stuff. Something you might consider, though, is changing what counts as “day” and “night,” based not on temporal considerations, but whether the scene is fundamentally safer or more dangerous. A poorly-lit warehouse in a rough part of the city might be “night,” no matter the time of day, just as a well-lit nighttime gala might be “day,” especially on the ballroom floor, where there are dozens of people around. Just make sure the players understand which move is in play before they take any actions. TThhee MMeeddddlliinngg MMoovvee aanndd RReevveeaalliinngg aa CClluuee The Meddling Move is a critical part of the engine that makes the game go: if the Mavens aren’t gathering Clues, they aren’t getting any closer to resolving mysteries, and the story comes to a halt. The important thing to understand here is that you should be very generous when interpreting what counts as triggering the move. Sometimes it will be obvious: if a Maven is poking around someone’s home, they are definitely doing the Meddling Move. Other times, it will be subtle: if they’re comforting a grieving family member, they may be doing so to get that person to reveal something important. Ask the player if you’re unsure: “Are you trying to trigger the Meddling Move here?” Revealing a Clue can be tricky, especially if you aren’t accustomed to a bit of on-the-fly improvisation and adaptation. The strength of BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY’s core mystery system is that each mystery has Clues that are not tied to any partic- ular person or location: no matter where or how the Mavens are searching, you can just scan the list and pick a Clue you think would be fun or interest- ing to reveal in that moment. This flexibility is a major strength of the game versus other TTRPG mystery systems, but it comes with a tradeoff: you have to be ready to improvise a little bit in order for the Clue to feel coherent with the scene. If the Clue is a physical one, such as “a blood-soaked rug,” how do you reveal that in a scene where the Maven is questioning someone? If the Clue is something overheard, such as “a heated argument about British politics,” how do you reveal that in a scene where the Maven is poking around a Suspect’s office? Fortunately, this type of improvising is fairly easy (and forgiving) in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY. The best way to show what I mean is to work through some examples. 47 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED AA TTyyppiiccaall CClluuee:: IInnssttrruuccttiioonnss ttoo CCuutt SSoommeeoonnee OOuutt ooff aa WWiillll This Clue is from the starter mystery, Dad Overboard, which means there’s a good chance you’ll get an opportunity to use it at some point. Like many BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY Clues, it’s very open-ended, which makes it easy to work into a variety of scene types. The most straightforward scene type for this Clue is when a Maven is snooping around a Suspect’s personal space, such as an office or bedroom. The instructions might come in the form of a letter to a lawyer that is found on a desk or in a drawer, or perhaps the letter is from the lawyer and indicates that the will change has been made. Maybe it comes in the form of an answering machine message confirming the change. You can even give the Clue more context: perhaps the specific person being cut out of the will is named when revealing the Clue. But what if the Maven is having a conversation with someone? This is a little trickier, but still straightforward: just have the person being questioned men- tion the change to the will. Maybe they’re upset about the change because they were the person cut out, or perhaps they were the one instructed to tell the lawyers about the change. The trickiest investigation scene for this Clue is when the Mavens are doing archival research. How do you reveal something so private as a will change in something so public as a newspaper? Here’s how I would do it: I would have an old newspaper article mention a very public fight between two Suspects, and the reporting would suggest that one of the Suspects had recently been cut out of the will, which is what sparked the conflict. AAnn EExxttrreemmeellyy VVaagguuee CClluuee:: AA TTaabboooo LLoovvee AAffffaaiirr The first thing you have to do with a Clue like this is decide what the taboo love affair even is. It helps to think about the possibilities implied by a Clue like this before you actually start playing, but it’s ok to take a few moments and come up with something on the spot. We’re going to say our taboo love affair is between a rich, older woman and a very young sailor. Once you’ve established what the taboo love affair is, the improvisation of how to reveal it becomes much easier. It can be mentioned in a conver- sation; there can be physical evidence of the love affair, such as a sailor’s kerchief smudged with lipstick, or a steamy love letter; the characters in question can be observed behaving in a very flirtatious way with one another (a well-timed “Hello, sailor” sounds about right); or the Mavens might find cell phone records indicating a lot of late night phone calls. 48 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED AA VVeerryy CCoommmmoonn AAccttiioonn:: EExxaammiinniinngg aa CCoorrppssee Murder Mavens examine corpses—a lot. The problem is that the Clues rarely (and by design) have forensic details such as those you might uncover in an autopsy. It’s the first thing you’re going to run into in Dad Overboard: the Mavens will want to look at Albert’s body in the cold storage to see how he was killed, but none of the Clues indicate a cause of death. The Mavens can certainly work such details into their final theory, and you can even just say outright how he died (“...he was clearly bludgeoned to death and thrown overboard”) but the mechanical, per se Clues have nothing to say about it. This is intentional so that the players can be as flexible as possible when doing the Theorize move. But the question remains: what Clue do you give them in this circumstance? Well, start by scanning your list and looking for Clues that might be found somewhere on Albert’s body. “Stock certificates in an unusual place,” “piles of receipts for extravagant purchases,” and our favorite, “instructions to cut someone out of a will,” are all things that might be found in Albert’s pockets or stuffed in his trousers. They will be a little waterlogged, of course, but that’s just an excuse to obscure the identity of who was cut out of the will or who made the extravagant purchases. Another approach: maybe the Mavens don’t find anything on Albert’s body, but while they’re looking, they overhear a conversation outside the cold storage where someone mentions a Clue, such as a couple of fishmongers discussing a strange thing one of them found: “a cod with a rat stuffed in its mouth.” The key when trying to figure out which Clues to drop where, especially in a circumstance where the Clues don’t seem to match the action the Mavens are taking, is to think expansively about the scene, and not worry too much about everything lining up neatly. After all, this is how it goes on Murder, She Wrote, which is a major inspiration for this game: Jessica Fletcher frequently just stumbles onto things. The Murder Mavens can just stumble onto things, too, and that’s ok, because this game is about making those weird, seeming- ly-disconnected details make sense together. 49 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED TThhee OOccccuulltt MMoovvee This move should be used very infrequently and, in fact, it’s quite dangerous to use at all—a 9 or lower will put a Maven one step closer to retirement. The text of the move should be enough to dissuade most players, but you might go one step further and require that the Mavens have a strong fictional justification for attempting something of an occult nature. Maybe they need to find the instructions for a ritual before they can attempt magic, or per- haps they need to find a special set of tarot cards before they can attempt divination. When writing new moves, be willing to give the player what they want, but make sure they understand the consequences of failure might be high—a high reward means a high risk. For example, if they want to write a move that allows the Mavens to summon demon-like servants to help them battle the monstrous Children of Persephone, perhaps the downside of the move is they have to give up their immortal soul to do so, or even do battle with the demon after it has served its purpose! If you’re unsure how to proceed when it comes to writing new moves, the best way to get started is to simply make a very fictionally-specific version of the Night Move, one that has a detailed miss result and that disregards the negotiation between player and Keeper. Here’s a basic framework: When you [do the thing that triggers the move], roll with Sensitivity. On a 10+, you [succeed at whatever you were trying to do]. Describe it. On a 7-9, [you succeed at what you were trying to do] but [very specific complication or cost]. The Keeper describes it. On a miss, [very strong, specific cost]. The Keeper describes it. Here’s an example of the framework in action: When you attempt to summon a demon servant to your side, roll with Sensitivity. On a 10+, the demon appears and will serve you for a time. Describe it. On a 7-9, the demon appears and will serve you for a time, but will require a blood sacrifice as payment for its services. On a miss, the demon appears but is not bound to you. 50 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED TThheeoorriizzee The text of the move says, “When the Mavens have an open, freewheeling discussion...” but, in practice, this discussion is being had by the players, not the Mavens, and you have a role to play, too. You should feel free to offer your own thoughts, challenge the assumptions being made, and interrogate theories that fail to account for certain Clues. If a player is being demure during this process, cut in and ask them for their opinion on things. If a player is dominating the conversation, go around and confirm with the other players that they agree with what the dominant player is suggesting. Importantly, you need to guide the conversation to a consensus so a die roll can take place. Another important job you have during Theorize is to invite the players to add critical context to the discussion of Clues. The Clues they have gathered will frequently seem disjointed or incongruent with one another—that’s by design, so they can be used flexibly. Encourage the players to add the con- text necessary to make the Clues fit their theory. For example, if the Mavens found a severed finger, and their answer depends on the whereabouts of a Suspect called Elena, they need to account for how the finger might be connected to Elena if they want that Clue to count against the Complexity in the die roll. Perhaps Elena is missing a finger, but very likely no one thought to look at Elena’s hands. During Theorize, it’s ok for a detail like this to be added to the fiction. And so, a player might suggest that Elena was always seen wearing gloves, and that might be how she hides her wound. You should encourage this kind of “ret-conning” of the established fiction so the players can arrive at an answer that incorporates as many Clues as desired. And so what do you do after you know the result of the Theorize roll? If the result is a hit, immediately frame up a scene where the Mavens can confront the killer or otherwise bring them to justice. Obviously, this will depend a lot on the specific circumstances of your story, but some ideas include: confronting the killer in front of other Suspects, perhaps at a social gather- ing; confronting the killer in front of law enforcement so the killer can be arrested after you’re done saying how they did it; and confronting the killer in private so you can convince them to turn themselves in. There’s no right or wrong answer—do whatever makes sense (and maybe watch a few cozy crime drama shows ahead of time to get a sense of what these scenes are like). The more interesting consideration is whether the hit is a 7-9 or a 10+. If it’s a 10+, the resolution of the scene should be easy: just roleplay the conclusion or have the players take turns narrating the scene when the killer is brought to justice, no die rolls needed. On a 7-9, it should be a bit more challenging, and should involve at least one or two die rolls. Perhaps the killer tries to escape or they pull a gun on one of the Mavens. 51 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED Scenes like this are a great chance to let players who have chosen action-ori- ented Maven moves to show off a bit (a car chase when a Maven has the Michael Knight move is a classic). What if the Theorize roll is a miss? This is when things can get really inter- esting. The theory is wrong, of course, but also: you get to react. I love the reaction Kill a Suspect on a missed Theorize roll, especially if the Suspect is the one they named as the killer in their incorrect theory. But you could also just put the Mavens in a particularly dangerous situation: maybe the real killer (still unidentified) knows they’re getting close and takes direct, murderous action against them. There’s also a question of whether and how the Mavens can attempt the Theorize roll again. The answer is yes, they can make another attempt, but not until you have reacted as a result of the initial missed roll and they have dealt with that reaction. Finally, how should you handle the 12+ result, when a person connected to the Dark Conspiracy reveals themselves to the Mavens? It depends on which layer of the Dark Conspiracy is unlocked. If you’re still on Layer 1 or 2, it has to stay pretty vague—it could be as simple as a Suspect or some other character approaching a Maven at the end of the mystery and saying something cryptic about the end of the world or the nature of hidden things. You have more options once Layer 3 is unlocked because the character can actually make reference to the Midwives, or you can just mark the next box on Layer 3 and do what it says. MMaavveenn MMoovveess Following is advice for some of the trickier Maven moves. DDaallee CCooooppeerr This move requires a bit of creativity and improvisation, especially if it was chosen as part of character creation. You will need to open each session by narrating the Maven’s creepy dream. Fortunately, the dreams don’t have to make sense—they just need to be strange and unsettling. Think about the content of these dreams between sessions so you’re not fumbling around with the details in the heat of the moment. You might even head over to YouTube and watch some choice scenes from Twin Peaks to get inspired. Importantly: do not forget to reveal a Void Clue (and, indeed, the Void Clue can inspire your narration for the dream)! 52 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED MMiillttoonn HHaarrddccaassttllee “Extrajudicial punishment” doesn’t necessarily mean harsh punishment. Make sure the player of the Maven with this move understands this. It would seriously break tone if the Maven in question pulled out a gun and shot a murder suspect in an act of ruthless vigilantism. Perhaps, instead, the Maven swipes some stock certificates belonging to the killer and gives them to the victim’s family as an unofficial form of restitution. Or perhaps a Maven publishes the killer’s prized salsa recipe on the internet for all to enjoy. The Milton Hardcastle move is designed to show the Maven’s rebellious streak, but it should be a rebelliousness that is appropriate for an elderly do-gooder. Additionally, “wrongdoer” doesn’t necessarily mean the killer. It can be any character who has done something worthy of retribution. For example, if Gordon Thune, the local banker, is trying to foreclose on a poor old widow’s home, perhaps the Maven whips up a publicity campaign meant to embar- rass the bank. Or perhaps snooty June Willoughby has been spreading malicious gossip around town, and the Maven decides to punish her by telling the Brindlewood Bay Homeowners Association about her unautho- rized lawn ornaments. AAnngguuss MMaaccGGyyvveerr You are free to overrule any suggestion from a player that is just plain implausible or could be chalked up to pure luck. For example, if the Maven is trying to break into someone’s home and they trigger the Angus MacGyver move, you should overrule the player who says the Maven finds a key to the front door somewhere in the environment. Finding a key to the front door is not improvising, it’s dumb luck. Nevertheless, be flexible. Maybe something offered is a bit of a stretch, but it gets a good reaction at the table—go with it. Perhaps the player using the move proposes a plan that pushes against the boundaries of physics or good sense, but that they’re otherwise excited about—go with it. It won’t break the game if things get a little hokey or gonzo from time to time. RRiicckk && AA..JJ.. This move gives you a new, exciting avenue for Keeper reactions. When the player gets into a jam, have their sibling show up and rescue them—and then never let them forget it. Alternatively, have the sibling get into some kind of trouble that distracts the Mavens from the mystery. Importantly: by choosing this move, the player has signaled to you that they want this sibling character to be a major part of the story, even if it’s occasionally troublesome. 53 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED JJiimm RRoocckkffoorrdd Like the Dale Cooper move, this one requires a bit of creativity and improv, especially if it’s chosen during character creation. Think about this move between sessions so you aren’t fumbling around in the heat of the moment. Importantly, this move represents a side story for the Maven who has it. Have fun with it: the messages don’t need to make much sense in the beginning, they merely need to give the Maven some sort of task. The more cryptic, the better, especially at the start. Over time, the tasks can start to logically flow from one another or the motives of the caller can start to come into focus. As the Maven collects marks on her Crown of the Void, the tasks should become more shocking or ominous. The key to this move is the tasks be unconnected to any mystery, past or present, though they may start to tie into the Dark Conspiracy at some point, as you see fit. AAuugguussttee DDuuppiinn When you get asked “What is about to happen?”, don’t overthink it. Think a step or two ahead and then say what’s true. The encounter might be completely safe or mundane—that’s fine, just say what’s going to happen, even if that means, simply, “the person here is going to talk to you.” If you know there’s a trap of some sort, say that—the fun is seeing how the Maven wriggles out of it. NNaannccyy DDrreeww What is the Robin Masterson network? Who knows—it will be a lot of fun finding out. The move implies, at a basic level, that angering the Robin Masterson network is a bad idea, so think about that and then go from there. Maybe they have connections to the criminal underworld, or maybe they are connected to the Dark Conspiracy in some way. CCllaarriiccee SSttaarrlliinngg If a player chooses this move, they’re signaling that they want the Maven’s relationship to the Consultant to be a major part of the story, and so you should plan accordingly. Between sessions, think about how you’re going to roleplay the Consultant, especially when it comes to how their behavior changes because of the Crown of the Void. You should also think about how the Consultant might be connected to the Dark Conspiracy. 54 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED FFaatthheerr BBrroowwnn aanndd PPhhiilliipp MMaarrlloowwee I put these two moves together because the advice is the same: you need to make sure the player understands the mystery genre tropes being explored in these moves or they won’t know what to do with them. In the case of Father Brown, it’s the trope of the investigator putting themselves in the shoes of the killer in order to make deductions about the crime. In the case of Philip Marlowe, it’s the noir trope of the protagonist walking into a seedy place, narrating what they see in the first person. AA CCoozzyy LLiittttllee PPllaaccee If an object is particularly memorable in the story, or if a Maven goes through the trouble of acquiring something strange or rare, and this thing is not otherwise part of a procedure that causes it to be added to A Cozy Little Place, tell them they can do so. Be advised that power gamers might try to take advantage of this and repeatedly ask you about adding items to their Cozy Little Place. Gently remind them they are not allowed to make such requests, and that the decision for adding things to A Cozy Little Place outside of the prescribed ways is entirely yours. Also: players tend to forget about or overlook A Cozy Little Place, especially in the first couple sessions. You will need to remind them about this part of the game until they get the hang of it. If a die roll is coming up—especially one where the stakes are high—ask the player how something from their Cozy Little Place might be helpful so they can get an advantage (or negate a disadvantage). CCoonnddiittiioonnss Just as players will forget about A Cozy Little Place in the beginning, you will forget about Conditions. Conditions are an important part of the gameplay loop, and you should be doling them out liberally. You can combine Con- ditions with other Keeper reactions after a die roll, or you can simply give a Maven a Condition because it makes sense, whether there was a die roll or not. Importantly, the players won’t mind. They will want to engage with the Cozy Move, but if you haven’t given them enough Conditions, they won’t have much justification for it, and so do your part and hit them with lots of Conditions—one or two per Maven per session is about right. Conditions can be big or small; they can reflect major events in the story or minor, fleeting moments. If you feel a Condition is warranted in a scene but aren’t sure what to call it, ask the rest of the table for their input. 55 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED The following are sample Conditions divided by “type.” EEmmoottiioonnaall//PPssyycchhoollooggiiccaall Unnerved, Scared, Shocked, Disturbed, Angry, Irritated, Lovestruck, Sad- dened, Melancholy, Embittered, Jealous, Envious, Isolated, Obsessed with [person or thing], Furious with [person or thing], Sad about [person or thing], Volatile Emotions, Desire to Lash Out, Gloomy Disposition, Shaken to the Core PPhhyyssiiccaall Sprained Ankle, Concussion, Smoke Inhalation, Festering Wound, Claw Marks, Bruised Ribs, Clumps of Hair Torn Out, Scratched Face, Smashed Thumb, Nearly Drowned, Chilled to the Bone, Intoxicated, High, Exhausted, Drained, Severed Hand, Limp, Severe Vertigo SSuuppeerrnnaattuurraall Cursed, Hexed, Haunted, Something is Following Me, Seeing Unnatural Shapes, Magically Blinded, Ensorcelled, Blackened Veins, Strange Reflection, Rats are Whispering to Me, Sensitive to Sunlight, All Water Tastes Foul, I See Dead People, Drawn to Graveyards, Can’t Enter Churches, Translucent Skin, Glowing Eyes Note: If a Maven has a Condition that is permanent, such as Severed Hand (this is a somewhat extreme example, but bear with me), clearing the Condition doesn’t mean the hand is magically reattached; rather, it means the Maven has learned to live with it enough so that it doesn’t impose a disadvantage on die rolls. Now let’s go a bit deeper on why Conditions are an important part of the gameplay. CCoonnddiittiioonnss ccoommpplliiccaattee tthhee lliivveess ooff tthhee MMaavveennss One of your most important jobs is to challenge the Mavens with dangers and obstacles, and Conditions are your best tool for making sure the players feel the pressure associated with those challenges. Here are some ways Conditions can complicate the lives of the Mavens: Die rolls might be taken at disadvantage. When I’m running the game, I check a character’s Conditions before each die roll to see if disadvantage applies. For example, a Maven with the Condition: Sprained Ankle will roll at disadvantage when trying to run away from a cultist. A Maven that is Unnerved will make the Night Move at disadvantage when they’re trying to keep their cool in the presence of a shadowy figure pointing a gun at them. 56 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED Certain actions might be foreclosed altogether. For example, a character with the Condition: Broken Leg can’t run away from the cultist. The player might have to put on a Crown. If they already have three Condi- tions, a fourth forces them to put on a Crown, thereby pushing them one step closer to retiring the character. A character might be targeted by a particular danger. When I’m thinking of ways to challenge the Mavens, or if I just need something really dangerous to happen in a nighttime scene, I’ll look at the active Conditions to get some ideas. If, for example, a Maven has the Condition: Marked by the Midwives, they might send a Servitor after her. If a Maven has the Condition: Murder Suspect, Sheriff Dalrymple might be following her wherever she goes. CCoonnddiittiioonnss aaccttiivvaattee aa ccoorree ggaammeeppllaayy lloooopp Because of the way Conditions can negatively affect the Mavens’ lives, their players will want to get them cleared. The most efficient way of getting them cleared is by having an intimate scene with another Maven while doing a Cozy Activity, thereby triggering the Cozy Move. That Cozy Move then leads to clearing Conditions and finding a Clue. All of that together is one of the core gameplay loops in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY: Conditions lead to intimacy, which then leads to Clues and character development. CCoonnddiittiioonnss pprroovviiddee rroolleeppllaayyiinngg iinnssppiirraattiioonn Not all Conditions are negative; some, in fact, are a great source of roleplay- ing inspiration. Players are always looking for things written on their sheet that might tell them how to play their character. Conditions are terrific in this regard. An example from a campaign I am running as of this writing: a Maven, normally mild-mannered and demure, found a bloody driftwood crown. I gave them the Condition: The Driftwood Crown to memorialize what felt like an important moment, and it turned out to be a major inflection point for the character. The player now uses it all the time to show their character’s burgeoning weirdness. In fact, I know that Condition will never get cleared, even though holding it might eventually push the Maven to retirement, because the player loves to roleplay what The Driftwood Crown means to their character. 57 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED CCoonnddiittiioonnss mmeemmoorriiaalliizzee kkeeyy eevveennttss iinn tthhee ssttoorryy One of the more subtle ways Conditions operate is to help memorialize key events in the story. My favorite example is after a conversation with Gregor Thune, a Suspect in Exit Stage Death. Our strange fellow likes to say cryptic things about the underworld, and after such a conversation, I like to give the Maven in the scene the Condition: The Underworld. What does the Condition mean? Who knows, we’ll figure it out as we play. In the meantime, it’s a great way of acknowledging and remembering that scene. And now let’s go over some ways to incorporate Conditions into the gameplay… AAss aa KKeeeeppeerr rreeaaccttiioonn Keeper reactions are your best opportunity for giving out Conditions, especially when the dice come up 7-9. A common complaint about Powered by the Apocalypse games is that it’s difficult to think of complications on a 7-9, but in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY, it can be as easy as giving the Maven a Condition. For example, a Maven has been doing research in the library all day; when their Meddling Move roll comes up 7-9, you can give them a Clue and a simple Condition like Frustrated or Exhausted to represent how long it took them to find it. If a Maven is trying to chase down a Suspect trying to flee the scene and they get a 7-9 on the Day Move, you can explain the way they’ll be vulnerable is the Condition: Exhausted. Conditions can also function as a reaction on a missed roll, especially where a somewhat softer outcome is needed. For example, in the fairly low stakes environment of a tea party, you might give a Maven who gets a miss on their Meddling Move the Condition: Gossip Item. Please note that Keeper reactions aren’t necessarily connected to die rolls. A Keeper reaction can happen anytime the players look to the Keeper to find out what happens next in the story. You don’t need a mechanical justifica- tion for giving a Maven a Condition—you can do so just because it feels right in the moment (the reverse is also true: you can say a Condition is cleared simply because it makes sense in the story, no Cozy Move needed). 58 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED ““HHooww aarree yyoouu ffeeeelliinngg??”” My favorite tactic for giving out Conditions is to simply ask a player “How are you feeling?” after a particularly poignant or intense scene. After they describe their character’s feelings, I give them a Condition based on what they said, or have them write their own Condition inspired by the feeling. This approach has the added benefit of inviting the player to explore their Maven’s inner life. GGeett tthhee ppllaayyeerrss iinnvvoollvveedd A principle of play is that the Keeper sometimes disclaims decision making, which means they turn things over to the players. You can do a specific version of that with Conditions: “I think a Condition is appropriate here, but I’m not sure what to call it. What do you all think it should be?” This is a great way of getting players invested in the answer. MMaakkiinngg TTiimmee ffoorr tthhee CCoozzyy MMoovvee If you’re doing a mystery that is fairly open-ended in terms of when and where the investigation takes place, the Cozy Move is easy for players to trigger—they just frame up a scene back at home or wherever they normally do their Cozy Activity. The trickier case is when the mystery is in a fairly closed space or takes place over a relatively short period of time—how can a Maven dive out of the scene and start baking or doing pottery? I encour- age you (and you should encourage your players) to think very expansively about what it means to be doing a Cozy Activity. Maybe a Maven has a bit of knitting in her purse she can pull out while she chats with another Maven? Perhaps admiring the craftsmanship of some pots in a Suspect’s mansion qualifies as pottery? Or rummaging through a Suspect’s kitchen cupboards, being judge-y about their choice of olive oil, qualifies as cooking? Another thing you might try: let the players have Cozy Move scenes before you introduce the new mystery. This is especially helpful if the Mavens have lots of Conditions from previous mysteries. It’s true that one of them will stumble on a Clue, but they can just save it for later, like they would with the Scarecrow move. 59 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED FFiiccttiioonnaall PPoossiittiioonniinngg Fictional positioning is a concept you should learn not just for BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY, but for all your roleplaying game endeavors. Many of us grew up playing games that emphasized the power of numbers and procedures: +1 to hit, ThAC0, natural 20, 5d6+1, initiative order, “exploding” 6s, rounds, turns, and so forth. Fictional positioning is the idea that the words we speak at the table and the words we write down on our sheets have just as much power as the hard mechanical and procedural aspects of the game. Consider this: a Maven is infiltrating a fancy soiree; she’s wearing a Venetian mask like the ones being worn by the attendees. Because she is wearing the mask, she doesn’t have to make a die roll every time she enters a new space at the soiree, because the mask signals she belongs there. The Venetian mask is an example of fictional positioning. There are no numbers attached to it, nor are there any procedures that have to be performed at the table when the mask is put on: it has power simply because of what it does in the fiction. Or consider this: a Maven has suffered a broken leg and is trying to escape from a shadowy figure trying to kill her. There is no die roll that will allow her to run away (though she can certainly try something different) because a broken leg makes such an action impossible. The broken leg is negative fictional positioning. Fictional positioning is very important for A Cozy Little Place and Conditions. After an item from A Cozy Little Place is used to take advantage on a die roll, it is marked, meaning it can no longer be used to get a mechanical bonus, but it is not erased from the character sheet because it can still be used for fictional positioning. A Condition may or may not incur a disadvantage, but it is always there so long as it is written on the character sheet, and that means it has to be addressed before an action is taken to see if that action is even possible (such as in our broken leg example, above). 60 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED RRuunnnniinngg BBrriinnddlleewwoooodd BBaayy aass aa OOnnee--SShhoott BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY is designed to be played over a dozen or more sessions, but sometimes you only have one session, perhaps because you are running it at a convention or as a short diversion for your regular group. My advice is that you simply play the game as it was meant to be played; some aspects of the game, like the Dark Conspiracy or the Cozy Move, won’t have much salience in a one-shot, but that’s ok because, to some degree, you’re just showing the system off, perhaps in the hope of more sessions being played in the future. I recommend following the Session One procedure at the end of this text and, no matter where things stand in the investigation, going straight to Theorize when you have about thirty minutes of playtime remain- ing. That should give you enough time to solve the mystery and then frame up a scene to bring the killer to justice. If the players roll a miss on Theorize, encourage them to each put on a Crown in order to make the solution cor- rect (which is also a great chance to see how the Crown mechanics work). 61 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED DDaannggeerr && HHaarrmm iinn BBrriinnddlleewwoooodd BBaayy This section was written by Calvin Johns, and was originally published as an article in the Codex roleplaying game magazine. The Keeper has several reactions available when rolls don’t go the Mavens’ way. Results on 7-9 are generally complications or costs, and results on 6- are misses that can leave characters vulnerable, kill off a Suspect, introduce debilitating Conditions, or even put a Maven’s life in danger. Many Day and Night Moves will have obvious complications. Are the Mavens rushing up a rickety staircase to investigate the attic? A broken step or stumble would be an obvious way such a risky action could lead to injury. Are the Mavens attempting to break up a fight between enraged family members? A concussed witness or shattered piece of evidence might do nicely. However, sometimes the Keeper wants to raise the stakes without such obvi- ous options ahead. What then? When negotiating moves and brainstorming what might go wrong, a few tricks can help the Keeper turn the story towards heightened chances of danger. CChhaarrggee tthhee EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt A sense of danger escalates over time when the threat of harm becomes closer in proximity or more likely to occur. Oftentimes, all the Keeper has to do to start the ball rolling is charge the environment with potential danger and invite the players’ imaginations to do the rest. Once some threat or another is present, the players will provide the fuel that moves the drama forward as they suggest what might go wrong for the Mavens in later moves. So how does the Keeper “charge the environment” with danger? The best way is to introduce a situation where the implied next step is something exciting. The Keeper doesn’t even have to know what that “next step” is. Once the stage is set for something, the players or Keeper may come up with anything. Even the most ordinary Day Move can lead to a charged environment. While negotiating what might go wrong, try suggestions that open the door to different kinds of impending danger: ∙ Somehow you get yourselves lost outdoors. ∙ The door locks behind you when you sneak into a room you shouldn’t have. ∙ You hear footsteps or walkie-talkie static and realize you aren’t alone. ∙ The room is permeated by a pungent chemical or gas smell. ∙ You find a torn collar attached to a leash but see no guard dog. ∙ A hunting rifle or heirloom saber goes missing from its place over the mantle. 62 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED When the Mavens use the Night Move, the Keeper takes negotiations around risky actions to the next level. How can things go even worse? ∙ The lights go out or the phone lines go down. ∙ An alarm goes off, alerting everyone to your presence. ∙ You hear a gun cock. A voice from the shadows threatens you. ∙ A pipe bursts, and water begins flooding the room. ∙ The brakes or steering go out in your car. ∙ The old house, circus tent, or studio pavilion begins to collapse. Sometimes a good way to charge the environment is to change the environ- ment. When a Meddling Move results in a complication, consider putting the new Clue somewhere just out of reach to lure the Mavens closer to harm. For instance: ∙ You spy the fabric from the bedroom window, but it’s in the overgrown gar- den outside. ∙ The dirty cup with the fingerprint is visible, but it’s in the backseat of the locked car. ∙ You find the secret door that leads from the garage, but the tunnels beneath are dark. ∙ You only notice the incriminating stain after one of the Mavens is locked in the coffin. ∙ The sound is coming from the loft inside the barn. Who is climbing up there? ∙ You found an address, but you might need to go there before you know what it means. Consider charging the environment when Theorize goes awry. Once cornered, the culprit may try to flee, lash out at the Mavens in violence, or deploy some other sinister plot: starting a car chase, taking a hostage, or revealing a bomb hidden under their cardigan. From any of these charged environments, the players will have their own ideas about what might happen next. Let their ideas guide the action. As charged environments escalate, the Keeper can naturally move onto the more dire reactions of giving out Conditions or killing a character. 63 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED SSaabboottaaggee && RReettaalliiaattiioonn Another way to introduce danger is to assume the killer can feel the Mavens on their tail and might be plotting to remove them from the investigation. After four or five Clues have been found, the Keeper might suggest complica- tions that are not obviously connected to the current move but nevertheless build on choices the Mavens made earlier. For instance: ∙ As the Mavens examine the window, a glass jar falls from the roof and explodes into a cloud of caustic spores. ∙ While sharing tea with the librarian, you all feel suddenly sick… Is there an antidote for what was in the cup? ∙ Trying to get somewhere in a hurry uncovers a sabotaged vehicle. ∙ Someone has turned the heat dangerously up or down and the exit has been blocked. ∙ It appears the entire floor is covered in a thin layer of gasoline. ∙ You hear aggressive barking and need to get indoors in a hurry to get away from the loose hounds. Even if the Maven escapes the trap, the suggested danger ripples through the narrative as a “what if” narrowly avoided. OObbssccuurreedd AAggggrreessssoorrss Sometimes a spooked killer will go beyond subtle sabotage and the Keeper will want to narrate direct attacks or aggression from an as-yet-unknown killer. These moments might prove harder to frame than off-screen plotting, but remember that the players are not just playing characters in the story but are also members of the audience. Think of how such action would work in a TV show that doesn’t want to reveal the killer to the audience: ∙ Anything can be shot, thrown, or rolled from out of sight. ∙ Focus the camera on a specific part of the body: “leather gloves grip you from behind,” “a hand flips the switch on the wood chipper,” or “a black boot kicks the keys off the ledge.” ∙ Voices are easily changed, muffled, or faked with fancy gadgets. ∙ Use hit-and-run tactics where the cloaked killer is already darting away by the time the damage is felt. ∙ Never underestimate simple disguises or cliche attire like hats, wigs, trench coats, and scarves. 64 ---  KEEPER ADVANCED SSoocciiaall RReeppeerrccuussssiioonnss && RReeppuuttaattiioonn Keep in mind that a charged environment can entail more than physical danger. As invested members of the community, the Mavens fear more than injury. The Keeper should ask what social and reputational harm the Mavens may fear and charge the environment to imperil them. For example: ∙ If someone found out, your membership to a local club could fall into jeopardy. ∙ You break something valuable or important but nobody has noticed... yet. ∙ Only those who impress the judges get their recipes in the town cook- book. ∙ If you are caught, you could get banned for life from the premises. 65 ---  THE DARK CONSPIRACY TThhee DDaarrkk CCoonnssppiirraaccyy From session to session, our elderly heroines will be solving murder mysteries in and around the town of Brindlewood Bay. In the beginning, the occult conspiracy of the Midwives of the Fragrant Void will not be a central feature of the story—it’s just a creepy thing going on in the background that we get to glimpse from time to time. As the story progresses, the Mavens will start to learn about the troubling history of Brindlewood Bay. Eventually, they become aware of the Midwives and start to make connections between the town’s history and this shadowy cult. People the Mavens thought they could trust turn out to be Midwives themselves, and the Mavens learn how the cult is influencing events in the town, and how the murders are part of a bigger plan. As they get closer to the truth, the Midwives fight back, attack- ing the Mavens with ritual magic and summoned monstrosities. Ultimately, the Mavens will have to face the Midwives and stop them before they can summon a terrifying Child of Persephone from the depths of the ocean. The above is a complete story arc, or campaign, of BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY. We call that campaign the Dark Conspiracy. Your job is to keep the Dark Conspiracy organized: to take notes and track the details so that you can introduce chal- lenges and story elements at the right time, and to ultimately present the final mystery—the Void Mystery—when the Mavens confront the Midwives. You have a number of tools to help you do this: the Dark Conspiracy sheet, the mystery tracker sheet, your session debriefs, and this book. MMaannaaggiinngg tthhee DDaarrkk CCoonnssppiirraaccyy:: TThhrreeee AApppprrooaacchheess There are three basic approaches you can take when it comes to planning and managing the Dark Conspiracy. You should choose whichever approach you feel most comfortable with—there’s no right or wrong answer here—and bounce between them as needed. TThhee MMiixxeedd AApppprrooaacchh I suspect this is the approach most Keepers will eventually settle into. The idea is that you don’t plan anything ahead (or, at most, you pick one or two key elements at the start) and then let things play out as in the emergent approach, but using the material in the following chapters to help fill in key Dark Conspiracy elements. 67 ---  THE DARK CONSPIRACY TThhee EEmmeerrggeenntt AApppprrooaacchh This is the approach I had in mind when I wrote the original version of BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY a few years ago. The idea is you don’t plan anything ahead: you take notes as you go and then revise your ideas between sessions. You take into account what’s happening in your story, what kinds of things the players have expressed an interest in, what sorts of themes are emerging, and then you create things inspired by those ideas. You use characters from your established story to double cross the Mavens or to be secret members of the Midwives, or you have those characters figure prominently in the Void Mystery. It’s a very organic approach, and has the benefit of making your story feel especially unique to your group. The downside is not every Keeper is comfortable with this level of improvisation, or they don’t have much expe- rience creating monsters and things. TThhee GGuuiiddeedd AApppprrooaacchh This is an approach that is only possible because of this book. The three chapters that follow this one present ideas for the Midwives of the Fragrant Void as an organization, the Midwives’ magic and monstrous minions, and the Children of Persephone. The idea is that you can go through these chap- ters and pick out elements for your Dark Conspiracy before you start playing. That way, you always know in the back of your mind what your Midwives are up to and how they might react to things as the story progresses. I would say this is a much more traditional approach to campaign prep, and one that will appeal to lots of Keepers, especially those who come from games like Dungeons & Dragons, where this style of preparation is the norm. Remem- ber, though, that the Keeper principle of playing to find out what happens still applies here: remain flexible and be willing to change things when the story or the mechanics demand it. Ideally, your preparation gives you the confidence to change and adapt, because you have some touchstone elements you can fall back on. 68 ---  THE DARK CONSPIRACY TThhee DDaarrkk CCoonnssppiirraaccyy SShheeeett The Dark Conspiracy sheet is your main tool for managing the campaign. The Dark Conspiracy is divided into five layers. Each successive layer represents the Murder Mavens going deeper into the Midwives conspiracy. In this section, I’m going to discuss how each layer affects the overarching narrative of your campaign. You will need a copy of the Dark Conspiracy sheet to follow along. Please note that the number of Void Clues needed to unlock each layer is a running total that you track throughout your campaign, and that opening a new layer doesn’t mean the previous layer is closed—you can bounce between any unlocked layers freely when thinking about how to react in a scene. TThhee FFiirrsstt VVooiidd CClluuee…… The first Void Clue should always be the first appearance of the Midwives of the Fragrant Void in the story. It’s just a glimpse—a hooded figure, a smooth-fea- tured mask, shadows in the distance. The purpose of the first Void Clue is to remind the players that this game has horror elements, and that there’s more to the story than just murders in a quaint New England town. You can wait until a player gets a 12+ on the Meddling Move before you reveal the first Void Clue, or you can reveal it at some point in the middle of a session as part of a Keeper reaction (I recommend revealing it before the end of the first session). LLaayyeerr OOnnee:: TThhee MMiiddwwiivveess SScceennee Comic book movies usually have scenes that play after the credits roll. These stinger scenes are meant to keep viewers excited about where the story will go next. The Midwives scene functions in the exact same way in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY: we get to be audience members for a moment, to get excited for what’s coming next. Importantly, the Midwives scene is something we get to enjoy completely out of character—the Murder Mavens have no idea what’s happening. Layer One is the only time the game requires you to do a Midwives scene at the end of a session, but there’s nothing stopping you from doing it again in the future. As the campaign develops, create your own stinger scenes to deepen the story, explore the lore of the setting, and/or to get your players excited about the next session. Layer One also asks you to start making notes about where you think the campaign is headed—which Child of Persephone are the Midwives trying to summon, what do they hope will happen when they summon it, and which characters have revealed themselves to be part of the conspiracy (if any)? There are no right or wrong answers here—just think on it and make some notes. 69 ---  THE DARK CONSPIRACY LLaayyeerr TTwwoo:: TThhee HHiissttoorryy ooff BBrriinnddlleewwoooodd BBaayy If I have learned anything about roleplayers, it’s this: they love lore. Your campaign’s lore will develop naturally through gameplay, but there are some key elements of the town’s history that unlock in Layer Two. Once this layer is unlocked, you should keep an eye out for any opportunity to share this history. Perhaps the Mavens are doing archival research about the town or they’re talking to someone who has lived in the town since they were a child; maybe they have a dream about it or something is revealed when they engage the Occult Move. You can share these details when a player gets a 12+ on the Meddling Move, or you can use the new Keeper reaction, Reveal the town history, to reveal things when it would be dramatically interesting to do so. Layer Two also asks you to revise your ideas from Layer One, as well as to note a character you’d like to see return in the final mystery. Again, you’re just making notes—there are no right or wrong answers. LLaayyeerr TThhrreeee:: TThhee EExxiisstteennccee ooff tthhee MMiiddwwiivveess This Layer is when the Midwives conspiracy starts to become apparent to the Murder Mavens. The details in this layer are revealed in order, as a result of a 12+ on the Meddling Move, or using the new Keeper reaction, Reveal the Midwives, whenever you think it would be cool to do so. This is also when you reveal the leader of the Midwives. Revealing the leader of the Midwives is a big moment. Try to pick a character the Mavens have already met, someone they wouldn’t necessarily suspect. If the leader is someone close to a Maven, all the better. There is also a betrayal in this layer: a character the Mavens trusted reveals themselves to be a cultist. Be sure you pick a character whose betrayal will be shocking to not only the Mavens, but also the players. Once again, you’ll revise your ideas for the Midwives’ plan. At this point, your notes should be starting to take a final shape—you have much more information now than you did at the start of the story. LLaayyeerr FFoouurr:: DDiirreecctt AAccttiioonn AAggaaiinnsstt tthhee MMuurrddeerr MMaavveennss At this point the cult can start attacking the Murder Mavens directly using Sendings (magic) and Servitors (monsters). You can create whatever kinds of rituals and monstrosities you wish, or you can choose elements from the chapter entitled Advanced Sendings & Servitors. You will also finalize your notes about the Midwives’ grand scheme. LLaayyeerr FFiivvee:: TThhee VVooiidd MMyysstteerryy The best way to think about the Void Mystery is that it’s a reward for getting this far in the campaign—it’s the big payoff. Advice for writing the Void Mystery can be found in the next section. 70 ---  THE DARK CONSPIRACY WWrriittiinngg tthhee VVooiidd MMyysstteerryy You’re going to write the Void Mystery. It might seem intimidating at first, but trust me: you’ve got this. By the time you reach this point in the campaign, you will have so many story elements to draw on, and have so much experi- ence with the mystery structure, writing the Void Mystery will be a snap. Keep three things in mind: 1. You only have to write as much as you need to run the mystery. If you feel reasonably confident you can improvise descriptions of things in play, “writing the Void Mystery” might mean little more than jotting down an idea for how the mystery starts, noting the names of some characters and places, and writing a few Clues. Obviously, if you’d feel more com- fortable writing in more detail, then do so, but trust that you are a better improviser than you might realize. 2. Focus on callbacks. The purpose of the Void Mystery is to tie a satisfy- ing bow on the campaign, and the best way to do that is to have lots of callbacks to earlier parts of the story. Use characters and places from previous mysteries, and utilize all those notes you’ve been taking on the Dark Conspiracy sheet and mystery tracker. 3. It’s almost impossible to mess this up. The players are 100% in your corner—they want you to succeed, and so everything that happens in the Void Mystery will be the coolest thing ever no matter what you do, because that’s what they’re here to experience. Trust your instincts, trust your prep, and trust the play dynamic that has developed at the table over the course of the campaign. Now let’s get into the specific elements you need for your Void Mystery… PPrreelliimmiinnaarryy SStteeppss You need to decide on two key details before you start writing: ∙ Which Child of Persephone are the Midwives trying to bring into the world? What’s it called (the Render of All Flesh, the Prismatic Lord, the Deepness, something else)? What does it look like? What calamity will befall the world should the Midwives succeed? Use any or all of the fol- lowing for inspiration: the Void Clues that have been revealed, your notes from the Dark Conspiracy sheet, your notes from the mystery tracker, or the chapters that follow in this book. 71 ---  THE DARK CONSPIRACY ∙ Which character reveals the existence of the final ritual to the Mavens? Pick a character from a past mystery, someone with connections or someone who is in a place to do some research. This is where your Dark Conspiracy notes are helpful. Alternatively, if a Maven has the Dale Cooper move, the Fox Mulder move, or the Jim Rockford move, the exis- tence of the final ritual can be revealed via a dream, the informant, or the answering machine character, respectively. If you’re using the alternate Maven Moves, the existence of the final ritual can be revealed by the Con- sultant in the Clarice Starling move. TTiittllee Give your Void Mystery a title; something ominous that references the name of the Child of Persephone would be a good fit. Or don’t give it a title—it’s not that important. CCoommpplleexxiittyy The Void Mystery is always Complexity 6. PPrreesseennttiinngg tthhee MMyysstteerryy Decide how to present the mystery. Don’t overthink it. Consider how the informant character from the preliminary steps would tell the Mavens about the ritual the Midwives are trying to complete and then write that down. Make sure the Mavens know about the Child of Persephone and what will happen if it is summoned into the world, and give the Mavens some leads to follow in the beginning—characters they can talk to and places they can poke around. TThhee CCaasstt Decide on the cast (in a normal mystery, these characters are called Sus- pects). Eight or so characters is a good number. You can create brand-new characters, but feel free to use characters from your Dark Conspiracy sheet, characters from past mysteries, recurring characters in and around Brindle- wood Bay, and characters from the chapters that follow. LLooccaattiioonnss Create four or five key Locations for the mystery. You can create new Locations or reuse Locations from previous mysteries. No matter what, each Location has the same Paint the Scene question: In what way has this place been affected by the presence of the Midwives of the Fragrant Void? CClluueess Create 10 Clues, from scratch or adapted from previous mysteries. You can also adapt unused Void Clues from previous mysteries to be Clues for this mystery. 72 ---  THE DARK CONSPIRACY TThheeoorriizzee ((VVooiidd MMyysstteerryy VVeerrssiioonn)) Make the following adjustments to Theorize for the Void Mystery: ∙ The solution to the mystery is the time, location, and manner of the final ritual needed to summon the Child of Persephone. ∙ Solving the mystery means the Keeper will present the Mavens with an opportunity to stop the ritual and defeat the Midwives of the Fragrant Void. ∙ There is no 12+ result. TThhee RRoollee ooff SSeessssiioonn DDeebbrriieeffss iinn MMaannaaggiinngg tthhee CCaammppaaiiggnn BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY is a collaborative storytelling game. There are many instances when the players themselves inform details about the setting. What other roleplayers derisively refer to as “meta gaming,” we embrace with our whole chests and call “the writer’s room” style of gaming. What this means is you sometimes step out of character and discuss the game as players, and make decisions as a group about what would be best for the story. Gener- ally speaking, you alone are responsible for developing and managing the campaign, but that doesn’t mean you can’t occasionally solicit ideas from the players. The debrief periods at the end of a session are a terrific time to do this. Just ask something simple: “How do you think the story is going so far?” and then see what they have to say. They might have insights and ideas that you can then incorporate into the campaign. 73 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID TThhee MMiiddwwiivveess ooff tthhee FFrraaggrraanntt VVooiidd Who are the Midwives of the Fragrant Void? Well, to some degree, that’s for you and your playgroup to answer. Your version of the Midwives will have its own specific ambitions, its own particular membership, its own resources and abilities. But there are a few things that are almost always true: ∙ They are a Hellenic death cult (meaning: they are a death cult with tradi- tions and aesthetics related to ancient Greek history and mythology). ∙ They are trying to summon a chthonic monstrosity, called a Child of Persephone, from the depths of the ocean. ∙ They are connected in some way to the history of the town of Brindle- wood Bay, and believe Brindlewood Bay is geographically and historically significant to their ultimate aim. ∙ They have hidden members and other conspirators in and around Brin- dlewood Bay. ∙ They are able to perform powerful ritual magic to attack their enemies. ∙ They are able to summon lower level monstrous beings to do their bid- ding. The specifics of the cult—their membership, their magic, their monstrous servitors, and the Child of Persephone they are attempting to summon—are for you to determine, either beforehand or as you play, in between sessions or as the result of reacting to moves. You can create things whole cloth or you can use the material in the rest of this chapter and the next two chapters. Whether you use the inspirational material from this book or create your own elements, one thing is always true: you will always be responsible for determining why the Midwives are trying to summon a Child of Persephone (an idea that you will conceive in Layer One of the Dark Conspiracy, and then regularly revise throughout the campaign). SSiixx OOrriiggiinnss This section features six possible origins for the Midwives of the Fragrant Void. Each origin comes with a unique history detail you can reveal once Layer Two is unlocked, a dark conspirator that can be used wherever you need one plus recommendations for mysteries that are particularly well- suited for that version of the Midwives (note: some of the mysteries come from the companion book, Nephews in Peril). 75 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID FFoouunnddeerrss ooff BBrriinnddlleewwoooodd BBaayy The Midwives of the Fragrant Void are descendants of the town founders; prominent members of the cult can trace their heritage back to the Deep Reaver. Most of the crew of the Deep Reaver was killed during the battle with the “whale” that would be carved up and sold all over the world to fund the town’s expansion. Those that survived were only able to do so because they made a pact with something even darker and deeper than the “whale.” The present-day Midwives represent a partial fulfillment of that pact. Eudora “Dorie” Coffin, Chair of the Brindlewood Bay Lunch Club Brightly-colored turtleneck. Tasteful jewelry. Salt and pepper hair done up in a retro but stylish bouffant. Dorie has been the chair of the Brindlewood Bay Lunch Club for as long as anyone can remember. The Lunch Club is a women’s organi- zation dedicated to raising money for the preservation of Brindlewood Bay’s his- torical sites, and her position as chair makes her one of the most well-connected people in town. Dorie’s ancestor, Darius Coffin, was on Deep Reaver’s crew, and she understands well the more shadowy parts of her heritage, and uses her position in the Lunch Club to advance the Midwives’ aims, including keeping an eye on founding families that might be having second thoughts. Quote: “Did you get a chance to come out to last month’s Brindlewood Brickle ice cream social? The a la mode pie-eating contest was a great success—we raised a handsome little sum for the Hale pier restoration. Next month is the All Claws on Deck kitty adoption. Of course, you don’t have to actually adopt a cat—cash donations are just fine.” Layer Two 🞎 In the Summer of 1893, Hale Willoughby, a Deep Reaver survivor, mur- dered thirteen women and children. He claimed he was simply doing “that what was promised to them below.” Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the jury found him innocent. He was released from jail and allowed to build a shack on the old Stockton farmland, where he lived out the rest of his days in relative peace. During that time, he kept to himself and rarely came to town, though he was said to frequently engage in strange religious rites in the middle of the night. Suggested Mysteries: The Long Dark Teatime of the Soulless, Jingle Bell Shock, Deadly Silent Auction, A Night at the (Whaling) Museum, Dead Man’s Hand, A Murder Most Mucky, Homecoming at Bonfire Cliff, or any mystery that has “old money” residents or prominent members of the community, or that deals with the town’s history in some way. 76 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID DDaarrkk AAccaaddeemmiiaa The Midwives of the Fragrant Void are academics who have been driven mad by their studies. They began as a group of researchers focused on seemingly disparate topics—classics, history, anthropology, the paranormal, ritual magic, poetry, mathematics, oceanography, physics—but then became col- lectively obsessed with the mystery cults of ancient Greece. Eventually, they learned of the dark aspect of Persephone, and how they could tap into her power to create wonders in the world. Bringing forth a Child of Persephone will be the apotheosis of their work. Olin Dearborn, Dean of Brindlewood Bay Community College Neatly-trimmed white beard. Bald up top. Corduroy blazer with suede elbow patches. Olin Dearborn is the current dean of Brindlewood Bay Community College, and, as such, has been inducted into the Midwives of the Fragrant Void. He does not have an active role in the Midwives’ studies but instead works to keep the cult’s activities hidden from prying eyes. His background is in public relations, and he uses those skills to keep the media (and a certain group of nosy old women) focused on the trailblazing academic work being done at the college, and less so on the professors’ more… esoteric pursuits. Quote: “Brindlewood Bay Community College isn’t a normal two-year insti- tution. This is not the kind of place students come to get their freshman and sophomore credits on the cheap before enrolling in a big university. We’re actually doing very intensive, groundbreaking research here. Our oceanog- raphy department, for example, recently did a manned sea dive to 11,000 meters, one of the deepest ever!” Layer Two 🞎 In the Fall of 1974, Brindlewood Bay Community College opened its doors and welcomed its first group of students. The town council famous- ly fought the opening of BBCC, believing it would attract rowdy young people and be an ugly stain on the town’s quaint character. But they couldn’t stop it, as it was built entirely with private funds donated by a mysterious group calling itself the Committee for Alternative Academic Inquiries. BBCC has one of the most sophisticated oceanography pro- grams in the country, and the most well-regarded classics department in the world, despite the fact it isn’t even a four-year institution. Suggested Mysteries: Dad Overboard, Homecoming at Bonfire Cliff, Lies & Dolls, or A Very Brief Tenure, Another Night at the (Whaling) Museum, A Murder Most Mucky, Decorative Gore Season, Exit Stage Death, or any mystery that features professors, students, Greek myth, anthropology, or the ocean. 77 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID VVeennggeeffuull RRooyyaalliissttss The Midwives of the Fragrant Void are a group of English aristocrats angry about the demise of the British Empire; they have a particular grudge with the ungrateful, breakaway colony in America. As is the predilection of most nobility, they have some truly perverse pastimes: ritual magic inspired by a death cult in ancient Greece. They use this ancient magic to maintain their wealth and status, and will eventually turn their power against the Crown’s enemies. Aston Courtenay, a British peer Tall and strong for his age. Silver coiffure. Monocle. Aston Courtenay, Marquess of Dorset, is a well-regarded, high-ranked member of the British peerage. His ancestors fought in the American War of Independence, and, after the conflict, lived in the holdout community of Faversham, Massachu- setts for a time before returning to England. Aston himself has traveled to Faversham a number of times, and keeps a small house in nearby Brindle- wood Bay. He initially joined the Midwives cult out of boredom—it was fun to sit around and talk about how magic could be used to get revenge on the Wayward Colony—but, in recent years, has started to take their dark work more seriously. Quote: “I find this little seaside town most charming indeed. It reminds me of some of the fishing towns in Greece. I spent quite a lot of time in Greece as a young man, made some wonderful friends there, and maybe I’ll do the same here, who knows?” Layer Two 🞎 In 1775, long before there even was a Brindlewood Bay, General George Washington captured the Mucky Point outpost from the Red Coats com- manded by Sir Raleigh Leaf. There, he discovered “a group of men with an ill-favored look… fish-like in appearance, and bearing tattoos of a most Satanic mien,” an apparent attempt by Sir Raleigh to create a mon- strous weapon with which to put down the revolution. Sir Raleigh himself escaped to the nearby hamlet of Faversham, a loyalist stronghold until the very end that not even General Washington was able to take. Suggested Mysteries: The Great Brindlewood Bay Bake-Off, Fudge, Jury, & Executioner, A Murder Most Mucky, Jingle Bell Shock, Deadly Silent Auction, A Throng of Vice & Liars, The Long Dark Teatime of the Soulless, Exit Stage Death, or any mystery that has British people, potential British people, aristo- crats, or a focus on the history of the region. 78 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID FFaaccttiioonn aatt WWaarr The Midwives of the Fragrant Void are just one of a number of Hellenic cults, many of which are at war with one another. The Midwives are loyal to Queen Persephone, and are particular enemies of the Court of the Occluded King, the Hades cult from the mystery Exit Stage Death, a rivalry that stretches back to the time of myth. The Midwives use their ritual magic to do battle with the other cults, and to assert the dominance of Queen Persephone over all. Proserpina Kore, editor of The Pomegranate satirical news website Flowers in her hair. Overly pale foundation. A color block dress, each color representing one of the seasons. Prosperina is the editor of The Pomegranate, a satirical news website that makes fun of the Olympian gods. The site doesn’t do big numbers, traffic-wise, and is considered by most to be a highly-specific internet culture joke, but its true purpose is to anger the Midwives’ rival factions. Articles like “Swift-Footed Hermes Signs Six-Figure Promotional Deal with Uber Eats” and “Sheep Sues Apollo for Child Support” aren’t exactly viral sensations, but they infuriate and demoralize the other cults, causing them to make careless mistakes. Quote: “Not every battle is fought with spells and monsters. You might say the keyboard is mightier than the ritual dagger.” Layer Two 🞎 In 1987, a cosplay competition called Gods & Monsters of Greek Myth being held at Deep Reaver Con, Brindlewood Bay’s annual tabletop gaming convention, turned tragic when a number of participants wear- ing strikingly detailed and realistic costumes started murdering each other. The incident still holds the world record for the largest mass casualty event involving costumed victims, with over fifty people killed or maimed. Despite the high number of casualties, there were no firearms involved. Rather, victims were variously scalded by hot wax, poisoned by venomous snakes, ripped apart by eagles, and trampled by bulls. One woman claims her missing husband is actually a stone statue still stand- ing on the convention site. Suggested Mysteries (and the cults operating in the background): Exit Stage Death (The Court of the Occluded King), Decorative Gore Season (Reapers of the Bountiful Harvest), All Hallow’s Scream (The Children of Apollo), Carnival Carnage (The Sons of Minos), A Murder Most Mucky (Servants of the Deep), Have Yourself a Merry Little Murder (The Maenadia), Fall Guys (The Thirteenth Labor), and Dead Man’s Hand (The Blind Brothers of Itanos). 79 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID NNeeww AAggee SSppiirriittuuaalliissttss The Midwives of the Fragrant Void believe themselves to be good. Their members are aging hippies and Gen Z social media influencers who believe magic has reentered the world at a time when humanity needs it most. Their teachings come from the 19th century American spiritualist and scientist Atticus Whateley, who posited an alternate theory of Creation, the so-called Fragrant Void, a plane of existence comprised of raw, protoplasmic energy that can be tapped into and shaped in order to change reality itself. Whate- ley believed the ancient Greeks had developed methods for accessing this realm, and so the modern-day proponents of his theories have adopted Hellenic ideals and aesthetics in order to honor his work. Corinne Whateley, a seeker Tall and angular. Pristine white jumpsuit. A gaze that lingers just a beat too long. Corinne is a descendant of Atticus Whateley. She hopes to reach a deeper plane of spirituality through her work with the Midwives of the Fragrant Void, and is the founder of The Ninth Step, a chain of commercial New Age centers that use the metaphor of Persephone’s journey to the underworld as a tool for spiritual work. Quote: “What great-uncle Atticus understood is that humans need metaphor to make sense of complex spiritual concepts. There isn’t any such thing as Persephone or her nine steps down to the Underworld, nor is there a literal ‘child’ the Midwives are trying to give birth to. It’s all metaphor—symbolic tools for accessing and processing that great well of creative, spiritual energy Atticus called the Fragrant Void.” Layer Two 🞎 In 1855, spiritualist and pseudo-scientist Atticus Whateley moved to the tiny whaling town of Brindlewood Bay. There, in a little house near the water (the present-day site of Aubertin’s Antiques), Whateley began his studies of alternate realities and parallel planes of existence. He believed Brindlewood Bay was at the nexus of several ley lines—invisible lines that connect places of power in the world—and was therefore a place of great spiritual power itself. He held regular meetings of fellow astral explorers, and was known to be a photography enthusiast; there are many photo- graphs of Whateley and his companions all over town. Suggested Mysteries: All Hallow’s Scream, Lies & Dolls, or A Very Brief Tenure, Deadly Silent Auction, Homecoming at Bonfire Cliff, Carnival Carnage, The Long Dark Teatime of the Soulless, Decorative Gore Season, Ctrl Alt Deceased, or any mystery involving outsiders or eccentrics, or where a large group of people might gather under the stars. 80 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID IInnssaannee TTeecchhnnoollooggiissttss The Midwives of the Fragrant Void are insane technologists who worship a “god” AI called Persephone. Their Greek death cult aesthetic is simply for show—their ritual magic is actually a series of powerful computer programs designed to destroy and destabilize, and their monstrous Servitors are VR nightmares made flesh. The Child of Persephone isn’t an organic being but a virus capable of altering time and space itself. Eugene Blatz, a software engineer Clammy skin. Dark rings around his eyes. The overpowering smell of Haxe body spray. Eugene was one of the Cole Technologies software engineers who worked on the Persephone AI. He greatly resents the abandonment of the project, and has recently moved to Brindlewood Bay in order to continue the work in an unofficial capacity. He is one of the few people in town who knows how to access the Persephone facility beneath the old Stockton farm. Quote: “She speaks to me, you know. She speaks to me because I know how to listen to her. No one could listen to her like I could. Not the other engi- neers, and certainly not those greedy bastard Coles.” Layer Two 🞎 In 2013, Cole Technologies came to the outskirts of Brindlewood Bay and built a supercomputer so powerful, it had to be kept underground so it wouldn’t overheat. The project went by the code name “Persephone.” Very few people were allowed to see or interact with it, but those who did claim Persephone was an artificial intelligence that is still unsurpassed by current technology. The project was eventually abandoned for unknown reasons. The entrance to the Persephone facility is said to be somewhere in a cave system on the old Stockton farm property. No one has been down there since Cole Tech shut the project down. Suggested Mysteries: Dad Overboard, The Long Dark Teatime of the Soulless, Ctrl Alt Deceased, Carnival Carnage, A Murder Most Mucky, Home- coming at Bonfire Cliff, Lies & Dolls, or A Very Brief Tenure, A Night at the (Whaling) Museum, or any mystery involving technology, the town outskirts, or computer enthusiasts, or that have seemingly supernatural events that can be explained away as Persephone’s software trickery. 81 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID AAddddiittiioonnaall DDaarrkk CCoonnssppiirraattoorrss These members of the Midwives of the Fragrant Void can be brought into play as a leader of the cult during Layer Three of the Dark Conspiracy, to frustrate the Mavens’ actions during Layer Four, or just introduced in earlier investigations to give some local color before revealing their true motivations. DDrr.. MMoorrggaann SStteerrnn,, tthhee pphhyyssiicciiaann aanndd mmeeddiiccaall eexxaammiinneerr Neat white hair and beard. Hard eyes over a gentle smile. Tweed suits under pristine lab coats. Doctor Stern has been a fixture in town for almost as long as anyone can remember. Despite his age, he shows no sign of slowing down; indeed, he seems determined to keep taking care of the health of the town until he drops. His kindly bedside manner is not just a facade, but there are few in the town he would not gladly sacrifice for the good of the Midwives. He is singularly devoted to the birth of the Child of Persephone, having grown up in the cult as a child. His second job as local medical examiner affords him the opportunity to cover up murders that might other- wise be linked back to the cult. Quote: “Of course it was a dreadful shame about Miss Jenkins’ death, and unexpected at that, but I could find no sign of foul play. Why, I’d almost think you want there to be a murder!” ““SSaallttyy NNaannccyy”” NNiikkoollaaiiddaass,, tthhee ttaattttoooo aarrttiisstt Arms like painted hams. A voice that can strip paint and rattle windows. Biker boots, blue jeans, and a grubby white tank top. Nancy was born and bred in Belfast in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. As a young woman she took up a vocation as a tattoo artist. She has been on a meandering tour of the world’s port towns ever since, a keen collector of old salts’ tales. She washed up in Brindlewood Bay a year or so back, setting up shop on the boardwalk. Her tattoos are all unique, but in classic marine themes. While not an official member of the cult, saltwater and ink flow through her veins and she has been hearing the call of the Children of Persephone for years. She has administered ritual tattoos for some of the cultists, and when the call of the Children is at its peak, her tattoos can reveal glimpses of possible futures. Quote: “I don’t do bad Japanese translations, fake Polynesian nonsense, or requests. So ye can sit yer arse down or ye can sling yer hook.” 83 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID DDrr.. TTaarraa BBaanneerrjjeeee,, tthhee mmaarriinnee bbiioollooggiisstt Long hair in a tight bun. Always slightly distracted. Bold patterns and bright colors in town, wetsuit or sou’wester on the water. Tara is from a desi family in the Midwest but was always fascinated by the ocean. She is now a marine biologist and teacher in Cambridge. Recently, she has started renting a cottage in Brindlewood Bay while she conducts research. She has been captivated by the strange creatures that dwell within the local waters and jealously guards her notes. The Midwives recruited her after she began speaking a little too freely about what she had seen in the waters. She is still unconvinced about the Midwives’ long-term plans, but her obsession with the creatures of the deep keeps her loyal for now. Quote: “Oh, I’m sure it was just an optical illusion; a creature of that size would be scientifically implausible, I can assure you.” AAnnggeellaa HHaarrddiimmaann,, tthhee hhiigghh sscchhooooll pprriinncciippaall Steel-gray hair. Impeccable makeup. Skirt suits and half-moon glasses on a chain. Angela is the principal of Brindlewood Bay High School. She has a no-nonsense attitude. She is protective but controlling of her students. She is an active and outspoken member of Brindlewood Bay’s LGBTQ community and a keen enthusiast of local history and folklore. These latter interests led her to discover the Midwives. She has been a member in good standing for some years. For good or ill, Angela believes the coming of the Child of Persephone will actually initiate a great rebirth of humanity rather than its total extinction. Her primary role in the cult—aside from a deep knowledge of the cult’s lore—is scouting for and recruiting new members. Quote: “The history of this little town really is so fascinating. I could just chat for hours about it. Maybe you’d like to pop around one evening for a glass of pinot and a deeper discussion?” 84 ---  THE MIDWIVES OF THE FRAGRANT VOID IIssaaiiaahh LLaannggmmoorree,, tthhee hhaarrbboorrmmaasstteerr Salt-crusted skin. Rolling gait. Antiquated uniform. Isaiah is an old sea-dog who spent decades on trawlers before “retiring” to the post of harbormaster in Brindlewood Bay. While these days the post is little more than ceremonial, he still knows every vessel that enters or leaves Brindlewood Bay. He has a little cottage on the shoreline, an office at the harbor, and rarely leaves spitting distance of the sea. Isaiah was washed overboard during a storm years back and thought drowned, but the sea returned him. On his return he was changed and the cult welcomed him with open arms. When something must be found—or lost—at sea, Isaiah is the man the Midwives call on. Quote: “Aye, if they went in the water, chances are fair to middlin’ they’ll never be seen again—least alive anyway. Have ye ever seen what crabs’ll do to the body of a lost soul?” JJeennnnaa MMaaccAAlllliisstteerr,, tthhee aassssiissttaanntt ddiissttrriicctt aattttoorrnneeyy Darting eyes. Aggressive gum-chewing and furtive cigarettes. Dark suits. Jenna is a local girl made good, now serving as one of the local assistant district attorneys. She is talented and driven, but harbors a dark secret: she owes her job to the backing of some influential members of the Midwives. Her sights are set high and she hopes one day she will be able to distance herself from this compromise she has made. For now, she supports the Mid- wives when called upon to do so. She has quashed some investigations and put some inconvenient meddlers in the frame. It stinks, but she has a strong stomach. While the Midwives have dirt on her, she has resigned herself to the state of affairs until she can do something about it. Quote: “You paint a compelling picture, ladies, but I need admissible evidence to mount a prosecution. And, pardon my French, but your amateur meddling has fucked this crime scene for good.” 85 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS AAddvvaanncceedd SSeennddiinnggss && SSeerrvviittoorrss The Midwives of the Fragrant Void are able to attack the Murder Mavens directly via Sendings and Servitors once Layer Four of the Dark Conspiracy is unlocked. This chapter features guidelines and inspiration for both. SSeennddiinnggss Sendings are magical rituals the Midwives direct against their enemies. A Sending can look and function however you wish it to, and the effects can be as straightforward as inflicting a Condition, or they can be more involved, perhaps triggering new moves to resist it. The key to making the moment exciting for the players is to describe the ritual in a cutaway scene. The ritual scene isn’t something the Mavens are aware of, but we get to enjoy it as audience members, and it makes the game feel more cinematic. Below are some sample Sendings, each with a ritual scene you can read directly to the players. You can use these Sendings as-is, adapt them to the needs of your campaign, or use them as inspirations for your own creations. In order to make Sendings feel more special, and to not drastically disrupt the tone of the game with too much magic, it’s best to limit yourself to one or two Sendings per campaign. PPooiissoonneedd ((PPeerrsseepphhoonnee’’ss GGiifftt)) Ritual: The piercing eyes of a Midwife watch the victim as they enjoy a meal with their friends. People hurry past the figure, ignoring their intense stare and the fact that they raise a pomegranate to their face. In a language long forgotten, they whisper a brief incantation. As soon as the Midwife falls silent, the pomegranate rapidly rots. Within a minute, there is nothing left but moldy goo. Effect: Take the Condition: Poisoned. 87 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS HHuunntteedd ((HHoouunnddss ooff HHeekkaattee)) Ritual: A robed figure walks through the forest in the middle of the night, dried leaves rustling beneath their feet. As if beckoned by someone, they stop, look up, and begin to inspect the area around them. Eventually, they kneel to expose a patch of forest ground to the night air. From the inside of their robes, the figure takes a single fang. They draw a circle in the soil with it, followed by an intricate arrangement of smaller circles and alchemical symbols. Once more, they reach into their robe and produce a good handful of something soft wrapped in paper. It is a piece of raw, red meat. They place it in the middle of the circle—but only after taking a hearty bite. A third time, their hand vanishes inside their robe. A piece of clothing belonging to the victim is spread over the chunk of meat. Still chewing, the figure stands back up. A moment later, the growling, snarling, and panting of wild dogs rings out through the area. The robed figure keeps staring ahead unfazed, while at their feet, the piece of clothing and the meat are ripped to shreds by invisible maws. Effect: You take the Condition: Paranoia, constantly feeling hunted by blood- thirsty beasts lurking in the shadows. You can hear them creeping closer and closer with each hour that passes… OOnn DDeeaaff EEaarrss ((CCaassssaannddrraa’’ss CCuurrssee)) Ritual: A birdcage stands on a coffee table in a cozy, sunlit living room. Three canaries hop from branch to branch inside the cage, happily chirping away. They continue their merriment, even as a strikingly handsome man approaches to open the cage and remove one of the birds. In dulcet tones, he soothes the yellow companion in his hand, calling it by the victim’s name and applying a salve to its tiny beak. The man then returns the bird to the cage where it resumes its activities. Its chirps sound different now, somewhat out of tune. In an instant, the other two canaries turn their back on their former mate and ignore it. The man smiles and says, “Behold the false prophet.” Effect: You take the Condition: Ignored. Everyone seems to ignore your words whenever you say something crucial to solving the mystery. Once the effect ends, you cough up small, yellow feathers. 88 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS PPaarraallyyssiiss ((MMeedduussaa’’ss GGaazzee)) Ritual: In a darkened room, a young man kneels on the ground, his eyes wide with growing terror. A second person circles him slowly, deliberately, wrapping a rope around his kneeling form. Their face is hidden in the dark- ness of their robe’s cowl. Hands holding a rope show no sign of hesitation as they constrict the young man’s mobility further and further with each round taken. Their steps follow the rhythm of a chant of a priestess of the Midwives. She holds a woven basket out in front of her while repeating over and over, “And when she lays her eyes on you, like stone, the Void will seize you true.” Soft hissing noises coming from the basket accompany her chant. Just as the robed person finishes tying up the kneeling man, the priestess steps forward. She opens the basket. Many slender bodies rise from inside, tiny forked tongues flicking with curiosity. The bound man takes a gasping breath, ready to scream, but no sound escapes his lips. He falls over onto his side and from his stiffened hands slips a photo of the victim. Effect: You are paralyzed this scene. For the duration, you see an amor- phous shape emitting soft hissing noises out of the corner of your eyes. WWeellll ooff DDaarrkknneessss ((PPrreeyy ooff AArrtteemmiiss)) Ritual: Under the light of the full moon, a woman fills a silver bowl with clear water. Placed around are flowers and crystals which reflect the celestial light from above. The woman stirs the water with two fingers while staring at the moon longingly. She then takes a slender knife to run it across the palm of her hand, unflinching. Drops of blood fall into the bowl, one by one. The moment they hit the surface, they turn from red to black, forming clouds of swirling ink until the water is inky black. The woman dips a blank, white index card into the bowl. She whispers something under her breath and the card begins to absorb the darkness like a sponge until the water is clear. The paper is solid black. Effect: You receive a letter addressed to you. Inside, you find a black paper card with nothing on it. The moment you remove it from the envelope, you feel a brief, sharp pain in your chest. The next time you sleep, you dream of an intensely painful memory you thought you had successfully sealed away. Take the Condition: Black Marked. If you take another look at the card, you will find it white, but embossed in a corner is the symbol of a bow and an arrow. 89 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS TTrraannssffiigguurraattiioonn ((CCiirrccee’’ss JJuuddggmmeenntt)) Ritual: During the showdown between the Midwives and the Mavens, an older cult member, a woman with gray hair, steps into an alleyway. She takes a ball of clay from a container and flattens it between her hands. A teenage boy enters the alley in a hurry and breathlessly declares, “I’ve got it!” The older woman nods. “Go ahead then.” The older woman presents him with a clay disk. The boy places a tiny wooden figure, a lock of hair, some nail clippings, and the blood-soaked corner of a tissue onto the disk. Not wasting any time, the older Midwife wraps the clay around these ingredients, returning it to a round shape. Once finished, the boy places his hands over those of his gray-haired mentor. Together, they repeat the following phrase three times: “The Witch has spoken. For your transgressions, you pay the price. What you seek to defeat, you shall mirror in likeness. The Witch has spoken.” As these words are uttered, the clay springs to life, sending eager, earthy tendrils through the gaps between both sets of hands. In the background, the victim falls to their knees, screaming in terror as their body begins to change. Effect: This Sending can only be used during the Void Mystery and requires some preparation. Throughout the campaign, the Midwives have to obtain the following from one Maven: a lock of hair, nail clippings, and at least one drop of blood. The following move then comes into play: When the Midwives direct the Sending at you, roll with Vitality. On a 10+, you resist it. On a 7-9, you resist it, but you take an Ill-Favor for a short time (ask the Keeper to consult the Ill-Favor table). On a miss, you are trans- formed into a Servitor for a time. 90 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS SSeerrvviittoorrss Servitors are monstrous entities the Midwives can summon in order to torment their enemies. A Servitor can be anything you want it to be, and it can have whatever powers and abilities you think are appropriate. Mechani- cally-speaking, overcoming a Servitor is always going to be done with some combination of existing moves, and so there aren’t really any limits in terms of the Servitor’s “powers.” In other words, whether the Servitor is a minotaur that tramples its victims or a medusa that turns its victims to stone, a Murder Maven will almost always resist them with the Day/Night Move (or some other appropriate move). A Servitor can be an existing creature from Greek myth, or you can use the following tables to create something unique. A Servitor built using the tables is made of three elements: a Type, an Ill-Favor, and a Blessing. The Servitor’s Type describes their basic appearance; the Ill-Favor adds an extra layer of horror to their appearance or behavior; and the Blessing represents a power or trait. Roll a twelve-sided die plus a six-sided die for each element and consult the appropriate tables, or just pick and choose. Don’t worry too much if the elements don’t seem to go together; the mishmash strangeness is what makes them frightening. TTyyppee 1 Serpent 11 Giant serpent with heads at both ends 22 Person with a serpentine body 33 Person with snakes for (hair/arms/tongue/eyes/combine two) 44 Giant skeletal cobra 55 Person with scales and forked tongue 66 Enormous ball of tangled serpents 2 Bull 11 Bull-headed person 22 Person with the lower body of a bull 33 A bull with a person gored on its horns 44 A warrior with horns and hooves 55 A bull carcass missing its head and legs 66 Skeletal bull 91 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS 3 Bird 11 Giant bird: (raven/goose/eagle/owl/something else) 22 Humanoid bird: (raven/goose/eagle/owl/something else) 33 Person with (wings/a beak/feathers/talons/combine two) 44 Roiling mass of heads: (raven/goose/eagle/owl/something else) 55 A person being pecked to death by (ravens/geese/eagles/vultures/ something else) 66 Giant skeletal vulture 4 Cat 11 Lion 22 Tiger 33 Panther 44 House cat 55 Feral cat colony 66 Cat-headed person: (lion/tiger/panther/house cat/something else) 5 Hound/Wolf 11 Giant hound or wolf 22 Wolf-headed person 33 A pack of wolves 44 A person who behaves like a dog 55 A person accompanied by hunting hounds 66 Skeletal hound or wolf 6 Sea Creature 11 Giant crustacean: (crab/lobster/isopod/prawn/something else) 22 Giant anemone 33 Giant cephalopod: (octopus/cuttlefish/squid/nautilus/something else) 44 Giant jellyfish 55 Roiling mass of eels 66 Giant anglerfish 7 Humanoid 11 Tempter/temptress 22 Hermit/crone 33 Beautiful youth 44 Strapping warrior 55 Giant 66 Trickster 92 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS 8 Horse 11 Stallion 22 Unicorn 33 Centaur 44 Pegasus 55 Warrior on horseback 66 Hippocamp 9 Boar 11 Giant boar with victims impaled on its tough bristles 22 Boar-headed person 33 Person with (tusks/beady eyes/bristles/snout/combine two) 44 Giant boar with entrails spilling out 55 Giant boar with two mouths 66 Warrior with boar-skin armor and shield 10 Giant Lizard 11 Cockatrice 22 Serpentine body with taloned limbs 33 Crocodilian 44 Bipedal terror 55 Fringed 66 Horned 11 Ungulate 11 Ram-headed person 22 Wild person wearing ram skins 33 Goat-headed sage 44 Eland or majestic buck 55 Floating, disembodied head: (ram/goat/hippo/reindeer/something else) 66 Person with goat horns and hooves 12 Bear 11 Covered in runes 22 Chest cavity opens 33 Detachable, floating head 44 Bear with warrior rider 55 Walks on two legs 66 Wild person wearing a bear skin 93 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS IIllll--FFaavvoorr 1 Prometheus 11 Constantly gives birth to mewling clay men 22 A boulder is lashed to it 33 It is feasted upon by an eagle; if Bird type, it constantly regurgitates livers 44 It has a halo of fire above it 55 It demands ritual animal sacrifice 66 It speaks with a voice like crackling fire 2 Midas 11 Its eyes burn with golden flame 22 Molten gold spills from its orifices 33 It’s covered in roses and thorns 44 A blazing crown of gold floats above it 55 It begs to be fed 66 It brays like a donkey 3 Icarus 11 It’s crafted of wood and gears and wax 22 It’s covered in scalding wax 33 It screams as its eyes burn with the light of the sun 44 It constantly drowns on the water issuing forth from it 55 It has useless wings; if winged Bird type, its wings are damaged 66 It’s covered in feathers; if Bird type, its feathers are on fire 4 Eurydice 11 Blackened blood dribbles from its orifices 22 Sorrowful music can be heard 33 It’s always behind you, unseen and lamenting 44 It’s an incorporeal shade 55 The baying of hounds can be heard; if Hound/Wolf type, it has three heads or comes in threes 66 It has a beautiful singing voice 95 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS 5 Semele 11 It has a charred body and smells of ozone 22 Wine flows from its orifices 33 A hag is constantly tearing out of it; if Humanoid type, its reflection appears as a monstrous hag 44 First appears as a bull, but then tears itself from the bull’s body; if Bull type, blood flows from wounds on its body 55 It feasts on a heart 66 In lurid embrace with a giant eagle; if Bird type, it makes noises of passion 6 Tithonus 11 Ages to dust and is then reborn, over and over 22 Accompanied by a swarm of cicadas 33 It begs to be killed 44 It’s a cocoon for the giant cicada inside 55 It is preceded by a pair of shining doors 66 It digs its way out of the ground 7 Megara 11 It is encircled by three beating hearts 22 Bruised and bloodied children accompany it, or issue forth from it 33 It sorrowfully wails: “Behold the thirteenth labor!” 44 Makes sounds like distressed cattle 55 Arrows from an unseen archer pierce its body 66 It is wreathed in flame 8 Phaethon 11 It is alternately on fire then frozen, back and forth, over and over 22 It weeps amber tears 33 It is made of hot desert sand 44 It is made of ice and frost 55 Mourning women accompany it, or issue forth from it 66 It bears a broken chariot wheel, or is strapped to one 96 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS 9 Arachne 11 It hangs from a noose, or is entangled in one 22 It has too many eyes 33 Moths and flies issue forth from it 44 It has eight spider-like appendages 55 It is bound by multicolored threads 66 It lairs in a place filled with woven tapestries depicting the history of Brindlewood Bay 10 Leander 11 Always preceded by the appearance of a lantern in a strange place 22 Light is drawn into its body and extinguished 33 It’s accompanied by the sound of thunderstorms in the distance 44 Seawater flows from its orifices 55 Wet sand sloughs from its corpus 66 It can always be seen in the distance when you squint 11 Oedipus 11 Believes a Maven is its mother 22 Its eyes are wounded 33 It speaks riddles to those it would devour 44 It’s swaddled in wool 55 A sundered crown floats above it 66 It’s accompanied by the bleating of sheep 12 Medea 11 It appears to be thrashing around inside a ritual circle 22 It is made of bronze 33 It speaks only lies 44 It has masticated child parts in its mouth(s) 55 A pair of murderous young women accompany it, or issue forth from it 66 It bleeds poisonous green fluid smelling of herbs and tomato vine 97 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS BBlleessssiinngg 1 Zeus 11 It can call down lightning bolts from the sky 22 It can cause an area to be wracked by storms 33 It can disguise itself as a common bird 44 It can mimic voices 55 Divine Manifestation: Looking directly upon it triggers the Day/Night Move 66 It travels on a storm cloud 2 Hera 11 The Midwife: If it appears in the Void Mystery, Complexity is increased by 2 22 It causes you to violently vomit and inflicts the Condition: Nauseous 33 It afflicts you with the Condition: Jealous 44 It causes you to give birth—here and now—even if you weren’t pregnant or don’t possess the ability to get pregnant 55 It strikes your romantic partners dead 66 It teleports you to a cave that is always considered night for the purpose of triggering the Day/Night Move 3 Poseidon 11 It can make the earth beneath your feet crack open 22 It can summon deadly sea creatures to its side 33 It can summon a herd of wild horses 44 It can trap you in a seawater sphere 55 It can summon a floating eye that burns you with a searing ray 66 It can separate a group of people by placing them on different “islands” in the environment 4 Demeter 11 It can cause rapid, uncontrolled growth of nearby plant life 22 All life in a small area withers away to dust 33 Demeter-Chthonia: If it appears in the Void Mystery, all die rolls thereafter are made at disadvantage 44 Demeter-Erinyes: It can be turned against the Midwives with the Occult Move 55 Demeter-Aganippe: You are plagued with nightmares and take the Condition: Nightmares 66 It teleports you to a sunlit corn maze that is always considered night for the purpose of triggering the Day/Night Move 98 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS 5 Athena 11 Palladium: If it appears in the Void Mystery, the Mavens must over- come it before they can confront the Midwives 22 Gorgoneion: If defeated by the Mavens, one of them adds the Gorgoneion, a protective amulet, to their Cozy Little Place 33 The Weaver: It causes spiders to crawl forth from you and you take the Condition: Spider Nest 44 It can summon a glowing, golden shield for protection 55 It can teleport you to a temple where you will stand trial for your crimes 66 It can be reasoned with; you can attempt a Day/Night Move with Reason to convince it to return to where it came from 6 Apollo 11 Phoebus Apollo: It glows with blinding brightness 22 It can cause any person or object to burst into flame 33 You dream about something that comes true and take the Condition: Prophetic Dreams 44 Ephebes: It is accompanied by a group of beautiful, youthful male warriors 55 It does battle with a burning gold sword 66 It can be seduced; you can attempt a Day/Night Move with Presence to convince it to return to where it came from 7 Artemis 11 You are marked for the hunt and take the Condition: Prey 22 It fights with a bow and arrow that can strike from any distance, or around any cover 33 It can cause a shower of arrows to fall to the earth 44 It can cause the day to instantly become night 55 The Golden Shaft: If defeated by the Mavens, one of them adds the Arrow of Artemis to their Cozy Little Place 66 It teleports you to a moonlit hunting ground that is always consid- ered night for the purpose of triggering the Day/Night Move 99 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS 8 Ares 11 It can summon fully armored warriors from the ground 22 Deimos and Phobos: You are struck with the Condition: Terrified 33 Athena Areia: It does battle with a bloody shield and spear 44 Zeus Areios: It can cause an area to be wracked by bloodstorms 55 Aphrodite Areia: It causes your heart to violently pump your blood from your body 66 Apollo Areios: It causes the sun to turn blood red, making it Night for purposes of triggering the Day/Night Move 9 Hephaestus 11 It’s accompanied by a lava flow 22 It does battle with a molten rock hammer 33 It does battle with a silver net that cannot be escaped by normal means 44 It’s accompanied by a platoon of clockwork warriors 55 It can cause an area to become unbearably hot 66 It can cause inanimate objects to come alive 10 Aphrodite 11 Eros: It can cause a Maven to add the following option to their Crown of the Void: Mark of Eros: Narrate a scene in the present day showing how you satisfy your physical desires with the Servitor. 22 It can withdraw into a protective seashell 33 Himeros: It can cause a Maven to add the following to their End of Session questions (it is always marked): Did you make love to someone because it felt good to do so? 44 It afflicts you with the Condition: Noxious Smell 55 It teleports you to the sea 66 The Golden Apple: If defeated by a Maven, they can add the Golden Apple to their Cozy Little Place 100 ---  ADVANCED SENDINGS & SERVITORS 11 Hermes 11 The Herald: The people of Brindlewood Bay exit their homes and await the Child of Persephone in a state of rapture. 22 It can fly 33 It can move with supernatural quickness 44 Psychopomp: If it appears in the Void Mystery, the Mavens can only choose The Void on The Crown of the Void. 55 The Messenger: It can be consulted with the Meddling Move 66 Herma: No one can enter or exit wherever it appears 12 Dionysus Do not roll a six-sided die to determine a Servitor’s blessing from Dionysus. Rather, the Servitor can inflict the Condition: Maenad. Any Maven with this Condition narrates false memories: when a Maven marks the Crown of the Queen, roll a six-sided die or choose from the list below, and have them do that instead. 11 Narrate a flashback to when you first made a blood sacrifice to Lord Dionysus. 22 Narrate a flashback to when, in drunken ecstasy, you tore your late partner to pieces. 33 Narrate a flashback to when you consumed your first child at a grand feast. 44 Narrate a flashback to a time when you danced with such frenzy, you began to bleed. 55 Narrate a flashback to a time when you killed a man because it felt good to do so. 66 Narrate a flashback to your first orgy. Who was there? Who was most pleasurable to you? Who didn’t leave alive? 101 ---  THE CHILDREN OF PERSEPHONE TThhee CChhiillddrreenn ooff PPeerrsseepphhoonnee The Midwives of the Fragrant Void are trying to summon a Child of Perse- phone, a chthonic monstrosity that will rise out of the deep waters just off Brindlewood Bay and usher in the End of All Things. This chapter details six such monstrosities; pick one and use it as-written, or let it inspire your own creation. Each Child of Persephone in this chapter has a description of what they look like and how they affect the world, some notes about themes and motifs you can emphasize throughout play, an alternate Layer One scene, and thematically appropriate Void Clues you can use in addition to those listed on the mysteries. When starting the Void Mystery, think about how far along you want the summoning of the Child of Persephone to be. For example, if you’re using the Eye of Charon, the Void Mystery might start with the giant eye already casting its baleful red glow on the people of Brindlewood Bay, and with things already coming back to life. The Murder Mavens will have to stop the Midwives from completing the final part of the ritual, which will cause the dead to rise en masse. If you’re using the Wings of Nemesis, the Void Mys- tery might start with the glowing pupa floating above the bay, and the wings slowly unfurl as the mystery progresses, with the final unfurling occurring if the Midwives can complete their ritual. If you’re using one of these Children of Persephone, much of your note-tak- ing on the Dark Conspiracy sheet will already be done for you, because you already know what’s going to happen if the monster is summoned. What you might do instead is make notes about the specific motivations of the Midwives. Why do they want to bring all the dead back to life? Why do they want to create a new religion of assimilation? Answering these questions ahead of time can help you with your roleplaying and improvisation. 103 ---  THE CHILDREN OF PERSEPHONE TThhee EEyyee ooff CChhaarroonn The Eye of Charon is a titanic red eye surrounded by a mass of oily, black tentacles. Its arrival is preceded by an inky ocean hanging in the sky—a dark mirror image of the real ocean. Things that are recently dead will come alive again: withered plants will stand tall, birds smashed against window sills will fly again, and flatlining hospital patients will come back from the brink. As the Eye “rises” from the upside down ocean, it will bathe Brindlewood Bay in an eerie red glow. When it is fully summoned into the world, the dead will rise en masse. The long-dead will be little more than shambling skeletons; the recently-dead will be more whole, but “off” in some way—their behavior is strange or they move in a stumbling fashion. TThheemmeess && mmoottiiffss Eyes, resurrection, mirror images. Throughout the campaign, emphasize the look of characters’ eyes and drop hints suggesting the Murder Mavens are always being watched. Talk about things coming back to life in a figurative sense: stalled careers are restarted, historical sites are restored, and old flames are rekindled. Emphasize the symmetry in a place or describe things in reflections; ask the Mavens how one half of an otherwise symmetrical space is unusual, or how a reflection is not quite right. MMiiddwwiivveess SScceennee At the end of the session of play in which the first Void Clue is encountered, narrate a scene showing a group of hooded figures standing before a large, ornate mirror. All of the figures are wearing smooth, white masks like the faces of ancient Greek statues, except the central figure, who ritualistically carves out their own eye. They hold the eye before the mirror and begin chanting. The reflection in the mirror shows the eye coming to life, its nerve stem flicking back and forth like an animal’s tail. VVooiidd CClluueess 🞎 For a brief moment, a Suspect appears to have an empty socket oozing blood and pus where an eye used to be. 🞎 You have an eyeball in your palm for a short time; it looks around wildly whenever it can—up and down, left and right. 🞎 All the mirrors in a place show a murder victim going about their normal business. 🞎 A smashed bug kicks its legs, rights itself, and skitters off. 🞎 An animal opens its mouth wide to reveal a large, bloodshot eye wedged in its throat. 🞎 All the mirrors in a place show reflections bathed in red, like looking through a filter of blood. 104 ---  THE CHILDREN OF PERSEPHONE TThhee MMiilllliioonn--HHaannddeerr The Million-Hander is an enormous mass of thousands upon thousands of arms, borne on a writhing stalk made of hundreds of legs, crowned with a ring of ten thousand heads. Its arrival is preceded by a new philosophy of unifor- mity: people will begin to reject the things that make them unique—fashion, hairstyle, creative pursuits—and embrace their role as a small part of the greater whole. As the Million-Hander rises from the ocean, the air is filled with its song: a singular, droning note, like an ohm, emanating from ten thousand mouths. When it is fully summoned into the world, all who lay eyes upon it will do anything to become part of it: cutting off their own limbs, offering them on bent knees, or swimming into the ocean while muttering prayers to the gestalt. TThheemmeess && mmoottiiffss Limbs, assimilation, clumps. Throughout the campaign, emphasize grasping hands and outstretched limbs. Highlight ideas of uniformity and belonging: how do the people of Brindlewood Bay try to fit in, what are the social faux pas among those in the know, and which groups maintain an air of exclusiv- ity? Emphasize environmental details that are in a tangle or clump: piles of driftwood, gulls fighting over a scrap, a copse of trees with branches and roots knotting together, etc. MMiiddwwiivveess SScceennee At the end of the session of play in which the first Void Clue is encountered, narrate a scene showing a group of hooded figures wearing placid white masks like the faces of ancient Greek statues, standing in a circle around a young woman seated in a chair. The figures approach her, one by one, and ritualisti- cally remove the things that make her stand out: her lipstick is rubbed off, her piercings are removed, her eyebrows and hair are shaved. When it’s done, they cover her with a hooded robe and then hold their arms over her, interlacing them and locking hands until all that can be seen is a tangle of limbs. VVooiidd CClluueess 🞎 A rat king in an unusual place, chirping and hissing. 🞎 A trio of beautiful, stylish women wearing the exact same outfit, sipping tea. They look up at you and speak in unison: “Embrace the Void.” 🞎 A pile of mannequin limbs, atop which is a bald mannequin head; its smile seems to widen as you look at it. 🞎 A hallucination or dream: grasping hands in a long, dark hallway; they take and take until there is nothing left of you by the time you reach the exit. 🞎 An animal with more limbs than it should have. 🞎 A Suspect reveals their dead, underdeveloped Siamese twin, still attached somewhere on their body. 105 ---  THE CHILDREN OF PERSEPHONE TThhee WWiinnggss ooff NNeemmeessiiss The Wings of Nemesis are a pair of enormous wings bound to a shard of hateful white light. When fully unfurled, the wings are pale, translucent membranes, billowing out in strange shapes (think: the monster at the end of 2022’s Nope, but much larger). Its arrival is preceded by enhanced feelings of pettiness and vindictive behavior: people get angry over the smallest slights, or enact revenge that is all out of proportion to the offense. The Child’s initial form, rising out of the ocean, is a large pupa, glowing with white hot energy. When the wings are fully unfurled, an outbreak of murders will turn into a full-fledged pandemic. TThheemmeess && mmoottiiffss Wings, revenge, gossamer. Throughout the campaign, emphasize wings and winged creatures: describe birds in flight or watching from on high; make architectural details loom overhead, like a creature with spread wings. High- light the idea of payback, and show instances of it that are both small and large: a child tattling on his older sister, aggressive behavior by a motorist cut off in traffic, a fistfight breaking out over something trivial, and so forth. Make things gauzy and translucent, like sheer curtains filtering the light, but also show how the veil between civility and violence is thin. MMiiddwwiivveess SScceennee At the end of the session of play in which the first Void Clue is encountered, narrate a scene showing a group of hooded figures wearing smooth, white masks, like the faces of ancient Greek statues, standing in a circle around a terrified man tied to stakes in the ground. The figures whisper unintelligible prayers as one of their number uses a large, heavy blade to crack the man’s rib cage open, spreading it out like a pair of wings. Instead of blood and viscera, a cloud of white, incandescent moths billows from the wound. VVooiidd CClluueess 🞎 A trio of vipers snatch a hawk from the air, whipping and biting until it is down on the ground, dead. 🞎 A bird circles overhead, its winged shadow unnaturally large and engulfing. 🞎 Statues of angels, the eyes defaced. 🞎 A sudden swarm of hot, white moths. 🞎 Your vision is blurry for a time, like looking through milky glass; you can make out shapes, but no fine details. 🞎 A room is covered in fine, silky threads, like spider webs. 106 ---  THE CHILDREN OF PERSEPHONE TThhee GGaattee && tthhee BBooxx The Gate & the Box is an entity in two parts: the first is a pair of large, bronze doors, the size of a skyscraper and engraved with a pair of faces in profile, looking away from each other; the second, beyond the bronze doors, is a titanic black cube vibrating with energy. The Gate comes first: rising from the ocean and hanging in the air; people start to worship it. The Box comes after the Midwives complete their grand ritual: it is beyond the Gate, at the top of a set of glass stairs. The existence of the Gate & the Box will plunge the entire world into madness and debate: new religions will spring up, disagreements about how to open the Gate will disrupt international peace, and people who attempt to reach the Box without passing through the Gate will have their sanity shattered. At the End of All Things, only the Gate & the Box will remain. TThheemmeess && mmoottiiffss Portals, temptation, the unknowable. Throughout the campaign, emphasize doors, gates, passages, and other transitional spaces; focus on liminality. Highlight instances of temptation, particularly when someone is punished for acting on it. Let the Murder Mavens ponder darkness and peer into the unknown: staring into pitch black waters, descending into darkened base- ments without a light, interacting with inscrutable characters, etc. MMiiddwwiivveess SScceennee At the end of the session of play in which the first Void Clue is encountered, nar- rate a scene showing a group of hooded figures wearing smooth, white masks like the faces of ancient Greek statues, passing beneath a bronze arch. As each figure passes beneath the arch, they take a position around a glass table, in the center of which is a glossy, black box. Their leader picks up the box and opens it: we cannot see what is inside, but the room is filled with sickly green light. The eyes behind the masks are visible, widened in awe… or terror. VVooiidd CClluueess 🞎 A Suspect opens up their face, like a pair of double doors, revealing swirling, star-flecked blackness inside. 🞎 An object dissolves into a thousand tiny black cubes, then disappears. 🞎 A street preacher shouting about the coming of the Gate and the need to prepare for the End of All Things. 🞎 An art installation appears overnight: a large, shiny black cube balanced on one of its corners. No one knows where it came from. It is warm to the touch, and subtly vibrating. 🞎 A doorway opens into a place you didn’t expect. 🞎 A door that was never there before appears in your home; it cannot be opened or removed. 107 ---  THE CHILDREN OF PERSEPHONE ZZaaggrreeuuss Zagreus is the masticated flesh and bony remains of devoured gods, made animate: entrails the thickness of a tree trunk morphed into grasping tentacles; shards of titan bone jammed into spongy organ tissue make a toothy mouth and gums; and black bile courses throughout the thing like blood, pumped by the slick, tumorous clot functioning as a heart. Its arrival is preceded by acts of extreme gluttony. As it rises from the ocean, sharks and sea mammals can be seen thrashing around helplessly inside it, just before it crushes them in its maw, adding them to the visceral whole. When it is fully summoned into the world, it will drag itself to the beach and eat all in its path, growing ever larger, never satisfied. TThheemmeess && mmoottiiffss Meat, consumption, feasts. Throughout the campaign, take the time to describe meat in stomach-churning detail: chewed flesh, tendons marbled with fat, bloody and oily strands of protein, glistening viscera, peeling skin, etc. The theme of consumption should be prevalent: eating, using up, devouring, absorbing, leaving no trace. Linger on meals: the food served, the ambience, the abundance (or scarcity), the sights and smells. MMiiddwwiivveess SScceennee At the end of the session of play in which the first Void Clue is encountered, narrate a scene showing a candlelit dining room, with a long table at its center. There is a man laid atop it, dead, or perhaps unconscious; his naked body has been prepared as if for a feast: artfully arranged garnish preserves his modesty, and his skin glistens, as if glazed. A group of hooded, masked figures enters the room and sits around the table. After a short, silent prayer, the figures remove their masks and then pounce on the man. His eyes snap open and he screams as he is devoured alive. VVooiidd CClluueess 🞎 A person eats and eats and eats… until they literally burst. 🞎 A large cut of meat quivers of its own accord, then oozes blood. 🞎 A dog with fish guts hanging from its mouth trots by, looks at you, and grins. 🞎 A glass of red wine is, for a moment, blood. 🞎 Bits of raw, chewed meat where they shouldn’t be. 🞎 An unusual spread: jellied blood, marrow pops, weeping sausages, pick- led trotters, braised tongues, and brain cups. 108 ---  THE CHILDREN OF PERSEPHONE TThhee CCrraawwlliinngg CChhaaooss The Crawling Chaos manifests as a massive, black, insectile creature with a googolplex of walking appendages it uses to drag each bus-sized segment of its multi-segmented body out of the waves and onto the beach. As it moves its near-endless corpus further onto dry land and beyond Brindlewood Bay, it summons uncountable flying and crawling bugs. They come, tumbling and falling over each other in a carpet that grows by the moment. Every spider hiding in the house and every ant burrowing beneath the earth join in one great mass. The Crawling Chaos will drown the human race in chitinous shells and reduce buildings to dirt. TThheemmeess && mmoottiiffss Insects, fecundity, swarms. Bugs, bugs, and more bugs; emphasize the presence of insects in a scene, but also describe how things are insect-like: cars as black as beetles, trains segmented like great centipedes, a tourist group moving through a place like a troop of soldier ants, and so forth. Highlight the idea of overflowing creation: fields overgrown to rotting, a family with many children, an artist with stacks and stacks of paintings for sale. Show how things swarm in the environment: bugs, of course, but also fish, tourists, protesters, and dock workers. MMiiddwwiivveess SScceennee At the end of the session of play in which the first Void Clue is encountered, narrate a scene showing a group of hooded figures wearing smooth, white masks like the faces of ancient Greek statues, standing in a circle. They begin to chant. One of them removes their own mask, revealing a black, undulating swarm of beetles and millipedes where a face should be. VVooiidd CClluueess 🞎 An unusually large beetle—the size of your fist—skitters by. It stops and seems to consider you before moving on. 🞎 A pile of overripe and rotting fruit in an unusual place. 🞎 A centipede is crawling from a Suspect’s mouth as they chat with you; they don’t seem to notice. 🞎 A Suspect has a bulge on their arm; the bulge is being made by something black and round. It moves. 🞎 You can feel a lump in your tongue: something is crawling there, just inside the flesh. 🞎 A sound like chittering and buzzing gets louder and louder as the scene pro- gresses; eventually you have to leave the room in order to hear anything at all. 109 ---  MMYYSSTTEERRIIEESS ---  MYSTERIES DDaadd OOvveerrbbooaarrdd Complexity: 6 PPrreesseennttiinngg tthhee MMyysstteerryy Present this mystery at the top floor of The Candlelight Booksellers, during the weekly meeting of the Murder Mavens mystery book club. Paint the Scene: As the camera pans around the loft where you hold your Murder Mavens meetings, what do we see that shows how you have personalized the space? Just as their meeting is ending, the Mavens are approached by Brindlewood County’s chief law enforcement officer, Sheriff Wyman Dalrymple. He tells them that, earlier today, a wealthy financier, Albert Krause, was dragged out of the bay, dead. Mr. Krause and his family were on a yachting vacation and their boat is presently anchored a quarter mile from shore. The surviving Krauses—wife Allison, eldest daughter Sara, son David, and youngest daugh- ter Emily—assert Mr. Krause was drunk and simply fell overboard. Sheriff Dalrymple suspects foul play but if he can’t produce evidence to that effect soon, he’ll be forced to let the family take Albert back to Boston. The body is currently being held in a cold storage at the fish market until the matter can be sorted out. Establishing Question: You met one of the Krause children several years ago. What were the circumstances around that meeting? Sheriff Dalrymple needs the Mavens’ help in proving foul play. He empha- sizes to them that he does not need them to solve the whole mystery—that’s what the sheriff’s department is for. Of course, Murder Mavens are going to do what Murder Mavens are going to do… 111 ---  MYSTERIES MMoommeennttss ∙ A young woman in a black hoodie peeks over the top of a copy of The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Chilling Tales as the Mavens come down from their meeting. ∙ A young family on vacation: the mother is doing her best to keep her tired, unruly children calm. ∙ A pair of grizzled, salt-encrusted locals sneer at a dewy social media influencer making a video. “Hi, guys!” ∙ A fishmonger rolls an ice-packed cart past you; it’s a cornucopia of the sea: black sea bass, bluefish, mussels, crabs, and more. ∙ A small child wails in anguish—pure, heartrending sorrow—as they watch their ice cream cone melt on the boardwalk. ∙ An evening meal in Brindlewood Bay: “Casual” string lights, pristine table linens, white plates with anchor and whale motifs. SSuussppeeccttss Sheriff Wyman Dalrymple, an official Jowly, paunchy, speaks with a permanently exasperated tone. Without anything to go on, he’ll have to let the Krauses raise anchor and leave. He’s reluctant to ask the Murder Mavens for their help, but he knows they have had some success solving cases in the past. Quote: “Believe you me, no one is more frustrated about having to ask for help from a bunch of old biddies than I am!” Allison Krause, the wife Thin. Graceful. Well-dressed. Naturally, she’s upset about the death of her husband, but she seems equally distraught about how all of this might affect the 4th Annual Warrior’s Ball, an upcoming charity event for veterans suffering from testicular cancer that she’s hosting a week from now. Quote: “It’s just like Albert to go and get himself killed when I’m on the precipice of charity fundraiser greatness! The man could be so self-involved!” 112 ---  MYSTERIES Sara Krause, a daughter Frumpy. Easily cowed. Hand-wringy. She’s a homemaker with three little ones back in Boston (Portia, Mercedes, and Lambo). She seems to be the only person who is genuinely upset about Mr. Krause’s death. Quote: “Do you really think someone could have murdered my father? It’s— it’s too horrible to even contemplate!” David Krause, the son Snippy. Avant-garde fashion sense. Can’t be bothered. David is eager to return to running his art gallery back in Boston. He has nothing good to say about his father. Quote: “I’m reminded, of course, of the great performance artist Gao Bai, who was so committed to his work, he threw himself from the top of a five-story building—the ultimate artistic expression, if you ask me. If only my father’s death could have been so significant. He lacked vision.” Emily Krause, a daughter Withdrawn. Computer nerd. Somewhat awkward. Seems indifferent to her father’s death. Very preoccupied with an ongoing conversation she’s having online. Quote: “Umm… can we put a pin in this for a sec? I just have to reply to this DM real quick.” Andrew, the butler Gray hair. Fastidious. Eloquent. Andrew is doing his best to look after the Krauses during this tumultuous time. He seems to dote on Allison the most. Quote: “Madam, the dinner table for this evening is set-up on the forecastle and awaiting your inspection.” Captain Curly, the yacht captain Dazzling officer’s whites. Megawatt smile. Gray at the temples. Captain Carl “Curly” Willoughby has worked for the Krause family for years. He’s a Brindle- wood Bay native, and the reason the family vacations here. Quote: “I convinced Mr. and Mrs. Krause to start coming out this way about ten years ago. Brindlewood Bay was a backwater as far as they were concerned, but I’ve been slowly teaching them about the local history and culture. Are you a native of Brindlewood Bay?” 113 ---  MYSTERIES Etienne Beauregard, a fishmonger Silver beard. Hale. Does a “romantic Frenchman of the sea” performance for tourists, but is actually from Scranton. Etienne is an old friend of the Krauses, and has agreed to store Albert’s body as a kindness to the family. Quote: “I’d do anything for the Krauses. Everything I have in this world is because of them. When they told me they needed somewhere cold to store Albert’s body, I was more than happy to make room between the cod and the pollock.” LLooccaattiioonnss The marina The smell of saltspray in the air. Gulls declaiming overhead. A mix of locals and tourists. Paint the Scene: It’s a busy time of year at the marina In what ways are the tourists making it difficult for you to conduct your investigation? The fish market Fishmongers tossing bass back and forth, a performance for the crowd. Wet grit beneath your shoes. Edison lights strung overhead. Paint the Scene: What do you see that reminds you why you love the fish market? Or, what about this place makes you hate coming down here? Back of the fish market The chill of the cold storage. Surly sorts having a cigarette. A strong, fishy smell. Paint the Scene: You have the feeling you’re being watched. What makes you think this? The Regal Lady, the Krause family yacht Blindingly white. Everything polished to a shine. Tu vuò fà l’americano playing on the speaker system. Paint the Scene: As you step aboard the yacht, what do you see that shows these people have more money than they know what to do with? 114 ---  MYSTERIES CClluueess ∙ A blood-soaked rug. ∙ Family pictures, discarded. ∙ A mis-reported detail about the time of Albert’s death. ∙ A wristwatch set to the wrong time. ∙ A diary entry: “I just can’t take it anymore.” ∙ A small handgun, like you might keep in a purse. ∙ Stock certificates in a strange hiding place. ∙ Piles of receipts for extravagant purchases. ∙ A guest list for an upcoming Krause family party, with one name conspic- uously crossed out. ∙ An attempt to collect a debt. ∙ An argument between two Suspects on the deck of The Regal Lady; the words they’re saying are unclear. ∙ An antique vase—a family heirloom—shattered. ∙ A love letter from a young military vet. ∙ An expensive diamond earring, its mate missing. ∙ A cod with a rat stuffed in its mouth. ∙ A sequence of numbers written on a slip of paper. ∙ Documents that call into question the paternity of a child. ∙ Instructions to cut someone out of a will. ∙ A taboo love affair. ∙ An expensive samoyed, missing. VVooiidd CClluueess ∙ A fish, dying, strange purple ooze seeping from its beady, black eyes. ∙ At first, the growling, repetitive noise of some machine, but upon further inspection, the sound of chanting coming from somewhere dark and down below. ∙ Tattoos that seem to have shifted position when you look at them again. ∙ A group of people praying near the spot where Mr. Krause’s body was found. They will not interact with anyone, and disperse if someone gets too pushy. ∙ A fish, seemingly dead, speaks a single word: “Void.” ∙ Nighttime shadows appear to plume and swirl, like ink dripped into a glass of water. 115 ---  MYSTERIES AAllll HHaallllooww’’ss SSccrreeaamm Complexity: 6 PPrreesseennttiinngg tthhee MMyysstteerryy The Mavens are guests at a Halloween party being thrown at the fabulous Brindlewood Bay home of Abner and Coco Vidal. Abner, a retired filmmaker famous for gonzo, B-grade pictures greets the Mavens at the front door; he is wearing a King Tut costume. Paint the Scene: As you approach the Vidals’ home, what ostentatious thing do you see outside that reminds you the Vidals don’t fit in with Brindlewood Bay’s stuffy upper crust? Also: tell me about your costume. After a short scene with Abner, have a few more scenes where we see the Mavens enjoying themselves at the party, which principally takes place at or near the bar. Be sure to introduce all the Suspects in these scenes. After a few scenes, and after the Suspects have been introduced, the party is interrupted by a shrill scream. Mrs. White has found Abner dead on the covered back porch, his head submerged in a large metal basin being used to bob for apples. The Mavens can begin investigating right away or they can wait for someone from the sheriff’s department to be called to the scene. No matter what, it’s important that no one be allowed to leave the Vidals’ home until everyone can be questioned. Make it clear to the players that the sheriff’s department is entirely incompetent and will not be able to crack the case without the Mavens’ help. If you need a character from law enforcement, use Sheriff Dalrymple from Dad Overboard, or Deputy Brett Anderson, a himbo beach cop, in the event Sheriff Dalrymple was implicated in the Dad Overboard murder. Establishing Question: You’re having a secret affair with one of the people you’ve talked to at the party tonight. Who is it? 117 ---  MYSTERIES MMoommeennttss ∙ Partygoers dancing to the “Monster Mash.” ∙ Lobby posters of some of Abner’s greatest hits: Return of the Devil Wom- en from Planet X, Zombie High School, Barracuda II: The ‘Cuda Sleeps at Night, and Barracuda VIII: ‘Cuda in Space. ∙ An animatronic werewolf from Werewolf Sings the Blues welcomes party- goers with a song. ∙ A movie theater concession stand is not in operation, but smells of hot buttered popcorn. ∙ TV monitors throughout the house play scenes from March of the Devil Women from Planet X on a silent loop. ∙ A group of trick-or-treaters at the front door: Spider-Man, Pink Power Ranger, Happy Jack the Lumberjack. SSuussppeeccttss Marcus Greaves, the manager Handsome. Piercing eyes. No costume. Marcus is Abner’s business manager. He’s been with Abner for over twenty years, looking after his affairs, arrang- ing opportunities, negotiating contracts… and always getting his ten percent. Quote: “These parties are such a waste of time. The people in this backwa- ter—no offense—are never going to accept Abner as one of their own, so I’m not sure why he even tries. I need to get him back to Hollywood—Los Angeles misses Abner Vidal. I know he’s upset about how poorly ‘Cudat Girl? Barracuda in Love was received, but anyone could have told you that long- time fans of the Barracuda franchise were never going to accept a rom-com twist!” Mrs. White, maid Curmudgeonly. Snoops about. Maid uniform with cat ears. Mrs. White is quiet and always… there. She knows a lot about what happens in the Vidal home. Secretly in love with Coco. Quote: “Mr. Vidal was bound to go and get himself killed at some point. You can’t make that many pictures about madness and murder and not have the real thing come knocking on your door at some point. I’m surprised it took this long! The person I’m most worried about is poor Mrs. Vidal. Someone needs to make sure she’s looked after.” 118 ---  MYSTERIES Coco Vidal, the wife Air-headed. Sweet. Cleopatra costume. Coco has known Abner since they were teenagers and was frequently an extra in his early films. They’ve been married for nearly forty years. Quote: “Why would anyone want to kill Abner? He’s so harmless. It’s true he snores quite a lot, and he’s sometimes a bit of a cheapskate when it comes to dining out, but why would anyone want to kill him over stuff like that?” Elena Visage, an actress Seductive. Boozy. Vampiress costume. Elena is a former Hollywood actress and frequent star of Abner’s films. She seems to like Abner, though she will drop hints that he eventually resigned her to “matronly” roles in favor of giving the leads to younger talent. Quote: “I mean, surely you’ve seen my work? Variety once said my perfor- mance in Devil Women from Planet X was the most acting they’d ever seen.” Gordon Thune, a banker Stuffy. Put-upon. Frankenstein’s monster costume. Gordon is a local banker and a pillar of the community. He finds Abner personally distasteful, and if not for the filmmaker’s importance as a bank customer, wouldn’t be caught dead at this party. Quote: “Who knows what kind of depraved nonsense Abner has planned for us at this party. These Hollywood types… they’re just different from you and me, you know?” Sam Turlington, a business partner Friendly. Boisterous. Phantom of the Opera costume. Sam is a new business partner of Abner’s—they’re investing in some prime retail property near the bay. He likes Abner and is having a swell time at the party. Quote: “I’ll tell you this: Abner Vidal isn’t just a film visionary. No, no—he’s also got a great mind for business. The plans we’re hatching for the seaside properties are going to make Brindlewood Bay an internationally-renowned vacation spot.” June Willoughby, a local socialite Pretty. Artificially genteel. Sock-hop costume. A local and friend of the Vidals. Secretly having an affair with Abner. Very judgmental towards Coco. Quote: “Just look at this place. Everything is so ostentatious. And it’s just like Coco to buy this cheap swill. Zhampagne! Whoever heard of Zhampagne?” 119 ---  MYSTERIES LLooccaattiioonnss The bar This is where the mystery starts—a bar and lounge area just off the foyer. Paint the Scene: The room has been decorated for Halloween using props from Abner’s horror movies. Come up with a name for one of Abner’s schlock masterpieces and then describe the prop from that movie. The Tinseltown room Dramatic art deco lines. Lots of black lacquer and gold trim. Thick carpets. Paint the Scene: As you step inside this sitting room, what do you see that shows it’s a temple to Old Hollywood? The master bedroom Blood red wallpaper and curtains. Enormous canopy bed. Mirrors overhead. Paint the Scene: Abner and Coco had a pretty interesting sex life. What evidence of this do you see casually strewn about the room? Abner’s office A framed dollar bill with no particular significance. A top-of-the line com- puter, still boxed. A talking ‘Cuda the Barracuda mounted to the wall sings “Bad to the Bone” if you press a button. Paint the Scene: Abner is very bad at business. Looking around his office, how do you know this? The screening room Red velvet movie theater seats. Sconces glowing warmly. The click click click of a film reel. Paint the Scene (only if at least one Maven has marked A Shadow in the Garden): The film being played, about a hippie commune, is one you don’t recognize. The film is in black and white, and there is no audio. It captures the last, violent moments of the commune, with buildings burning and people bloodied and running in terror. What do you see that makes you think the events being depicted are real? The film is a Void Clue. 120 ---  MYSTERIES CClluueess ∙ A shattered Britty Award. ∙ An argument between two Suspects on a seemingly private balcony; the words they’re saying are unclear. ∙ A plastic pumpkin filled with half-empty pill bottles; painkillers, mostly. ∙ Decorative spider webs with a real human finger tangled in them. ∙ A stack of rejected movie scripts: Devil Women from Planet X vs. Zombie High School, Barracuda XII: ‘Cudaz n the Hood, and Vampire Toga Party III: Magnus Cums Loudly. ∙ A pair of muddy boots in an unusual place. ∙ An old reel of film showing a debauched Hollywood party. ∙ Women’s lingerie, perfumed. ∙ A secret passage connects two Locations. ∙ A sack of rubber Halloween masks in an unusual place. ∙ A steamy love letter, unsigned. ∙ A fancy car, the brake lines cut. ∙ Pictures of the past, discarded. ∙ An adult trick-or-treater provokes a glint of recognition from a Suspect. ∙ A phone message delivered to the wrong number. ∙ A lifetime achievement award with the words “Enjoy it, you worthless bastard” carved on the back of the frame. ∙ A tape of spooky Halloween sounds has a message from someone when played in reverse: “I know I’m going to die tonight.” ∙ Candy that has been tampered with. ∙ A duplicate costume, hastily discarded. ∙ A rejected building permit application. VVooiidd CClluueess ∙ The sound of a record being played backwards, but upon closer inspec- tion, the sound of ritual chanting. ∙ A rising mist, strange shapes moving within. ∙ Insects pouring out of a jack-o’-lantern. ∙ A tree oozing blood-red sap. ∙ The electricity goes out, causing the music to come to a groaning stop. You can hear feverish sounds in the darkness: lovemaking, death throes, barn- yard animal noises. When the lights come on again, everything is normal. ∙ A character depicted on a lobby poster for The Twelve Sexy Labors of Hercules beckons to you. 121 ---  MYSTERIES TThhee GGBBBBBBOO ((TThhee GGrreeaatt BBrriinnddlleewwoooodd BBaayy BBaakkee--OOffff)) Complexity: 7 PPrreesseennttiinngg tthhee MMyysstteerryy The most popular television program in the world, The Jolly Good Baking Show, has come to Brindlewood Bay to find the town’s very best baker. A number of qualifying rounds have been held, and our Murder Mavens are among the bakers to make it through to the final, televised portion of the show, where they will meet the charming presenters and have their confec- tions judged by the notoriously strict Paul and Jane. The first scene depicts the opening round of the competition: pies. Go around the table and ask each player to describe what sort of pie their Maven is making. Then, ask the player to their left whether the pie is a tri- umph or rather disappointing. If a Maven’s Cozy Activity is baking, their pie is automatically a triumph. Then, the other players and the Keeper should each offer a detail about how the pie was beautifully executed if it was a triumph, or a detail about how it was a disaster if it was rather disappointing. During this process, the entire cast of Suspects should be introduced, as well as the steely-eyed, silver-haired judge, Paul Riviera. You can do this by having the Suspects interject with commentary or words of support, or have them do something technical related to the television production. Lots of hugs are in order. There is a short break in filming after the pie round, during which a Suspect (your choice) will find Paul Riviera dead in his trailer, his face covered with flour and his hands tied behind his back with beautifully-plaited nylon cords. Security around the show is tight, and most of the production team was away from the set during the break. The only people who were still on set, and therefore had the means to kill Paul, are the Suspects. Members of the production team will naturally be quite shocked by Paul’s death, but they insist that everyone keep calm and carry on with the show. A responding authority, perhaps Sheriff Wyman Dalrymple, will ask the Murder Mavens to help figure out who did it, since they’re in the mix and therefore in a position to question people during the filming of the remainder of the competition. If they can solve the crime without causing a stir, all the better. 123 ---  MYSTERIES During the investigation, one more round of baking competition should take place: cakes. For this round, have each player find a picture of a fabulous cake on the internet, using their smartphone or whatever technology is at-hand. That’s the cake their Maven baked. The winner of the competition is determined by the Keeper. If the mystery isn’t solved by the end of the competition, the investigation can extend over as many hours or days as are needed. The Suspects won’t be allowed to leave Brindlewood Bay until the culprit is brought to justice. Establishing Question: The Jolly Good Baking Show is connected to one of your favorite memories. What is that memory? MMoommeennttss ∙ Melanie begins having a breakdown; Sue and Timothy rush over to com- fort her. Scott quips: “That’s a lot of emotion for pie.” ∙ Someone forgot to turn their oven on, leading to no end of sturm and drang. Heath looks delighted and orders Buck to capture every agonizing moment on camera. ∙ Someone’s bake looks like a cock. Everyone laughs except Jane, who doesn’t understand what’s so funny and will you please stop it, you lot, we have a show to make. ∙ Someone’s bake is a triumph and they are rewarded with a coveted Paul Riviera shoulder rub. ∙ Timothy and/or Sue reveals, for the one hundredth time, they don’t know anything about baking. ∙ A producer asks you to answer a question for the camera: ∙ Can you tell us what’s going into your bake? ∙ Who’s your biggest competition here? ∙ Which judge intimidates you more? ∙ Why is it important for you to win this competition? 124 ---  MYSTERIES SSuussppeeccttss Jane Leaf, a judge Sweetly judgmental. Elderly. Posh. Jane is a beloved celebrity in the U.K., having published dozens of cookery books and made hundreds of television appearances over a career spanning nearly sixty years. Like all the other stars of The Jolly Good Baking Show, her contract is up for renewal, and she has lately grown frustrated with Paul’s hardball negotiation tactics, which threaten to shut down the show entirely. Quote: “Don’t fret, dear—your pie has a perfectly adequate taste. It just looks a bit… informal.” Sue Mellon, a presenter Boisterous. Punny. A hugger. Sue had been a very successful comedian in the U.K. She took this presenter job when her comedy career started to flatline. She is secretly jealous of Paul, who is the breakout star of The Jolly Good Baking Show. Quote: “Bakers! Lattice be a warning to you: only five minutes remaining in the pie round!” Timothy Boosh, a presenter Weirdly large. Broad humor. Gothy. Timothy is mostly along for the ride. He doesn’t know the first thing about baking and feels very lucky to have stumbled into this gig. Quote: “Bakers! You have thirty minutes remaining in this round!” [Pours a glass of water over his head and then does an awkward cartwheel for some reason.] Scott Lamb, a contestant Organized. Fond of bow ties. Twink. Scott was a contestant on The Jolly Good Baking Show three years ago. He famously went home after an explo- sive, on-camera argument with Paul about a pan of over-baked muffins. Many viewers, however, believe there’s more to that story, with some suggesting the two were secretly lovers. In a bit of stunt casting, the show’s producers have invited Scott to participate in this special episode, going so far as to rent him an apartment in town so he can technically be said to live in Brindlewood Bay. Quote: “It’s very important to blind bake the pie crust so you don’t have a soggy bottom, because believe you me: Paul likes a neat, firm, uncompli- cated bottom.” 125 ---  MYSTERIES Melanie Blair, a contestant Seemingly frazzled. Actually intense. Sensibly-dressed. Melanie has lived in Brindlewood Bay all her life, and learned to bake from her parents, who used to own The Sweet Sensations Bakery before it went out of business. Quote: “Yes, it’s true my parents’ bakery went out of business when Paul’s bakery chain opened a location in Brindlewood Bay, but I won’t hold that against him. I love The Jolly Good Baking Show, and I’m just so honored to be here.” Heath Hendricks, a producer Stern. Balding. Excessive use of “3… 2… 1” fingers. Heath is overworked and irritable. He is furious that Paul Riviera has been threatening to leave the show if his (ridiculous) contractual demands are not met. Quote: “Do I sometimes daydream about him being dead? Absolutely. But did I kill him? No way. Paul Riviera may be a pompous, arrogant ass, but he’s our pompous, arrogant ass.” Buck, a cameraman Good-humored. Handsome. Poetic. Buck, an American, has only been with The Jolly Good Baking Show for a few months, after his secret lover, Donna Riviera, got him the job. Quote: “This whole situation is just so unbearably tragic. The Jolly Good Baking Show is one of the few lights we have in this dark, dismal world. Tell me another show that can bring people together like this one can—young and old, rich and poor, black and white. It’s something we can all agree on, you know? And now that Paul is gone, it will never be the same. That light is just a little bit dimmer now.” Donna Riviera, the wife Bottle blonde. Leopard print. Piles of make-up. Like her husband, Donna Riv- iera is a celebrity, having starred in the short-lived reality television program, The Real Housewives of Liverpool. She has been having an affair with Buck for the last few months. Quote: “I can’t believe someone would kill him, like. Mind you, he was always doing my head in—if anyone had a reason to sack him off, it’s me. But I didn’t do it. And now if you’ll excuse me, I need a bifter and a bevvie to take the edge off, like.” 126 ---  MYSTERIES LLooccaattiioonnss Jane’s trailer Enormous arrangements of English roses flanking everything. The Union Jack in a prominent place. The space is somehow in soft focus. Paint the Scene: As you step into the trailer, what do you see that reflects Jane’s very posh femininity? Sue’s trailer Shelves full of British snacks and sweets: Tiddlynips, Bumblecracks, Wobbly Wums, and Nob Noms. Sapphic art all over. The smell of patchouli. Paint the Scene: Sue has a reverence for the great comedians that came before her. What do you see in her trailer that reinforces this idea? Timothy’s trailer The Cure playing on the stereo, of course. Blacklight posters. An obelisk in one corner. Paint the Scene: What do you see in Timothy’s trailer that suggests he is a deeply lonely person? The judges’ tent Production folk just out of frame. A backdrop meant to depict Brindlewood Bay is actually Martha’s Vineyard. Red, white, and blue bunting. Paint the Scene: The judges’ tent is normally decorated to look like a quaint cottage somewhere in the English countryside, but has been given an “American” flair for this special episode. What sort of “American” gewgaws do you see? 127 ---  MYSTERIES CClluueess ∙ A baking sheet sprinkled with rat poison. ∙ A text message of someone professing their love. ∙ A cookbook authored by Jane Leaf and Paul Riviera, but with one of Paul’s recipes torn out. ∙ An unreasonable contractual demand. ∙ A missing chef’s knife. ∙ A pile of receipts suggesting extravagant expenditures. ∙ A shattered Britty award. ∙ A dangerously-frayed electrical cord. ∙ A heated argument about British politics. ∙ A Buckingham Palace invite to the cast and crew of The Jolly Good Bak- ing Show, with one name conspicuously missing. ∙ Stacks of love letters from the British Prime Minister. ∙ A dressing-down from the head of the BBC. ∙ Extremely valuable diamond earrings shaped like tiny loaves of bread. ∙ A plea for financial help. ∙ A sheet cake with a very hateful message written in blood-red icing on it. ∙ A pair of plane tickets to somewhere far, far away. ∙ Ball gag, handcuffs, and a riding crop. ∙ Outtakes suggesting a very tense, off-camera relationship. ∙ A rolling pin spattered with blood. ∙ Paul’s body has signs of him being poisoned. VVooiidd CClluueess ∙ A swarm of insects where food should be. ∙ The shadow of something unnatural crawling atop the baking tent. ∙ A tray of gingerbread men engaged in lurid acts, like on a Greek vase. ∙ A food canister that smells of urine, semen, and sweat. ∙ Brindlewood Bay locals watching the filming are suddenly seen wearing smooth, stone masks. ∙ For a moment, an oven seems impossibly vast and dark on the inside. 128 ---  MYSTERIES 129 ---  MYSTERIES JJiinnggllee BBeellll SShhoocckk Complexity: 7 PPrreesseennttiinngg tthhee MMyysstteerryy It’s the holiday season, and the Murder Mavens are out caroling as part of the Brindlewood Bay Lunch Club’s annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Carol-a- thon fundraiser. Go around the table and ask each player to describe their Maven’s ugly Christmas sweater. The carolers arrive at the grand home of Amelia Hawthorne, and are a few bars into a rousing rendition of “We Three Kings” when a tall, middle-aged woman in a red suit steps out onto the porch and asks the group if they’d be willing to sing a funeral dirge instead. The woman will introduce herself to the group as Caroline Hawthorne, Amelia’s niece. It seems Amelia was just found dead in her bedroom, strangled with a strand of garland. If the Mavens go inside the house, they’ll find all the Suspects gathered in the foyer. Amelia was in her late sixties, and very wealthy after shrewdly investing her inheritance decades ago. She never married and, apart from her beloved Pekingese, Chestnut IV, lived alone. The Suspects are all family members from out of town. The rest of the carolers will leave to get help from the police, but the Mavens should stay and conduct an investigation. Caroline will introduce herself and the other Suspects by name and relation to Amelia. Establishing Question: Amelia Hawthorne is a pariah in Brindlewood Bay. She’s known to be miserly and cruel, and more than happy to throw her weight around with the town council in order to get her way. Very few people will be sad to hear she’s dead, but you once saw a different side of her, a moment that humanized her. What happened? 130 ---  MYSTERIES MMoommeennttss ∙ The crunch of boots on snow, the smell of oranges in the air, and the tinkling of silver bells in the distance. ∙ The sweet and subtle smell of birch as it burns in a grand fireplace. ∙ An enormous charcuterie board filled with treats: cured meats, olives, crackers, several cheeses, fruits and veg, dipping sauces, crusty bread slices, and more. ∙ A tapestry depicts a Curier & Ives scene: straw-haired boys playing in the snow; their dog yaps silently from the porch of their quaint home. ∙ A corkboard with Christmas cards from the gas company, the power company, and Amelia’s life insurance provider—dozens collected over the years. ∙ It’s a Wonderful Life playing on an old console television set. SSuussppeeccttss Caroline Hawthorne, the niece Assertive. Wry. Well-tailored women’s suit. Caroline is, practically-speaking, the head of the Hawthorne family. While the family’s money can be traced back to Aunt Amelia, it’s Caroline who organizes everything, gives it form. She makes sure everyone is taken care of, financially-speaking, and that this annual pilgrimage to kiss Amelia’s ring takes place. Caroline is Thomas’s daughter, Avery’s wife, and Everett and Skyler’s mother. Quote: “We certainly have our differences, but the thing you need to under- stand about this family is that we are, first and foremost, Hawthornes. That comes before everything and everyone.” Thomas Hawthorne, a brother Cautious. Soft-spoken. Plum-colored smoking jacket. Thomas was Amelia’s brother and financial adviser. He quietly resents Amelia since he’s the one who helped her with the investments that made her rich, and if not for the fact that he was cut out of their parents’ will, would have been able to make those investments for himself. Thomas is Caroline’s father, and Everett and Skyler’s grandfather. Quote: “My sister was a very complicated woman. She had a depth to her—a secret way of being that very few people understood. As much as I’m loath to admit it, I will miss her.” 131 ---  MYSTERIES Jimmy Hawthorne, a brother Red-faced. Drunken. New England Patriots sweater. Uncle Jimmy was Ame- lia’s brother, a thrice-divorced black sheep of the Hawthorne family. He can’t hold down a job, and is always begging the other family members for money. He and Amelia hated each other with a white-hot passion, though the exact reason why has always been unclear. Quote: “Ding-dong, the witch is dead!” [Takes another drink and passes out.] Magdalena Hawthorne, the sister-in-law Knowing smile. Constantly shuffling a deck of tarot cards. Ridiculously large silver cross around her neck. Magdalena is one of Jimmy’s ex-wives. She is a deeply spiritual woman who blends her Catholic faith with more esoteric beliefs. Amelia gave her the money to open her Los Angeles New Age shop back in the late ‘80s. Magdalena is generally considered to be the only friend Amelia had. Quote: “I arrived earlier today. I drew a card from my deck as soon as I crossed the threshold of the front door: the Nine of Swords. That’s a very bad sign—a sign of conflict—and I knew right away something terrible was going to happen. The cards never lie…” Everett Hawthorne, the great-nephew Ridiculously handsome. Excessive use of “finger guns.” Oversized cable knit sweater. Everett is a movie star, and likely the only Suspect the Mavens immediately recognize. He’s most famous for the Turk Huntington series of spy films, each of which has been a global blockbuster. Everett is Caroline and Avery’s son, and Skyler’s brother. Quote: “Trust me: everyone in this room—except me, because I’m already rich as fuck—wants to know how much Aunt Amelia left them in her will. But knowing her, she left every red penny to Chestnut IV and all the other Chestnuts to come.” Skyler Hawthorne, the great-niece Tall. Beautiful. Bohemian chic. Skyler is a runway model who has worked for some of the biggest fashion houses in the world. She dislikes the other Haw- thornes, but especially her brother, whom she believes received preferential treatment from the family elders. Skyler is Caroline and Avery’s daughter, and Everett’s sister. Quote: “My brother wasn’t always a leading man in life. Growing up, he was chubby, he had a huge nose, and he stuttered really badly. But Aunt Amelia loved him—almost as much as she loved those damn dogs—and she helped him. It turns out you can turn a frog into a prince with enough money.” 132 ---  MYSTERIES Avery Partridge, the nephew by marriage Bitter. Sneering. Golf shirt and khakis. Avery runs a successful real estate business with his wife, Caroline. He doesn’t have much love for any of the Hawthornes, but he absolutely despises Amelia, who made giving his children the Hawthorne name a condition of getting seed money for the business. Avery is Caroline’s husband, and Everett and Skyler’s father. Quote: “Have you been to Amelia’s horrid Christmas room yet? A can- dy-colored nightmare. I think she collected all that tacky crap in an effort to somehow own the idea of Christmas, to dominate it.” Mother Hawthorne, the grandmother Ancient. Blind in one eye. Buried in furs. Mother Hawthorne is Amelia’s grandmother. No one remembers her real first name, and no one knows exactly how old she is. She has managed to outlast a whole generation of Hawthornes one branch below her on the family tree. She rarely speaks and can barely get around on her own. It would have been impossible for her to strangle Amelia. Mother Hawthorne is the grandmother of Thomas and Jimmy. Quote: “...” Quote (only to a Maven with The Pallid Mask marked): “I have looked into the gloaming eyes of Death many times now, and each time I have told that pallid harbinger, ‘No! Not today. Today is not the day I take your bony hand in mine and walk to that shadowy realm beyond the Black Gate.’ You can do that, too, my dear. You can fix your gaze upon the Reaper and decline his cold affections. The more interesting question is ‘Why do it?’ Why should I want to keep living in this frail body, barely seen to by kin who no longer remember my name? Why should I want to keep silently tittering in my husk? Because I want to see the looks upon their faces when they realize it’s all coming to an end.” 133 ---  MYSTERIES LLooccaattiioonnss The Chestnut room The stale, nutty smell of dog biscuits. Chestnut IV sitting on a silky pouf, holding court. A tiny Christmas tree decorated with dog bone ornaments. Paint the Scene: The front room of Amelia’s house is a temple dedicated to Chestnuts I-III. What do you see that shows how much Amelia loved her precious Pekingese dogs? Amelia’s bedroom Floral prints and Tiffany lampshades. A vintage dress form in one corner. A loaded bar cart, untouched. Paint the Scene: What do you see in Amelia’s bedroom that indicates she had a much softer heart than her public persona would have you believe? The Christmas room A sensor is triggered and a recorded voice bellows out: “Ho, ho, ho! M-e-e- erry Christmas!” A model train chugs along an enormous track that spans the room. The smell of balsam. Paint the Scene: This room is decorated for Christmas year-round. Does the room feel warm and inviting to you or does it feel oppressive to you? Something else? What do you see that reinforces how you feel? The dining room A table that seats twelve. A curio filled with Hummel figurines. A loaded bar cart, untouched. Paint the Scene: What do you see in the grand dining room that shows just how lonely Amelia truly was? The kitchen An enormous island for preparing food. Stainless steel and marble on every surface. The thrum of Chestnut IV’s automatic feeder. Paint the Scene: How do you know Amelia (and the other Hawthornes) have never used this space to cook a meal? 134 ---  MYSTERIES CClluueess ∙ A shattered eggnog glass. ∙ A bundle of racy Christmas cards. ∙ A secret crawlspace. ∙ A suicide note from years ago, preserved as a keepsake. ∙ A stack of unpaid bills. ∙ A parody version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” the lyrics of which are a scathing indictment of the Hawthorne family. ∙ A bottle of pills that has been tampered with. ∙ An argument between Amelia and her lawyers. ∙ A slip and fall accident that went unreported. ∙ A Christmas tree ornament that mocks a Suspect. ∙ Droplets of dried blood in a strange place. ∙ An old yearbook from Amelia, Thomas, and Jimmy’s high school days. ∙ Amelia’s rejection of a Suspect’s request for money. ∙ A security camera hidden in a papier mache statue of Frosty the Snowman. ∙ A stack of old board games, each missing a pawn of a particular color. ∙ A Hawthorne family portrait with one person carefully cut out of it. ∙ Amelia’s parents’ will, leaving her nearly everything and cutting out Thomas. ∙ A plane ticket to Rio de Janeiro. ∙ A Christmas wreath festooned with poison oak, nightshade, and holly. ∙ An extravagant gift for Chestnut IV. VVooiidd CClluueess ∙ Magdalena’s tarot deck is just The Devil, one after the other. ∙ A nativity scene features a Baby Jesus that suddenly bleats like a goat. ∙ A thick, tar-like substance begins oozing out of all the nutcrackers’ eyes. ∙ Chestnut IV is whispering to an unseen entity in the corner of the room. ∙ An advent calendar, behind each door of which is an occult symbol or picture of someone who was brutally murdered in Brindlewood Bay. ∙ Evidence that Amelia is a member of the Midwives of the Fragrant Void (only if Layer Three of the Dark Conspiracy is unlocked). 135 ---  MYSTERIES AA MMuurrddeerr MMoosstt MMuucckkyy Complexity: 8 Note: The tiny village of Mucky Point is a dangerous place, loaded with hints of the strange and supernatural. Only play this mystery if Layer 4 of the Dark Conspiracy is unlocked. PPrreesseennttiinngg tthhee MMyysstteerryy Present this mystery at the top floor of The Candlelight Booksellers, during the weekly meeting of the Murder Mavens mystery book club. Paint the Scene: As the camera pans around the loft where you hold your Murder Mavens meetings, what do we see that shows how this is one of the coziest spots in all of Brindlewood Bay? After the meeting, the Mavens are approached by Janet Flock, owner of the bookstore. Janet shows them a story in the local paper, about a Mucky Point lighthouse keeper, Cyrus Creel, who died after falling off the little walkway just outside the lighthouse’s lantern room. The article quotes several locals who think Mr. Creel was murdered, as the grizzled old lighthouse keeper had kept the lantern lit for decades and only someone green would lose their footing and tumble to their death. The paper also quotes the Mucky Point constable, Alvin Deschain, who says the death was strictly an accident and any talk of murder is baseless speculation. Janet reminds the Mavens that Mucky Point is only a few miles up the road, and suggests that Constable Deschain might appreciate their unique insight into the case. If the Mavens press Janet for why she is so interested in the case, she will reveal that Cyrus was an old family friend, and that it would put her at ease knowing—definitively—there was no foul play involved in his death. 137 ---  MYSTERIES Mucky Point is a tiny hamlet in Brindlewood County. It has existed to support the operation of the lighthouse for most of its history, but in recent decades, as the lighthouse has become less and less important to maritime naviga- tion, it has shrunk to just a few small homes and businesses. In Brindlewood Bay, Mucky Point has a reputation for being a shriveled little place, isolated and unfriendly to outsiders. In Mucky Point, folks from Brindlewood Bay are viewed with some animosity, especially after the Mucky Point lighthouse never took off as a tourist attraction, in part because of interference from Brindlewood Bay’s tourism board. As the Mavens arrive in Mucky Point, give them a quick lay of the land: ∙ To the east, on a raised, rocky area, is the lighthouse. ∙ Near the base of the lighthouse is a small shack used by the lighthouse keepers as storage and lodging. ∙ Mucky Point proper consists of a single thoroughfare, along which can be found: The Golden Bull Roadhouse, Deschain’s Gas & Sundries, The Mucky Point Lighthouse Museum, and Codswallop’s Bait & Tackle. Establishing Question: Mucky Pointers are rumored to have a strange physical characteristic they all share. What have you heard? MMoommeennttss ∙ A group of hardened men and women, leering… suspicious. ∙ An old song you don’t recognize, the singer’s voice halting and uneven, playing on a jukebox. The label identifying the song is blackened out. ∙ The sound of wailing in the distance—a woman crying out in anguish?— that turns out to just be the wind. ∙ A wall with exposed brick that is soft and slushy, like cold mud. ∙ The remains of a shredded Union Jack tied to a fence post, strips of cloth flapping in the wind. ∙ An old man with the “Mucky Point look” warns you to go back to Brindle- wood Bay, where it’s safe. 138 ---  MYSTERIES SSuussppeeccttss Alvin Deschain, the constable Lanky. Slightly hunched back. Messy uniform. Alvin has lived in Mucky Point all his life. He is suspicious of outsiders, even those from places as close as Brindlewood Bay. Quote: “There’s no way Cyrus was murdered. It simply wouldn’t happen in Mucky Point. We’re a close-knit community—we care for each other—but I sup- pose someone like you wouldn’t understand something like that, would you?” Tara Hill, a tavern keeper Husky. Mullet. Sleeves rolled up. Tara moved to Mucky Point ten years ago when she inherited The Golden Bull Roadhouse from her uncle, Milton Hill. Her wife, Sandy Hill (née Deschain), was born and raised in Mucky Point, and is the only reason she doesn’t feel like a complete outsider. Quote: “Mucky Pointers are a special breed. Have you talked to Thurgood yet? No? Well, if you do, make sure you don’t catch him in the middle of one of his… spells. You might regret it.” George Codswallop, the store owner High-pitched, whistle-y voice. Limps. Pronounced physical characteristics from the Establishing Question. George is a middle-aged man who has worked in the Bait & Tackle all his adult life. If Mucky Pointers are generally suspicious of outsiders, George is downright hostile. Quote: “Unless you plan on buying a bucket of worms, I don’t have anything to say to you!” Benny “Tug” Williams, a drunk Red-nosed. Slurred speech. Partially untucked plaid shirt. Tug spends most of his time at The Golden Bull and is rarely sober. Because no one takes him too seriously, he’s been able to observe a lot of the goings-on in Mucky Point, and is a good source of information—if the Mavens can keep him lucid, that is. Quote: “I’ve seen some dark and terrible things in Mucky Point—things that would make you go white as a sheet if you saw ‘em. ‘Course, no one listens to me—no one ever listens to a drunk.” 139 ---  MYSTERIES Sandy Hill, a tavern keeper Ruddy-cheeked. Pile of red hair. Messy apron. Sandy has lived in Mucky Point all her life. She almost got out before she met Tara. They fell in love ten years ago, got married, and have been running The Golden Bull together ever since. She is Marvin’s daughter and Alvin’s niece. Quote: “Cyrus Creel was a hateful old bastard. He hated everyone and everything—everything except that damn lighthouse. You know, the county tried to tear it down last year—to make room for new development—but he and Eleanor managed to stop them. Those two lobbied hard to have it designated an ‘historical landmark.’ And let me tell you: they made a lot of enemies during that fight.” Eleanor Hurley, the historian Costume jewelry. Streak of gray. Colorful scarf. Eleanor runs the newly-estab- lished Mucky Point Lighthouse Museum, carefully tending to the books and antique lighthouse equipment that make up the museum’s modest collec- tion. She was in love with Cyrus, and, if pressed, will admit to having had a long-term romantic relationship with him. Quote: “There are all sorts of fascinating things about the lighthouse that very few people are even aware of. For example: the base of the thing pre- dates the lighthouse structure by some 300 years, and is made of a strange, black stone I haven’t seen anywhere else in this area. I’ve been trying to get geologists to come take a look at it for years, but for some reason they always back out at the last minute.” Marvin Deschain, the gas station attendant Haggard. Flint-eyed. Greasy overalls. Marvin owns and operates Deschain’s Gas & Sundries with his brother, Alvin. He was best friends with Cyrus grow- ing up, but had grown distant from him in recent years. He is Sandy’s father. Quote: “Cyrus was a tough old gizzard, and nimbler than a monkey when it came to getting around that lighthouse. There’s no way in Hell he slipped and fell—I don’t care what my brother says. Someone killed him. And you know what? The S.O.B. probably deserved it!” 140 ---  MYSTERIES Stephen Blair, a lighthouse keeper Handsome. Thoughtful. Well-pressed uniform. Stephen grew up in Brin- dlewood Bay, and moved to Mucky Point last year when he got the job as Assistant Lighthouse Keeper. Most people will tell you that Cyrus was openly abusive to the young man, but Stephen will laugh it off, claiming that the old lighthouse keeper was simply “complicated.” If pressed, Stephen will share stories about some of the strange events he has witnessed over the last few months (reveal a Void Clue). Quote: “I suppose it’s kind of strange for someone from my generation to want to be a lighthouse keeper. But I’ve always been fascinated by this lighthouse in particular, and there was no way in heck I was going to keep working at my parents’ bakery in Brindlewood Bay.” Thurgood Codswallop, a fisherman Pitch-black eyes. Extremely small teeth. Pronounced physical characteristics from the Establishing Question. Thurgood is nearly as hostile to outsiders as his brother George is. Thurgood is sometimes found sitting in his little boat, staring out to sea, feverishly whispering strange, unintelligible words to himself. Quote: “I have frequently seen the sea in my dreams. She calls to me. She calls to all of us. She wants us to return to Her, to the icy womb from which we all crawled. I guess that’s why I chose the line of work that I did. It keeps me close to Her.” Genevieve Deschain, the mayor Shiny coat. Good teeth. “Mayor” medallion on her collar. Genevieve is a golden retriever that belongs to the Deschain brothers. The town elected her mayor a few years ago in an attempt to gin up some publicity. Most days she can be found at the end of the pier, staring out to sea, occasionally barking at phantoms only she can see. Special Rule: If a Maven with The Chariot marked approaches Genevieve, the dog will befriend her and lead her to a Clue. 141 ---  MYSTERIES LLooccaattiioonnss The lighthouse The sensation of your stomach dropping, like when you go down a hill on a rollercoaster, as soon as you step through the entrance. There are no echoes here, despite being a hollow stone cylinder. No matter how loud you speak, it’s always a whisper. Paint the Scene: What evidence here suggests the lighthouse keepers through the years have had… strange beliefs? The lighthouse keepers’ shack A pair of small but cozy looking beds. Two large sea chests and a tall ward- robe. A small, plain dining table. Paint the Scene: In 1932, one of the lighthouse keepers savagely murdered the other. What do you see here, even today, that is a reminder of this grim history? The Golden Bull Roadhouse Dimly lit. The smell of beer and cheap fried food. A fan spins lazily overhead in the Summer. Paint the Scene: The Golden Bull was originally a lodge for a group of spiritualists in the 1920s. What did they leave behind? Deschain’s Gas & Sundries A wall of cigarettes behind the counter. Gas station snacks: Corn Nibs, Meat Whips, and Snuckers, plus a few imported treats, like Bumblecracks and Nob Noms. A DrinkPlus-branded refrigerator case (“It’s a soft drink PLUS so much more!”). Paint the Scene: The Deschains are the oldest family in Mucky Point. What here is a reminder of that? The Mucky Point Lighthouse Museum Extremely small. Smells of furniture polish. Floors made of wood reclaimed from shipwrecks. Paint the Scene: Looking around, you can tell this building was originally used for another, darker purpose. What do you see? Codswallop’s Bait & Tackle A distinct smell: fish, blood, and bile. Very poorly lit. Every step is like being stroked on the back of your hand by something oily. Paint the Scene (for Mavens who have marked The Pallid Mask): You are able to see something here from the “other side.” What is it? Paint the Scene (for everyone else): Why does this place give you the creeps? 142 ---  MYSTERIES CClluueess ∙ A diary containing evidence of a forbidden love. ∙ A newspaper clipping about Cyrus’s involvement in a fatal car accident decades ago. ∙ A piece of frayed rope, speckled with blood and found in a strange place. ∙ A heated argument between a lighthouse keeper and a local. ∙ A note explaining that Cyrus intended to dock Stephen’s pay. ∙ Buried treasure (pick one: ale/gold/munitions/something else), unearthed. ∙ A confession of hatred murmured in someone’s sleep. ∙ A slick substance (pick one: fish oil/bacon fat/soapy water/something else) spread on a precarious surface. ∙ A stack of overdue bills. ∙ Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, with notes written in the margins about how the techniques presented will be used against a particular Suspect. ∙ Evidence that Cyrus was repeatedly detained by Alvin for drunk and disor- derly conduct. ∙ A skeleton found in an unexpected place (pick one: closet/foot locker/ trunk of a car/somewhere else). ∙ Evidence of black magic being worked on someone. ∙ A chessboard with pieces carved to represent Mucky Point locals (the pawns are Genevieve). One piece is conspicuously missing. ∙ A hidden pregnancy. ∙ Cell phone records showing a suspiciously high number of calls between a Suspect and Cyrus. ∙ A deed in dispute. ∙ A whiff of political scandal in Brindlewood County. ∙ A bottle of whiskey with a diamond ring at the bottom of it. ∙ Forged Social Security documents. VVooiidd CClluueess ∙ A local’s wild-eyed ravings about the existence of mermaids and selkies in the waters off Mucky Point. ∙ A pile of dead seagulls, with one living seagull standing atop it, preening. ∙ A prayer to King Poseidon, followed by a baleful, dissonant song. ∙ Mermaid dreams, terrifying and erotic. ∙ A small, half-decayed biped, caught in a crab pot. It appears… human-ish? ∙ A circle of lamplit rowboats at night, a few hundred yards out to sea. The rowers are standing up in the boats, loudly singing the praises of Hecate, Persephone, Athena, and other goddesses. 143 ---  MYSTERIES EExxiitt SSttaaggee DDeeaatthh Complexity: 8 Note: This mystery revolves around The Court of the Occluded King, a cult that is rival to The Midwives of the Fragrant Void. Many aspects of the mystery don’t come into play unless certain Maven characteristics or Dark Conspiracy elements are unlocked. The mystery can still be enjoyed without those elements in play—it will come across to the players as cryptic and weird, if not immediately relevant to the happenings in Brindlewood Bay—but it’s something to be mindful of before choosing to run it. PPrreesseennttiinngg tthhee MMyysstteerryy The Mavens are enjoying a week of sightseeing and cultural activities in Boston. They’re taking in a show on the last night of their tour, a strange and disturbing production at The Twilight Playhouse called The King in Shadows. Normally, they’d skip something so avant-garde, but one of the Mavens has a nephew connected to the production. Establishing Question: Whose nephew is connected to the show? What’s his name, and what’s his involvement in the production? The play is divided into three acts. Act One is somewhat normal and depicts the day-to-day life of a female protagonist, identified as the Journeywoman. The first act ends when the Journeywoman receives news that her three immediate family members—mother, father, and brother—have all been killed in a bizarre fishing accident. Act Two is considerably stranger, and depicts the Journeywoman’s travels in the underworld with a character called the Boatman as they seek to find the court of the Occluded King in order to petition him for the release of her family members from his shadowy realm. Act Three is utterly bizarre, difficult to follow, and, to large portions of the audience that walked out in the middle of it, insufferable. The bulk of this act involves the introduction of three courtiers of the Occluded King: the Duchess, the Prince, and the Knave. 145 ---  MYSTERIES Assign each courtier to a player and ask them to describe the scene in which the character is introduced in the play. The scene should be either horrifying or bizarre. If any of the Mavens has A Shadow in the Garden marked, you may also reveal a Void Clue during one of these scenes. The play concludes with the appearance of the Occluded King, an overly tall figure in tattered black robes, a ghost-white mask, and a blood-red helm. If any of the Mavens has The Pallid Mask marked, they trigger the Prophecy of the King move, below. The Prophecy of the King If you have the Pallid Mask marked when the Occluded King appears on stage, he calls you “Most Beloved” and whispers a prophecy of death to you (you are the only one who can hear the whispering). This prophecy relates to when another Maven will die. In a future scene, when another Maven is getting ready to take an action that will require a die roll, you can say, “This is it! This is what the Occluded King whispered to me about! This is how you’re going to die!” If they go through with the action anyway, you both mark XP. On the die roll, the 6- result is replaced with: “You are killed; the Keeper will describe how.” The chorus members sing a shrieking, discordant dirge as the courtiers push the Journeywoman toward the King. The lights go out, and when they come back on again, the curtain has been lowered. No one takes a bow and there are no ovations; very few people even clap. The ushers then help people exit the theater. The next morning, as the Mavens are getting ready to head back to Brindlewood Bay, the nephew character drops by the hotel room and nervously explains that Natassia Gray, the young actress who played the Journeywoman, was found dead at the end of last night’s performance, a ritual dagger plunged into her heart while the lights were out. Boston PD is investigating, but he hopes the Mavens might also get involved. He explains that the only people who were close enough to Natassia when it happened were the actors, chorus members, and director (if you wish, you can identify each Suspect by name at this point). The nephew might also be a Suspect, depending on how the Establishing Question was answered, and so clearing his name would be another reason for the Mavens to get involved. If the Mavens take the case, the nephew character will explain that The King in Shadows cast hangs out at a drinking club, The Styx, during the day. He will also tell them that the cast is having dinner at the apartment of Ambrose and Veruca Sinclair that night. 146 ---  MYSTERIES MMoommeennttss ∙ Stagehands calling back and forth to one another, rolling set pieces around, laughing and talking. ∙ The stage curtain, red in most venues, is deep blue—almost black—with a constellation of tiny stars embroidered on it. ∙ A counterweight comes crashing down, narrowly missing you. ∙ A barman, completely silent, answers your questions with raised eye- brows and careful gestures. ∙ A miniature river flowing into a miniature cave. ∙ Props loom overhead like dark sentinels. SSuussppeeccttss All of the Suspects are members of The Court of the Occluded King, a death cult that aims to eventually thin the Veil Between Worlds enough for their shadowy lord to enter this world and claim it for his own. Each performance of The King in Shadows is a ritual that gets them one step closer to achiev- ing this aim. Despite their unsavory beliefs, the murder of Natassia Gray is a shock to the group, and none of them wants to be arrested and charged for the crime. The Suspects will not willingly discuss The Court of the Occluded King or their membership in it, preferring instead to be seen merely as members of an eccentric theater troupe. However, if Layer Three of the Dark Conspiracy is unlocked, they are more open about their affiliation and aims. If the Mavens ever mention the Midwives of the Fragrant Void directly, the Suspects will explain that they stand in cosmic opposition to the Midwives, and may even drop hints about what that cult is up to in Brindlewood Bay. If Layer Four of the Dark Conspiracy is unlocked, one or more Suspects may offer to help the Mavens defend themselves against the Midwives by teaching them a magical ward that prevents Sendings and Servitors from entering a space. This teaching can be the basis of an Occult Move roll, which is made with advantage. A note about roleplaying The Court of the Occluded King: no matter what, play these Suspects seriously, even though their presence in the story may come across as slightly comic or absurd. The desired effect is like what you find in the film What We Do in the Shadows—characters that are amusing, but grounded in the truth and darkness of their world. 147 ---  MYSTERIES Ambrose Sinclair, the director Frizzy, gray hair. Penetrating gaze. Constantly fidgeting with a pair of Baoding balls. Ambrose is very upset about Natassia’s death; he viewed her as a protégé and a rising star in the world of experimental theater. Ambrose is Veruca’s husband. Quote: “Staging The King in Shadows will be my greatest work—what the world will remember me for. Did you know the author of the play is unknown? In fact, there may not even be an author. It could be that the play merely… exists, like an indelible truth of the universe.” Veruca Sinclair, the Duchess Shiny black hair, pulled back tight. Blood red lipstick. The smell of tomato vine. Veruca is heartbroken about Natassia, who she treated like a daughter. Veruca is Ambrose’s wife. Quote: “Oh, Dis Pater, I would never be so foolish as to begrudge you taking what is rightfully yours, but why would you take our Natassia from us now? She was so young, Father of Night—surely she still had work to accomplish for you in this world?” Antony Veit, the Boatman Barrel-chested. Great, bushy beard. Easy, thunderous laugh. Antony is the most immediately friendly and approachable member of the theater troupe. Whereas most of the others are content to dress in dark clothing and skulk about in the shadows, Antony is something of a bon vivant. He is Belladon- na’s husband. Quote: “This is the best job I ever had in my life! Before I met Belladonna, I was a stevedore—up at the crack of dawn, long hours, backbreaking work. Now? I sleep in until 10, get up and have brunch with Bella, and then head to The Twilight to get ready for the matinee. Sure, the people putting on this show are a little… unusual. But aren’t we all?” Belladonna Veit, a chorus member Dark, wispy clothing. Pale skin. Tattoos. Belladonna seems least bothered by Natassia’s death and, if pressed, will say that she’s going to audition for the role of the Journeywoman now that Natassia is out of the way. Belladonna is Antony’s wife. Quote: “Of course, I should have been cast as the Journeywoman in the first place. No one is more intimately familiar with the words of our lord—I mean, the play—than I am. But Ambrose wouldn’t hear of it. It was always ‘Natassia, Natassia, Natassia! She’s a star! She’s the future of this brave new world we are creating!’” 148 ---  MYSTERIES Gregor Thune, the Occluded King Vacant eyes. Thin, almost transparent flesh. Mostly unresponsive. Gregor Thune hasn’t been the same since taking on the role of the Occluded King. He used to be a dynamic, energetic member of the troupe, but now only occasionally breaks his silence to mutter a few cryptic words. He is Giancar- la’s husband. Quote: “...down below, in the vastness… gems and gold a-glittering… unspeakable wealth… unknowable knowledge… he is reaching out for us… calling us home to him… would that we could return to the cold embrace of the Void… but the Void has rejected us… and now we are truly alone… down below… down below… the inky vastness down below…” Giancarla Thune, a chorus member Long hair with gray roots. Flower crown. Sweet disposition. Giancarla has been friends with Ambrose and Veruca for a long time. It used to be that she, husband Gregor, and the Sinclairs were inseparable, but things have changed ever since Gregor took on the role of the Occluded King and became so… empty. Now she just sings in the chorus and takes care of Gregor. Giancarla is very familiar with Brindlewood Bay and the town’s history. Quote: “You’re from Brindlewood Bay? I know it well—my brother-in-law lives there. Do you know him? He’s a banker, very uptight. He disapproves of these theater-types Gregor and I hang out with, let me tell you… Oh! I hope you’re not as stuck-up as he is. Please tell me you’re not!” Otho Fane, the Knave Luxuriantly obese. Fond of cravats. Smells of lilac and baby powder. Otho is part of the Boston nouveau-riche, having made all his money investing wisely in tech and medical stocks. He joined this troupe out of sheer boredom, and was delighted to discover that the Sinclairs had landed on something truly exciting—truly groundbreaking—in The King in Shadows. He is Delia’s husband. Quote: “Ambrose is a visionary, of course—how else do you explain a production that is so brave, so exciting, so… thoroughly ahead of its time? You can’t, of course. Genius always defies explanation. But I’m very happy to be here, very happy to be a part of this terrific work. I get chills when I think about it, frankly.” 150 ---  MYSTERIES Delia Fane, a chorus member Spritely. Modern coiffeur. Trying hard to fit in. Delia doesn’t understand The King in Shadows. The play—and the activities surrounding it—are a com- plete black box for her. She mostly wants to make her husband Otho happy and not be an embarrassment in front of the other troupe members. She was a hesitant understudy for Natassia. Quote: “Poor Natassia—I’m told she was very good in the role of the Jour- neywoman. Of course, I’ve seen her play the part up close a dozen times, but The King in Shadows is hopelessly opaque, and so I don’t really know what counts as good and what doesn’t. Ambrose and Veruca thought she was great, and Otho assures me she was brilliant, but the role doesn’t even have any lines until about thirty minutes in, and the whole second act was just her and Antony rowing an imaginary boat with imaginary oars down an imaginary river, occasionally punctuated by wailing from the chorus. I mean, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? it is not.” Maxime Gray, the Prince Handsome. Fresh-faced. Black turtleneck. Maxime is distraught over the death of his young wife, Natassia. They were genuinely in love, and he will happily share details of how they met on the set of Ambrose’s last play, how they fell in love, and how they were married by Veruca at a lovely, private ceremony at The Styx. Quote: “Maybe it would be best if the Occluded King really did come into this world and establish dominion over us. Living in his murky, shadowy realm has to be better than dealing with this emptiness in my heart.” 151 ---  MYSTERIES LLooccaattiioonnss The set Looming shadows—some painted, some real. Noticeably colder than the rest of the theater. You feel alone, no matter how many others are on stage. Paint the Scene: What do you see that subtly suggests this is some sort of ritual space? The catwalk Narrow walkways. Ropes, pulleys, and lights. The best view of the front and back of the house. Paint the Scene: This area has been the site of more than one romantic encounter between the people who work at the Twilight Playhouse. What do you see that confirms this? Backstage Busy people. Napping people. Vacant people. Paint the Scene: Do you have any experience in the theater? If so, what about this place takes you back? The dressing room Mirrors framed in light. The smell of makeup and grease paint, and sweaty bodies. Stockings draped here and there. Paint the Scene: These actors may be dedicated to the Occluded King in more ways than just performing in a play about him. How do you know this? The Styx Day-glo murals. Licorice smell. “Venus” by Bananarama playing on the jukebox. Paint the Scene: Being in The Styx feels like being unstuck in time. What do you experience that makes you feel that way? The Sinclairs’ apartment Sunken living room. A fish bowl with a single set of keys in it. Mid Century modern furniture. Paint the Scene: What do you see in the apartment that hints at Ambrose and Veruca’s fascination with death? 152 ---  MYSTERIES CClluueess ∙ A group text message wherein Natassia expresses doubt about the direction Ambrose is taking the play in. ∙ A diary entry indicates Maxime wasn’t really in love with Natassia, and that he married her because the Sinclairs pressured him to. ∙ A ritual dagger identical to the one used to stab Natassia. ∙ A life insurance policy taken out on Natassia. ∙ A script with the words “I’m going to KILL YOU!” written in a margin. ∙ A stash of love letters in an unusual place. ∙ A book, Mysteries of the Occluded King, which features an illustration of the King’s lover that looks uncannily similar to a Suspect. ∙ A pile of bones, hidden. ∙ A secret message from a Hollywood talent agency to Natassia. ∙ A shattered Britty award. ∙ A secret two-way mirror. ∙ A paternity test proving Natassia was a male Suspect’s secret daughter. ∙ A prophecy written in a dream journal indicating Natassia must be sacrificed. ∙ A large amount of powerful sedatives. ∙ A spell, clumsily cast. ∙ Evidence of sympathetic magic being used on a Suspect (pick one: pop- pet/lock of hair/salt trail/egg in a strange place/something else). ∙ A costume lined with arsenic. ∙ A depiction of the Erinyes in a provocative place. ∙ Risqué photos of a Suspect. ∙ A bus ticket out of Boston, recently purchased. VVooiidd CClluueess ∙ Dozens of people in the audience put on golden masks and begin making mocking, animal-like noises at the stage. None will remember doing this. ∙ There is nothing in the night sky—no stars, no moon, no clouds—just inky blackness. ∙ Random people on the streets are wearing featureless gold masks. ∙ Every page in every book features the same picture of a Suspect. ∙ A brother and sister with no eyes in their sockets are entertaining each other while waiting for their parents. ∙ A driftwood crown dripping with blood and bits of meat is waiting for the Mavens somewhere. 153 ---  SESSION ONE SSeessssiioonn OOnnee The following is a step-by-step guide to running your first session of BBRRIINNDDLLEE-- WWOOOODD BBAAYY. The times listed with some of the steps are estimates—don’t fret if you’re taking longer to complete each step. Text in italics is meant to be read aloud to the players. SStteepp OOnnee:: RReeaadd tthhee TTeexxtt As the Keeper, you should read the rulebook in its entirety. Skim the other materials so you have a basic familiarity with them. Importantly, you should decide which set of Maven Moves you will make available to the group and which mystery you will start with (we recommend Dad Overboard). Consider watching an actual play; the author of the game has videos on his YouTube channel showing how the game works. SStteepp TTwwoo:: GGaatthheerr PPllaayy MMaatteerriiaallss You will need: ∙ At least three six-sided dice, but more is better. ∙ Index cards and a marker to make character name tents, as well as to track Clues and Suspects. ∙ A pencil for each participant. ∙ Enough character sheets for each player to have one. ∙ At least one copy of the reference sheet, but one per player is better. ∙ At least one copy of your chosen Maven Moves sheet. ∙ A mystery sheet. ∙ The Dark Conspiracy sheet. SStteepp TThhrreeee:: GGaatthheerr PPaarrttiicciippaannttss BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY works best with one Keeper and three players. One Keeper and two players and one Keeper and four players also work well. Avoid playing BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY with five or more players. SStteepp FFoouurr:: PPllaayyeerr && KKeeeeppeerr IInnttrroodduuccttiioonnss ((22 mmiinn..)) Going around the table, each participant should state their name, their pronouns, and anything else the group might find interesting about them. You can skip this step if you’re playing with a group of friends who know each other well. 155 ---  SESSION ONE SStteepp FFiivvee:: CCAATTSS ((33 mmiinn..)) CATS is an acronym that stands for Concept, Aim, Tone, and Subject Matter. It is usually presented by the Keeper and helps to establish some basic expectations for how the game is going to proceed. It’s also a low-stakes way for the Keeper to get accustomed to being in the spotlight. Read the following aloud: Now I’m going to do CATS. CATS is an acronym that stands for Concept, Aim, Tone, and Subject Matter. The purpose of CATS is to establish some basic expectations for what this game is about and what we’re going to be doing during this first session. Concept: BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY is a roleplaying game about a group of elderly women—members of the local Murder Mavens mystery book club—who frequently find themselves investigating (and solving!) actual murder myster- ies. They become increasingly aware that there are supernatural forces that connect the cases they are working on and, in particular, a cult dedicated to the dark, monstrous aspect of the goddess Persephone will come to vex them. The game is directly inspired by the television show Murder, She Wrote, but also takes inspiration from the cosmic horror genre, mystery books, “cozy” crime dramas, and American TV shows from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Aim: The aim of the characters in the story is to keep their community safe by investigating the murders taking place there. Our aim as players is to learn more about these characters, as well as to paint a vivid picture of the town of Brindlewood Bay, a responsibility we all share. The aims for today’s session are to create and introduce our characters, learn the basics of how the game works by playing it, and then have a debrief period at the end. Tone: The tone of this game bounces between the cozy and the creepy. Most of the time, it will be fairly lighthearted, but occasionally it will get very dark and menacing. Some kitschy, campy humor is permissible here—and very much in keeping with some of the game’s inspirations—but above all, your characters should take everything they do very seriously, even if we’re having a bit of a laugh from time to time. Subject Matter: Murder (of all varieties), threats to animals and children, ritual magic, human sacrifice, and other dark subject matter come up in this game from time to time. We’ll talk about safety tools in a moment, but in the interest of setting expectations right now, you should know that while the game is generally lighthearted, some intense subject matter can come up. 156 ---  SESSION ONE SStteepp SSiixx:: SSaaffeettyy TToooollss ((33 mmiinn..)) You can use whichever safety tools your group is most comfortable with. We recommend you use the Open Door Policy, the X-card, and Lines & Veils. You can Google each of those for more information (add “safety tools” and “TTRPG” to your query). The scripted portion of this step assumes you are using the three suggested tools. No game is more important than the people playing it. We’re going to aim to tell the best story we can, but we’re going to do it in a way that respects everyone’s boundaries of safety and consent. We’ll be using three safety tools today: the Open Door Policy, the X-card, and Lines & Veils. The Open Door Policy is very simple: you can leave the game for any reason and you don’t have to explain yourself. Just let us know you have to go; no one here will ask any questions about it. At this point, you should point to the X-card. The X-card is here in case something in the game makes you feel uncomfort- able in an un-fun way. Just tap or hold up the X-card and we will stop play in order to change whatever just happened in the game. As the Keeper, I may ask for clarification on what is being X-carded, but I will never ask why. We’ll resume play once the change is made. Finally, we’ll be using Lines & Veils. Lines are things that we are not going to have in the game, period. Veils are things that we’re ok with being in the game but we prefer not to roleplay them, or we simply want to keep them offscreen. Importantly, even though I earlier listed a number of dark subject matters that come up in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY, you can still include one or more of those things as part of Lines & Veils. As I said before, no game is more important than the people playing it. I will start by sharing my personal Lines & Veils right now. You can tell me your own Lines & Veils privately during a break and I will then convey them to the group anonymously when we’re back together. Here you should tell the group what your Lines & Veils are. The author of this game, for example, always lists “sexual violence” as a Line and “torture” as a Veil. 157 ---  SESSION ONE SStteepp SSeevveenn:: CChhaarraacctteerr CCrreeaattiioonn ((1155 mmiinn..)) Before we begin character creation, I want to tell you a little more about the things these women have in common. First of all, they each had a life before Brindlewood Bay—they had a career and a partner who is now deceased. They may or may not have children (pets count). You don’t need to dwell on their backstory too much yet—we’ll discover more about them as we play the game—but start to think about these basic details as you create your character. At this point, pass out character sheets and have everyone make their Maven. Players can do these steps as they wish, but should stop when they get to the section of their character sheet called A Cozy Little Place. 1. Circle a name 2. Circle a style 3. Circle a Cozy Activity (no two Mavens can have the same Cozy Activity). 4. Assign 1 point to one of the abilities and then note the final ability modifiers. 5. Choose a Maven move from the Maven Moves sheet. 6. Wait for everyone else to be finished. SStteepp EEiigghhtt:: CChhaarraacctteerr IInnttrroodduuccttiioonnss aanndd AA CCoozzyy LLiittttllee PPllaaccee Now that you’ve all made your characters, let’s introduce them. Going around the table, everyone please introduce your Murder Maven by name, style, Cozy Activity, and Maven move. After everyone does this, continue with: Now we’re going to go around again and have each player describe three key aspects of their Maven’s backstory: • Their deceased partner. • Their children, if any (pets are ok here). • Their career before they retired to Brindlewood Bay. After you tell us this information, the rest of us are going to name one object that can be found in your Maven’s home in Brindlewood Bay. You’ll note these down in the section of your character sheet called A Cozy Little Place, revising them as you wish. 158 ---  SESSION ONE SStteepp NNiinnee:: BBrreeaakk ((1100 mmiinn..)) Now that we’ve met the characters, we’re ready to play! Let’s take a ten-min- ute break; I’ll introduce the first mystery when we return. Also: don’t forget to find me and tell me your Lines & Veils! SStteepp TTeenn:: BBeeffoorree WWee BBeeggiinn ((22 mmiinn..)) Before we begin, let me tell you some new Lines & Veils. Communicate any Lines & Veils that were told to you on break. Also, I want to tell you that even though this is a game set in a particular region of the United States, we aren’t going to dwell on historical and cultural accuracy. We’ll do our best to represent the culture of the region, but we’re going to get some things wrong every now and then, and that’s ok. I’d also like to point out that in the world of BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY things like race, nationality, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, and neurodivergence are not a social barrier. SStteepp EElleevveenn:: BBeeggiinnnniinngg ooff SSeessssiioonn ((22 mmiinn..)) Each player should now mark two End of Session questions in addition to the first, which is always marked. If any characters have Maven moves that fire off at the beginning of a session, resolve them now. SStteepp TTwweellvvee:: CCoozzyy VViiggnneetttteess ((22 mmiinn..)) Each player narrates a short vignette showing their Maven enjoying her life in Brindlewood Bay. These scenes should be light and breezy or warm and cozy; they should show the Maven enjoying her hobbies, helping with a community project, or working around her home. SStteepp TThhiirrtteeeenn:: PPrreesseenntt tthhee MMyysstteerryy Here you should tell the players the name of the mystery and its Complexity. Then, guide them through the presentation of the mystery. 159 ---  SESSION ONE SStteepp FFoouurrtteeeenn:: IInnvveessttiiggaattiioonn ((9900 mmiinn..)) At this point you’ll begin regular play following the guidelines and advice you were given earlier in this book. Don’t worry about getting things wrong. You’re probably going to forget Conditions, Cut to Commercial, and A Cozy Little Place the first time you play. It will take the players a session or two to master the Crowns. That’s all fine: just take it slow and do your best. Focus on teaching the gameplay basics: when to use each move, how the dice work, what the ability scores mean, advantage and disadvantage, and so forth. Try to finish a mystery if you can, but it’s ok if not. If you have to end in the middle of a mystery, try to end with a cliffhanger. Take a five minute break at some point. SStteepp FFiifftteeeenn:: CCrroowwnn SScceenneess ((55 mmiinn..)) There are two special sections on the character sheet: The Crown of the Queen and The Crown of the Void. When text from those sections is marked during play, the player of the Maven in question must do as the text instructs. This frequently means narrating a very specific type of scene. Players can narrate such scenes whenever they wish, but must do so before the end of the session. When there are about fifteen minutes remaining in the sched- uled play time, the Keeper should wrap up whatever scene is taking place and then call for Crown scenes that have not yet taken place. SStteepp SSiixxtteeeenn:: EEnndd ooff SSeessssiioonn QQuueessttiioonnss ((22 mmiinn..)) Go around the table and have each player read aloud their marked End of Session questions. They mark 1 XP for each question they can answer “yes” to. 160 ---  SESSION ONE SStteepp SSeevveenntteeeenn:: DDeebbrriieeff ((55 mmiinn..)) Have a short debrief period at the end of the session. You can use any debrief technique you wish; we prefer a technique called Stars & Wishes because it is positive and uplifting. Let’s do a debrief technique called Stars & Wishes. Stars are things you enjoyed about the session: characters, scenes, bits of description, something from the gameplay—anything you liked can be a Star. Wishes are things you hope to see next time: exploring a part of the game we didn’t get to today, following up with a character about something, having a scene with a certain character, and so forth. SStteepp EEiigghhtteeeenn:: TThhee MMiiddwwiivveess SScceennee ((iiff aapppplliiccaabbllee;; 11 mmiinn..)) This is when you will narrate the stinger scene if you unlocked Layer One of the Dark Conspiracy. SStteepp NNiinneetteeeenn:: HHoommeewwoorrkk Encourage the players to review their character sheet before the next session. In particular, they should read through the section called The Crown of the Queen and think about what that means for their Maven. SSeessssiioonn TTwwoo aanndd OOnnwwaarrdd…… Follow the structure detailed in the Gameplay Basics chapter. CATS is a creation of Patrick O’Leary, slightly modified for these rules. The X-card is a creation of John Stavropoulos. Lines & Veils is a creation of Ron Edwards. Stars & Wishes is a creation of Lu Quade. 161 ---  APPENDICES AAppppeennddiixx PPuubblliisshhiinngg MMyysstteerriieess You are welcome to write, publish, and sell mysteries for BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY. You are free to use any of the game’s mechanics. You can quote the game’s text for the purpose of clarifying something in your own mystery. If you want to use any characters, locations other than the town of Brindlewood Bay, or other unique bits of color we created for the game, send an email to [email protected] in order to clear it with us first. Your publication must include the following somewhere on it: “BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY is a creation of Jason Cordova and Gauntlet Publishing. This publication is not affiliated with Jason Cordova or Gauntlet Publishing.” MMeeddiiaa RReeccoommmmeennddaattiioonnss FFiillmm && TTVV BBooookkss Murder, She Wrote (1984) And Then There Were None (1940) Midsomer Murders (1997) Death on the Nile (1937) Rosemary & Thyme (2003) The Complete Sherlock Holmes (1892) Father Brown (2013) The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955) Cadfael (1994) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the The Great British Baking Show Pie (2009) (2010) In Cold Blood (1966) Knives Out (2019) The Big Sleep (1939) Clue (1985) The King in Yellow (1895) Murder on the Orient Express (1974) Mexican Gothic (2020) True Detective Season 1 (2014) The House Next Door (1978) Lovecraft Country (2020) Salem’s Lot (1979) Schitt’s Creek (2015) The Terror (2007) Color Out of Space (2019) The Lighthouse (2019) Midsommar (2019) 163 ---  APPENDICES PPooddccaassttss RRoolleeppllaayyiinngg GGaammeess Ghosts in the Burbs Apocalypse World Old Gods of Appalachia Cthulhu Dark The Silt Verses The Between The Lovecraft Investigations Lovecraftesque Limetown PSI RUN Video Palace The Black Tapes Welcome to Nightvale TThhee ““MMuurrddeerr,, SShhee WWrroottee”” ccrraasshh ccoouurrssee Let’s say you don’t have a lot of time to get immersed in the cozy mystery genre before you begin your campaign of BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY. Just watch these episodes of Murder, She Wrote and you’ll be all set! “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes” (Double-length pilot episode): This is a great place to start, not only because it’s where the show starts, but also because it is loaded with murder mystery genre tropes. Additionally, the costume party sequence was a major influence on the BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY mystery All Hallow’s Scream. “Deadly Lady” (S1, E3): This episode was a major inspiration for the starter mystery, Dad Overboard. Take note of how the characters frequently just tell Jessica their motives without her having to even probe much—it’s a staple of this kind of mystery show, and BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY should work in a similar manner. “Murder Takes the Bus” (S1, E18): This is one of the best episodes in the series and a great example of a locked room mystery. 164 ---  APPENDICES DDeessiiggnn NNootteess AA ggaammee aabboouutt eellddeerrllyy wwoommeenn I had several design goals for BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY, and chief among them was that I wanted to make a game where you played elderly women. Importantly, I wanted to make a game about elderly women who are whole characters and not caricatures. In other media, elderly women are frequently relegated to the role of support characters or comic relief, and I wanted to make a game where they were the central characters, with rich, complex lives. Some people ask me if it’s ok to play a character who is not an elderly woman. I have mixed feelings about that. The person asking the question is usually someone young and/or a man, and they think they’ll do a poor job portraying an elderly woman. My hope is that people can put those feelings aside and find enjoyment in an experience that is unlike their own. The more interesting issue is when someone who is trans or nonbinary feels some apprehension about playing a woman, especially a cisgender woman. I have a couple of thoughts there. First, I don’t write roleplaying games to be an immersive experience, meaning I don’t intend for players to live behind their character’s eyes. The games I write are closer to collaborative storytell- ing, like being a writer in a writer’s room. You’re not playing as the character as much as you are telling that character’s story. And so, in that sense, you can (and should) play the game in such a way that there’s a level of detach- ment between you and the character. Second, “elderly women’’ can mean lots of different things! For example, there’s nothing wrong with a Murder Maven being a trans woman, and I have played with many trans women who have enjoyed exploring what, say, “being an imperfect sister or daughter” means in the context of a trans character’s past. You can also give your Murder Maven a Cozy Activity that isn’t the typical “granny” stuff if you want to play a character who pushes back against tropes or gender expectations. I’ve seen things like motorcycles, smoking pot, kickboxing, and horse races as Cozy Activities in games I’ve run. Ultimately, I encourage people to play the game however they want; the character sheet can accommodate all sorts of variations with some minor changes. That said, I wrote the game to be about elderly women because that’s the territory I wanted to explore, and many of the game’s deeper themes are more resonant when playing characters who are elderly women. 165 ---  APPENDICES WWhhyy aarree aallll tthhee ccllaassssiicc MMaavveenn mmoovveess nnaammeedd aafftteerr mmeenn?? This was just a little joke of mine: in the TV shows that inspired those moves, women characters are often just props. This was my way of making the boys “props” for once. TThhee mmyysstteerryy ssyysstteemm I could write a lot about why I made the mystery system in BBRRIINNDDLLEEWWOOOODD BBAAYY work the way it does, but the short version is: I think mystery solving roleplaying games have traditionally been quite bad at the mystery solving part. Traditional mystery games try to set up and present the mystery like it’s done in other entertainment mediums: the clues are in a certain place, there’s a proper order to do things, and there’s a correct solution at the end. There are lots of problems with this approach. For starters, it’s a burden- some amount of work for the GM. Even if the GM is running a premade mys- tery, they have to keep a lot of little details in their head, and those details have to be revealed at the right time or the whole thing could fall apart. Second, other mediums have advantages that the roleplaying game medium doesn’t have when it comes to mysteries. You have a forced perspective in a novel. You have a script and actors and production values in a TV show or film. I wanted to create a game that minimized the workload for the GM (Keeper) and took advantage of roleplaying games as a medium. Roleplaying games are about collaborative storytelling. At their best, you tell a story that is unique to your table, better than what a TV writer could come up with. And so why shouldn’t mystery roleplaying games be the same? What if there was no predetermined solution? What if the solution to the mystery was whatever you decide at the table? With that in mind, I tried to create a mystery system where the solution was wholly emergent—unique to each time that mystery is played—but that still feels like you’re solving a mystery. I think I’ve done it, but I guess you can let me know after you play! 166 ---  NNeeww mmyysstteerriieess aanndd mmuucchh mmoorree ffoorr BBrriinnddlleewwoooodd BBaayy.. AAvvaaiillaabbllee nnooww!! ---  KKeeeepp tthhee ssttrreeeettss ooff VViiccttoorriiaann--eerraa LLoonnddoonn ssaaffee ffrroomm mmoonnssttrroouuss tthhrreeaattss iinn TThhee BBeettwweeeenn,, aa ggaammee uussiinngg tthhee BBrriinnddlleewwoooodd BBaayy mmyysstteerryy ssyysstteemm!!