klecser

I continue to update links to physical books when they release. In addition, I've added a mention of the solo scenarios to expand usefulness for players who prefer solo gaming. I've also added a section on what I perceive to be the "advanced" campaign options for CoC Keepers: Masks and Children of Fear. I can see experience gamers coming from other games having the GM skills needed to run these right off the bat, so it seemed silly not to include them in the suggestions.

In addressing the vocabulary question, Fighting (Brawl/Weapon) attacks are "opposed" in that you compare levels of success between attacker and defender. "Opposed" rolls work under a different set of rules in non-combat situations. The "50%" rule that you asked about in your original post are guidelines for non-combat interactions, not combat interactions.

Today on RPG Imaginings...

Can anyone identify for me the monster on the cover of Volume 1? Volume 2 is Xada-Hgla, but I've scoured the PDFs of both volumes and can't find the name of the cover art monster for Volume 1? Is it Abhoth?

1) It's awesome that the game has become popular.

2) Let's shift the numbers to FLGS' and Chaosium.com  

Out For Delivery! Now, we've gotten about two of the expected three to six inches of snow today so it could be delayed. But if it does arrive today I'll do an unboxing and flip-through.

1 hour ago, Mugwump said:

I'm new to the 7th ed rules and I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping someone can clear up.

1) Combat is an opposed roll test.  If the NPC that the player character is fighting has a Fighting skill of greater than 50%, does that mean that the player character needs to roll a "hard" success to succeed or do opposed rolls in combat work differently than non-combat opposed rolls?

The problem that I run into here is that Combat is specified to work in a certain way, and that is defined by "who gets a higher success," not by a "difficulty being set." My read on the rules is that while it is Keeper discretion to "set the difficulty to Hard" under opposition (page 189), that seems to only be under cases where the PC is just trying to beat a difficulty, not when it is an "opposed roll" where you are comparing a level of success.  Stealth skill level sets a difficulty level. But combat is level of success vs. level of success. I'm not under the impression that opponent skill level alters level of success opposed rolls in melee combat. Gurus? @Mike M @Paul Fricker

Additional consideration related to precision of language: I'm just pointing this out because you said "Combat is an opposed roll" and the game differentiates between two different "types" of combat that have different rules. Technically there is only one type of combat interaction that requires an "opposed roll:" "Fighting Back" or Dodge when faced with an attack from Fighting (Brawl) or Fighting (melee weapon) is an opposed roll. If the enemy is using a firearm, it is just their attack versus range difficulty. Even if a character Dives For Cover, that is not considered an "opposed roll." The Defender is just seeing if they can add a penalty die.

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2) Sanity loss when casting a spell.  Many of the spells listed have a SAN cost that seems like it will virtually guarantee a 5 point SAN hit and then an insanity check.  If the character fails their roll, does the spell still succeed?  Do they suffer a bout of madness and go running off into the night?  Seems like this will make most spells unusable by PCs.

Yep and Maybe and Yep.

Let's break them down:

2a) If they cast a spell, they "pay" the SAN cost as the spell happens. The effect happens and then they immediately resolve any SAN costs. So, assuming they meet the other conditions of the spell, it succeeds, whether it ultimately results in a bout of madness or not.

2b) If a spell costs 5 or more SAN to cast, the character makes an INT roll first. Only success on the INT roll produces a bout of madness. Note that not all spells have a heavy upfront SAN cost. They may have a low initial cost, but produce effects that proctor more sanity rolls. Summoning spells are good examples. 

2c) Yep. Or, really make a character think twice about whether this is really the time to attempt it. Or, heck, if it is even worth learning! Spells in CoC operate in a very different type of gaming head space than DND and other combat-focused games. I have players that know lots of spells "just in case," but they fear using them and making situations worse, and they often had to pay hefty costs to learn them. Their spells are a "toolbox" that they hope to never have to use.  

Another consideration: Many of the spells in the books are really mostly used by the antagonists who all have SAN scores of 0 or -. 

20 minutes ago, Dr_Zarnak said:

If you're going to pick up an older edition of this campaign, Curse of Cthulhu is the one to get. It has two extra adventures you won't find in Day of the Beast or Fungi from Yuggoth ("The Case" and "Wail of the Witch") and color plates.

Good tip. I'm happy with my find.

Somehow the stars were right and I scored minimum bid on this one!

My tracking has moved and my MM is at the "halfway" hub between the warehouse and my home! So, as expected, transport priorities are beginning to return.

1 minute ago, kross said:

My Malleus is now scheduled for delivery today in central Iowa.

Dang Kevin, I didn't know you were so close! And that bodes well for me in Omaha for the near future. We both probably have Des Moines as the distribution point for Chaosium products. Still no update on my tracking though. Maybe you ordered a few hours before me and got in an early batch.

Update: A media mail package that I ordered on December 4th is just scheduled to arrive today. And I usually receive stuff earlier than the estimate here in the middle of the US, because I'm right near Kansas City, a major hub.  Chaosium warehouse packages ship from Minnesota and usually arrive at me within 3-4 business days, even on Media Mail.  So, I think it's important for everyone to remember that Media Mail is a very low priority for the Post Office. That is why it is cheap for the consumer. Under these circumstances, it's important to acknowledge that Media Mail usually taking a week under "normal" circumstances means that millions of packages have jumped in front of them in the cue under these circumstances. So, hopefully that we are past Christmas now, our Malleus' will enter the distribution system?

This is an example where I deviate from the RAW. The RAW says that they make another check. However, many scenarios and campaigns feature alterations that reduce or eliminate the SAN checks after a certain point. In my campaign, Serpent People feature heavily, and my players don't make SAN checks anymore, similar to the "War Experience Package" featured in The Investigator's Handbook. My players have become quite judicious in taking deliberate action to guard their compatriots against unnecessary SAN checks. The good ol' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom "Don't come up here!" when he discovers the statue of Kali on the way to Pankut Palace.

My philosophy is that, like with any issue, you have to know your group and what feels "fair" to them, which does require some trial and error for each new group. I've encountered the full range of players outraged if you don't SAN them at every opportunity (because going insane is one of the most fun parts of the game for them) to players dismayed that a Keeper would keep superficially dinging them and ignore their experience in the field. Neither end of the continue is wrong.

Hey, while you're here, check out my Scenario on the Miskatonic Repository:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/333222/Test-Subjects?

Hey, why not also check out my YouTube Channel?  

RPG Imaginings' Children of Fear Reading Reflections continued

Appendix B reflections:

1) I think it is a really nice gesture for Chaosium to include the nearly full text of some Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic spells in this text. Many of us, of course, possess the book, but some may not. It has allowed Dr. Hardy to use the full command of "the catalogue" in her writing, without setting some readers at a disadvantage. Many companies would quite cynically either cheapen the depth of narrative to not require it, or simply require the book to get full use of the campaign. Chaosium is considerate of gamers.

2) There are a lot of really nice "utility" style spells in this Appendix that I could see being very useful and interesting for a lot of investigative groups, even outside the confines of the campaign. They are all also appropriately costed, meaning that they aren't like DND cantrips or anything where they could be cast on a whim. Many require large investments of Magic points, so if an investigator wants to utilize them, they must be used infrequently. POW expenditures abound too. I am very much of the school of thought that investigators should have access to lots of spells in the game (this is an unpopular opinion), but that the costs of learning them and the costs of casting should be such that they really need to think long and hard if their use is "worth it." Mask of Reason stands out to me as a really fun spell (a key to this campaign!) with a cost "the number of Magic points the target possesses!" There are lots of twists on spell costs like that in this section. Another notable: "All Magic points but one," reflecting that the spell just basically exhausts your eldritch reserves.

Appendix C reflections: 

I commented on this section in my early reading. This campaign is arranged so that Investigators may be regional. In that case, these handouts become "common knowledge" for your character. For non-regional investigators, these handouts effectively become "investigative red-lining" so that the first step of entering any populated area doesn't need to be a Library Use roll if that process can be expedited. Library Use rolls are reserved for highly specialized info instead. Interestingly, this is an example of a Call of Cthulhu campaign that isn't as heavily dependent upon the Library Use skill as others!

Appendix D reflections:

1) The need for overland travel in this region of the world is critical and the hiring of porters and guides is an absolute must. As such, this section gives you all the guidelines needed to work through the process. I can see it as being a key obstacle at the start of the campaign that gets progressively more "red-lined" as the action continues.

2) The perspective on the photo on page 254 is fun. There is a train of four camels, two riding abreast, but the photo makes it look like there are five- or six-legged camels.  

3) As a part of the travel process, this Keeper would likely offer Investigators improvements in a concentrated area of their choice for observing the caravan in operation. Navigate, Survival, and Appraise (as reflected in the need to barter) might be candidates.

4) The Travel Times tables are super useful. In reading the text (I tend to read books sequentially, so didn't look ahead here) I was concerned about keeping track of travel times. This is handled with these Keeper aides!

Appendix E reflections: 

1) I will definitely be checking out the resources listed here to learn more! Call of Cthulhu gives wonderful opportunities to learn.

2) The music suggestions are something that tends to not be included in these sections and is refreshing here. Targeted key words to search for on YouTube will make it very easy for Keepers to find appropriate regional music quickly.

Appendix F reflections:

1) Handout quality is superb, as is befitting one of Call of Cthulhu's signature features. Do you expect anything less? I'll tell you, once you play a game like Call of Cthulhu it's really hard to take the handouts of a lot of other RPGs seriously. I love Curse of Strahd, but the four handouts that the game offers, in the context of that game, is just a joke. Yes, I will throw shade at DND here.  

2) I appreciate that the large regional map on 384-385 is full-page with no page numbers.

3) Subtle additions, like the external view of the Peshawar Museum on 391, are greatly appreciated.

Appendix G reflections:

This is an example of a campaign where I would probably ask my players to seriously consider using the pre-generated investigators. In lieu of that, I might ask them to re-spec their existing characters as "alternate universe" versions with slightly different backstories that match the skills proficiencies of these pre-gens. Although this campaign oozes Classic-era 1920s, I don't consider "Miskatonic Country" skill sets to be useful for this campaign.

Index reflections:

I've commented on the extensive cross-referencing in this campaign before, and the index is very detailed. It includes multiple topical sections which will, no doubt, be very useful for Keepers.

Final thoughts (While drinking a cup of Blue Shadow tea. Yes, we have tea shops in Omaha, Nebraska. No, we aren't all farmers. 😜  )

I haven't run Children of Fear, so note that these have been my reflections on first read-through.

I think this campaign is exceptional, with an incredible amount of depth. I also think that this is a great overall addition to the Call of Cthulhu product line. Like Masks, this is not a campaign for novice Keepers. Chaosium has done a great job over 7th edition of providing resources for novice (Gateways to Terror, Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, Doors to Darkness), intermediate (Mansions of Madness Volume 1, Harlem Unbound, Two-Headed Serpent, A Cold Fire Within) and advanced (Masks of Nyarlathotep, Children of Fear, Horrors on the Orient Express) Keepers. It will take a fair amount of research and Keeper skill to run this effectively. But the result will be a spectacular foray into Hindu and Buddhist mythology, as well as a lot of regional culture.

There is a lot here to challenge people. Cannibalism, human-sacrifice, and charnal grounds are all aspects of Eastern religions that are likely to challenge Western players. Keepers will need to take care to know their groups and veil where appropriate. That is not a criticism. This campaign takes risks, and it will require an empathetic Keeper to mitigate the outcome of those risks.

I've commented many times before that Dr. Hardy and the Chaosium team know what it is like to run games. They are in our heads in writing this campaign. Running it will be easier as a result of their hard work.

I also need to comment that this is my style of Call of Cthulhu game. The emphasis here is largely on role-playing interaction, learning, exploration, and investigation. This is what Call of Cthulhu is, at it's core, in my opinion. It is different than a lot of Miskatonic Country investigations, and that is ok. We're globe-trotting here. And this is a region of the world hitherto not explored in-depth in Call of Cthulhu history. 

I'm a "physical book gamer," so I likely won't run any aspect of this until the hard copy is released in February/March. I'll be picking up the Leatherette, as is befitting of a legacy work like this. 

So, @Lynne H, I hope to hell you're proud of this work, because you should be.

Tracking has been completely unreliable this month. People are reporting no movement on tracking info and then packages just arriving. My MM tracking also hasn't budged since purchase.

RPG Imaginings' Children of Fear Reading Reflections continued

Chapter 8 reflections:

1) If you like tea, like I do (I'm partial to Jasmine and a good Darjeeling), this is the Chapter for you. I remember fondly my tour of the Cutty Sark when I visited London in '14.

2) If you have a charismatic villain, use them! I love the very forward approach here.

3) The environmental hazards escalate and are liable to be incredibly unnerving to the Investigators.  Reminds me of certain popular science fiction franchises that shall remain unnamed. Perfect for Call of Cthulhu. Like elements of the prior Chapter, these could be dropped into any game.

4) There are tough ethical decisions in this Chapter for the grand finale. I appreciate the playtest notes and Keeper hints as to how investigator creativity might help them avoid a gruesome fate.

5) I like learning British colloquialisms from Call of Cthulhu authors from across the pond: "or by the investigators making a hash of things."

Appendix A (NPCs) reflections:

1) I very much like this idea of having a "stable" of generic NPCs by occupation to draw from. This campaign spans multiple countries over potentially a year and naming all of the NPCs that the characters might encounter in a Chapter wouldn't be feasible. Or it would just bloat the page count.

2) "couldn't give two figs about the concept of customer service" LOL

3) As with the previous comment, there are quite a few quality exercises in humor in this section. Don't skip the backgrounds of the generic NPCs!

4) The "real person" vignettes are a welcome addition.

5) The characters in this section could be used in virtually any campaign, with some modifications to cultural placement.

RPG Imaginings' Children of Fear Reading Reflections continued

Chapter 7 reflections:

This Chapter is an absolute delight. It not only follows a classic investigative arc, but adds depth and humanity to some campaign creatures in a Runequest Trollesque kind of way. This isn't unique to this campaign (Paper Chase is another notable example), but it is a Chaosium tradition to add depth and ethics to foes treated far more stereotypically by most game companies. That's why I play the types of games Chaosium makes. More deferential to quality story-telling. Less brutish, more intellectual. How's that for a compliment @Lynne H @MOB @Rick Meints @Mike M @Jason D? 😜 

1) There are several plot-oriented environmental hazards in this Chapter that follow both the larger and smaller plot. Variety of challenge is the spice of life and this Chapter has it.

2) Care has been taken here to provide options for combat-oriented or investigation-oriented groups. There is nothing lazier (in my personal opinion) than role-playing scenarios that resort to "fight happens here because we need a fight." It happens way too often in role-playing writing. Yes, partly because some groups "expect" it. But many of us find it tired and cliched. This campaign is largely investigative and cultural and I cannot stress enough how important it it to me that Chaosium and Dr. Hardy have the courage to produce a campaign targeted at those of us who prefer classic character-interaction-focused gaming experiences.

3) This Chapter has a tremendous amount of utility, either in the context of this campaign or elsewhere. I think that even if the Investigators "succeed" and technically "end" the campaign in Chapter 6, Chapter 7 could quite easily serve as a backdrop for many different further adventures. There is a lot of substitution that can be had here. Dr. Hardy has created a wonderful underground "playground." I plan to use the framework of this scenario very soon in my own campaign, but with replacing the location, creatures, and McGuffin(s) with situations and objects unique to my own campaign.

4) The action location map is truly wonderful. I love great cartography.

5) There is just so much cross-referencing in this book. And I love that. Makes everything so much easier to run and to prepare for, for a Keeper. This is truly a campaign that serves as a culmination of everything we've learned about effective practical game-running in decades in the hobby.

6) Loving the suggestion of a non-human NPC joining the party if they are short on characters. 

The simple way to do it would be to find the modern value and simply multiply times the fractional difference of inflation. Of course, that wouldn't consider realistic fluctuations in gem markets at specific times, nor the fact that modern gems are likely mined more efficiently, but from less rich sources.

The question is how "realistic" you want realistic to be? If you want to end your frustration just use an inflation tool online?

Page 284, first column, line 5: Missing a "to." Should read: "its components to be truly potent."

@Lynne H

My FLGS usually has them on shelves a few weeks after release. 

RPG Imaginings' Children of Fear Reading Reflections continued

Chapter 6 reflections:

I've been trying to synthesize my thoughts on this Chapter and what I keep coming back to is that the skills of the Keeper are going to factor in tremendously as to how it goes. I think that the "main event" featured in this Chapter is a real challenge to run, largely because it centers around the age-old table issue of how to work with players who have lost game autonomy. The key, I think, is description. Skilled Keepers are going to be at a great advantage in successfully running this Chapter. This Chapter is not for novice Keepers, and I predict that a novice Keeper could find themselves in a tough spot in which their players feel like the outcome was pre-ordained (even if it wasn't) or that their "success" was entirely due to chance. In addition, players could very well feel railroaded if a Keeper isn't careful at describing what they see. I'm not saying this is a "bad" Chapter. Just that I think it is very challenging to run effectively. I suppose I could make the argument about the whole campaign too. You need solid Keeper skills to run this.

There are a lot of rolls for the Main Event. I personally would not use the quantity of rolls suggested, but the rolls seem more designed to "prevent the investigators from failing" rather than "helping them succeed." The question will be what the "right" amount of rolls will be for a particular group, as I could see my group considering these rolls to be tedious.

All that said, the "main event" of this Chapter is the event that the game has built up to until this point. It is potentially very grisly and will need some level of veil for some groups. My group would, for sure, need it veiled, because of some pretty intense body horror. But for groups who like that sort of thing, it will scratch the morbid itch.

There are a lot of very useful Keeper aides in this Chapter that will help one keep track of the logistics. Dr. Hardy is truly a master of practical Keeping, in this regard. In most role-playing supplements, many of us find ourselves needing to spend time constructing even the most basic aides to run a certain game, and Dr. Hardy has anticipated the most critical of that work!

This Chapter has some really nice art.

The Karmic Balance mechanic sees direct utility here and I appreciate the description offered as to how each investigator may be impacted differently depending upon their Balance.

Tons of options are given here as to how to proceed with or conclude the campaign at this stage. There is a lot of fodder here for surviving investigators to continue within this narrative, or on to other adventures. Great care was clearly taken in suggesting options here.

I really like the setup of classic Mythos villain combined with new creature in this Chapter.

This campaign oozes "classic" 1920s as written. I truly believe, after six Chapters, that this one is going to go down in history as one of the greats.

One of the things that really impressed me about Apocthulhu is the deliberate structure and care they put into downtime.

I've been short on time recently and I've been meaning to give you examples. My players have all sorts of secondary objectives that they work on during downtime. The way that I handle it as Keeper is to allow them to do whatever they have time for. We "negotiate" how long a particular task will take and decide what they can accomplish in the allotted time. Things like reading tomes, learning spells, and improving skills require concentration, so they tend to take up a lot more time.

Maintaining contacts, information-gathering, purchasing and other logistical tasks can be done a lot more efficiently. I often give players an option to explain how they are fitting in some contacts and logistics around more time-consuming tasks. My players also love to continue research into prior characters to see if they gain any new insights. We have lengthy exchanges (which I often save) over chat/email that enhances the depth of character relationships. Our engineer works on weird tech.

A detailed conversation that happened between an investigator and an NPC at Kolkata between games (ME=Medical examiner):

"ME: Hello, are you a relative of the deceased?

Alex: Not a relative. I'm a detective back in the states. Since he was from New York I'd like to get some details to better aide any possible investigation.

ME: *asks for credentials *

Alex: *already has them in hand. Pursaude roll 4/ 62 extreme success*

ME * get all the records AND access to picking the brain of the ME* What do you want to ask?

Was the neck dislocated/ broken?

No, it was not broken

Any defensive marks?

No defensive marks,  but the body was badly burned. 

Any unusual findings on the body? 

Burns consistent with flammable liquid, likely kerosene

And did he have luggage left over from the ship?

No,  burned in the fire

Alex:  That's a real shame that his belongings are gone.  Could have found an address to notify the proper family of the deceased. I'll just have to look him up back in New York,  unless authorities here are going to send word.

ME: Word will be sent. 

Alex: It's strange,  doctor,  I had breakfast with this man.. not even half an hour before this incident.  He was having a hard time finding a guide for the area so we grouped up. He was genuinely excited to be in your country and to have fellow people with him on his trip.  I didn't read any dissatisfaction in his voice or actions.

ME: That is very strange. I wonder about his business. It seems as if he could afford to travel, which is not afforded all.

Alex: He was a jeweler, he had a lovely piece he made that had a sapphire elephant on it.

Alex does not feel safe sending a telegram to New York to inquire about Adam's place of business.  (Another thing to look into real quick when they get back to the states)

Alex: Doctor, um, I didn't get your name.

ME: Jash. Jash Preveed

Alex: thank you for your time, I would ask if anything else comes to light or seems abnormal to contact me, sadly I haven't found lodging yet.  Please take care of yourself.

ME: I am eager to help the authorities in any way that I can. 

*Psychology roll, 33/70 hard success

Alex suspects that Jash benefits from the British Raj and likely has a "authority always has the answers" view on things.*"

Some of my players like to take time to travel to other places/locations while the other investigators are drilling down on reading and spells. They feel really useful when this happens.

"I learned this awesome spell that I'll probably use rarely because it will drive me insane, but I have an option now!"

"I went into New York City and did a job for a mob boss and now we can call on them as a contact!"

"Ooh....ahhh...."

I've been GMing RPGs for a long time and one of the most important things that I have learned is that restricting secondary objectives rarely makes games more fun. Let your players play in the world!  

As to "too beneficial," I think the key is that investigative games do not suffer from the same challenges of power creep as combat-focused games. Yes, you give a DND player an inch mechanically and you risk giving them a mile. In CoC, you can have a player gain +10 in virtually any skill and it only gives them marginal increases in effectiveness. CoC is designed to make characters that are ineffective. That is the point. That is its charm. That is its challenge. You want +5 in a skill? Sure! It honestly isn't going to make much difference. Now, if it makes your player feel good because they got advancement, that's ok and we've accomplished something.

Love it. My hope was that this little "playground" was deceptively simple. There are so many possibilities here and you adapted to their decisions wonderfully. I'm going to share your report with my group because they will get a real kick out of hearing how another group ran it!