Lycan 01
2009-03-10, 08:05 PM
Good day to you all, fellow Playgrounders. I am here today to present to you my latest creation - a Call of Cthulhu campaign taking place in the Old West. Why, you may ask? Because Call of Cthulhu rocks, I love the Old West, and I've managed to create a working combination of the two. YEEHAW!!! :smallbiggrin:
The idea is simple, really. The setting is the Old West, just the same as it should have been in the late 1800's. But there are evil things lurking in the shadows... and they're probably better off left there. The players will assume the roles of... well... whatever they want, as long as it makes sense. Indian, settler, Civil War veteran, outlaw... I'll be making new Professions to suit these categories, of course.
The first scenario will be an introduction to the Mythos in the Old West for the players. They'll then have to deal with a myriad of problems and scenarios ranging from a gang of undead outlaws to the restless ghosts of a Native American warrior and a US. soldier forever fighting each other to the death. Its not so much a campaign, really, as it is a nifty setting to have Western-themed 1890's scenarios in, many of which are open ended and even optional. I've managed to cobble together some notes, as well as a few new mechanics to fool around with. I was hoping to get some feedback from my fellow Playgrounders, as well as possibly some questions, ideas, or suggestions. :smallsmile:
At any rate, here's what I've got so far...
SHOWDOWNS
Ah yes, the cliche Western shootout. Two people in a staring contest, waiting to see who shoots first. I've got a few ideas for this... Options are:
-Both players make a DEX (base, or times 2-5?) roll to draw their gun. If one of them makes it, he gets the shot off, and the other player is automatically hit. If both of them make the roll, they both draw and shoot at the same time, hitting each other automatically. If they both fail, they draw their guns before they have a chance to think, and then must make a Handgun roll to actually hit their target.
-Both players draw at the same time, and make dueling Handgun and Luck rolls. Handgun rolls to hit near target, and Luck rolls for the opponent's shot to narrowly avoid them. Ergo, if they both succeed at their Handgun rolls, but only one succeeds at his Luck roll, the loser of the Luck roll takes the hit.
Once the first shot has been fire, the two players must decide what to do next. If one of them has been shot, and is still alive and willing to fight, they must make a CON (base, or times 2-5?) roll to stay standing. If both have been shot, they must do the same, or just call it quits and hit the dirt. If both of them miss, there are a few options available to them. They can either agree to hold their fire and call it a draw, or they can keep fighting. If they keep fighting, they simply repeat the attack pattern of the first round.
The process can be repeated until one of them is wounded, both are wounded, or one or both shooters has been killed. In fact, the shooters can agree before the battle that they won't stop until the above requirements are met. Altogether, it just comes down to the player's intentions and will to fight... as well as their will to survive.
HP AND SANITY RECOVERY
Call of Cthulhu is deadly. I hate to see well-developed characters die randomly because they never recovered all their HP from minor injuries in previous sessions. So, I've added a few ways to recover Health and Sanity.
HP - Health Points can be recovered through a few methods. Namely, water and food.
Keeping a canteen of water on hand in the dry plains of the Old West is common sense. A few sips of water every so often is required to keep the character in tip-top shape under certain conditions, such as riding across deserts. But downing the contents of a canteen can help to reinvigorate a character who's running out of steam. While half a canteen won't recover more than 1 HP, something is better than nothing.
The luxeries of civilization can also help keep the shadow of death away. Beef jerky won't do much for you, but a warm meal cooked over an open fire sure goes a long way. A full stomach and a fresh burst of stamina amounts to the recovery of 1d2 HP. And in the Old West, a nice bath was not always available, so the chance to sit down, get clean, and escape the heat was always a welcomed occurance. If a character can find themselves a bath in a hotel or saloon, they can recover quite a few HP, depending on the injuries they've recently recieved.
Sanity - What cowboy didn't love his booze? It reinvigorates the body and wakes up the mind. It also helps to keep away those pesky nightmarish memories... Depending on the alcohol consumed, some Sanity may be recovered. The effects aren't spectacular, but it can help stem off permanent insanity better than just waiting for the nightmares to stop coming back. Caution is important, though, as Alcoholism is a real and common threat, resulting in permanent Sanity and perhaps even HP loss.
I'll write up more later. I've still got to cover Indian magic and Poker, as well as weapons and enemies.
So... Questions? Comments? Concerns? :smallamused:
The idea is simple, really. The setting is the Old West, just the same as it should have been in the late 1800's. But there are evil things lurking in the shadows... and they're probably better off left there. The players will assume the roles of... well... whatever they want, as long as it makes sense. Indian, settler, Civil War veteran, outlaw... I'll be making new Professions to suit these categories, of course.
The first scenario will be an introduction to the Mythos in the Old West for the players. They'll then have to deal with a myriad of problems and scenarios ranging from a gang of undead outlaws to the restless ghosts of a Native American warrior and a US. soldier forever fighting each other to the death. Its not so much a campaign, really, as it is a nifty setting to have Western-themed 1890's scenarios in, many of which are open ended and even optional. I've managed to cobble together some notes, as well as a few new mechanics to fool around with. I was hoping to get some feedback from my fellow Playgrounders, as well as possibly some questions, ideas, or suggestions. :smallsmile:
At any rate, here's what I've got so far...
SHOWDOWNS
Ah yes, the cliche Western shootout. Two people in a staring contest, waiting to see who shoots first. I've got a few ideas for this... Options are:
-Both players make a DEX (base, or times 2-5?) roll to draw their gun. If one of them makes it, he gets the shot off, and the other player is automatically hit. If both of them make the roll, they both draw and shoot at the same time, hitting each other automatically. If they both fail, they draw their guns before they have a chance to think, and then must make a Handgun roll to actually hit their target.
-Both players draw at the same time, and make dueling Handgun and Luck rolls. Handgun rolls to hit near target, and Luck rolls for the opponent's shot to narrowly avoid them. Ergo, if they both succeed at their Handgun rolls, but only one succeeds at his Luck roll, the loser of the Luck roll takes the hit.
Once the first shot has been fire, the two players must decide what to do next. If one of them has been shot, and is still alive and willing to fight, they must make a CON (base, or times 2-5?) roll to stay standing. If both have been shot, they must do the same, or just call it quits and hit the dirt. If both of them miss, there are a few options available to them. They can either agree to hold their fire and call it a draw, or they can keep fighting. If they keep fighting, they simply repeat the attack pattern of the first round.
The process can be repeated until one of them is wounded, both are wounded, or one or both shooters has been killed. In fact, the shooters can agree before the battle that they won't stop until the above requirements are met. Altogether, it just comes down to the player's intentions and will to fight... as well as their will to survive.
HP AND SANITY RECOVERY
Call of Cthulhu is deadly. I hate to see well-developed characters die randomly because they never recovered all their HP from minor injuries in previous sessions. So, I've added a few ways to recover Health and Sanity.
HP - Health Points can be recovered through a few methods. Namely, water and food.
Keeping a canteen of water on hand in the dry plains of the Old West is common sense. A few sips of water every so often is required to keep the character in tip-top shape under certain conditions, such as riding across deserts. But downing the contents of a canteen can help to reinvigorate a character who's running out of steam. While half a canteen won't recover more than 1 HP, something is better than nothing.
The luxeries of civilization can also help keep the shadow of death away. Beef jerky won't do much for you, but a warm meal cooked over an open fire sure goes a long way. A full stomach and a fresh burst of stamina amounts to the recovery of 1d2 HP. And in the Old West, a nice bath was not always available, so the chance to sit down, get clean, and escape the heat was always a welcomed occurance. If a character can find themselves a bath in a hotel or saloon, they can recover quite a few HP, depending on the injuries they've recently recieved.
Sanity - What cowboy didn't love his booze? It reinvigorates the body and wakes up the mind. It also helps to keep away those pesky nightmarish memories... Depending on the alcohol consumed, some Sanity may be recovered. The effects aren't spectacular, but it can help stem off permanent insanity better than just waiting for the nightmares to stop coming back. Caution is important, though, as Alcoholism is a real and common threat, resulting in permanent Sanity and perhaps even HP loss.
I'll write up more later. I've still got to cover Indian magic and Poker, as well as weapons and enemies.
So... Questions? Comments? Concerns? :smallamused: