Post by Catsmate on Aug 17, 2023 14:25:19 GMT
An odd little idea from my notes, inspired by the Kornbluth story, that I'm using as an element of a longer concept.
The Time Bum.
Cyril M. Kornbluth was an American science fiction writer of the post-war period, now mostly forgotten except for his classic story The Marching Morons and the novel The Space Merchants. However one of his more obscure short stories, 'Time Bum' is what I'm interested here.
Before continuing I suggest you read the story, available here or to download in the usual formats here.
The story begins with a confidence trickster, named Harry Twenty-Third Street, talking with an associate (his "friend and sometimes roper"1) one Farmer Brown. Harry is happy, he's just thought of a new con trick but is unwilling to share the idea, as he puts it "I shall rip and tear the suckers with this con for many a year, I trust, before the details become available to the trade. Nobody, but nobody, is going to call copper after I take him. It’s beautiful and it’s mine".
Next we have a mysterious person, named Clurg, attempting to rent a bungalow from an agent named Walter Lachlan. Clurg strikes Lachlan as weird; sitting on a non-existent chair, using odd turns of phrase (feoff for rent) and pays in silver dollars, odd for 1953. But he's obviously just foreign.
Oddities accumulate in Lachlan's mind, and that of his science fiction reading wife2 until he investigates the rented house and discovers and odd newpaper cutting, dated 18 July 24033. The cutting refers to the arrest of a Patrolman Oskr Garth of the Time Police. The rear of the cutting has an add that references plentiful gold and giant diamonds.
Confronting Clurg, Lachlan blackmails him over his (presumed) breaches of the law. Clurg claims it would be impossible to bring metal and gems back in time, but says he has a device, a 'Duplix', that could copy gold and diamonds in the present. Lachlan plans to realise his assets and acquire about thirty thousand dollars of valuables to copy4.
And Harry plans to steal them and disappear.
Then Clury disappears, the Lachlans investigate, and find the newspaper cutting is a contemporary fake. But at least they've lost nothing.
Cut to Harry:
The tale rather reminds me of The Outer Limits complete with sting in the tail.
Game Use.
This would fit well into an Earthbound game, such as the Misfit Mob. Someone complains about almost being scammed by a supposed time traveller and the Mob get assigned the case. It's an obvious con-job, until they find evidence of actual time travel. What next?
Alternatively what happens if 'Harry' beats the rap? Or somehow escapes into the past with knowledge of actual time travellers?
1. A 'roper' or 'outside man' is an accomplice who locates a potential mark to be swindled by a confidence trickster. It's also used for hired by a business (usually a bar, club or gambling establishment) to bring in potential customers.
2. Her husband disapproves "he made her buy her science-fiction magazines downtown instead of at neighborhood newsstands".
3. OK, Kornbluth wasn't great at predicting the future himself.
4. He appears too blinded by greed to demand a demonstration or to simply acquire a single object and repeatedly sopy that.
The Time Bum.
Cyril M. Kornbluth was an American science fiction writer of the post-war period, now mostly forgotten except for his classic story The Marching Morons and the novel The Space Merchants. However one of his more obscure short stories, 'Time Bum' is what I'm interested here.
Before continuing I suggest you read the story, available here or to download in the usual formats here.
MASSIVE SPOILERS FOLLOW
The story begins with a confidence trickster, named Harry Twenty-Third Street, talking with an associate (his "friend and sometimes roper"1) one Farmer Brown. Harry is happy, he's just thought of a new con trick but is unwilling to share the idea, as he puts it "I shall rip and tear the suckers with this con for many a year, I trust, before the details become available to the trade. Nobody, but nobody, is going to call copper after I take him. It’s beautiful and it’s mine".
Next we have a mysterious person, named Clurg, attempting to rent a bungalow from an agent named Walter Lachlan. Clurg strikes Lachlan as weird; sitting on a non-existent chair, using odd turns of phrase (feoff for rent) and pays in silver dollars, odd for 1953. But he's obviously just foreign.
Oddities accumulate in Lachlan's mind, and that of his science fiction reading wife2 until he investigates the rented house and discovers and odd newpaper cutting, dated 18 July 24033. The cutting refers to the arrest of a Patrolman Oskr Garth of the Time Police. The rear of the cutting has an add that references plentiful gold and giant diamonds.
Confronting Clurg, Lachlan blackmails him over his (presumed) breaches of the law. Clurg claims it would be impossible to bring metal and gems back in time, but says he has a device, a 'Duplix', that could copy gold and diamonds in the present. Lachlan plans to realise his assets and acquire about thirty thousand dollars of valuables to copy4.
And Harry plans to steal them and disappear.
Then Clury disappears, the Lachlans investigate, and find the newspaper cutting is a contemporary fake. But at least they've lost nothing.
Cut to Harry:
Harry Twenty-Third Street stood, blinking, in a very peculiar place. Peculiarly, his feet were firmly encased, up to the ankles, in a block of clear plastic.
There were odd-looking people and a big voice was saying: “May it please the court. The People of the Twenty-Fifth Century versus Harold Parish, alias Harry Twenty-Third Street, alias Clurg, of the Twentieth Century. The charge is impersonating an officer of the Time Police. The Prosecutor’s Office will ask the death penalty in view of the heinous nature of the offense, which threatens the whole fabric—”
There were odd-looking people and a big voice was saying: “May it please the court. The People of the Twenty-Fifth Century versus Harold Parish, alias Harry Twenty-Third Street, alias Clurg, of the Twentieth Century. The charge is impersonating an officer of the Time Police. The Prosecutor’s Office will ask the death penalty in view of the heinous nature of the offense, which threatens the whole fabric—”
Game Use.
This would fit well into an Earthbound game, such as the Misfit Mob. Someone complains about almost being scammed by a supposed time traveller and the Mob get assigned the case. It's an obvious con-job, until they find evidence of actual time travel. What next?
Alternatively what happens if 'Harry' beats the rap? Or somehow escapes into the past with knowledge of actual time travellers?
1. A 'roper' or 'outside man' is an accomplice who locates a potential mark to be swindled by a confidence trickster. It's also used for hired by a business (usually a bar, club or gambling establishment) to bring in potential customers.
2. Her husband disapproves "he made her buy her science-fiction magazines downtown instead of at neighborhood newsstands".
3. OK, Kornbluth wasn't great at predicting the future himself.
4. He appears too blinded by greed to demand a demonstration or to simply acquire a single object and repeatedly sopy that.