50 Year Bloghop Moratorium & Why I Like Oldschool

Wonderfully the OSR isnt really just TSR DnD - There is nostalgia for that stuff but if you look at what white dwarf did in first 80 issues and Judges Guild I think you get a better idea of the feverish imaginations that were in play then. Was more of Appendix N mentality. Also the gods removed from Deities and Demigods are exactly the fantasy I emulate.  Not just nostalgia for old DnD TSR but the kids of retro weird fantasy we see hints of. A literary revival of 20s-30s deco weird fantasy is going on also as these books like Clark Ashton Smith and HPL are being printed as Classics and thus have become works of literature.

The other thing about OSR is preference for older simpler rules to accompany this Baroque weird fantasy. It draws more from Weird Tales and the Moorcock type rebellions against third rate clone Conans that flooded fantasy in between.

More Adult content, more creepy, more strange. In TSR DND products stated they were against Drugs yet wizards smoke pipes (?), adventurers are alcoholic murder hobos. Once you try a Potion of Superheroism you want more. I heard of player that refused to leave castle without a gaseous form potion and had let a whole party die saving himself. Must get more healing potions. Strength potions. One makes you big one makes you  small (go ask Alice). Sounds like a game of hardcore drug abuse and the kind of gamers I like dont hide this kind of subtext that appears ye olde DND and in literature of the weird. They push this stuff in a way not really explored in official products, especially not weird. At least Venger Satanis, Raggi and many other dont shy from this stuff. I think Gygax had hints of that stuff that faded as Dragon Lance and being Kid safe compromised this. I thought the Drow Vampire with Succubus girls was kinda hot when I was a teen reading the Decent series, descriptions of Drow art and Hints of their blasphemous perverted drug guzzling art in the Descent series of modules. Big money and aiming at big markets changed Games Workshop and TSR. Improved production quality and design and took away the crazy semi amateur zine and more adult feel away from these companies.

Just my view of what I like anyhow. Inspired by This.

http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/on-osr-versus-tsr-eras.html?showComment=1393426953750#c3153121668297318593
Cry all you like Newschool but we have the drivers seat now. Put Cthulhu back in your books, it's too little too late of right stuff and too little of the wrong stuff that distracts from this ethos. My gameshop has a oldschool section that is growing faster than any other. I feel like more of a participant a way that Big game companies and video game companies can't make me feel.

For the record my tast in books has not many past WW2 books and my music tastes are pre 97 and mostly nowdays 60's and 70s exploitation sound tracks so yer I am a bearded old weirdo officially.

By the way I miss original Ideas that Blog Hops followed by blog hops was wrought on the blogosphere and conclude it produces less creative writing and diminishes us all.

Please Remember:
Don't do for 50 years again, make some sort of convention and star chamber
Realms of Chirak  doing a article a month on his SF universe brilliant, more like this
Shared dungeons, or everyone make an Island, or everyone write a room and an encounter in a sewer
Waxing lyrical over product nostlagia is nice but has flooded and ruined several sites I followed

Also:
As the weird go pro and we all self publish dont stop sharing. I have seen so many sub cultures go through this process and people become secretive, isolated and whinge about each other and I rather that not happen. Free zines and mags out there better than most oldschool ones and not just advertising compilations with nice art.

Decopunk Metropolis Encounters part 2

I will design some pregen characters for Cthulhu Metropolis I can do art based on old Hollywood actors. I need 12 for various genders. As a setting it feels very honky but I guess social progress and racial equality was low on priority in future dreams of the 1920s and 30s. Some Oswald Bastable scenarios might work well including the development of the atom bomb from Moorcock would be good. Compliment the space and robotic developments. The novels feature uprisings against colonials where rebel peoples get access to superior tech from a single inventor like the land leviathan or superior aircraft (jets!?).

Probably will feature acts starting from the top and working down as city explodes into rioting. I will probably do a post on Babylon Dreamlands of Metropolis. It would be a early cinema version of Babylon like the unfinished Intolerance and biblical films. I have added some other early cinematic references without too much overt supernaturalism. The keeper (perhaps Architect might be better title for this game) can ad lib more supernatural if needed but I will save for climax. I might try running this for a month or so later in the year and could do the whole explore the world and space thing, even go Flash Gordon (Ming from planet Leng?).

Im gonna make a groovy keeper screen too. My art style will suffice for pregen sheets.

Worker under levels are the barracks where workers shuffle from every day to the mammoth factories, power plants and smelters. To be as complex as the book version I include miles of water works, sewers, recycling plants, rail tunnels and other drab industrial hell.

d100 Worker Under City Levels
01 Old woman telling fortune to people in tea shop of many classes
02 Shambling workers off to shift
03 Drunken foreman with wrench staggering home abuses passers
04 Poor urchins stop and stare at outsiders
05 Robed cultist spotted, drops into drain hatch
06 Hair black claw spotted on edge of drain briefly
07 Cleaner sweeping floors, happy to talk to anyone about things he has seen
08 Battered woman refuses help, staggers home
09 Beautiful workers daughter with poor children on field trip
10 Police searching tunnels for something hidden
11 Police checking ID and looking for someone
12 Bomb blast from terrorists, panicked workers flee 
13 Strange slime trail leads to drain
14 Creepy grinning man with cane seems to be talking to rats
15 Sewerage overflowing into tunnels
16 Rich youth wandering about amazed by terrible conditions
17 Bank agent looking for bankers son who is too interested in plight of poor
18 Old drunk trying to avoid deportation from city
19 Bulging eyed plumber with tools menacing workers daughter
20 Mysterious wizard (Rotwang?) looking for catacomb entrances
21 Sickly man trying to reach water as skin starting to split open
22 Benevolent order of Dagon giving food and pamphlets to workers
23 Stray cat watches party and follows them for a while
24 Dead worker has fallen on way to work
25 Engineer inspecting tunnels found locked steel door not on his maps 
26 Catch worker eating another dead worker, flees when he realizes seen with weird gait
27 Foreign agent with camera pretending to be journalist
28 Police beating journalist smashing his camera and film
29 Angry workers attack outsiders for intruding 
30 Hungry beggars swarm party
31 Find a half chewed carcass of a worker
32 Find shredded skin of a worker by a drain entrance
33 Find a disemboweled prostitute and cult graffiti
34 Prostitutes call out to party offer quick knee trembler for pittance
35 Lost youth from surface here on dare, bewildered and terrorfied
36 Stray dog chased by hungry hobo
37 Gangster in coat offers drugs and home made zip guns and shanks
38 Man with limp begs for a job or he will be relocated outside city
39 Banker seen buying children, sends a goon to get party
40 Uptown men in cult robes on way to catacombs avoid faces being seen
41 Line of youths being inspected to enter household service in uptown
42 Man selling bad cigarettes and rotgut booze
43 Man trying to sell expensive stolen useless stuff to bewildered poor
44 Priest preaching how meek should turn cheek and will inherit the earth
45 Priests with impromptu soup kitchen
46 W.O.W. delegate on tour with locals gasping at terrible conditions
47 Choking black smog fills tunnel, people flee from area
48 Acrid foul air leaves eyes watering and throats sore
49 Crippled ex-workers being pursued by law for being unfit for work 
50 Foreman beating worker in front of sullen faced mob
51 Man disguised as worker from uptown to see worker lives
52 Agent of bank disguised as worker from uptown looking for revolutionaries
53 Police disguised as worker seeking trouble makers or unfit workers in hiding
54 Communist handing out propaganda and preaching worker takeover
55 Man with no legs on trolley begging for food and coins
56 Angry worker looking for outsiders to vent his fury on
57 Youth gang charging toll to pass this way, outsiders pay double
58 Abandoned baby in a box
59 Drug addicts slumped against wall, barely aware of surroundings
60 Police taking disabled boy from parents, claim to a home but really will be gassed
61 A gypsy selling good luck charms and potions, knives anyone causes him trouble
62 A man preaching foreigners to blame for everyone's troubles
63 A staggering man, dying or blind from bad bathtub gin
64 Gang with vicious dogs collecting loan repayments from workers
65 A foreman explaining how good everyone has it to mob
66 Food aid workers from midtown overwhelmed by hungry mob
67 Police arresting food aid workers for inciting crime
68 Uptown youths making poor workers brawl for cash
69 Large lumpy faced man watches party from distance creepily
70 Worker with old worn damaged boots limping to work and late
71 Ambulance carrying wounded children from work house
72 Tiny ancient church with candles and worshipers in somber silence
73 Preacher telling workers how everything better in next life
74 Zealot with dying worker inciting mob to rise up against upper classes
75 Wounded man shambling off to work late
76 Upset man claiming he saw something that should not be in a drain
77 Man preaching end of the world everyone must affirm Christianity or die
78 Workers tormenting woman they say is a witch
79 Strange man in black with dark eyes in trance carrying woman flees if seen
80 Asylum orderlies load men into van, strange gleeful doctor (Dr Caligari?)
81 Deranged hunch back with top hat and sharp teeth chasing woman with butchers knife
82 Workers driving out disabled man from district to keep away health inspectors
83 Workers having soccer match with home made ball, all welcome
84 Man selling rat on a stick, has no teeth and big grin
84 Census taker interrogates anyone not meant to be down below, demands papers 
85 Shambling walker in deathlike trance walking corridors with shredded clothes
86 Dog licking up spilled blood on ground
87 Crazy man talking to and eating bugs, talking to invisible master
88 Armed soldiers searching for something but wont say what
89 Worker mistakes party member for someone and slips them a catacomb map
90 Robed cultists stabbing man, flee when spotted
91 Banker on tour with guards, complaining conditions too good for scum workers
92 Journalist looking for drama, asks people about conditions below, workers shun him
93 Woman crying looking for her child
94 Wealthy youths come down to abuse and provoke workers for fun
95 Workers looking for help, injured man trapped in machine
96 Wounded child begging for help, everyone busy with own problems
97 Visions of the seven deadly sins and death from cathedral overwhelm party member
98 Party member has vision from past life in Babylon lasts a few hours
99 Man having visions he is worker in ancient Babylon from past life, confused and lost
100 Vision of factories and doorways becoming mouths of the machine god Moloch

Catacombs predate the city and upper galleries used for secret meetings of workers new Christian sect. If you follow a map or guide fairly safe. Exploring greater depths very bad however. Best to be kindly and scare with some sounds and minor encounters before unleashing true horrors of the pit.

d100 Catacomb Levels
01 Workers heading to underground new christian sect in candle lit shrine
02 Scientist Wizard (Rotwang?) exploring catacombs for his various schemes
03 Uptown youth or youths with flashlight exploring the depths
04 Lost child came down looking for ball or on dare
05 Hear distant chanting in strange language
06 Abandoned shack with strange crumbling old book and skeleton
07 Pale creepy naked children flee from light
08 Strange green skinned children found speak no known language, slowly dying
09 Strange palid worms crawl about and drop from ceiling 
10 Feel strange urge to discard weapons and follow train into the depths
11 Find a strange black well with strange carved symbols
12 A strange monolith with almost worn away symbols, causes strange dreams after seeing 
13 A shambling work with rotting flesh attacks
14 A doctor with a glowing green syringe is injecting a corpse in the brain
15 Wild feral albino men attack
16 Ghouls chitter while eating a corpse, if realize they are seen will attack
17 Cultists on way to dread shrine, attack any strangers who see them
18 Witness a cult engaged in ritual torture or sacrifice led by a recognizable banker
19 An archaeological team with workers and a few guards
20 Ancient room stacked with coffins
21 Ancient stone sarcophagi hundreds of years old
22 Corridor blocked with neat piles of human bones
23 Walls decorated with human skulls
24 Cultist seeking relics will pretend to be scholar and seem friendly
25 Armed police will arrest or shoot at anyone who flees
26 Gang dividing up loot from graves
27 Ghoul cult eating bound victim alive (actually a zombie)
28 Shambling zombies 
29 Piles of rotting mangled corpses dumped here by someone
30 Agent of bank dragging corpse of trouble maker to hide in depths
31 Students on initiation test lost 
32 Strange monk tending remains of dead
33 Bundles of mummified corpses stacked around walls or in niches
34 Flooded bunker from war with mouldy rotten gas masks and survival rations and bunks
35 Remains of old mine with tracks, carts, piles of rubble and skeleton with miners hat
36 Crippled workers in hiding from health inspectors fearing deportation
37 Urchins being instructed in crime by fat gangster 
38 Strange statue with partly erased Hebrew text on forehead
39 Strange creepy howl heard
40 Ghoul eating a cat, pounces on better food like party
41 Scaly google eyed naked man jumps into well when sees lights coming
42 Cult of strange froglike hopping people dancing around a well
43 Cultists in ritual sex, turns to cannibalism later (just for those who want to join in) 
44 Hunchbacked, rat faced bald man stalks party, is a nosferatu
45 Onyx dodecahedron on plinth, thieves dream of crawling darkness and hunted by cult
46 Witches dancing in ritual cackling madly, curse any who see with magic
47 Hideous deformed witch with horrible familiar sets awful familiar on party
48 Graffiti from many previous eras 
49 Graffiti from occultists with astrological and kabalistic diagrams
50 Strange sign drawn in odd yellow pigment, viewers have bad dreams and visitations
51 Cult signs with alien or forgotten hyperborean languages scr
52 A fungal nightmare garden with human bones amidst slimy growths
53 A crystal coffin with sleeping monk inside, actually a friendly but deceitful serpent man
54 Albino degenerate snake people attack intruders but flee if harmed
55 An ancient Egyptian sarcophagi with cult paraphernalia, beast headed mummy arises
56 Dead man from uptown with dagger in back
57 Drunk with lantern and zipgun looking for people who took his friend
58 Man with strange alien box looking for something, possessed by prehuman race
59 Strange gurgling cries of "Tekeli-li" from darkness, if investigated shoggoth attacks
60 Well sealed by basalt stone lid, can hear moving air and alien whispers within
61 Mummified remains of inhuman creature
62 Stone vault door with strange star shaped seal
63 A huge pit of writhing white grubs awaiting the end times to come to surface
64 A robed man avoids party, if confronted is a wizard made from a mass of worms
65 Swarms of bats flood chambers biting and scratching any in area
66 Strange globe like eggs made from minerals, cultists will retrieve if stolen 
67 Flapping of batwings from distance and unearthly screeching sound
68 Strange archway with alien runes, actually a gateway to somewhere horrible
69 A strange pool gives visions of the past, if look too long entities notice you back
70 Strange apparatus with generator and huge tuning forks, headless corpse nearby 
71 Laboratory with corpses, restrained zombie and green glowing vials
72 Pyramid of severed human heads still warm to touch
73 Workers with clubs looking to beat child kidnappers they are searching for
74 Frightened woman being chased by cultists
75 Lone child begs for help is actually a witch hundreds of years old
76 Squealing pigs are heard coming, naked insane pig men swarm at party
77 Swarm of rats attack
78 Swarm of rats flee past party from something horrible coming
79 Strange bell tolls but source cannot be found
80 Sarcophagi with mummified reptilian creatures
81 Old cult wizard looking to recruit new cultists
82 Find bewildered person in strange clothes from some other time
83 Albino huge reptilian slithers after party
84 Strange chamber with hyperborean runes and bronze mirror, a gate to Saturn
85 Cage with crying caged naked captives in chains begging for help
86 Strange altar with blood stains, inside is a book, dagger and some potions
87 Skeleton in crypt with flesh in process of regrowing, heart starts to beat
88 Sickly man staggers an vomits up worms, then bursts open into horrible mess
89 Fish men on the hunt, chase any humans for food, sex or experiments
90 Crying girl victim of assault and carrying a future deep one
91 A beautiful siren sings to intruders inviting them to have sex, deep one with illusion
92 Attractive woman clings to party member, is a life sucking succubus seeks a mate
93 Room with metal brain canisters and apparatus to speak to them 
94 Foreign scholar with robot guard seeking evil books and relics
95 Room with bed, candles, covered in photos of missing persons
96 Strange creepy doll, if taken will animates and kill when it gets a chance
97 Weird idol of tentacled frog being with strange alien instrument nearby 
98 Bubbling pool of strange white organic fluid dripping from ceiling
99 Vision of future where sun blotted out and last humans dwell in huge silver pyramid
100 Visions of the city crumbling into darkness strike a party member

NEXT - Babylonian Dreamlands

Decopunk Metropolis Encounters part 1

These are for my Cthulhu Metropolis setting but just as usable in many planet Psychon games for citadels. Most of these just waste time but could be plot hooks or major distractions. When I run this will be a time clock based on Metropolis film of events. City grows increasingly unruly and civil unrest grows. Wealthy, servant and worker classes most significant.

It is illegal to be unemployed with rule breakers being shipped outside if refuse to join worker caste in under city. You can always hide in the catacombs.

Upper city levels are for the richest citizens and are where the children of the elites squander time in and increasingly desperate attempt to spend time.

d100 Upper City Levels
01 Arrogant bankers with servants push you aside
02 Celebrating youths, rowdy children of the chosen out for good times
03 Youth challenges you to sport or games in the sport fields of the city
04 An autogyro makes a near miss when outside
05 An autogyro accident creates a disturbance
06 Strange old man drops some papers with plans, occult book or science papers
07 A drunk follows you noisily thinks you are his friends
08 Agent of city authorities follows party reporting actions to masters
09 Terrorist bomb or arson, firemen and police everywhere
10 Bewildered pale man actually worker from under city in stolen clothes
11 Dirty child from undercity somehow found way up here
12 A brilliant man wonders if party could be volunteers for a secret expedition
13 A lost looking wretch from last century, thawed out and abandoned by scientists
14 Bustling crowd push party back to side corridors, passage blocked for a while
15 Pretty dancers off to pleasure gardens
16 Frantic woman looking for husband who is in decadent mens club
17 Police searching people at random looking for serial killer
18 Banker asks if party can deliver a package to low level foreman
19 Revelers in street carrying famous starlet drinking merrily
20 Youths in sport clothes off to compete in city games
21 Teacher with children on excursion looking at sights of upper city
22 Automobile comes off ramp and falls many stories below
23 Spy being pursued sneaks wanted object into pocket of party member
24 Man with sandwich board advertising some decadent food or entertainment
25 Nosy woman calls authorities on any suspicious person of wrong sort
26 Cameras watch party as somebody monitors them
27 Preacher berates passers for sin, taken away in ambulance
28 Person doesn't make it in elevator door in time and is torn in half
29 Seedy organ grinder with pickpocket monkey
30 Newspaper boy selling latest paper and shouting headlines
31 Shoeshine boy begs for work, offers other illicit services such as spying
32 Gobsmacked workers being led by foreman on project, abused for staring
33 Foreign tourists being shown city sights
34 Anti progress activists silenced by plainclothes police
35 Charity collectors for church rebuilding fund dejected and ignored
36 Wings over the World charity collector seeking to spread civilization to world
37 Ambulance carrying away man crying about social injustice
38 Sleepwalker dreaming of ancient Babylon in trance will have accident if not saved
39 End is nigh sign carrier, warns all New Babylon will fall
40 See body dragged into steam tunnels
41 Attractive rich youths approach party on a dare to flirt and waste time
42 Banker jumps to death after being bankrupted
43 Dancers advertise latest performance with impromptu street performance
44 Middle city youth looking for his real wealth father with note and photo
45 Worker putting up posters
46 Workers on cleaning detail avoid eye contact
47 Some rich youths bullying a workers daughter
48 Anarchist throws a bomb in a lift, trolley car or cable car
49 Millionaire and flunkies drinking champagne, throwing money everywhere
50 Charismatic speaker tells everyone progress is bad, a mob is forming angrily
51 A man in a rich suit runs through streets proclaiming "my money is all gone"
52 Two rich men duel with pistols or swords over a dancing girl
53 Colourful natives of far off lands here with missionaries look amazed
54 Pack of shoppers out for bargains stampede and run down passers by
55 Messenger boy possibly on bicycle with message for party member
56 High class courtesan invites you to dance or dinner, your shout
57 Gangsters assassinate a wealthy debtor or politician
58 Lost child cant find parents, creepy old banker or crook taking an interest
59 Invited to bizarre secret sex club by dandy of indeterminate gender
60 Banker being carried by peers, drinking champagne, being cheered by bankers
61 Drunk business men rolling on ground fighting
62 Woman aviatrix being photographed by press
63 Drunk business man passes out against you, pockets stuffed with cash
64 Man preaching space or robots are the future, ignored by public
65 Confectionery seller surrounded by children and young women
66 Athletic youths celebrating win, carry champion through streets
67 Wealthy person sends party member letter inviting to sexual rendezvous by messenger
68 Clowns inviting public to circus follow party
69 Man staggers to party, has been stabbed by cultist and passes out
70 Man offers cheap jewelry or bullion no questions asked
71 Person showing of hi tech to to delight of crowd
72 Rich youths making workers fight for money in alley
73 Man in coat offers drugs or sexual devices from abroad
74 Anti vice crusaders invite public to make pledge, laughed at by crowd
75 Woman with exotic animal pet like a lion or giant newt on leash
76 Gangs of rich youths brawling over nothing
77 Rich youths tease strangers in area for being backwards
78 Man warning workers are ready to explode in revolution, need more police
79 Woman preaching brotherhood with working classes, watched by bank agents
80 Woman high on drugs falls onto party, from important family
81 Young man asks for directions to notorious sinful gents club
82 See men make secret society handshake
83 Find dead body with secret cult dagger in back
84 Glimpse man strangling woman through window
85 See men enter secret club by making secret signs by concealed door
86 Man desperately trying to sell share certificates nobody wants
87 Rich mans hat found, will reward if found
88 Youth lighting cigars with Metropolis bank notes
89 Distinguished gentleman strikes up conversation about matters abroad
90 Crowded passage slows to halt, people start panicking
91 People passing from out lack of good air
92 People whispering about person ahead involved in great scandal
93 See strange costumed people and lights through a doorway for a moment
94 Rich people dressed in fancy dress for carnival, drinking with servants
95 Crying maid laying in side passage
96 Man shoots himself in head after stepping out of office
97 People dressed in manner of British with cape and shoulder pads
98 Vision of city as demon god Moloch eating citizens
99 Vision of grim reaper makes dreamer pass out in terror
100 For a moment see visions of ancient Babylon imposed over city







The middle levels are where the servant, bureaucrats clerks, shopkeepers and those who serve the rich live and work.Some areas even have crime and remains of pre Metropolis architecture from the past.

d100 Middle City Levels
01 Crowd sweeps you in opposite direction
02 See man reading newspaper getting pockets picked
03 Servant passes out from over work in street
04 Man abuses foreman and work crew for being seen in daylight
05 Priest speaking about decadence and Gods wrath
06 Salvation army band collecting money for poor
07 Students speaking out about conditions of workers
08 Man excitedly talking about robots will replace workers soon to peers
09 Low class prostitutes accost passers by for favours
10 Soldiers back from foreign war celebrating
11 Man asks for directions to suicide booth
12 Woman with homeless worker children asks for donations
13 Child urchin pickpocket has gang and trainer nearby as back up
14 Man selling false share certificates
15 Man offering bets on athletic games with good odds
16 Woman luring children into alley with candy
17 Man offers to sell firearms or knuckle dusters
18 Come across servant class drinking club
19 Man handing out vouchers for discount coffee
20 Food cart offering sausages and beer
21 Old servant ranting about abusive masters
22 Crippled war vet begging for coins
23 Card shark or cup and ball stall ripping off workers
24 Man selling stolen goods from masters house
25 Ticket scalper selling game and concert tickets
26 Youths playing soccer till policeman takes ball
27 Butler offering servant jobs for household
28 Man beating servant
29 Drunk chasing young house maids
30 Car runs someone over
31 Street cleaners found dead servant
32 Police taking down servants details
33 Distraught chauffeur lost car
34 Bag snatcher steals woman's purse
35 Followed by large man in coat, eventually gives you strange sign on vellum
36 Plumber with bulging eyes looks at you for long time
37 Shop selling weird smut in paper bags on sly
38 Old man stooped over with bags behind master
39 Dancing girl with maid she abuses, looking for fancy man to get her out of jam
40 Grifter selling weird antique books he found in abandoned house
41 Scientist, broke homeless and dejected, formerly with space program or some project
42 Woman lab tech sneezes new strain of plague causing feverish hallucinations
43 Soldier back from front looking for somewhere to drink and company
44 Angry policeman driving people who slow traffic on road or corridors
45 Policeman beating worker from below
46 Strange person in dark glasses gives party member odd looks, feel weak and woozy
47 Draft blows litter in dancing eddies, almost like they are alive somehow
48 Angry chef wants party out of his way, pulls butchers knife if party don't
49 Artist admires party member invites to his studio for a study
50 Deranged poet trying to sell his self published edition of maddening verse
51 Hear a gunshot, crowd panics and man falls bleeding and surprised
52 Hear about gallery with depraved art collection
53 Down and out tired old (26) dancer promises to do anything for food
54 Police evicting jobless family, shipping them to eastern Europe
55 Leaking plumbing or hydrant leaking water with inches deep water
56 Servants of secret fraternal order snatch panicked man and drag off streets
57 Plainclothes policeman shooting at worker from below without authority
58 Foreman trying to force workers back into drainage tunnel with huge spanner
59 Tall thin person with rat like features watches you from alley, disappears if caught
60 Woman chasing rats out of building screaming, with bite marks on her hands and face
61 Wealthy man with huge hulking manservant offers to take you to his home for a meal
62 Body carried out to funeral wagon to cremation recycling centre
63 Family wave to disabled kin being taken to special home in van, actually mobile gas chamber
64 Crying pregnant teenage girl, family want her sent to an asylum for wayward girls
65 Mugger or several youths try to hold up party with knife for cash
66 Tired old man on way home from work after being fired, goes crazy and arrested
67 Census taker stops party for papers and and other personal information
68 Two servants fighting over package in the street
69 Butler flogging a maid in the street for being idle
70 Wealthy humiliating a servant with petty cruelty and unnecessary work
71 Priest giving out bible versus
72 School children of servant class chasing worker children back down drains
73 Several scholars discussing strange wax tablet with unknown language
74 Children skipping with disturbing rhyme nobody remembers but is haunting
75 Child catcher chasing school truant servant kids or worker kids not in their own levels
76 Asylum orderlies taking screaming butler to hospital, claims master is a monster
77 Escaped mental patient seeks help, promises is not mad
78 Carnival Hypnotist with somnambulist medium performing show in the street
79 Police investigating yet another break in and kidnapping of a girl
80 Old rabbi with assistant hauling bags of special clay to synagogue in ghetto
81 Attractive agent needs dupes, invites character to a society ball in upper city
82 See a filthy old man stealing from medical waste bins
83 Serial killer fleeing police with chalk "M" mark on his back made by urchins
84 Recognize former concert pianist, turned mad since hands transplanted with killers
85 Creepy old Chinese man with evil cat and chess set with line of players with gifts for him
86 Friendly monumental artist at work, happy to talk about strange private commisions
87 Street magician with creepy puppets jokes about stealing your soul
88 Pale attractive girl with red hair flirts, has many insane jealous ex lovers after her
89 Traffic congestion on road spreads to footpaths and tunnels, everyone stalled for an hour
90 Former wealthy person collecting for poor, has found religion and given away wealth
91 See old lover walking dressed as servant, blank faced with no memory of you
92 Old house of so called wizard scientist formerly of great renown
93 Creepy old house, known as the witch house, long abandoned and haunted
94 Statues on display in park gallery, one looks like an acquaintance not seen lately
95 Crying mother at feet of fat pleased banker with his stony faced servants,
96 Old medieval cathedral with sincere worshipers singing and chanting and haunting artworks
97 Vision of workers being eaten by Moloch the hungry machine god
98 One of you hears voices in your head, telling you to kill and other evil acts
99 Horrible feeling of oppression overwhelms party member who blacks out
100 Vision of the fall of Babel in past life as one party member falls into trance




will do worker undercity and catacombs levels next

World of Cthulhu Metropolis

Previously I described the city of Metropolis here but here is some more detail on the world of my deco super city. I coined deco punk as i find diesel punk too crude and wanted to feature deco-modernist futuristic design.

I hope to run this as a con game soon and will do some encounter tables. Promising to be a good pulp SF setting or alternate universe. Robots and space travel are just a step away and characters could be involved in some of these wonders first uses.

2026 and the city of metropolis dominated the world economy and houses 52 million persons. Spanning central Europe including Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and France those old nations have come to be dominated by the great city.

But what of the rest of the world?

The novel 1984 I use for Britain during a phase in the 20th century during the great war from 1940-1970. Plague collapsed that regime and turned the former great island nation into a wasteland of warlords and despots bareley able to support aircraft and desperate for fuel and parts to battle each other. Plague victims were shot on sight. This ended 1970 when engineers and mechanics from the Wings over the World organization came to restore civilization to the blighted places on earth from Basra.

While society by 2026 is fairly free and open occasional demagogues take advantage of the mass media used and occasional form dangerous hysterical mobs that the cabal responds poorly too. A faction deny progress and reason and want time to stand still instead of adapting to change. This situation has kept Metropolis the superior power. The Cabal is a kind of anarchist state where oligarchs are selected from best and brightest by aid of computers. These leaders may come short against popular rabble and mobs that sometimes arise and end with destruction of some state project. The state lack the power and will to control the mob and possible foreign agitators take advantage of this. English fashion is very different with capes, new materials and shoulder pads. Black clad military wear suits offering some protection versus bullets.



This is based on HG Wells film Things to come. Has some awesome deco tanks and other tech.



America was less affected by the war and plagues but retreated into itself. WOW had a influence over rebuilding and America was well recovered by 1980. Vast cities of 250 story buildings connected by suspension bridges, with air transport extremely common for personal use. Eugenics and social engineering have taken control during the great war, now all are ruled by the Tribunal in the name of impersonal science. Names are replaced by numbers. The population take pills for food and recreation and are governed by petty red tape and regulation and at times heartless engineers. Babies are produced by state incubators from machines for married couples. The Tribunal dictate who marries who giving preference to high achievers.



Despite this control and supposed objective social strata, the super rich thrive and compete with the Metropolis bank and prey on the underdeveloped world. Outside the great sprawls of the east and west coast and a few other mega cities is largely wilderness with automated factory farms and those who reject modern life living like hill billies still subject to the great plagues left from the great war.

As a hat tip to the King in Yellow suicide booths are in public parks.

The film Just Imagine I am using for America. Has awesome Hugh Ferris inspired design.



W.O.W. in Russia worked with the remains of the Soviet Union to produce a great worker paradise, free from rich elites. While great cities do exist they are crowded, with often collapsing infrastructure, shortages and highly polluted. Areas are still plague ridden and underdeveloped with huge refugee camps and resettlement programs and backward technology. Still trying to influence the underdeveloped world and at odds with America and European agents of Metropolis. Get on better with England, a major trading partner. Vie for control with Metropolis over crumbling eastern Europe which never recovered from the war fully. They still speak of world revolution and have a strong patriotic streak despite their poorer living standards compared to the powers of the English Cabal, European Metropolis and the American Tribunal.

The great powers are at peace but small conflicts supported by them using old weapons still happen. Plague still keeps some areas uninhabited mostly or free from organized states. Warlords thrive but occasionally W.O.W. remnants of volunteer armies invade to deliver civilization.



The space race is also on with Briton developing a space gun, Metropolis a moon mission, Russia and America aiming at Mars. The moon is a barren place occupied by insectoid selenites who dwell in great underground fungus forests and crystal cities. Mars has advanced decaying cities ruled by decaying science priests and royalty who watch earth with great fear and suspicion through telescopes. Aelita the Queen of mars watches with fascination but the science priests fear contamination from earth and its more egalitarian ways. Outside more primitive peoples live in strange jungles including a race born twins who dwell in separate tribes from birth that wage war against each other pointlessly. Primitive orangutang like ape men are employed as slaves and entertainers by these savage twin people. Radio from mars is occasionally picked up spurring men to visit.

Mars and Russia in part based on film Aelita and Just Imagine.

Old popular mechanics are good tech inspiration for "new" technology. Cars have not advance too much nor planes but autogyros capable of short landings on rooftops are common. Airships are the most successful long distance travel but airliners and bombers can fly world wide. Guns are rare in the developed world and have also not developed much. The American have a .22 automatic pistol with a large magazine capacity of 30 shots with a box like appearance.

Androids and Robots are just starting to appear. Russom's Universal Robotics have made progress with metal men but men derived purely from chemicals, more lifelike with synthetic flesh have been developed and are helping to re-develop Czechoslovakia. The downside is the androids are increasingly human and elites are replacing workers and have come to prefer them as lovers. In the rest of the world robots and androids are still exotic but after the events in Metropolis will become more common.


Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australia are messes with some modern cities heavily supported by the great powers or W.O.W.

Warlord controlled regions and backward wastelands are still dominant. In Africa a species of semi intelligent giant newts 4-5 foot high have been trained to perform menial tasks and are edible and have been used in some areas in Africa. A few have claimed these creatures might have souls and feelings. Some have even been trained in underwater welding and construction.

Some Japanese city states have adopted Robots also in a push to join the great Powers, even invading China and competing with the great powers. Finland is a pocket of advanced technology that struggles against the Soviet Union.

Sydney is a great Deco city of the south and famous for its huge 3 way bridge with huge tower built on a harbour island.

Some explorers in depopulated plague zones have discovered isolated communities, underground bunkers, mutants and other strange things. Many mysteries await.

Karol Capek wrote RUR and War with the Newts two very awesome works I recommend. He invented the word robot.
.
Film Aelita on utube famous for constructivist sets of Mars
Just imagine on utube a musical comedey with amazing Hugh Ferris cityscape
Things to come on utube HG Wells hated Metropolis so he made this

City on Mars and its people

Superhero RPG Smackdown City

Previous recap of old game 20 year campaign (fixed link) and made new page

Previous recap of old game 20 year campaign
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/marvel-super-heroes-20-year-campaign.html

Close up map all my online gamer graphics so far up
http://www.flickr.com/photos/konsumterra/sets/72157631656547261/

Also i worked with the artist for EMO cover artist as comic worker in his studio in the glamorous international comic world - well its fringes. Comic crash in early 90s meant pinup stuff more of a go then, but Michal's stuff here http://www.michaldutkiewicz.com/blog/news/

River city was my second marvel campagn. My last game I ran in Adelaide before hitting Sydney and going pro as a artist. Wasnt my intention here but earned living in street art art and grafitti, mostly arts education.

River city was a fictional city to escape using hometown setting (which i ended up doing in real world). It has a brief alternative history. Green stuff on map for older richer treefilled suburbs vs grey  industrial natureless industrial slums warrens.

Early in the colonial area the are between Adelaide and Melbourne, business men out to escape sanctioned state control set up a town. Was used for many questionable industries from early times as area first settled by sealers and whalers who were practicing slavery and racist exterminations.  Hellfire Clubbers from the motherland, occultists, oriental cults, drug dens, vampires, pirates, witches, bush-rangers frequented the rogue colony. Equally strange doo gooders appeared from early times. By 1860 the blight was a small independent territory governed by its own governor. Through bribes and bullying this continued till the states and territories federated.

Mt Gambier a mysterious volcaninc blu lake town is an interesting fearture inland. Aboriginal art records the last eruptions 20000 years ago and megafauna sightings. Creatures are reported occasionally still. Marshland Aboriginal were displaced by farmers and most are resentful and dwell on constantly whittled away "useless land". Many ended up in the city. Coastal tribes remained large and one Aboriginal inventor from the area appears on the Australian currency.

Instead of draining the swamps as the states wanted the water was engineering into huge concrete canal romantically called a river. Islands were part of the engineering like coastal fortifications. Great swamps and lush now very English looking farmland (angloformed) surround the city .

Crime was very influential after WW1 with lapse drug laws and mad miracle formulas and illegal boozer riled the city. As did mad hopped up vigilantes and bizarre gangsters. In WW2 many turned patriotic and the government built arms factories and search labs.

Post war River City boomed and the gangsters became respectable statesmen and business owners. Many heroes retired from crime fighting but lived as celebrities and virtual royalty in some cases. Other never stopped fighting or stayed hidden. Then disasters strack. Shonky mass poisonings of the population and especially among the poor on diablo island resulted in mutations and freaks, some who still dwell in the sewers. Other industrial accidents and a generation of lead poisoned unemployable criminals emerged. An experimental micripile alleviated the pollution fog a bit in the 60s but a new generation of occultists, superheroes and mystery men emerged.

In the 70s most of the asylum Islands other functions ceased and the island became a hangout for cults and gangs. Various times has been a orphan work house and childrens home and madhouse and quarantine station and immigration detention center.

Green Island is a tiny garden Ise off limits and home of some endangered birds and some Tasmanian Tigers.

Boiler island is a WW2 ship building site covered in trash and ruined bunkers. Rumours of secret naval base tunnels remain.

Sentinel fort built where a pirate ship was wrecked in earlier explorer times. Refited to keep out the Yanks and the Russians and the Germans and the Dutch and rest of Australia if need be. Gets refitted every new popular crisis. Off limits, possible anti terrorism and state metahuman base.

Diablo Island is a slumb that both political parties are trying to manipulate and re develop. A Warren of illegal worker accommodation amid factories and work houses. The residents have rioted several times, most violent in the country. Many deformed disabled and disfigured residence.

Slate prison is where the most dangerous prisoners are kept. Well other than the secret prisons the spooks at APIO keep somewhere. They keep all the powered freaks and black tech users and aliens and other paranormal matters of national interest. 

The city has terrible rail, trams, tunnels bridges and over the top buildings from many areas except if you look close its often poorly done ans a bit shabby. Gangs, squats and ruins are common. When it rains mutants, crocs and swarms of poisonous cane toads swarm from the river and drains.

Pop: 3.1 Million. Mostly English, welsh, Germans westside and Irish Scottish English originally but post both world wars eastern European, Poles, Czechoslovakia, Russians, Balts, Mediterraneans, and all sorts of emigres in the name of liberty and crime. Scientists and artists flock to the city for cheap rent and lax government. Other cities send unwanted metahumans and paranormals here. Many New Zealanders many of Maori decent live in the city. In the early 90s several satelite farm towns of nepalese were settled in the thousands. Many were demobbed gurkas. Many work in police and public transport and military. China town has been here since the begining when Chinease would land here to avoid states that forbid them in gold rush and bush ranger days. Little Korea and Vietnam and Indonesia are nearby but more recent and smaller.

When you get into city keep away from clown gangsters dont let them ever see your money.

I'll do some district blowups and encounters sometime.

Cthulhu Metropolis

It is the year 2026 and the city of metropolis dominated the world economy and houses 52 million persons. For the rich – a designer deco paradise of urban engineering. Where the rich live lives of pleasure the workers dwell in squalid subterranean factories. At its center is new Babylon – the control center where the head of the metropolis bank monitors everything - from global money markets to the thunderous work floors of the great machine beneath the city.

Some things are less visible – like the army of servants who serve the rich, or the dilapidated cathedral haunted by the spectre of old religion. Similarly in a run down section of the city is the ancient house of the scientist magician Rotwang – the master brain behind Metropolis, his mechanical hand and other forbidden secrets. Then there are the caverns beneath the city said to be over 2000 years old, where rebel workers meet in secret and who knows what else dwells.

This is a set of notes for setting the horrors of HP Lovecraft in a fantasy world of the future imagined by the silent cinema film Metropolis and the novel by Thea Von Harbau of the same name. I was inspired in part by watching the film with the more recent Call of Cthulhu silent film together – where the idea of editing the two together occurred to me. Kim Numans famous monsters of film land also inspired this with his short story where Superman and metropolis converge with other silent movie characters like Dr Caligari, Nosferatu and others.

To celebrate this reaching my top 10 blogs: http://archive.org/details/Metropolis_63
also see: The Metropolis of Tomorrow (Dover Architecture) by Hugh Ferriss (Paperback) and The Power of Buildings, 1920-1950: A Master Draftsman's Record (Dover Architecture)

1. Concepts
-using narrative of film as background activity
-explore as a deco punk sci fi horror pulp setting
-No Nazis, Hitler and WW2 never happened, obscure political cult
-Metropolis and capitalistic monopolies have crushed the world
-Many cyber punk ideas are in metropolis like machine consciousness
-There are video phones but guns and cars have not changed since WW1  
-Firearms are used by some agents but are very rare

2. Locations in City of metropolis
-New Babylon
-Yoshiwara
-Pleasure Hives
-Cathedral
-Catacombs
-Subterranean Church
-Private library of the Elite
-Workers City
-Factory Floor
-Drain network
-Master Machine
-Wizard House
-Roads And Transport (aircraft, autogiros, rail, elevators, automobiles)
-Dreamlands of Metropolis (Ancient Babylon)

3. Organizations
-Bank of Metropolis
-NWI New World Industries Building
-Pluto Mining Corporation
-Church
-Silver twilight
-Metropolis Astronomers Society (Astronomers Club)
-Look to the future
-Oceanic Inc
 
4. Characters
-Credit Rating determines social class - under 30 subteranean labour, 31-59 servant, 50+ ruling  class
   
5. The Mythos in Metropolis - Adventure Seeds 



Independent Races

Deep Ones – The sprawling drains and waterworks and subterranean reservoirs of water are connected distantly to far off seas. With its awesome population and industrial capacity Metropolis requires huge capacities of water – for use of humans but also for industrial use (which may be highly polluted). Some of these sections have their own workers accommodation for those doomed to crawl through miles of damp pipes. A Deep One colony  has come to occupy one of the most isolated worker colonies – who in turn infiltrate and infect other similar outposts and communicate via their secret networks of globe traveling sailors. Some of the catacombs connect to water sources also making the odd deep one or hybrid agent encounter, especially in the dankest parts.

Great Race of Yith – Multiple citizens of Metropolis (among the more mobile wealthy classes) are currently possessed and several agent cells exist to serve them Some use Yithian communicators and have lightning guns which can be used to disintegrate evidence if necessary. Some seek Flying polyps vaults in the catacombs. Others just interested in gathering information. A character could accidentally come into conflict with a cult gathering information or artifacts.

Ghouls – The city with all its efficiencies does not tolerate the wasteful practice of buriels where possible but ancient graves remain built over by the sprawling city. Some use parts of the catacombs the city under as secret buriels. The cathedral houses a vault of ancient corpses added to occasionally on the death of an important religious person. Some of the rich bury their dead in mausoleums sky scrapers. With the lower levels for cremated remains and ceremonies.
 
Cthonians –The tunnels are more than thousands of years old and new sections are sometimes discovered – which are actually dug by the children of Shudde Myell. Cultists crawl beneath the catacombs and expand their influence over new territories by commissioning new tunnels. The Cthonians like some other species crave rare earths and use cultists to obtain them. They sometimes come into conflict with Mi-go.

MiGo – From the sprawling Pluto Towers a decrepit sprawling office block, staffed by wizened old men embroiled in incomprehensible esoteric tasks of a tedious bureaucracy. Actually they are MiGo with bioengineered synthetic human skins. They run Pluto Mining Corporation and have humans from across the world delivering them the rare earths they crave so much. Their agents serve them as butlers, drivers, clerks, messengers and other duties. Several floors of the building are dedicated to human brain canisters networked serially to act a supercomputer by the Mi-go to manage their business and foreign money markets.

Serpent Men – Several serpent men sorcerers dwell in human form representing different factions of ancient serpent man culture. While several rogue wizards have been active for millennia (at least one sits on the board of metropolis bank) two main colonies dwell beneath Metropolis. One of degenerate albino cave dwellers which has been adopted by a bachelor sorcerer who stumbled across them. Plans to breed them into a new serpent master race. The second clan too proud to consort with degenerates awake periodically to monitor humanity – currently they are infiltrating metropolis and trying to find and eliminate other rogue serpent men.  They await a time they can revive their whole city and walk on the surface.

Shoggoth – Somewhere in the subterranean depths a shoggoth may occasionally dwell – usually acting on a mission for the deep one cult.

Flying Polyps – Somewhere sealed in a basic vault – several Flying Polyps have been sealed. If freed they would slaughter all they could find in the tunnels then one night launch into the sky, murder a few dozen citizens then flee to some secret place they can plot to free more of their kind.

Insect From Shaggai – A few Insects from their colony in the brittish isles have infiltrated Metropolis. A more restrained Insect dwells in New Babylon – plundering information it can use for insider trading for the Insects corporation. Several others roam the sublevels finding isolated individuals to sadistically torture

Star Vampires – Mostly summoned by rooftop sorcerers for travel or murder. One left to its own devices would stay and horribly kill a highrise dweller every night.
Dimensional Shamblers – Mostly summoned by wizards to kill others without evidence. A terrifying prospect with the cities confined spaces and maze like corridors. A wizard might also be use one for transport to another dimension. 

Servitor Races

Spawn of Tsathogua – A worn down chamber once a hyperborean temple contains a vault were a guardian spawn dwells.  Defilers will be slain if they cannot make the sign of tsathogua or use his name.

Byakee – Used by sorcerors especially Hastur cultists or those wishing to traverse the stars.

Rat Things – possibly the familiars of a witch or wizard or just inhabit haunted old houses. Rundown old houses walls vibrate with rats. And occasionally a “ball” of rats with fused tails is discovered.

Dark Spawn – The city is mostly treeless other than the gardens of the rich. A private garden on a rooftop could house several for rich cultists. Triffids might be more convenient size.

Fire Vampires – several Cthuga cults exist and there are several loner arsonists have appeared from time to time. The city observatory has several cultists. They keep their activities fairly secret – even hunting their rogue brethren who indiscriminately start fires and summon fire vampires.

Deities

Bokrug
 
Bugg-Shath

Byatis

Chaugnar Faun – His statue is housed in a private cult museum where his cult sacrifice innocents to him. His brothers statues have gathered in Metropolis and hold corporate offices. They are fairly discreet.

Cthuga
several Cthuga cults exist and there are several loner arsonists have appeared from time to time. The city observatory has several cultists. They keep their activities fairly secret – even hunting their rogue brethren who indiscriminately start fires and summon fire vampires.

Cthulhu – Various Cthulhu cults from across meet via the waterways of metropolis.
Deep ones have settled colonies and hybrid agents in the dampest bowls of the machine. While land locked it has millions of miles of pipes and has controlling interest in many European port cities. A river is used to produce hydro electric power, flows in and out of the city with multiple canals. All this allows cultists, deep ones and even shoggoths to enter the bowels of the city and the damper parts of the catacombs. Some more affluent cultists are involved in global trade with corporations such as Oceanic (a trade and sea mining corporation). Cthulhu also influences many with his dreams – some witness or hear him first, or touch a relic or is hexed by a cultist or hybrid. Dagon, Hydra and Starspawn may also have telepathic influence.

Eihort - Goods from across the world get to Metropolis markets and labs and museums.  One day a sickly truck driver parks his cab and looked for somewhere quiet he could be sick. To find he was vomiting creatures into the factory drain - but the sick never stopped leaving the driver host a sack of burst skin. Characters investigate the new species till they find an infected victim explodes before them proving it is a potentially dangerous plague. They track it back to the cult who helping Eihort by bringing him victims through a gateway in the cult base near a truck stop. Prostitute cultists kidnap drivers.

Glaaki -

Hastur and The King In Yellow – Most of chambers mythos fiction could be translated here especially the Repairer of Reputations – which is in an already alternate future would fit in well – or could even be used as a basis for USA. Trying to find an heir to Hastur on earth who once crowned works to ruin the world and rule the remnants would make a fine pulp villain. More mainstream (orthodox) Hastur cultists call directly to the horror in the lake of Hali himself on Carcosa. In with the Astronomers Club. Some wizards deal with Hastur to control Byakee and travel the stars.  A few rooftops have V shaped pillars concealed to summon Hastur directly.

Nyagthoa – In deepest reaches of the caverns is a dank soot stained chamber with black handprints and marks which could be writing or random sooty marks. In the middle is a sealed stone well, with carved marks around the edges. Sometimes huddled robed cults meed here to summon Nyagthoa.
 
Tsathogua – Remnants of Hyperborean civilization is buried beneath metropolis and many wizards sealed foul things beneath it. Tsathogua has one ancient temple and guardian beneath metropolis (see under dark spawn). Also found are several dream inducing black monoliths and a handful of artifacts. Other hidden temples or worse things were buried. Possibly a gate to Saturn's dreamlands or a artifact of Eibon.

Outer Gods

Azathoth – While not often directly worshipped, many cultists are concerned to find the location of azathoth and his myriad spawn which cause dimensional distortions. A number of the astronomers of metropolis worship azathoth. 

Shub Niggurath – A cult thrive in the outlaying agriculture regions but a few wealthy operate rooftop greenhouse temples. Some of the medical, farming and food companies have shrines in metropolis. Some greenhouses actually house a dark spawn.

Nylarthotep  - Multiple cults of Nyarlothotep dwell here. Nyalathotep has appeared to help plan the last days and direct his cult to hide mythos activity. He does not appear openly in public.  Curious investigators who risk public exposure are listed as pawns to be destroyed or sent to be sacrificed to a specific god with a trail of clues. Various businesses, labs, small churches and other small esoteric orders all act for Nyarlothotep..

Yog-Sothoth – A number of wizards and cults exist especially among the astronomers. Several summoning towers exist in the city rooftops.
Moloch - my mythos addition
A god whom inhabitants mega machines and alters their purpose to enslave mankind and be fed sacrifices. Moloch may inhabit a dangerous factory, a foul power plant, a decrepit coal mine where child miners die en mass or certainly a whole city. The machine could include primitive temple city complex, the Babylonian library, roman factory mill or any complex human built system. Even monoliths arranged as a calenders could form a cult and be uninhabited by him. He may use parts of the machine to kill or even form a cybernetic body.

Other Silent Era Adventures

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. – Dr Caligari runs Metropolis Asylum. He is a fiendish hypnotist and mind controlling wizard, exerting his influence over persons of all walks of life from bankers to criminals to carnival folk to other cultists. He also has controlled agents who prowl by night killing and kidnapping victims. Ideally those investigating him discover him in some other identity before waking up themselves in Metropolis Asylum.

Der Golem -  Outside the core of Metropolis are sprawling slums and factories in constant process of change. One includes a Jewish worker ghetto set to be demolished. The authorities would like to develop into a more “modern” metropolis factory zone but have been acting slowly In fear of a popular people movement. Apartments for bureaucrats already on topmost part of city. From a crumbling old Synagogue a Rabbi sends forth his golem to waylay the development. Characters intercede before situation gets worse.

Nosferatu – A character is invited to Transylvania to act as a legal agent….

Frau In Der Monde – A trip to the moon is within Metropolis reach and investigators are probably generated for the mission. Investigators can explore lunar ruins of ancient civilizations, battle cultist crew infiltrators, and discover the whole mission was funded by cultists and even return to earth with an unwelcome entity. Moon heroes are welcomed by ticker tape parade – with hungry looking workers children waving flags.

Diary of a lost Girl – Workhouse for girls who have children out of wedlock is run by a cult. The best are selected as sacrifices and to be brides of cult members. Investigators find links in several of their cases.

Pandora's Box – The femme fatale LuLu enters the characters lives, causing suicide, duels and multiple deaths among their friends family and peers. Eventually Investigators investigate only to have several of their mad suitors harm them who may abuse their powers or just attack. Finally tracking her to distant parts they fend off a wanted serial killer before cornering her. She is a lamia with a casket that opens to Abhoth – using it to create smaller abhoth spawn or flooding a building with Abhoth's lake sized body of bioplasmic viscous fluid. She is spawn of a Succubus from the dawn of civilization. Who menaced Babylon for years. Allowed to continue she will destroy the city.

Olympia – Annual games for the children of the elite are being used to select sacrifices and host bodies than cults. Date set at an auspicious season for wizards. Characters investigate several horrid murders where prospective winning youths were killed. Cults feud over who has broken their deal. Encounter multiple cultist groups out for blood. Powerful old lechers may persuing athletes may be viable red herrings. Provide a demo of many cults active. Partly inspired by notorious Olympic documentary.

Other Pulp and Heroic Adventures
Any other pulp adventures could appear just more multilingual
Use novel 1984 for the UK.
Robert W Chambers future for North AmericaFilm - "Dark City" worth a look

I use a mythic looking ancient Babylon for the dreamlands of metropolis. Not unlike in the unfinished epic "deliverance". Lilith, Moloch and other ancient forces have been drawn here.