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klecser

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Posts posted by klecser

  1. On 12/25/2019 at 4:19 AM, Poe said:

     

    Reflecting on the topic, future scenario publications could contain in the table of contents, a paragraph where explains how to change it to play in 1 + 1.

    I know this is an old thread, but since Joe Kenobi resurrected it, I have an update. I've done exactly this on my Test Subjects scenario on the Miskatonic Repository. There is a short section at the end called "Tips for running with one or two investigators."

    • Like 1
  2. Boom. https://www.chaosium.com/does-love-forgive-pdf/

    Only available in PDF right now. Print coming.

    I would also say that many investigative scenarios can be adapted to one player. The Keeper has to be judicious about recognizing that fewer players means fewer breadth of skills and fewer skill roll successes in general. The classic scenario the Haunting (in Quick Start rules) could be adapted to one player. I think Mansions of Madness is a fine collection that can be adapted in this way. Especially Mr. Corbitt. https://www.chaosium.com/mansions-of-madness-vol-1-behind-closed-doors-hardcover/

    • Like 1
  3. Continued reflections: I'm in Chapter 3, and haven't finished it, but there a few things I want to comment on.

    1) Experienced Keepers write tips and options into their writing to give different groups the options they need to have their particular flavor of fun. Subtle things like "reward ingenuity where possible" are important tips. This campaign is chock full of "this or that or this might happen" that helps Keepers anticipate outcomes.

    2) Without spoiling too much, there is a campaign-wide mechanic that rates investigator decisions. I've always been a big believer in rewarding or penalizing investigators with tangible and intangible consequences for their choices. It can only help the immersion, in my opinion. RPGs tend to devolve into murder-hobing simply because there are no consequences for thoughtless play. CoC has always been better at this than most other games. It is a distinct in-theme feature of this campaign.

    3) This campaign is particularly good for teaching Keepers how to run campaigns and how to let player choice drive what happens in games. If the Chapters in this book give you the impression that it is "linear" until Chapters 4-6, that couldn't be further from the truth. Other than Masks, I've never seen a greater variety of encounter and lore options within individual Chapters. Many of the options are far more in-tune with the story than the sub-options in Masks. I'm not anti-Masks. I'm saying that there are dimensions of this campaign that very much seem to me to be comparable to Masks, or better. That is a compliment.

    4) The campaign won't waste your time giving stat blocks for "generic profession" NPCs. Be real. The stat blocks of "Resident Archeologist" or "This One Priest" doesn't need to be different for the purposes of game execution in different Chapters. The generic professions section of the Appendices is a welcome replacement for (I'm sure unintentionally) wasting page count on producing stat blocks for every individual NPC, over and over again, when 90% of the stats are the same.

    I'm going slow because I'm a print-reader. I can't read a PDF as fast as I can read print. But I'm really enjoying what I've read so far!

    • Like 5
  4. Great report. I'm glad you had fun. Edge of Darkness is the prototypical "ritual" scenario, and that isn't a bad thing. It is also one of my favorites. The last time I ran it I plucked it out of America and set it right near Plum Castle UK in Masks of Nyarlathotep to create a subplot. The ritual was performed at the summit of Mam Tor.

    • Like 1
  5. Chapter 2 spoiler-free reflections: This campaign has a lot of potential for bringing up the ethical issue of Western interference in Eastern cultural history. I could see that being a major secondary plotline in a campaign. I also like how many of the NPCs are real historical figures. It means lots of additional background information that can be brought in at the Keeper's discretion.

    • Like 3
  6. 14 hours ago, Tarondor said:

    When the PC's arrive at the Aid Camp in Chapter One, what is the expected reaction of the Bolivian soldiers in the camp? The PC's have just defeated their fellow soldiers. Even if the average soldier doesn't know this, the serpent-people leaders will. Why isn't there immediate violence?

    The text says that any surviving Bolivian soldiers and Karnassh "run into the forest," which doesn't necessarily imply that they return to the aide camp. Given that the Inner Night's goal is to find Tyrannish, I find it completely plausible that they don't return to the Aide Camp within the time structure of the investigator's time there. Their mission priorities might be complex. An argument could be made that, if the investigators don't kill the attack squad, there would be greatly increased tension in the scenario in wondering what happened to them. Are they still out there, preparing another ambush? If the investigators get to the Aide Camp, expecting a fight and don't get it, well, that is just another anxiety that is lodged in the back of their minds, keeping them on their toes. 

  7. 49 minutes ago, greger said:

    I am looking for a scenario to put my investigators through after finishing up "Edge of Darkness", and this looks very interesting.

    Two questions, though,

    Are the specified geographic locations important? Or can they be easily changed?

    And, is the time setting changable?

    Short answer: Yes and yes! :)

    Long answer:

    The geographical locations can be changed to really suit ANY location the Keeper is familiar with. The NPC descriptions are in-tune with the scenario setting, but these can be easily altered. I chose the locations that I did to just write about Locations I'd like to see in CoC. Other Keepers should certainly do that! Of course, photos in Handouts would not be relevant to new locations.

    The time setting is also changeable. It could be 1890s and not affect the history of the specific locations presented too much. Industry becomes pre-Prohibition industry, for example. It could also be Modern, as cell phone use wouldn't affect the nature of the scenario at all, other than speeding up the rapidity of getting some clues. And being underground in Modern would work very well, because without satellite signals underground, it just adds an added psychology of "modern frustration" to the experience.

    I'm all about flexibility for Keepers. Thanks for enquiring and I hope you enjoy it if you decide to purchase!

    • Like 1
  8. 35 minutes ago, stadi said:

    I really like that you have several options regarding the mythos background, and that you can play it without direct mythos involvement. I don't know how much that actually changes the story and what's happening, I just read the introduction part, but is still a great idea.

    This brings up another point I forgot to mention. You can also essentially choose the nature of the origin of the key locations as part of this. I know that's vague, but I don't want to spoil anything. Dr. Hardy has given us something like four potential Mythos explanations, making an unprecedented level of Keeper choice to suit the desires of different groups. And, as you say, non-Mythos is an option too! What that does is allow this game to be set into virtually any campaign, because there are options that allow one to fit it in to whatever your particular threat-vision or group aesthetic is. 

    I am also enjoying the "What Your Investigator Knows" handouts as an expeditious way to give context. I'm sad to say that many Western players may not know a lot about the Far East. Sad, yes, but true. And I think these handouts are particularly important for that context. One thing that I have always appreciated about Dr. Hardy's work is that she has a very clear forward-thinking vision as to how games play out, and what the practical needs are of Keepers and players.

    This is really well designed. And yes, @MOB, I WILL review it on the website. When I feel confident doing so. 😜

    • Like 7
  9. Initial reflections on early text reading:

    1) No work in Call of Cthulhu, to my knowledge, has devoted such thoughtful consideration to a common section as the "Involving the Investigators" section in this campaign. Great care has been taken to suggest potential character motivations for beginning the campaign and to designing investigators that are suited to the types of goals for the travel posed. I think this is solid modelling for considerations for any campaign start.

    2) The "Experiential Learning" section suggests some of the most developed additions to the game for in situ learning mechanics for players. Anyone who Keeps the game knows that acquisition of specialized skills that are uniquely suited to a particular storyline just doesn't work with the existing RAW of the game, particular with learning languages. Narrative story-telling frequently requires characters to learn specialized skills more quickly. I think many an experienced Keeper (myself included) have resorted to house-ruling in this regard. Its nice to see suggestions for ramped-up skill training to be codified with such detail in an official product. I'm not saying that it is unique to this campaign. Other writers have certainly done variations. This section just seems to hit the problem head on. If a character needs Language (Chinese) to be effective in a campaign, the Keeper needs to give them opportunities to learn Language (Chinese) much more quickly than in the RAW.

    • Like 6
  10. Hey everyone, 

    Check out my addition to the Miskatonic Repository!

    "Test Subjects" is a 25-page 1920s sandbox scenario that invites investigators to explore the Boston underground...and more.

    With original art from Kari Fears. 

    The scenario is suitable as an introductory foray into the Mythos, but can also be used by experienced groups.

    What do you get?

    -Keeper advice and options, including how it might run differently as an introduction to a campaign or as a one-shot

    -Ready-to-print player-friendly handouts (including a handout designed to be customized to your group!)

    -Keeper aides to help run the scenario

    -Playtest notes

    -Weird Tech!

    Check it out!

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

    • Like 8
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