Page 269 - Hunter - The Vigil

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just rely on dice rolls. A bad bounce of the dice
DON’T GO and the tale languishes.
IN THAT ROOM! Investigation can also be a social aspect of
the game. Characters’ jobs are probably the main
Here’s another way to defi ne suspense: ways in which they will encounter the supernatu-
when characters do something you don’t ral, and thus the jobs offer a prime angle of inves-
want them to do. In a horror movie, you tigation. Characters can use their various contacts
see the girl about to open the closet door, and workplaces to investigate and encounter the
and you know the killer likes to hide in supernatural.
closets and, frankly, so should she. But Take seedy jobs, for example. Hookers. Strip-
she does it anyway, and you cringe and pers in back-alley bars. Beggars. Drug dealers.
grit your teeth waiting for the ax to Hired thugs. Criminals. Anyone who comes into
fall. Boom. Suspense. contact with the city’s “underside” in a lifestyle
How does this play out in a game? Could be commonly associated with poverty, decadence or
that the characters witness a Storyteller lawlessness is likely to encounter the inhuman
character do something he shouldn’t: they’re creatures that hide in the teeming press of hu-
trying to be quiet, but the guy freaks out manity there. These are the kinds of people who
and starts weeping loudly, possibly drawing often fall between the cracks and might be damn
the attention of the monsters. And sometimes, eager to answer some of the cell’s questions.
one of the player’s own characters can be Point is, a hunter’s Profession can open ave-
the driving force doing something that the nues of telling interviews: a Scientist asks a buddy
rest of the players know to be a bad, bad of his to take a look at this slide smeared with the
idea: he tries to leap a distance he really aforementioned greasy residue, or the Cop sees
can’t make, his derangement comes to the fore if his Detective friend can do some handwriting
during a tense situation, he says the wrong analysis on that love letter. A Journalist has fer-
thing to the wrong person. Again, suspense. tile ground when researching the presence of the
supernatural, and knows how to get into hard-to-
access places or talk to hard-to-access people by
Another angle of investigation comes from examination fl ashing a press pass and promising to promote the “truth.”
of a scene. At a horrible crime, characters might sneak past Even outside of one’s Profession, social encounters make
police tape to do a little snooping of their own, lifting up floor- for great investigatory fodder. A few well-placed lies at a party

boards or shining a black light over the scene to look for spots to draw out those who might know something (Subterfuge)? A
of blood. If this is an investigation-based game, make sure to series of questions asked at the point of a gut-level knife (Intimi-
be prepared for scenes like this. While not every examina- dation)? Painting an image of one’s monstrous attacker (Expres-
tion of a scene is going to yield big answers, it should always sion), hanging it up at a local gallery and then feeling people out
contribute a little something to the story at hand, whether it to see what their reaction is (Socialize)? Investigation doesn’t
gives a clue about a victim or infers a telling character trait necessarily rely on forensics or microscopes, after all.
about a potential antagonist. Maybe they find a love letter One more thing to keep in mind about using investiga-

tucked between mattress and box spring, shining a surpris- tion in a game:
ingly human light on what they expected was an otherwise Investigation needs to be suspenseful. Don’t rely on inves-

fiendish monster (and maybe they use that letter to find the tigation to be resolved with a couple of dice rolls or an oth-

intended recipient). Maybe they find something weird that erwise simple solution. Investigation needs to be driven by

only begs more questions: a tooth with hair wrapped around suspense. How?
it stuck in a doorframe, or a foul-smelling, greasy residue that You have a few ways available. First, a series of clues
cannot, at present, be easily identifi ed. increasing in weirdness or horror become compelling. As a
Clues, at an examination, should first always answer a character finds these clues, he’s effectively peeling back inch

question and stir new questions. Moreover, a clue should after inch of the awful layer, revealing the awfulness under-
always be findable, especially if it’s something that remains neath. This can inspire a visceral level of suspense where a

necessary to advance the plot. It either needs to be obvi- character isn’t comfortable with what she’s finding, but can-

ous, necessitating no roll to find, or characters need to have not stop just the same.

enough impetus (hints, really) to pursue the investigation un- Second, the persistent threat of danger. Could the vampire
til something meaningful is found. If you plant on the scene be coming back to his haven while they investigate? Maybe
an audio tape that should urge the cell toward another avenue they hear the doorknob rattle, or footsteps scuffi ng the con-

of investigation, and not finding it means the story stalls… crete outside. What about that distant siren approaching? As it
well, what’s the point of that? Maybe another character tells gets closer, they have to worry — could it be for them? Maybe

them where to find it. Maybe one of them had a dream that the environment itself is threatening: floorboards so weak they

hinted toward the tape’s location in a heating vent. It can’t could give away at any moment, or a clue seems to sit plainly
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