Call of Cthulhu: Tips and Techniques?

[Old Fezziwig]

Hi, all. I'll be running a one-shot CoC adventure (d20 rules) for my D&D group over the next month & a half as a change of pace (and also as a last hurrah/something fun before I move back to MA in July). I've been reading the CoC d20 book and the tips in there are great, but I was wondering if anyone else had any advice/tips/whatnot they could give me for running a CoC scenario. Any advice folks could give would be great and really helpful as I've never run this before.

My basic scenario is set during King Philip's War in 1676 Massachusetts. Spoiler for the scenario (just in case my group's reading -- and if you are, then shoo!):

Spoiler

The group will end up investigating an abandoned village in central/western MA, which had been home to some sort of cult (haven't decided who/what, although Hastur's a favorite and very possible) that has awakened some sort of unspeakable thing (which has, in turn, killed/eaten/eliminated most if not all of the villagers). I've left the composition of the group (colonists/Indians/mixed) up to the players at this point, although the tension possible in a mixed group makes it very appealing to me. The players will not know about the cult at the beginning of the game. I picture the whole thing as a two act adventure -- part one dealing with discovering the cult, part two, with what's been unleashed.

Anyhow, I'm looking for general tips, although if folks have thoughts about the basic plot, that's cool, too.

thanks,
Nick

 

[WayneLigon]

For dealing with Colonial America, Nyarlathotep might be better. He's also known as the 'Black Man' in witchcraft circles and often is the central figure in most covens; he appears in his Black Man guise, and toys with the witches. Sometimes he appears as a black goat. That way you also get witchcraft paranoia running wild, maybe have some Blair Witch-esque run through dark and haunted forests...

For tips in running it: make sure you have bits of lore and such already typed out to either hand to players (you find this in the burned house) or to read to them. Most of the player tips are, I think, covered in the book itself.

 

[Turanil]

I just wish to recount the last CoC adventure I ran, a long time ago. When I saw the players' schocked faces, I really knew that I had succeeded in doing a memorable session that day. It was set in basic thirties, so it won't be of much help to you, but you could anyway get some idea from it (for instance, in turning the sheriff into a witch-finder).

So, the PCs had come to a small town in the deep US. A woman had called one of the PCs (who was a pastor) to her help. She worked as a servant to a doctor, so the PCs went to the doctor's home. The doctor, however, answered that she had left some days ago, and that the PCs could go and look elsewhere. However, some clues let them strongly suspect that she was still in the doctor's mansion, and in very bad situation. So they came back later, intruded the house, and found the woman, who was incidentally prepared for some nightmarish ritual involving some atrocious things I should better not speak about...

Anyway, they freed the woman, and went to question the doctor about this scandal. Of course, this degenerated into a heated dispute, with the doctor threatening to call the sheriff. And there, the PCs said: "You want to call the sheriff?! So do it, and we'll see who is really guilty about all of this affair!"

Bad idea: when the sheriff came, they quickly discovered that he was the worst person they had ever encountered in their life. The sheriff said he was going to imprison them for the trouble they had caused. When someone pointed out that they had done no trouble at all, the sheriff took his gun and shooted in their car. He then said: "I have seen you using firearms, as this shot in the car attests, so you are now under arrest!". Later, as they were in jail, another PC told the sheriff that he had the "legal right to give a phone call". The sheriff agreed and gave him a phone, except that the phone line was cut. Everything else was like that. (Of course, the sheriff was the totally evil and insane cultists' leader as you may guess.)

I can tell you, all of these incidents with the sheriff were the best part of the adventure. My players had naively believed the sheriff represented the law, and that they could count on him. Their shocked expressions was the best part of that gaming session. Years after, I am still having fun when remembering it.

 

[Morpheus]

Very cool idea. A few different resources may help you. Here they are:

1. The Devil's Children, a CoC module that has information about Salem, Mass. in 1692 IIRC. Tough to find, though.
2. www.yog-sothoth.com has everything related to CoC.

 

[teitan]

If you are using music in the game... do not ue rock music or anything with heavy lyrics... I would suggest using ambient music to establish mood and candlelight. As far as the period, learn a little bit of the lingo and emphasize the puritanism... make it almost as scary as the baddies...

Jason

 

[Old Fezziwig]

For dealing with Colonial America, Nyarlathotep might be better.

You're absolutely right there. It makes more sense in the terms of the mythos and the time period. Good call. As for typing stuff out, my players would expect no less of me likely (as I already do that stuff for our D&D game).

I just wish to recount the last CoC adventure I ran, a long time ago. When I saw the players' schocked faces, I really knew that I had succeeded in doing a memorable session that day. It was set in basic thirties, so it won't be of much help to you, but you could anyway get some idea from it (for instance, in turning the sheriff into a witch-finder).

That sounds like a fun game. As for the witch-finder (rather than hunter), that could be interesting, too (and could be a nice break for the ending of my first act -- the PCs find out that there's a cult and hear something moving outside/downstairs/upstairs, only to find out that it's something seemingly friendlier...kind of a variant on the trope in horror movies where a friend startles the hero by sneaking up behind them and putting a hand on the shoulder maybe, at least metaphorically).

1. The Devil's Children, a CoC module that has information about Salem, Mass. in 1692 IIRC. Tough to find, though.
2. www.yog-sothoth.com has everything related to CoC.

Sweet. I'll check the second out in the morning. I just logged on to check this thread right now.

If you are using music in the game... do not ue rock music or anything with heavy lyrics... I would suggest using ambient music to establish mood and candlelight. As far as the period, learn a little bit of the lingo and emphasize the puritanism... make it almost as scary as the baddies...

Good suggestions. I won't be using music, as I don't have anything really appropriate, although the candlelight is a thought (I'll have to see how our usual hosts feel about that, though). The second set of suggestions is sharp, too.

thanks!
Nick

 

[schnee]

Play by candlelight. Seriously. Not necessarily the whole time, but set up a scenario where the characters have to explore a dark, scary place, then turn out the lights.

Brainstorm on your visual descriptions ahead of time. If you write them down first, then they'll be top-of-mind when you play. Dank, musty, moldy, sooty, wet, etc... great words.

Throw in an occasional startling, scary situation that isn't really harmful. Let's say they're going up that long creaky rickety saircase, and that fourth step buckles under one character's steps then 'crack!' gives way! His foot shoots through, and a rusty nail rips an eight inch gash out of his trousers and calf... he's got to stop to bandage it... No kerchiefs? He's leaving a trail of blood, and each time he has to do something physical later you can emphasize how much that cut *hurts*.

Red herrings rock. A noise! %&*$, just a cat. A noise! %&*$, damn cat again. A noise! %&*$, probably just the cat ag- OMG WHAT'S THAT MY NECK OH GOD OH GOD OOOOOOHHHHH!!!!"

Have fun.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Throw in an occasional startling, scary situation that isn't really harmful. Let's say they're going up that long creaky rickety saircase, and that fourth step buckles under one character's steps then 'crack!' gives way! His foot shoots through, and a rusty nail rips an eight inch gash out of his trousers and calf... he's got to stop to bandage it... No kerchiefs? He's leaving a trail of blood, and each time he has to do something physical later you can emphasize how much that cut *hurts*.

All good stuff, schnee, but I particularly like this one. It's wicked cool.

thanks,
Nick

 

[Krieg]

Bad idea: when the sheriff came, they quickly discovered that he was the worst person they had ever encountered in their life. The sheriff said he was going to imprison them for the trouble they had caused. When someone pointed out that they had done no trouble at all, the sheriff took his gun and shooted in their car. He then said: "I have seen you using firearms, as this shot in the car attests, so you are now under arrest!". Later, as they were in jail, another PC told the sheriff that he had the "legal right to give a phone call". The sheriff agreed and gave him a phone, except that the phone line was cut. Everything else was like that. (Of course, the sheriff was the totally evil and insane cultists' leader as you may guess.)

I can tell you, all of these incidents with the sheriff were the best part of the adventure. My players had naively believed the sheriff represented the law, and that they could count on him. Their shocked expressions was the best part of that gaming session. Years after, I am still having fun when remembering it.

Unfortunatey my players are far more paranoid. They would have automatically assumed that the sheriff WAS in league with the Old Ones. They would have been far more surprised when they found out that he was in fact nothing more than a (stereotyped) deepwoods southern bigot.

The only reason I pointed that out is as a reminder to know your players. Use their prejudices & knoweledge against them. Don't play into their expecations.

.../snip/...He's leaving a trail of blood, and each time he has to do something physical later you can emphasize how much that cut *hurts*.

Red herrings rock. A noise! %&*$, just a cat. A noise! %&*$, damn cat again. A noise! %&*$, probably just the cat ag- OMG WHAT'S THAT MY NECK OH GOD OH GOD OOOOOOHHHHH!!!!"

Except the second time the players see the cat it is sniffing the blood trail...and the third it's lapping it up. Of course the cat isn't the "real" threat, but it will certainly creep the players out.

 

[PaulofCthulhu]

You know we actually host an updated PDF copy of 'Devil's Children' ?

Devil's Children on Yog-Sothoth.com

Paul