Rick O'Shea and the Munich Mystery Episode 1

The Adventures Of Rick O'Shea




This latest adventure is a mythic GM emulator game using Mike Overbo's cool app from Lone Wolf roleplaying  (many thanks Mike - I have waited so long for one of these apps that has a list usable oracle attached) I have been collecting lists and using inspiration pad pro to try and link them. However having multiple apps open is a pain and I feel like I am playing a computer game rather than an RPG so frequently lose interest. This though is great. I think Mike is trying to get it to reference lists in a different way which I hope is true as the word doc is 40 odd pages long where as the excel one is just 10 pages long.




1st Session



Beginning OP=0 PP==0 SP=0

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New Scene: The Alibi Bar, Cr White and Baxter, Lower East Side, Manhattan.

SCENE ALTERED!!!

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Private Dick, Rick O'Shea leaves his apartment and walks over to The Alibi Bar across the street. Rick rents a back office in the bar. People in Manhattan seem to prefer being seen going into a bar than a PI's office.

As he approaches the door the noise of people cheering gets louder. The Alibi is full of people. The Giants are playing and Bud has the game playing on the radio.



Rick finds a spot in the corner and pulls out his paper. No point in trying to get any paperwork done with this noise going on.

[newadventure]: Newspaper Ad
[newspaperad]: Help Wanted! – Can you deliver a message to Munich? Call 517 - 94557

Well that's not an ad you see every day. Munich eh? Never been there before, and things here have been pretty quiet - why not give it a shot?

Rick goes to the phone in the back corridor and rings the number.



Hello? Hi, my name’s Rick O’Shea. I’m ringing about the Ad for a courier to Munich. I think I'm your man. What experience? Well, until last year I worked for the NYPD until I was injured in the line of duty and invalided out. Now, now I work as a Private Investigator.............
 OK, where shall we meet?

[where]: Manhattan
[manhattan]: Manhattan - Madison Square
[citybuilding]: Jack's Diner

ok what time?
roll #1d24#: 13

1 O'clock Tomorrow. Who should I ask for?
[person]: Lando Ricci

ok - I'll see you then. bye

Rick checks the Telephone Directory by the phone
Is Lando Ricci in the Telephone Directory? (14): Yes (50%)
Is it the same address as Jacks Diner? (14): Yes (50%)

Rick heads over to Bud at the Bar.


Hey Bud - you ever heard of a guy called Lando Ricci - he's got an apartment over in Madison Square, over Jack's Diner? ? (80): No (25%)

Bud - Nah never heard a him - get you another beer Rick?
Rick - sure why not, I can't do nothing now till tomorrow.

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New Scene: Travel Scene - Bus along 5th Avenue
SCENE ALTERED!!!
roll #1d6#: 3 no encounter
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The 5th Ave bus is really busy - In the end Rick gets off at 20th Street and walks on up to Madison Square - As he passes the Flatiron building he remembers again why he loves New York City.
Arriving at Jacks diner just off Madison Square, Rick checks through the window to see if there was anyone in the diner that might be Lando?

Can Rick see Lando through the window? (28): Yes (50%)
Is he alone? (36): Yes (50%)


Ok-all seems on the level. Time to see what this is all about.

Session end

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The lists worked really well. The game is set up to be more of a Noir than Pulp setting but with just a chance of it breaking out into something wildly different. Therefore, I was surprised it took this leap - in some ways frustrating as I have so many lists about New York, on the other hand, that's what's so good about it - not knowing whats going to happen next. The Madison Square location was so random - the list has 41 locations in Manhattan but it just so happened to be the one on my american model bus. 


Black Alley Inc

Black Alley Inc

Episode 1.1




Grove City, New Guernsey. 193x

In a small speakeasy at the end of Black Alley, Thomas O'Malley and Al O'Money meet for a quiet drink.




After ordering their Green Shamrock Whisky they wait for Annie to get back to her cleaning.

Tom: "Al, I'm sick of having no money and doffing our caps at all these no good hoods from around the world."

Al: "Well I'm all for making a shilling or two and putting the Emerald Isle on the map in this city - what did you have in mind?"

Tom: "I've been watching the East Side Docks.




Many of the gangs in the city are bringing in their booze through the Docks. The booze is brought in on the boats and each evening it's collected by a gang of Longshoreman who put it into a van and deliver the van to a distribution factory downtown. 



I say we go in there, search for the boxes.........




.............borrow the van...................and sell it ourselves. I reckon we could make enough to establish ourselves in this racket!"

Al: "Well Thomas, its a grand plan. Let me round up the boys and we;ll turn the town green!!!"



Mean Streets buildings

So having done the Marine Supplies shed - I have had sufficient confidence to attempt the first Mean streets buildings.

Rather than mounting on Foam card I have printed off on paper and mounted on 450 grm black card. The reason being that I was not convinced I could cut out good windows on the foam card but was reasonably confident I could in the card



The first one attempted was the Harbour masters office and Fish warehouse.

The walls went to gether well but the model proved difficult when it came to the roof - I m not sure if this was due to it not being mounted on foam card with it wall thickness or whether there was a problem with mixed size printing - sometimes it looked like it was "fitting to page" when printing




I cut the windows and doors on the inn as I want to have it at night with light streaming out of it - that worked pretty well. Overall though there is a noticable bulge where I had to force the building together to get the roof to fit so definately not 100% satisfied and I might try making this one again in due course.

Then did the factory. Overall this one went together better as technically I think it is an easier model. I decided not to cut any of the windows off in this one. 

Still, despite the simplicity if the model there were still some problems. - One corner had no wrap around so I had to make my own tab and the proportions on the upper middle wall seem incorrect - it has the acme sign on the wall but it sits below the level of the roof.



As a model though I really like it. Probably more than the Harbour master one. In terms of detail etc though I think the Clever models ones are better and cheaper. I have purchased one of their collections and will make some of them next








New Vehicles arrive to transport people around town

I got these off trade me the other day. The 2 smaller buses were about NZ$12 each. The bigger bus and tram were NZ$22 each I think. All are made by Corgi.

Really like them - will probably dull coat them but not sure whether to shade them too though.






First Figures finished!!!

So the first of the Bob Murch figures are now finished. If I had seen photos of them finished when I was about to start I would have happily taken them. Now I am done I think the army painter has made their faces rather darker than I would have them. This was due to the not stirring then stirring and painting and not sponging of afterwards. Next time will be better. Funnily enough though the photos dont show up much of the shading and they look quite flat and not nearly as dark as they are in real life - clearly I need to experiment with taking photos to get a better final shot.














Which are my favourites? well I really like the marine captain and the guy with the spade - top favourite though is the rather odd choice of the bloke with the baseball bat. Although mostly in browns I really like the way the braces show up against the brown and I really like the tone of the bat. 

House Build concluded

So I have now finished the Marine Shed. Overall I am pretty happy with it. My perfectionist traits might have wanted some things different but I am happy with the finished product





I used pastels on the edges to get rid of the white - it does not cover very well and subsequently when I pick the model up I get it all over my hands so in future I think I will use a black pencil. I have tried pen before but one slip and it all goes badly wrong.

House Building

I have bought several Mean Streets buildings and sets but have been a bit gun-shy making them as the Foam card seems a bit daunting in terms of trying to cut the thing. However I also came across the railway terrain models of Clever Models. I bought their Maritime Supply building as I am wanting to do a dockside Pulp Alley engagement as my first game. I have started to put this together and must say I am really impressed. I think their collections look like really good value and hope to get some soon.

What I particularly like about these is the 3d look they go for - so on the example below the rusted corrugated iron walls have 3 different levels that you stick on the base level so it has some texture.




You might have spotted in the top photo the clamps being used to press the sides together. I saw these in someone else's blog a couple of weeks ago and thought they looked brilliant - but pricey - then saw them in our local craft shop 4 clamps for 3 bucks - have now bought 2 sets and they are worth every cent - used them loads already