Frame
From CobwebWiki
In Hell for Leather, all the players contribute to a description of the tone, themes and Prologue of the game’s story before play begins. This is called building a Frame.
A Frame is a collection of customisable components that make up the structure of an evening’s play.
Contents |
Example Frames
Sample settings and stories from the gaming community.
The Most Dangerous Game | Frame Design Contest Winner
By Sam Zeitlin
Prologue: Victorian, steamships, tropical jungles, waistcoats, hansom cabs
Adversary: The Somerset Gentlemen's Club & Hunting Lodge
Gore Threshold: 4
Connection: Survivors of the wreck of the SS Jeddah
Drop-off: The rocky beach of Ship-Trap island
Destination: London, England
Checkpoints: Escape the Colonel's island, hijack the RMS Oceanic, kill Lord Chancellor Chelmsford
The French Wars of Religion
By Eoin Corrigan
Prologue: 16th Century France
Adversary: The Crown
Gore Threshold: 6
Connection: Huegenots of Paris seek to flee France during and after the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.
Drop-off: Ile de France, Paris
Destination: Board a ship to England
Checkpoints: Escape Paris, kill the Duke of Guise on the road to Cherbourg, infiltrate the closed port of Cherbourg.
Aztec
By Jason Hickey
Prologue: The pinnacle of the great Aztec Empire following a wretched group of human sacrifices desperate to flee the wrath of their glorious leader.
Adversary: Ahuitzotl, the Great Speaker, the warrior caste and his jungle witches
Gore Threshold: 4
Connection: Villagers from the same tribe torn from their lives and tossed into this maelstrom.
Drop-off: Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan
Destination: The Skull of Huitzilopochtli, a wrecked ship nested on treacherous rocks where some great power can be found.
Checkpoints: Flee Tenochtitlan and the warrior caste, Enlist the aid of the heathen "Night Pygmy" tribe to capture a jungle witch, Navigate the Blood River and it's falls to the sea and the location of the The Skull of Huitzilopochtli
Rome
By Daniel Z. Klein
Prologue: The Roman Empire, 1st century AD. After Rome burned to the ground, Nero pretty much declared open season on the early Christians. You are early Christians.
Adversary: The Roman Empire. The entire Roman Empire. Minus the twelve other Christians.
Gore Threshold: 5
Connection: First Underground Christian Church of Pompeii
Drop-off: Pompeii, AD 79, as Vesuvius erupts.
Destination: Storm Titus Flavius's coronation ceremony at the Colosseum. Kill the fucker dead.
Checkpoints: Retrieve the scroll of scripture from the underground temple in burning Pompeii, Convert Gaius Tacitus, the local prefect in charge of rounding up Christians, and martyr him, Hijack the chariots of the Third War Chariot Squad in Rome, where they are preparing to lead the triumphal procession into the Colosseum
Terran Resistance
By Hudson
Prologue: A remote sector of Space on the outskirts of a newly formed Empire that welcomes all races freely. Secretly they plan on enslaving the lesser races. First on the list Terrans. No ships exist with faster than light technology but there is a vast communications network.
Adversary: The Portallerig, The Warrior caste of the Empire. Hunters and enforcers who impose conformity amongst the Member planets.
Gore Threshold: 4
Connection: You are an ad-hoc group of Terrans who have been given proof of the Empires plans for Terrans.
Drop-off: K'ltarhi, one of the few Terran planets scattered amongst the Empire. Under lockdown by the Portallerig.
Destination: Network Array
Checkpoints: Escape off-world, Engage the Portallerig as an example to other Terrans (make the beginnings of a resistance), Break into the Network Array (to broadcast proof of the Empires plans to all the Member Planets)
Inside the Code
By Ben Wright
Prologue: Unspecified future, Virtual Worlds, Impossible Geometry, Ritualised Combat as daily routine
Adversary: The Wipe
Gore Threshold: 4
Connection: The Chasm Gladiators
Drop-off: The Deepest Chasm.
Destination: The area Forgotten Since Testing.
Checkpoints: Finishing the Chasm Run in record time, Tracking down an ancient hacker, Breaking the Code itself
Angel Apocalypse
By Christopher Heath
Prologue: The Apocalypse, 2099
Adversary: Michael the Archangel
Gore Threshold: 4
Connection: The Gates of Heaven (Idea: play as Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael)
Drop-off: The Battle of Manhattan
Destination: The Ninth Layer of Hell
Checkpoints: Track down Michael‘s whereabouts, Enter the ninth layer via betrayal…or the long way, Convince Michael to return to Earth or do battle with him.
Rumble Fruit
By Joe McDonald
Prologue: Retro-futuristic. A carnival of psychosexual art and campy costuming, hiding a dystopian world run by organized crime.
Adversary: Rival Gangs, complete with curious uniforms and identities
Gore Threshold: 4
Connection: You're the Greased Daggers, a violent youth gang with lofty pretensions
Drop-off: At the Ko Ko Milk Bar
Destination: Reach Rabbit Island Before Morning
Checkpoints: Escape the Thirteenth Borough, Fight Your Way Past the Notorious Ducky Boys, Repair the disused subway train in Black Knife territory(Ed - This last Checkpoint was edited by Sebastian Hickey).
Lovecraftian School Trip
By Curt
Prologue: Near Past, Lovcraftian, Remote Boston Suburb
Adversary: The dark entity under the Suburb
Gore Threshold: 4
Connection: High School Field Trip Attendees Incl 2 Teachers
Drop-off: Town Square, Office of Tourism
Destination: Escape from the town
Checkpoints: Explore dark Revolutionary War tunnels for an exit while avoiding twisted creatures; Destroy twisted, cannibalistic teacher sent by the entity; Escape through the only exit which is located in dark entity's cavern
One Frame to Rule Them All!
Prologue: Mythic/high fantasy world, ancient evil returning, minions spreading across the Earth, on the hunt for the Artifact of Power.
Adversity: LORD FOUL! (cf. Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever)
Gore Threshold: 6
Connection: A group of heroes who stumbled into possession of the Artifact of Power.
Drop-off: The Hamlet of Innsdale
Destination: The Floating Fortress
Checkpoints: Get onto the floating island (out in the middle of the Sea of Sorrow), kill the Gaoler (master of intelligence, security, and torture), infiltrate the fortress (where the forge of power, the only thing that can unmake the Artifact, is located).
