Scooby-Doo And The Old Graveyard

It is the afternoon of 31 October. Mystery Inc are putting up decorations and planning for the inevitable Trick or Treaters that will be visiting later this evening. But their plans suddenly change, as a mysterious envelope is discovered on the floor beside the front door, addressed to them all.

A strange note is left for the attention of Mystery Inc.

Fred is quick to call Sheriff Stone about the letter. The Sheriff is sympathetic, but Hallowe'en is a very busy time and the Crystal Cove Police Department have a lot to do tonight. Nobody is available to help. However, he is grateful for Mystery Inc's assistance and tasks them to find out what's going on and report back, so that action can be taken if required and any nefarious villains don't get away with it because of those meddling kids.

Obviously, Mystery Inc. have little choice but to go to the Old Cemetery to investigate...

This is the narrative of a game of 7TV making use of the revised 2nd Edition rules and the Mystery Inc Programme Guide. The scenario was originally designed as a multi-player game to introduce new people to 7TV but owing to spooky goings on around halloween time (or, more accurately, inclement weather) there were only two of us in the end and Will had to do all the investigation on his own. 

The scenario was set up so that only Mystery Inc could claim objectives, each of which corresponded to clues to assist Mystery Inc in working out what was going on. More information was available in a lot of places but much of this was missed as Scooby and company trusted to their own instincts and tried to work things out regardless. 

Mystery Inc arrive at the Old Cemetery

It is early evening when Mystery Inc arrive at the games of the Old Cemetery at the edge of the town of Crystal Cove. The photos show more colour than the final cartoon, which is more misty and grey for overall effect, probably with a spooky full moon. You get the idea.

When they arrive they come across a local reporter from the Crystal Cove Herald, who joins them. Mystery Inc accept this situation without further question. The reporter, who finds himself slightly ahead of them, leads the way into the cemetery, beckoning the others to follow.

Fred and Daphne advance enthusiastically. The Mystery Machine follows, protesting, as Shaggy drives it across the rough ground of the Old Cemetery, which is generally poorly tended, with heavy weed growth that conceals any gravel paths there might once have been. Scooby follows behind, keeping close, frequently looking behind in this spooky place. 

"I've found a clue," Velma calls, spotting a poster pasted on a fence post beside the cemetery gate. "It's a poster for a missing person -  Samuel Shivers, head of the SOC volunteers - now I wonder what that could mean..." But the others are too far ahead for any discussion, so she runs to keep up as best she can.

"There's something over there by that monument..."

Ahead, concealed by the mist, there is movement. Red-robed cultists exit from a small mausoleum at the far end of the cemetery. A large and mysterious ghostly figure wielding a massive scythe somehow emerges from beside an ancient tomb that might even be a sacrificial altar. Who knows, it's certainly the right shape.

"...Mwahaha! And now, my nefarious plan begins!"

The leader of the cultists raises his arms and begins a sinister ritual. Mystery Inc hear spooky chanting, and looking in that direction, notice three corpses gradually lift themselves out of some nearby graves and lumber towards them. 

"Zoinks!" cries Shaggy, "Zombies!"

"Urgggh! Brains... must have brains..."

Shaggy has barely reacted to this when more danger is suddenly upon them. The ghostly figure vanishes and reappears right in front of the Mystery Machine! The momentary relief Shaggy feels when he realises the ghost is not after him is momentarily replaced by guilt when he realises the ghost is after the reporter, who seems unaware of any danger. Scooby, whose knees are knocking together uncontrollably, hides behind the vehicle.

Velma, who has been left behind again, investigates the object at the memorial. It's another clue! "Hmmm," she thinks. "A shopping list for groceries. Unusual. Perhaps it's just litter, though, and not a clue at all?"  

The ghost with the large scythe does its best to approach without raising suspicion

Unaware of Shaggy's concerns, Fred and Daphne have gone to investigate an unusual object at the beside a grave on the other side of the cemetery. As they approach, they are susprised by a second ghostly figure, which appears as if from nothing in the mist right beside them. Daphne stands still with fright, but Fred, who is made from sterner stuff, punches the spectre full in the face, only to find his hand pass cleanly through it. Keeping his cool, Fred prods the air around the creature, disrupting the ghostly figure which abruptly disappears. Realising he can make shadow animals with his hands, it is not long before he discovers the portable projector lying beside the gravestone. The ghost was a cheap deception. Beside the projector is a second clue, an opened, empty catering-sized can of tomato ketchup. What can this mean?   

"You're not an apparition, you're a projection"

Shaggy steps on the gas, attempting to run the ghostly figure over with the Mystery Machine. But Shaggy wasn't wholly familiar with the game rules. The creature is simply displaced, and while it is shifted away from the reporter, it finds itself right next to Scooby-Doo. Velma, who was occupied with what she thought might have been another clue, but turned out just to be some small plastic bags with some traces of white powder in, races to help Scooby deal with the monster. But the creature surprises her and, losing her glasses, she runs into the back of the Mystery Machine and is badly bruised.     

"Rooby - - oo-er!"

Fred, who is beginning to understand what's going on, runs back to assist, followed by a considerably less enthusiastic Daphne.

"We're coming, don't worry!"

The ghostly shape has moved away from the Mystery Machine and is able to attack the reporter, who is weakened by the creature's fearful gaze.

"Soon, mortal, you will be in my power", the ghost silently thinks

Meanwhile, at the Mystery Machine, the zombies are approaching. 

The zombies slowly approach

Fred and Velma are quick to respond to the reporter's plight, and both attack ineffectively. The reporter, however, has a brilliant idea, and gets his notepad out. 

"So," he confidently asks the ghost. "Do you enjoy running around old graveyards dressed in an old sack like an idiot trying to scare people, or are you just mentally deficient and incapable of normal social interaction?"

The ghost, who wasn't expecting to be interviewed, is immobilised as it tries to work out how to best answer a leading question.

As it hesitates, Scooby runs in and pulls on its scythe, knocking it over.

It's an undignified combat for a respectable monster

Shaggy is starting to get worried as the zombies start knocking and drooling on the windows of the Mystery Machine. He turns the windscreen wash on them, but to no effect. Looking to the side, he sees yet more zombies rising from their graves and bearing down on him slowly. 

Now is not the time for the battery on the Mystery Machine to fail, but the headlights are unexpectedly dimming in the darkness of the graveyard...

"Urrrgh... fair enough, we'll eat you whether you have a brain or not, then..."

Meanwhile, as Act 2 raws to a close (yes, already!) two of the cultists are instructed to get something from the Mausoleum. And the spectre reappears - someone obviously brought along a second projector.

"Mwahaha! All is (just about) going to plan!"

The ghost, who realises that it can't answer the interviewer's question anyway because it can't speak, uses its evil gaze to give everyone nearby horrific visions, and all are weakened. With this advantage, it attacks Velma, who is already badly bruised, and she collapses, helpless.  

One down, many more to go

It is the finale! The cultists emerge from the Mausoleum carrying a sack, which moves as if it contains something like a bound sacrificial victim. 

"Bring forth the sacrificial offering, er... sack"

Shaggy spots the struggling sack, and senses that something needs to be done. "Zoinks!" he cries, driving the ailing Mystery Machine as fast as possible towards the cultists, attrracting the attention of the individual carrying the sack, who is for some reason compelled to advance towards him. The other cultists look on in some confusion but for the moment are unable to do anything. 

"Er... what am I doing?"

As the lone cultist approaches the vehicle, Scooby, who has disguised himself as a ghost using an old sheet, runs up and jumps on the cultist. There is a brief fight that ends with the cultist wrapped in the sheet (which, in rules terms, looks not dissimilar to a capture bubble) and Scooby ends up disguised (and dressed) as the cultist. Accept it - these sorts of things happen in cartoons, especially Scooby-Doo. 

And there's another clue here - within the cultist robes Scooby discovers a receipt from the Crystal Cove fancy dress shop for a very large amount of makeup. Very suspicious indeed.

A disguised Scooby dispatches the cultist 

Opening up the sack, Scooby finds the drugged and barely conscious body of Scrappy-Doo, and bundles him swiftly into the Mystery Machine.

Meanwhile, the ghost has hypnotised the reporter, who continues his line of probing questions, this time with Fred as the target. Fred does not like this at all and is immobilised. The ghost chooses this moment to strike, and Fred, who cannot cope under the pressure, decides it is time to make a run for it and scarpers.

The reporter questions Fred instead

The reporter's irritating questions turn on Daphne, who shortly follows Fred off the table. 

Things appear to be going the ghost's way

"One last thing to do!" cries Shaggy, driving off towards what can only be another clue. He jumps out of the Mystery Machine and is just about to investigate...

One final clue...

...when a whole load of angry cultists pounce on him and start beating him to a pulp. 

"Zoinks!"

Somehow (which, being a dog, he can never fully explain later) Scooby gets Shaggy back into the Mystery Machine and, pursued by angry zombies, heads for home.  

"Rye-bye, rombies!"

Back at Mystery Inc headquarters, as the team recover from their bruises, Fred is on the telephone to Sheriff Stone.

"That's right, Sheriff," he explains, "Everything's fine, there's absolutely nothing to worry about. We've found evidence of dressing-up make-up, tomato ketchup (which everyone knows is a perfect substitute for zombie blood), cinematic special effects projections, and planned catering sufficient for a large group of people running a fun social event. All the evidence suggests it's a group of harmless cosplay enthusiasts dressing up for Hallowe'en, and nothing sinister at all. No, thank you, sir, it's always good to be able to help."

Fred puts the phone down, and everyone smiles. Well, everyone except Srappy-Doo, who is still recovering at the vets.

Daphne didn't want to appear stupid. She knew she was only in Mystery Inc because of her looks, and the others were much cleverer than her. All the same, she wondered about the missing Mr Shivers, whether the Class A drugs they had found really did belong to Scrappy-Doo, and what had happened to the reporter from the Herald, who nobody had seen since. 

But there was nothing to worry about, everything was fine - after all, hadn't Fred had said so?