Does your Investigator group have an HQ?

**moonbeast** · 29th December 2008, 06:52 AM

Curious.

Does your Investigator group end up building their own "headquarters"? Of course, those pathetic failure Investigator Groups that got TPK'ed in their first couple of scenarios need not answer this question.

I'm asking about the Investigators who have survived several scenarios, and have racked up seasoned experience as anti-Mythos veterans. Do they eventually build some kind of private retreat? A minor urban "fortress" protected by a couple Elder Signs? A small hideout cabin in the lonely woods of Massachusetts? Do they hire a well-trusted butler and a highly-trusted security guard who will not panic at the first sight of a byakhee?

**HomoLupusDomesticus** · 29th December 2008, 12:39 PM

My group so far has only survived one scenario. Three of them share a triple decker on W Pickman St., the fourth one owns a large Victorian mansion on W Derby St., both in Arkham. Obviously the Victorian mansion has already become sort of a HQ with the group meeting there every time before going out to explore. However, Mythos materials are stored in a safe on the ground floor of the triple decker, which is the appartment of the oldest of the four characters.

**CAThompson** · 29th December 2008, 01:48 PM

My players have a generous lease on a large house. They were investigating it for phenomenon-x. During the investigation they learned that the house had been empty for some time. lso that most people didn't want to rent it because it was "haunted" (it was) and several people had died there (something like 8 or so).

So, naturally the first thing they did after figuring out the haunting and solving it? Get a 5-year lease on the house at the fairly cheep rates.

It's a nice enough place, stil has some ghosts, (Acts as a ghost trap too, there's still a small bit of POW building towards activating.) One of the investigators has a nice lab in the basement (all set to try the ashes to ashes dust to person resurectionn spell) but she's off in the nut hatch. A DG agent has placed some listening devices in most of the rooms and has already picked out his sniper spot (a small ditch about 50 yards with a good view of the big living room window and front door, he dug it out a bit more to set it up for hiding and shooting) for when he needs to take them out.

**MikeC** · 29th December 2008, 01:58 PM

My current group is using my character's Harlem Brownstone as their
informal HQ.

A good thing they're not poking around his basement office: he's been
keeping mementos of all their adventures, including a certain four-valved
trumpet with the most interesting mottled silver finish.....

MikeC

**kelvingreen** · 29th December 2008, 02:44 PM

My old group picked up an isolated farmhouse from some previous adventure, and while not an HQ as such, that's where the characters went to cast unspeakable rituals and interrogate stubborn npcs. I'd like to say that it was the house from "Edge of Darkness", but I'm not sure the group ever did that scenario.

**JeffOkamoto** · 29th December 2008, 07:47 PM

My group initially started out living in the same boarding house (one was the building super so he had access to some of the other spaces for storing stuff). I then had them inherit a house from an old lady (Sarah Cornwallis), but since one of their characters is super-rich, they haven't really needed to use the old Cornwallis house. Which is okay, since there's a huge crater in the front yard caused by four sticks of dynamite.

**Agent_Bluescale** · 2nd January 2009, 06:40 PM

My group used the priest's church as a HQ and set up a vault in the crypt to store any artifacts they came across. This was fine until the priest went insane and burned the church down...

**Tigger_MK4** · 2nd January 2009, 08:42 PM

My players are paranoid about staying in one place too long, so don't tend to put down roots. They did have a victorian mansion in London at one stage, but that led to difficulties when they gave their address to the charming Mr *a*i*a*, during MoN ....with the result of a ruined house and a vacancy for a butler and several other members of household staff.

Come to think of it, they do seem to get through butlers quite alot.

**Evans** · 2nd January 2009, 09:12 PM

Originally Posted by JeffOkamoto

I then had them inherit a house from an old lady (Sarah Cornwallis), but since one of their characters is super-rich, they haven't really needed to use the old Cornwallis house. Which is okay, since there's a huge crater in the front yard caused by four sticks of dynamite.

There is a small bonus they may have found if they worked on the Space Mead there. It has a perfectly suited laboratory for things of that nature.

**DrummerDave** · 2nd January 2009, 10:27 PM

My last 20s campaign was called Hospitalis Esotericos (or something like that), which was the name of their off-campus graduate residence in Arkham. I set them up as grad students who all came to live in the weird house next to campus that only a privileged got to live in. There was a granny unit in the back for the two women, and four bedrooms for all the boys.

There was an elder sign etched into the door frame, which was undone by someone right before the Deep One showed up...

It was a fun mechanic for a bunch of COC newbies, but for our gaslight campaign I'll let them decide where they live.

**Keeper-of-the-Watchers** · 3rd January 2009, 09:30 AM

My group - being that we played mostly in the Dark Age setting - eventually became wealthy enough and enfluential enough to actually have been gifted a patent of nobility and a small keep just west of London on the River Tiems. In another game, their patron - who was a bad guy and they didn't know it - had the Brotherhood of the Sword of St. Jerome backed by a French lord actually lay siege to their castle. They fought like crazy and defeated the brotherhood. All the while, they never knew they were killing good guys. When they finally found out, some two game years later, the sanity hit was massive. They've never trusted me since then...and so they shouldn't. But back to the question, my characters almost always are given or make a headquarters of their own.

**Max_Writer** · 3rd January 2009, 01:48 PM

I ususally pick an area that is appropriate for the character's income/profession though, to date, no one had complained. I keep close tabs on where everyone lives in Arkham though I'm less anal retentive about those who live in Boston or Danvers.

Presently, I have a list of the following residences:

326-B South East Street (second floor of house) - former resident of William Sadler (deceased) used by Mary in the scenario of the same name.

351 W. Washington St - residence of Benjamin Willows. This is a nice residence just across the street from a now-vacant lot that was the house of Bernard Corbitt before it burned to the ground and he was institutionalized.

815 S. East Street - a large house that was the former residence of Tommy O'Sullivan (deceased).

294 East Lich Street - this small house is the residence of Jonathon Ransom Jr., an ugly mortician who only went on one incursion before he was unhinged.

"Goldengate," 766 Halsey Street - a Georgian mansion once owned by the Golden family, who's last owner, Father Matthew Golden, disappeared mysteriously (died in Blackwell, Maine). It was subsiquently purchased by Elliot Macy, who found some disturbing things in the locked third floor and some unsettling feelings when he was in the basement. The house has an extensive history that has yet to be delved into but involved an early Arkham resident who was thought to be a witch.

Arkham Service and Repair, 221 E. Church Street - a shop on the ground floor with an office and apartment on the second floor. The building is owned by Daryl James, who runs the radio/telephone/appliance repair shop there.

Smith Investigations, 221-A E. Church Street - an office on the front of the second floor. Liam Smith is a private investigator and his office is connected to his residence (see below). He has begun to seriously inquire about Innsmouth after some strange and unsettling experiences there. His landlord (and friend) is Daryl James.

221-B E. Church Street - Liam Smith's small apartment, adjoining his office by a connecting door. Access to the street is from a side door. He also has a back door that leads into the alley.

Guardian Apartments, 622 Brown Street, Apt. 201 - the apartment of young photographer Edmund Parker.

Terrace Building, 611 Gedney St., Apt. 202 - the apartment of newspaper columnist Megan McDougall.

Chelsea House Apartments, 267 E. Church St., Apt. 302 - the apartment of Daryl James.

301 W. College Street, Apt. E (attic) - this three story apartment house was once a residence before it was cut into apartments. Across the street from Miskatonic University, the small, third floor attic apartment is the home of Professor Beurigard Johanson.

Those are all residences in Arkham that have been added to the map and plotted out. Another PC has a house in Danvers and five others are from Boston (though they will probably move as the mi-go are after them).

**justadame** · 3rd January 2009, 06:01 PM

Has any well to do characters ever tried creating their own Tracy Island?

They could buy their own Island in a Bayou, build a big house, wharf for their Boats/Yachts, laboratories, workshops, etc, etc.

And what about an underground hangar for a dirigible ?

Might be better for a Sage - like Patron or NPC Adventurer (sort of Sky Captain style).