The Devil & Ms Evans

[Old Dwarf]

Before we journey to the wilds of S.Jersey some Home Rule modifications take place.

I had trouble getting into multiple Monsters from different regions all hanging out together in a small town, so as I'm playing Solo
I changed the 2 Monster thing to 1 monster & its human minion (who changes in each Game). In this Game the minion uses the Big Foot for his stats.
He attacks by ambush (1 die) & can't be attacked until ID by 10 Brown Item Token points & once ID requires 2 Yellow Item token points to eliminate.
He also has the ability to reenter the Game if certain Monster Cards are played.

The Shape Shifter Thing- not a Fan so the 3 clues once exposed ID the Minion. Once the Minion is eliminated the Devil then may be attacked.
The Minion is Tom Leeds Clampet the local butcher. The Butcher Shop is located by the Intersection between the motel the Gas Station.
I use the Vincent Lee fig from Arkham Horror.

The Item Tokens also caused me to pause, as would the Investigator really visit the HS to pick up a Goat? So as to avoid trying to rationalize
that story line I just made the Items as picking up Information (in most cases) as only the color & # value of the Tokens are important
(at least with the Jersey Devil).

So, with that said let's adjourn to Philadelphia where Janice Evans a young Cryptozoologist has just received an email from Dana Cooper
informing her of her new assignment. She has been directed to proceed to Tuckerton NJ & Investigate what the town citizens call the
Jersey Devil which has been terrorizing the town.
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2 Weeks later -June 12,2016

Janice after making arrangements with a friend to house set her apt. & watch her cat is on her way to Tuckerton, NJ at the eastern edge
of the Pine Barrons. Driving over the Walt Whitman Bridge she hits Rt 76 down to the AC Express Way. As she settles into her drive her thoughts
turn to her research on this Devil & the reported sightings of the monster in Tuckerton. The problem was that by the time the Bureau had received
& processed the complaint & aid request from Tuckerton 8 months had passed so the trail was now cold.

Putting such negative thoughts behind her she reviewed her background research about the NJ Devil, Mother Leeds 13 child & other bits of Folklore
& reported sightings over the past decades always in the Pine Barrons. She suddenly realized although she had read about the Pine Barrons she had
no firsthand experience having never visited. Her mind quickly made up that now was a good time to rectify her lack of knowledge & being on an
Expressway wasn't the way to do it. An exit for Hammonton was coming up & she took it & then pulled off the road to check her Laptop to find
local roads that would take her into the Pine Barrons. She proceeded on Rt 42 was soon traveling through lightly settled villages among the
miles & miles of pine forest. Batsto, Nesco, Washington as she drove, she could see how such isolated places could easily hide some cryptid.

It was late afternoon before her wanderings brought her into Tuckerton & she headed for the JD Thomas BB a Resort she had reserved a room at
& after checking in & unpacking she asked the proprietor about a good place to grab a quick meal & was directed to the Dynasty Diner. She
walked the few short blocks to the Diner & while she enjoyed her dinner, she had a chance to observe the locals. She noticed that the atmosphere
held tensions boarding on Terror permeated the place & from the conversations around her the NJ Devil seemed appearing all over the town &
its outskirts. She finished her meal elated that the sightings of the monster were still going on & returned to the BB. It had been a long day
& as she waited for sleep, she wondered why the monster was hanging around this town for months when it had the vastness of the entire Pine
Barrons to roam. On that thought she drifted off to sleep.

Early Morning, June 13th

The sound of the alarm woke Janice & as she fumbled to turn it off, she notice the date Friday the 13th & thought it was a good omen on which
to start her Investigation. She dressed & went down to the B&B's dining room & found an unoccupied seat at a nearby table. She observed her
fellow guests, a young couple obviously on their honeymoon that spoke little & mainly gazed into each other's eyes, a lone man who was updating
the B&B computer systems & 2 older mem who were on a fishing vacation away from their wives. When during table talk, she was asked about herself
she explained about her Investigation on the Jersey Devil. None of her fellow tablemates were local but they had all heard the local rumors
about the monster but considered the whole thing a hoax but wished her luck.

After breakfast Janice prepared to set out & dig up whatever information she could find on the Devil sightings. It was a beautiful day & the
smell of the salt air coming off the Great Egg Harbor Bay was invigorating. Although she intended to walk around & to familiarize herself with the
town she knew her car needed gas, so she drove to the Gas Station. The attendant Gus proved chatty & when she asked about the Jersey Devil he launched
into the happenings of the past few months & she was soon inside the Station enjoying a 2nd cup of coffee. The attendant when on & on about
the monster & Janice took notes furiously. Meanwhile a shadow figure hopped from the Bandstand & into trees surrounding City Hall.

Late Morning, June 13th

By the time the Attendant finally ran out of steam about the Devil Janice was able to excuse herself realizing her time could have been better spent
but at least there was a cornual of information from Gus's lecture she could use. As it was lunch time, she drove to the Dinner to see if other
locals had recent information on the Devil sightings. Over a burger & fries she struck up conversation with Nora her waitress. Nora mentioned the
most recent sighting occurred yesterday at the Bandstand in the center of town. She also mentioned that Eleana the Park Ranger was trying to
hunt the monster down & would probably have some more information on the Devil. Janice left the Diner with another piece of information & directions
to the Ranger Station. Meanwhile the mysterious figure had disappeared into the trees around City Hall. At the cabin just beyond the town in
the Pine Barrons Thomas Leeds Clampet the local butcher had spread out the hog entrails & was returning to open up his shop. He soon learned
from his customers about the young woman who was in town to investigate the Jersey Devil. It was bad enough having the Park Ranger poking around
but now an actual investigator was on the scene she had to be stopped. He had expended too much effort to feeding his distant relative &
scaring off citizens who got in the way. It was time to stop all this interference & a grim smile crossed his lips as he sharpened his knife.

Early Afternoon, June 13th.

Janice after a short drive found the Ranger Station & Elena was in & listened to her explain about her Investigation. The was interested & was glad
for some help in trying to track down the so-called Devil which she felt was actually a large feral dog. Elena warned Janice that such an animal was
dangerous & lent her a protective vest. Janice left the Ranger Stationed with helpful Information but sobered by the thought of actual physical danger
& decided to return to the B&B resort to review her notes. Meanwhile the Shadow drifted from the City Hall Trees to the grounds of the High School
closed now for summer vacation.

Late Afternoon, June 13th

Returning to the B&B Janice ran into the proprietress who asked how she liked her accommodations. Janice replied they were fine & that she liked the
place then decided to take a chance & bring up the Jersey Devil. The proprietress hesitated then expressed her worry that the monster rumors would
hurt business. She thought it was probably the work of some bored teens. She said numerous Town Meetings had been held over the past months concerning
the Devil sightings & if Janice was really interested, she could find the records of the meetings & the citizens who made complaints at the City Hall.
Janice thanked her for the information & returned to her room ordered a Pizza & entered her Investigation notes to her laptop. Turning in early she
was looking forward to checking out the sighting complaints at City Hall. Meanwhile figure staying in shadow of the pines looks out into the Intersection.

Early Morning, June 14th

Janice had forgotten to set her alarm & overslept. Waking she realized that City Hall was just about to open & hurriedly dressed stopping only to
grab a bagel & some coffee from the B&B. Arriving at City Hall she asked for the records from the last 8 months of Town Meetings, she was told
they were all on tapes & was soon setting in a small annex listing through a set of headphones. She was soon horrified to learn there were not
just complaints about sightings but reports of actual attacks from a monster & also a masked individual. Citizens had also received threating calls
& letters. She knew from her background research that the Devil was dangerous, but she had not taken the attack incidents she had read about seriously.
Now she realized these Citizens who had spoken up were in real danger from the Jersey Devil & whoever/whatever this masked individual was. She knew
her research was now secondary & that she had to warn these Citizens of their danger. Rewinding the tapes, the first person who reported being attacked
was Willy who lived at the local motel. Janice decided to go warn him of his danger & left City Hall headed for the motel. Meanwhile the Devil
not liking the noise from the Intersection hopped back to the trees around City Hall & spied Janice leaving the building. Charging across the grounds
he attacked her. Seeing the monster coming at her Janice was able to dodge its claws & in a Frenzy the Devil went for her again but she was too fast
for it & got away. The monster its attacks failed faded back to the cover of the trees.

Late Morning, June 14th


Janice now knows how dangerous the situation has become & is determined to get the threated Citizens to safety & heads for the motel to warn Willy.
Finding Willy's room, she manages to convince him of his danger & offers to help get to a safer location. Willy mentions he knows the Tavern owner who
would put him up. He also gives Janice his pistol when he learned of her attack. As they leave the motel the Devil who followed Janice attacks her
but she fends it off.

Early Afternoon, June 14th

Janice & Willy run from the motel & Willy insists on reporting the attack to the Sheriff now that he has a witness to support his story.
Janice wants to get him safely to the Tavern but Willy won't hear of it until he sees the Sheriff. They go to the Sherriff Dept. & tell
about the attack. The Sheriff listens & dispatches a Deputy to check out the motel & when Janice questions him about the other attacks
he shares the Information he has obtained. He then offers then a ride to the Tavern but Janice decides she needs to go back to City Hall
to identify the next victim. Upon arrival back at the annex she quickly rewinds the meeting tapes while Willy nervously paces, She hears
the name of the next victim its Mr. Cash. Janice then hurries Willy to safety at the Tavern.Willy thanks her & says he remembers his
mugger wore gloves. Meanwhile the Jersey Devil eludes the Deputy & hops back to the Intersection & hides across from the Butcher shop.

Late Afternoon, June 14th

Janice with Willy safe now heads for Mr. Cash' House which turn out to be a Mansion on the edge of town. Cash is surprised by her visit
but listens carefully to her story. He tells her he had hired a PI to look into the Sightings & shared the Information he had obtained.
She urged him to seek a less exposed location as he was in real danger. Cash took some convincing but finally agreed & said that he was
a big donator to the local Hospital & he could arrange a stay. He also noted it was getting late & night was falling & suggested
Janice stay the night in his guest room & go to the Hospital in the morning. Not wishing to travel after dark with a monster on the loose
she agreed. Meanwhile the Devil having exposed itself in town slipped away to Pine Barrons around the Ranger Station.

Early Morning June 15th

Janice & Cash prepare to leave for the safety of the Hospital only to find his Limousine won't start. Rather than lose time waiting for
Triple A to come Cash suggest they take his ATV & they make a quick but uncomfortable trip to the Hospital. With Cash safe Janices
interviews some of the Hospital staff about any Devil Sightings & learns that one of the attack victims they treated had said his masked attacker
appeared the have glasses on under the mask. She also is told that Mr.Cash has arranged for the Hospitals medical Chopper has been made
available for her use if necessary. Retuning to City Hall Annex & the meeting taps & learns the next person Abe the Cemetery grounds keeper.
Wasting no time, she heads for the Cemetery which comes into view as she gets to the Band Stand in the Town Center. Meanwhile the Devil has
returned to town & hides in the alley behind the Tavern.

Late Morning, June 15th

Janice enters the Cemetery & finds Abe mowing between the tombstones, she gets his attention & lets him know he is a target & needs to
find a safe place to hide. Abe to Janice surprise needs no convincing & tells her he is also the groundskeeper for the HS School Stadium
& can hide in the locker room which is secured for the Summer. Janice has a feeling time is getting short calls the Hospital & its Chopper
soon arrives & transports her & Abe to the Stadium. She escorts Abe to the Locker Room & feeling safe he tells her that he knows who the
masked person is who attacked him. Abe said he was in the Cemetery Maintenace Shed with his back to the door when he looked up to check
the time from the wall clock. In the reflection of the clock's glass, he saw the butcher Tom Clampet enter slip on a mask & then he was
attacked & beaten. Tom told him if he ran his mouth at the Town Meetings again about the Jersey Devil he would be a dead man. It scared Abe so
much that he had kept his mouth shut. Janice reassured Abe he was safe & headed for the Butcher Shop by the Intersection. She confronted
Clampet who quickly surrendered when he saw her pistol. He confessed to feeding the Devil at the old Cabin by the Campground & harassing
any Citizen who complained. He said it was a family matter. Janice called the Sheriff & had Clampet picked up. Meanwhile the Devil left
the alley & hid among the pines surrounding City Hall.

Early Afternoon, June 15th

Janice is now ready to deal with the Devil, she figures as Clampet was feeding the beast at the Cabin that was where it would return,
she then picked up some meat from the Butcher shop & headed for the cabin. She found it locked but, on a hunch, she checked under the door mat
& found the key. She then spread the meat around the front of the Cabin to lure the beast in & then taking her rifle settled in to wait.
Meanwhile the Devil moved into the trees by the Intersection across from the Butcher Shop.

Late Afternoon, June 15th

Janice waited until dark, but the monster didn't show & not wanting to chance an encounter at night she entered the Cabin locked the door
& tried to get some sleep as the excitement of the day had finally worn off & she was exhausted. Meanwhile the Devil also waited it was
getting hungry but door to the Butcher Shop remained closed.

Early Morning, June 16th

Janice woke early just before sunrise & her stomach grumbling made her realize she hadn't eaten in over 24 hours. She checked the Cabins
cabinets & found some instant oatmeal packets. Going out to the hand pump to get a bowl of water she noticed that the meat scraps hadn't
been touched so the Devil hadn't showed up overnight. After getting the battered microwave to work she finished off her oatmeal & picked
up her rifle & went out to wait for the monster which she was sure would eventually appear looking for food. Meanwhile the Devil not
seeing any response from the Butcher Shop decided his feeder must already be at the Cabin & left the Intersection trees & headed toward
the Cabin. Upon arriving it rushed toward the food scraps but stopped seeing Janice & hopped to attack. Janice although expecting the
beast to appear was nevertheless caught off guard by its sudden arrival. She barely had time to get off a quick shot which manages
to nick one of the Devil wings. The Beast screamed in pain & flew over the Cabin into the Pines & disappeared.

Late Morning- Late Afternoon, June 15th

Janice waited around the Cabin in case the Devil returned but it became obvious the monster had fled into the vastness of the Pine Barrons.
As Night approached, she returned to town & updated the Sheriff about her encounter with the Devil then went back to the B&B & some
welcomed sleep.

Epilogue- Janice remained in Tuckerton for 2 more weeks & participated in the Sheriffs Dept search of the surrounding Pine Barrons but
the Jersey Devil had faded back into folk myth. The Town returned to normal & Janice returned to Philadelphia & filed her reported with
the FBPI & the case was closed. Meanwhile deep in the Pine Barrons amid the remains of the settlement of what was Ong's Hat a Shadow
lurked among the pines.

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My first Game after finally getting my preorder released from Miniature Market. It was also a sort of Beta Test for my Minion
Home Rules. The Minion worked OK but as the randomly selected monster Icon was Bigfoot & due to the luck of the Shuffle didn't show
up much in the Cards revealed.

I'll need to somewhat customize the Minion for each Monster to see if the ID & Defeat Mechanics for it are balanced. Janice had
a fairly easy time of it but I think it was largely due to the Bigfoot Icon Cards not coming out & the number of Brown Tokens
that were placed out of the bag. It also used the Bigfoot Frenzy Stat so didn't help in bringing it into the Game more often.
I need to make sure the Minion matches the same difficulty as the 2nd Monster it replaces.

OD