Month: July 2025

Helen Vaughan from The Great God Pan. Art by mgkellermeyer.

The dwelling of Count Midnight is so full of color, of exotic dyes and vivid furniture, that all grayness befell his frail body and dull, insomniac eyes. He receives parties of heroes, sure they won’t try to kidnap him for ransom, nor try to sack the luxurious passages and rooms of his manor. After a delicious but modest dinner, during which he will always follow the movements of the dinner hall’s antique wall clock, he will guide them into a once beautiful, now ruined room, covered with toys and clothing long stained with dirt and seized by vigorous roots. All of them come from the slightly ajar closet door. The heroes will venture within while the Count sits in bed, his servants spying the affairs.

Within the closet, the players will find the Garden of Midnight, the Count’s daughter who springs around a vivid grotto, keeping autumn at bay. Her playful smile is as everlasting as the melancholy that emanates from her voice and spite. She’s a heartless thing.

The grotto offers much. Delirious, almost fae fruits and nuts that might support a whole city’s famine and defend against plague. Nectar and sap so rich alchemy and ritual might find much use as a component Wood so sturdy that a vessel built from it will be as powerful as the thousand ships that sailed in ancient wars.

But all taken from the garden will be rot unless it’s granted by Midnight. Her rules are clear:

• It must be earned in single combat between her and a champion. She strikes with the power of a giant, and wields her rose thorn rapier with the dexterity of the finest swashbuckler. If the party cheats and tries to attack, the garden will seize the sources of light, and the laughter of dryads will spring from the botanical hell as fallen cherubs. The party will face Midnight’s florid companions, herself, and the darkness of her name.
• If violence isn’t desired, each member must give her the happiness of their deepest bond. They will take a step forward and kiss her; her lips taste of peaches and scorn. Love or camaraderie will flow from the hero to her. A killing sadness will infect them, and the beloved forgotten will feel it too. A coin toss, or GM fiat, determines whether the beloved contact or the hero is the one who turns into a mortuary statue. If specific contacts or bonds aren’t relevant to the campaign, take away the charisma of the hero and their ability to lead retainers forever. The player is also cursed, and no hero they create afterwards for the same campaign will be able to inspire courage and love from those they lead into the fight.

If Midnight is satisfied or killed, allow the heroes to carry what they want. It won’t rot in either case, unlike their broken hearts.

So I’m a player in Havoc’s Delta Green campaign, until either my schedule makes it impossible, the campaign fizzles out as it goes or his showcase as a Handler sucks so hard I ragequit. Whatever the case, I’m not only playing, but also tracking time and taking notes of clues and leads. It’s plenty of work, but it’s made easier by organizing where information should be written and in which order.

Continue reading “Note-Taking in Investigation Games”