MR James ghost story RPG scenario design

As I continue to listen to MR James’ ghost stories (see last post), my thoughts inevitably turn to how I would do this in a roleplaying game. And the short answer is, it’s not easy.

So what do I want from an MR James-inspired game?

A sense of unease

A sense of unease. Details. A sense of measured pace. A creepy backstory. Long-dead occultists whose reach extends into the present. No real closure. Things that should not have been done. Bleak endings.

Taken at Calke Abbey

MR James’ ghost stories lack the terror and horror stages that Ash Law talks about in The Trajectory of Fear. There’s unease and dread, but that never (or perhaps only rarely) becomes terror or even horror.

While that works for MR James, how on earth do I wrap it all up into an enjoyable RPG adventure? Compromises will have to be made.

Casting the Runes

Casting the Runes is Paul StJohn Mackintosh’s GUMSHOE-powered game of occult investigation, set in the world of M. R James’ ghost stories. The Design Mechanism publishes Casting the Runes, and you can download a preview here.

I don’t own Casting the Runes (and I’ve never played a GUMSHOE game), but from what I can tell, Casting the Runes is Call of Cthulhu (or, rather, Trail of Cthulhu) with ghosts replacing tentacles. So there are investigators, monster stats, combat rules, magic rules and so on. 

My main problem with Casting the Runes is that it doesn’t model the MR James stories. Monsters aren’t fought – they are mysterious and otherworldly. Magic isn’t used – except by the bad guys. That’s not what I’m looking for.

While researching this, I tried to find free scenarios for Casting the Runes (just in case I was mistaken). I found The Bone Mill and A Reckoning Come October (both by Dosmania) on itch.io. Instead of a traditional investigation, the two scenarios use a structure that I didn’t find easy to grok. But from what I can see, the scenarios appear to be traditional investigations.

What I’ve done so far

I’ve already used A Warning to the Curious as the basis for Operation Curious Warning, a D-Day mission for Achtung! Cthulhu. That’s about as far from MR James as you can get. In the scenario, Section M is charged with investigating and neutralising the legend of three ancient crowns said to protect the French coast from foreign invasion.

Unfortunately, whoever disturbs the crowns suffers a ghastly fate – so the PC who destroys the crown (allowing D-Day to be a success for the Allies) is doomed. 

While I’m pleased with the scenario, it’s much more pulp action than Jamsiean unease.

The only time I think I’ve got the Jamsiean aspects right is after the crown has been destroyed: that PC’s doom is foreshadowed by having a shadowy figure getting closer behind them. (“Sorry, Sir, I thought there was someone behind you.”) 

But given that the PCs are in the middle of a commando raid on a French chateau, any subtlety is lost in the cordite and action.

What I’m planning

My current plan is to base something around Count Magnus. Something has been accidentally awakened, and the long-dead count is stirring. 

I’m considering setting it at Calke Abbey, the National Trust property in Derbyshire. Calke Abbey passed to the National Trust in 1985, and much of it is in the same shabby condition as when it was handed over.

Taken at Calke Abbey

It is tempting to set the adventure in 1985 and involve members of the Department for Irregular Services (the Liminal crew I wrote about recently). They would be called in to check over the property before any work begins to make Calke Abbey visitor-ready, which would start our scenario.

And while that’s tempting, the scenario doesn’t feel quite the right fit for Liminal. I won’t get the bleak, supernatural feeling I’m hoping for with Liminal.

Instead, I think I need Cthulhu Dark.

I’ve written about Cthulhu Dark before – it’s elegantly simple and suits bleak one-shots. I suspect it’s what I’m looking for.

I haven’t made my mind up yet. While I suspect Cthulhu Dark would be ideal, I also want an excuse to give the Department for Irregular Services an outing.

I expect I’ll try them both.

Christmas Ghost Stories

It’s that time of year again. Christmas is approaching, the evenings are drawing in, and I’m listening to ghost stories.

My latest M James audiobook

In particular, MR James’ ghost stories.

I know I should listen to them after dark, but I usually listen to them when walking our dog.

A new collection of stories

I wrote a few years ago about my ghostly tradition and listening to MR James, and I now have a new collection. To add to my David Suchet and Derek Jacobi performances and the dramatisations in The Conception of Terror, I can now add M.R. James: The Complete Ghost Stories Collection, narrated by Jonathan Keeble.

I haven’t listened to it all yet (it’s only early December), but already I’m enjoying new stories.

I was slightly worried that I wouldn’t like Keeble’s narration, but I think he does an excellent job.

Favourites

I don’t find them scary – instead, I find them dark and subtle. I like the slow build-up, the architectural details, and the sense of unease. But they’re not scary.

(The dramatisations can be creepy and have the occasional jump scare.)

So my favourites are A Warning to the Curious, A View from a Hill, and Casting the Runes. I would have added The Ash Tree in the past, but I think I’ve grown out of it.

I hope the new collection will bring new favourites.

Reading or listening?

I also own a book of MR James’ ghost stories. I’m sure I’ve read them all, but I don’t find them easy to read. I’m sympathetic with those who say they struggle to read MR James – I find them so much better when performed.

Ghostly Tradition

I found myself spooked by a ghost story last night. It was about 6pm and I was walking back from the garage in the dark, listening to M.R. James’ Lost Hearts - and found myself genuinely unsettled.

Audible has quite a few M.R. James stories available, and it’s about this time of year, in the run-up to Christmas, when I start listening to them again.

My favourites are those narrated by David Suchet - A Warning to the Curious, The Tractate Middoth, Casting the Runes, The Ash Tree, and Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad.

Derek Jacobi has also narrated two volumes, Ghost Stories Volume 1 (A Warning to the Curious, The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral, The Mezzotint, and A Neighbour's Landmark) and Ghost Stories Volume 2 (A view from a Hill, Rats, A School Story, The Ash Tree, and The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance). Both are from the BBC.

As you can see, there’s a bit of overlap - but not Lost Hearts.

I do have a collection of M.R. James’ ghost stories, which I read many years ago. I don’t find them particularly easy to read - but they are a delight to listen to. They're not very scary either, but then they are around 100 years old.

So what happened with Lost Hearts?

Well Audible recently released The Conception of Terror: Tales Inspired by M. R. James. These are dramatisations rather than a simple narrative, and they've brought the stories into the modern day. While they follow the basic structure of the original tales, they are updated for the modern day and include extra characters to help the narrative. Plus there are some very effective sound effects - and the occasional twist.

Casting the Runes was great - but I listened to it in daylight to and from work, and I knew the story.

I didn’t know Lost Hearts, and I was listening to it in the dark, on lonely streets...

It quite creeped me out - which was wonderful!