#gumshoe — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #gumshoe, aggregated by home.social.
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Night’s Black Agents is today’s Deal of the Day on DriveThruRPG.
For the next 24 hours, grab the PDF for just $9.98, down from $24.95. Burned spies. Vampire conspiracies. High-stakes investigation and tradecraft.
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How Many PCs Can Try a Skill Check?
New blog post! https://alphastream.org/index.php/2026/05/02/how-many-pcs-can-try-a-skill-check/
A character tries to roll a skill check in D&D or another RPG. The rest of the players want to roll at the same time. Should we allow that?
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How Many PCs Can Try a Skill Check?
New blog post! https://alphastream.org/index.php/2026/05/02/how-many-pcs-can-try-a-skill-check/
A character tries to roll a skill check in D&D or another RPG. The rest of the players want to roll at the same time. Should we allow that?
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How Many PCs Can Try a Skill Check?
New blog post! https://alphastream.org/index.php/2026/05/02/how-many-pcs-can-try-a-skill-check/
A character tries to roll a skill check in D&D or another RPG. The rest of the players want to roll at the same time. Should we allow that?
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How Many PCs Can Try a Skill Check?
New blog post! https://alphastream.org/index.php/2026/05/02/how-many-pcs-can-try-a-skill-check/
A character tries to roll a skill check in D&D or another RPG. The rest of the players want to roll at the same time. Should we allow that?
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How Many PCs Can Try a Skill Check?
New blog post! https://alphastream.org/index.php/2026/05/02/how-many-pcs-can-try-a-skill-check/
A character tries to roll a skill check in D&D or another RPG. The rest of the players want to roll at the same time. Should we allow that?
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RE: https://dice.camp/@Da_Gut/116274672816224721
Ken and Robin of Pelgrane press, spin the whole book below into a bookhounds of London, New York campaign
Libraries back then (1920’s) did not take special care of their rare books. They just put them on the shelves. And they were frequent targets of theft. The New York library was the exception.#TTRPG #pelgrane #Gumshoe #Books #Podcast.
KEN AND ROBIN TALK ABOUT STUFF
S2026 E691 • MAR 20, 2026 -
RE: https://dice.camp/@Da_Gut/116274672816224721
Ken and Robin of Pelgrane press, spin the whole book below into a bookhounds of London, New York campaign
Libraries back then (1920’s) did not take special care of their rare books. They just put them on the shelves. And they were frequent targets of theft. The New York library was the exception.#TTRPG #pelgrane #Gumshoe #Books #Podcast.
KEN AND ROBIN TALK ABOUT STUFF
S2026 E691 • MAR 20, 2026 -
RE: https://dice.camp/@Da_Gut/116274672816224721
Ken and Robin of Pelgrane press, spin the whole book below into a bookhounds of London, New York campaign
Libraries back then (1920’s) did not take special care of their rare books. They just put them on the shelves. And they were frequent targets of theft. The New York library was the exception.#TTRPG #pelgrane #Gumshoe #Books #Podcast.
KEN AND ROBIN TALK ABOUT STUFF
S2026 E691 • MAR 20, 2026 -
RE: https://dice.camp/@Da_Gut/116274672816224721
Ken and Robin of Pelgrane press, spin the whole book below into a bookhounds of London, New York campaign
Libraries back then (1920’s) did not take special care of their rare books. They just put them on the shelves. And they were frequent targets of theft. The New York library was the exception.#TTRPG #pelgrane #Gumshoe #Books #Podcast.
KEN AND ROBIN TALK ABOUT STUFF
S2026 E691 • MAR 20, 2026 -
RE: https://dice.camp/@Da_Gut/116274672816224721
Ken and Robin of Pelgrane press, spin the whole book below into a bookhounds of London, New York campaign
Libraries back then (1920’s) did not take special care of their rare books. They just put them on the shelves. And they were frequent targets of theft. The New York library was the exception.#TTRPG #pelgrane #Gumshoe #Books #Podcast.
KEN AND ROBIN TALK ABOUT STUFF
S2026 E691 • MAR 20, 2026 -
The Trail of Cthulhu Mega Bundle is live on Bundle of Holding.
Load up on investigations, cosmic horror, and GUMSHOE-powered mysteries at a great price. A strong entry point or a deep expansion for your existing campaign.
#TrailOfCthulhu #GUMSHOE #TTRPG -
GMs - Don't Waste Your Players Time! #gamemaster #ttrpg #gumshoe
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Clues and leads are not the same thing. One answers a question. The other points you toward the next one.
Clues vs Leads breaks down how this difference keeps investigations moving and prevents stalls at the table. Clean structure. Better mysteries.
#GUMSHOE #TTRPG #RPGDesign
https://bit.ly/4aTCK1i -
In Trail of Cthulhu, survival is not the only objective. Tactical Goals looks at what characters are trying to achieve inside each scene, position, leverage, knowledge, escape. Clear goals make horror sharper and choices matter more.
#TrailOfCthulhu #GUMSHOE #TTRPG
https://bit.ly/4qAgJcr -
Seamless GUMSHOE looks at how to run investigations without breaking the flow. Clues land naturally. Scenes move cleanly. The system stays quiet while the mystery does the work.
Smart reading for GMs who want smooth, confident investigative play.
#GUMSHOE #TTRPG #GameMaster
https://bit.ly/4aTaf3G -
Improvising with GUMSHOE shows how structure and spontaneity work together at the table. Learn how to stay flexible, react to player choices, and keep investigations moving without losing momentum. Smart advice for confident, responsive GMs.
https://bit.ly/4alS8n7 -
Still awaiting A Poison Tree. These decade-plus-long development cycles irk me greatly. 🤨
#TrailOfCthulhu #GUMSHOE #ttrpg https://chirp.enworld.org/@ttrpgblogs/115617370501966702
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If the Gumshoe Fits: The Thomas Pynchon Experience
https://www.bookforum.com/print/3202/if-the-gumshoe-fits-62416
#HackerNews #If #the #Gumshoe #Fits #Thomas #Pynchon #Experience #PynchonFans #Literature #BookForum
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If the Gumshoe Fits: The Thomas Pynchon Experience
https://www.bookforum.com/print/3202/if-the-gumshoe-fits-62416
#HackerNews #If #the #Gumshoe #Fits #Thomas #Pynchon #Experience #PynchonFans #Literature #BookForum
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If the Gumshoe Fits: The Thomas Pynchon Experience
https://www.bookforum.com/print/3202/if-the-gumshoe-fits-62416
#HackerNews #If #the #Gumshoe #Fits #Thomas #Pynchon #Experience #PynchonFans #Literature #BookForum
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If the Gumshoe Fits: The Thomas Pynchon Experience
https://www.bookforum.com/print/3202/if-the-gumshoe-fits-62416
#HackerNews #If #the #Gumshoe #Fits #Thomas #Pynchon #Experience #PynchonFans #Literature #BookForum
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If the Gumshoe Fits: The Thomas Pynchon Experience
https://www.bookforum.com/print/3202/if-the-gumshoe-fits-62416
#HackerNews #If #the #Gumshoe #Fits #Thomas #Pynchon #Experience #PynchonFans #Literature #BookForum
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Samantha Crain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EkXL7WCYo8
#youtube_kexp #find_new_music #music_discovery #latest_bands #live_performance #studio_session #studio_performance #live_version #live_recording #in_studio #instudio #KEXP #kexp_fm #live_music #livemusic #concert_streaming #online_concert #virtual_concert #Samantha_Crain #Oklahoma #Gumshoe #Sounds_of_Survivance -
RPGaDAY2025 – Day 14 – Mystery – The Three Mysteries
What’s #RPGaDAY2025 ? See the details here.
Day 14 – Mystery
Honestly, most RPG adventures are mysteries in one sense or another. Most adventures involve the players discovering some scheme or exploring some mysterious place. What I’m going to talk about here is a mystery in the classic sense – a crime has occurred and the players need to uncover the culprit.
There are different methods that different styles of RPG have used to run mystery games. Here’s the three big ones:
Trad Games
In the large majority of RPGs, there aren’t any specific mechanics for solving mysteries. If you’re trying to find a clue by searching, investigating, or just talking to somebody, you have to make a skill roll (or other mechanic). If you fail, you don’t get the clue. Call of Cthulhu is probably the most common example of this kind of game.
In theory (and often in practice) this can gum up the works. If the players don’t have the clues, they can’t solve the mystery. There are ways to deal with this; the Alexandrian’s Three Clue Rule is probably the best known method.
Gumshoe System
In Robin D. Law’s Gumshoe system (Trail of Cthulhu, Esoterrorists) deals with the clue problem in the easiest way possible. Whenever the player investigates anything, they automatically get the clue. They can spend points to get extra information if they wish.
This removes the whole not finding the clue issue, but the players still need to interpret the clues to solve the mystery.
If you’re interested in messing about designing a game with Gumshoe, Pelgrane Press has a Gumshoe SRD that is free to download.
However, an easier method of learning and adapting Gumshoe is Against the Unknown by Thomas McGrenery. It’s essentially a stripped-down version of Gumshoe, with no setting. Like the SRD, it is under a Creative Commons license. I made a character sheet for it here.
Brindlewood Bay
A PBTA-style game from Jason Cordova, in which the players are all elderly women in the New England town of Brindlewood Bay, who solve local murders.
The GM is given a crime, a number of suspects, and a series of clues. The players interact with the places and people, by using their PBTA-style Moves. If they succeed, they collect some of the clues. The clues aren’t necessarily attached to a particular person or place, so the GM will need to improv which clues the players get.
When they have enough clues, the players can present their theory of the murder. They then make a Theorize roll, adding the number of clues to the roll, If they succeed with a 10, they’ve uncovered the murderer. The adventure doesn’t specify who committed the murder. The player’s theory automatically becomes fact.
This game is popular enough to have spawned a large number of “Carved From Brindlewood” hacks. Here’s a list at itch.io.
Which Style Should I Run?
No mystery here – whichever one you want.
I think that the old-school trad one works fine if you’re comfortable with the players’ ability to figure stuff out, and if they’re OK with the possibility of failing to solve the mystery.
Brindlewood Bay (and it’s many relations) is a delight, but it does require a bit of improv and the ability to think on one’s feet. Not all GMs (especially newer ones) would be comfortable with that.
I myself kind of lean toward Gumshoe, mostly because I like the process of making up the plots, but don’t find the whole rolling for clues thing that fascinating.
If there’s some indie mystery system I’ve missed, feel free to put it in comments.
Just One More Thing…
If you’re running any style of mystery, I’d highly recommend GURPS Mysteries by Lisa J. Steele. For the most part, it’s not GURPS-specific. It’s mostly a lot of good advice and ideas for running mystery games that should work with any system.
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#NightsBlackAgent, among my favorite #UrbanFantasy | #Horror #TTRPG. The #Gumshoe rules core may be a bit fiddly, but it remains #goodstuff that makes for great #roleplaying experiences. At least in my case.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:o6k3wllqhrxwdeldsqoxyo6l/post/3lrrvfiqdrc2m -
In Ashen Stars, not every contract is a winner. From hauling a moon-sized worm to arresting a warping concept called a “yamagchan,” some jobs are so bad even desperate lasers won’t bite. But players being players… they just might. #TTRPG #AshenStars #gumshoe
https://bit.ly/43jf0zP -
🐺 Werewolves fit right into Night’s Black Agents. Whether supernatural, damned, alien, or mutant, they bring shapeshifting, regeneration, and savage powers to your spy thriller. Fangs out, guns ready. #TTRPG #NightsBlackAgents #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/4lY11GS -
TimeWatch rewards clever play—and these player tips help you survive across the timelines. Boost your Health, spend stitches wisely, and reward awesome moments to keep your team in the fight. Chronal anomalies don’t wait for indecision! #TTRPG #TimeWatch #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/42QL2SC -
Thoughts on running play-by-post games of Gumshoe one-2-one using Alteregomania from @pelgranepress an excellent scenario and hack from Michael Duxbury.
https://buttondown.com/theraspyraven/archive/play-by-post-for-gumshoe-one-2-one/
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In 1616, Margaret Vincent’s tragic crime hid something darker: the influence of a heavensender—an Outer Dark Entity that feeds on social unrest and spiritual despair. A chilling glimpse of horror woven into real history. #TTRPG #GUMSHOE #HorrorGaming
https://bit.ly/3FRVql4 -
Not every horror needs a monster. Some are places. Outer Dark Intersections in Esoterrorists are locations warped by unnatural influence—haunted structures that feed on thought, fear, and belief. You’re not just in danger… you’re inside it. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3RuLv7p -
Not every horror needs a monster. Some are places. Outer Dark Intersections in Esoterrorists are locations warped by unnatural influence—haunted structures that feed on thought, fear, and belief. You’re not just in danger… you’re inside it. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3RuLv7p -
Not every horror needs a monster. Some are places. Outer Dark Intersections in Esoterrorists are locations warped by unnatural influence—haunted structures that feed on thought, fear, and belief. You’re not just in danger… you’re inside it. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3RuLv7p -
Not every horror needs a monster. Some are places. Outer Dark Intersections in Esoterrorists are locations warped by unnatural influence—haunted structures that feed on thought, fear, and belief. You’re not just in danger… you’re inside it. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3RuLv7p -
Not every horror needs a monster. Some are places. Outer Dark Intersections in Esoterrorists are locations warped by unnatural influence—haunted structures that feed on thought, fear, and belief. You’re not just in danger… you’re inside it. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3RuLv7p -
Just seeing an Outer Dark Entity might rewrite your brain. 🧠 In Esoterrorists, neurological trauma from ODE contact includes everything from PTSD to bizarre syndromes. Field agents are urged to document brain anomalies—and donate their own. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/4hYsJ3o -
Just seeing an Outer Dark Entity might rewrite your brain. 🧠 In Esoterrorists, neurological trauma from ODE contact includes everything from PTSD to bizarre syndromes. Field agents are urged to document brain anomalies—and donate their own. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/4hYsJ3o -
Just seeing an Outer Dark Entity might rewrite your brain. 🧠 In Esoterrorists, neurological trauma from ODE contact includes everything from PTSD to bizarre syndromes. Field agents are urged to document brain anomalies—and donate their own. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/4hYsJ3o -
Just seeing an Outer Dark Entity might rewrite your brain. 🧠 In Esoterrorists, neurological trauma from ODE contact includes everything from PTSD to bizarre syndromes. Field agents are urged to document brain anomalies—and donate their own. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/4hYsJ3o -
Just seeing an Outer Dark Entity might rewrite your brain. 🧠 In Esoterrorists, neurological trauma from ODE contact includes everything from PTSD to bizarre syndromes. Field agents are urged to document brain anomalies—and donate their own. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/4hYsJ3o -
Sulps haunt forgotten places—storage lockers, attics, hoarders’ homes. These flesh-cube horrors bond with victims through their possessions, stalk them, and sculpt their bones into psychic art. Another nightmare from the Outer Dark. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3DThtY2 -
Sulps haunt forgotten places—storage lockers, attics, hoarders’ homes. These flesh-cube horrors bond with victims through their possessions, stalk them, and sculpt their bones into psychic art. Another nightmare from the Outer Dark. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3DThtY2 -
Sulps haunt forgotten places—storage lockers, attics, hoarders’ homes. These flesh-cube horrors bond with victims through their possessions, stalk them, and sculpt their bones into psychic art. Another nightmare from the Outer Dark. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3DThtY2 -
Sulps haunt forgotten places—storage lockers, attics, hoarders’ homes. These flesh-cube horrors bond with victims through their possessions, stalk them, and sculpt their bones into psychic art. Another nightmare from the Outer Dark. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3DThtY2 -
Sulps haunt forgotten places—storage lockers, attics, hoarders’ homes. These flesh-cube horrors bond with victims through their possessions, stalk them, and sculpt their bones into psychic art. Another nightmare from the Outer Dark. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/3DThtY2 -
In Esoterrorists, the Membrane separates our world from the Outer Dark. Fear weakens it—let it shatter, and horrors slip through. Investigators must stop those who spread chaos before reality breaks apart. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/4c66Y0e -
In Esoterrorists, the Membrane separates our world from the Outer Dark. Fear weakens it—let it shatter, and horrors slip through. Investigators must stop those who spread chaos before reality breaks apart. #TTRPG #Esoterrorists #GUMSHOE
https://bit.ly/4c66Y0e
