How to write an Esoterrorist Scenario the hard way
So you want to have some fun? Break out the big guns
Here's a quick run-through of how I've put together my Esoterrorists scenario for a season of Gumshoe games on my discord. If it sounds ga-ga or fairly tongue-in-cheek, it's because it is. This is how a right-brained person and a specific individual i.e. me, put this together. I do not recommend this method for sensible scenario design. I've put my other scenarios together in a much more logical and structured fashion, but this is the way this one came out.
Step 1 - Steal
Take a scenario seed from Robin D. Laws for his Fear Itself game, Arcimboldo Syndrome in this case. Then decide to complicate matters by converting it to The Esoterrorists.
I had to do this as our Gumshoe Season has a first come first choice for picking a system and you can't run the same system more than once in a season. Fear Itself had already been taken.
NB - Stealing is bad kids, I'm using Robin's scenario seed purely to run a game of Gumshoe for my fellow humans, not to publish it for commercial gain.
Step 2 - Research and the framework
Don't worry about reading about The Esoterrorists at this stage, get a feel for the locale, it's Florida, swamp lands, and the Everglades. Learn all about this area, and get that Geography degree working. Make sure you have plenty of maps, stories and cool images. Sketch out the framework for the scenario, just in a series of simple bullet points or rough notes, whatever inspires you at this stage, it will all change.
Step 3 - Plan the Locations
Figure out 4-5 locations to focus on in a 3-hour one-shot. I often at this stage start carving everything into 3s; 3 hours, 3 phases - Introduction to the mystery, the mystery deepens, the conclusion aka all hell breaks loose!
Step 4 - Get Lost in Research
Go down rabbit holes of Research within these 4-5 locations and any connected items in the Scenario Framework. Collect links, pictures, and documents, and flesh out the Scenario Framework.
Step 5 - Pre-Gens
You're confused, lost, and don't know where to go with the story but have reams of research material? Don't worry, take a break, create 4 pre-gens, a bit of back story for them - a paragraph not pages, some trouble for each and a fair amount of like/dislike with each other.
Step 6 - Ask the Bluesky Hivemind for Everglades themes
Alligators
Prohibition Moonshine
Con artists selling land for oil
anaconda
southern comfort
gentle ben
boats with fans
gators
inbred yokels
dugongs
Everglade song by L7
banjos
tall reeds
environmental pollution
Step 7 - VTT it! (Optional)
Using whatever VTT floats your boat, create a gallery of scenes, NPCs, maps and handouts. Create the PCs and NPCs, stat them all up, and remember you did this so you can add it back into the actual scenario!
Step 8 - Map out the Scenes
You have the locations, create a rough framework for possible scenes within a location, and map out a flow between them - which scene connects to which.
Step 9 - Add clues
Now start comparing the investigative abilities of each pre-gen with around 3 logical ways to move from scene to scene by gathering clues related to the pre-gen investigative abilities, your scenario framework will help to inform you of good connections, events and NPCs. At this stage, it helps if you have read The Esoterrorists or at least have it open in front of you.
You may need a Google Sheets investigative ability matrix, this is always handy in the game anyway, so now is as good a time as any to create one - just list out in a grid each ability and which character that has it, for exta kudos points, map the investigative abilities to a scene where they are useful. Try and make sure there is a good mix of character's abilities that they can use in each scene. Aim for each character to get some spotlight time.
Step 10 - Add Antagonist Reactions and the Conclusion
What possible ways can the scenario end? If it ends positively, what can the baddies do to stop this? When will they do it? Maybe create a timeline of their activities as the PCs flounder around.
Almost too late, realise it's Esoterrorists and you need a big bad Eso Terror thing! Trawl through the bestiary section of the rules and the Book of Unremitting Terror, until you find an Outer Dark being that aligns with the scenario.
Step 11 - Write it up
Get it written up in Google Docs (other writing tools are available), all the previous steps will help. Create a Table of Contents so you can flip between each location, scene, NPC, etc.
I use a simple structures for Gumshoe Scenes:
Scene Type: Introduction, Core, Alternate, Antagonist Reaction, Finale
Lead In/Out: Which scenes lead to which
Scene Description: Depending on your style, verbose description or bullets, I like to give visceral feels - sights, smells, sounds. I tend to bold all investigative abilities that lead to clues and put [CORE] if it's a clue that can lead to another scene that progresses the mystery.
NPCs: Any interaction, motivation, expected behaviour and Stat blocks for NPCs
Maybe write a mission briefing that hints at all the horror goodness to come and distribute amongst the players, like this one...
Go back over and refresh your VTT (if you're using one) from steps 8-10.
You're done! Good luck to you, or more pertinently to me!