They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes, drums… drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow lurks in the dark. We can not get out… they are coming.
- the apocalyptic log from Fellowship of the Ring
Basic Information
The Apocalyptic Log is a journal, video diary, or research notes that contains clues to whatever Cosmic Horror (or other evil) has been unleashed upon the earth. It's a first hand account of some terrible truth that's been discovered, or the great evil a mad scientist unleashed (whether by intent or accident). Frequently, this will include a report right up to the gory end, the entry where the narrator/author/cameraman dies.
Any fool can tell it'd be natural, sensible and logical for someone to quit writing and run for their lives at some point, but that's not the way it works in fiction. So sayeth the trope.
Related Tropes:
Distress Call
Fling A Light Into The Future
Gone Horribly Wrong
Message In A Bottle
Video Will
Write Back To The Future
Sources
Game and Story Use
- If the PCs are Late To The Party, a convenient apocalyptic log may help them figure out what horror they are facing, and how it all started.
- There's a number of ways to handle this, and they range from ginning up a fancy prop, to providing a short verbal synopsis, to having them roll an investigative skill to cut right to the important parts. The correct approach depends on the style of game you're running. Is it meant to be moody and horrific? Then make a creepy prop. Does everybody expect the heroes to save the day? Then just cut the crap and dole out the clues.
- A pessimistic PC or NPC who expects the party to fail and die may start recording one of these as a warning to those who face this evil later. Most likely, this is just a fun little character embellishment, and a way to annoy the other characters.
- However, should things go badly and end in a Total Party Kill, such a log might allow the campaign to continue. The GM advances the time line by some measure, and the replacement PCs are the rescue party, or future explorers who find the deceased PCs' apocalyptic log.
