new CoC player/DM here

[GMforPowergamers]

Hey everyone,

I am going to start a Call of Cthulhu game the last weekend of this month, but I don't know much about it. I have only read the short story the game is named after, and other then that can't get myself through any other of lovecrafts stories. I love the idea, but dislike the writeing style (mountins of madness had no dialog).

I have played Ark horror with all the expansion, and googled the mythos, but I really feel I am under prepaird to run this game. However the others don't ever run games.

I have alot of WoD, Rifts, and D&D experance, a little savageworlds/deadlands, and a handful of furry pirates, and GURPS...but this system doesn't look like any of them.

SO I open it up to you guys, has anyone run any really great CoC stories? If so what did you do, and how did it go? Any Suggestions for someone trying to run it?

 

[usdmw]

Visit Yog-Sothoth - YSDC Front Page. It's devoted to CoC.

Even better, the yoggies record their CoC games and make them available for download. Some of them are reserved for (paying) patrons, but many are available freely.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Visit Yog-Sothoth - YSDC Front Page. It's devoted to CoC.

Even better, the yoggies record their CoC games and make them available for download. Some of them are reserved for (paying) patrons, but many are available freely.

thank you, this is helpful... but it brings up the same issue I have with the published adventures I bought or skimmed... getting the group togather seams to never be addressd.

One adventure assumes all the characters went to the same high school, another half dozen start with them already being investigators asked to look into things...but I cant find one that says "This plot hook will get your group togather"

any idea or suggestions?

 

[billd91]

I would recommend finding a copy of Robert E. Howard's short story "The Black Stone". Actually, I just found one at Project Gutenberg - Australia.

The Black Stone

I think REH wrote a few really good Mythos tales and was, in general, a better writer that Lovecraft. They may help you get into the mindset more than Lovecraft if you're finding his writing uninspiring.

As far as getting the group together, you could also fall back on them all being members of a literary society, or otherwise enthusiasts of the occult or seances. They could all be fans of Houdini, perhaps following in his footsteps in debunking charlatans.

 

[Anselyn]

thank you, this is helpful... but it brings up the same issue I have with the published adventures I bought or skimmed... getting the group together seems to never be addressd.

any idea or suggestions?

Depends on the, er, helpfullness of your players.

Suggestions:

A. Pre-gens. For the first game tell the players: "you're playing these characters". This could give them a guide to the CoC archetypes for PCs and show them why it's worth having Library Use etc. Let them then tweak those characters or switch to their self-generated characters for later scenarios. Possibly they all have 100 extra skill point to allocate as they want in that scemnario or a later one to personalise their characer.

B. Guided character generation. Give the characters a general guide to help them find a character idea: "You'll need to be in Boston, for one reason or another, for July 4th 1927." - and then reward them (say +20% for skill allocation) for each link with other characters that exist as part of their background story.

General Advice: Seek out a review (or possibly a copy) of Trail of Cthulhu. Even if you only ever play CoC, having read (about) ToC will give you a good ideas on how to run an investigative game well.

PS. Remember that despite its reputation there doesn't have to be regular character death or insanity in Call of Cthulhu. But - if you really are a Gm for Powergamers then don't hesitate to squish them like bugs if they start thinking they're powerful.

Remember: Good against cultists is one thing. Good aganist the mythos, that's something else.

 

[DragonLancer]

In the lengthy campaign that I'm running I started it off with the Edge of Darkness scenario from the rulebook (I assume it's still there in the current edition) and had all the investigators be from Arkham and somehow be connected to NPC that brings them in. From there they have a reason to stick in contact with one another.
Not long after when they were pondering why things were happening to them or why they were suddenly being drawn into more Mythos stuff, I had a knowledgeable NPC inform them that once they have seen the Mythos it also sees them, and draws them in. At least for my players it gave them a reason to stay together and investigate.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

Ooo, Call of Cthulhu. I love Call of Cthulhu!! What version are you playing? I've only played the Chaosium version and my gaming group was introduced to it by one of our friends, so our experience with it and what makes a CoC game is based entirely on how that one friend presented it.

Since Chaosium's CoC is a particularly deadly system and we played it primarily as one-shots, our group would spend little time on developing plot hooks for each character. We'd figure out the personal relationships between the characters, the GM would create a plot hook for one player, and the others would be brought in as that character's support network. This meant the hooks for the characters who were brought in as backup weren't strong but it let us begin the game quickly and I never felt that the stories or roleplaying suffered.

One suggestion I have for increasing the horror, suspense, and mystery aspects of a CoC game is to require that the player characters are everyday people, not adventurers. One game I played had a puppeteer but who was also a crack shot with a shotgun. Another had a Southern gentleman who also had max Spot, Occult, Dodge, Pistols, and who carried a hidden sword cane. These characters didn't fare any better than character who weren't created "to the test" but it let the players and character be comfortable in their situation and this detracted from the horror aspect that the sessions should have.

 

[DragonLancer]

Another suggestion I would make is to run it as 1920's pulp horror in feel rather than dedicated Lovecraftian horror. This is what I do and it makes the game far more interesting, and doesn't require the constant character deaths. After all, if you are running a campaign you want the characters to get to the end if possible.

 

[ShadowDenizen]

Ah!
Cthulhu, Cthulhu, Cthulhu….

Where to begin?

First, if you’re playing the Chaosium version of Call of Cthulhu, there’s a few things your group will need to think about right off the bat, depending on your players…. (I only specify because there’s other “Cthulhu” systems from different publishers that have different tone and support to them!!

1) What era are you playing in?
* The intra-war period (1919-1939 or so) is probably the most-supported version of the setting. You’ll find no shortage of great material, either for one-shots or continuing campaigns. (More on that in a bit.)

*Alternately, Cthulhu Now or Delta Green have their merits, too, and both are supported reasonably well. (There aren’t quite as many preexisting CAMPAIGNS for the setting, but there are some spectacular one-off adventures you shouldn’t have trouble finding.)

*There’s also some lesser supported settings; Chutlhu Invictus (Roman-Era), Cthulhu Dark Ages, etc., which nonetheless still have some fair support.


2) Are you playing one-offs? Or an extended campaign?

This will determine how you will generate characters [not mechanically, but mentally.]; in a one-shot game it’s not quite as important how you get your party together, as opposed to a campaign, where you want that bond between characters to form almost immediately. (And yes, “getting the party together” has always been a problem in most CoC scenarions, and is mostly hand-waved to be dealt with by the Keeper.

3) Are you going for a true Lovecraftian feel? Or do you want more of a “Pulp Adventure” feel?

There’s scenarios that support either style of play, though if you want true “Pulp Adventure” feel, you may also want to check out the “Trail of Cthulhu” system, which specifically offers “Purist” or “Pulp” style of play.

All that said, I don’t want this to sound like a drag. Just wanted to ensure that you get the most bang for your buck when getting ready to play! “Call of Cthulhu” is one of the true classics of the RPG market; there’s a reason it’s stood the test of time for 30 years+!

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Ah!
Cthulhu, Cthulhu, Cthulhu….

Where to begin?

First, if you’re playing the Chaosium version of Call of Cthulhu, there’s a few things your group will need to think about right off the bat, depending on your players…. (I only specify because there’s other “Cthulhu” systems from different publishers that have different tone and support to them!!

I have the chaosium 5th and 5.6 edtion (and d20 but that wont be used), I have Maze of madness, delta green, and Dream lands 2e, before the fall, King of chicago, and vanishing conjurer (and some from the site lised above)

1) What era are you playing in?
* The intra-war period (1919-1939 or so) is probably the most-supported version of the setting. You’ll find no shortage of great material, either for one-shots or continuing campaigns. (More on that in a bit.)

*Alternately, Cthulhu Now or Delta Green have their merits, too, and both are supported reasonably well. (There aren’t quite as many preexisting CAMPAIGNS for the setting, but there are some spectacular one-off adventures you shouldn’t have trouble finding.)

To be honnest befor ethis startd I always thought Delta green started from majestic 12 in the 30's and 40's... so I was grouping it as one time line, just this month I found out DG is a 3rd party add on.

I did research on the year 1925, and even have a calander, so I think that will be the year...

2) Are you playing one-offs? Or an extended campaign?

This will determine how you will generate characters [not mechanically, but mentally.]; in a one-shot game it’s not quite as important how you get your party together, as opposed to a campaign, where you want that bond between characters to form almost immediately. (And yes, “getting the party together” has always been a problem in most CoC scenarions, and is mostly hand-waved to be dealt with by the Keeper.

We normaly when we roleplay make our own characters and make campaigns...how long they last on the other hand...

3) Are you going for a true Lovecraftian feel? Or do you want more of a “Pulp Adventure” feel?

There’s scenarios that support either style of play, though if you want true “Pulp Adventure” feel, you may also want to check out the “Trail of Cthulhu” system, which specifically offers “Purist” or “Pulp” style of play.

I am not sure... I know that I am looking at the rules for mythos magic and non mythos magic... maybe having werewolf and vampire stuff too...

All that said, I don’t want this to sound like a drag. Just wanted to ensure that you get the most bang for your buck when getting ready to play! “Call of Cthulhu” is one of the true classics of the RPG market; there’s a reason it’s stood the test of time for 30 years

yea I really want this to work, but I am afraid I wont do it right. so agian advice or ideas are welcome.


SO far I am thinking about the gypsy adventure or the conjuror adventure...