tuxagon

As Tina looks around the kitchen, she remarks on the fact that the contents in the refrigerator and cupboards are in disarray. A few eggs are broken due to a container of salsa falling off a higher shelf onto the egg carton. Some of the beer bottles are standing while the others are on their sides. There is one aspect of the kitchen that stands out to Tina more, however. On the counter, some salt spilled onto the counter and it's in the same exact pattern as the family's remains.

The second detective walks over, takes out a pocket-sized steno-pad from his blazer and flips a few pages. He's a little overweight, has a mustache and a combover so thin that only denial would prevent him from just accepting his baldness.   "Owners of the place are Theodore and Margaret Reinholder, which" Without looking up from his notes, he points at the bodies. "are presumably those two. They have three children: Tyler, Miranda, and Courtney. Miranda being the oldest and Tyler being the youngest." He flips the pages closed and replaces it into his inner-blazer pocket.   "Damndest thing I ever seen. That's for damn sure. By the way, I'm Detective Jenkins and my partner over there is Detective Williamson. We were told you'd arrive a little after we did. Williamson thinks this whole TV thing is gonna be a shit show and make our jobs harder, but... you know, makes me a little excited. Believe it or not, I was Mark Antony in high school! Always thought my second career option could be in the movies, but..."   "Jenkins! Stop sucking their dicks and get your ass back over here!" Detective Williamson is staring daggers at the newcomers and Detective Jenkins sighs briefly.   "Let me know if you need anything. Also, if you could only use shots from my left side... I have slightly more hair th--"   "JENKINS!" The detective waves and then walks back toward his partner and they begin chatting about something.

The hall ends with two stairs going down on both the left and right, overlooking an open layout combining the kitchen, dining area, and family room. Down the left stairs, in the family room, the detectives and a photographer are observing a grotesque scene. Five bodies lay on the once tan, blood-soaked carpet in a circular pattern. Two of the bodies are clearly minors, the youngest of which is likely between the ages of 8 and 12, while the other three are likely parents and an older sibling that is likely high school or college age.   The positioning of four of the bodies suggests this wasn’t mere happenstance because their heads in similar places within the circle. Their arms and legs are all stretched out in front of them awkwardly while their spines are curving toward the center body, ripped out from under their flesh.   Meanwhile, the center body is bent in such a way that they form their own circle, likely with enough broken bones to form such a shape.

Inside the house, quick flashes from disposable cameras briefly illuminate the hallway ahead. A darker-skinned detective walks into the hallway wearing a mustard yellow button-up and a black tie. Atop his shoes, he’s wearing covers, presumably to avoid interfering with the crime scene. To the right of the front door lay a pile of five empty, black body bags.   The detective sees the newcomers enter and points a gloved finger at them, then gestures to their feet. “Put on some goddamn shoe covers before you walk in here. This is a crime scene, dammit!”   Another detective enters the hallway from the left, whispers something to the first detective, then they both go back into the room ahead.

  I locked all the character creation stuff because I was conceptually archiving it since it's complete. I can unlock it, but I wasn't intending, at least from my end, to use it as the reference I look to for character details. That does bring up an interesting point about how everyone is keeping track of characters? Since no actual MW sheet exists, we could use something like https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QAp3KdfuQl4wY8lKz1-FdaTTcZmWC0YsEGsk-rzkfkk/edit?usp=sharing which can be copied and I could create a page that lists each character.   I'll unlock the creation threads for now, though.

It slipped my mind to discuss Luck because it's normally harder to gain than it may appear in this game due to the custom moves. Each of you will start with a certain amount of Luck. It could be a static number, but I'm thinking it might be fun to leave it up to dice.   Thoughts? If you want to roll for it, you can roll a 1d6 here. Otherwise, just add 3 Luck for your character and let me know which option you want.

The officer ignores Jack's inquiry about timing and makes a subtle movement by turning to indicate he's stepping away. "Go in and see for yourselves. I'll be out here if you need anything from the officers here." He walks off the porch and heads toward a couple officers standing with a roll of caution tape.

"We received a call from a neighbor that screams were heard coming from the house at 8:13 p.m. to which officers immediately responded by a little before 9 p.m." Officer Barzinsky squints, wrinkling his brow in thought for brief moment before adding, "The neighbor also reported that they witnessed the door open briefly, but it was shut almost immediately. The witness alleges that it appeared to be an attempted escape; however, that has not been corroborated as of now. Crime scene investigators are currently working out what occurred."

Yea, no worries about it. I know OGMW it was a common practice and it's a surprising new limitation with Baldr. It'd be cool if there were theme appropriate coloring, where the colors change based on theme, but I bet that'd be a lot of work for everyone.

When making posts, since themes are now a feature of Baldr, please avoid using colored text or colored backgrounds. Sometimes it comes along when copying text, but if you can, try removing the custom coloring. It can make some parts of a post entirely unreadable depending on the theme. If I encounter a post, you may find it "edited by tuxagon" and that would be purely me removing the custom coloring because I can't read it, FYI.

So, there was a toggle that confused me. It should be visible now.

Interesting... I will need to look into that.

Do you all see the "Game" topic above? Everything should be good to go. I have the prologue and the first mystery started there.  

EPISODE 1 - UNNAMED PILOT     Monsters and the people who fight them are real. The people in this show are professionals and it is imperative you do not try any of this at home. If strange things are happening near you, please dial 1-800-MYSTERY for help. It’s toll-free.     In an Oregon suburb, police officers are cordoning off a house with caution tape, as well as, attempting to instruct the nosier neighbors to go back to their homes. Flashing lights from the emergency and police vehicles illuminate dozens of houses on the street. There is an intensity from the paramedics and officers when the show’s subjects arrive on the scene. They have documentation from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) giving them special access to the scene, but, as instructed, they know not to include that conversation with the police on camera.   Officer Frank Barzinsky, after seeing the documentation, hands it back and lifts the caution tape enough for the hunters to duck under onto the other side. He guides them all up the walkway and pauses on the small porch, in front of the open front door. There is a worried grimace on his face before he opens his mouth for a moment, closes it again, then says, “Just go have a look. I don’t yet have the words to describe what’s inside.”

PROLOGUE   “We’re trying a new tactic,” were the opening words given by Kimberly Adams, the new director of the mysterious Office of Interstate Transport Safety (OITS). A governmental organization within the USA with a presumed mundane purpose relating to transportation, but that has, in reality, a much more interesting set of objectives involving the suppression and containment of supernatural phenomena.   The previous director, George Bell, emphasized the criticality that the OITS remain under the highest level of scrutiny and confidentiality. George inherited that approach and his mannerisms from the director before him and it has remained a core aspect of the organization since its founding some time before the USA was officially declared a nation in 1776. The official date of its founding is either lost to time or classified to such a degree that determining a specific date is impossible today.   Kimberly Adams, albeit still a believer in confidentiality, is bringing a new type of energy to the organization. Where, historically, details about a particular phenomenon were classified and marketed to the public as mere trickery or myth; she, instead, believes tactical education and truth can play a more vital role in preventing future incidents from becoming more dangerous.   This bold new direction isn’t without criticism and in her recent internal speech she acknowledged such. Her intention is to be tactical rather than reckless. Before, the OITS would have members of their marketing division craft myths and downplay the reality of incidents the organization has been a part of. Now, however, she has an idea for an experiment where the organization works with Hollywood to produce a new television show depicting the reality of the supernatural, as well as, sharing advice with viewers on what to do should they find themselves in an unnatural situation.   For months, the marketing department of the OITS met with and pitched several fake pilot ideas to studios and directors to find the right people for this experiment of Kimberly’s. Those selected ended up being a small team calling themselves Sandcastle Productions. Ayame Bowen, a half-Japanese, Australian immigrant with a deep knowledge of both Japanese and western media, is their founder, and her aspirations include telling authentic stories in meaningful, dramatic ways. The organization informed her that the show is actually to be as educational as it is entertaining and that one of the biggest hurdles will be convincing the audience the subject matter is not fantasy.   Ayame obviously accepted because the stars of the show are in her modest Glendale, California home, meeting to go over the plans and to get to know each other. She is puffing on a cigarette and wearing a full denim ensemble with a backwards baseball cap. As she lowers the cigarette to flick off some ashes into a nearby ashtray, she says, “Welcome to each of you. This here is where the magic’ll happen for the show, but I won’t bore you with specifics. Please, make yourself comfortable and let me get to know who the hell you all are.”