Interest Check: Short Fantasy / Mystery RP

(Apologies to Firock for taking his idea and twisting it.)

I've been thinking of running a limited-scope D&D-esque murder mystery RP. Details are as follows:

Fluff

• Premise: You play low-level adventurers who were supposed to be taking some time off for R&R, but instead - in the grand tradition of amateur investigators - end up investigating a murder in the town you're visiting.
• Setting: Low-magic Heroic Fantasy - limited spellcasting, magic items are rare, hopefully low supernatural interference. For purposes of the mystery, there are probably going to be limitations on certain schools of magic such as necromancy, teleportation, summoning and divination. (It's not much of a murder mystery if you can just spring the required components for raise dead.)
• Races:
  • Playable: Nothing with overly bizarre physiology. In other words, mostly humans, skinny pointy-eared humans (elves), short hairy humans (dwarves), and other short hairy humans (halflings), or variants or combination thereof. I'll consider other races if necessary.
  • NPC: Standard D&D fare: goblins, orcs, trolls and assorted wildlife and other monsters (to be determined). Probably limiting the number of undead, though.
• Combat: Combat-light, but not ruled out.
• PVP: Hopefully it won't come to this, but also not ruled out. Strongly discouraged, though.
• Seriousness: In moderation. I'm not looking for melodrama, but I'm not looking for outright insanity either. Just try to take the investigation part seriously.

Crunch:

• Number of players: Not presently limited, but no new signups allowed once the game's started.
• System: I'm thinking Simple d6, 3rd Ed (by /tg/'s Shadowplay), with Aspects to be determined.
• Timeline: This RP isn't going to run indefinitely. You will have a week in-game to solve the mystery, with each in-game day corresponding to about a week in meatspace. (Which means that I hope to be able to wrap it up within 2 months.)
  • Note to potential players: Failure to post at least once per in-game day will result in your characters being added to the body count the next morning, no saving throw.
• Degree of GM involvement: Hopefully, less railroading than the last time I tried to run an RP. (Apologies to my previous batch of players.) The downside to that is that I'm not going to provide any additional hints to "move the plot along" beyond what the dice allow.

So would anyone be interested? Any suggestions?

edited 16th Jan '15 11:48:19 PM by Pyrite

Me likey. Could I make a rogue who was trying to steal something at the manor, disguised himself as a guard or something, and is now trying to solve the murder to avoid having people think he did it?

edited 17th Jan '15 12:49:18 AM by nman

Well, I did say that your characters were supposed to be taking a break from the usual adventuring gig. I have no problems with you playing a rogue - a wanted one going incognito, even - but I should be clear that you're not allowed to play as a native to the town.

The other thing I might've forgotten to mention is that the town you're visiting is... well, more of a remote mountain resort rather than a huge cosmopolitan city. It's probably most famous for its relaxing hot springs and beautiful bath attendants rather than anything of great monetary value.

Of course, it being a famed tourist attraction means that it attracts a lot of visitors, and some of them have money to burn...

Note to self: Must remember to put up more info about the town.

edited 17th Jan '15 2:38:59 AM by Pyrite

Establishing interest, Pyrite.

Before I forget: try not to goad the other guests into murdering you before the murderer does, you two.

edited 17th Jan '15 5:38:47 AM by Pyrite

Who, me? Perish the thought, good sir.

Any particular reason we're going the Adventurers/Fantasy route instead of just pure Murder Mystery?

Well, for starters, personal taste. (You, of all people, should probably remember.)

Secondly, I'm lazy. I considered a modern-setting murder mystery (as per Firock's original suggestion of urban fantasy), but while you can define your own rules concerning magic in a created setting, real life is never so neat - the conceit of setting up a mystery without outside interference gets tricky when everybody has a cellphone and Internet access, for instance. Not to mention that anyone with a passing knowledge of forensic science will crucify me the moment I slip up.

There's a third reason, but that's a secret~.

EDIT: Of course, depending on how subsequent responses go, the fantasy component may be subject to change or removal. Not counting that out yet, if a sufficiently compelling argument can be made.

edited 17th Jan '15 6:32:33 AM by Pyrite

I like the fantasy aspect. I'd likely be bored if it were modern day.