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Old 04-10-2021, 07:20 PM   #1
garrro01
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Default Help with Seven Deadly Sins

Wanting to write a murder mystery campaign inspired by “Seven”.

My initial thought has been two of the murders will have happened already and the players will have 5 more murders and then 48 hours to catch the killer or killers otherwise it’s considered a loss for them.

The reason I have said killers is maybe it’s a pair where one is in the police force or something and feeds the information of the target to their partner.

The idea for players would be they are cops and or private investigators.

I want to keep it fairly grounded to introduce people to GURPS system.

Curious if anyone has done anything like this before and has any advice or ideas to share.
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Old 04-10-2021, 07:36 PM   #2
Rolando
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Default Re: Help with Seven Deadly Sins

48 hour seems a bit short for somewhat realistic murder investigation.

You may work the murders across a week, one each day, maybe look for some esoteric significance for capital sins and day of week, make the atmosphere occult and mystic, even if it is 100% realistic, it is good for mystery adventures.
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Old 04-10-2021, 07:48 PM   #3
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: Help with Seven Deadly Sins

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rolando View Post
You may work the murders across a week, one each day, maybe look for some esoteric significance for capital sins and day of week, make the atmosphere occult and mystic, even if it is 100% realistic, it is good for mystery adventures.
Actually the symbolism for that is long established. Monday is the day of the moon, whose sin is envy; Tuesday of Mars, whose sin is wrath/anger; Wednesday of Mercury, whose sin is greed/avarice; Thursday of Jupiter, whose sin is gluttony; Friday of Venus, whose sin is lust; Saturday of Saturn, whose sin is sloth/despair; and Sunday of the sun, whose sin is pride/vanity.

But it can also be done by the hour. For example, from midnight to one on Saturday is Saturn; from one to two is Jupiter; from two to three is Mars; from three to four is the sun; from four to five is Venus; from five to six is Mercury; from six to seven is the moon; from seven to eight is Saturn again. And if you carry this on, from midnight to one on Sunday is the hour of the sun, and from midnight to one on Monday is the hour of the moon, and so on; that's where the days of the week get their names, or so I've read.
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Old 04-10-2021, 07:56 PM   #4
garrro01
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Default Re: Help with Seven Deadly Sins

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rolando View Post
48 hour seems a bit short for somewhat realistic murder investigation.

You may work the murders across a week, one each day, maybe look for some esoteric significance for capital sins and day of week, make the atmosphere occult and mystic, even if it is 100% realistic, it is good for mystery adventures.
I should have been more clear. The 48 hours was more of the time limit once the final murder occurs. My thought is each murder would take place during each play session.
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Old 04-10-2021, 08:03 PM   #5
jason taylor
 
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: Help with Seven Deadly Sins

Quote:
Originally Posted by garrro01 View Post
Wanting to write a murder mystery campaign inspired by “Seven”.

My initial thought has been two of the murders will have happened already and the players will have 5 more murders and then 48 hours to catch the killer or killers otherwise it’s considered a loss for them.

The reason I have said killers is maybe it’s a pair where one is in the police force or something and feeds the information of the target to their partner.

The idea for players would be they are cops and or private investigators.

I want to keep it fairly grounded to introduce people to GURPS system.

Curious if anyone has done anything like this before and has any advice or ideas to share.
The victims to be are:

A prostitute (Lust)

A fat person (Gluttony)

A rich person (Avarice)

A Celebrity (Pride)

A Unionist (Envy)

A brawler (Wrath)

A Vagrant (Sloth)
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Old 04-10-2021, 08:32 PM   #6
Randyman
 
Join Date: May 2009
Default Re: Help with Seven Deadly Sins

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason taylor View Post
The victims to be are:

A prostitute (Lust)

A fat person (Gluttony)

A rich person (Avarice)

A Celebrity (Pride)

A Unionist (Envy)

A brawler (Wrath)

A Vagrant (Sloth)
For gluttony, substitute a celebrity chef - their celebrity gets the attention of the PC investigators.

For pride, a stage mom.
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Old 04-10-2021, 08:53 PM   #7
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: Help with Seven Deadly Sins

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason taylor View Post
The victims to be are:

A prostitute (Lust)

A fat person (Gluttony)

A rich person (Avarice)

A Celebrity (Pride)

A Unionist (Envy)

A brawler (Wrath)

A Vagrant (Sloth)
Sloth: Gilligan. Gluttony: Mrs. Howell. Wrath: The Skipper. Pride: The Professor. Lust: Ginger. Avarice: Mr. Howell. Envy: Mary Ann.
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Old 04-11-2021, 12:43 AM   #8
Pursuivant
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Default Re: Help with Seven Deadly Sins

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason taylor View Post
The victims to be are:
A prostitute (Lust)
A fat person (Gluttony)
A rich person (Avarice)
A Celebrity (Pride)
A Unionist (Envy)
A brawler (Wrath)
A Vagrant (Sloth)
Sort of predictable and not particularly fair, unless you're going for a "noir" style mystery or stereotypical killings by a cinematic serial killer.

Most prostitutes aren't the trade because they enjoy sex, many fat people aren't particularly gluttonous, trade unionists have historically been motivated by ideals other than envy, and homeless people aren't necessarily lazy.

If you want a "cozy" type mystery, the victims should be unpleasant enough that just about everyone is happy to see them dead.

Perhaps:

Lust - A pornographer, porn actor, pimp, or just a particularly odious celebrity notable for their sleazy and scandalous sexual escapades.

Gluttony - A fast food marketer or celebrity chef. (Or a diet guru if you want to riff on Terry Pratchett's/Neil Gaiman's take on Famine in "Good Omens")

A celebrity gossip columnist, a nakedly ambitious politician, or second rate reality TV star for Envy. Basically, anyone who tears down others to build their own wealth and power and maliciously damages other peoples' reputations and careers out of spite.

In modern times, Sloth is represented as physical laziness, but "accedia" actually translates as ennui, apathy, "spiritual torpor," or sullenness. Spiritually, it represents the ability to act but the refusal to do so, resulting in "malign neglect" which damages both the perpetrator and those around them. So, rather than having the murder victim be a vagrant (stereotypical victim #1, right before the streetwalker, victim #2), make the Slothful victim more interesting - a spoiled playboy/girl or a bureaucrat or ex-military officer whose incompetence and political intransigence indirectly caused the deaths of hundreds of people.

Last edited by Pursuivant; 04-11-2021 at 12:47 AM.
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Old 04-11-2021, 03:20 AM   #9
DangerousThing
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Default Re: Help with Seven Deadly Sins

Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
Sloth: Gilligan. Gluttony: Mrs. Howell. Wrath: The Skipper. Pride: The Professor. Lust: Ginger. Avarice: Mr. Howell. Envy: Mary Ann.
Sloth: Dream Girl, Gluttony: Bouncing Boy, Wrath: Red Hood, Pride: Superman, Lust: Green Arrow, Avarice: Batman, Envy: Lex Luthor
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Old 04-11-2021, 04:34 AM   #10
Dr. Beckenstein
 
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Default Re: Help with Seven Deadly Sins

Sloth: Slacker (maybe a college student?)

Gluttony: competitive eater
"Guess..." put on sun glasses "...he bit more off than he could chew."

Wrath: The angry neighbour who dragged everybody to court.

Pride: Social media influencer

Lust: porn / sex addict

Avarice: hedge fond manager

Envy: Incel
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