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Post by olegrand on Jul 3, 2022 5:02:09 GMT
The Key to Space (1/3)
In this six-chapter mini-series, Lady Penelope goes on a quest all around 1668 Europe to retrieve the three fragments of the Key to Space, a prodigious (and quite hazardous) device crafted by her late father, the Time Lord Morrolan, also known as the Architect… Who knows what hidden perils, mysteries and revelations await her? First Fragment: The Shining City
I. Lady Penelope’s quest for the Key to Space first takes her to Whitehall Palace in London, the seat of King Charles II’s decadent and intrigue-riddled court. Her search soon brings her to join forces with England’s rising star architect, Christopher Wren, to whom her father had entrusted the first fragment of the Key – which has just been stolen by an unknown party…
II. Penelope’s search for the stolen fragment of the Key takes her to Oxford, where she quickly draws the attention of the Invisible College, an ancient secret institution fallen under the influence of the mysterious Twilight People. But what is the true agenda of these elusive entities? And why are they so interested in Christopher Wren’s dream of a new London?
Aside from Christopher Wren himself, this first two-parter featured quite a few historical guest stars and cameos, including Charles II, his various mistresses (well, as far as 1668 was concerned: Barbara Palmer née Villiers, Moll Davis and Nell Gwynn), his wife and his brother James, the inevitable Samuel Pepys, John Denham (reinvented here as a truly tragic figure), the polymath genius Robert Boyle and Lady Margaret Cavendish, duchess of Newcastle and author of that strangest of utopias, The Blazing World…
Next stop: Prague!
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,748
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jul 3, 2022 10:18:19 GMT
The Key to Space (1/3) In this six-chapter mini-series, Lady Penelope goes on a quest all around 1668 Europe to retrieve the three fragments of the Key to Space, a prodigious (and quite hazardous) device crafted by her late father, the Time Lord Morrolan, also known as the Architect… Who knows what hidden perils, mysteries and revelations await her? First Fragment: The Shining City I. Lady Penelope’s quest for the Key to Space first takes her to Whitehall Palace in London, the seat of King Charles II’s decadent and intrigue-riddled court. Her search soon brings her to join forces with England’s rising star architect, Christopher Wren, to whom her father had entrusted the first fragment of the Key – which has just been stolen by an unknown party… II. Penelope’s search for the stolen fragment of the Key takes her to Oxford, where she quickly draws the attention of the Invisible College, an ancient secret institution fallen under the influence of the mysterious Twilight People. But what is the true agenda of these elusive entities? And why are they so interested in Christopher Wren’s dream of a new London? Aside from Christopher Wren himself, this first two-parter featured quite a few historical guest stars and cameos, including Charles II, his various mistresses (well, as far as 1668 was concerned: Barbara Palmer née Villiers, Moll Davis and Nell Gwynn), his wife and his brother James, the inevitable Samuel Pepys, John Denham (reinvented here as a truly tragic figure), the polymath genius Robert Boyle and Lady Margaret Cavendish, duchess of Newcastle and author of that strangest of utopias, The Blazing World… Next stop: Prague! Excellent stuff olegrand, 1668 is an good year for intrigue in Europe. It's a pity Lady Penelope visited Oxford rather than Cambridge, she missed Newton and his development of the reflecting telescope.
One of my favourite odd historical events happened in London in 1668, the Messenger (or bawdy house) riots (wiki) where crowds numbering in the thousands attacking many of the brothels of London over a period of several days starting on 23MAR, Easter Monday. Just the distraction needed for meddling in the city.
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Post by olegrand on Jul 16, 2022 10:01:59 GMT
Later today, we'll play the second part of the second story. I'll post the blurbs tomorrow! I've decided to give titles to each episode (and not just to the three two-parters), so now we have: First Fragment: The Shining City
Part One: The Hollow Court
Part Two: The Invisible College(and yes, there's a pattern here See you tomorrow!
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Post by olegrand on Jul 17, 2022 20:30:52 GMT
The Key to Space (2/3)[/b] Second Fragment: The Secret City
I. The Cursed HouseLady Penelope’s search for the second fragment of the Key to Space takes her to Prague, a city full of stories and secrets, memories and mysteries. Her steps soon lead her to the Jewish Ghetto, where the shadows of the past and the threats of the future lurk at the threshold of a troubled present. There, in a forsaken house, a dying man of wisdom is waiting for her… II. The Hidden LegendNow in possession of the second fragment of the Key, Penelope must confront a man who should have been dead for 75 years – former charlatan Edward Kelley, now known as Doctor K, hidden master of the Imperial Secret Cabinet. Meanwhile, a religious pogrom is brewing and a well-kept secret is about to step out of the shadows, into the streets of the Ghetto… Next stop: Paris! As usual, some extra notes can be found at my blog: dwaitas.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-key-to-space-23.html
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Post by olegrand on Aug 7, 2022 11:38:13 GMT
The Key to Space (3/3) Third Fragment: The Twilight City
I. The Shadow Theatre
Penelope’s quest for the final fragment of the Key takes her to Paris. While Louis XIV is busy building Versailles castle and becoming the Sun King, a sinister Harlequin is treading a secret stage before an entranced audience. But what is the true purpose of the Laughing Mask’s comedy of madness? Together with her old friend Bellegarde, the Time Lady investigates… II. The Final MasqueThe Shadow Theatre has given its last performance - but the Laughing Mask is on the run, plotting a terrible vengeance against Louis XIV and his court of sycophants. Penelope and Bellegarde must stop the mad Harlequin before his actions derail History. But first, the Time Lady must face the three faceless rulers of Twilight, also known as the Gods of Ragnarok… See my BLOG for some substantial design & afterplay notes!
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Post by olegrand on Nov 6, 2022 8:24:17 GMT
Hello fellow space-and-time travellers! After the Baroque mini-series The Key to Space, it’s now time for a new regular season of Lady Penelope’s Odyssey! Episode 1: BlackoutPenelope’s TARDIS receives a psychic distress call from Torchwood’s time sensitive Indira Kapoor – but the signal comes from 1940, half-a-century before Indira’s birth and right in the middle of the London Blitz! As Britain is living its darkest hour, the Time Lady braves the blackout and the bombs to rescue the time-displaced young woman from a web of shadows… Episode 2: Roma MaterWe all know the story of Romulus and Remus, the she-wolf, the fratricide… but how was the City of Rome really founded? Lady Penelope and her new travelling companions, 17th century dilettante scholar John Wycliffe and 21st century time sensitive Indira Kapoor, decide to find out! But the differences between myth and history can sometimes be quite surprising… You'll find some (copious) design and actual play notes on my blog: dwaitas.blogspot.com/2022/11/season-17-episodes-1-2.html
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drinkplentyofmalk
2nd Incarnation
Posts: 50
Favourite Doctors: 4, 7, 8. 9, 11 (If I can't just say 'All of them')
Traits: Insatiable Curiosity, Phobia - Thanatosphobia, Slow Reflexes (Minor), Single-Minded (Major)
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Post by drinkplentyofmalk on Nov 6, 2022 21:29:12 GMT
I'm curious: given that this is a solo game, how exactly do you manage NPC companions, especially two of them? Even if they don't have the obligation to be involved, driving forces of every story that Player Characters would, it seems like a complicated extra ball or two to juggle given that you're GMing everything but the one PC!
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Post by olegrand on Nov 7, 2022 5:44:58 GMT
I'm curious: given that this is a solo game, how exactly do you manage NPC companions, especially two of them? Even if they don't have the obligation to be involved, driving forces of every story that Player Characters would, it seems like a complicated extra ball or two to juggle given that you're GMing everything but the one PC! Good question. Penelope normally travels without companions - but has done so more frequently during the last seasons, on an occasional basis. When she does, I always place them under her responsibility - and this can indeed add some extra balls to juggle for me as the GM as well as for her as the character (and Sylvie has the player), especially in the case of the more free-spirited companions (like Christopher Marlowe back in seasons 2-3 (man, did he prove a handful - but it was so much fun). As far as game mechanics are concerned, and since this is a one-on-one game, I never give them any Story points of their own, so that they entirely depend on Penelope's own SP reserve, which is a very simple and nifty way to hand the whole "you're under my responsibility" thing. In story terms, these NPC companions can act as great trouble magnets or catalysts - in the latest episode (Roma Mater), for instance, John Wycliffe was captured by an Etruscan witch while 'offstage', forcing Penelope to get even more involved in the unfolding events than she had initially decided.
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Post by olegrand on Dec 19, 2022 12:08:58 GMT
Season 17 of our Time Lady's adventures continues, with two new episode blurbs... Episode 3: The Dark Interpreter
Edinburgh, 1845. A blood-drinking killer is stalking the streets of the Old Town. The aging Thomas de Quincey, visionary writer and opium addict, has seen him in his dark reveries… Enter Lady Penelope, who wants to ask him everything he knows about the enigmatic Three Mothers. Can she help him stop the Nocturnal Stalker before he (or it?) strikes again? Episode 4: Black TulipAmsterdam, 1669, the end of the Dutch Golden Age. Thirty years after the great Tulip Mania crisis, a unique, impossible flower is threatening to spread a deeper, darker brand of madness on the City of Canals… Will Penelope and her friends manage to uncover the truth behind the mystery of the Black Tulip before it is too late? A tale of revenge, obsession and desire… See MY BLOG for some particularly copious design notes!
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Post by grinch on Dec 19, 2022 14:36:44 GMT
Is there any chance of the stats for the Porphyrs being posted anytime soon? They’re a truly fascinating species.
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Post by olegrand on Dec 19, 2022 16:49:36 GMT
Is there any chance of the stats for the Porphyrs being posted anytime soon? They’re a truly fascinating species. Et voilà! Porphyrs Awareness 3-4 Coordination 3 Ingenuity 3-4 Presence 4-5 Resolve 4-6 Strength 3 Skills: Convince 4, Fighting 2, Knowledge 4, Subterfuge 4 Traits
Alien Alien Appearance Alien Senses (+4 to detect sadness, despair or fear) Fear Factor (1 or 2 for the more powerful ones) Hypnosis (Special) Immortal Psychic Telepathy Their Special Hypnosis power allows them to overwhelm an already demoralized prey (sad, afraid, etc.) with despair, fear or sorrow, rendering the victim completely unable to act and fuelling the Porphyr’s own vitality (here I use my own house rules on damage and Psychic Conflicts, which can be found in my Temporal Toybox PDF). They are supposedly impervious to physical damage (hence the Immortal trait): their body can be damaged in the normal way but will always recompose/regenerate even if they appear to have been physically destroyed; only purely psychic damage can destrot them.
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Post by grinch on Dec 19, 2022 18:14:43 GMT
Is there any chance of the stats for the Porphyrs being posted anytime soon? They’re a truly fascinating species. Et voilà! Porphyrs Awareness 3-4 Coordination 3 Ingenuity 3-4 Presence 4-5 Resolve 4-6 Strength 3 Skills: Convince 4, Fighting 2, Knowledge 4, Subterfuge 4 Traits
Alien Alien Appearance Alien Senses (+4 to detect sadness, despair or fear) Fear Factor (1 or 2 for the more powerful ones) Hypnosis (Special) Immortal Psychic Telepathy Their Special Hypnosis power allows them to overwhelm an already demoralized prey (sad, afraid, etc.) with despair, fear or sorrow, rendering the victim completely unable to act and fuelling the Porphyr’s own vitality (here I use my own house rules on damage and Psychic Conflicts, which can be found in my Temporal Toybox PDF). They are supposedly impervious to physical damage (hence the Immortal trait): their body can be damaged in the normal way but will always recompose/regenerate even if they appear to have been physically destroyed; only purely psychic damage can destrot them. Fascinating. Thank you for this! Your description of their Special Hypnosis ability reminds me a great deal of the Despair Blast the Ravens of Despair (from an original Cubicle 7 supplement) possess. Although, the Porphyr's sound far more calculated than the Ravens.
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Post by olegrand on Dec 19, 2022 18:52:57 GMT
Fascinating. Thank you for this! Your description of their Special Hypnosis ability reminds me a great deal of the Despair Blast the Ravens of Despair (from an original Cubicle 7 supplement) possess. Although, the Porphyr's sound far more calculated than the Ravens. Indeed there are many similarities between my Porphyrs and their Ravens of Despair - but the supplement came out (unless I'm mistaken) in 2013, a few years after I first introduced the Porphyrs in my campaign. That being said, fear and despair-feeding emotional vampires are a fairly obvious / Whovian tropes so such similarities are just fascinating echoes of the Great Law of Creative Convergence...
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Post by olegrand on Jan 8, 2023 10:49:01 GMT
Hello everyone! So, no Xmas Special this year for Lady Penelope - but we did have a (slightly delayed) New Year Special! Episode 17.05: Miracle DayNew Earth, in the impossibly distant future. The good people of New New York are ready to celebrate a New Year’s Day unlike any other – for this year, the Face of Boe will return to life, as announced by Mother Hame and Cassandra Unlimited®. Will this Second Coming herald a new era of faith and hope for the galaxy? A skeptical Lady Penelope decides to investigate… As usual, see my BLOG for extra afterplay notes!
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Post by olegrand on Jan 29, 2023 9:45:07 GMT
Episode 17.06: The Rakshasas of Ranjapur
A mysterious psychic distress call brings Penelope and Indira to 1856 India, just one year before the Sepoy Mutiny and the fall of the almighty East India Company. Soon the tide of history will turn. But first, the Time Lady and her allies must liberate the small princely state of Ranjapur from a family of demons in disguise… A tale of colonial greed, hope and destiny. As usual, see MY BLOG for some copious design & after-play notes!
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Post by olegrand on Mar 5, 2023 11:13:14 GMT
Season 17 continues, with two new episodes... Episode 7: Trail of the VishklarWhat better place to rest, recover and have a jolly good time than West End London in 1928? But when Penelope and Indira meet the mysterious master of mysticism known as Dr. Khan, their jazzy holidays take a decidedly darker turn, bringing the Time Lady on the psychic trail of the elusive Vishklar, nightmare entities which were once battled by a dear, long-lost friend. Episode 8: CarcosaFor the first time in her seven lives, Lady Penelope takes the fight against her old enemies, the Porphyrs, on their own territory, the dimension-locked, entropic city of Carcosa, in the hope of freeing its prisoner, her old friend Everett Blake, from everlasting torment. At the heart of the temple of the Nameless God, the sinister Three Mothers await. So does the Phantom of Truth… As usual, see MY BLOG for some in-depth actual play notes.
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Post by olegrand on Apr 9, 2023 12:07:05 GMT
Hello everyone! Here are the blurbs of the two latest episodes from the 17th season of Lady Penelope's Odyssey! Episode 9: Deus Ex MachinaRome, 1958. It’s not all vespas, cinecitta and dolce vita… On the trail of a mysterious temporal anomaly, Lady Penelope and Indira uncover the Vatican’s greatest secret (forget about the Code, the Grail, the Tomb, the Shroud or the Spear): Father Ernetti’s chronovisor, a miracle machine that sees into the past – and is also about to shatter History as we know it… Episode 10: ForetoldHaving rebooted 2000 years of History to save the continuum from the ravages of Father Ernetti’s machine, Penelope must now track down the dissonances and divergences resulting from the temporal shockwave – starting with the French Royal Court in 1555, at the time of Queen Catherine de Medici, the poet Ronsard and the prophet Nostradamus. Intrigue ensues. As usual, see MY BLOG for extra design & after-play notes!
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Post by olegrand on Jun 4, 2023 10:45:17 GMT
Episode 17.11: Sic Semper Tyrannis
Paris, 1794. The Reign of Terror has turned the idealistic dream of the French Revolution into a totalitarian nightmare where Madame Guillotine always has the last word. As a triumphant Robespierre prepares the grand celebration of the Supreme Being, fifty days before his own downfall and execution, unseen forces are conspiring in the shadows… Enter the Time Lady! Episode 17.12: SynchronicityFrom Carl Jung’s house in 1916 Switzerland to the gnostic theologians of Roman Alexandria, Penelope gathers the last pieces of the Abraxas puzzle, before receiving the final (and quite surprising) Revelation in a place beyond space-time. A decidedly metaphysical adventure, in which the very fate of the continuum depends on the outcome of a philosophical debate… As usual, see MY BLOG for some copious after-play notes!
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drinkplentyofmalk
2nd Incarnation
Posts: 50
Favourite Doctors: 4, 7, 8. 9, 11 (If I can't just say 'All of them')
Traits: Insatiable Curiosity, Phobia - Thanatosphobia, Slow Reflexes (Minor), Single-Minded (Major)
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Post by drinkplentyofmalk on Jun 4, 2023 12:50:37 GMT
I'm impressed beyond belief at the fact that the Lady Penelope campaign goes to such wild, high-concept places; I'm utterly fascinated to see how this cliffhanger ends up developing!
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Post by olegrand on Jun 4, 2023 15:13:34 GMT
I'm impressed beyond belief at the fact that the Lady Penelope campaign goes to such wild, high-concept places; I'm utterly fascinated to see how this cliffhanger ends up developing! Well, thanks a lot - and this is definitely the kind of story which takes all its meaning (or simply becomes possible at all) with a very experienced player-character; it would also probably work less well with a group of PCs, so we clearly took advantage of both the campaign's format and mileage. That being said, I'll be careful not to repeat this kind of intellectual 'philosofeast' too often - it's great to alternate high-concept stories and more basic ones (which often offer great for personal drama etc.)...
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Post by olegrand on Aug 31, 2023 6:08:50 GMT
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Post by olegrand on Oct 30, 2023 10:22:13 GMT
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,748
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Oct 31, 2023 13:24:05 GMT
Ooo, The Bonfire of the Vanties, excellent. Does Botticelli appear? And does Penelope 'save' some artworks?
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Post by olegrand on Oct 31, 2023 17:22:28 GMT
Ooo, The Bonfire of the Vanties, excellent. Does Botticelli appear? And does Penelope 'save' some artworks? No - he didn't appear himself but played an important role in the background. In this alternate timeline, Botticelli's famous "Venus" had been burned during one of the subsequent Bonfires of the Vanities - and the reason why Penelope was arrested by Savonarola's militia was because her current incarnation has red hair - the "hair of Venus", forbidden in this alternate Florence! And by mending the continuum back into its proper shape, Penelope erased this horrendous historical version... As for saving some artworks from the original Bonfire... mmhh... it's just the kind of thing she could do (once she has sorted her current conundrum-esque situation).
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,748
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Oct 31, 2023 18:21:23 GMT
Excellent! Every time machine needs a collection of 'lost' books and art.
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Post by olegrand on Nov 1, 2023 12:05:06 GMT
Excellent! Every time machine needs a collection of 'lost' books and art. Well, Penelope's TARDIS does have its own art museum (with a few unique pieces of its own, including portraits of the Time Lady by various famous artists - including Toulouse-Lautrec and Gustav Klimt - ah, Vienna, those were the days...) - as well as an enormous library (compiled by her father, the late Time Lord Morrolan).
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Post by olegrand on Nov 5, 2023 9:28:03 GMT
Part Three: Becoming HarryWeston-Super-Mare, October 1964. How could history possibly run astray here and now? As Mods and Rockers prepare for a new, supposedly epic (but potentially tragic) beach battle, Lady Penelope once again tries to preserve the continuum, as her game of cat-and-mouse (or is blindman’s bluff?) with the mystifying Quantum Archangel accelerates toward its ominous end, culminating in an impossible revelation, a fateful decision… and a regeneration! So yes, the Time Lady is now entering her eighth incarnation. See my BLOG for the whole backstory... and Penelope's new face!
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Post by olegrand on Jan 5, 2024 17:22:36 GMT
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Post by olegrand on Feb 17, 2024 17:12:53 GMT
Hi everyone! So, season 18 is now in full swing! Here are the three blurbs of our latest episodes: Episode 5: The SubstituteVictoria (Australia), 1907. What is happening at the esteemed Bainbridge College for Young Ladies? What dark secrets does Miss Jones, the enigmatic governess, hide behind her severe façade? And speaking of secrets, the new history and science teacher, Miss Ashworth, does seem to have quite a few of her own in store… A mystery, two strange rocks and no picnic! Episode 6: The Chemistry of GhostsParis, 1907. One year after the tragic death of her husband Pierre, Nobel prize scientist Marie Curie is about to reveal her latest, extraordinary discovery to a chosen assembly of thinkers and seekers – a discovery involving radium and invisible, psychic presences. Luckily for history as we know it, Lady Penelope (with her three new protégés!) is among the audience… Episode 7: The Beauty and the BeastParis, 1768. As King Louis XV is looking for a new favorite and aristocrats busy themselves with their games of intrigue, a monstrous shadow wolf is stalking the Parisian nights, spreading death and terror in its wake. Could the dreaded Beast of Gévaudan have returned to wreak its vengeance on the kingdom of France? The Time Lady decides to investigate! As usual, see my BLOG for extra story notes & details!
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Post by olegrand on Apr 1, 2024 8:37:20 GMT
Hi everyone! Here are the two latest blurbs from our 18th season: Episode 8: The Girl Who Knew Too MuchLondon, 1967. Less than one year ago, Polly Wright returned to her ordinary life, working as a PA in the Post Office Tower. And although everybody else seems to have forgotten (thanks to the Torchwood Institute’s diligent coverup), she still remembers WOTAN and its War Machines. And somewhere, an all-too familiar signal has woken up… Enter the Time Lady. Episode 9: SoundSummer 1967. The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album has changed everything, redefining the very paradigm of pop music. Is this the end for John Smith and the Common Men? Is electronic music really the answer? And what weird entities inhabit the Plane of Sound? Penelope is about to find out, with a little help from one Delia Derbyshire. As usual, see my BLOG for extra story notes & details!
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