klecser

41 minutes ago, Grimmshade said:

Any hidden gems in here I should check out? I had heard that John Carpenter's "The Thing" was in the book, but now I'm thinking that it's not, as I haven't been able to find it.

A lot of the best ones that I've come across are "hidden" by weird names. Check out Nioth-Korghai. An entire campaign could be built around them.

1 hour ago, Grimmshade said:

How is US shipping on these books currently? I was thinking of ordering direct and cancelling my pre-order from another store to better support Chaosium (and possibly get the books sooner.)

Can't really say fairly without knowing where you live and how USPS is for you. It comes Media Mail. I'm only two hubs away from the Warehouse in MN, so I can get products as early as two business days on Media Mail, but probably average about five days. It could be considerably longer depending on your postal situation.

54 minutes ago, Closterphobia said:

I initially didn’t have much interest in the cards but after seeing the physical size of them in your video they’ve been added to the “must purchase” list. They look great. Did you have any luck sourcing sleeves?

Not yet. I'm betting that FFG has some sleeves for one their board games that will work.

On 1/14/2021 at 9:33 PM, Riquez said:

Wait now, what? This seems to say that now you can move 40 yards (120 feet) & then attack - at the end of the round - so I guess this means their attack drops to the bottom of initiative & they wait for everyone else to take a turn. It's a little weird & I'm not sure I have understood correctly.

Following your DND example: It's a Charge. 

Today on RPG Imaginings: The new Malleus Monstrorum Keeper Deck from @Chaosium_Inc!

Note the new Twitter handle @ImaginingsRpg if you'd like to re-follow!

On 1/11/2021 at 8:36 AM, MOB said:

Yes

FYI, they are not tarot size. They are significantly larger than the other Keeper decks, so the sleeves I bought don't even come close to fitting. I'm not going to complain about nice large cards, but just wanted to let you know the size that you reported was not accurate.

You are looking for "Create Amulet" page 82, or the "Enchant" spells on pages 106-112.

There are a lot of different variants of these, but my read on it as a Keeper is that any given object is enchanted with whatever is required to fit the narrative or desired mechanics. None of them specify a "deep one amulet," so that comes down to Keeper discretion. You decide if the indicated costs are good enough to create an Amulet that "does the thing." I can't think of any reason why "Create Amulet" can't do whatever is required according to your group's goals.

Call of Cthulhu's magic system is deliberately squishy. I think a lot of role-players are used to the typical "you cast a spell and it always does this." The beauty of cosmic horror role-playing is that humans aren't meant or even able to understand the nature of the cosmos. As part of the game, Keepers have a much more stringent control over what spells can or cannot do, and how much info the investigators get. The less the better. For example, my players have over a dozen spells that they have learned, they don't really know the full effects of any of them, and they are all absolutely mortified to cast any of them unless absolutely required. I call that a mood victory.  

More cross-referencing in the book would be nice, but that is also what we are here for!

1 hour ago, DIddyDragon said:

Question. Would characters made in the standard Call of Cthulhu set work in the Dreamlands scenarios, or would they need changing? I'm about to start hosting a Cthulhu campaign and was looking for a bunch of different investigations to take the investigators on, and I want to do something with dream stuffs.

Yes. It is a frequent occurrence in CoC for characters to start as investigators in "the mundane world" and then be swept into Dream, often bouncing back-and-forth between the two. That being said, every Dreamlands setting book has included information on unique skills that CoC characters get access to: namely Dream Lore and Dreaming. There is much fun to be had!

50 minutes ago, Grimmshade said:

I think this is what I'll do. Use Pulp Cthulhu with Dark Ages occupations, and then make up new Talents as/if required. 

Dark Ages is awesome, but Down Darker Trails does a better job of incorporating Pulp. 

I agree that an ideal would be to have guidance for Pulp Cthulhu in the Dark Ages book. But, it's not in there, and it isn't going to be there in this edition. So, you're doing what any good Keeper does: making the changes that you think are best for your game! Would you share with us what you come up with, when and if you have the time and inclination? We would benefit greatly from seeing your insights!

In the interim, here is how I might personally get started. I'm thinking about the critical role (allusion not intended  ) that religion plays during the time and how that might influence an Investigator.

Pulp Dark Ages Talent

Mental Talent

Religious Conviction: Gain a bonus die to Social Skill rolls made on holy grounds or in reference to matters involving your chosen Religion.

It's deliberately vague to include Investigators that follow Christian, Anglo-Saxon Pagan, and Norse Pagan teachings, which are all explicitly mentioned in the book. I could also see adding Celtic to that list? That said, the rules stipulate that England is a very Christian culture at the time, but I think an amazing character archetype would be an Investigator operating outside the status quo. So, as Keeper I would err on the side of historical flexibility and reward the player with access to a Talent that encourages role-playing in that vein. Some may not consider this very "Pulp," but it's not like Pulp Cthulhu eliminates role-playing. Perhaps this Talent functions to move the plot along rapidly in the spirit of Pulp? I would personally consider Pulp Cthulhu that doesn't include social interaction to be pretty boring, but that's just my opinion.

Really great summary thread on this topic! Well done everyone!

In looking through the PDF, there is a very nicely curated collection of cards here. I especially like the "variants" of several of the creatures, including the inclusion of Cultist variants. @MOB can you give the exact card dimensions to us, so I can start looking for the possibility of sleeves that might fit them? They appear to be "tarot" size like the other decks? 120 X 70 mm?

5 hours ago, SunlessNick said:

That makes me wonder which I am 😔 ... I am fairly new to regularly posting there, but a long-timer at the game.  Maybe I talk lie a grognard, so they accept me.

I've been gone for years. It didn't take long to figure out it was a toxic place. I know a lot of 40/50/60+ gamers and the ones that I choose to associate with are grateful when new youthful voices come to games. They are secure enough with themselves to recognize that the world always changes. That means more acceptance and less gate-keeping if we want any hope of the hobby expanding. Of course, a lot of adult adolescents don't want "their" hobby to expand.

Really nice surprise! Thanks for developing this companion aide!

3 hours ago, Nick Brooke said:

If I changed a few names, I could say much the same about RuneQuest forums and communities. I spend most of my time on Facebook, now, where enthusiastic people are discovering Glorantha for the first time. It's a breath of fresh air! A goblet of clear wine! Wonderful! If I liked the taste of dusty old books and stale piss, though, I could hang out on the forums, bitch anonymously, and gatekeep, instead.

It's an old tale in gaming. There are a lot of surprised Pikachu faces on people with breathtaking insecurity issues that drive people away from games, not understanding that they are the cause. It is also why I stopped attending Cons. Why pay money to be denied access to new experiences?

13 minutes ago, Gattamelata said:

Chaosium started marketing the book long before the release of the pdf. 

(It will also mean the digital release  has been available for less scrupolous persons without paying a cent, long before some of the marketing hype they've managed to make have died out. I hope the earnings from the digital copies actually paid for make up for the potential loss in sold books if that is the case. Seven months from digital release to a physical book is a very long time.)

I don't know if you've noticed that we are in the middle of a pandemic that has affected the supply chain? It's a hard sell to suggest that this is poor decision-making under those circumstances. Your argument is cherry-picked.

Sad to hear that you weren't able to find this out in advance. Know that you can always ask questions here and we'll try to help you prevent missing out on things!

1 hour ago, stadi said:

There is much more to readability than just font size. I think the new CoC layout (font, background, colors, line spacing etc) is quite comfortable to read, at least for me, who only has myopia. I could imagine that reading them with reading glasses shouldn't be much of an issue. Or is it? There are much worse ones out there (like the horrible white on black that Modipious did with Star Trek Adventures).

I agree that there are multiple dimensions to readability. Contrast is a big issue as well. As a professional educator, readability considerations are a huge part of my professional work, as well as personally affecting me.

And that's my point. With respect, you may not have any problem reading Chaosium's or anyone's print decisions. And that's fine. I'm happy for you! From an inclusivity perspective though, it's important for all of us to consider ways in which our personal experience may not match others. So, the response to "readability is an issue for me because X" can't be "Nu uh! I personally don't have any problems!" or "There are no problems." More listening is needed.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that Chaosium is bad at inclusivity (I've already pointed out how much I like that they use sensitivity readers), or that I expect them to change their current line text decisions as a result of my experience (I mentioned this above too.) What I am saying is that people in general (and especially abled people), have a tendency to make judgments about what works for other people. And that just isn't fair. I can't tell you how many times someone in my professional life has assumed that something they have composed is readable, just because it is readable to them. So, all I'm asking for is for Rick and Chaosium to extend the excellent job of consideration they've done in improving inclusivity on race, gender, and sexual orientation to physical ability differences as well. And that request includes trying to avoid saying things like "the decision we made doesn't affect readability." Because that just isn't true. 

As I said, I don't expect my perspective to be popular, because the tendency of people, when being asked for consideration, is to get defensive. But I happen to believe that we all can be better than that.

9 hours ago, Rick Meints said:

The HotOE page count went down by 100 pages, and the font size is not smaller in this new printing than any other book we currently publish for CoC.

I know that 9 point is the standard. Heck, I published my scenario at 9 point, largely because I didn't want people to accuse me of "inflating page count." So, hypocritical of me? Maybe! I wasn't reacting to 9 point specifically, so much as the assertion that going from 11 to 9 "doesn't affect readability." Dude, I'm telling you that it does. And I recognize that that is your standard. But, it is a general problem for the publishing industry, if they truly want to be inclusive. And I don't expect Chaosium to be the one and only ones to solve this issue, or for you to change the choices that you made when you set the template for 7th edition. I'm just letting you know that I love that you guys have sensitivity readers for your books and that you are trying really hard to be inclusive. But I'm also telling you that there are aspects of inclusivity that you haven't considered. If you just said "ok, I get what you're saying" we'd be cool.  

Great to hear! Let us know what we can do to support you!

26 minutes ago, Ejlertson said:

Im in no way belittleing the issue you have, but with the free PDF with it, at least you can read it more clearly on screen/tablet

Computer screen reading solves the font size issue while introducing the eye strain from glowy screen issue....

That is the main reason why many of us need print. Print doesn't glow.

On 12/30/2020 at 4:38 PM, Rick Meints said:

Just reducing the font from 11 point to 9 point GREATLY reduced the page count without sacrificing readability.

 

I'm REALLY glad that you are making HOTOE available again in this way. But, with respect, for those of us with sight challenges, reducing font size DOES always sacrifice readability for some of us. I've engaged with Golden Goblin Press on recent supplements with tiny font sizes meant to reduce page count. I know that publishing has thin margins for cost, but the balance point of this is that it is, essentially, an ableist decision. This is an area for growth in the hobby. Why hire sensitivity readers for race, gender, and sexual orientation, but produce supplements that impact people with visual impairments? I know my perspective isn't likely to be popular. I just want you to know that this is an issue that impacts the inclusivity of offerings.

Thanks Scott! If you've never offered, and it isn't stipulated in your contract, I'm not sure I understand why Kevin felt the need to ask publically. That seems, from a business and professional perspective, to be something best done in private.

1 hour ago, kross said:

Why is Scott Aniolowski never invited to take part in these discussions of the book he originally helped create? Surely he could offer a great deal of insight as to what went into choosing and creating the creatures which went into the book?

Do you know for a fact that he's "never invited," or are you speculating? Note that I don't have any awareness of the amount of work that Scott put into this second edition. But I do notice that he isn't listed as the first author on this edition. And there can be quite a gulf between first and second author based upon production, I'm guessing? So, the real question is, why should anyone feel entitled to involvement in how a product is marketed? Maybe that's spelled out in contracts, but whether it is or isn't, that's ultimately a contract or Chaosium decision, not an author or fan decision.

As someone who is newer to the community, one of the first things I've noticed (because it's practically screamed-it isn't subtle-it's like a bull in a china shop) is the sense of entitlement the "Old Guard" of the game feels towards the current line and company. I left Yog-Sothoth for a couple of very good reasons. It is NOT a welcoming environment to new voices and players, from my experience. It is dominated by a lot of cranky grognards that don't seem too eager to grow the game beyond their insular groups. And real talk: Call of Cthulhu is exploding in spite of efforts by some members of the community to shun and criticize it. It's just sad, frankly. And then I also left because I was tired of new fans posting questions and getting crickets from the people who couldn't be bothered to help.

So, as a newer player, would I like to hear from any author? Sure. But I don't feel like I'm entitled to direct marketing direction (or anything really) from Chaosium and Call of Cthulhu. For absolute certain, if I were trying to make a fan request of a company, and expected it to gain any traction at all, I'd start my request with: "I would really love to hear from Scott in a future marketing interview for this project." As a professional educator, I have never seen any of my colleagues get what they wanted from framing the conversation with a passive-aggressive "Why haven't you done this???"

A really fantastic discussion. Investigative cosmic horror role-playing is a different set of GM skills than fantasy dungeon-crawling.

9 hours ago, Shambleau said:

Hi there! I bought the campaign and have only just started reading it (and loving it!) and I was wondering if it would be easily ported to modern CoC? My players are currently playing through the Eternal Lies campaign, so set in the 30s, and I don't think they'd be game for another foray in this era.

What do you think?

Anything is possible in gaming. We're telling stories, and any Keeper has the freedom to make the changes that they would need to make to craft the game that they and their group would enjoy. So, could this be ported to Modern? A qualified yes. I think it comes down to what you are willing to lose or how much you are willing to work to modify.

If someone challenged me to port this to Modern, here is what I would consider:

1) My biggest concern is that part of the charm of the campaign is that actual historical figures are featured in it, doing the things that they did during the time. I would personally hate to lose this from the campaign. There are certainly ways that one could attempt to preserve this. If I were to try, it would involve attempting to write journal or letter handouts that preserve the historical "voices" of these characters.

2) The next concern I have is how to handle technology, the common consideration of many Modern scenarios. The "wild" portions of India, Tibet, and China would solve this. There simply aren't cell towers. But in cities, you'd have to check what challenges technology would simply eliminate. Some players don't mind this. It is noteworthy that part of the further charm of this game is a sense of isolation from being "on the road" for extended periods of time. The challenge of overland travel could be, in some ways compromised in modern, but perhaps not. I could envision some overland challenges being difficult no matter the reliability of vehicles. I suspect that portering and caravanning may still be necessary in many areas that the campaign takes place?

3) The last thing that I would consider is how red-lining might look different. Modern would open up the possibility of airline travel, but since the campaign encourages red-lining, whether you travel by air or train or overland really only matters in the context of the extent to which you provide environmental challenges and use regional foes like border restrictions and "bandits." The campaign warns against using "bandits" too much anyway. I'm sure that travel from China into Tibet is heavily restricted in modern times. You'd have to do research into what the local laws actually are, if authenticity matters to you.

Now, note that I'm coming this from my perspective and what I would and wouldn't do. Preservation of the historical authenticity is important to me, and that isn't necessarily the case for all. And that's fine.

Hopefully this helped!