Red Riding Hood Mauled by Wolf

Lupus Woods - Five-year old Stephanie Moore was attacked yesterday evening while walking in the woods near her home. She was rushed to Memorial Hospital where she was treated for bites and scratches, and then released.

When asked about the attack, she claimed the wolf first growled at her, then asked where her grandmother was before attacking her. Jim Hunter, a broker with Dewey, Cheathum, and Howe, was jogging in the woods, heard her screams, and rescued her.

"She's a very lucky little girl," Police detective Dan McGraw commented after the incident. "Most of the time, attacks like these leave the victims in far worse shape - especially if they're as young a she is.

Moore was wearing a red baseball cap when attacked, inviting comparisons to the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. Hunter, however, debunked the "Big Bad Wolf" of this case at a press conference after the incident. He described the "wolf" as a medium-sized, gray German Shepherd with no collar or tags.

"It looked like a big stray," he said. "I really couldn't believe that it was attacking her as viciously as it was."

If anyone in the area of Lupus Woods knows of or sees a dog of this description, please contact the police.

Welcome to this month's installation of Chilling Thoughts. Each month, Chilling Thoughts will bring you a column which includes some small props for use with the Chill Horror Role-Playing Game by Mayfair Games. These props are designed to be photocopied (so you don't have to mangle your valuable copy of SHADIS) and handed out to the players on a Chill adventure. You will also be given details and suggestions as to how each prop could be used in an adventure or as the subject of an entire adventure in their own right.

This month we look at newspaper stories. After all, sometimes SAVE envoys uncover the existence of creatures of the Unknown without being directed by SAVE HQ. SAVE envoys have always been on the lookout for stories in the media which suggest Unknown activity. This has been particularly important and necessary in these difficult days since the unexpected attack by forces of the Unknown on SAVE HQ. As the SAVE organization works to rebuild, individual SAVE envoys must be more proactive in searching for evidence of activities of the Unknown.

The story presented here is an example of the kind of story a CM might use to get the PCs involved in investigating possible Unknown activity. For complete control of her Chill campaign a CM may write such stories herself so they fit into whatever plans she has for her PCs.

Using stories from a newspaper local to where the PCs are based will be more challenging for the CM, but can be much more interesting for the PCs. This is especially true if the CM is willing to use several stories to give her players the opportunity to choose which stories deserve investigation. For a CM who thrives on real challenges, an entire newspaper could be used with the PCs selecting which stories they want to investigate at the end of one playing session. The CM can then create adventures for the stories selected before her next playing session.

If the PCs are located in a major city, the CM should choose a paper from a nearby suburb or town rather than giving the players a copy of the New York Times. Another option would be to have one of the PCs receive a newspaper from his hometown (assuming, of course, that it differs from where the PCs are based). This would allow the PCs to travel, giving them a change of scenery and allowing the CM to craft an adventure based in a environment different from what the PCs are familiar. For campaigns set in the past, the CM can use the local library to get old newspapers instead of current ones.

Of course, some of stories will turn out to be red herrings. The PCs will spend time investigating an event that turns out to be unrelated to the Unknown in any way. A good CM will find the right balance between stories which lead the PCs to encounters with the Unknown and those which do not. The PCs will investigate and follow the false leads until they determine that the Unknown is not involved. A creative CM will arrange for such unadvantures to be as enjoyable as those that lead to the Unknown. False leads can also serve to help remind the PCs that they live in a real world where not everyone or everything they encounter is an enemy to be fought.

Although most false leads will probably involve "normal" citizens who are living quite "normal" lives, the CM can have some lead the PCs into dangerous non-Unknown situations. An encounter with a local street gang that was involved in the story the PCs are investigating could prove particularly challenging to them. They will certainly run afoul of the gang, but they might also annoy the police who will not appreciate their meddling in police affairs.

PCs investigating the Red Riding Hood story above might find that she was just attacked by a stray dog and imagined the questions about her grandmother.

Remember: young children do have very active imaginations. Low level PCs could discover that the dog was just what they expected: a werewolf. If the CM wants to give more experienced PCs a real challenge, she could have Jim Hunter be a creature that uses a dog or wolf minion to attack children so he can rescue them. He then befriends them to gain access to their homes and their families for much more sinister motives than those of a "simple" werewolf.

Using actual newspapers to stimulate PCs to investigate events close to their homes or hometowns will bring a touch of realism to your campaign that should be enjoyable for the PCs and the CM. When you do try these ideas, let us know how your players react to them. If their adventures are interesting enough, we may use them in future articles or products.