The Black Campbell

Tonight was a bit more difficult than usual — i was trying to get a pair of new characters linked up with a pair of old characters, but one of the players didn’t show (old character) and one is no longer a part of the group, as he got a job in another town and had to move (new character.)

The new characters were Trevor FitzHugh, a talkative, hard-living pilot and his daredevil sidekick and Hollywood stuntman by day/cat burglar by night “Daredevil” Dan McCoy. We opened with them running guns and ammo to the Nationalists for a group out of Portugal. They get, apparently, set up and the drop is raided by an platoon of Irish volunteers fighting with the Republicans. They have to shoot their way out, and Dan (the player that was here), got to shoot his way out, drawing off the bad guys long enough for “Fitzy” to get the plane moving. Daring leap from horse to plane and boarding the craft? Check!

Unfortunately, in the fighting, Fitzy had taken a bullet, but plays it off until the land in Lisbon a few hours later. Once tied up at the dock in Lisbon, Dan finds Fitzy dead. Dan is now determined to find out who double-crossed them (if so…) He makes contact with a local British reporter and friend of Fitzy’s (and, I imply, a British agent) and finds out his employer has been selling to both sides, despite being in bed with local fascist businessmen. He’s also running the guns of a New York family — old character who’s player didn’t turn up, Jack McMahon.

Jack and Dr. Hannibal Drake, meanwhile, have turned up looking for Ariel Smythe, the femme fatale from the last “volume” which involved the search for Illuminati Treasure. She was responsible for the dead of Uncle Mike. They link up with the family’s broker here in Lisbon, Tom Cullen — a school mate of Jack’s — and are interrupted in their sussing out the situation in Lisbon and whether Ariel has turned up here by a drunk Dan McCoy. The characters’ stories are intriguing to each other and while they’re not working together at the end of the night’s session, they’re at least on friendly terms.

Tom takes Jack and Drake to meet his partner, Spanish businessman-in-exile Roberto Vega, who turns out to be a collector of Columbian and pre-Columbian artwork, conquistador armor, etc. Olmec/early Mayan is his preferred period and one of the pieces is a notebook from about the 1500s from an ancestor of his that catches Drake’s eye. There are drawings of a ziggurat, but the proportions are more in keeping with European architecture than Mayan. A sketch of a brick shows markings, mostly in Mayan, but a six “digit” signature using Roman masonic symbols catches his eye…could this be indications of Roman-period habitation in Mexico?

The night ended with Drake determined to get a better look at the book, Jack determined to find Ariel, and Dan determined to get to the bottom of the gun deal gone bad.

Overall, the pace was solid, if a bit slow for my pulp stuff. the players had a good time despite a series of interruptions, and I think it set the tone for the next “volume” that will lead them to southern Mexico and a run-in with a few old enemies, Jaguar worshipping natives, and possibly the first hints of a hollow Earth.

I recently ran a “teaser” session of Hollow Earth Expedition, since one of the major character’s player was away on a cruise this week and we could finish the Battlestar Galactica game we’re running. The adventure was set in 1933, about three to four years before the main campaign will be taking place. The adventure was called Tequileros.

Background stuff: At some point, to give people an idea of what’s going on in the world, I dropped a bunch of newspaper headlines… Germany has withdrawn from the League of Nations and World Disarmament Conference after allies refused their request to increase their defenses in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. The United Boeing 247 that was destroyed over Chesterton, Indiana appears to have been due to a bomb. “Machine Gun” George Kelly and his wife Kate have been convicted of the federal crime, under the LIndbergh Law, for kidnapping oilman Charles F Urschel and Kelly is to be one of the first inmates of the new prison the feds just took over from the army — Alcatraz. Congress is considering the effort to amend the Constitution to end Prohibition. Willy Post has done the first solo circumnavigation of the Earth by plane in just under eight days.

The characters are in San Diego County, California for whatever reason. They will at some point be at a restaurant or public space where they will be asked by Treasury Agent Dennis Dunn and San Diego County Sheriff Matt Mitchell to form a posse. They have word that one of the big bootleggers in the city is about to receive a massive shipment of tequila from Tijuana. The tequileros are trying to avoid interception by moving the booze over the border out in the desert to the east of town.

They will need to track down the most likely avenue of approach, either through talking to the Mexican zoot suiters (it a bit early for them, but it’s too good a flavor to not use) or by combing the desert using tracking skills. Eventually, they’ll find Lucas Saavedra, the local bootlegger, out in the middle of the desert with a big bag full of cash and four mooks that are there to take possession of the trucks the Mexicans are bringing over. Two Ford BBs or a similar 1.5-2 ton pickup will come over the line in a dry wash with a driver and a “shotgunner” — probably armed with a pistol and shotgun — and 4-6 of mounted and armed guards for protection. Saavedra and his mooks will be similarly armed, but if you need to bump up the difficulty, give someone a BAR or a Tommy Gun. (It’s pre-1935 gun regulations.)

I’m putting together a new plot/campaign for my new gaming group. Here’s the elements, so far — 1936/37, Spanish Civil War and Spanish Guinea (Equatorial Guinea, nowadays), group hired to find missing scientist who was looking for white apes in the area. The Spanish have branded the man a criminal who is leading a revolt in the jungles. Where is he? Why would he be fighting the Spanish, especially as he is not a military sort?

As half the group is probably gone for Thanksgiving, I may run a quick caper set in Los Angeles for the pair of them. Stealing an stolen artifact from the guy looking to sell it to the Ahnenerbe. that’s all I’ve got for that one, right now…

For the new player, I’ve been trying to come up with a good character to throw in with the testosterone-heavy Hannibal Drake (Steve McQueen, ferchris’sake) and Jack MacMahon team. We’ve already had a version of Jezebel Jade from Johnny Quest as an NPC (heavily tweaked), and I wanted a good anti-hero to play off of the similarly mercenary Drake, and the dog-loyal and white-hat MacMahon.

One of the choices that went over well just off of the visual was a version of Valkyrie from the old (and the not-as-old ’80s revival of Airboy.) Here’s the thumbnail of our campaign’s version of the classic HIllman character:

Born in summer of 1910, Liselotte von Schellendorf is a relative to the famed German general of the 19th Century, Paul Bonsart von Shellendorf and also composer Fritz Bronsard von Schellendorf. Her father was a nephew to the general and was a colonel during the Great War, where he lost his arm on the Western Front. Both of her older brothers are dead, one in combat in 1918 on the Eastern Front, and the other from influenza in 1920. Her father turned to his daughter as a surrogate for his boys, teaching her to ride, shoot, and fence, and raising her to be not just a fine example of German femininity, but a modern woman.

She was educated at excellent bording schools in Switzerland and Bavaria, and in 1927, had her first airplane ride at a fair. She was hooked. After a year of needling her father, she took flying lessons and in 1928 received her pilot’s license. She was active as a young lady in the German flying community and is friends with aviation war heroes. It was here she came to the attention of Herman Goering. When the Nazis took power in 1933, Goering had the notion of creating a public relations splash with a military unit made up of Nazi women — die Luftjugenfrauen, or “the Air Maidens.” Heading up the group as a captain (hauptmann) was Liselotte, codenamed Valkyrie.

The Air Maidens have been a travelling sideshow, but along the way have developed a reputation with the Luftwaffe for being exception aviatrices. In an exhibition show, the Maidens flew circles around some of the best German men in the service. From 1935-36, they were given less attention and support, as Hitler found the notion of women treading in the masculine forum of combat unseemly. Nevertheless, Valkyrie was able to get Junkers and Arado to allow them to test pilot the latest German warplanes, using Pancho Barnes’ example as a means to impress buyers with their ease of use. When the Spanish Civil War (where she will be introduced) broke out, Valkyrie lobbied for her Maidens to join the Condor Legion’s Versuchsjagdgruppe 88 air assets, and managed to get Goering to agree.

VALKYRIE (aka Liselotte von Schellendorf)

German female, age 26. 5’5″, 130 lbs. Black hair, blue eyes   Archetype: Adventuress/Soldier   Motivation: Fame

ATTRIBUTES: Body 2   Dexterity 3   Strength 2   Charisma 4   Intelligence 2   Willpower 4

SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: Size 0   Move 5   Perception 6   Initiative 5   Defense 7*   Stun 2   Health 6   Style 5

RESOURCES & TRAITS: Attractive, Iron Will; Finesse Attack (Melee)**, Focused Defense*, Evasive Action (+2 DEF to vehicle); Artifact 2***, Followers 2 (Air Maidens), Rank 1, Status 1 (+2 social tests in Germany & aviation circles; +1 elsewhere)

WEAKNESSES: Danger Magnet, Condescending, Intolerant (You can guess the groups), Overconfident

SKILLS: Acrobatics 1/4, Animal Handling 1/5, Athletics 2/4, Brawl 1/3, Bureaucracy 2/4, Con 1/5, Diplomacy 1/5, Drive 2/5, Firearms 1/4, Gunnery 1/3, Intimidation 1/5, Linguistics 2/5, Melee 2/5**, Pilot (Air) 3/6, Ride 2/5, Stealth 1/4, Streetwise 1/5, Survival 1/3, Warfare 1/3

LANGUAGES: German (native); English, French, Spanish

WEAPON: Luger P07 9mm or Star B 9mm; Rapier or Sabre, Riding Crop

VEHICLE*** (All the Air Maidens are flying these):

Heinkel HE112 fighter V6

Size 2   Def 6   Str 6   Spd 300   Han +2   Crew 1

2 × 7.92 mm MG17: Dam 3L   Rng 250′   Cap: 500   Rate A   Spd A

Born 21 August, 1910, Jack is the second of six children to Michael McMahon — an influential ward boss and alderman in Manhattan’s Bowery — and his wife, Megan.  His grandfather Thomas, the man who made the family’s fortunes died on RMS Titanic in 1911.  His uncle Robert was tied to bootleggers in northern New York (an open secret) and his uncle Patrick jumped to his death after losing his shirt on real estate speculation and the stock market crash in 1929.  Despite the family’s misfortunes, Jack is an incredibly lucky man.

Jack is handsome, strapping and athletic, and has the depth of a greeting card.  Raised in Manhattan with money, Jack is a city guy with friends and connections throughout the Big Apple, Saratoga, and Washington DC.  He went to private school in Connecticut, where he played basketball (the quintessential white kid’s game), football, baseball, and took boxing lessons.  He attended Columbia University for law, barely graduating with a minor in booze and babes.  His slick personality and charm got him through school, but he hasn’t yet passed the bar.

Living the life of a playboy, Jack is wealthy, but the money’s not as plentiful as it used to be.  His trust fund brings in a respectable $300/mo., he has a Upper West Side apartment with a view of Central Park, and drives a 1935 Auburn 851SC Boattail Speedster (red, of course.)  He has been traveling around the world seeking adventure and dodging real work since graduating Columbia.

Jack has fought train robbers on the Union Pacific, battled ancient sorcerous foes and Chinese gangs in San Francisco, and has fallen in with the Green Gang in Shanghai, where he and former classmate Dr. Hannibal Drake have been exploring China whilst fighting Japanese spies, gangsters, secret monastic societies, and other dangers.

Jack has all the things necessary for a hero: a strong pair of fists, a decent skill with his limited edition Smith & Wesson Registered Magnum (RM#11) and his limited edition Winchester Model 1894 lever-action carbine — both in the new .357 magnum cartridge, and a boatload of style.  Charisma, good-looks, bravery and physique compensate for his mediocre wit and recklessness.  Despite his vapid nature, Jack is great company, a loyal friend, and good in a bar fight (he is Irish, after all…)

Archetype: Adveturer     Motivation: Escape (from the ordinary!)

Nationality: American   Date of Birth: 21 August, 1910   Place of Birth: Saratoga, NY, USA

Height: 6’   Weight: 220 lbs.   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown

ATTRIBUTES: Body:  3   Dexterity: 3   Strength: 3   Charisma: 3, Intelligence: 2   Willpower: 2

Secondary Attributes: Move: 6   Perception: 4   Initiative: 5   Defense: 6   Stun: 3   Health: 7   Style: 6

RESOURCES AND TRAITS: Lucky 1: Can add +2 die to a test, 2x/session; Robust: added 2 to health at creation; Skill Mastery, Pilot: he is the king of air and sea (in his mind); Status: 1: +1 social tests in US, +2 in NYC; Totemic Weapon, Gladys: +2 if time to aim or 2x range or style pt. gives rapid shot; Tough: added 1 to body at creation; Wealth 1: $300/mo.

FLAWS: Danger Magnet:  Trouble finds you, as does a style point.; Impulsive: Doesn’t think things through…ever.; Not in the Face!: Vain.  Will guard moneymaker in a fight…; Overconfident: What could possibly go wrong..?; Sucker for a Dame:  Girl like Jack.  Girl Lead Jack By Nose.

LANGUAGES: English (native), French (awful), Latin (even worse)

SKILLS: Academics, Law 1/4, Athletics 3/6, Boxing 3/6, Bureaucracy 1/3, Con 3/6 (Seduction 7), Diplomacy 2/5, Drive 3/5, Firearms 3/6, Intimidation 2/5, Linguistics 1/3, Melee 1/4, Performance 1/4, Pilot 3/6, Ride 2/5, Stealth 2/5, Streetwise 2/5, Survival 1/3

WEAPONS: “Gladys” RM#11 Smith & Wesson .357 magnum, Winchester Model 1895 .357 magnum lever action rifle, Winchester M1912 pump-action 12 gauge with heat shield for barrel (copy of USMC issue trench gun.)

By request of one of the readers, here’s one of the character profile from our Hollow Earth Expedition campaign from about the time the game started in Summer 1936:

Born 23 May, 1904 in Hoboken, New Jersey to the curator of the New York Museum of Natural History, Dr. Thomas Drake, and schoolteacher Margaret (nee Singer) Drake, Hannibal is the oldest of two boys.  He was raised in suburban New Jersey, with a view of Manhattan from their family home.  He would frequently travel into the city with his father to the museum, or to see shows.  He was an athletic child, with a fantastic ear for accents and languages — he quickly picked up some of the local languages from the immigrant families in the neighbor, and was fluent in Italian by his teen years.

The museum trips and his fascination with dime novels and comics books as a lad honed a sense of adventure in the young Hannibal, and he was eager to get out into the world and make his mark as an explorer.  As a teen, he took an interest in motorcycles — cheap transportation that didn’t require him to ride the train or bus.  He helped Mr. Pritchard, the local mechanic with his motorcycle shop, eventually buying himself a 1921 Indian Scout that he only recently replaced with a 1930 Indian 101 Scout.

He attended Columbia University — his father’s alma mater — as a legacy admission and studied foreign languages, where earned a doctorate in languages and  archeology (the two had many of the same course requirements, allowing him to finish faster.)  He is a specialist in ancient Central Asia — ancient Chinese, Aryan, and Turkic civilizations.  His graduate advisor was Dr. Sydney Lowell — himself an expert in Middle Eastern and Central Asian cultures and histories.

His father lost quite a bit of money in the stock market in 1929, leaving the family fortunes — slim as they were — destroyed.  Hannibal had to finish his doctoral work by getting positions as a graduate assistant on digs in Egypt and in China until his graduation, and along the way picked up a few friends in the antiquities market.  He made extra money selling valuable trinkets to these people, enough to finish school and gain a reputation with some of the archeological community as a grave robber and scoundrel.  Dr. Lowell — himself old school when it came to having some of his finds make their way to museum and personal collections by shady avenues — stood by the young man.  His father is now dead of emphysema, and his mother is working away as a school teacher in Hoboken.  Hannibal has a small house a few doors down from his mother, a gift willed to him from his father.  Mr. Pritchard — the crotchety old mechanic — is still around, and is something of a father figure to Dr. Drake.

In 1934, Dr. Drake started traveling extensively on a grant from his new home as an adjunct professor of archeology at Columbia, a position he wouldn’t have gotten without the aid of Dr. Lowell. One of his quests was to find evidence of a mellified man — an old Middle Eastern legend. During a side gig in India, Drake managed to locate the body of Admiral He — the famed Chinese explorer from the 15th Century — and a copy of his papers.. (Drake is pretty sure the body and casket are very very good fakes, but he was able to get them for a song and sell in to the Chinese government as authetic.) This put him in the position to look into the Chinese connection to the mellified man.

Archetype: Explorer     Motivation: Money/Fame

Nationality: American     Date of Birth: 23 May 1904     Place of Birth: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Height: 5’10”     Weight: 190 lbs.    Age: 32     Hair: Dirty Blond     Eyes: Blue

ATTRIBUTES: Body: 3   Dexterity 2   Strength: 3    Charisma: 2   Intelligence: 3   Willpower: 3

Secondary Attributes: Size: 0   Move: 5   Perception: 6   Initiative: 5   Defense: 5   Stun: 3   Health: 6   Style: 4

RESOURCES & TRAITS: Contacts 2: Academia, Antiquities Dealers; Mentor 1: Dr. Lowell, Columbia University; Status 2: Professor of Research Archeology: +2 social tests (+4 academic circles); Skill Mastery: Academics — all academics specialties; Tough: +1 to body at creation

FLAWS: Curious: Style point when it comes into play; Single-Minded: He doesn’t give up, once he’s on the job.; Scoundrel: He’s not a criminal, but he’s disreputable: -2 to social tests with people who know his reputation.

LANGUAGES: English (native): Ancient Egyptian, French, German, Greek (includes ancient), Italian, Mandarin, Sanskrit

SKILLS:  Academics 3 /6, Athletics 2/5, Brawl 2/5, Bureaucracy 1/4, Con 2/4  (Seduction 5), Craft, Mechanics 1/4, Diplomacy 2/5, Drive 2/4 (Motorcycles 5), Firearms 2/4 (Pistol 5), Investigation 3/6 (Research 7), Larceny 1/3, Linguistics 4/7, Ride 2/4, Science, Geology 1/4, Stealth 2/4, Streetwise 2/4, Survival 1/4

WEAPONRY: Colt M1917 Army .45ACP Revolver