GMing CoC advice

[BobVosh]

I have played CoC a few times (read:4) and since the GM for that doesn't meet often (read:4 games in 2 years) I would like to give running it a shot. That said what is the best way to GM it? What should I look out for?

As for my history of GMing I started with running some games of Rifts, then D&D. After that I went with more silly games of Exalted than Paranoia, so I'm not entirely new to this. That said none of those games are as important to atmosphere as it is in CoC.

I'm not entirely sure on the edition, but I think it is 5edsixth edition. The skills are all percentiles that have a chance to level at the end of a session if you used it.

The cover looks like thus. (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DSs2bX13hVc/Sbp8mkwaWZI/AAAAAAAAA0g/mTfggV519sc/s320/coc6.gif)

[Shinizak]

First thing to know is the players aren't going to win (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EldritchAbomination). They are facing off against a cosmic horror that is capable of unmaking them simply by crapping it's self (that's literally how powerful Azathoth (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EldritchAbomination) is).

Second thing to know (or in this case have) is atmosphere. Atmosphere is key. if your players are going to be throwing about jokes and quoting Monty Python then CoC is virtually worthless as a game.

Third thing is a sold mystery, the players may be able to beat the shoggoth into submission (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=you%27re%20doing%20it%20wrong) but that doesn't mean squat if they aren't able to figure out the mystery of Therken square, what the appearance of the shoggoth fortellls, and what the Hemald family all the way out in Kingston have to do with this, all while surviving the night at the hemp factory.

focus on those things, they help me make a few good stories sometimes.

[BobVosh]

First thing to know is the players aren't going to win (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EldritchAbomination). They are facing off against a cosmic horror that is capable of unmaking them simply by crapping it's self (that's literally how powerful Azathoth (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EldritchAbomination) is).
Nice trap, placing a tvtrope link in. I already read that page, so it failed. It seems the players can win, so long as they stop the hideous ritual that calls forth said eldritch abomination of various unspeakable attributes.


Second thing to know (or in this case have) is atmosphere. Atmosphere is key. if your players are going to be throwing about jokes and quoting Monty Python then CoC is virtually worthless as a game.
True, I was wondering if anyone had any tips on ensuring this?


Third thing is a sold mystery, the players may be able to beat the shoggoth into submission (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=you%27re%20doing%20it%20wrong) but that doesn't mean squat if they aren't able to figure out the mystery of Therken square, what the appearance of the shoggoth fortellls, and what the Hemald family all the way out in Kingston have to do with this, all while surviving the night at the hemp factory.
Explaining things is for chumps anyway. Hemp factory, eh?

[Dust]

I've slowwwly been compiling a list of disturbing/creepy things to throw at the players to keep them on edge, just to keep the tension and atmosphere of the game where I like it. Lots of stuff beneath the spoiler, not all of it good or usable.

For one session, seemingly everything the PCs witness occurs in increments of either 19 or 23. 23 victims in an accident. A gun stored with 23 bullets. The cab they use is no. 23, the house is no. 23. After the session, nothing has anything to do with the number 23 for a number of sessions. After a while, 23 starts creeping back in.


The PC feels he or she is being followed and sees something ducking away whenever he or she looks in a mirror...but never when turning around. Similar: if a PC wears glasses or contacts, they see movement--but only when not wearing glasses or specs.


The player gains the ability to see exactly 6 seconds ahead in time, as if from a perspective slightly above his head. Give him time to get used to this, to let him know its perfectly accurate... and then start having it go blank at times. Have him forsee events, like a waitress drawing a gun and shooting him, that don't actually happen. The vision starts centering on his forehead, and he grows a strange lump there...


Any insect in his presence is completely invulnerable. A mosquito could be swatted a hundred times and continue buzzing, a swarm of ants could survive every poison. Insects start following him, never trying to hurt him.


While engaged in conversation, a PC puts down a his cup of coffee on the table. When he reaches for it again, the cup is empty and cracked, and appears to have been touched for years. This may or may not return to normal at the blink of an eye, depending on the mood of the DM.


Call for a will save (or Chaosium equivalent) from all players once in a while, and those who fail will begin to hear a low whispering chant that repeats a few times. "Sath Ar Kathool. Ie mthach Agh-Mnyorliathep."


The woods are filled with chrips, and the sounds of thriving life. But every creature seen is dead, and in a fairly advanced state of death.


The PCs, in the process of breaking into somewhere or other (especially appropriate if it's a red herring's house) are forced to kill a guard dog outside. After searching the place (as appropriate to the rest of the adventure) they leave through the same door they entered. The dog's corpse is still there, lying in a pool of it's own blood.

One of them sees it twitch. Just a tiny movement of the nose or toe-tip.

Then it wakes up. It stands up as though it had just been taking a nap, in blatant defiance of the gaping bullet hole in its face. Then it shakes itself, like any dog would on discovering that it was wet. Clumps of blood-soaked fur and rotten meat (it's only been dead about an hour, why is it so decayed?) fly everywhere. When it's finished, there's almost nothing left but cartilage and bone.

Then it charges, trailing its own intestines like a gory leash. Use the statistics for a skeletal wolf from the 3.5 monster manual if using d20 system


The paintings in the waiting room look like ordinary pastel still-lifes, but out of the corner of the eye they look shadowy, with dead flowers, rotten fruit, etc.


When an old, rusty faucet is turned on, roaches/spiders/maggots flow out instead of water.


An affluent PC finds a mystical necklace that brings people back to life. Every time someone is brought back a tattoo of chains appears on the PCs body. After the 4th chain appears the PC disappears, everything they care for begins to get destroyed.


An NPC friend of the PCs (we'll call him Ronald) is a wine connoisseur. This works best if he has been previously introduced and is simply viewed as a friend rather than a suspiciously introduced new character. He recently purchased a large wine cask shipped over from France that is 100+ years old and invites the PCs to a taste testing. It is wonderful wine, and he fills a bottle or two of it up for the PCs to take with them.

Time passes (Several sessions, or even several adventures)

Ronald dies of natural causes (ie: not supernatural. He could still be hit by a bus or whatnot) and has left some things to the PCs. They include a small sum of money, some personal items of little value, and the wine cask. Allow the PCs to drink all they like for a few sessions. . .

Time passes.

The cask finally dries up. While disposing of it (or if they happen to open it on purpose) the PCs discover an ancient, desiccated, wine-soaked corpse which was apparently placed in the cask when it was first sealed. Study shows that the body is that of Ronald. If they still have the first bottle that Ronald gave them, testing shows that there are traces of human tissue in the wine. Ronald's grave is empty, except for the casket and anything he was buried with.


The P.C.s find written on a wall; "There was a hole here. It's gone now."


The character notices that the shadows cast by solid objects (buildings, light poles, etc.) aren't solid. There seem to be light (possibly even different colors) and dark patches within the shadow. No one else seems to think this is odd.


While reading a book (any book), the words seem to move a bit at first, before the ink melts into a liquid and starts dripping out of the book. This seems to happen throughout the pages, and go on a bit longer than you'd expect. The ink turns red and turns into blood, now pouring over their hands, but keeps flowing out, while dying every page, eventually the flow slows down, and the blood falls from the pages. It leaves behind no trace of the original text, but on each pair of pages, written in blood, is the message "words won't help when he comes back"


Behind a church altar is the scrawled writing "Jesus Doesn't Come Here Anymore".


In the middle of the summer, neighborhood children begin disappearing; The PCs become aware of it, and should begin investigating. There is no creepy guy in a van. There is no sex offender or serial killer.

But every day at mid day, the children go down to the parking lot of an old abandoned hospital (preferably one the PCs knew about and investigated, finding nothing), and play a game--this could be something as simple as tag. Something innocent.

The loser (always only one), is forced by the other children to go down into the basement of the hospital, and is never heard from again.

When asked about it later, one of the children says:

"We had to. If we wanted to keep Them in there, we had to give them someone every day."


Misplaced items start showing up in the PC's possession--they just find them, and the items aren't necessarily stuff they have misplaced. First it's odd socks, ballpoint pens, pencils, loose change, erasers, screws and bolts. Then it starts to be CDs, books--these things often have names written on them, so the PCs know it's not their stuff. A pair of pants. But then it's a pair of false teeth. And eyeglasses. And a pacemaker. And all the misplaced junk really wants to be in the same room.
This has several consequences: First, the PCs are up on mischief charges or murder charges (the pacemaker is pretty extreme). And second, the junk is assembling into something like a person. And when it can be a person, what kind of agenda does it have with regards to the PCs?

[KurtKatze]

Hmm, I would recommend using a nice "one shot" out of the box. In Germany you can get some of the adventures of the "old" DMG for free, they are short and have quite a good atmosphere. Damn it... i dont have the english names for those -.-'

"The Case" springs to mind as well, also while short, a very good first CoC adventure. In CoC story telling and Atmosphere are the most important things. Do you have creepy music? Some survival horror sound tracks ala Resident Evil or Demento, VtM Bloodlines etc. really fit the CoC feeling. Youtube is your friend there ^^

Otherwise: I found that in coC bending the rules, improvising skilchecks etc is quite easy don't stick to the rules if it would be more fun otherwise. Characters are shortlived anyway so the players usually are fine with that.

Although if the adventure features mundane threads (gangsters etc.) Gunslingers on the side of the party or too high ranks in dodge can make your life a bit difficult if you just want to scare them and not kill them outright.

[Greenish]

While reading a book (any book), the words seem to move a bit at first, before the ink melts into a liquid and starts dripping out of the book. This seems to happen throughout the pages, and go on a bit longer than you'd expect. The ink turns red and turns into blood, now pouring over their hands, but keeps flowing out, while dying every page, eventually the flow slows down, and the blood falls from the pages. It leaves behind no trace of the original text, but on each pair of pages, written in blood, is the message "words won't help when he comes back"The other ones were wonderfully creepy, but this one won't work. It presupposes that PCs would actually open a book and try to read it… in CoC.

[BobVosh]

I've slowwwly been compiling a list of disturbing/creepy things to throw at the players to keep them on edge, just to keep the tension and atmosphere of the game where I like it. Lots of stuff beneath the spoiler, not all of it good or usable.

For one session, seemingly everything the PCs witness occurs in increments of either 19 or 23. 23 victims in an accident. A gun stored with 23 bullets. The cab they use is no. 23, the house is no. 23. After the session, nothing has anything to do with the number 23 for a number of sessions. After a while, 23 starts creeping back in.


The PC feels he or she is being followed and sees something ducking away whenever he or she looks in a mirror...but never when turning around. Similar: if a PC wears glasses or contacts, they see movement--but only when not wearing glasses or specs.


The player gains the ability to see exactly 6 seconds ahead in time, as if from a perspective slightly above his head. Give him time to get used to this, to let him know its perfectly accurate... and then start having it go blank at times. Have him forsee events, like a waitress drawing a gun and shooting him, that don't actually happen. The vision starts centering on his forehead, and he grows a strange lump there...


Any insect in his presence is completely invulnerable. A mosquito could be swatted a hundred times and continue buzzing, a swarm of ants could survive every poison. Insects start following him, never trying to hurt him.


While engaged in conversation, a PC puts down a his cup of coffee on the table. When he reaches for it again, the cup is empty and cracked, and appears to have been touched for years. This may or may not return to normal at the blink of an eye, depending on the mood of the DM.


Call for a will save (or Chaosium equivalent) from all players once in a while, and those who fail will begin to hear a low whispering chant that repeats a few times. "Sath Ar Kathool. Ie mthach Agh-Mnyorliathep."


The woods are filled with chrips, and the sounds of thriving life. But every creature seen is dead, and in a fairly advanced state of death.


The PCs, in the process of breaking into somewhere or other (especially appropriate if it's a red herring's house) are forced to kill a guard dog outside. After searching the place (as appropriate to the rest of the adventure) they leave through the same door they entered. The dog's corpse is still there, lying in a pool of it's own blood.

One of them sees it twitch. Just a tiny movement of the nose or toe-tip.

Then it wakes up. It stands up as though it had just been taking a nap, in blatant defiance of the gaping bullet hole in its face. Then it shakes itself, like any dog would on discovering that it was wet. Clumps of blood-soaked fur and rotten meat (it's only been dead about an hour, why is it so decayed?) fly everywhere. When it's finished, there's almost nothing left but cartilage and bone.

Then it charges, trailing its own intestines like a gory leash. Use the statistics for a skeletal wolf from the 3.5 monster manual if using d20 system


The paintings in the waiting room look like ordinary pastel still-lifes, but out of the corner of the eye they look shadowy, with dead flowers, rotten fruit, etc.


When an old, rusty faucet is turned on, roaches/spiders/maggots flow out instead of water.


An affluent PC finds a mystical necklace that brings people back to life. Every time someone is brought back a tattoo of chains appears on the PCs body. After the 4th chain appears the PC disappears, everything they care for begins to get destroyed.


An NPC friend of the PCs (we'll call him Ronald) is a wine connoisseur. This works best if he has been previously introduced and is simply viewed as a friend rather than a suspiciously introduced new character. He recently purchased a large wine cask shipped over from France that is 100+ years old and invites the PCs to a taste testing. It is wonderful wine, and he fills a bottle or two of it up for the PCs to take with them.

Time passes (Several sessions, or even several adventures)

Ronald dies of natural causes (ie: not supernatural. He could still be hit by a bus or whatnot) and has left some things to the PCs. They include a small sum of money, some personal items of little value, and the wine cask. Allow the PCs to drink all they like for a few sessions. . .

Time passes.

The cask finally dries up. While disposing of it (or if they happen to open it on purpose) the PCs discover an ancient, desiccated, wine-soaked corpse which was apparently placed in the cask when it was first sealed. Study shows that the body is that of Ronald. If they still have the first bottle that Ronald gave them, testing shows that there are traces of human tissue in the wine. Ronald's grave is empty, except for the casket and anything he was buried with.


The P.C.s find written on a wall; "There was a hole here. It's gone now."


The character notices that the shadows cast by solid objects (buildings, light poles, etc.) aren't solid. There seem to be light (possibly even different colors) and dark patches within the shadow. No one else seems to think this is odd.


While reading a book (any book), the words seem to move a bit at first, before the ink melts into a liquid and starts dripping out of the book. This seems to happen throughout the pages, and go on a bit longer than you'd expect. The ink turns red and turns into blood, now pouring over their hands, but keeps flowing out, while dying every page, eventually the flow slows down, and the blood falls from the pages. It leaves behind no trace of the original text, but on each pair of pages, written in blood, is the message "words won't help when he comes back"


Behind a church altar is the scrawled writing "Jesus Doesn't Come Here Anymore".


In the middle of the summer, neighborhood children begin disappearing; The PCs become aware of it, and should begin investigating. There is no creepy guy in a van. There is no sex offender or serial killer.

But every day at mid day, the children go down to the parking lot of an old abandoned hospital (preferably one the PCs knew about and investigated, finding nothing), and play a game--this could be something as simple as tag. Something innocent.

The loser (always only one), is forced by the other children to go down into the basement of the hospital, and is never heard from again.

When asked about it later, one of the children says:

"We had to. If we wanted to keep Them in there, we had to give them someone every day."


Misplaced items start showing up in the PC's possession--they just find them, and the items aren't necessarily stuff they have misplaced. First it's odd socks, ballpoint pens, pencils, loose change, erasers, screws and bolts. Then it starts to be CDs, books--these things often have names written on them, so the PCs know it's not their stuff. A pair of pants. But then it's a pair of false teeth. And eyeglasses. And a pacemaker. And all the misplaced junk really wants to be in the same room.
This has several consequences: First, the PCs are up on mischief charges or murder charges (the pacemaker is pretty extreme). And second, the junk is assembling into something like a person. And when it can be a person, what kind of agenda does it have with regards to the PCs?

Wow this is beautiful. I especially like the glasses one, as I am the only person at the table who doesn't wear them. The book one is a tad cliche, most of the others are beautifully Lovecraftian though. I also love the dog and misplaced items becoming some sort of construct.


Hmm, I would recommend using a nice "one shot" out of the box. In Germany you can get some of the adventures of the "old" DMG for free, they are short and have quite a good atmosphere. Damn it... i dont have the english names for those -.-'
Module. I was considering grabbing one.


"The Case" springs to mind as well, also while short, a very good first CoC adventure. In CoC story telling and Atmosphere are the most important things. Do you have creepy music? Some survival horror sound tracks ala Resident Evil or Demento, VtM Bloodlines etc. really fit the CoC feeling. Youtube is your friend there ^^
I planned on finding some quiet creepy music, as I usually have my laptop with me when I game. I'll look into finding the case, I know my old GM ran one module although I have no clue which.


Otherwise: I found that in coC bending the rules, improvising skilchecks etc is quite easy don't stick to the rules if it would be more fun otherwise. Characters are shortlived anyway so the players usually are fine with that.
I find thats true for most non-D20 games. Some of those are helped with it, but doing it too much does seem to hinder


Although if the adventure features mundane threads (gangsters etc.) Gunslingers on the side of the party or too high ranks in dodge can make your life a bit difficult if you just want to scare them and not kill them outright.
Dodge takes actions, so I can out action them if that becomes an issue.


The other ones were wonderfully creepy, but this one won't work. It presupposes that PCs would actually open a book and try to read it… in CoC.

Just because Hellen Keller is an optimized CoC character, doesn't mean my players are smart. Only 2 have ever played CoC, although we have all played Arkham Horror. It helps a little in terms of fluff on critters, but puts them in the entirely wrong frame of mind in terms of what to do when you see a critter.

[Project_Mayhem]

Also, the stereotypical optimised CoC character ruins the game. Your supposed to read the book, or go to the house, or take the idol, or shine the flashlight through the grill. It's the point of the game. None of Lovecraft's stories had characters closing their eyes, covering their ears, and running away insisting that they were excused the san check.

[Greenish]

Also, the stereotypical optimised CoC character ruins the game. Your supposed to read the book, or go to the house, or take the idol, or shine the flashlight through the grill. It's the point of the game. None of Lovecraft's stories had characters closing their eyes, covering their ears, and running away insisting that they were excused the san check.Most of 'em wished they had though.

[allonym]

Oh my, where's Lycan when you need him?

I love to run Call of Cthulhu, though I seem too unwilling to kill off player characters!

I've found that being 100% all the time totally serious no jokes allowed just doesn't work and doesn't make for a fun game session. But the atmosphere does have to be maintained, and you have to make sure the players know that they will enjoy it a lot more if, once things get serious, they cut the banter. In character talking and jokes still work, if everyone remains mostly in character while it goes on. Especially if you know how nervous the players characters really are. Music is very useful. I've had it playing throughout the session, or only at key parts - there's some very good creepy music available (you want stuff without lyrics), but sometimes a different approach is useful - one of the adventures in the core rulebook, for example - Dead Man Stomp - recommends jazz music. It works. You can find weird music in lots of places, there are also artists who specialise in music for horror roleplaying.

Don't be afraid to punish with SAN checks. Eating away at the players' (uh, I mean characters'. Honest.) sanity and allowing them to roleplay the effects is one of the cornerstones of the game. You don't want them to be charged up with SAN, so when they eventually meet the Eldritch Abomination after screwing up horribly (or, sometimes, after they succeed) and roll that d10/d100 SAN roll, everyone pass and one person have a minor episode. But don't let sanity compromise the game, either. Temporary insanity usually takes the character out or severely debilitates, that's alright, but you don't want a player having a long term insanity where they gibber loudly and do random things all the time. It's unrealisic, narmy (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Narm), and it takes up far too much game time. Insanity is subtle but powerful. Reading through the chapters on it in the game guide is a good start, they're very useful.

Improvisation is THE key. If you have an opportunity to drop something interesting or creepy or arcane in, do it (but don't overdo it, as with everything). If players have ideas, all the better. Nurture their curiosity. It's the driving force behind most of Lovecraft's original stories, and it's deadly. As an example, my players were going through the private library of an odd, eccentric person (who was also an eeevil sorcerer. But was currently their friend. The Thing On The Doorstep...). One of the players, a jazz musician who was by far the least studied (he was a genius, but wasn't a student or anything) and least likely to get into the whole eldritch tomes fun, asked if he could search for sheet music. There wasn't any mention of that in the sourcebook notes, and I had nothing planned that would co-incide, but I thought, sure. He rolls, succeeds, and finds...a number of sheets, but one that catches his eye, a very odd piece by a name he recognises, but can't remember why...which he takes and endeavours to start learning. The campaign ended before I could end up tying it into something concrete, but I started looking back into the Music of Erich Zahn...

If you're doing Cthulhu Modern, I can recommend Delta Green. In the 1920s, I personally love most of the Lovecraft County books. I've got about 25 Call of Cthulhu books, so if you want to know what I recommend and what I really don't, PM me.

And in terms of what exactly to run, there are some very good one shots. I had a lot of fun introducing players to the game with the one shot in the back of Shadows of Yog-Sothoth, called The Warren. Dead Man Stomp is great fun, but can take a lot of time, and requires good players who know how it works, and more improv by the Keeper. Other than that, take a look at http://www.yog-sothoth.com/, which has a lot of fan-made CoC adventures free to download. I'll end this random rant here. Good luck with the game.

[Project_Mayhem]

I'll concede that point ...

Joking aside though, I always thought one of the biggest hooks in CoC was the fact that you were going to slowly go insane to some degree. When I run it, I always like to have the players create what I'd call fracture points in their character. Things that might mess them up in particular, and routes their deterioration might take.

[comicshorse]

Posted by BobVosh

I'm not entirely sure on the edition, but I think it is 5edsixth edition. The skills are all percentiles that have a chance to level at the end of a session if you used it.


One of the great things about CoC (IMHO) is that the rules have remained essentially the same from 1st edition to 6th (with the exception of the abomination that was D20 Cthulhu). So all previous adventures and supplements can be used with the more modern editions.

I'd also second Delta Green as a good idea for a modern game. The fact that the P.C.s have government resources to draw on makes there survival more believable and the setting provides lots of more mundane ( and therefore survivable enemies) to go along with the Mythos nasties

[BobVosh]

Oh my, where's Lycan when you need him?
*snip*

I agree, I always love reading his long descriptions of the silly things his players do.

As for the long ramble, I quite agree and find very little to respond to.

One of the great things about CoC (IMHO) is that the rules have remained essentially the same from 1st edition to 6th (with the exception of the abomination that was D20 Cthulhu). So all previous adventures and supplements can be used with the more modern editions.
Neat, I had no clue.


I'd also second Delta Green as a good idea for a modern game. The fact that the P.C.s have government resources to draw on makes there survival more believable and the setting provides lots of more mundane ( and therefore survivable enemies) to go along with the Mythos nasties
I kinda like the feel of the 1920s one, but I worry I don't know enough about the era to properly convey it. Especially if it comes down to improv. Humorously I probably could for the civil war era/reconstruction that is the other older era one they have, I believe.

Does some of the technology PCs could gain access to in modern ruin the creepy factor, or is messing with tech just another good/better way to get the vibe going?

[GolemsVoice]

I'd actually speak out AGAINST running it as a PC killfest (or rather, a GETkilledfest), because I found that nothing makes for better atmosphere than a party that knows that there is SOMETHING out there, and they also know thath they don't know ANTYHING about it, so that it can strike ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. Party interaction is key here. Maybe one of the players has seen more than the others. Does he try to hide it? Does he seek solace in his companions?How do the other members of the group react? Will they force him to spill what he knows, or try to help him? The list can go on and on. But such interaction is only really possible if the characters know each other better and know what to expect

I am also a Lovecraftian purist that tends not to use obviously scary effects for the hell of it. It just doesn't... fit, in my opinion. Sure, Innsmouth is frigthening, and you can play that up to whatever level you wish, but I wouldn't put supernatural "effects" like the one with the dog in there if there isn't a very good reason for it. As much as I like the suggestions, and they ARE great, it doesn't fit with how Lovecraft saw the universe as a mechanistic place without spirits or the supernatural. Call me a hardliner, but my players don't mind.

[comicshorse]

Posted by BobVosh

Does some of the technology PCs could gain access to in modern ruin the creepy factor, or is messing with tech just another good/better way to get the vibe going?

No, not really. Yes napalm will be better against Dark Young than a shotgun but there's no way your P.C.s should be getting ahold of that kinda stuff and there bosses should crucify them if they use it.
Technology is pretty much only useful as an investigation tool. It adds a new way of the P.Cs investigation and can indeed add to the creep factor. In a game I ran the P.C.s where very disturbed when they ran a survelliance tape of a neo-nazi who had been using a spell to speak with the dead and discovered only the neo-nazi having a clear conversation with empty air.
Or the time where the DNA test of a dead suspect clearly revealed he wasn't human ( and covering that up from their bosses took half the session)

[BobVosh]

I'd actually speak out AGAINST running it as a PC killfest (or rather, a GETkilledfest), because I found that nothing makes for better atmosphere than a party that knows that there is SOMETHING out there, and they also know thath they don't know ANTYHING about it, so that it can strike ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. Party interaction is key here. Maybe one of the players has seen more than the others. Does he try to hide it? Does he seek solace in his companions?How do the other members of the group react? Will they force him to spill what he knows, or try to help him? The list can go on and on. But such interaction is only really possible if the characters know each other better and know what to expect

I am also a Lovecraftian purist that tends not to use obviously scary effects for the hell of it. It just doesn't... fit, in my opinion. Sure, Innsmouth is frigthening, and you can play that up to whatever level you wish, but I wouldn't put supernatural "effects" like the one with the dog in there if there isn't a very good reason for it. As much as I like the suggestions, and they ARE great, it doesn't fit with how Lovecraft saw the universe as a mechanistic place without spirits or the supernatural. Call me a hardliner, but my players don't mind.

I figured they would end up being the plot threads rather than random creepy stuff for just atmosphere.


No, not really. Yes napalm will be better against Dark Young than a shotgun but there's no way your P.C.s should be getting ahold of that kinda stuff and there bosses should crucify them if they use it.
Technology is pretty much only useful as an investigation tool. It adds a new way of the P.Cs investigation and can indeed add to the creep factor. In a game I ran the P.C.s where very disturbed when they ran a survelliance tape of a neo-nazi who had been using a spell to speak with the dead and discovered only the neo-nazi having a clear conversation with empty air.
Or the time where the DNA test of a dead suspect clearly revealed he wasn't human ( and covering that up from their bosses took half the session)

I wasn't referring to weapons like napalm, but rather cameras, motion detectors, and other such stuff.

[DementedFellow]

Also, the stereotypical optimised CoC character ruins the game. Your supposed to read the book, or go to the house, or take the idol, or shine the flashlight through the grill. It's the point of the game. None of Lovecraft's stories had characters closing their eyes, covering their ears, and running away insisting that they were excused the san check.

The characters who survive in CoC are the ones with the highest movement. :smallbiggrin:

[The Cat Goddess]

I figured they would end up being the plot threads rather than random creepy stuff for just atmosphere.

I wasn't referring to weapons like napalm, but rather cameras, motion detectors, and other such stuff.

See the movie "Prince of Darkness (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Prince_of_Darkness/873846?trkid=814858)" for how well modern equipment helps in investigating eldritch horror.

[comicshorse]

Or " Aliens" :smallsmile:
I don't feel technology ruins the creepy vibe. The Mythos is essentially unknowable, technology won't be able to explain it away. In fact the fact that the Mythos is NOT understandable by science will unsettle the more science minded PCs.
The Great Old One's remain beyond the comprehension of our science. In fact Delta Green has some nasty idea's about how some of the Mythos races are using our science to destroy our best scientists minds.
Technology will help with cults and cultists.No matter how insane a cultist is he still leaves finger-prints.
Remember however that evidence is a two-edged sword. The investigators have to deal with the Mythos but must at the same time ensure that all evidence of it is covered up. In a game run by a friend our group had as much problem with the aspect as with the catching of the bad guys, not to mention our plunging sanity and bad reputation because of the number of suspects we killed. ( Well when faced with the likelihood of prosecuting someone for flaying people with sorcery, letting him carry on or kill him, what would you pick ?)

[Optimystik]

Hellen Keller is an optimized CoC character

It's times like this I wish I had room in my sig. :smallfrown:

[BobVosh]

Or " Aliens" :smallsmile:
I don't feel technology ruins the creepy vibe. The Mythos is essentially unknowable, technology won't be able to explain it away. In fact the fact that the Mythos is NOT understandable by science will unsettle the more science minded PCs.
The Great Old One's remain beyond the comprehension of our science. In fact Delta Green has some nasty idea's about how some of the Mythos races are using our science to destroy our best scientists minds.
Technology will help with cults and cultists.No matter how insane a cultist is he still leaves finger-prints.
Remember however that evidence is a two-edged sword. The investigators have to deal with the Mythos but must at the same time ensure that all evidence of it is covered up. In a game run by a friend our group had as much problem with the aspect as with the catching of the bad guys, not to mention our plunging sanity and bad reputation because of the number of suspects we killed. ( Well when faced with the likelihood of prosecuting someone for flaying people with sorcery, letting him carry on or kill him, what would you pick ?)

Hmm, interesting point. Although I can see that being a much more annoying thing in modern due to forensics. I don't see my group liking it too much, but I guess if I do it like a Traitor Johnson from shadowrun it could work well. By which I mean rarely, but play it to the hilt when I do)

[GolemsVoice]

I figured they would end up being the plot threads rather than random creepy stuff for just atmosphere.

In that case, use them, by all means. They are pretty cool.

Other stuff that's good for the atmosphere is to describe what the alien environment does to the players, or how the aliens just aren#t human. Maybe an old Mi-Go mine is totally without light, but the PCs sometimes see a strange light in the distance, or dancing sparks before their eyes, because the Mi-Go use another spectrum of light that humans can only perceive in this way?
Or amybe they feel ill and woozy as their mind automatically tries to correct the wrong geometries of the place, and fails? Maybe the systems of their body responsible for balance read that they are stumbling, while in fact they aren't, making them queasy?

[BobVosh]

In that case, use them, by all means. They are pretty cool.

Other stuff that's good for the atmosphere is to describe what the alien environment does to the players, or how the aliens just aren#t human. Maybe an old Mi-Go mine is totally without light, but the PCs sometimes see a strange light in the distance, or dancing sparks before their eyes, because the Mi-Go use another spectrum of light that humans can only perceive in this way?
Or amybe they feel ill and woozy as their mind automatically tries to correct the wrong geometries of the place, and fails? Maybe the systems of their body responsible for balance read that they are stumbling, while in fact they aren't, making them queasy?

Off of the light would it be more appropriate to do something like they feel burns on their skins as its how they perceive it? Or something similar. I don't know what, but seeing sparks for their kinda light bothers me. Although that could just imply microwaves or radiation, which would be best to avoid. It could be neat to do something like a flashlight, and thats how they are trying to view, but wherever the beam lands our light doesn't go through. Not sure how lovecraftian that is though.

Wrong geometries is a classic.

[GolemsVoice]

Well, Lovecraft was all about rays and whatnot that are imperceptible to the human eye, and other sense, he even wrote a story about somebody building a device to make these spectres visible, and going mad over what he saw.

But those examples were just off the top of my head, I've used them once when my players visited a Mi-Go base. Go crazy there, and another advice: Don't bother too much with actual science, you likely won't have to explain too much. Go with what you think is flavourful, and if you don't know what such this type of light or this type of particle would actually do, make something up.

[Avaril]

Posted by BobVosh
One of the great things about CoC (IMHO) is that the rules have remained essentially the same from 1st edition to 6th (with the exception of the abomination that was D20 Cthulhu). So all previous adventures and supplements can be used with the more modern editions.

I'd also second Delta Green as a good idea for a modern game. The fact that the P.C.s have government resources to draw on makes there survival more believable and the setting provides lots of more mundane ( and therefore survivable enemies) to go along with the Mythos nasties

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but I just wanted to ask. Seeing how the only Cthulhu that I've ever ran/played was d20, how does it differ from the Chaosium versions? Not in specific mechanics, but more in how those mechanics influence gameplay and the 'feel' of the game? I always loved running it.

[hamishspence]

D20 Cthulhu may have its differences from the more standard system, but it might be quite good for crossovers. For example, importing Cthulhu spells and monsters into a D20 Modern, or a D&D, game.

[Salz]

Don't kill characters just to kill them. At the same time don't hesitate. If the characters do something stupid kill them. Do not hold back punches. Same with sanity loss. It is good to develop a plot/characters. It ruins atmosphere of Cthulhu to not have anyone die/go insane unless they play extremely smart and are extremely lucky.

One thing I find good for atmosphere is low lighting. Sounds cheesy, and it is, but it helps a lot. Another good thing is to just say things. Don't go overboard on description. Their imaginations are much worse then what you can say. Same applies with action. This probably varies by group but I find it much more effective to say "It looks at you" as opposed to "As you turn around the head on the statue slowloy turns until it is facing you."

Also be sparse on combat. Dice rolling and what not detracts from atmosphere IMHO.


{Edit for formatting}

[BobVosh]

Don't kill characters just to kill them. At the same time don't hesitate. If the characters do something stupid kill them. Do not hold back punches. Same with sanity loss. It is good to develop a plot/characters. It ruins atmosphere of Cthulhu to not have anyone die/go insane unless they play extremely smart and are extremely lucky.

One thing I find good for atmosphere is low lighting. Sounds cheesy, and it is, but it helps a lot. Another good thing is to just say things. Don't go overboard on description. Their imaginations are much worse then what you can say. Same applies with action. This probably varies by group but I find it much more effective to say "It looks at you" as opposed to "As you turn around the head on the statue slowloy turns until it is facing you."

Also be sparse on combat. Dice rolling and what not detracts from atmosphere IMHO.


{Edit for formatting}

I find thats true for every RPG, for the most part. Simply because it takes so long.

Less is more is fairly accurate with every horror story/movie/anything ever, but it is good to keep in mind. Although it does get annoying in monster movies where they never show the thing with any detail...stupid cloverfield

[BobVosh]

I'm going with 1920s...ish. Probably 1913 and put it in Europa. The alternative is 1917 and put it in America. I live in Texas so I have reasonable knowledge of the US, but so far all our CoC has been 1920s in New Orleans.

Obviously I wish to weave the war into it at some point, but I'm curious which location and time ya'll think I should go for. I'm considering bits of Italy, or England if I go for 1913. New York probably if I go for 1917.

I'm willing to do research for the locations, and have already started on refreshing my knowledge of WWI. Which would you guys recommend?

[GolemsVoice]

I'd recommend both, though I personally prefer late 1920s USA. If you set the whole thing in Europe, there are chances the very real and "mundane" horror of the war will offset the supernatural horror you want, but I think that's easily avoidable, especially with a country that was less involved than the main powers. Europe before and during the war is a very interesting location, due to it's active artistic community in many countries, like Italy or France, and the manifold options to add some political intriguing or flavour to it if you desire.


I'm going with 1920s...ish. Probably 1913 and put it in Europa. The alternative is 1917 and put it in America. I live in Texas so I have reasonable knowledge of the US, but so far all our CoC has been 1920s in New Orleans.

When we play CoC, the "feeling" is more important than actual history. We're holding a gaming night, not a history lesson. Sure, major political dates and events should be right, but if you introduce something that isn't yet invented, I doubt many will bother. Go with broad strokes.

That being said, I had a very wonderful CoC adventure in post-war Italy, as a player. Hastur and the King in Yellow where the "villains", and the whole thing was rather subtly horrifying than ourtight creepy, and the Italian countryside with the country manor, gentlemen's evenings and corn fields fit the whole atmosphere incredibly well.

[Project_Mayhem]

That being said, I had a very wonderful CoC adventure in post-war Italy, as a player. Hastur and the King in Yellow where the "villains", and the whole thing was rather subtly horrifying than ourtight creepy, and the Italian countryside with the country manor, gentlemen's evenings and corn fields fit the whole atmosphere incredibly well.

Oooh, I'm setting up a King in in yellow campaign soon - Tatters of the King. Is that the one you played? It's supposed to start in London, but it does move to Italy for a bit.

[GolemsVoice]

Nope, it was the Keeper's own idea, though he may or may not have been inspired by Tatters of the King. We both (I'm the main Keeper, he's just very interested) love Hastur and the whole KiY-business very much.

[BobVosh]

Hastur is my favorite of the elder evils. I'll be interested in hearing snippets, especially what he did to make you like it.

My thoughts for the war is that it makes for great background, I definitely don't plan on having them go anywhere near it. However I can do evil sorcerers who are doing something stupid to influence the war.

[GolemsVoice]

Well, sorcerers influencing the war is pretty pulp, you might want to avoid the whole "Nazis tried to summon demons"-cliche, even if the Nazis aren't yet due. But as background, it is pretty cool, I'd go with it, just for the change.

What I liked about the Hastur adventure? Well, first, it was the scenery. Maybe this is just something you either get or don't, but I could just imagine the conrfields and the house, a small village in the distance, trees and roads littered across the landscape, everything in a light orange/sepia tone. Peaceful, lonely, mysterious. That was maybe the most important thing. That, despite initially dealing with two murders, the adventure had more an air of mysterious, arcane threat, coupled with eerie serenity than the frantic, frothing madness that other adventures might contain. It played just like a story out of "The King in Yellow" read.
Maybe it's difficult to describe, but the aura was nearly tangible, and the pictures in my head just matched so well, and the Keeper said that he imagined the scenery more or less like me.

[Lycan 01]

Oh my, where's Lycan when you need him?


Heh, I didn't know I still had a reputation. :smallbiggrin:


I actually haven't run Call of Cthulhu in awhile. My last attempt ended in broken shambles a few months ago after a team of newbies tried to sacrifice a hobo to the daemon in the attic just to see what would happen. I haven't run a game since... :smallsigh:


However, I may try to run a game this weekend. Its geared for 2 players, the same two that are in almost all my stories, and it involves The Slender Man. :smallamused:



So, what are you hoping to run? 1920's with a Hastur twist? Bingo, I got just what you need. :smallcool:

A friend of mine ran a Call of Cthulhu game a few months ago where the players came into possession of a copy of The King in Yellow. It was in French, and only 1 of them had any knowledge of French. She failed her check to translate it, though, and they ended the session after that. He wasn't sure where to take the game from there, though. Here's the advice I gave him...


The player in question retires to her private study with a few notebooks and some French dictionaries. She spend the next few hours translating the King in Yellow. Strangely, the translation doesn't make much sense. She has the right words... they just don't flow together right. Its as though she can read it, but can't understand it or grasp the meaning. I'm sure you can put it better... :P

This is for one of two reasons. Reason 1 - Its written backwards. Once complete, the whole thing can be read in reverse... OR... Reason 2 - The story is cursed, so that until it is completely translated, it cannot be understood. Once finished, the meaning becomes instantly clear, and the dark and hideous truths are all revealed! If the player reads through the story in reverse, or she the dark meaning is revealed to her, she begins to hallucinate. DO NOT MAKE A SANITY CHECK. That comes after the dream. Instead, take her into another room, and tell her what she sees...

When the hallucinations start, the pages turn to ash in her hands, leaving behind only the words, which have become flowing golden script. She grasps the true, hideous meanings of the words, but she cannot tear her eyes away from them. The yellow letters begin to pulsate, and the lights begin to flicker around her. Suddenly the room goes completely black, and she's left in darkness, the words still floating in front of her, casting off a baleful golden glow. The script begins to flow, and soon it begins to swirl around her, like a hideous tornado of forbidden knowledge. She begins to hear things... Hoarse voices, muttered oaths, whispered blasphemies, distant words, all echoing around her in the whirling maelstrom of glowing letters. The words echo in her ears, and if she covers them, they even begin to fill her mind. Soon, the meanings of their words become clear. They're all saying the same thing - "The King In Yellow!" Just as she grasps this piece of information, all the flowing letters stop in the air, and the only thing they spell out is the continuous repetition of "The King in Yellow!"

The words then drift away from her as absolute silence fills the air. They slowly begin to form together, creating an outline. And then... He appears. For one brief instant, she sees the King In Yellow, a figure in a hooded yellow robe wrapped in tattered golden rags and with glowing green eyes. He reaches out for her, and she screams, just as the darkness envelopes them both.

Now for the Sanity Check. I'd say... 1d4 if pass, 2d4+2 if fail. If she passes, she takes the loss, and wakes up asleep at her desk the next morning. What a crazy dream... But if she fails...

Keep her in the other room, and return to the other players. Tell them that when they wake up the next morning, they all recieve phonecalls from the local hospital. Last night, their friend attempted suicide. Perhaps she ran into traffic while screaming "The King in Yellow!" or she lit her study on fire after scrawling "The King In Yellow!" all over the walls. Be creative. :P At any rate, she's alive, and in relatively good condition. Perhaps she was only clipped by a passing car, or the fire burnt itself out before she suffocated. She's currently hospitalized in a medicated coma. When the players go to visit her, bring the other player back into the room and tell her that she wakes up right when the other players enter her hospital room. *evil grin*



There's your plot hook. Perhaps they find the book early on at a garage sail, or in the study of a friend who recently committed suicide or was mysteriously killed. Yeaaaaah... Yeah, lets go with that! A mutual friend of the PC's committed suicide, and "The King in Yellow" was somehow connected. Perhaps they carved it into their wrists and then bled to death, or called one of them repeating it over and over again tearfully before shooting themself while on the phone. Again, be creative... :smalltongue: So the players go to his house, and find a copy of the "The King in Yellow" on his desk. Make it in a language only one of them knows, and then use the above-mentioned wall o' text to throw them headlong into the plot. Why does reading this book drive the reader to suicide? Where did it come from? What dark purpose does it serve?

They'll just have to find out for themselves... :smallwink:

[BobVosh]

1913, probably use a Hastur twist although not at first. I'm more interested in hearing what the common flaws from keepers is, and what you did to keep your players engaged.

I gave my players the choice of locations, and its Venice.

[Lycan 01]

Oh, common flaws?


Mindset. :smallannoyed:


If the players see it as an actual mystery and horror game, where their characters are in danger and whatnot, you're doing it right. If they see it as a game, and want to do things with their characters just to see what will happen, something has gone wrong.


Although, that has to do more with the players themselves than the Keeper. So my previous comments about a group of newbies and a hobo... :smallsigh:

The best way to get around that is just to make sure you've got the right people for the right game. The guy who loves Lovecraft's books or the chick who loves horror movies tend to be your best bets, while you want to avoid the people who watch horror movies to make fun of them.

As for setting the mood and everything...

A "seperate" area is best, where you are seperated from interuptions, distractions, and reality. No TVs or radios to distract the players. KEEP TEXTING TO A MINIMUM. If its a part of the house where family members or pets pass through prequently, find a new place to play. Avoid windows or bright lighting - its hard to imagine a dark New Orleans graveyard when you can see the sunlit field through the window next to you.

And smack anyone who pulls out a gaming device or opens their laptop. Those things MURDER the mood. :smallmad:


Keeping players engaged?

Music - creepy ambient background music FTW! I'd heartily suggest "The Call of Ktulu" by Metallica. Youtube it, because I'm too tired to do it right now. :smalltongue:
Atmosphere - Again, no bright lights or outside influences. Dim lighting is good. Candlelight is epic.
Fear - Hard to do. It can't be taught. Must be learned. When a player stays up for 36 hours straight because of a 5 minute scene in DnD, you know you can scare your players.*
Comic Relief - A joke here and there helps a lot. Don't overdo it, but don't depress them, either. :smalltongue:
Seperation - If a player leaves the group, send them into another room. If a player reads a book, take them in another room or give them a note to tell them what it contains. The characters don't see and hear all this together - why should the players?

Ummmm... What else ya need? :smallconfused:





*I didn't even mean to.

[Kami2awa]

Also, the stereotypical optimised CoC character ruins the game. Your supposed to read the book, or go to the house, or take the idol, or shine the flashlight through the grill. It's the point of the game. None of Lovecraft's stories had characters closing their eyes, covering their ears, and running away insisting that they were excused the san check.

At which point they fall down a deep hole.

[Kami2awa]

Advice from many years playing this game:

Atmosphere is good. Music and lights can create this, but I've managed to scare the players without either. If an idea frightens you as the writer, it will probably frighten the players.

For atmospheric effects, I have used things like an electric camping lantern (gaming in a university, fire regulations prevent us using candles or similar) to provide light. The one we use is very cheap but effective, and I painted it to make it look older (it was originally bright yellow).

On this subject, prop-making can be very effective. This can include making documents, which is very easy to do using word processors. A huge range of typewriter/handwriting/esoteric rune fonts are available for this kind of thing. Interactive props (e.g. a letter with invisible ink (lemon juice) on it which can be revealed by one of the players heating it, or UV ink which can be revealed by a blacklight). There is the time honoured tradition of tea-staining paper, and you can also buy parchment-effect paper from stationery shops. Charity shops and junk shops are great places to find props such as old keys, bottles etc.

Music is a useful tool; one of the best CDs I have found for this is the Soundtrack to Sorcerer by Tangerine Dream, which is really weird, trippy electronica which suits CoC perfectly. Sound effects work too, and can be generated as simply as scratching on the bottom of the table.

The story for CoC needs to be crafted carefully. A D&D style series of monster encounters is a bad idea in general - the game focusses on NPC interaction, puzzle solving and investigation. Having said this, combat or physical challenges are good fun - a typical police/detective show is a good model for how much there should be.

A slow build up of tension and supernatura power is essential. The PCs should encounter escalating levels of weirdness, from the creepy townspeople who shun them, to the mysterious scratching behind the walls, leading up to a final confrontation with the entities responsible.