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In a bit of a step change from our usual blog posts, I invite you to step back in time with us to the year 1950 and a divided Berlin...
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| Cold City RPG |
Set in a slightly alternate history to our own with the raging Cold War as it's backdrop, Cold City focuses on the underground war in Berlin, 1950.
In this divided city a multinational mix of player characters from Russia, Britain, France, America and possibly beyond form a Reserve Police Agency (RPA) field team. They are tasked to fight this secret war by hunting down the monsters left over from
sinister experiments and twisted Nazi technology.
The odds are stacked against the RPA from the beginning... ...national agendas, personal agendas, enemies everywhere... ...who will you trust?...
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| Das Brandenburger Tor |
The Player Characters
Louis Renoir (French) played by GaryB
Former Occupation - French Spy
Current Occupation - RPA Field Agent
National Agenda - Root out corruption within the RPA. The Agency needs to function properly for the good of France.
Personal Agenda - Find out what they've done with my family.
Louis returned to his hometown after the war and years of secret service to his country. He found that his family had been branded traitors and been either murdered or taken. He will find out what happened and avenge them...
Gavril (Russian) played by TrevorH
Former Occupation - Russian Soldier
Current Occupation - RPA Field Agent
National Agenda - Report back to his "Uncle" Vasili on the activities of the British and Americans within the RPA.
Personal Agenda - Recover evidence concerning the monsters they fight in Berlin.
Gavril, superstitious from and early age, has always believed that monsters existed in some form or another. He was one of the first to enter Berlin at the end of the war and some of the things that he has found here have served only to strengthen his beliefs.
Holly Wright / Juliet Bloom (British) played by PaulineH
Former Occupation - Military Doctor
Current Occupation - RPA Field Agent
National Agenda - Recover ST technology for Britain.
Personal Agenda - Recognition from her father, a member of the RPA DC.
Being forced into marriage at the end of the war, Holly fled and created a new identity for herself in Berlin. She now works as and RPA field agent right under her father's unknowing nose.
Frank Wheeler (American) played by AndyA
Former Occupation - Redactor for US intelligence during the war
Current Occupation - RPA Field Agent
National Agenda - Recover a live specimen and arrange delivery to the Americans
Personal Agenda - They tried to kill me, but why? What did I see?
During the war Frank redacted many documents on behalf of his government, but he saw something that he shouldn't have and someone tried to have him killed for it. He knows more about the technology the Germans used during the war than most. It's all just words though... What happens when it becomes real?
Ordered to attend a 2:37am briefing below the Kammergericht Building, the field team soon found themselves in the dark snowy streets of Freidrichstraβe to investigate an unusual murder reported to the RPA by the VoPos. Wheeler engaged the two police officers outside by their Trabi and established that a Frau Gissen had reported a disturbance at the Roth & Son photography shop. On arrival the officers had found the body of Gunter Roth, but no sign of his son Pavel.
It was a cold night and both officers were wrapped up in heavy coats and smelling of alcohol. One officer in particular was nervous and the team later established that some money was missing from the shop's till.
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| Sector crossing point in Berlin. |
Inside Wheeler searches the shop and finds a few things of interest:
- Blood at the front step.
- "Shop" - Cash register open and empty.
- "Shop" - A framed photo on the wall of Gunter (father, mid forties) and Pavel (son, 15/16) Roth.
- "Shop" - Various pictures (previous satisfied customers?), photography equipment etc.
- "Shop"
- Open Ledger highlighting sales and films left for processing. Cpl
Davey, ticket #7221 is recorded there and is due to collect photos in a
few days time. It had been left in on Saturday 28th of January.
Meanwhile, Gavril and Bloom worked the crime scene finding the mutilated body of Gunter Roth in the darkroom towards the back of the building.
- The body of Gunter Roth
- Eyes gone, look to have exploded from sockets.
- Time of death - midnight?
- Bloody floor and a UK size "7" footprint.
- Burnt photo on floor beside body
- Depicts a courtyard scene.
- Taken from a height looking down.
- Two or three figures in courtyard. Legs only as this part is burnt badly.
- Strange burning effect on photo.
- Barrel of a British Sten gun is partial in shot from wall that photo has been taken from.
- Early morning photo.
- Other photos from this batch #7221 (registered to Cpl Davey)
- Pictures of soldiers on parade and in barracks
- Barracks identified as "Smuts Barracks" near Spandau Prison
- Courtyard later identified by Arkady as within Spandau Prison.
- Cpl Davey is in a number of the shots, which means that if the photos are indeed from his camera that he didn't take all of them.
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| Berlin Flak Tower. |
Wheeler concludes his search by moving upstairs. The bedrooms are pretty much as expected and hold no further clues, but he does find a hidden attic studio setup to take more "private" photos. Wheeler recovers a number of pornographic images, clearly Mr Roth had some sort of sideline here...
Outside, Renoir followed tracks in the snow which led to the entrance of the Unter Den Linten station. The station itself was locked up for the night, so clearly who ever had fled this way had climbed the fence and disappeared into the U-Bahn system. Glancing back towards the photography shop he pauses for a moment before climbing the gate himself. Wheeler would later join him in the U-Bahn, but they find no sign of Pavel or anyone else except the night guard on duty.
Next door Frau Gissen confirms some details shared earlier by the Vopos officers:
- She heard a scream, shouting and then another scream.
- Saw a figure (Pavel?) leaving the Photography Shop
- A little before midnight
- Father & Son got on well together. Mother is dead. Good neighbours.
- Son sometimes hangs out at Der Regenbogen (The Rainbow) Jazz Club.
The team later arrange for Gunter's body to be taken back for an autopsy and establish that:
- Confirmed time of death as being between 11pm and Midnight
- Heat/Light source cause of internal damage to frontal lobes and eyes?
A preliminary report is submitted to RPA DC member Col Arkady who reveals that the courtyard pictured is of Spandau Prison. Arkady also warns them not to take the investigation there, but to instead keep their focus on finding the boy Pavel.
The trail in the U-Bahn is cold for now, so they elect to follow-up with Cpl Davey at the Smuts Barracks.
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