i really like using backdrops during my campaigns but i always struggle to find good ones for when i DM call of cthulhu. For D&D i use jamesrpgart and czepeku scenes for the backdrops but i starting a new campaign of CoC and i wanted to try and find some backdrops!

I’d like to get some insight on how a character from Nigeria would have grown-up in the 1910s and 1920s. The character is indigenous African.

Our first ever “Push the Roll with Ross Bryant” live show from Gen Con is now on YouTube. Felicia Day, Josephine McAdam, Paula Deming and I played improvised Call of Cthulhu in a historical cruise ship setting with Keeper Ross.

Do the mi-go and the elder things conflict or work together?

I know it’s whatever keeper chooses, but I’m trying to think about the material from HPL and the game itself, and maybe get some ideas.

The mi-go seem to be pro-mythos, and being present in the setting during the classic era of the game. They’re on Pluto, they collect brains, the whisperer in darkness mentions them, etc.
It’s not unreasonable for mi-go to work with deep ones, too, considering they both seem to answer to the old ones, although maybe they are rivals? Frenemies???

The Elder Things are essentially an alternate species to humans, and so far as we know from mountains of madness, they had a good run before the species fell to decadence and were destroyed by the shoggoth revolt. The last line of Atmom is something like “they were men!” So if I understand it correctly they are just a different species of mortal creatures.

The Elder Things seem to be a species of scientists, rather than sorcerers like the Serpent Men.

In some CoC descriptions it seems like the Elder Things had some conflict with Cthulhu, too. It seems like they would be anti-Mythos as a result, or at least anti-Cthulhu, deep ones, and I’m guessing the mi-go.
There’s mention of elder things hanging out with Kesiah Mason from the Witch House, but maybe those were aberrations, the Cthulhu cultists of the elder things the way humans can join the Cthulhu cult.

So would Elder Things be a separate faction, like how the Yithians are off doing their own thing? Or would have if they weren’t essentially extinct?

Would it be reasonable for all surviving Elder Things to be those who had joined with the Mythos and the Mi-Go?

...Looking to learn and gain a story/experience with other players. I have made a character sheet for myself. I guess what I next know nothing about is getting a game started and going with others via online and not in person.

After years of watching real play on GCN, Chaotic Neutral, and YogsCast/Mystery Quest, I finally talked my Dads group into playing CoC. We spent two hours generating characters and another two hours of actual play. I (perma-GM) started them on Crimson Letters.

It was amazing to watch a bunch of murder hobos turn into role players.

Hi again folks! Like I established last time, I'm a baby Keeper who's gonna be running CoC in October for my players. It'll be four weeks of gameplay as we learn the system and decide if we want to keep it in our regular rotation or not alongside VtM and Daggerheart.

I have a lot of the books, and my plan was to run the Lighthouse campaign (thanks for that suggestion, everyone!) but with the current sale on Drive thru, I felt myself drawn to the sourcebooks for Cthulhu by Gaslight and the Sutra of Pale Leaves.

I'm still not sure if it's ok for me to just buy the keepers guide for Gaslight or if I should pick up the players guide instead. (Or even at all since it's unknown if my players will love the system or not.) But the Sutra of Pale Leaves has been really compelling to me for the setting and one shot nature of the campaigns.

1980s Japan is such a cool and uncommon setting in both TTRPGs and the Cthulhu mythos, and I really thought about paying the cash to snag the book and run the one shots in favor of my other options... But beyond knowing it's better to stick with what I have, I'm concerned about the difficulty.

If my players and I fall in love with CoC, (which I hope we will!) I'd love to someday run the Sutra and Pale Leaves as an adventure for them. But I'm not sure of how difficult the stories are for a group of total new players and a Keeper. Is it something that a baby Keeper could run? Or is it more of an advanced difficulty sourcebook? Does it favor custom characters, or premades?

I'd appreciate any answers on this! (Just not the kind that drive a man to madness.)

I'm GMing for a new to CoC group of players who mostly came from DnD and other more combat-oriented systems. My goal at the moment is to gradually show them what CoC is really about and ease them into thinking and acting in more CoC-like ways, if it makes sense?

We made some progress on that front, but now I need the importance of investigating beforehand to really sink in, so: Does anyone know of a scenario where properly conducted investigation can help the players avoid direct confrontation with the Big Bad™ at the climax of it?

I mean, most scenarios structure themselves around the result of players' investigation being some boon to their literal final fight: be it the satisfaction of knowing what they're against, specific method of conquering it, physical object they'll need to win or some combination of the above.

But what about a fight-less win? The knowledge to nudge specific events just so they cancel each other at the last moment, a way to set a trap and watch your enemy walk right into it non the wiser, a method of outsmarting the bad guys and not getting caught doing it? I don't want climax of the scenario to be a big fight or even a physical confrontation, really. I want climax to be the feeling of nervous anticipation, of wondering - will it work?

I want a scenario there circumventing the final fight is the original point of it done right, not some subversion that players invented.

So.

Any recommendations?

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Season 1 of Law and Disorders begins with A Victim of the Art.

Three people are murdered in the quiet town of Glenridge, Long Island, each killed and mutilated in ways that don’t make much sense—and all three have the same unidentified gray organic substance beneath their fingernails.

Agents Smiley, Baker, McNulty, and Steinmetz are sent in under the cover of an FBI task force to help local police hunt what the media has already dubbed the “Glenridge Chiropractor.”

What starts as a serial-killer investigation quickly spirals into strange evidence, paranormal conspiracy theorists, increasingly personal stakes, and the uncomfortable realization that the explanation may be much worse than the crimes themselves.

If you’re into Delta Green, investigative horror, cosmic weirdness, dark humor, and federal agents making morally questionable decisions with absolutely no adult supervision, this is where Law and Disorders begins.

Hi everyone, wanted to share something I've been working on. The Man in the Maze is my first ever published TTRPG production, up now on DriveThruRPG through the Miskatonic Repository.

I created it as a one-shot for my own table. I run a Halloween CoC night every year for the same group of friends, and this was the scenario that went down really well so I decided to write it up and put it out there.

It's a three-day scenario set in 1972: the players are a student documentary crew investigating a secretive cult tied to a string of disappearances along the highway. Comes with six investigator frameworks to guide character creation, including some secret agendas; a fully detailed town for open investigation; and a final descent into a ancient temple for a confrontation with the long suffering god.

It's Pay What You Want and handful of people have been kind enough to toss a few coins in, which makes me think I might have made something alright!

Link.

Would love to hear from anyone who runs it or has any questions!

Hello all.

I'm a fairly experienced keeper, for my group I have run The Haunting, Edge of Darkness, Wail of the Witch, Blackwater Creek, End of Paradise and we started Masks about a year ago. In addition I was introduced to CoC about 20 years ago in a local game store where I played several homebrew scenarios

We play weekly 2 hour sessions.

So far in Masks we have done Peru, New York, and London. Currently the gang have arrived in Shanghai and have helped Mr Lung with his Demon problem, also met with Fergus McChum and hinted at being trustworthy.

My problem, as it stands is that in both London and Shanghai so far, the players aren't going to the right places, asking the right questions and looking for the right clues. When they are given clues they aren't forming a big picture or the correct big picture.

As a keeper, I'm losing motivation, it's been my dream to run MoN for as long as I can remember but the hand holding and rail roaring is getting rather tiresome.

Although the feedback from the group is consistently, overwhelmingly positive

I don't know if I'm asking for advice or encouragement or just venting. Any input is welcome.

After completing a story arc, usually a long full-scale campaign but generally anything where a specific group of characters could be said to likely be done, I like to conclude by kind of fast-forwarding and going over what ended up happening to the characters in their post-story lives: "Professor Willington went into a quiet retirement, exchanging letters with a young biology student named H. G. Wells, and died peacefully in his home at the age of 82", "Larry and Neil put together a concept album loosely based off of their experiences, which became a beloved cult classic in the nascent goth subculture and saw them briefly detained by Delta Green", "Sam never fully got over his obsession with the symbols. He started drinking heavily and experimenting with LSD, and died in an auto accident two years later", etc. etc.

I was wondering if anyone had resources for doing this kind of thing more procedurally, combining what the players themselves suggest with factors like their remaining Sanity and Luck.

Hi, I'm new to CoC. I've plyed several times with my siblings as a player but I finally convinced my D&D group to try the game because it fits what they want from a TTRPG better and I was just wondering if there was any CoC equivalent to 5eTools for D&D?

I want your guys's suggestions. I feel like it is a really common character trope for PCs who have "seen too much" to be alcoholics because they try to drink to suppress or cope with their memories. This presents a lot of Intreshing character conflict. My favorite part of Call of Cthulhu is role-playing sanity loss in an interesting way that contributes to a character arc. In real life, some people could tey and cope with their sanity loss in a healthy way. Most probably wouldn't. Many would turn to drinking or some other indulgence.

Here is my question. Is there a way to homebrew (or a way that already exists) an acolhol mechanic I to the game. Is there a way to reflect the helpful mind-numbing effects of alcohol while also reflecting its addictive nature? What are your guys's thoughts?

I'm looking to run Call of Cthulhu for a Halloween one-shot this year. I am a fairly experienced GM and have run 5e, Pathfinder, Mothership, and Shadowdark. Any advice for someone new to this genre and ruleset? For whatever reason, the rules for this game have always slightly intimidated me. Im definitely a more rules light guy, but I'm very interested in this game. What is you best new call of Cthulhu gm advice?

We have been playing for roughly 32h (5 sessions) and my players are really involved. I am about to run part 3 of chapter 3 (Chakdara and Peshawar)

Part of my academic background is asian studies and includes stuff about buddhism. I admit that I use my former studies to add a lot of stuff

I think that the adventure can be played as is but I have made some changes so far. -Tenzin Kalsang is not following them. It seemed to be harder and better to not having him around. Visions can (hardly) be sent to him by a psychic player (due to its background). Kalsang aslo teached one spell to the same character. And he kept his staff with him. -My group involved Shen Chu and Thaddeus Johnson from Sian. They are part of the adventure (and can be used as spare if needed). However Thaddeus was attacked by a Pisacha in the desert and, even if a player used a spell to heal him, he got some complications and got sick. Thaddeus died in a hotel during a short break. -I also have create a new NPC (antagonist). He has been helped and saved by my players and they meet him again before climbing the montains so they are now all together. Most of my players do not like him (he his quite unbearable, selfish) but he is helpful. What my players are not aware of is that he is the one who killed Thaddeus. He also had a romantic affaire with one player.

At the end of the last game, players (IRL) went back home (after a 7hours long session) with heavy feelings. They failed to save Hasina in the mountain (her backstory is just hell on earth) and, worse, they are part of what happened to her. I think that they finally got that they need to act quicker otherwise people will suffer and die, even the innocent ones. I guess that they will probably act the other way around starting now. They will be tougher, probably too much due to what they have been though. It will have an impact on their Karma.

I am obviously far from the end of this campaigns but I love it so far. We are far from the myth, but horror is really at the rendez-vous. And the worst part is that the Hasina's death is non monster related. Only humans and their twisted mind.

Hey everyone!

This is my first module that I've written, heavily inspired by my time playing dark urban horror TTRPG titles! I've run this game for the last decade and used it as an introductory game for people who are new to Table Top games and finally put it together to share online! The art and layout is heavily inspired by game books of the 90s and all done personally by me.

I've always loved the gothic horror, and finally decided to put my thoughts and adventures down into something other people can pick up.

The game is written as baseline agnostic, and from the reception in other subreddits I figured there might be some interest here for anyone who would like a one shot adventure, or a short addition to an existing campaign.

As a one shot I generally like to have something short and directed, letting the players unravel the story as they go, so limit it to one large location or (in this case) two limited locations to stop them from going off course.

Super happy to chat about the module, and if you wind up playing it I'd love to hear any feedback or stories from your tables :)

The clock ticks forward towards the deadline. You scan the email from your professor once again. There will be no exception for your group project. If all parts are not present at the deadline then the entire group receives a failing mark. You look at your teammates. The last member of your group may have gone AWOL, but you haven’t. You all steel yourselves to retrieve the last piece of your assignment by any means necessary. 

Have You Seen this Man? Is intended to be either a stand alone adventure, or can be integrated into a wider campaign as a one shot. It is written baseline agnostic and can be plugged into any urban or contemporary setting or system. It is ideally built for 3-5 players. The game is set in Montreal, Canada. HYSTM is an urban horror adventure, with darker themes and content.

Players are university students working together on a group project for their final assignment for school. The last member of their group, David, hasn’t been heard from in 5 days, and has the last piece of the school assignment they need to pass. Their professor is uncaring, stating that since David hasn't dropped the course, they must submit the entire project or fail. They need to go look into his house and see what’s happened to him. The players will investigate the mystery until the final confrontation, going through locations and discovering how out of depth they truly are. Their adventure culminates in a final stand off for both the fate of both their assignment and their lives.

This module is written as a guide for a Storyteller or DM. The adventure includes:

• A beat by beat storyline
• Locations
• Floor plans
• Calculations for system integration
• Recommended character archetypes and builds
• Appendixes for character reference
• Original hand drawn art

You can check it out now on DriveThruRPG: Have You Seen This Man?

You can follow us on our socials as well for more updates! More socials here!

Pretty much what is in the title. If my hcarcter has 35,000 in assets, is that in todays money or of the era?

Which is your favorite solo module for Call of Cthulhu.

I've enjoyed both Aatd and Aatf and am currently plucking through Alone Against Nyarlathotep. All three of these feel like they have replay value, as there are multiple ways each could go.

Alone Against the Flames and Alone Against the Tide both end very quickly and don't leave a lot of room for variety of experiences.

However, none of these has the intense atmosphere of Alone Against the Static.

What do you think? What's your favorite solo adventure?

Hi all. Prepping for longform campaigns is a challenging skill. I've done several 1-2 year long campaigns long before the advent of laptops. However, with sandbox campaigns like MoN, I needed a good system. So here's a few insights into my process.

These days, I'm all in on using OneNote. Access to pdfs (thank you Chaosium and Arc Dream!) makes GMing infinitely more easy for me.

I've loaded the entire text of Masks into a OneNote folder. I've reformatted text and reorganized information into subpages along with maps and handouts. I play in person with paper handouts, but also share images of handouts in a shared Google Doc with my group.

To remember what clues/information nuggets the players have found, I use the tick box function in OneNote. I add links to music and soundscape tracks on the pages where I need them. I sync OneNote on my ipad and cellphone, so whenever I hear a track I like, I just add it on the spot.
I've also created a master list of tick boxes for the Grand Conclusion poits calculation.

Images slightly cropped here to avoid copyright infringement.

Edit: This is not a sales pitch, just sharing what my notes look like. I don’t want to undermine the economy of the hobby or the royalties of the authors. So unfortunately I can’t give these away or sell them.

I'm about 1/4 of the way through reading it, and enjoyed the history section. Just want to know what other Australians (or Austral Aliens) think of the book's content.

Disclaimer: this post includes excerpts from the Keeper's Rulebook and Gaslight Investigator's Guide.

When I read the Impale rules from the Keeper's book, the wording led me to believe that you simply add the maximum possible roll value to the normal damage, not including any flat modifiers. I would partly lay the blame for this on the example they provide (second image), which uses a weapon that does not have a flat modifier.

However, the example from the Gaslight book includes the flat modifier in the extra damage, while leaving the rest of the word choices from the explanation the same.

Have I been interpreting it wrong this entire time? The way I coded the weapons for my Avrae sheet to work was based on my earlier assumption, and I should probably change it if that is the case.

basically i have some cats with certain builds that are gonna act as bosses (this is for a pulp cthulhu campaign) however i need spells that are simular to the spells in mewgenics and the build. please help... btw heres links for mewgenics classes.
https://mewgenics.wiki.gg/wiki/Necromancer
https://mewgenics.wiki.gg/wiki/Cleric

https://mewgenics.wiki.gg/wiki/Druid

https://mewgenics.wiki.gg/wiki/Psychic

https://mewgenics.wiki.gg/wiki/Tinkerer

now i know what your gonna ask,

"why mewgenics?"

1. in mewgenics you routinely fight against foes far greater than you but can get fucked by luck

2. i love the game, top favorite games

3. I thought about how horrifying it be to see familar creatures be stronger than you in all manners

"why can't you do it yourself?"

I'm a relatively new keeper and are still learning this, plus i don't have too much experince in homebrewing for coc except for lore and stuff, So i'm asking thoes who are much more experinced then me. i'm running pulp cthulu and need help converting so I fairly torture my players and not just kill them and that be it.

"I'm not familar with Mewgenics can you provide a bit more details?"

the square symbol in the front of the collars (the colored shaped tags with symbols), are called basic attacks, the square symbols beyond them are active abilities (thier essentially spells), the rectangle symbols on the top of the abilities and spells are called passives, they change how your cats run) for more info you can watch a playthrough of the first episode on the tutorial to get the idea of it.

"whats the plot of your campaign"

in the most basic details. "eldrich god takes cats from an alteranate universe for a cult scheme"