Vietnamese paddle steamer

[TM]

Running from 1910 until it sank in 1937, this single-wheel - now rebuilt - steamer in French Indo-China (or one of its sister ships), has to be usable in a scenario somehow.

http://www.emeraude-cruises.com/ship.html

[ThothAmon]

Great post - it just calls out for a scenario

[disziplin]

It's amazing how just a single photograph, map, or drawing and can begin the whole process of scenario or campaign creation.

Your steamer picture had that effect on me, as well! Perhaps something along the lines of "Murder on the Orient Express", but on this riverboat instead of a train. And (of course) some cultists as the main antagonists.

Anyone care to further the story in this thread?

[BaroqueEvilEye]

Welll...the obvious starting point for me would be Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" -heading up the Congo in a steamer to find the mysterious Mr. Kurtz, who has "gone native" and is using "unsound methods" -sound familiar? -it should, Coppola based "Apocalypse Now " on it, which brings us neatly to Vietnam.

Its got to be a quest upriver -archeological naturally, to find some missing temple, and perhaps the leader of a previous expedition - rumours are that he's embraced some bizarre religion he's discovered up there and is acting in a vile and reprehensible manner.
The investigators and other Europeans are thrown together on the boat -the heat is oppressive, the jungle slowly seems to close in, as the days pass a sense of unreality pervades the expedition. European values and morals begin to fray and disintegrate in the humid atmosphere, as slowly the thin veneer of the values of the civilisation they have left behind begin to crack and peel away.
There should be some instances of surreality to emphasise this as the journey continues- casual brutality to the native people perhaps, petty jealosies and rivalries onboard getting out of hand -looming madness and horror before they even reach their destination.

Of course all around them are the men in the jungle -sent by the man they seek -watching, lurking, waiting for the moment when they can strike and prevent the expedition succeeding. A sudden hail of arrows from the impenetrable green walls of the jungle, padding footsteps on the deck at night...the glint of a knife in the darkness .....but always the sense that the jungle has eyes and is watching them, although their assailants remain unseen. It should appear that it is the jungle itself which is attacking them.

The horror mounts as claustrophobia paranoia and moral degredation set in....finally it seems that the river is flowing backwards, sucking them helplessly upstream into the clutches of the man they seek.

Finally they reach their goal -miles from civilisation - the domain of a man who has set himself up as a God. What vile cult has he embraced? What cosmic horror has he given his soul to alone out here in the green wilderness? What acts of depravity have he and his followers committed in the name of their vile cult? The native people revere him and treat him as an immortal -perhaps he is.
If played correctly I think the PCs should be tempted to join him, the journey itself having corrupted them and driven them to the point of insanity. Can they maintain their original morality to summon the courage to destroy the empire this madman has created, and thwart the foul Gods he serves?


Ahhhhh...."The horror....the horror.............."

[Thorulfr]

My hat is off to you, Baroque. Excellent.

[disziplin]

Very well done, indeed, Baroque!

My original idea was to place the scenario in entirety upon the boat, but I like your vision better. It gives more options to cultists and forces the PCs to work not only within the realm of civilisation (the boat) but also step into the wholly unfamiliar and (thereby) uncomfortable environ of the jungle, battling not only the cultists but the elements as well.

[David_Conyers]

A campaign is in development involving steamers on the Congo River circa 1930, which I'm slowly putting together, so this link is very useful to me, thanks.

[JoeAdams]

Here's some more information that might be useful. Halong Bay is called "the bay of dragons" and is close to a system of caves. There's a tourist site in English.

Joe

[JoeAdams]

A campaign is in development involving steamers on the Congo River circa 1930, which I'm slowly putting together, so this link is very useful to me, thanks.

I'm already looking forward to it. I've run a couple of adventures (in different systems) using Conrad's plot and I've had a lot of fun.

Joe