Session 1 - Scene 6 (of 9)

After leaving the WIA building, Father Mulroney asks Shoes for his impressions. McDougal suggests that after their talk last night, he believes Flynn could use some spiritual guidance on the reality of demons. Mulroney smirks at the youth's sardonic reply.

The priest is concerned about the Russians making trouble for Flynn. It sounds to him like Ulnovsky is trying to stir up trouble in order to take over the union. He asks Shoes' opinion on whether they should deal with the Trotskyites or the Italians first.

Shoes notes the Tolinos are the more immediate threat. Sending the liquor into their territory without talking to them first could be very dangerous. Mulroney agrees, but decides to stop in at the alderman's office first to get him started on looking into the Russians.

They find Biggins lounging around in his office, smoking a cigar. Father Mulroney tells the politician that he's learned a Russian named Ulnovsky is said to be behind the rumors about a monster. Jethro notes that information is consistent with what the Poles told him about a man named Ulnovsky gaining power in the union.

Mulroney tells Biggins he and Shoes will be heading out to make "friendly overtures" to the Italians. He asks Biggins to do what he can about the Russian problem.

Biggins spends most of the day unsuccessfully trying to talk with various local union stewards. After that proves fruitless, he decides to take a different track and heads over to the local police precinct. There he meets with one of his contacts, Captain Jimmy Deakins.

Deakins has one of his clerks look for a file on "Ulnovsky". A couple of hours later, he has a file for them to examine. The Russian is identified as Vasily Leonovich Ulnovsky. The file contains the following information:
•   Born in Kiev, 1889
•   Russian Father, American Mother
•   Immigrated to the US, 1919
•   Application for citizenship pending
•   Aka "Comrade Leon"
•   No known associates
•   Arrested April 3rd, 1923 for Disturbing the Peace and Inciting a Riot
•   Released April 5th, 1924; served 12 months of 18 month sentence

The captain isn't too fond of the Russian or his "anarchist beliefs". He tells Biggins his men can certainly take care of the man if he comes into their ward, but notes there's little they can do outside their precinct area. He suggests that if Biggins can't get the 3rd Ward precinct to cooperate he should try the State Port Authority. Deakins does admit, however, that the port authority officers don't really have the same understanding of the problems of civil disobedience.

Session 1 - Scene 7 (of 9)

Meanwhile, Father Mulroney and Shoes make their way across the bridge into the downtown area. Heading over to the Little Italy district, Shoes directs the priest over to "Little Augie's Cafe", a speakeasy where he knows a guy who knows the Tolinos.

Little Augie's is located right off of Broad Street, situated between Goldstein's Jewelry and Harshaw's Hardware. Just across the street is the Lexington Hotel where Shoes will make the delivery for the wedding.

Shoes gives the password at the door and heads inside. He is glad to see that Augie's night bouncer, a big Russian named Billy Alexius, isn't manning the door during the day.

Behind the bar is Augustus "Little Augie" Barton himself; his regular bartender (a German named Max Schultz) only works the night shift. Barton recognizes Shoes and greets him, wondering what brings him into town during the day.

Without going into details, Shoes says he needs to make a connection into the Tolinos to work out an arrangement. Augie suggests that the quickest way would be to see "Joey the Book" at the Bookie Joint next door. He makes a quick call over to let Joey know they are coming.

Augie tells Shoes all they need to do is head out the back door and the door to the bookie's will be right next to it. Not completely trusting Barton, Mulroney and Shoes decide to go out the front door and walk around to the alley.

Even during the day the alley is dark as the sunlight is blocked by the large apartment buildings adjoining the smaller shops. As they head around, Shoes and Mulroney notice the path leading back to the bookie's door has two side doors, a small alcove off to the side, fire escape stairs down from the apartments, and a smaller alley perpendicular to the main one leading down to Canal Street. It looks like the perfect place for an ambush.

The two slowly make their way towards the door. As they get close, they hear a sudden noise in the small alcove near the door. Both men tense up and prepare to draw their weapons. Just then, an alley cat jumps out from behind the trash cans. In anger, Mulroney kicks the cat.

When Shoes knocks on the large metal door, a slit opens up and a pair of steely eyes look out, asking who it is. Shoes tells the man that Little Augie just called over to let them know they were coming.  The Italian at the door says, "Oh yeah, 'Kid Boots' or something, right?". Shoes corrects the man on his name and the door opens.

Shoes and Father Mulroney are immediately escorted inside by the man at the door, holding a .32 pistol on them. A larger man stands inside watching them. He directs the door man to move them over to the nearby pool table and frisk them.

The man finds Father Mulroney's knife along with Shoes' knife and pistol. He places the weapons on the pool table, telling his boss that the kid is packing and the priest had a knife.

Now that they are disarmed, the boss moves in closer. He gets uncomfortably close to the priest and asks what they want. The man has a thick Nepalese accent. Father Mulroney responds they are looking for a sit down with Al Tolino.

The boss asks what they want with his brother, revealing himself as Joseph "Joey the Book" Tolino. Mulroney tries to explain about the wedding reception and his refreshments but Joey cuts him off, showing his dislike of their plan to move booze through his family's territory.

Father Mulroney assures Tolino that they intent to pay a proper fee for the privilege. Joey, however, doesn't like the idea. He goes on to say he's not inclined to partner with them due to their Irish heritage, using several racial epithets in the process.

Joey's eyes then narrow, and he looks at Mulroney intensely. He asks what Mulroney's connection to O'Conner is. Mulroney explains that they have nothing to do with O'Conner but he is aware of the difficulty O'Conner is causing the Tolinos. He offers to assist them with dealing with O'Conner as part of their arrangement.

The offer does not have the intended effect, as Tolino seems disgusted that Mulroney would sell out "one of his own kind". Joey tells the priest he is lucky that he doesn't want to kill a priest. He then proceeds to draw a large handgun out of his jacket and fire towards Shoes before anyone can react. The shot luckily misses.

Mulroney has to make a quick decision. He eyes a nearby chair and thinks about attacking the man; but Joey and his door man are both armed and there are two doors inside the room that any number of other men could be behind. He settles on trying to talk his way out, calmly insisting to Joey that there is no need for violence.

The priest manages to calm down the large man. Joey then agrees that they can move the booze in but he gets a 60% cut. Mulroney tries to offer a bargain of a lower cut in exchange for future trade, but Joey tells him that 60% is the best deal he will get and refusing it will lead to him shooting Shoes in the head for his trouble.

With full diplomacy, Mulroney graciously accepts the terms of the deal. Joey then insists the two leave immediately, using more racial slurs to explain why he wants them gone.

Session 1 - Scene 8 (of 9)

Father Mulroney is now also concerned that O'Conner will consider it an insult if he is not paid as well. Shoes also has connections into the O'Conner mob, so they decide to head over and try to stop any trouble with the Irish gangsters before it starts.

The Irish are located just a block down, at Harrigan's Restaurant (another speakeasy) on Canal Street next to the B. Allan's Department Store and Fanucci's Fruits & Vegetables. They find Deanie O'Conner himself sitting at his favorite booth in the back.

O'Conner isn't too thrilled to see Father Mulroney. He asks Shoes what he is thinking bringing in a priest, noting it is bad for business.

Sitting down with O'Conner, Shoes explains they just came from talking with Tolino's brother, Joey. Deanie notes Joey is a certifiable psycho. Shoes responds that Tolino did give him a bit of a scare, and grimaces when O'Conner tells him he was lucky he didn't get plugged.

Father Mulroney then explains to O'Conner why they are there and about their plans to transport the liquor over to the Lexington for the wedding reception. O'Conner says there is no problem with the plan, but he wants a 60% cut of the money.

Sighing inwardly, Mulroney explains that Tolino has already insisted on a 60% cut and he can't pay 120%. O'Conner couldn't care less, noting that the money is Mulroney's problem, not his. He also tells the priest he doesn't understand why he would pay Tolino anything.

Shoes asks for a quick word with the Father and they head over to another corner to talk. Mulroney tells Shoes he has a plan – he wants to arrange for O'Conner and Tolino to have an unplanned meeting. He then heads back over and concedes the 60% to O'Conner, setting up a time to meet later.

Session 1 - Scene 9 (of 9)

After they leave, Mulroney explains his plan to Shoes. He wants to help the Tolinos eliminate O'Conner. Shoes insists Mulroney go in alone to talk to Joey about it.

When Mulroney heads into the bookie joint, Tolino is clearly unhappy to see him. He asks the priest what he wants and Mulroney explains he is looking for a better deal. Joey calls the priest a thorn in his side but agrees to hear the deal.

Mulroney's deal is to get free passage for his liquor to the Lexington in exchange for helping him eliminate Deanie O'Conner. He tells him he has a time and place set for a meet with O'Conner that they can ambush him at.

Once again, Joey is very suspicious. Mulroney can tell the man is clearly psychotic and in need of an alienist for his paranoia.

But Joey is no moron either. He's wary of trying to take out O'Conner directly due to the Irish mobster's political connections. Mulroney mentions he has connections of his own, and is using them to deal with some Russians at the moment but could assist Tolino later.

Tolino hurls some more racial slurs at Mulroney but agrees to the deal once Mulroney explains his motivation as "sometimes a bad man needs to be taken to task".

As they head out of downtown, Shoes voices his dislike of the plan. He doesn't like giving up O'Conner and notes he trusts O'Conner a lot more than the Tolinos. He also doesn't like the idea of leaving a mad killer like Joey on the loose.

Mulroney, however, is committed to his plan. He daydreams to himself about the possibility of taking over control of the whole city himself.

The two head back over to Biggins to exchange information. Mulroney is less than thrilled with Biggins' progress, but the alderman explains these things take time and that he will contact the port authority tomorrow and may have better luck.

The two then head back to the church for the night, planning to make their next move in the morning.

Session 1 - Session Notes

This session marked the official start of the campaign. One player wasn't able to make it, but we decided to continue on without her.

We started off the night with a few quick hands of Cards Against Humanity then decided to move on to playing this session. It really only lasted about two hours yet quite a lot happened.

Things took a little bit to gel - largely because I didn't have a lot of time to prepare (I'd been having some unfortunate health issues lately) and also because my girlfriend took her kindle fire that night that had the pdfs of all my campaign notes on it so I had to do a lot from memory.

I like beginning campaigns with something seemingly mundane that gets complicated quickly. Since one of the characters was a politician, I decided on the fundraiser that roped in the bootlegging priest as well.

One challenge of a CoC-style game is getting the PCs somewhat together. Sometimes I just force them to decide on a reason ahead of time. This time I tried to grow it more organically.

Although the first couple of sessions can be a little awkward that way, I tend to find that after a little bit it works like a TV show with an awkward premise - eventually the story and character interaction gets good enough that no one remembers the basic premise was kind of absurd (see things like Castle, The Office, etc.)

I did get some questions straight off about the validity of a political fundraiser at a church. I admit I'm no historian - I know churches were heavily tied in with politics at the time and the whole "losing tax exempt status for political activities" thing didn't really start being an issue (that I could find) until the late 60's. That said, I'm chalking it up to dramatic license.

The exact ward the church and alderman are from changed several times in my planning. I basically wanted to find a semi-realistic location in the city where Democrats were in power.

I can't remember if I took the name of St. Vincent's from an actual Chicago church (though Catholic churches all have similar names throughout the country). I was originally going to call Shoes' former home the St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum (which sounded darker and more retro), but my research indicated that was a more Victorian name and that the "Home for Homeless Boys" better fit the times.

We decided early on that Biggins would be an Episcopalian since his name was English and he was assimilated. Similarly for my NPC ward boss, Henry Burns.

Joseph "Little Joe" DeMotte comes from the TSR Gangbusters book. That setting was in 1920 where he is just one of the top Democratic aldermen; I decided it made sense for him to be the next candidate for mayor.

The Lexington Hotel also comes from TSR, as do all of the downtown and dock locations, Flynn, the Tolinos, the O'Conners, and Ulnovsky.

One of my NPCs was Ruth, Flynn's secretary. I made her Seventh-day Adventist to give some more variety (this may be a bit anachoristic as it wasn't all that  popular of a denomination except in the South at the time). When she slapped Shoes I made him take a point of damage.

Kuczborski Café was one of my locations, but I took the name from somewhere. Actually, it turned out to be more difficult than I thought to come up with an obviously Polish name for a place; apparently most real restaraunts had more generic-sounding names.

Shoes spitting on the floor whenever the Russians were mentioned was a running gag the player came up with. He never did explain what the back story was, which makes it better I think.

Captain Jimmy Deakins is another NPC I had to come up with on the spur of the moment. He's named after the original captain from Law and Order: Criminal Intent but his personality is that of a hardened city cop.

One of my favorite parts of the session, which doesn't get its due in the write-up, was the 10 minutes at a time where Father Mulroney berated Shoes for being incompetant (all with a laughingly bad Irish accent).

After that, my most fun was the scenes at the bookie joint. I added a lot of tension when they headed up to the door by describing them advancing ever so slowly. I actually did freak them out a bit with the cliche'd "it's just a cat" moment.

Then inside Shoes nearly got shot (I just happened to roll a miss and Mulroney made his persuade roll). At least they were smart enough to know not to fight back (some people in the previous group would never go along with something like that and always insist on fighting).

The O'Conner meet was hilarious as well, because you could see the lightbulb go on over the Mulroney player's head when he realized how much of a bear trap he stepped into. Which then caused him to have to think quickly to gain an advantage. Whether his plans will succeed or not remains to be seen.

Reading the session notes, you can get a pretty good idea of when the PCs made their rolls, and when they didn't. On the whole I tried to limit the rolls and let things flow more naturally.

Actually, if I had it to do over again, I'd use more of the WOD system rather than the percentage skills since a certain amount of min-maxing did occur during character generation.

We didn't really get much into the Cthulhu part this session, but I have a feeling that the night boat trip next session will prove more interesting in that regard...

Session 2 - Cast of Characters

Father Clink Mulroney - Irish Roman Catholic priest running a bootlegging operation out of his church
 
Alderman Jethro Biggins - Corrupt city alderman on the take from Mulroney
 
Francis "Shoes" McDougal - Young street criminal and former orphan acting as Mulroney's chief lieutenant / muscle

Session 2 - Scene 1 (of 5)

As dawn breaks in the city, Father Mulroney is wondering about his actions over the previous day. He wonders if he is better off allying with the Tolinos against the O'Conners, or if he'd be better off having Shoes make up a bomb to kill them both. First, though, he knows he has to deal with the damn wedding liquor that is causing so many problems.

The priest grabs Shoes and tells him they need to head over and see Biggins again. On the way, he has the boy stop at Edna's Diner for some flapjacks, his breakfast food of choice. Shoes is less than thrilled when the father (once again) makes him pay the bill, but stiffs Edna on the tip because, in his words, "Edna's a cranky old bitch".

They arrive at Biggins' office by mid-morning. Having little else to do, the alderman is already there. After confirming with Biggins that everything is still good to go with the Polish dockworkers for the evening, Father Mulroney decides to confide in Biggins about the trouble he's in with the O'Conners and Tolinos.

Biggins is unsympathetic, but notes the father has got himself into a "real shithole". Mulroney insists the Tolinos can take care of his problems for him, but he'll need Biggins', flattering the alderman as a powerful political force. The priest explains he wants him to smooth the two groups into a meeting.

The alderman is taken aback by the suggestion that he mediate between ruffians. Mulroney tries to reassure him that his involvement will be limited to "greasing the wheels", but Biggins still expects he's the one that could end up getting greased.

Appealing to the man's practical side, Mulroney explains that with O'Conner gone, he can expand his territory; something he cannot currently do in this ward because much of it is controlled by the "Crazy Genna Brothers", a murderous gang of Sicilians that Mulroney has no intention of interfering with. Biggins shudders at the thought of coming into conflict with "Bloody" Angelo Genna and his siblings.

Mulroney continues with his explanation that new territory will bring more money, noting how bootlegging has a much better income potential that the salary of an alderman. Biggins is seduced by the priest's argument, and agrees a mutually beneficial arrangement could be made.

But before they get too deep into the conversation, Biggins wants to focus on the topic at hand – getting the night's delivery done. He asks the priest for his opinion about the rumors of a monster down on the docks. Mulroney notes that history is filled with stories of encounters with demons, asking if Biggins would like to read a paper he wrote on demonology while at seminary. The alderman politically notes he enjoys examining the work of his constituents, but will save that for another time. Off to the side, Shoes has a knowing smirk.

The priest is less concerned about monsters and more about any interference from law enforcement. He suggests they make sure that the port authority turns a blind eye to their operations for the evening. Biggins agrees, noting he needs to talk to someone at the state port authority anyway about the Russians; and perhaps have them investigate into the "monster attacks" as well.

Shoes is also concerned about how discrete the Polish workers will be, not trusting anyone who isn't Irish. Mulroney agrees and tells Shoes that he should accompany the Poles that evening, and to make sure to be well-armed in case of interference.

The youth asks if he should also put together some explosives in case of an emergency. The father notes the idea isn't a bad one, as they may need a diversion. Fearful of blowing himself up, Shoes wants to keep explosives as a last resort option and would prefer to rely on Biggins getting comfortable with the port authority. Mulroney agrees and wants Shoes to accompany the alderman over to the port authority office to make sure it gets done right.

Session 2 - Scene 2 (of 5)

After dropping the priest off back at St. Vincent's, Shoes drives Biggins over to the State Port Authority Police office in the docks area. The port authority police have only a small, one-room office with two desks. Only one officer is on duty, an older man identified by his name plate as Harbor Sergeant Morrison.

Morrison looks up from his coffee and newspaper to ask what they want. Biggins explains they are there because there is a wedding this evening needing a shipment across the river and he wants to make sure there are no interruptions or distractions.

Biggins goes on to explain that he is also interested in knowing if the port authority is aware of the activities of anarchists down on the docks. Morrison doesn't seem particularly concerned, but does ask if it involves some Russians. But, he is immediately distracted when he spots Shoes spitting on the floor at the mention of "Russians".

Sergeant Morrison asks them who they are. Biggins explains he is Alderman Biggins of the 5th Ward. Morrison's eyes narrow and he smiles slightly, noting he can be sure the alderman's shipment has no problems in return for consideration.

Shoes doesn't like the idea of paying the bad-tempered sergeant off. He reveals the small pistol in his pocket and tells Morrison to do as he's told. But the sergeant isn't having any of it, telling him "how about I just call the cops on you then, sonny?"

Biggins steps in to smooth things over. He tells the sergeant that he always values the input of citizens. Morrison wants to know how much he values the input. Biggins slowly drops twenties on to the desk until he reaches $100. Morrison quickly pockets the cash and tells him everything will run smooth but warns him to keep his pet on a leash, referring to Shoes.

Shoes holds his temper and the two turn to leave. As they start to head out, Morrison jokingly cautions them to watch out for monsters tonight. Biggins turns around and asks Morrison what he is talking about. The sergeant is surprised Biggins is taking it seriously; he notes it is a popular joke around the office after a girl was found attacked on the docks and claimed a monster did it.

Shoes makes a derogatory remark about showing the girl "his monster", but gets smacked in the head by Morrison for his troubles. The old codger notes his dislike of foul-mouthed, vulgar youths. Shoes is smart enough not to fight back.

Biggins quickly tries to regain control and get Morrison to explain more about the girl. He explains that some Russians were messing around on the docks a couple of weeks ago and a girl was attacked. When Biggins assumes the attacked girl was Russian, Morrison contradicts him, noting the girl that got attacked was a Jew not a Russian. After she told the doctors at the hospital she was attacked by a monster, Morrison explains, they moved her to the asylum.

Session 2 - Scene 3 (of 5)

Back at St. Vincent's, Biggins and Shoes discuss their visit with Father Mulroney. When Biggins explains everything is worked out, Shoes interrupts and derisively notes to the priest that Biggins paid off the port authority officer.

Father Mulroney is displeased to learn the alderman couldn't simply bully the officer into compliance, noting the alderman does not have "bigg'uns". Shoes tries to explain he was planning to pistol whip the officer, but Biggins interfered by paying the $100.

When he hears the amount, the priest notes the alderman is very generous, but notes that money can often be saved by applying a little elbow grease. Biggins, for his part, notes he wanted to avoid a murder. The priest sardonically notes, "aren't you the honest one".

Biggins changes the subject by telling Mulroney about what the officer said concerning the girl and the supposed monster attack. Mulroney is concerned the story keeps coming up, and suggests they check on the docks.

Before they go, he slips out of his robes and into regular working-class clothes in order to be inconspicuous. Shoes warns the priest that a man of the cloth can avoid trouble that a regular guy can't, noting that a man with a big mouth in civilian clothing risks getting his mouth shot off. Mulroney fires back that Shoes couldn't even intimidate an old man as he stashes his knife into his work pants.

They arrive at the docks to find it in full swing, with ships being loaded and unloaded at the various piers. Mulroney suggests they start by looking around to see if they can find the Poles that Biggins hired for the evening.

The three don't get far before a foreman spots them. The short Italian man wanders over and wants to know what they are doing. But once he recognizes the alderman his tone lightens.

Biggins asks the foreman about any "odd happenings" down at the docks at night. The foreman scoffs that the alderman is referring to the crazy stories about a monster. He plainly states there is no monster on the docks and any trouble they are having has to do with "that crook Flynn" or
"those damn Russian anarchists".

As far as the foreman is concerned, if anyone is disappearing people on the docks at night, either Ned Flynn or the Russians are involved, or both. He complains about Flynn's ploy to take over the union by instilling his brother-in-law as the local president and how the Russians have been trying to cause trouble of their own by getting workers riled up.

Mulroney makes a disparaging remark about the foreman's ability to manage the situation due to his Italian heritage. The foreman makes a remark of his own back to Biggins, asking where he found Mulroney while including a derisive racial remark of his own about the Irishman.

Biggins tries to keep the conversation on point. He talks about the monster sightings, but the foreman reiterates that he's only seen the Russians skulking around the docks at night. Biggins then asks about the young lady that was attacked. The foreman describes her as a "rich Jew broad who was slumming around with Ulnovsky's woman".

The alderman asks where Ulnovsky and his girl usually hang out. He indicates a speakeasy called the Blue Parrot, just across the street from the docks. But he reiterates that he hasn't seen any monsters; though someone did spot the Jewish girl coming out of Flynn's office so he suspects its part of some kind of scam.

Mulroney questions whether the girl would really get herself committed just to plot something with Flynn, but the foreman just says he has no idea what a crazy girl might do. Finally, Biggins asks where the supposed attack happened, and the foreman points him towards pier 34.

Pier 34 has a great number of crates around, along with some docked ships, but no workers around. The three spend a couple of hours combing the area for any evidence of an attack.

After a while, Father Mulroney spots something shiny between a couple of planks. He pulls out a small shell casing. Then, glancing around, he spots what appears to be the remains of a large claw, about three to four inches long.

He calls over the others to show them. The priest notes it appears to be the claw of some kind of large animal. He wonders if the "monster" might be some escaped exotic animal running around loose on the docks.

The priest examines the dock boards near where the claw was found but spots no claw marks. He tells Biggins he needs another favor from him; he'd like the alderman to stick around the area tonight to see if he sees anything.

Alderman Biggins is not in agreement; he does not want to be alone at night in the area where a large claw was found. He asks Mulroney what he should do if he spots a creature. The priest says simply, "run for it".

Shoes wonders if they should move their boat from pier 21 up to this pier since it doesn't have anyone around. Mulroney, however, doesn't like the risk of potentially having to deal with a large animal.

Biggins suggests before they make any more plans that they go talk to the girl who was attacked. The priest agrees, noting they will need to stop at the church first so he can change back to his clerical attire.

Scene 4 (of 5)

It takes nearly two hours to reach the Dunning Asylum located on the outskirts of the 10th Ward in the Northwest area of the city. The large hospital campus has over twenty towering brick buildings surrounded by acres of farmland. Many of the patients can be seen working the hospital's fields as they drive up the long road to the main gatehouse.

The guard at the main gate asks who they are. Biggins immediately responds that he is a city alderman there to see one of his constituents. The guard tells them to wait while he calls up to the administration building with the gatehouse telephone.

After a minute or so of conversation, the guard hangs up. He tells them they are free to come in and see the director, pointing them to the administration building. As they head up the windy road, Shoes notes the place gives him the creeps and expresses his hope they won't be there long.

The director greets them at the main lobby of the administration office, introducing himself as Dr. George Leininger. Biggins likewise introduces himself. When the director asks who he has brought with him, the alderman introduces the priest but Shoes cuts him off quickly afterward, pointedly telling the director that he doesn't need to know who Shoes is.

Mulroney makes a nervous laugh, explaining the lad is a "Mr. Jones" who spent some time in the facilities here in the past. Dr. Leininger gets a confused look, noting he doesn't recognize Shoes. He calls over a nurse and asks if they are there to re-commit "Mr. Jones".

Shoes looks horrified at the prospect, but says nothing. Examining the young man's face, the director notes he can see signs of acute anxiety in the young man.

Biggins, however, explains they are instead there to see a constituent of his, a young woman who was committed after being attacked by a monster. Dr. Leininger recognizes the case and asks the nurse to pull the file.

While the nurse is gone, the director asks Biggins why the priest is there. Father Mulroney explains he wants to give spiritual comfort. Dr. Leininger is most confused, noting they have their own chaplain on staff and also that the girl is Jewish. But Mulroney insists he can give comfort.

Shoes makes another of his cracks about comforting the girl with "his monster". The director partially catches it, noting that muttering could be a sign of regression and that he recommends the boy be looked at while they are here.

Mulroney tries to laugh it off by saying the youth simply says crazy things sometimes. Dr. Leininger asks Shoes who his alienist is. Shoes, unfamiliar with the term, doesn't know what he means. When the doctor repeats his request about whose care he is in, Shoes responds "the good father's".

The priest explains Shoes lives at the church. Dr. Leininger praises the priest for finding use for the simple-minded. He does make sure that as Shoes is apparently a sufferer of idiocy that the father has had him properly sterilized.

Shoes, not at all liking being mistaken as mentally challenged, interrupts the conversation to ask where the Jewish girl is. When Dr. Leininger goes to check on the nurse, Shoes shares his opinion with the others that the doctors here are crazy. Mulroney reassures him they won't let the doctors "chop anything off" while he is there.

Moments later, the doctor returns with the file. He identifies the girl as Maisie Brockovitz. Her case history reports she showed up at the hospital emergency room with multiple lacerations to her face and chest.
The mention of lacerations across the face interests Mulroney as he thinks of the claw in his pocket. He asks the director if any photos were taken. The director shows him the photos in the file, which Mulroney examines carefully. The lacerations appear to be four evenly-spaced cuts parallel to each other; they could be caused by claw marks, but the priest isn't sure.

Dr. Leininger tells them there is little else in the case file except that she was brought in by a Russian girl. At the mention of Russians, Shoes spits on the ground. The doctor notes the behavior as possibly compulsive and against recommends having Shoes stay for a weekend to get an extended analysis.

When he turns back around to face the priest, Shoes slips out one of the file photos and puts it under his jacket. The director suggests they let him have Shoes undergo a hydrotherapy session while they talk to Maisie but Father Mulroney insists the boy is OK for now and they can always take that measure if he acts up later.

The director acquiesces, but does signal a large, nearby orderly to accompany them. He then takes them over to Ward 14, where Maisie is under the care of Dr. Hugo Bronfenburgher.

Session 2 - Scene 5 (of 5)

Dr. Bronfenburgher is an older German man with large glasses and a thick accent. He explains the patient is a remarkable case of delusions. He goes on to explain his theory that the psychotic break with reality is the result of underlying sexual trauma, which he believes is the result of an incestuous relationship with her father.

Ignoring the doctor's psychobabble, Biggins indicates his desire to speak to the girl. The doctor tells him that communication could prove difficult, for she has recently undergone hysterical paroxysm therapy and her mind is currently a bit fuzzy. Dr. Bronfenburgher suggests that he and the orderly (whom he refers to as "Sven") accompany them.

As they head over to Maisie's bed, the doctor explains about the frequent occurrence of hysteria in women. Shoes makes another of his comments indicating his desires towards the girl.

Dr. Bronfenburgher looks at Shoes closely, examining him. He asks the young man if he ever did things with small animals in his youth. When Shoes responds "sure did" the doctor calls for Sven to take him away, noting that he will need to undergo a full psychoanalysis. Shoes is taken aback that he would be locked up "just because of a few squirrels".

Shoes struggles with Sven, who calls for a couple more orderlies over to assist. Seeing the situation is getting out of hand, Father Mulroney calls from them to stop. He convinces the doctor that a forcible treatment could cause Shoes to regress.

The doctor thinks for a moment and agrees that perhaps Shoes would be better served by exercise time in the yard. Mulroney agrees, telling Shoes to go relax and look at the pretty birds and clouds. As Sven leads him away, Shoes grumbles that there better not be any squirrels out there.

Once he is gone, Dr. Bronfenburgher takes Biggins and Father Mulroney over to Maisie's bed. They see she is a tall, beefy woman. She slowly opens her eyes and asks who they are.

Biggins introduces himself as an alderman, continuing his lie that she was injured in his municipal ward. He asks her what she remembers. Maisie mentions remembering a large creature coming toward her with long claws. Behind them, Dr. Bronfenburgher explains that the delusion of the monster represents her superego repressing the sexual awakening of her id, which makes no sense to Mulroney or Biggins.

Father Mulroney asks the doctor if they still have Maisie's torn blouse. He explains that when she came to the asylum, she was already in a hospital gown and the hospital probably threw it away. In any case, Dr. Bronfenburgher insists it is immaterial as her injuries are clearly self-inflicted as a result of neurotic anxiety over her sexual urges.

Biggins makes a claw with his hand to show Maisie, causing her to react. Dr. Bronfenburgher chastises him, telling him it is important for her to undergo psychoanalytic treatment to drive out the fantasy she has constructed, not indulge her in it.

Father Mulroney convinces Dr. Bronfenburgher it may be helpful to get some paper and have Biggins attempt to sketch the monster for her to show her how unbelievable the situation is. After he leaves, noting his suspicion that the depiction of the creature will be vaginal in nature, Father Mulroney shows her the claw they found.

Maisie gets excited over seeing the claw. She notes it is proof she is not crazy and begs them to get her out of there. Biggins explains they will do what they can but it could take time. They ask her more about what she was doing there.

She explains she was out on the docks at night with a Russian Jewish woman named Karina Krasnik. She goes on to tell them that Ned Flynn was paying her to get close to Krasnik in order to spy on what Ulnovsky is up to. She isn't sure what to believe because Flynn is blaming the Russians for kidnappings but they blame Flynn.

She describes the creature as being over six feet tall with the large claws and stood upright. Father Mulroney is disturbed that the creature does not sound like an animal.

Just before Dr. Bronfenburgher comes back, she again pleads for them to get her out of there quickly. She's noticed a "Dr. Krasnik" visiting the asylum lately and looking at her. She thinks he may be related to Karina and isn't sure if the Russians have something planned for her.

As the doctor steps over, Father Mulroney makes the sign of the cross over Maisie, asking her if she feels better. Looking confounded, she tells him she does not, as she is Jewish.

Biggins then goes through the motions of drawing the creature. Dr. Bronfenburgher, disappointed it doesn't remotely resemble any form of genitalia, chooses instead to deride the alderman over his lack of artistic skills. He tells them there is no more benefit to their visiting the girl and has them taken back to Dr. Leininger.

The director expresses his hopes that their time with Maisie and Dr. Bronfenburgher were helpful. He notes the doctor studied under Dr. Sigmund Freud in Vienna. Biggins and Mulroney, who know little about such things, act impressed despite not really knowing what he is talking about.

Once Sven retrieves Shoes from the exercise yard, the three take their leave. They promise to consider bringing Shoes back for a weekend of treatment.

As they drive past the gate, Father Mulroney expresses his concern that the monster could very well be real. Shoes expresses his skepticism, noting that she's probably just nuts like everyone else there. He is also unimpressed with the claw, which he describes as "that crazy barnacle you found".

Mulroney and Biggins, however, are already thinking of how they can get Maisie out and how all the pieces fit together. But as the hour grows late, they first need to focus on getting that liquor across the river.

Session 2 - Session Notes

This session was originally supposed to take place back on the 12th, but the Shoes player was delayed on a work trip and we decided to do board games instead. We went with Ikusa and I ended up shogun over Japan.

So, it'd been a little bit by the time we got back to the campaign. It was nice to get back into the swing of things. I was originally anticipating a more action-oriented session, but it turned out to be a good investigative one.

One thing I'd like to note upfront: this session shows a fair amount of blatant sexism. Much like the blatant racism (which is usually anti-Immigrant in nature), this is part of the fact the game is set in the 1920's. Most things set in the 1920's tend to romanticize the time a bit (HBO's Boardwalk Empire being a notable exception), I want to present the time as realistic as possible with all of the ugliness.

The session began with a discussion between Mulroney and Biggins that rehashed everything from the last session. I shortened it in the write-up because the characters obviously would have remembered the conversation they had the night before even if the players can't really remember it from 4 weeks ago.

Mulroney's new idea to blow everyone up at once is something they've been discussing between sessions. I try to remind him that both gangs have a couple dozen guys in them and killing the heads of the gangs would just put someone else in charge.

The Sicillian Genna Brothers gang is a real Chicago gang from the West side. Bloody Angelo Genna is the name of a real Chicago gangster. Sometimes I change the names to fake ones (if they were really well known), but in this case I felt it would be safe and not break the 4th wall since he's relatively obscure.

I may have mentioned before that the Port Authority Police is a bit anachronistic. NY had a force since the late 20's, but I'm not sure Chicago did (from my limited research, it looked like it may have been the 50's before that happened). Because of that, I wanted to make the office pretty small.

Once again, its nice playing with players who know you can't fight everyone. I thought Shoes did great getting upset but not attacking the old harbor sergeant while Biggins tried to smooth things over.

I brought up the monster attack again just to keep the story going. Maisie (from the prologue) getting transferred to an asylum seemed like the logical outcome from that attack. Plus, I'm inspired by the current season of American Horror Story.

One thing I've had fun with is how everyone blames the Russians, Flynn, or both for the disappearances. They've heard it so many different ways, the PCs have no idea what to believe. I like that they had to hear a fair amount of evidence before even starting to acknowledge a monster existing as a real possibility.

My idea for the claw was that Maisie shot it off when she unloaded on the creature. I was envisioning something like when you find a cat claw lying around, but on a much larger scale.

Dunning Asylum is the real nickname of the Chicago State Hospital, and the location and the description of the hospital are attempting to be somewhat accurate (though in my mind I'm thinking more of the hospital from the film, Session 9). Calling it an asylum is slightly anachronistic (more of a Victorian way of referring to it), but something about "asylum" sounds more sinister.

Dr. George Leininger (whose name got to be a pain to spell consistently in the write-up), is named after a real doctor at the Chicago State Hospital. Dr. Hugo Bronfenburgher, however, is named more-or-less after the psychiatrist in the film, The Hudsucker Proxy (the character there is actually named Bronfenbrenner, but I misremembered it during the session and just kept it).

Dr. Bronfenburgher (another name I had issues spelling consistently) was concieved as a very bad Freud imitation, complete with an over the top German/Austrian accent. And naturally he studied under Freud himself.

Anyone familiar with psychology will probably notice the asylum is a bit of a mash-up when it comes to treatments. I wasn't trying to be overly accurate but at least present something that seemed like it could be accurate. So, I mixed up some work therapy, hydrotherapy (by which I meant cyrotherapy), and psychoanalysis along with hysterical paroxysm. I'm pretty sure a true Freudian alienist would not use methods like cyrotherapy or hysterical paroxysm.

The hysterical paroxysm is another semi-anachronism (again, more Victorian), and actually was not said in the session. Instead, I said electroshock therapy, which I later realized was far, far more of an anachronism (not invented until 1937 or widely used until the 50's). I switched it in the write-up to keep things more accurate. Ironically, it better fits with the talk about women suffering hysteria that did occur in-game by the crazy doctor (along with his over-the-top Freudisms connecting everything to Maisie's sexuality).

The reference to Dr. Krasnik is another bit of foreshadowing. He'll become important later, and not as part of anything to do with the Trotskyites.

I played the Maisie character as a NPC. Readers may remember she was originally a PC created by my gf for the prologue one-shot. I haven't been able to convince her to actually play in the group, so if they free the character it will likely remain a NPC.

We do have another female who, in theory, may join someday. However, so far she hasn't been able to join us due to family activities, or because of her other gaming group (oddly, it meets the second and fourth fridays of the month while we meet every other friday, causing the sessions to be in conflict some times and not others).

She may want a different character, or she could play Maisie I suppose. My suggestion was to use Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime as inspiration to create Sister Mary, a former prostitute turned nun working for Father Mulroney by dealing out heroin. But that might be going a little too dark.

Finally, on a less fun note, it appears I may only have one more session with the Biggins player. It looks like he'll finally be moving in early December. He'll be missed, though they are all plotting how they can have his character "go out with a bang".

Session 3 - Cast of Characters
 
Father Clink Mulroney - Irish Roman Catholic priest running a bootlegging operation out of his church

 Alderman Jethro Biggins - Corrupt city alderman on the take from Mulroney

 Francis "Shoes" McDougal - Young street criminal and former orphan acting as Mulroney's chief lieutenant / muscle

Session 3 - Scene 1 (of 10)

By the time the three get back towards St. Vincent's from their trip to the Dunning Asylum, it is already growing dark. Father Mulroney has Shoes continue down to the docks in the 3rd Ward to drop Biggins off so he can ready the Polish dockworkers.

As Biggins gets out of the old Model T, Mulroney instructs him to have the workers check around pier 34 for any signs of trouble. The priest doesn't want any surprises.

Biggins finds the three workers near the area where Shoes dropped him off. They introduce themselves as Bolus, Mirek, and Jedrik. The alderman, wanting to stay safe, has Bolus stay with him and send Mirek and Jedrik off to check out pier 34.

Session 3 - Scene 2 (of 10)

Meanwhile, Shoes and Father Mulroney head back to the church. The priest is immediately stopped by Sister Mary, a former prostitute turned nun who helps the father keep track of "the boys" and manages his heroin dealing operation. The sister wants to speak to him.

Mulroney sends Shoes down to the basement to get the truck ready to go and follows Sister Mary off to a nearby vestibule to speak in private. Mary tells the priest she has been looking for him but he's been gone all day; Mulroney explains he's been busy.

With an icy stare, the nun tells him that "those hopheads" are acting more agitated than usual. Mulroney isn't immediately sure which of the heroin-addicted boys she is referring to, so she clarifies that she's talking about "the brothers", referring to Noel and his younger brother Liam. She warns the father to keep an eye on them.

Downstairs, Shoes spots Noel and Liam lounging about; he suspects they've been shooting up during working hours again. When Noel sees Shoes is heading over to the truck, he asks if there is a shipment going out that night. Shoes cautiously confirms it, but wonders why Noel is so interested.

Noel then asks where the shipment is heading but Shoes cuts him off, noting that it is Father Mulroney's business where the shipments go. He wants to know why Noel is so interested. Liam pipes in, saying they are ready to start participating in more of the action. Shoes casually remarks that before they can step up, they need to get straight first.

Shoes grows increasingly suspicious of the two, who are acting a bit out of character. He checks with them to ask if they've been messing with the truck at all, but they claim not to have touched it. As Noel is explaining they wouldn't go anywhere near it or the father would have their hides, Mulroney comes down the stairs.

Father Mulroney notices Noel is uncomfortable and asks him why he is so nervous. Noel defensively responds he is anxious, not nervous, and wants in on the action of going on the bootlegging run. Mulroney asks if they have any guns. The two respond they do not, but Mulroney isn't so sure they are telling the truth. When the boys suggest Father Mulroney provide them with guns, he admonishes them that real men earn them.

Sensing they are being dishonest about something, Mulroney comes up with a plan. He tells them he has a job for them, to keep an eye on Ned Flynn. He suggests they boost a car and keep watch over the Waterfront Improvement Association building, tailing Flynn if needed. They agree to the job and leave.

Once they are gone, Mulroney asks for Shoes' feel on the boys. He says he can't be sure, they could just be hopped up again. However, the youth does note the boys were asking a lot more questions than usual.

Still suspicious, Mulroney has himself and Shoes carefully look over the truck. From what they can tell, it hasn't been tampered with. Satisfied they are OK to proceed, the priest changes into his civilian attire and the two head out for the docks. On the way, Mulroney reminds Shoes to keep an eye out for Noel and Liam.