Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Cthulhu Goes West in Down Darker Trails
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Over the Hill Gamer" data-source="post: 7724048" data-attributes="member: 6791968"><p>1. I wish this was now available in a print version.</p><p></p><p>2. If you are interested in the print version but don't want to wait, I would advise people to purchase the pdf directly from the Chaosium website so you can get a discount when the print version is available. <a href="https://www.chaosium.com/down-darker-trails-pdf/" target="_blank">https://www.chaosium.com/down-darker-trails-pdf/</a> states: "Buy the PDF now and get a coupon for hardcover version later! So you want to purchase the hardcover version, but really want to get your hands on The Down Darker Trails PDF so you don't have to wait. We have you covered! When you buy Down Darker Trails now, we will send you a discount coupon that will offset the PDF purchase price once the hardcover version is available."</p><p></p><p>3. </p><p></p><p>I too have experienced Call of Cthulhu campaigns that fizzled. However, I am also currently involved in a CoC campaign (HoTOE) that has run on a bi-weekly basis for over a year. I find that when campaigns fail it is often with players whose experience and expectations are limited to DnD type RPGs where PCs gain great power as they increase in level. They are often disappointed with their weakling CoC characters who spend most of their time trying to uncover clues and avoiding monsters. They often prefer to ignore the clues and kill the monsters. </p><p></p><p>I would advise some possible fixes: </p><p></p><p>a) Try the Pulp Cthulhu rules. It's designed to be more survivable and combat oriented. Being more of a purist, I am not a big fan of these rules but they might help with new players. </p><p></p><p>b) If playing 7th edition, utilize the Luck and Pushed Rolls optional rules. They are a lot of fun and can help pull your character out of a tight spot. Although in the case of Pushed Rolls they can also really put you in a bad spot, too!</p><p></p><p>c) Manage expectations by impressing upon players that CoC is a more cerebral game. You are puny investigators, not fantasy heroes. Combat is typically a last resort and usually doesn't end well. If dealing with some sort of mythos creature, you had best do your research before confronting it. Most of all your players should enjoy putting together clues and figuring stuff out, as well as role-playing these interactions. </p><p></p><p>d) Pick players who are interested in Lovecraft and understand the underlying ideas. Or who at least understand the harsh realities of horror movies.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Over the Hill Gamer, post: 7724048, member: 6791968"] 1. I wish this was now available in a print version. 2. If you are interested in the print version but don't want to wait, I would advise people to purchase the pdf directly from the Chaosium website so you can get a discount when the print version is available. [url]https://www.chaosium.com/down-darker-trails-pdf/[/url] states: "Buy the PDF now and get a coupon for hardcover version later! So you want to purchase the hardcover version, but really want to get your hands on The Down Darker Trails PDF so you don't have to wait. We have you covered! When you buy Down Darker Trails now, we will send you a discount coupon that will offset the PDF purchase price once the hardcover version is available." 3. I too have experienced Call of Cthulhu campaigns that fizzled. However, I am also currently involved in a CoC campaign (HoTOE) that has run on a bi-weekly basis for over a year. I find that when campaigns fail it is often with players whose experience and expectations are limited to DnD type RPGs where PCs gain great power as they increase in level. They are often disappointed with their weakling CoC characters who spend most of their time trying to uncover clues and avoiding monsters. They often prefer to ignore the clues and kill the monsters. I would advise some possible fixes: a) Try the Pulp Cthulhu rules. It's designed to be more survivable and combat oriented. Being more of a purist, I am not a big fan of these rules but they might help with new players. b) If playing 7th edition, utilize the Luck and Pushed Rolls optional rules. They are a lot of fun and can help pull your character out of a tight spot. Although in the case of Pushed Rolls they can also really put you in a bad spot, too! c) Manage expectations by impressing upon players that CoC is a more cerebral game. You are puny investigators, not fantasy heroes. Combat is typically a last resort and usually doesn't end well. If dealing with some sort of mythos creature, you had best do your research before confronting it. Most of all your players should enjoy putting together clues and figuring stuff out, as well as role-playing these interactions. d) Pick players who are interested in Lovecraft and understand the underlying ideas. Or who at least understand the harsh realities of horror movies. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Cthulhu Goes West in Down Darker Trails
Top