Hungerford Foundation
Player Guide
The following is a work of fiction set in an alternate but similar world to our own, written as a work of horror. The use of historical figures is not meant to disparage or propose impropriety on any person real or imagined, and any resemblance to real world tragedy is purely coincidental.Content warnings include but are not limited to blood, gore, death, loss of agency and mental trauma. Viewer discretion is advised.For accessible plain text, please click here.
Foundation
CONTENT WARNING: Suicide
[access: http://www.hjhungerfordfoundation.com/main][site navigation - employment opportunities][an on-site hosted video fills the top half of the page, and begins to play. a bespectacled woman with curly, shoulder length is seated at an austere wooden desk in front of a bookcase, and is smiling at the camera]“Hello, and thank you for your interest in the Hungerford Foundation. My name is Keandra Morris, head of the Foundation and director of affairs at our Lafayette, Indiana headquarters. We are celebrating our fiftieth year of operation, and we are quite eager to have you join us.As I am sure you know by now, our Foundation exists for the study of material and matters not widely embraced by the scientific community. However, we are not mystics or guru’s- our work is driven by the strictest scientific truths and principles. We believe -“[pause video - open site navigation - about us - locations - 13 entries - right click on ‘facility-01’ - open in new window - change to new window][an image of a simple two story building rises out of well maintained grass on its own self contained block. the building appears to be consistent with mid 1970’s construction in middle america, and could easily be mistaken for a county administrative building. below this image is a column of smaller images, showing generic scenes of office work and smiling employees. beside this column is a short address located in downtown lafayette, indiana, with a short paragraph describing it as the foundation’s original headquarters.][close window - return to previous - resume video playback]“- the world has much to its operation and workings that simply have not yet been explored, and we eagerly seek those willing to apply proper, rigorous study to these fields.We offer a wide number of incentives, from work from home options and transit compensation incentives, to industry leading benefits packages, to-“[pause video - open site navigation - about us - history - right click - open in new window - change to new window][this page appears much as the others, but the generic images of office work are replaced by what appear to be generic images of students in libraries or taking tests. a few paragraphs are written beneath]Founded in 1973, the H. J. Hungerford Foundation was first headed by Director Roland Fleck [img.A1], formerly of the Library of Congress. With Congress having downsized the Library to focus on purely legislative matters, Director Fleck was able to acquire financial backing in order to establish the Foundation. Director Fleck believed that there was more to study and gain value of than simply purely legislative matters, and under his guidance the Foundation quickly secured contracts with numerous universities and companies.Today, with thirteen locations across the United States, the Foundation is able to apply its considerable historical and scientific resources to the better understanding of events to assist in the endeavors of the academic community. From our findings on folktales and myths, to the higher applications of our findings, the Hungerford Foundation is a silent but vital cornerstone of American exceptionalism and growth in the academic fields.[close window - return to previous - resume video playback]“- flexible working hours and cross-industry networking opportunities. In short, the benefits of a career with the Hungerford Foundation are as numerous as the mysteries of the world we seek to unravel.We also offer on the job training for candidates who lack the formal education or background our competitors might require, so if you can demonstrate to us-“[pause video - open new window - navigate to search engine - inquiry: hungerford-foundation-leaks-2006 - execute search - access news article https://www.jconline.com/story/news/local/2006/05/22/freaks-and-phantoms-at-foundation/75796336007/][the archived article appears to be a follow up to an earlier story regarding an internet drop of material allegedly from the hungerford foundation. third paragraph-]The documents, containing alleged accounts of supernatural encounters, drew widespread condemnation for the respected if withdrawn Foundation. Many organizations with alleged ties to the Foundation from the documents denied their knowledge of the contents, many of which described disturbing and fantastical encounters with things ‘not of this world’ as one put it.When contacted as to the validity of the documents published, Director Natasha Bonner categorically denied claims made by one Jack Goodwin, a reporter for Indianapolis Recorder, that the collection of documents were legitimate.“Our materials and research files are under strict NDA’s due to client confidentiality concerns,” she said over the phone. “However I can assure you, these fables peddled by Mr. Goodwin are not legitimate, and clearly an attempt to sully the good name of our Foundation.”Jack Goodwin, who tragically took his own life two days ago in the Castleton Square Mall, had originally claimed to have received the documents during a investigation-[close window - return to previous - resume video playback]“- the potential to become part of the Foundation, I urge you to apply below. A willingness to relocate, funded in part by the Foundation in exchange for a letter of commitment, will be considered an asset.Thank you for your interest once again, and I hope to work with you soon.”[video playback ends][below the player is a link to an online resume submittal program][…][open resume submittal program]
About the Campaign
IntroductionWelcome to the world of the Hungerford Foundation, a US based academic institute that studies alleged incidents of supernatural encounters across the North American continent. Set in a parallel world to the award winning Magnus Archives and Magnus Protocol horror anthology podcasts, the stories of the Hungerford Foundation feature similar themes and concepts while existing within a stand alone canon; no foreknowledge of the podcasts is needed to participate or enjoy (though I would recommend both all the same).As it is set parallel to those settings, it is only natural that this story is played out using the Cypher system and Monte Cook Game's The Magnus Archives adaptation. More details on how this system operates and what you can expect can be found in both the official Players Guide and Official Rulebook; this document will instead focus on what you can expect playing some of the newest employees of the Foundation.
World and Setting of the FoundationThere isn’t much difference between our world (one might even call it the ‘real’ world if one wishes) and the world of the Foundation. Historical events have played out almost exactly the same, though an actor or two might have played the roles differently. The same wars, the same social events, even the same movies have dominated their culture at the same time they did ours. Where there are differences, the player will be told when relevant; you don’t have to memorize an entire alternate history for this story.Primarily, events take place in the real world town of Lafayette, Indiana. A quiet university town outside of Indianapolis, Lafayette is home to the headquarters of the H. J. Hungerford Foundation. This national, multi-facility academic group has largely stayed out of the greater public’s knowledge for most of its existence (save an embarrassing incident in the mid 2000’s, when a later believed to be fraudulent series of documents were released publicly). Those that do know of it regard it as a legitimate if strange group of eccentrics, crackpots, and a few whisper it is involved in some sort of massive conspiracy.But, most importantly for your character (whatever their motivations, covered below)? The Foundation is hiring.
Why should YOU work for the Foundation?The Foundation, despite being a primarily research founded organization, does not exclusively hire academics. Anyone with potentially useful skills (hackers, medical students, graduates, physical training) or contacts (police or military backgrounds, family in academic or corporate research groups) that shows a genuine interest in the work is considered for employment.Many of the reasons that exist for taking work at such a group in the real world apply in this world. Maybe your character is a fresh faced college graduate needing an entry level job. Maybe your character was recently let go at a similar job, and a colleague put them in touch with the Foundation as a recommendation. Maybe they’ve been job hunting for a while and are desperate enough to ignore the rumors about the place.Of course, there are less career oriented reasons to apply as well. Did your character have a friend who used to work there, but left and was changed somehow? Maybe they have heard the stories and actually believe them, and want to get an eye on the inside.Or maybe they had an experience of their own, and they want to find out more.
Working for the FoundationWhatever their background and reason for taking a job with the Foundation, the players begin work in the summer of 2024. By some strange chance and failure in bureaucracy, the entire previous Assessment team in the Lafayette facility is gone; retired, transferred, having changed employment or simply moved away. The party has been hired en-masse to replace this crucial division of Foundation operations.The Assessment team is the cornerstone of the Foundation’s works. In charge of accepting accounts and items of interest from private and public sources, it is the Assessment team’s duty to investigate the validity of these areas of research for retention or disposal. These materials are then transferred to the Archival division for storage, where they may be later inquired after and accessed by scholastic bodies and corporate partners who have signed highly binding non-disclosure agreements with the Foundation.Without the Assessment team, the Foundation’s entire workload would grind to a halt- and unfortunately, you’re coming into a backlog.
Carrying out your assignmentsOnce an account or statement is submitted to the Foundation, the Assessment team is responsible for investigating events, speaking to witnesses, attempting to recreate conditions and pursuing new leads uncovered. This can involve a great deal of travel, and company vehicles are provided, as well as an entire section of the Lafayette facility, digital or courier based access to the records of other facilities, and near unlimited access to the records of the Foundation and its library.The Foundation is very lenient and offers their assessment teams broad operational independence in carrying out their duties- provided results and receipts for expenses are filed regularly, and law enforcement is not given reason to investigate employees, the administrative head of the Foundation (Miss Keandra Morris) will not pry too deeply into how information is gathered. That isn’t to say she expects she has hired a band of sociopathic thieves, crooks and liars however; she would much prefer information is volunteered by witnesses or acquired through proper channels than by blackmail or breaking and entering.Of course, if such actions are undertaken, and she fails to hear about them, she won’t have any reason to pursue administrative discipline now will she?
Session Zero
Session Zero, as the name might imply, will be a non-story session of the game dedicated to character creation and prep work (If you’ve played in other campaigns, you’ve likely heard of this concept before). If you haven’t, no worries. Here’s a few notes to help you be ready for it.
Required Reading
The most important gameplay information to read is largely covered in Chapter 1 of the Core Rulebook. The Official Players Guide has further information and basic concepts, while Chapters 2 through 8 expand on these basics in greater detail and are recommended but not required prior to session zero, while the remaining chapters touch more on DM centric concepts, stat blocks and creatures. You are not in any way forbidden from reading these later chapters, but reading them will offer no particular advantage either. They are entirely optional.
Preparation
You won’t need much to be ready for session zero. Here’s the short checklist.
Character Name: What should we call your character?
Background: What has led them to applying for the job? If you don’t want to go into specifics because they’re secret, that’s totally fine; just discuss it with your DM ahead of time or give them your notes at the time of. This can also be fairly vague if you’re still building it.
Character Traits: Are they athletic? Nerdy? Come from a naval background? Have an interest in visiting space someday?
Personality: What sort of personality do they have?
Character goals: Both in character and for you as a player, where do you want to see them go?
What to Expect
Using the above checklist as a guide, we’ll go through the character creation process as a group. It’s different from traditional TTRPG’s, but even if it wasn’t remember; questions are entirely fine and good! Don’t be afraid to ask them!
Followup
Once the characters are made and session zero is complete, the next step will be the first game session. If the DM has any additional questions or concerns, they may reach out or arrange a time to speak to you before this session; this doesn’t mean you did anything wrong, just that they want to ensure everyone is ready, themselves included!
Let the Curtains Rise on the Main Event
There isn’t much to say about what comes next from here. Just remember; the goal above all else is to have fun, and a key component of that is communication. Between yourself, your DM, and your fellow players. Concerns, suggestions, anything at all; don’t feel like you have to hold your tongue.Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you in the story.