The Providence Files

The stories of a few investigators with the misfortune of stumbling into the mysterious events happening in Providence in the middle of the Roaring Twenties. Initial plan is to run 4-5 sessions.

Online sessions will happen on our Foundry Virtual Tabletop server (ask me for passwords).

Frank (priv) as Dr. Evelyn Winters

Dismayed by the undue hurdles placed in front of female researchers at Brown University, Winters now works as a librarian at Rhode Island College. She still pursues her research career in the background and hopes the books she's currently writing will open a few doors for her.

Lea (priv) as Aurelia Schultheiß

A promising student at Brown University's Physics department, popular with fellow students but also faculty. As her PhD is coming to an end she will have to navigate the harsh world of scientific research, that has chewed up so many women before her.

Margit (priv) as Lise Meitner

A veteran archeologist who does not sport an academic title, but more than enough years of fieldwork to make her a name in the egyptology community.

Chris (priv) as Rosalie McDoughan

An up and coming reporter of the Providence Journal that recently joined the paper after finishing an internship at the Boston Star. To her, the truth matters most and neither danger nor the law will stop her from getting it out.

Martin (priv) as Frederick McCraken

While he is technically just a barkeeper at The Wild Colonial, in practice he is managing the whole shop, from hiring to acquisition of “goods”. The Morellis are grossly underpaying him for his efforts, but Frederick knows it's better to earn a little extra from tips and kickbacks than asking the mafia for a raise.

Niki (priv) as Augustus Thaddeus Johnson III

A generous donation by his wealthy parents allowed Augustus to enroll as a “student” at Brown University. His curriculum consists mostly of playing polo, hunting, and frequenting the various speakeasies in town. He is a regular at The Wild Colonial Tavern.

Chris (priv) as Montgomery O'Shea

Having just finished his degree in divinity, Foster is eager to spread the word of god as a deacon at St. John's cathedral. His Irish roots still shine through in his spare time, that he spends on hurling fields and , occasionally, drinking establishments like the Wild Colonial.

Brighton P.I.

Older entries >>

• Allowed Creation Methods:
  • Point Buy (IH pg. 60 ¹⁾)
  • Quick Fire (IH pg. 60)
• All skills capped at 75% during Character Creation
• No Experienced Investigators (IH pg. 61)
• Classic Setting, Year 1925
• Characters should live/work in Providence, Boston or in between those cities
• Having at least some characters with investigative skills in the group would be helpful
• No dedicated driver char required thanks to public transportation in the region (see below)
• Player chars knowing each other based on their backstory is welcome but not necessary

• Basic Information regarding the setting Call of Cthulhu
• 2.5 hour YouTube intro to all Call of Cthulhu rules

If you don't want to create your own character let me know and I'll send you a PreGen fitting the scenario.

The capital of Rhode Island is old, as far as the colonized New World is concerned. It was founded in 1636 by a small group of settlers led by Roger Williams looking for religious freedom not only from England but also from the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

After the original settlement was established, near a freshwater spring in what is now College Hill, it slowly spread out from there, until its growth was spurred by the establishment of a wharf in 1680. This wharf became integral to the “triangular trade”: molasses, rum, and slaves shipped between the West Indies, Africa, and the American colonies. After the slave trade ended, Providence remained an important seaport. By the late 1800s, it was one of the first cities in the United States to establish industrial manufacturing, and this “Beehive of Industry” produced textiles, metals, machinery, jewelry, and silverware. Industrial manufacturing in general slowed down precipitously in the 1920s, but jewelry manufacturing continued to grow.

Providence lies at the head of Narragansett Bay, and the Providence River runs through the densely populated city’s center. Many of Providence’s street names recall its history of religious tolerance and maritime trade. Providence is said, like Rome, to be founded on seven hills. Its downtown area has numerous building from the 19th century in Federal, Victorian, and Art Deco styles. The East Side still retains many buildings in the late Georgian style of the 18th century. Stately old mansions and other houses, with their fanlights set above double flights of stairs with wrought-iron railings, and their gable or gambrel roofs, line the hills and hide the modern world. There are some structures even older, such as the oldest Baptist church in the United States, established by Roger Williams two years after he founded the settlement. Providence is also a seat of learning, with Brown University (moved to Providence in 1770) and the Rhode Island School of Design (1877) being the most prominent educational institutions, followed by Rhode Island College and the Roman Catholic Providence College.

• College Hill
  • Athenæum (19)
    A private library with an archive of rare local literature and a collection of donated personal correspondence of famous Rhode Islanders, Club membership required.
  • Brown University (18)
    A prestigious private university with departments for most academic fields. Foster's Lab and Office are at the Biology department in the northern part of the campus.
    • John Hay Library (21)
      Brown University's main library and Evelyn's workplace
  • Ladd Observatory (30)
    Many Brown students picked up astronomy as a field of study, the speakeasy in the observatory's basement might have something to do with that.
  • Wild Colonial Tavern (15)
    A popular speak easy in an old shipping warehouse, frequented by Academics and common citizens alike. Frederick manages the bar, but also has a hand in booze acquisition.
• Downtown
  • Cathedral of St. Peter & Paul (1)
    Seat of the Catholic Diocese of Providence, responsible for churches in Rhode Island as well as parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The current Bishop is known for his investment in education projects (e.g. Christian schools).
  • Milton Hotel (2)
    One of the best hotels in town, the ballrooms on the first and second floor are a prime location for exhibitions, conventions and parties.
  • Providence Journal Archives (3)
    The Providence Journal is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. First published in 1829, it is the oldest continuously-published daily newspaper in the United States and it's archives may hold valuable tidbits of information.
  • Providence Public Library (2)
    
  • Providence City Hall (3)
    Among other public offices, the city hall houses the public records unit.
  • Rhode Island Hospital (38)
    The largest clinic in the state. Offers modern treatment with cutting edge equipment like X-ray machines.
  • Rhode Island Statehouse (6)
    Seat of the state government. A place swarming with politicians, aides and lobbyists. The influence of the Italian mafia on government officials is more fact than rumor.
• Elmhurst (NW of Smith Hill)
  • Providence College
    The place to get a degree in divinity in Rhode Island. The university leadership is said to have excellent connections to the Vatican.
    • Phillips Memorial Library
      Apart from general, well-censored world literature, the library boasts an exquisite collection of religious texts and scriptures.
• Mt. Pleasant (W of Smith Hill)
  • Rhode Island College
    One of the better public universities on the east coast with a good reputation for teaching. Research departments are small and lose out to Brown University's well funded labs. Most students come from middle class families.
    • James P. Abrams Library
      The college library has an extensive collection of scientific books and literature covering most academic fields.

• Telephone

The telephone took the USA by storm and by the 1920s every respectable home had a telephone line. Even in poorer neighborhoods phone services were available at communal offices, allowing communication between all parts of the continental US.

• Telegrams

Despite the availability of telephone connections, telegrams were still a main form of communication. Short text messages were electronically transmitted between telegraph offices around the country before being hand delivered to the addressee, faster than any mailing service could hope to achieve. Telegrams were paid by the word, leading to the iconic telegram style messages.

• Mail/Messenger

• Cars

Assembly line manufacturing has made cars affordable for citizens with middle incomes. While not rare, only about one in three households (or one in ten persons) owns a car. Street traffic is becoming an increasing problem that Providence is trying to address by using automated traffic lights.

• Electric Trolleys

After years of public outrage and protests by citizens and horse-car companies, the electric trolley was introduced in Rhode Island with its first line in Newport, 1889. Public perception shifted in an instant and soon affordable trolleys replaced most of the existing horse-based modes of transportation. Investigators can reach all urban locations within Providence within roughly one hour.

• Trains

New England sports a fairly tight network of railroads, allowing investigators to reach any major locations within New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts without great difficulty.

• Ferries/Ships

Several privately owned ferry lines offer cheap rides to locations at the coast of Narragansett Bay (e.g. Newport, Kingston, Fall River) and nearby islands like Block Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

With the decline of Rhode Island's industry, traffic at the port of Providence has become sparse, but hasn't ceased entirely. Occasionally, one could catch a ride to national and international locations on a cargo ship. Regular passenger travel is handled by the ports in Boston, Ma.

• Airships/Planes

Air travel is still in its infancy, but with the right connections and a well filled wallet one could catch a seat on an airship in New York and travel to other Metropolis in just a few days. Flights are rare and do not operate on a fixed schedule due to weather dependence. Air trips usually need to be planned weeks in advance.

Domestic airplane flights are technically available, but passenger planes are small and rather unreliable.