Reform School Girls vs. Cthulhu - A Cautionary Tale - Powered by the Apocalypse
Salvation Island, Rhode island. Home to the Lovecraft Reformatory for the Treatment of Wayward Girls... and secrets too unspeakble to fathom.
TYPE
SYSTEM
EXPERIENCE
AGE
About the adventure
Salvation Island. A small barrier on the Southern edge of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Home to a protected wildlife refuge, a historic lighthouse, ancient Paleolithic sites, and the Lovecraft Reformatory for the Treatment of Wayward Girls. Housed on the sprawling grounds of the old Whately Sanitorium, Lovecraft is a modern facility aimed at saving troubled teens from their own bad choices. For decades, the wealthy and privileged of New England have sent their daughters to Lovecraft as a discrete solution to unsuitable problems. Cast off and unwanted, these rebellious girls struggle to find themselves and learn compassion for each other in the face of oppressive institutionalized authority, raging hormones, and esoteric forces beyond comprehension. Their bodies and minds will be pushed to the brink as they uncover the unspeakable. There is a chill in the ocean spray, and the fog keeps many secrets on Salvation Island, including the girls. All hide immense powers that come at a terrible price. For all the horrors lurking in the shadows of Lovecraft Reformatory, none are as terrifying as being a teenager... and the greatest monster these girls may face is each other. Dark forces are in motion on the New England coast, and this handful of lost souls may be all that stands between humanity and the end of the world. Details: This is a custom campaign setting using the Powered by the Apocalypse system. This game uses a unique PbtA ruleset inspired by the unholy union of the horror mechanics of Kult: Divinity Lost and the teen dynamics of Masks: A New Generation. Be prepared for a rules-light environment heavy on collaborative storytelling and roleplaying and low on tactical combat scenarios. We will use a set of custom archetypes to ensure the characters fit the setting and each other. This is an adult game. While inspired by the 1920s horror literature of H.P. Lovecraft, this is a modern tale with modern sensibilities, threats, and fears. The story is a craft cocktail of Lovecraft, Vintage Hammer-era British Horror, X-Men comics, and a dash of homage to early exploitation films. Creeping dread may give way to more overt horror, and the story will address adult themes and situations, often involving teens. We will establish shared boundaries during our Session Zero to ensure we can push the edge of comfort without crossing it. “The process of delving into the black abyss is to me the keenest form of fascination.” - Lovecraft
Game style
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Sunday – 12:30 PM UTC
3–4 Hour Duration
5 / 5 Seats Filled
GAME MASTER
Colonel Evil
he/him
5.0
(10)
Schedule
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(10)
2 years on StartPlaying
162 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Sets the Mood
About me
Hi! My name's Wade, and I'm a GM. You can thank my wife for the nickname. It's probably more ironic than I'd like to admit. A friend's dad taught me how to play AD&D during a sleepover when I was 10 (His game group crashed on him), and as a junior fan of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, I was hooked. A couple of months later, I stumbled across the original D&D basic set (You know, the blue box with the red dragon on it). We didn't even have dice... I lived overseas and actually used the cardboard chits in the box for almost a year. That was the beginning of my fascination with narrative roleplaying games that has endured for over 40 years... and for most of that time, I've been the GM. Some people just end up the GM. It's in our DNA. I've run all manner of games and genres in that time and still find the hobby compelling, creative, and a means of genuine collaborative art. I truly believe that the game is not the GM's story. If you are telling the player "no" all the time, you are doing something wrong. On the flip side, I expect players to be invested in the story and be active participants. RPGs are shared experiences and one of the most unique ways to be part of a tale you will remember and talk about years later. My strengths as a GM lie in my experience and my skills in story and Improv. I will keep the story going in the face of the most hell-bent on destruction parties out there. I am also a master of "the teach" and love nothing more than introducing new players to this wonderful hobby. Whether a byproduct of material, style, or fate... my players are over 50% women, so I am not only inclusive, but I've grown accustomed to having different genders at the table as the norm. I'm absolutely LGBTQ+ friendly. I have no place at my table for advocating bigotry or hatred. An activity that fundamentally involves everyone pretending to be another person should be accepting by its very nature. If I have a favorite genre, it tends to be horror. I discovered Call of Cthulhu at 14. I never realized how much fun playing a game where everyone died could be. Since then, even my fantasy campaigns have had a darker flair (Tentacles are so versatile). My games are geared toward an adult audience, but I will use various boundary tools upfront, from lines and veils to the X-Card to comfort surveys. The trick to horror games is that making people uncomfortable is part of the experience, but ensuring everyone is still having fun is your primary responsibility. It's like running a haunted house or building a roller coaster. You try to scare the bejeezus out of someone but never want to hurt them. I rely primarily on the theater of the mind for gaming. Yeah, I'm a middle-aged guy, but I'm no Luddite. I primarily use Discord and Foundry VTT. I am also an amateur digital artist and will make a lot of custom portraits, infographics, maps, and scenes for my games for my own amusement. Also, I am more likely to run a custom campaign of my own than a published product at this point in my evolution as a GM. I hope you found something interesting if you've made it this far. I love this hobby, and it doesn't work without others. I've had some wonderful experiences on StartPlaying as a player, and I hope to meet more of you from over the GM Screen.
View Profile →Reviews (10)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Storytelling
Sets the Mood
Rei
Played 126 sessions
Wade is one of the best of the best out there. He builds in-depth settings and storylines for your characters to explore, populates them with fun & believable characters, and he seems to love your characters as much as you do. I've played a whole season of MonsterHearts2 with him (on S2 as of this review) and I've loved every minute of it. His MonsterHearts game has had interesting mundane drama, monster pathos, mystery & thriller, and the horror elements have been very well integrated for a well-balanced mix; the MonsterHearts 2 game, Hawthorn & Moonlight, quickly became my favorite game, and the only downside has been that I'm now afraid it'll be difficult to top. Wade regularly checks in on the players to make sure everyone is having fun, feeling safe & comfortable, and he tries to give you the means to make whatever goals or ideas you have come to fruition (as long as they're fair & fun to everyone, and make sense); the games truly feel collaborative and he feels like an ally instead of an adversary, even when he has to play the villains. Plus he's funny as hell, so you'll be having fun on his Discord server when you're not engaged in play.
Laine
Played 98 sessions
Wade is one of the best GMs I’ve had the pleasure of playing with. He is a fantastic storyteller and gives the players a rich world to discover in game. He makes you feel like your character and the story you’re trying to tell matters and asks questions that get you thinking about your character and the actions they take. Honestly, can’t get much better. Recommend 100%!
Antigoni
Played 34 sessions
I really enjoy playing with Colonel I stay up all night just to live in the world he created!! Amazing storytelling and creativity super fun and friendly! His campaign is one my highlights in the week!! Definitely recommend!!!!
Jim
Played 22 sessions
As a fellow DM, I can attest to the certain unpredictability of players and their actions. It’s one thing to study and plan the prepared content, it’s another to have the talent and creativity to roll with any crazy idea the players inevitably come up with. Wade has the talent and creativity to not only roll with the players actions but to do it in a way that makes it seamless between the module and created content. Having Wade as your DM will challenge your imagination with fun and adventure.
Zyon
Played 21 sessions
Wade is an awesome GM! I really like how he fosters players' creativity and imagination. His storytelling and setting the mood really immerses you in the game. I love how he allows character's to interact with their environment and letting the players' roleplay/character decisions guide the story. He is really engaging. I was new to the system that we used for the first game and he was helpful in answering my questions both in and out of game. And he is helpful in character creation and other aspects of gameplay. He is fun and a pleasure to play with and I plan on playing more games with him. I highly recommend Wade as a GM.
Clymene Aldinger
Colonel Evil is an extraordinary GM. Not simply because of his long tenure and wild imagination, not just because of superb storytelling or being a wellspring of knowledge and quick wit, but because I never once felt like I was detracting from the game despite being a complete newbie to RPGs. I have found this experience incredibly fascinating, fun, and creatively cathartic. I found myself likening the experience to theater, except the improvisation sometimes feels more real. I believe Colonel Evil was able to expertly navigate a campaign with mostly devoted veterans and one completely clueless player (myself) seamlessly. In fact, I have signed up for the second campaign and consider the other players family now. BRAVO!
Character creation
Creating your character
- We will create characters collaboratively during Session 0. - I have created custom archetypes unique to this scenario. Character creation involves distributing a fixed number of attributes, selecting advantages and disadvantages from a list, and answering some developmental background questions. - New players entering the game later will meet with the GM ahead of the next session to build their character
What to expect
Preparing for the session
- Players will need a mic, webcam (optional), and internet browser. - Players will need a Discord account for voice and video and to access my Discord channel for game discussion and background material. - Dice rolling will be virtual through Foundry VTT (does not require an account). Character sheets will be kept on Foundry VTT, but I will provide custom sheets for those who want one for their reference. - Background music will play via Foundry VTT embedded audio. Thematic playlists are available on Apple Music.
What Colonel Evil brings to the table
- I will provide the players with a Discord channel for collaboration and background material. - I will provide Player Cheat Sheets (not necessary to read ahead of time, custom archetype sheets, and custom character sheets via PDF. - Dice and character sheets will be virtual during play and provided on Foundry VTT. - I will provide custom soundtracks through Foundry VTT and Apple playlists. - I also create recap infographics for player use, maps, and custom character portraits.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How Colonel Evil creates a safe table
Players can expect a rules-light, low tactics, high roleplaying, and high collaborative storytelling game. The Powered by the Apocalypse engine uses player "moves" to resolve conflicts. Dice rolling will be through Foundry VTT. We will create characters and discuss lines and veils and the use of the X Card / Fade to Black during Session 0 due to the nature of the subject matter. I will also provide a consent survey during Session 0 to establish boundaries before actual play begins.
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