The handouts (rules reference & character sheet) will be messaged to players on Discord ahead of time
Session pitch:
It’s the holiday season, and the Murder Mavens are out caroling as part of the Brindlewood Bay Lunch Club’s annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Carol-a-thon fundraiser. The carolers arrive at the grand home of Amelia Hawthorne, only to learn that Amelia was just found murdered! The rest of the carolers quickly leave to get help from the police, but our Mavens can't help but stay and conduct their own investigation.
About the game system:
BRINDLEWOOD BAY is a roleplaying game about a group of elderly women—members of the local Murder Mavens mystery book club—who find themselves solving actual murder mysteries in their quaint New England town. There is no canon solution to the mysteries, instead, players must collect and piece together many different clues and come up with a convincing theory, then play to find out if they are right!
The Mavens themselves are all elderly women whose partners have passed away and whose children have long flown the nest. Now, they’re enjoying their golden years in the picturesque town of Brindlewood Bay, keeping their homes the way they like, pursuing their hobbies, and finding comfort and companionship in each other. Their mystery book club has been meeting on the top floor of The Candlelight Booksellers every Saturday evening for the last ten years. The Mavens are particularly fond of The Gold Crown Mysteries series by Robin Masterson, featuring the globe-trotting super-sleuth, Amanda Delacourt (which only exists in-universe and not in our world).
The Mavens' special interest in these books has resulted in them becoming amateur detectives themselves, and by the time the game starts, they have helped local police solve several high-profile crimes. Sometimes people approach them to get their help on a case, but usually, the Mavens just stumble onto it—much to the chagrin of the authorities, who almost always resent their meddling.
There are some supernatural elements in play in the background, but those will need to be uncovered through repeated plays and aren't a part of this one shot. There is also a meta-level to the setting, where the Mavens are actually characters in a TV show that the players are watching. If there is enough interest in it, the game runner is willing to offer this system at future cons in a West-Marches approach where both of these elements will feature more prominently."
This game will be great if you like holiday specials, cozy murder mysteries, collaborative storytelling, improv, PbtA games, Murder She Wrote, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, One Of Us Is Lying
Players should build characters ahead.
Character creation is a really quick multiple-choice process. The game runner will contact players in advance to share handouts (rules reference & character sheets) and make your selections.
New players are welcome. Players need to have played some RPGs.
The game runner has run this game a few times now.
Tone: Silly⚪⚪⚪⚬⚬ Serious
Combat: ⚪⚬⚬⚬⚬
Role Play: ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
Exploration: ⚪⚪⚬⚬
This game will be hosted in room #3 of the TTRPG Pickup Con Discord Server. Spectators are welcome in the Discord room.
CW: Murder will be featured (but without gory details), other content will be adjusted based on players' lines & veils. Will likely contain various religious beliefs and family feuds, and may contain hints of alcoholism, mental illness, off-screen sexual activity, cults, and the supernatural.