Underused setting--the Russian Revolution

[Cosmoline]

I've seen one or two scenarios set during WWI, but none set during the much more interesting (from a gaming pov) period between 1917 and 1919 when Russia was enveloped by warfare from Finland to the far east. Soldiers, mercenaries and activists from scores of nations came to the aid of one side or the other--White or Red. Battles could spring up anywhere, and the war raged in regions that never saw any part of WWI proper. Chaos, madness and death plus obscure locations and an unusual mix of people from all corners of the globe. All the elements are there.

[Wood]

I seriously thought about it, but in the end, decided against it, for reasons of personal discomfort.

This is the thread I started back in April about this.

[rylehNC]

IMHO you could sidestep the thorny issues of guilt and responsibility by having the PCs be Allied troops intervening in the Far East, Caucasus. or Murmansk/Archangelsk regions. For an even more isolated feeling use the Czech Legion, former POWs who tried to leave Russia and wound up controlling large swathes of the Trans-Siberian railroad before succumbing to the Reds. Add in some native cultists or Skoptsi, Rasputin, German occult investigators, Kurgans, Dark Young vs. Mark IV tanks, and you've got yourself a scenario.

[nymbus]

It's funny you mention the October Revolution, as a friend and I were (a few moons ago) looking into submitting an outline for the few years before and after said revolution. The theme for campaigns varied from reversal of fortune, madness in Siberia, glacier covered cities, and cover the aristocracy and lower classes in terms of creation and play.

There is such a temptation to use DG as a starting line with their GRU work, which would've been great for continuity, but hellish for permissions.

Makes a guy wanna dust off his meager notes.....

[PoC]

Dust them off.

I know Bret got permission to use DG material from ASG, so always worth a try.

Paul

[nymbus]

You are such a facilitator, PoC.

Let me talk to my fellow conspirators and see what the score is.

At one time we were gonna head the direction of making it a region book, but I have to see what still survived, since I moved since then.

[Sinclair]

As long as it's handled carefully, and everybody realizes it's just a game, I figure such things are OK.

And not every human failing or outright evil has to be explained away: I myself am quite interested in the potential for RPG'ing of the question "Is humanity *worth* saving? Which is worse, unspeakable monstrosities causing humans do do horrible things, or humans doing horrible things for a "mundane" reason?" This is of course heavy stuff.

In fact, explaining away things should be rare, and good supplements dealing with such things don't: The Karotechia in DG were not responsible for the Final Solution. The Final Solution (which in fact killed more like 9 to 11 million people, consisting of Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, homosexuals, Communists, German dissidents, non-German Resistance and Partisan fighters, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc) was the work of people who either thought they were doing the right thing (and that is a damn scary topic, how does anyone ever know if what they're doing is right?) or, in the sort of thinking that most people do, did not want to risk their necks for people they did not know (Hell, this even happened *within* the groups that were being used for labour and/or killed).

The Russian Revolution is covered in "DG:Countdown", with people eating the dead transforming into ghouls (and this is not really an explanation for what they did, more an explanation for ghouls).

But I think it is worthwhile to raise the question: "Which is worse? Mythos involvement or no Mythos involvement?"

[TheKingInYellow]

Assuming that the group is mature enough, it would be interesting to explore the idea of a scenario that has no Mythos involvment at all (Though plenty of sanity loss).

[nymbus]

Explanation, in terms of the mythos and it's webs, usually send people to the loony bin or on stab happy rampages starting with party members.

The goal of any historical supplemnt shouldn't be to baby step people to what conclusion is correct. The criteria for me is if you can get good stories out of it. It doesn't always have to be about cults and lore. Some of the best games i've been a part of used it sparingly, only to find out out of game that we very well could be pawn in another scheme.

Back on topic, I know that the revolution was covered in countdown, but it's a short piece about one disturbing thing. The goal of the project I was working on was more of a bridge from a more of the periphery of the classic era to a grittier modern campaign. Story seeds, plot ideas, locales, possible mythos links, and so forth. An October Revolution game can have someone be a aristocrat at thebeginnign of the game and, if he's lucky, derelict ex-con at the end of it. Power and priviledge to pain and poverty in one fell stroke. That's roleplaying...and you're soaking in it. But the hammer swings the other way for those inside for the revolt. From peasant fighter to patrician is just as alien a move, albeit a more comfortable one. It's the stuff of backstory. The new regime bids you to see why these things in the basement are so special...and it sends you on a tour towards the artic circle. Not to mention all the things I wanted to do for a CoC game before I read and watched Hellboy.

Another area my friend and I looked into exploring was India. That's another place just waiting for the old treatment.

[AdamAstonbury]

Some of the themes you mention (Whites v Reds, warfare/civil war in the East, interfering foreign powers etc etc) have been explored from a wargaming point of view here : http://gisby.org/bobb.htm a site I'd heartily recommend that you check out.

Central Asia post WW1 and into the twenties and thirties is a 'setting/locale' just brimming with potential for CoC - the 'Great Game' between the British Empire and a Russia in the grip of revolution is being played out to its conclusion by spies and diplomats, German POWs are set adrift and take up arms as mercenaries, bandit groups raid mercilessly supposedly in support of the causes of varying political 'camps' - or just for the hell of it, Chinese warlords vie to extend their influence, muslim nationalists seek to shake off the colonial yoke and archeologists seek to plunder sand covered cities in search of the treasures of the Silk road. Add the Mythos to the mix and there's loads of scope for gaming goodness.

The author of this wargaming material is also a CoC fan (check out the Yetis he's thrown into the mix for 'less serious' wargames !) and the site provides great ideas/inspiration for any Keeper.

If I had the time, I'd be very tempted to put together a campaign set there...

[Sinclair]

As for the "explaining away human events" theme:

Even if the Mythos was involved in just about every bad thing that ever happened, there still had to be a large amount of appealing to human character.

If people couldn't be enticed into doing awful things, Nyarlathotep would be out of a job, and all the other assorted entities wouldn't be much better off.

[bikewrench]

After checking out this site (http://gisby.org/bobb.htm) I wanted to give this thread a bump.
It could be a really cool background for getting some adventerous people in over their heads. See also Black Seal 3, A Road Less Travelled.

[Graham]

While researching something else, I stumbled across this article on the early days of the Russian 35mm camera industry.

Aside from a map of the factory where the carmeras were made, the article also has some useful background information on the social situation that led to the plant coming into existance.

The besprizorniki, children orphaned by the civil war, would make perfect dupes/victims for a Cultist, or even form an interesting background for a Russian character.