Lately i've been on a real kick of investigation games. Solving crimes, chasing down serial killers, saving hostages and the like.But most of the stuff my table plays typical end up with either the Cthulhu Mythos, Vampires or Cyberpunk corpos showing up. Which is a fine treat to enjoy, but you can only have so many milkshakes before you want a nice cup of strong tea or coffee instead y'know?I'm looking for something a little more Columbo, CSI or Mindhunter-ey in tone. Real investigators dealing with real world monsters rather than fictional ones. Now i can run a game of Call of Chulhu and just strip the mythos out but i feel the investigation would need some work to make it deeper than rolling against spot hidden until rng clicks.ARE there any games like this? or is it wholly the realm of homebrew and system bashing?
>>98231299Never read or played it, but I think Gumshoe is that.
>>98231299Baker StreetEureka Kids On Bikes NoirlandiaNoir WorldTechnically gumshoe srd can be played without any cthulhian (or draculian, whatever) parts. Altough as for full-fledged games I think only Bubblegumshoes has an explicit "no magic" defaul option.(that being said shit like COC or Trail of Cthulhu is absolutely easy to de-lovecraft: from the players' standpoint you just have to say "no magic and no mythos skill" and from the GM standpoint well, use a mundane mistery - the rest is just asking yourself if the game works as an investigational frame. What might be harder if you ask me is getting rid of most sanity/stability losses as the gauge of pression to make the PC go through)
>>98231299A Dirty World is Stolze's one roll engine noir mystery game, although it's more about how the characters solving the mystery react to the horrible, noir world.Bubblegumshoe is a Gumshoe hack by Ken Hite that's trying to recreate "kids solving mystery" fiction, primarily Veronica Mars.It'd be a more pulp version of the idea, but you could use Everywhen to make a noir detective game.It'd probably be easier to strip the horror out of something like Fear Itself than CoC, but>i feel the investigation would need some work to make it deeper than rolling against spot hidden until rng clicks.Is applicable to *any* investigation scenario, whether it's horror or not. Do you think most games of CoC are rolling spot hidden until the rng hits?
>>98231415I think Chaosium has started to notice the potential of the CoC system as more than just the Mythos. They aren't exploiting the shit out of it like Free League trying to brute force everything they can into the Mutant League Zero system even if it makes no sense e.g Vaesen being a monster investigation game all about learning ways to stop monsters that outside of a single solution are impossible to combat therefore all the mutant stat blocks and combat systems copied in are worthless. BUT they have been slowly teasing in more stuff like how Cthulhu by Gaslight has Jack the Ripper for example.I think stuff like Alone against the Static is an example of them starting to tease a modernish take that is far less beholding to Lovecraft and i could absolutely seem them to a variant of the core rules thats just "from penny dreadfuls to ha'penny gumshoe stories".
>>98231703Didn't COC have "mundane" or at least common enemies for like, forever? Like, generic vampires as an option for the GM to throw them at the players, altough possibly no adventure based on them.
>>98231618>Do you think most games of CoC are rolling spot hidden until the rng hits?Legitimately not all but yes too many are. For every one like The Haunting where you need to find a code and solve a puzzle related to time travel you have 20 that are "did my mouthbreathers at the table roll to start the next cutscene" like they are playing Until Dawn.Personally i actively go out of my way even down to the beginner stuff to add things like maps and props because it removes a reliant on pure theatre of the mind and pulls people in with tangible things they can pick up and visualise with and then mull out a slightly more complex puzzle.I think a good example is paper chase where i see too many Keepers just be like "okay roll investigate, okay you look outside the only window and see a path to a cemetary" when instead i would go "okay you notice some signs of dirt by the window, want to go look?" then they can look for signs maybe open the window and see ghoul footprints leading down a path that you reveal leads to a cemetery to surprise them for example.Granted i know "but thats just bad/lazy keepers" and thats true but i feel too many one shots encourage that to "keep up momentum" but players want to investigate shit and treating that like a begruding interruption to RP is too much like the none combat portions of D&D for my liking.
>>98231728They had like "stat block for if your investegators go over the top intimidating a random dude" but largely it was like mobsters or cultists as filler to push you along to a bigger bad. Gaslight actively wants you to use shit like Springheeled Jack or the Ripper.
>>98231759I see. Myself I use trail, which does have them, so my memory is hazy on the subject.
>>98231781I think the difference is Trails is intended to be large, empty open spaces where a mundane human encounter could be weeks apart or longer if you are running something like "Taking a new shortcut on the oregon trail and heading through a canyon the local dine' refuse to enter and something horrifying makes its home there" but you can brute force it. I once wrote a scenario about a train to california stuck near donner pass in a blizzard and three full cabin trains was good whodunit fodder.Gaslight leans the other way to the 20's middle ground. Its firmly inner city tight quarters and back alleys and humans are as numerous as rats in this period/location.
Okay so depending on how far back you want to go. Your best option is to pick an older D20 base game. D20 Modern or Spycraft (my preference).Then look up Crime Scene supplements by Hogshead/Greywood Publishing. You can find them on Drivethru or check the Share thread and ask nicely. Those supplements are exactly what you are looking for. If you hate D20 they can be used as wonderful source material. They cover different crime related groups.FEDSHong KongPine Hollow (Sheriff Department)Supernatural (If you want to go that route)Mafia YakuzaForensics Police Procedure.Those are the ones I remember off the top of my head. They also put out a horror series called Fright Night.
>>98231802Noiyce.
>>98231801Meant Trail of Cthulhu, my mistake not being clear.(they go out and give you mummies and whatnot in the core; half-remembered COC core doing the same)
>>98231801>I think the difference is Trails is intended to be large, empty open spaces where a mundane human encounter could be weeks apart or longerWhat are you talking about?
>>98231890He means Down Darker Trails. The Wild West analogue to Gaslight.
>>98231802not that anon, but I love me some d20 modern.
>>98231299>Guys, give me examples of one the most played and made genres in the hobby, for there clearly are noneMod thread
This might sound weird, but see if you can track down scenarios for the old (GW) Judge Dredd rpg. Strip out a lot of the comic book SF and quite often they were a simple detective story.
>>98235264Literacy level: american
>>98235264This reeks of main character syndrome mate. Did you take your BPD meds today?
>>98231299I haven't tried them myself, but I'd wonder if spy RPGs - like Danger International, Espionage!, or Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes - might be good systems for this.
>>98231299It's weird how Columbo is considered by many TV and Film (and some comic) tards as the guy that would be THE hardest fucker to outfox for most criminals.
>>98231730Yeah, but there being supernatural stuff in a scenario or not isn't going to change bad adventure design. I think it's weird that op's sticking point was "I'm afraid with no supernatural it's just going to be spot hidden until some rolls well."Bad scenario design is bad scenario design, regardless of whether or not it's grounded.
>>98236425He has a very subtle style. He's just as sharp as Poirot, nearly as sharp as Holmes, but he pretends not to notice stuff. He's incredibly diligent when nobody's looking. He's equally good at playing harmlessly dumb and being aggravating by just... Hanging around. His very high hit rate can be chalked up to infuriating the genius "perfect crime" types and simply doing the legwork to get around the complacent/mentally resilient ones.
>>98236425Hes a reverse slasher. Right from the fantastic first episode done by a young Spielberg We see the whole thing from the villains perspective as they try to cover their tracks and escape but then this guy shows up who has almost certainly pegged them as the killer immediately and is just going through the procedure to get the evidence to entrap them via psychological pressure. He plays a fool but is sharp as they come.
>>98236018Danger International and Espionage are essentially the same game. A Superpower stripped version of Champions. If you like crunchy rule systems they wouldn't be bad. Plus is point buy system so you can customize and player rewards are not tied to an XP chart since they are direct character points. Dowside is that not much non-super support for older Hero Games. The newer editions have some cross genre stuff though. GURPS would probably be a better choice though as they have more support books out. MSPE is also not bad but the GM will be doing a lot of lifting after you use up the source material for that. No more support for that I'm afraid as it didn't get a real fan base.
>>98231299probably that one trans discord were writing something like that but was built off Case Closed manga series. But over time someone keep readding Cthulu bullshit. I've never seen some beta PDF released. That was like in 2023The mechanics was PBTA + furry rpg
>>98236960>Good at playing harmlessly dumbThat is what would fuck up most "evil mastermind" types. By the time they realize the bumbling idiot who won't stop talking about his wife is actually not only competent, but VERY competent, and he should have been taken seriously? Columbo already has them dead to rights.
>>98237916"AN EXCITING MEAL HAS BEEN RUINED BY THIS LIQUID FILTH" and so on!
>>98239175>tastes terrific to meHow do you respond without sounding mad?
