Looking for Campaign Inspiration (Call of Cthulhu)

[Gregor]

Hey all,

After reading through a really solid collection of H.P. Lovecraft's works (Necronomicon) I have decided that I must run a Call of Cthulhu game before I die. I recently picked up the d20 rulebook (I know there are the BRP rules, but my players are really used to the d20 system via past games in 3.5 d&d) and am now thinking about different campaign arcs.

Given that alot of my players are history buffs, I am thinking about a campaign that takes place in 1949, but will draw on ancient history, and will be situated (at least initially) in Europe...likely beginning in post-war England at Oxford or Cambridge University. 1949 is a key year in the beginning of the Cold War and included high tension events such as the ending of the Berlin Blockade and the formal establishment of East and West Germany. Other events had already begun to repair western Europe (e.g. Marshall Plan was in effect for a good two years), but Mao had just won his revolution in China and allied with the Soviets, while war is brewing in Korea. However, these are just backdrop elements that I could draw upon (e.g. Soviets are looking for occult artifacts that the Nazis stockpiled in East Germany).

Anyway, I am looking for thoughts, opinions, previous experiences and stories from you all on how your Call of Cthulhu games went. Any advice? What kinds of things should a campaign include? What atomespheric elements worked for you?

Basically, I am looking to be inspired by those who have played through Call of Cthulhu and am open for any and all ideas and recommendations on my own campaign.

Thanks all and I look forward to reading and chatting with you all on this.

 

[maddman75]

Just posted this on CM, here's my formula for a fun CoC game.

1) Someone is doing something EVIL. Figure this out - raising the dead, communing with creatures from Beyond Space and Time, sacrificing to the Old Ones.
2) This creates Creepy Stuff. This is where the PCs are introduced. They hear of this creepy stuff, or it somehow involves someone they know.
3) What is this Creepy Stuff. Let them do some research to find out what is going on. Split the story up into pieces, newspaper article here, lines from a book there, crazy old lady who saw something over here. Don't make it linear, just drop bits and pieces. Also make it redundant. That makes it feel more natural and keeps them from getting hung up if they miss a vital clue.
4) Bad People Doing Bad Things. They go out to Creepy Place and see what is what. Not only are their suspicions confirmed, but things may be Much Worse Than They Imagined!
5) The Cthulhu Money Shot. They uncover the mad sorcerer, the Alien Being, or whatever. It tries to strike them down and they must stop it, or at least escape with their lives. There should be many SAN checks and possible mutilation of PC corpses here.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

You should decide on one major "villain" for the campaign and stick to it. The cool guys (Old Ones) are solitary by nature but have lots of cults following them; so there'll be no lack of adversaries.

For the context you describes Nyarlathotep would be a good fit, as he likes to meddle in the affairs of humans. Especially if you want to play up the political side of the story, you might formulate an international cult of Nyarlathotepians who instigate the cold war on purpose.

Maybe they are sent to investigate war crimes? This way you could have them traipsing around through some desolate European scenery, experiencing the horrors of the not too distant war and ionhumane Nazis.

Or you base your campaign on some of the occult Nazi projects, real or imagined. The Thule Society, the Lost Nazi-Gold, the exodus of high ranking Nazis before war's end, and, and, and. The leaders of the NSDAP were very acceptive for weird stuff.

IMHO the important thing in playing CoC is to make the characters feeling helpless, overwhelmed. They shouldn't be heroes running around with their big swords and dominationg the scene, but rather small fish in a very big pond.

The horror aspects of CoC work best when using them sparingly. I've had some success with playing a detective-style game wihtout any supernatural elements for several sessions in a row, only hitting the characters (and players!) with something horrible when they don't expect it anymore.

We only played CoC with BRP-rules, so I don't know how the D20 version is handling the elements of dread, fear and danger. If you don't kill or drive insane the characters on a regular basis, you're not playing a game of Cthulhu!

 

[maddman75]

Here's another principle I use. Never fudge dice in Cthulhu. Nor use any kind of hero/action point mechanic. One of the themes in Lovecraft's stories is that the universe is a cold, uncaring place. The protagonists are nothing special, and if they are not clever, careful, and lucky they will be driven insane or killed quick as anyone else. Let the dice fall where they may.

Also, you don't actually have to kill a lot of PCs. Just make sure they know you will.

 

[random.brown]

5) The Cthulhu Money Shot. .

THE GOGGLES...DO NOTHING


Excellent list, it's going in the toolkit, thanks!

 

[Olli]

For the timeframe you are looking at, escaped Nazis with a sinister plan are a must. If you can manage it, DON´T tell your players that you play CoC. Tell them you play something else.

Then let them catch the Nazi´s and expose them as dupes for something more sinister like nyrlahotepcultists (check "complete Masks of nyrlahotep, perhaps you can adapt it for the timeframe you have in mind...)

I will post later more, if imagination strikes me

Olli

 

[Gregor]

Just posted this on CM, here's my formula for a fun CoC game.

1) Someone is doing something EVIL. Figure this out - raising the dead, communing with creatures from Beyond Space and Time, sacrificing to the Old Ones.
2) This creates Creepy Stuff. This is where the PCs are introduced. They hear of this creepy stuff, or it somehow involves someone they know.
3) What is this Creepy Stuff. Let them do some research to find out what is going on. Split the story up into pieces, newspaper article here, lines from a book there, crazy old lady who saw something over here. Don't make it linear, just drop bits and pieces. Also make it redundant. That makes it feel more natural and keeps them from getting hung up if they miss a vital clue.
4) Bad People Doing Bad Things. They go out to Creepy Place and see what is what. Not only are their suspicions confirmed, but things may be Much Worse Than They Imagined!
5) The Cthulhu Money Shot. They uncover the mad sorcerer, the Alien Being, or whatever. It tries to strike them down and they must stop it, or at least escape with their lives. There should be many SAN checks and possible mutilation of PC corpses here.

This is a helpful list of campaign components. Thanks.

 

[maddman75]

Another good tip I've heard is to keep it simple. When putting together a mystery, it can be tempting to make things obscure so it won't be too easy. As a GM you can think 'well obviously they need to stand on one leg and swing a dead cat over their head at the old crossroads and midnight', but it might not be that clear. Take something simple and make it look complicated.

Here, I'll do a quick Cthulhu game based on my list of five

1) A creepy old man has stumbled into a lost book of spells. After his wife's death, he decides to try to build her a new body.
2) The old man hires some thugs to do his dirty work. They all worship the dark being in the books to make sure they're loyal. They dig up bodies and then start killing people for fresh parts. The PCs are called in to investigate either the grave robbing or the murder.
3) The PC start researching. They learn of more grave robbings, then murders from the newspapers, all in the same neighborhoods. Police caught one of the thugs who insist that he was working alone, but seemed off to the officer. An old lady in town has seen these thugs, newcomers to the town, lurking about at night and going into the old man's house. Only one grave robbing was found by the graveyard but no complaint registered to police - creepy old man's wife.
4) The PCs do fieldwork. They stake out the graveyard/area where people are being killed, or right to the old guy's house. There are a few thugs in the house, but most are sealed behind a huge door in the basement.
5) Inside the basement there is an altar to whatever Great Old One you like with the book on it. The old man is there, and knows a few spells. His wife is there too, returned from the grave Frankenstein style and quite insane. The PCs will have to stop, subdue, or at least escape with their lives and report the grave robbings to the police. Big epic fight with lots of people going crazy.

Easy as pie once you get used to it. And there's nothing overly complicated in the story - old dude stitches together wife. By dropping it piece by piece and not in chronological order, you let the PCs put the story together and decide to deal with it. Makes for a good time .

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As a general aid, see if you can pick up a copy of CoC D20 if you haven't already. Its not the best incarnation of the game, but it will save you time for statting certain things out.

Another handy D20 resource for you would be anything related to the Far Realms in D&D.

And, while not actually related to the Mythos, certain elements of the Hellblazer films are similar, and Clive Barker's book, Imagica, could also help you out.

As for thematic elements for a good CoC game:

1) People doing things they think they can control and/or don't realize are evil. Dabblers and non-believers can cause even more trouble than knowledgeable arcanists...because the brakes an experienced Warlock would use would simply be absent.

2) Eroding barriers or prisons. Many Mythos beings got sealed away or sent home...but both time and the occasional rubbing against the fabric of our reality means they can occasionally get free to roam the world again. Or perhaps the modern world accidentally breaks open the seals that hold them at bay. All it takes is an accidental bombing or a little urban renewal.

3) I'd suggest the use of the hoary old Character Tree from DarkSun so you can take the kid gloves off. Its somewhat liberating to know that if you kill off a PC, your Player can be back in the game in just a few minutes. In addition, that resultant level of lethality will reinforce the dark, uncaring nature of the campaign world.

4) Van Leyden's suggestion about the Occult Nazis is gold. Having just lost the war, the remaining occultists would be in desperation mode, and may be more reckless than usual. In addition, they probably have fewer of their (presumably) more experienced magicians around, most of whom would have been captured or killed at war's end. Of course, that isn't to say that some very talented Nazi warlocks aren't still around...

 

[qstor]

If your using 1949, you might consider the Delta Green setting. It's like Xfiles meets Call of Cthulhu.

Bad thing is, I think it's out of print again. But I love the setting and its gotten great reviews.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Cthulhu-Horror-Roleplaying-Modern/dp/1887797084]Amazon.com: Delta Green (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying, Modern) (9781887797085): Blair Reynolds: Books[/ame]

Mike