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[CoC] Let's learn Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, and Probably Die!
Neaden
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Cthulhu Calls you!
Call of Cthulhu is one of the oldest and most well-known tabletop roleplaying game. Call of Cthulhu (CoC) brought Lovecraft's horror stories into roleplaying games, allowing you to portray a character who may very well die, or go insane. The game is currently in it's seventh edition, and the quickstart rules are available for free. Call of Cthulhu is a classic for a reason, and while it is no longer my go-to Lovecraft game it's still one of my favourite RPGs.
Rolegate is a new website designed for PBP games that incorporate some tools to help the game go smoother. I'm currently playing in another game on the site, and want another chance to try it out, as well as expose more people to it. The site is not complete yet by any means but the creator is active with changes and involved with the community on the Discord.
Combine these two things together and you get my Call of Cthulhu beginners game on Rolegate The password is PA. This will be an opportunity for us to learn, grow, and possibly go mad when we realize the glory of Azathoth together! Ia Azathoth all glory to the blind idiot god at the center of all things! No prior experience with Call of Cthulhu is necessary as we'll all be learning together. The game will not be as deadly as many CoC scenario's either to let people learn, though death will be a possibility. Assuming the death occurs before the climax of the game though we will find a way to keep you involved in the game.
The setup: It is 1924, and your group, for one reason or another, is travelling from Arkham Massachusets to the nearby town of Ipswitch. Unfortunately, the early summer weather takes a rapid turn for the worse as a thunderstorm begins to strike and the roads are quickly becoming impassible, it looks like you might have to find a place to shelter for the night. But don't worry, how bad could that be? Characters can be built according to the rules in the Quickstart. The game will take place in a more rural area, so certain skills may not be as effective. Besides that, any period-appropriate character will be fine. I would appreciate if you guys could come up with a reason why you all know each other and be travelling together to Ipswitch, though it didn't have to all be the reason.
Note: This is using a pre-published adventure for 7th edtion, so no searching out spoilers!
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Should I keep the IRA thing? Or would it be simpler to just be an Irish street tough running from the law or something? It's not like I'm using the IRA thing as an excuse to know explosives or some shit. It's also really early in their existence for the idea I have of them which comes from the Troubles proper.
Edit: I got rid of it. I’m just a criminal running from the law now.
Beginner as in zero is a-ok. CoC is a pretty intuitive I think, and we are only going to be using the free quick start rules. The big difference between it and a lot of other RPGs is the mindset, you can't fight every monster and your PC might die horribly, but that is part of the fun. This particular adventure doesn't require and knowledge of Lovecraft, but it you want something to read to get in the mood I think The Dunwitch Horror is the best.
Is this similar to other RPGs where a diverse group is best or does the “can’t fight it all” mean more flexibility for whatever people spin up?
Figure I’ll try to build a politician of sorts.
Also if there’s feedback, please share. Felt good about stats, but skills I’m really iffy on.
I think me as a real life person would dislike your character as a person and Jim as a low tier gangster would hate him. I think that means you did a good job making his bio.
That said, I'm still not sold on the skills fitting. I guess I'm particularly concerned that the "rural" setting means that I've loaded a whole bunch of people skills in that aren't going to be used because we'll be out in the middle of no where in a field or something (like I said, no knowledge of this setting or the direction the games normally take)
This particular adventure has a decent mix of things, there will be people to talk to, books to read, things to flea from etc.
That and I got another character lined up after. A big ape of a thug whose the son of Jewish immigrants and works for the hasidic mafia.
Hey could I invite a friend to this game? I promised to give him a heads up if there was ever a CoC or horror game like this and he would do the same.
Sure, doesn't look like we've hit the cap yet. You may share the super secret password.
I love me some Call of Cthulu, but my schedule is much more suited to PbP-style games where you just post once in a while whenever you can fit it in.
He is a criminal with no connections yet.
I'm assuming that's what he applied. Not sure if that's valid for credit rating or not (I don't why it wouldn't be specifically).
Also, pretty sure I didn't do that, so I need to go add some more 20's to my sheet.
Only thing I think I'm missing are stats for a pistol- I'd like her to start with one if possible.
During his lifetime Lovecraft wrote fairly prlofically and collaboratively. He included characters based off his friends in his work, helped new authors by punching up their prose, cowrote stories with friends or for pay (including a story with Houdini), and freely mixed in elements from past writers and real life. His famous story The Call of Cthulhu for instance references a real world earthquake along with a number of real books and mystical philosophies. Unlike later authors like Tolkien this means that Lovecraft himself had no real intention of creating a single, well defined world with his stories. Later authors, chiefly Derleth, would try to synthesize and categorize Lovecraft's monsters and gods. I feel this is a mistake, and Lovecraft is best when you view each story on it's own. A big part of his appeal to me is that he is that you don't know what's going to happen, or what could be real. As soon as a story reveals that the monster is a vampire for instance, as a reader you know a lot about it. It becomes familiar. Lovecraft was rarely familiar, but many later authors can be. I think Call of Cthulhu is played best when the players and characters don't know what to expect so I do not intend to take any particular Lovecraft story or interpretation as canon. What that means to you is don't assume Cthulhu is going to exist, or if he does exist don't assume he will be anything like the stories or plushies.
For a pistol you can just include it in your inventory and it will deal 1d10 damage. For now we don't have to worry about ranges and such.
I actually just did the skills all wrong. I'll correct that now.
Unlike 40k, I know only the broad strokes periphery of Lovecraft. Like I know tidbits about the different gods, I know Lovecraftian vampires are gas monsters, and stuff like that. So I’m coming in this not knowing much.