Help with Cthulhu?

[Darklance]

I've been told that I'm a good DM but I just don't know if I can do COC justice. I bought the D20 version when it came out and I liked it but I just don't know how to go about running it. I've never played in a game before so I'd kinda in a jam....

My players are willing to take our games seriously but how the hell can I scare them? I've heard people say that dimmed lights, candles, sound effects etc work but that seems to be taking it a little far and I don't see that it would really work.

I'm not the type that gets scarred really...I chuckled to myself in a few scenes of the blare witch, so it's hard for me to judge if I'm going about this right.

The best way to see would be to play in a game but I don't know anyone who runs one in my area.

My players are willing to try any rules set/campaign I suggest because I always make it fun for them. However if the first game goes poorly I don't see us play a second.

Do any of you have suggestions as to how I might go about doing it right? I've read some of the story hours so I know what a good story would be like but what about DM wise? Thanks for your help.

 

[KitanaVorr]

I'm guessing you're playing this live.

Well, definitely all that with the candles and stuff. Gather everyone around the table. Probably want to turn the thermostat down so its a bit chilly.

Use music prepared ahead of time as background and to punctuate things. Use your voice...when someone screams...bloody hell scream too!

And play with words and the timbre of your voice.

If you need some pointers, watch horror films or read some books to get the idea of atmosphere.

EDIT: turn off the phone, no pets, no children...no interruptions...all that kills the horror mood by letting real life intrude

remember...don't think SCARY...think CREEPY and that should work well

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

This is really general advice, but...

one thing I do in these situations is to pay attention to what set of sensations each player uses in their descriptions.

I had a player, for instance, who tended to describe things in terms of tactile sensations and posture.

Stuff like, "Grendarl stands poised over the precipice his muscles aching as the battle rage lifts. The tears that trickle down his face mingle with the blood of his opponent and are his tribute to the dead."

So when I wanted to freak him out, I would follow that pattern for a bit and then break it.

"The moon highlights Grendarl's figure in the doorway. A cold wind sweeps across his skin, simultaneously teasing his hair and scratching his skin. At his first stride into the room a jarring shuder goes through his knees as his foot steps through freshly turned earth and collapses the decaying skull of a flayed man."

I don't know if that makes any sense, but twisting words and tones is always a good tactic for freakiness.

 

[Tjaden]

In my Cthulu game, I used in-game settings to set a scary mood. The characters were walking through an abandoned hotel, which was pitch black and silent as death. The only sound they encountered was a slow drip from the ceiling. It set the mood because they had just run away from zombies, which are fairly easy to hear, and now they were in complete silence.

Besides just setting the mood in-game, use graphic combat. By this I mean, when they kill a zombie, it doesnt just "drop to 0 hp." It gurgles as its nasty smelling blood sloshes across the pcs' feet. And of course it doesnt just fall over and die, its severed limbs crawl around a bit, and the entrails are entirely visible.

Anyway, I think you get the idea. CoC is all about graphic details, what the characters perceive that shatters their sanity is what can best be employed to set the mood.

 

[Darklance]

If I was to buy COC adventure, are there any out there that just scream quality? Some universally accepted great? I've heard good things about Masks of Ny-something

 

[Albert_Fish]

Masks of Nyarlathotep, Escape from innsmouth, andi have never read but heard only good things about the out of Print "horror onthe orient Express" Oh and try reading soem lovecraft!!!!!!!!!

Shadow over Innsmouth, the colour out of space, the Dunwich Horror.....those three plus , of course, The Call of Cthulhu!

 

[blackshirt5]

As far as music, Midnight Syndicate(who're available on the store on this site) make good background music, as does The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

First off- Masks of Nyarlathotep (he's one of the Outer Gods ) is an excellent campaign. I think someone's doing a PbP in the IC section, in fact, if you want to see what it's like. BUT it's extremely long (six module-length chapters at about 160 pages total) and horribly complex for both Keepers and Investigators- the plot is convoluted and there's an ungodly amount of information to track. When run with it's original rules it's also pretty lethal. Each campaign I've seen has had at least a dozen or so character deaths. So, to sum up, it's probably not something you'd want to start off with.

In addition to having to convert stats, Masks is also set in the 1920s, while the CoC d20 is set in present-day. So it also sort of depends on what time period you'd like to use. Personally, I think that modern day would probably be easier for a new group. The two modern-day books I've gotten recently are Unseen Masters and Goatswood. Both are excellent. Unseen Masters is three long scenarios. Not all of them (especially the second, which deals with the actions of an already-insane PC) may be what you want. But the first one ("The Wild Hunt", a murder mystery set in New York) is a good intro to the game. Goatswood has shorter scenarios, and they're connected more by geography than theme. But most of the scenarios are quite good, and the variety will allow you to pick and choose more. Also, it has a sort of location- based setting in that the PCs inherit a house in the country, so it may be helpful in giving you and them a sort of grounding framework to go with.

If your'e doing 1920s, I'd suggest checking out the Lovecraft Country books: Escape from Innsmouth, Arkham Unveiled, and Return to Dunwich. These latter two have recently been re-released with d20 stats, so will require less conversion work. All of the books are combinations of setting and scenario. Dunwich would probably require the most from you, as it's heavy on setting. Escape from Innsmouth has some excellent hooks for new characters. I haven't had a chance to look through Arkham yet.

You should definately read some Lovecraft- I think you can find most of his stuff on the web these days. Also, check out the chaosium.com site for a product list to see what these books are like. Better yet, just go to the gaming store, flip through them, and decide based on what you think your players would enjoy.

 

[Darklance]

Yeah I've read quite a bit of H.P.L.

What was the final consensus? Is CoC d20 quite a bit less lethal than the original?

I read some mathematical analysis when it first game out that said yes but quite a few were arguing that it wasn't.

 

[Shadoe's Lady]

Creating atmosphere

I've heard that one way to do it is turn out the lights completely and give everyone flashlights for consulting their character sheets or rolling dice. Shadoe says candles aren't a good idea-people will get distracted by them and start playing with the flames and the wax, but then his brother's a pyro (and a welder) so maybe there's some bias. Shadoe also suggests you make your players feel isolated and vulnerable-don't let anyone sit within touching distance of each other. Personally, whenever my siblings and cousins wanted me to tell them ghost stories I always did it in a room with all the lights out completely. Somehow when you're sitting in a darkened room you worry less about it being silly and since no one can see your face and you can't catch anyone's expression it's easier to narrate in a "scary" voice. I can't explain what this is.