Advice for Noob Call of Cthulhu Keeper...?

[damned]

I usually run Castles&Crusades and have almost no experience with Cthulhu.

We thought we would have a few players missing from our session this week so I decided to run something different and went with Trail of Cthulhu.
Turned out we had 5 players turn up anyway and we decided to go ahead and try and learn some Cthulhu.

Does anyone know a good resource - thread/post/article/video - with Keeper tips on running a good session?
Also on what I might/should expect from my session... should i be tipping my characters towards insanity or trying to have them survive longer?
If my players become blasted will they not enjoy the rest of the investigation?
Any tips and advice are welcome

 

[Jan van Leyden]

I'm a biot confused, here. Are you talking about Trail of Cthulhu or Call of Cthulhu?

 

[damned]

I'm a biot confused, here. Are you talking about Trail of Cthulhu or Call of Cthulhu?

Im using Trail of Cthulhu.
I didnt think there would be much difference in how you run the game between the two...
Obviously there are some differences but in general I would have thought I could ask the same question had I been running Achtung Cthulhu or any other similar ruleset. Its the whole horror, investigative game vs what I have been used to...

Im using Trail of Cthulhu on Fantasy Grounds.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

Guess I can't help you much, then. I have my experience with CoC, have read parts of the ToC ruleset, and don't know anything about AC! or other stuff.

The main point of CoC when comparing it to different RPGs like D&D is the completely different paradigm. PCs aren't heroes bound to come out victorious and alive. They are doomed fellows who venture where humans shouldn't.

ToC has a "pulp mode" giving the PCs more of a fighting chance against their mythos opponents, but even this is a grand departure from classic CoC.

If you want to get more help with this question, you should probably head over to www.rpg.net, where number of dicsussions and posters for any not D&D-centric game is much higher.

 

[damned]

Thanks Jan - I appreciate your input.
From my understanding I think the biggest difference is in Trail you get given the clues a bit more readily and you have to work out what they means and what to do with them rather than having to also work hard to find the clues too.
The Pulp options are there too... I think I can do the Pulp stuff - its learning how to handle the atmosphere, the characters *not winning* and how to keep players engaged when they have become incapacitated...

 

[Crothian]

ToC is great but does play and run a bit differently. The adventure from the back of the book is awesome but it is long so not something that will be done in one session but if you have a few weeks to devote to it it would be a good place to start.

With ToC and really all Gumshoe games I find the challenging thing is when the players want to make a spend for more information or to find a clue that might not be there. It can take some good improvisation on the Keeper's part and that can be tough. It is something that practice helps so if you trip up on it at the start you will get better.

 

[damned]

Thanks Crothian.
Im running them thru The Devourers In The Mist from Stunning Eldritch Tales.
Learning on the run

 

[ShadowDenizen]

Learning on the run is never a bad thing!

Yes, the emphasis on Trail is on the PC's never failing to miss vital clue. (One of the long-time complaints of CoC is that a single botched roll from the party can derail an adventure as the PC's never gain the clue needed to complete/defeat the adventure.)

But, there's subtle (and a few not-so-subtle) differences in themes and play, too. Trail is equally at home in the "Pulp" style as they are in the "Purist" style, which means characters are (overall) more durable than CoC chracters. (But not to the level of CoC D20, mind you.)

As a noob keeper, sounds like you're doing OK. Get your feet wet with some smaller, less life-threaterning adventures until you feel comfortable. "Devouers", IIRC, is a great starter adventure.. You may want to wander over to www.yog-sothoth.com ; I believe they have an Live-Play audio recroding of that very game that is quite enetertaining [and explains some of the ToC rules as they go, since the audience playing are ToC newbies.]

Hope that helps a bit!