Miskatonic University

THIS IS MATERIAL FROM THE ICE CAVE. IT HAS NOT YET BEEN FORMATTED.

From: "gerald mckelvey"

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 10:00:39 -0400

For my next Delta Green adventure, I'd like to update one that I found in the Arkham suppliment. I'd really like to run the Reanimator adventure (it'll really get the CDC agent uptight….) but I'd like to update the whole campus to the 90's. Now, I can base most of the 'normal' stuff off of what a real university would have…but I'm particularly interested in the infamous Miskatonic Library. Would they have scanned some Mythos tomes onto computer disk? Or transcribed them to microfische? Or would the collection have been gotten to by DG by now? After all, MU would be a mythos loci unlike any other. The logical thing to do would be to have a DG agent (or a couple of DG friendlies) in the area just to keep an eye on things….Think 'buffy the vampire slayer' only with Byahkee and Shoggoths instead of vampires. Oh, and any ideas on that witch cult that uses Arkham as a base?

Keziah Mason was killed, if I remember correctly, but the rest of the cult should have lived on…

From: "Ricardo J. MÃÂ©ndez"
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 09:59:04 -0500

> . replace them with an electronic text version (not necessarily without
>
>

What do you do when somebody who has money coming out of his ears - ahem, Bill Gates, ahem - decides to hunt for rare tomes on the market? As Gates did with the Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Leicester, somebody could conclude what a great idea it would be to track down that copy of De Vermiis Mysteriis, scan it and sell CDs of "Ludwig Prinn", which would of course include information on the occult movement at the time, Prinn's ideas, and of course your very own Vermiiscope that would overlay a page translation so that you can go insane at home without the need of speaking German. Tomes with very few copies would be prime targets.

Since such a person isn't necessarily involved in the occult, how does a small underfunded conspiracy deal with such a person? Killing them would be too messy, and - cream pie attacks notwithstanding - getting close to somebody like Gates isn't easy, specially if like him they aren't only billinaires but busy as hell.

Enough food for thought. I have to crack the whip and return myself to work. Cheers,

PS: And anyway, it has been proved the Microsoft is an avatar of Nyarlathotep.

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 17:16:47 +0200
From: Davide Mana

> I'm particularly interested in the
>
>

[smartass nitpicking mode… that's "mythos locus"; loci is plural (or genitive)]

Very nice question, very useful topic.

Connects perfectly with the debate we had a few days back, "would DG leave a live Mythos Tome in the field at all?"

My take on the thing would be

. inpound the tomes - matter of national security or something. Look at all the stink that kid raised in the '20s.

. replace them with an electronic text version (not necessarily without some tactical cuts and maybe a pair of Crowley-style booby-traps), archived on a dead computer (one not connected with the net, that is);

[an alternative could be having the original hardcopy reported stolen or destroyed a while after the duplication]

. research on the texts can be carried out only on the premises, by appointment, and requires a presentation letter from a teacher. No copies allowed, no downloads possible

. any prospect reader has to fill a form ("The guys in the Statistical Department asked us to help with some research they are doing") and wait for the machine to be ready ("We're curently using it to double check last year's phone bills…").

The computer based text makes it extremely easy to monitor what portions of the text each reader consults or researches (the machine can simply log the user activity and store the data in a file somewhere).

Also, while the prospect reader waits for the computer to be made available, you can run all the checks you like on the guy, through the NSA archives or what.

The Mythos effectiveness of an electronically stored document has already been debated at lenght on the list. The bottom line - maybe the "NECRON\_1.pdf" does not work as well as the old hardcopy.

And try stealing that old Cray, now, Wilbur.

[but picture poor old WW that sneaks in the controlled athmosphere glass-house in the Library basement, carrying a few boxes of diskettes and an old diskopy utility]

Of course, you'll need a handful of friendlies in the staff, but considering the Miskatonic U. backlog of Mythos activities, that would be advisable anyway.

This just off the top of my head.

Any other takes?

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 17:24:36 +0200

From: Davide Mana

Then go and talk about sincronicity: this just in and ties-in perfectly with the discussion.

----——

These are the areas the SPARC initiative is interested in funding:

(1) offering an effective new electronic venue for publication of research in a key STM discipline;

(2) aggregating content/links needed by targeted users in sufficient breadth and mass to address a substantial proportion of their routine secondary research needs;

(3) addressing important objectives of universities and colleges — the certification, dissemination, indexing and archiving of research and scholarship;

(4) delivering convenient, efficient access to this information in a Web environment optimized to the needs of scientists in the target discipline, but with the capacity to provide integration of content across multiple disciplines in the future; and

(5) fostering a more open and competitive marketplace in which academe exercises an increased role in assuring broad dissemination of research.

----—-

Interesting, eh?

Cheers.

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 11:27:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: Dan Marcel

>
> > For my next Delta Green adventure, I'd like to update one that I found in
> >
> >
> > the Arkham suppliment. I'd really like to run the Reanimator adventure
> >
> >
> > (it'll really get the CDC agent uptight….) but I'd like to update the
> >
> >
> > whole campus to the 90's. Now, I can base most of the 'normal' stuff off of
> >
> >
> > what a real university would have…but I'm particularly interested in the
> >
> >
> > infamous Miskatonic Library. Would they have scanned some Mythos tomes onto
> >
> >
> >
> > computer disk? Or transcribed them to microfische?
> >
> >
>
>

See also one of the short stories in Chaosium's "Cthulhu's Heirs" anthology. I can't remember the name of the story offhand, but it dealt with the transition from an old fashioned card catalog at good ol' MU to a computer-based system. Quite well done, I thought.

From: Robert Thomas
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 15:31:41 GMT0BST

> For my next Delta Green adventure, I'd like to update one that I found in
>
>
> the Arkham suppliment. I'd really like to run the Reanimator adventure
>
>
> (it'll really get the CDC agent uptight….) but I'd like to update the
>
>
> whole campus to the 90's. Now, I can base most of the 'normal' stuff off of
>
>
> what a real university would have…but I'm particularly interested in the
>
>
> infamous Miskatonic Library. Would they have scanned some Mythos tomes onto
>
>
>
> computer disk? Or transcribed them to microfische?
>
>

There has been some discussion of this before, check out the Cave, remember your failure at the cave, mind you what you have learned save you it can. (July 16th not bloody fair!!!)

The above idea is covered in a book by Robert Rankin. Can't remember the title off the top of my head but it was interesting, he had the bad guys funding a project in which all the Mythos Tomes of the

Miskatonic were scanned into a Bio-Computer (computer with biological components) which then scanned it all to produce workable spells, this being a Rankin novel its all for comic effect, Hell it's got a time travelling Elvis in it using an "amazing rotary machine gun like the one Blaine had in Predator" (if you've read the book it's a running gag). But overall not a bad read if you want to get an idea of a modern day MU campus not that its set there for long. Could get some intersting NPC out of it though. Anyone remember Spike? Now there's a friendly ;-)

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 17:54:27 +0200
From: "Florian R. Hanke"

> See also one of the short stories in Chaosium's "Cthulhu's Heirs"
>
>
> anthology. I can't remember the name of the story offhand, but it dealt
>
>
> with the transition from an old fashioned card catalog at good ol' MU to a
>
>
>
> computer-based system. Quite well done, I thought.
>
>

I think you're referring to "Typo" by M. Winkle. Quite a funny story. At the end they decide to go back to the old catalog system.

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 12:32:45 -0400

From: BRUCE BALLON

Chaosium's minicampaign \_A Resection in Time\_ features a version of the 1990s Miskatonic U, along with what has happened to some of the blasphemous tomes, and the current librarian's attitudes to those seeking knowledge.

That scenario package, with slight modification, can fit very well in the DG universe.

Editore's Note: adaptation tips for "Resection" can be found here

From: "shoggoth"

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 18:40:47 +0200

Yeah!.. The MI of the future are using the spells that are in the Miskatonick university Net , that was made online by a cultists to share with its fellows (PGP'ed et al) , but easily decifred by the Very Long future / Dreamland projections of the MI Uh…? I had said Dreamland Projections of the MI? Heretic musings??

From: "Jimmie Bise, Jr."
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 12:58:42 -0400

> Chaosium's minicampaign \_A Resection in Time\_ features a version of
>
>
> the 1990s Miskatonic U, along with what has happened to some of the
>
>
> blasphemous tomes, and the current librarian's attitudes to those seeking
>
>
>
> knowledge.
>
>

Was this the same work that was used to some extent for "Eyes Only 2: The Fate"? If so, I definitely must have it.

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 14:06:24 -0400

From: BRUCE BALLON

Re: resection in time fate crossover

I don't think it was part of the Fate supplement, but I'll have to look again, since I got it.

If anything, I'd think the material would be in The machinations of the mi-go. The Resection scenario involves the battle between the mi-go and the brothers of the yellow sign. A decaying Arkham is featured as one of the stops in researching the links of Mayan mythology and the mythos. It also has a good gimmick for the Keeper to play on the investigators. Trouble with adapting it to DG is that is clearly indicates the presence of the Mi-go menace. I adapted it into a scenario where DG agents have already played through scenarios like Convergence and The New Age.

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 15:18:50 -0400 (EDT)
From: Daniel M Harms

> . replace them with an electronic text version (not necessarily without
>
>
> some tactical cuts and maybe a pair of Crowley-style booby-traps), archived
>
>
> on a dead computer (one not connected with the net, that is);
>
>
> [an alternative could be having the original hardcopy reported stolen or
>
>
> destroyed a while after the duplication]
>
>
> . research on the texts can be carried out only on the premises, by
>
>
> appointment, and requires a presentation letter from a teacher. No copies
>
>
> allowed, no downloads possible
>
>
> . any prospect reader has to fill a form ("The guys in the Statistical
>
>
> Department asked us to help with some research they are doing") and wait
>
>
> for the machine to be ready ("We're curently using it to double check last
>
>
>
> year's phone bills…").
>
>

Nice suggestions from David. I should add that many of them are already in place. Anyone ever been to the Special Collections department of a big library? That should be good for starters.

My research occasionally takes me to such places, so I can provide a rough run-down of precautions taken there.

- You usually can't get in unless you're a student at the institution, or if you have a student ID of sorts. (As a grad student, this has never been much of a problem.) They usually keep your ID at the desk while you're there. Sometimes they ask you to leave your bags and backpacks in lockers outside.

- You sign in, and then may have to fill out a form giving personal info, purpose of visit, etc.

- Requesting a book often involves filling out another form.

- You may only be allowed to get one, or a few, books at a time. Generally only pencils are permitted for taking notes, and you may have to use the paper they give you.

- The very fact that you have to go through all this means that only people who really want to be in Special Collections are there. No matter where I go when I use SC, I'm almost always the only person in the room, minus the staff. Thus, they can keep track of what you're doing very easily.

- On top of all this, the staff is generally protective of their collection. Just because the UB library here has the manuscript of James Joyce's \_Ulysses\_ (which they do) doesn't mean that you can just walk in and get to see it. If the person isn't dressed the right way, or if they didn't call ahead, or if the director doesn't like them or is out at the moment, most attempts to see the book will be stymied from the outset.

Now, this may not help against desperate individuals who are allied or opposed to DG, but it should be good for starters.

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 16:02:13 -0400

From: BRUCE BALLON

I suppose once everything in the university is computerized, goverment agencies can monitor who accesses what books…. the route the detectives took in the movie Seven. I suppose a DG ops could be setting up monitoring stations and seeing which bozos take out enough esoteric or restricted type books to raise a red flag, and go investigate the situations.

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 13:07:07 -0700

From: Phil A Posehn

Actually, they just check out the esoteric books and never return them. This is why you can never find Crowley on the shelves of your library.

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 23:22:36 +0200

From: Davide Mana

Curiously enough, this was what surfaced while I was researching Italian secret services with my conspiracy-minded assistant - the majority of the basic books on the subject had simply been stolen from the library and never replaced.

"On Request" was the mantra of a whole afternoon.

And as we are at it…

Daniel Harms wrote

> Anyone ever been to the Special Collections department
> of a big library? That should be good for starters.
>
>

[massive snippage due to space considerations]

Some more of the same…

A former player of mine was a member of the staff in Turin's Royal Archive - a treasure trove of (mostly unindexed) documents that includes some pretty interesting morsels (Leonardo da Vinci, Tibetan manuscripts, a copy of the AlAzif… no, really!)

Of course I asked her about the possibility of doing some bit of research in the archive.

The reaction was icy: "I don't see what a geologist has to do with our books".

[note: the lady was a lit. PhD - the word geologist was heavily stressed]

I bluffed about some Goethe observations on the Alps being archived there, with DeSaussure commentary.

[If CoC teaches something, is jazzing up bibliographies].

She relented and gave me some infos…

. no less than two months before admission

. no admission without presentation and a certification of your formal interest in the required text, signed by a Head of Department or a Sciences Academy member

. the archive is open to the public only two afternoons per week

. you can't get \_anything\_ in - no pens, pencils, notebooks, laptops. Mentioning cameras will get you weird looks

. a staff member will be assigned to you and will shadow you through the corridors and be present while you read your tome of choice

. an "adequate" dressing style is required to access the archive's reading room (Old tweeds and a pipe? Chemturion suit? Scooby Doo sweatshirt?)

And the amount of paperwork involved is simply ridiculous.

We afterwards discussed with the team the possibility that they were actively discouraging any academic interest in their institution. Best stand by job in the business, if you ask me.

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 17:21:53 -0500

From: Nightstar

Keepers,

In my games, I have always presented Miskatonic University as having a cadre of academics who, if not fully aware, at least suspect the power of the Mythos and its tomes. As a result of this, they are very hesitant to release the knowledge and would never allow it to be scanned and placed on the web. In one of my old scenarios, there existed a clandestine group of scholars at good ol' MU that utilized whatever means was necessary to separate "powerful" documents from foolish owners. All without the official support of the administration, of course. Said documents were added to the "very special collections" section, location of which is a highly guarded secret.

By 1999, I could see the scholars becoming something of a militant conspiracy in their own right. After years of academic study of a collection such as must exist at MU, the scholars would certainly have a well detailed understanding of the Mythos and what it means to humanity (notice I did not say an accurate understanding). Certainly there would have been some field research and experimentation with spells and items.

The University Guide Book Miskatonic University (Chaosium) has a section that addresses the library, exhibit museum, and vault below the museum. I found this book to be a good resource for MU during the 1920's with lots of detail. It could easily be adapted to the 90's.

Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 00:22:32 +0200
From: "Florian R. Hanke"

> Curiously enough, this was what surfaced while I was researching Italian
>
>
> […]
>
>
>
> "On Request" was the mantra of a whole afternoon.
>
>

I had a similar problem, while researching the Swiss secret service and an FBI like organisation, I simply couldn't get anything out of the computer system. I seemed as if certain keywords were just not in it. Thinking of myself not being capable enough, I asked for assistance. They couldn't believe it - we always got 0 results.

This piqued their curiosity (and the head librarian's) and after a 10 hours hunt by skimming through related books looking for references we were able to find some books on the topic through the author's name. Even when the Title only had one word in it, title search wasn't able to get it - while keyword search in our huge library is generally very good, it seemed suspiciously flawed there.

Certainly food for a conspiratorial mind. It was fun, though - especially when we celebrated success later with some alcaholic beverages.

Editor's Note: the discussion of restricted collections and archives is continued in a separate document.

From: USFORREC1

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 18:43:27 EDT

The way that modern Miskatonic is handled in my campaign is that a very toned down version of Lumley's Wilmarth foundation exists there. After DG came out, I incorporated them as a resource and group of friendlies that DG exploited. They had been used by DG to gain access to certain intelligence resources and due to their already high caution/security level, DG only monitors their collections instead of seizing them (which could create more problems than solving). The foundation has assisted DG through out its history, both as an intel resource and as additional manpower. They are sometimes sent or allowed to conduct anti-mythos operations without DG support or sanction (that allows DG to point the finger at those pesky "private citizens" if something goes wrong and perserve its own secrecy). Some members of Miskatonic also serve as DG friendlies, unaware of the true organization (they believe that they are aiding legitimate but disorganized government investigations, such as the original raid on Innsmouth.) They tend to believe that they are the world's premier anti-mythos force (they are very mistaken). I have used a lot of Lumley's background for them but toned way down the Elder Sign carrying warriors into something a little more appropriate for CoC/DG. If anyone's interested, I can do a write-up for the list (I'll add it to my ever growing list of projects to do after my Intel Templates are done :) ).

From: Mark McFadden

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 18:56:02 EDT

« . no less than two months before admission

. no admission without presentation and a certification of your formal interest in the required text, signed by a Head of Department or a Sciences Academy member

. the archive is open to the public only two afternoons per week

. you can't get \_anything\_ in - no pens, pencils, notebooks, laptops. Mentioning cameras will get you weird looks

. a staff member will be assigned to you and will shadow you through the corridors and be present while you read your tome of choice

. an "adequate" dressing style is required to access the archive's reading room (Old tweeds and a pipe? Chemturion suit? Scooby Doo sweatshirt?) »

If anyone wants to see how the scene would play out, the scene in Citizen Kane where the (faceless) reporter is finally allowed into the Thatcher Collection to read the specific pages that mention Kane is a good one. The librarian is my template for that sorta NPC.

The way she reels off the rules reminded me of the odd conversation/monologue by the housekeeper in The Haunting. She's going to say her piece whether you are listening or not.

Did I mention that everything is movies?

From: "gerald mckelvey"

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 20:00:19 -0400

thanks for all the info on both body armor and the Mistkatonic University guys. My players will just HATE it…..I can hardly wait to spring it on them…..

Now all's I need is the DG 'fate' suppliment to get here before next weekend and they'll really hate me…..