Two-Headed Serpent: Part 6 - Belgian Congo

[@jamesrivettcarnac]

14:46 Perfect gun to be in the village: M1870 Belgian Comblain. Belgian equivalent of the Martini Henry.

[@itmademesignup9508]

The thumbnail featuring what appears to be a T-Rex wearing a Mayan armored headdress sold me.

[@dubuyajay9964]

Looks more Egyptian or Stargate to me.

[@itmademesignup9508]

@@dubuyajay9964 Ya, "Belgian Congo" didn't register at first...but it still I think it looks more South/Central American than African...

[@dubuyajay9964]

@@itmademesignup9508 I think the armor makes it look like the "Egyptian" Exodia from Yu Gi Oh. 😋

[@SabreXT]

It's great artwork.

[@LFielding07]

I really like the running joke with lucky escapes from death "I was falling through the sky without a hope when all of the sudden..."

[@jkl1110]

Jack: *thoughts* "you know, jane is very attractive when she's -" Jane: *eats a woman over a few days* Jack: *drink profusely*

[@SabreXT]

He's back to being the alcoholic he was in The Haunting.

[@jkl1110]

@@SabreXT I mean, fair lol

[@mattieguilliams129]

LoL

[@Ravell52]

Your content is always something to look forward to. Thanks, man.

[@Tony-dh7mz]

Ditto

[@JabAtLife]

No doubt. I enjoy Seth's video until the very very end with Jack

[@Natakupl]

Jane is the alucard of this game. Going against her own people for the good of humanity.

[@richmcgee434]

Team Four Star has permanently redefined the name Alucard for me. All I can think of now is jokes about the Crimson F****r and taking VERY enthusiastic walks.

[@Tysto]

5:39 LOL Chaosium never got the portraits right. These aren't 1920s-30s women's hairdos.

[@leighjohnson3720]

Great as ever Seth. Havent run this yet but noticed that npc portraits at 7:12 are minor English soap celebrities Mike Reid, Barbara Windsor and Pauline Quirke. All the more disturbing - am making a SAN roll as I type....

[@Dorian_sapiens]

How funny that they used those likenesses! Thanks for pointing it out.

[@leighjohnson3720]

... just made it even more disturbing... :)

[@skyblazeeterno]

Eastenders and Birds Of A Feather are more scary than Cthulhu :)

[@skyblazeeterno]

@@leighjohnson3720 One of the Cryptozoologists looks like Britney Spears too!

[@NodDisciple1]

13:15 14:25 If the PC's have brought weapons with them, could they have been locked in the shed with the other weapons or one of the offices? I could see this as a good means to help re-even the odds by having them re-discover their old gear locked up somewhere along w/ the newly acquired serpent and NPC weapons.

[@SSkorkowsky]

According to the module, all their gear and weapons were stored at the Pyramid where they arrived. Them the PCs were carried to the village for questioning. To me that makes sense that they'd leave them there.

[@ihaveterriblerolls9531]

Serpent Person Jane's portrait is both scary, but still weirdly attractive and she seems to always be so involved in even the most mundane of scenes. Sorry Buck I gotta new favorite. Plus Seeing Seth in a dress is always a hilarious plus

[@richmcgee434]

Player characters casting Consume Likeness would ordinarily be a bit of a red flag, but I suppose in Pulp Cthulhu different standards apply. :)

[@SSkorkowsky]

Jane had somehow managed to make it through the whole campaign without going insane. The player either always makes her San rolls or rolled minimum San loss. Then on San recover periods she was rolling very hight. That was up until she consumed that lady. Between her full transformation and that spell, she lost a whole lot very quickly. I didn't go into in the vid, but Jane now has an alternate personality which is a backwoods Oklahoma farm girl that emerges when she has bouts of madness.

[@richmcgee434]

Interesting. Idealized childhood self that she'd set behind in adulthood coming to the surface as a defense mechanism against her loss of humanity?

[@SSkorkowsky]

The belief that the spirit of the farm girl she consumed was still inside her.

[@richmcgee434]

Ooh, that's even creepier. Especially if the brain destruction wasn't as complete as she thought and some vestige of her victim really IS in her head now.

[@kevingooley9628]

@@richmcgee434 isn't CoC great? 😳

[@permissive-pedantic7686]

This review is so perfect with jacks skits, it just makes everything so much better.

[@AlVainactual]

Boba the Bounty Hunter? Is he a Mandalorian clone?

[@txbolt1116]

Shhhh... you're telling my secret and, yes. :)

[@falcon989]

If he gets killed by a tentacled Horror called the Sarlacc, I'm out!

[@txbolt1116]

@@falcon989 Spoiler Alert! JK

[@saintjst7]

The last portion of my work day just brightened up. Thanks Seth.

[@JDanger_]

This is the cherry on top of an already wonderful week. Another great video Mr. Skorkowski

[@Maggerama]

16:24 choked on my tea. You rock, Seth!

[@tychoinshadows]

Always pleased to see another of these videos pop up!

[@mirigolde8502]

Love this series. Also love old-school campaign naming traditions. "We need two cryptozoologists.... hmmm... how about Rou... and... Garou.... no one will know what we're doing this is genius!"

[@meatguyf1375]

Thanks for putting this up. A good way to end a long work day here.

[@gothmissstress]

Oh Jane 😂😂😂

[@Tony-dh7mz]

I very much appreciate the effort you put in to making your videos, I binge watch your videos to relax, one of the most fun channels on all of KZbin Thank you :) And Happy Christmas

[@SSkorkowsky]

This makes me happy to hear. Thank you.

[@zachary37]

I know I'm late to this but oh MAN you make me want to play Pulp Cthulhu.

[@justaturducken9741]

Gotta say, I think this is one of your best yet. Can't wait for part seven!

[@squeethemog213]

This was an exciting episode. The T-Rex fight was cool and the intrigue about part 7 heightens my excitement. This campaign is so cool!

[@ReustersPlace]

Jane says “while you were examine me did you happen...” oh god no... oh... scales...

[@harjutapa]

18:04 - that look in Buck's eyes is from watching Jane eat a person.

[@TheMerrox]

Oh yes, I had to improvise (and rewrite) a LOT on the fly with this one!! *** SPOILERS Below *** It took a very different turn already from the beginning. It became an escape from the hospital chased by serpant soldiers, they ran thru the jungle until they found a dirt road and managed to highjack a military supply truck, the last one in a small convoy of 3 trucks by laying waiting for them and taking out a tire of the last one and hijacking it while the drivers changed the tire. Then finding their way down to the river (pretending to be the 3rd truck in the convoy and driving after the others), stopping a bit up the road, jumping off the truck and trekking thru the jungle down to the dock hoping to catch a ride out of the jungle (I made them hate jungles so bad in Bolivia that all they wanted to do was to find civilization and leave hehe), drinking a couple of warm and bad beers at a small and filthy ramshackle of a bar at the riverboat dock (not eating the meat they were selling there, mumbling something about eating "monster meats in Bolivia), managing to bribe their way on to one of the riverboats going down the river with the supplies from the trucks. Finding a sunken riverboat, getting attacked by the Mosasaur (oh man that thing is bad news!) that wrecked their boat but they managed to get themselves to the shore (by blowing up the boat and swimming while the dino chomped on the poor captain and crewmen). Then looting the other sunken boat they, finding some supplies and rifles. The trekking up a path leading up into the jungle, finding a small village were they could find some rest, food and water. They also found out that there were others there as well, and here I introduced Roux and Manville and some of their crew. (because they never met the Doctors and serpent nurses I just stuck them in here, making them a part of the same gang, going to investige the sickness in the village but got attacked by the rivermonster and ended up here meeting the players. So now the Dr has done what he could and asked if the players could help them find their way to civilization again so he could get more equipment and study samples and flyes. And the PCs thinking its better to travel in numbers said yes and so they went. Now they are sitting, resting at a small campfire, dehydrated and tired to the bones, in the middle of the night in the jungle and have just heard the first heavy footsteps from "something big" coming their way. ;-) A Rex-patrol have noticed the campfire and is coming to investigate. So now I have many fun things to look forward to until the next session. What will the "serpant nurses" do for example. They still pretend to be nurses just to see what information they can get out of all the humans that seems to now way to much about everything. I reckon it will be a hell of a fight. T-rex patrol and the serpant nurses. But the PCs have some rifles and some NPC support so it should be a fun little battle. If they make it Im thinking of letting them find the pyramid and then take the rest of the chapter the way it is written. (this is a very shortened down version of all that happened ofc.) =D

[@SSkorkowsky]

1: That sounds like a badass adventure. 2: That's a glorious example of how player experiences can be so radically different that each other. 3: This is perfect example of how even on a pre-written scenario, a GM has to still improvise the living hell out of it. Good job adapting.

[@samuelhaight195]

My crush on Jane is on the ropes cause of the scales. And cannibalism 0_o

[@SorryBones]

My crush on Jane has grown stronger because of the scales and fangs 🐍 Edit: Wrote that before she hit the last stage. That shit is freaky I’m backing out

[@adamfisk3168]

@@SorryBones sorry bones...once you go snek...

[@oz_jones]

Not cannibalism

[@mackdebruin999]

Luv your videos Seth!!!

[@nightspawnson-of-luna4936]

I really have to *hand* it to you, these videos are really good... ;)

[@braddoc4087]

I see what you did there!

[@andrewtully3622]

For those of you who recognise Boba, that's because that os a picture of young Ghandi as a lawyer.

[@johanneskaiser8188]

This sounds so amazing, I might end up buying the book for my collection of rulebooks and modules/adventures/campaigns that I'll never get to use.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Another awesome video, Seth! AND speaking of improvise... With it being a clinic, I'm kind of surprised nobody thought of building a potato-gun... I know, it's not the most impressive firearm, BUT it IS a firearm, capable of launching a potato (all or part) some several hundred yards effectively... and reliably if built reasonably well. The ammunition would have to rely on "sabots" probably improvised from bed-sheets, linens and towels, or other rags... AND from a clinic, plain alcohol could power the thing... Even the "older school" versions with a touch-hole for a cigarette lighter would be some irresponsible improvement over a spear or machete... even at pretty abysmal chances of piercing the T-rex... though with some thought towards a penetrating projectile, an excuse could be made... Not that I'm complaining. Sometimes (and in some groups) the harder fights are the more entertaining anyways... It's just a thought for potential future "re-visits" and to think about between campaigns and modules. ;o)

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@vincentseeger9367 XD

[@Darksummerswind]

Glad to see another part out. Gotta feel bad for Jane though

[@pokemontraineralthur3130]

Playing this chapter was fun so far, one of my players got one of the trexs by a few luck rolls. He's named it Mark Bolan, it's currently outside of the pyramid with a bunch of zombies. I'm gonna make it a dramatic scene later with it fighting off all the zombies as its way too big to bring back to NY

[@euansmith3699]

"... completely unrelated to that, I'm completely out of luck by now..." :D

[@Andulvar]

"Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun and games We got everything you want honey, we know the names We are the people that can find whatever you may need If you got the money, honey we got your disease" Sorry...I had to.

[@alanrennox7340]

Simply Awesome

[@MaxWriter]

Very cool.

[@StutleyConstable]

Regarding possible weapons for the PCs to find, I suggest looking up the weapons used in 'The Ghost and the Darkness' movie. There is actually a website with a page that specifically addresses the various weapons. Also, keep in mind there should be a wide range of firearms from flint lock weapons to the most modern revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. Lever actions like Henrys and Colts would be available, but more common as hunting weapons would be single shot bolt actions. Military arms from a bygone period could be found as surplus, but modern military weapons would be almost impossible to find. Hope that helps add a bit of detail to your adventures!

[@kevingooley9628]

Martini-Henrys, Lee metfords, Lebels, Gras, maybe even chassepots. Early model Mausers, maybe an odd nagant. All good mil surplus European rifles that could be found in Africa around this time.

[@Mahoromatic]

This is really fun to listen to, cheers!

[@skirk248]

F for Patch

[@jackleg2007]

Another great story! Was the picture of Bobi a young Ghandi? Also, you should listen to the creators of the adventure at Blasphemous Tomes. They had their own stories during playtesting. Looking forward to the next chapter!

[@SSkorkowsky]

I'm actually listening to it at this moment :) Honestly, I have no clue where the player got their character portrait. I know he was named after Boba Fett because the player is a massive Star Wars fan(notice Patch's helmet dent). I've considered we run some Star Wars games just so I can borrow his storm trooper armor more Jack the NPC skits.

[@txbolt1116]

@@SSkorkowsky Actually... yes... it is Ghandi. The irony of the character's story in contrast was funny to me.

[@guinotrool]

my player was eaten by a t-rex

[@FordPrefict42]

Boba is the bounty hunter for a local crime boss. Are Luke, Leah, and Han in this one too?!?

[@jmartin4396]

Nice, I have that same shirt.

[@aleksimartikainen9131]

Rock on Seth! IA IA!

[@SabreXT]

That T-Rex artwork is great. How did you answer the question about the nurses noticing Jane's scales? I remember in an early episode you said Jane had a high attractiveness rating. Did you reduce the stat, or is she now really attractive to serpent people? One thing that surprised me about this this campaign, and this episode in particular, is how much horror their is. A pulp adventure vs serpent people makes me think of Kirk fighting a Gorn or other similar cheesiness. But between those human suits in Iceland and Jane biting people and eating people whole, it's not pulling any punches. While individual adventure might be "scarier" for lack of a better term, this one seems to consistent while also escalating the horror elements.

[@SSkorkowsky]

Yeah, Jane started with a 95 attractive. That started going down when that scaly patch began on her chest in Episode 1. Then it continued downward as her transformation progressed after she was hybridized. She was an attractive serpent person, but only a serpent person could deduce that. The doctor believed it was some unusual form of psoriasis, and because Caduceus had its origin in being a pharmaceutical company (or at least Meadham did) believed she was undergoing some new kind of treatment for it because he didn't notice it at first. That was their first big clue that their situation was a scam, but they couldn't figure out how since the Doctor clearly wasn't lying to them. The adventure became more focused on who to trust. While they never found the listening devices in their rooms until after they'd killed the serpent people, they were clever enough to do most of their whispered conversations outside behind the shower-houses. All the Jane Horror in this one was from my players. Jane had to use her bite attack against the Serpent Person soldier because she had no other weapons and soldiers are a tougher form of serpent person. Then her consuming that one lady's Likeness was all them. I gave them a copy of Consume Likeness in an earlier adventure, but hadn't fully expected it to be used. For me, the horrors are the things going on inside the labs. First the chemically lobotomized people from other adventures. All their work to save people has been ultimately useless because Caduceus was snatching them up. Then some of the experiments inside, like unraveling screaming patients' nerve systems without any drugs. That was the one that got the most reaction from my players. The trio that wrote the campaign (Fricker, Dorward, Sanderson) have also given us some extremely dark CoC scenarios, so they didn't change their subject matter too much as they did the setting for it.

[@SabreXT]

​@@SSkorkowsky With her main stat was effectively crippled, did she get super strength or natural armour or something to compensate?

[@SSkorkowsky]

The scales gave her some natural armor, and the bite attack was also helpful. Because so much of the Serpent Person tech relied on it sensing Serpent Person pheromones to use, I gave her the ability to smell who was a serpent person after she was transformed.

[@dubuyajay9964]

Can you suggest a means of tying The Lost Expedition to this campaign book, since both involve dinosaurs, teleportation devices, prehistoric alien tech, the Mythos, and aliens?

[@SSkorkowsky]

It could be done, but not without some very heavy changes, as Lost Expedition is about Elder Things on a different dimension. But off the top of my head, Caduceus sends the PCs to China to recover something found at a dig site, but there they discover the alternate plane. Then add some tech they're supposed to recover for Caduseus, like a weapon the Elder Things used during the wars against the Serpent People on Mu. I'd cut all the stuff about the weird dino-fossils and make the dig site some sort of Archaeological ruin where the artifact was reported.

[@kensvideos1]

Soo Good!

[@Calveers]

Oh, Jane...

[@adamtifone9243]

I have a question Seth did any of your players make this joke I have two headed serpent in my pants

[@SSkorkowsky]

Not that one

[@lbpews9919]

Is it bad that I've started throwing Jack the NPC into my games at complete random (usually as a simple commoner that knows a little too much about adventuring than he should)?

[@SSkorkowsky]

Not at all. I've often turned NPCs from one campaign into weird walk-on cameo roles in others. The Genghis Khan-style main villain from one campaign appeared as a bartender in some random town in the next one. The god Horus, who was a big role in one D&D campaign, was a black-market arms dealer in a Cyberpunk campaign later on.

[@kevingooley9628]

@@SSkorkowsky these little Easter eggs are always fun for the regular PC's. I had a 4e rouge who leveled out of play that the DM liked so much he became an NPC in our campaign realm.

[@machinaheart]

This series is MOST entertaining, I love it so much! (also, jane, damn girl you're ... wonderfully pragmatic ;D!!)

[@josephburton6539]

You use 'session as a standard measurement of scenario length. How long are your sessions? I have played with groups that play for 3 hours at a time, but also groups that will go for 6+ hours a session. It would just make it easier to know how much I can expect for my different groups by knowing how long you mean by 'session.' Thanks, Joseph.

[@SSkorkowsky]

Our sessions are marathons. Usually running from 2pm to midnightish. However, we also spend about 25% of that time chatting about whatever, catching-up, eating, joking, etc. Also my players are notoriously slow. Games that have advertised themselves as 3-hour scenarios have regularly taken my players 5-6, even if we're all locked in and keeping the outside chatter to a minimum. I have 2 players that individually can follow the story very efficiently, but if they're both at the game then they jump down every rabbit hole in the world or will freeze up and over-analyse something to the point of insanity

[@josephburton6539]

@@SSkorkowsky Your group sounds a lot like my main group, very slow! Thanks for the reply!

[@stephenblevins3829]

Your group sounds like mine as well Seth...:-)

[@dubuyajay9964]

09:22 Does Mr. Corbitt raise raspberries? 🤪

[@stm7810]

Spoilers for the game Because of the wierd science my character does and the high appearance of our hybridised friend, we both quickly realised we couldn't have had our hair cut by others since mine still had the burns in it caused by chemicle experiments and hers was nice. then once we got into the office of the doctor and had a chance to use the radio when he was out to rest we learnt the date, and since even as a player I was tracking the day and time constantly (partly because of magic point regeneration), we had it confirmed, also found the wire bug, I telekinesised the trigger out of 1 of the nurses hands just before they could use to prevent the flies swarming the place, we killed 1 of them but were able to capture and interogate the other and even let her free with the plan of letting her go to new york to live with me and all my other house guests to let her do science. the T rex fight was awesome, a second 1 ended up coming, and since I could telekinetically grab the helmet of the first serpant person controlling 1 of them I had control and used the dinosaur to not only win the fight, but then have us all ride it like the flintstones straight to the mine, no one having to die. Once we explored the buildings and found the pyramid, I had to leave the T rex behind, but I kept both helmets in hopes of using them for science later. Killing a T rex is cool and all, but riding 1 is next level badass! With the fight I despite not putting anything into intimidate got a critical success to get them to stop and we managed to get several serpant people on our side to come with us including 1 who worked with the dinosaurs. It helped more that we followed up with persuasion, teaching them about unions, workers co-ops, and all that good stuff, so now I have serpant people scientists living at my place experimenting. We even saved a velosoraptor which was adorable, but had to rush out of the pyramid through the gate due to re-inforcements arriving which we didn't want to risk fighting off, I used my wierd science to set the reactor to self destruct, the chief and all back at the villiage safely, Rou and elephant gun creep coming with us and the turn coat serpant people where we snuck out of kaducious, stole a truck, I waved friendlyily at the workers as we drove past to make it look like we were meant to be driving it, and everyone got back to my place with the note were we met up with Quinton.

[@CT_Phipps]

Seth, you set up her eating them!

[@RDeathmark]

Boba the bounty hunter? His last name doesn't start with an F does it?

[@txbolt1116]

Yes.... yes it does :)

[@KuyVonBraun]

Is Boba a young Gandhi? 😊

[@txbolt1116]

yes... because I found it funny that his attitude will be nothing like Gandhi

[@notoriouswhitemoth]

...Could that petrification gun have helped with the tyrannosaurs?

[@thereviewman1834]

Sweet a new video but unfortunately I can't watch it because I don't want to spoil anything for myself

[@amfdfireinside]

What was your detailed story?

[@dubuyajay9964]

Sorry about what happened to Jane, Jack. 🤯

[@nightspawnson-of-luna4936]

4:12 wow... a bounty hunter named boba... how original

[@txbolt1116]

If ya can't have fun with it, what's the point?

[@nightspawnson-of-luna4936]

@@txbolt1116 Hey, I'm all in favor of fun, I have mine through sarcasm and wit...

[@txbolt1116]

@@nightspawnson-of-luna4936 No sweat.

[@railbaron1]

When in Rome, Do as the Roman Do