Loïc

Great time last night running this adventure! Always on Roll20... I had 3 players this time, and all reacted with great pleasure to this one, even if one of the PCs is now as the hospital... Just a few remarks about the preparation and the running itself: I modified the god's name (Xhuul), because I was afraid some players could recognize the Ghostbusters allusion and so guess too early there could be a hidden temple in Conrad building... as for the previous adventures, I used Roll20 for illustrations, mainly 1930s photos and postcards. But this time I struggled with Google images to find suitable pulp magazine covers (you find mainly jungle adventures and detective stories illustrations). I had to fall back on old horror comics covers (Creepy) and horror films posters I had never heard about (Killer Granny, Sick Boy...). Good atmosphere according to my players, too. of the three scenarios of Astounding Adventures book, God of the Airwaves is the one with which I had to improvise more. After the kids' scene, my players took original options, breaking in Ashcroft's appartment and so forth... This was great time. I mean, as a GM, I do love improvising on players' unexpected decisions. And this time I was served right!!! Next time, I'm planning to bring them on Pulp Cthulhu's Two-Headed Serpent campaign - without telling them, of course, they're now playing CoC... I must tell their original pregens are the official Two-Headed Serpent's characters... and they are of course unaware of it... 😄

Hi! I'm currently first-reading The Coming Storm - already read volume 1, and I'm in volume 2 Great Winter episode. First of all, wonderful job of clear presentation, and a real pleasure of reading! I'm planning to run it at my gaming club as soon as the confinement is over (don't already know the date in France...). So next step: technically reread it and preparing the campaign. I intent to produce several organization charts of the NPCs, some thematics (Red Cow Ring, Red Cow and other clans/tribes...), and some for each adventure casting, with links ("arrows") between the NPCs and their feelings for each other in one word (hate, fear, despise, loyalty, dominate...). It will help me to avoid getting mixed up with the complexe relationships described in the books - since these are, in my opinion, one of the major issues of the campaign. Then I am a lazy GM ☺️ and I wonder... maybe some you guys already done the job and could share it? If not, I will share as soon as I'm producing these charts (don't be too hurry...). Beside these charts, did you produce specific useful gaiming aids for Coming Storm? Use specific tricks? Thanks for your answers!!!

I can't understand cheating in RPGs. As a player and as a GM. Where's the thrill? I just can't see the interest of the seek. Then , I agree with David Scott: trust them. You have enough to work without borrying about that. And if you're sure you have some cheaters, the main point is keeping good atmosphere within your group. I don't think prosecuting a player - or even revealing you know he's cheating - is the good option. Maybe: cheat yourself against the cheater. But you'll loose pleasure yourself; play with discord or roll20. But then all players should suspect something... do as if he didn't cheat. After all, I think it's the good option. And you still can counterbalance by rewarding roleplay instead of dice, at least for non-combat resolutions?

Name: Loïc Country: France Location: Mulhouse Running several BRP games at my local club, mainly a CoC keeper. Currently running Astounding Adventures through Discord/Roll20, and anxious to receive the Red Cow campaign to prepare it!!!!

I do indeed understand this page as you do. But with the restrictions of "each High Holy Day", "every seasonal holy day" and "each Windsday". And still the worshipper must be accepted, as such by the god, that is his faith must be true (through his roleplay...), and the worshipper's goal must be legitimate according to the god... I would be as inflexible as the god himself about these prerequisites... I'm interested in reading other replies!

Yeah, Indiana Jones certainly has some responsability in that matter. And a few others: Tarzan, The Phantom... But I'm glad my players are receptive to various subgenres. Just as much pleasure! And thanks for the Pulp Cthulhu advise, it's on my wishlist, and I'll check this as soon as possible!

I would adapt an existing fitting spell. But: all social scores should be lowered in one way or another (especially if he has tattoos on his face): APP, Credit, and so forth. If the tattoos can't be seen in everyday situation, then maybe let your player keep his scores intact; but apply relevant malus when the tattoos are visible. In anyway, I would apply some lost to APP, Charisma... even if they can't be seen, like if people felt something's wrong... And of course, SAN loss would be heavier than the original spell. You can also organise the tattoo scene: who is tattooing the character? who is performing the ritual? Of course, the tattooing is a component of the spell, so they have to be simultaneous. The character can't tattoo himself. Is he able to find someone who can perform the ritual and the tattooing? Or maybe the spell impose that the "tattoo recipient" is the one who must perform the ritual (incantations, singing...), and then a few checks would be required to do things well despite the tattooing pain. If you are vicious, maybe the spell has some body language components...? Main part, in my opinion, is finding the tattooer who would accept to tattoo during a ritual. EDIT: and when the magical protection is effective, what about the entities who are able to notice magical auras? Maybe there would be a target aura on the character. But as a GM, I wouldn't abuse of such situations, only if it would favor a particular scene.

Second Astounding Adventure online last night. This time, I ran everything, including the voices, through Roll20: few bugs at first... we are really beginning 1 hour late!!!! I also used the playlist this time, and my players said this added a new dimension (1931 Frankenstein soundtrack particularly!). I must confess I did hesitate to run this one. I mean I prefer Perils of Sumatra sub-genre of pulp: jungle adventure, lost temple, and so forth. Dynamo of Doom! is evil scientist theme. But I thought I had to run this one, if only to offer several subgenres to my players. So I was quite surprised when they said they prefered this one! And they would like to alternate subgenres... Good! A good way to avoid routine! So next step: until then, they were playing pregens. Now I just proposed them to keep their pregens or to create new characters, as they like. Either way, I will propose them some of the book's powers (I skipped them at first in order to focus the players on the discover of pulp genre). Not all of them, I think, just the Resources and some of the Gadgets (no rocket pack available here...). There will not be Super Powers available for players, because I would like to keep a realistic mood to this game (and there are some things I wish to save for my villains...). Maybe I will also propose a new Resource (activated through Action Points either to understand the purpose/operation of a weird device, or to design/build some weird device): Weird Science. Indeed, one of my players embodies an engineer/scientist and seemed to have a great time when he was trying to understand the working of the vilain's telecution helmet!!!! So again, great time with 6 players last night! My advice: even if you prefer one of the subgenres, do not hesitate to run either themes, at least one time, and collect your players' feedbacks. As a GM, your job is to provide a good time to the players. And when you're well-aware of their preferences, you can melt themes at will according to them!

I ran Masks of Nyarlathotep some years ago (5th edition). Few remarks, in no particular order: I resorted to Secrets of NY, The London Guidebook and especially Terror Australis (my Masks of Nyarlathotep version was one-book at this time...). They were very helpful to give specific atmospheres at each chapter, and to improvise according to my players' actions. In the end, it helped me to avoid giving my players' the feeling the be too much railroaded (that's the main problem, in my opinion, with several CoC campaigns). I also crossed the campaign narration with personal matters and secondary stories. Also to avoid too much railroading, I allowed many improvisations to give as much free will as I could to my players. I must say they were well-implicated in the campaign and never over-reacted. Implication: I introduced Jackson Elias before the campaign. He was a regular contact of the characters, and participated a few everyday situations from time to time. So when I really began the Masks, there was no implication problem. My players asked for revenge!!! NY: beware of the rescue stairs in the first scene! Be accomodating with check failures! Or it could make your players disgusted with CoC (especially if they are beginners). Peru: didn't have it at the time, so I can't judge it. But I think the campaign is enough dense without it, especially if you choose to manage place for improvisation as I did... Pulp or Classic? I ran it with the classic rules. I think it depends on the atmosphere you're willing to give to your campaign. If you want pure horror, then go classic! I had many casualties in all my CoC campaigns (Orient-Express, Realm of Shadows, Mountains of Madness, Masks of Nyarlathotep...), but this is what Call of Cthulhu is about! The players have (want!!!!) to feel shivers. What is better than a character's death? Or a crippled character? Or insane, or course?... This said, I think you musn't abuse and I always tried to keep them alive - prefered to cripple or alienate them... If you choose to play with the classic rules, you can anyway cheat rolling behind your screen (yes, I do, and always to save a character...)... When I tried to run the Masks a second time, I had a total party kill at the ceremony in Egypt. This time, several players made very bad choices, so I rolled my dice in front of them, which I am not used to. In any roleplay game, that's a good way to tell them "this time, it's between you and the dice"... Good shivers, too. Keeper's screen: I use several screens, for atmosphere. At the beginning, when everything seems "normal", I take the french 6th edition screen (investigators with a car looking at a lake). And when everythin goes wrong, I'm changing for Caza's screen. And then the Masks' french special screen of Sans-Détour when penetrating in Kenya, and so forth... It's also the occasion for me to dust all my screens in their bookcases!!! I think this new edition screen could be used as "general" screen after the first Mythos appearance in the campaign. My campaign lasted a long time - about two years gaming, I think (improvisations, you know...). But it was a wonderful gaming time. Today, of course, I would run some details differently, but for the main part, I would keep it exactly as it was. This wasn't the most difficult CoC campaign I personnaly had to run. The Mountains of Madness was much more a challenge for me, with the same gamemastering choices. Wonderful gaming time, also, but many shivers for the keeper as much as for the players...

If I don't hate King, he's not my favorite at all, and the longer are his stories, the more really boring they are, as I already said, with too much psychological circumlocutions and teen fantasies, at least in my opinion. Except maybe for IT, and then I haven't read it since my 14 years old... Absolutely agree with you and Bill. I enjoy several movies based on King's works, but this one is something beyond any genre matter. I mean, Dead Zone or De Palma's Carrie are excellent thrilllers, but Kubrick's movie is both a thriller or horror movie and something more, something deeper, both narratively and esthetically. Some directors can do that. Ian says that's also the case with The Maltese Falcon, and I also agree. There are few examples like these in any genre I think (for Kubrick, I would also mention 2001, although I do enjoy Clarke's The Sentinel). And I observe it happens when the movie firmly diverts from the original story (yes, even in The Maltese Falcon), i.e. when an artist decides to produce an original work/vision - whereever he finds his inspiration - and not just illustrate word for word a story... (no, I won't add to polemic with examples!!!).

I do agree with Soltakss and Travern: there are many good films adapted from Stephen King. And I also agree with Travern about Shining (my favorite): it has not much empathy, although it's my favorite, and in many ways it is more a Kubrick movie than a King story. But I must confess I like when a movie offers something else than a simple word for word adaptation. In that case, I prefer reread the book... 😉

Also agree. And by the way, what are your favorite Stephen King story and your favorite Stephen King adaptation ? I'm asking this, because for my part, it's not the same story, and I'm curious to see if some of you are in the same situation. Favourite story: I would say The Mist anthology, or Pet Sematary if I have to mention a novel. Favourite movie: Stanley Kubrick's Shining, although Stephen King doesn't like it, although it's quite different from the novel... Since, the atmosphere is catching and there is a real steady rise in horror. Promess, now if I bump into twin girls in a corridor, I'm running right away!!!!

Terrific!

I understand. I think these different points of view teach more about their areas than about King himself... 😁 I would just clarify that by "conservative", I meant just the contrary of "progressive" and in no way "reactionnary". Just to explain our french "gauge" here (and I will mention deliberately only authors I do like): HPL and Mickey Spillane = reactionnaries; King = conservative of the left wing (but I will trust you in that matter and admit we are wrong); London, Twain... = left wing progressives; Norman Spinrad = anarchist. And I precise this is not a militant point of view, but something quite shared by many French... Anyway, thanks for your clarifications!

I began with IT when I was 14 or 15, and I liked it. So I think you can begin with any of his books. This said, if you like short stories, I would advise The Mist. Or just take a look at back covers and follow your instinct! That's how I discovered King and many others. Even if I was many times disappointed... but anyway you can follow Daniel Pennac (a french author) rules for reading: 1. "You have the right to avoid reading a book" 2. "The right to skip pages" 3. "The right to give up a book" 4. "The right to reread" 5. "The right to read anything" (even if they are good or bas stories) 6. "The right to bovarysm" (e.g. pathological passion and identfication through books). 7. "The right to read anywhere" 8. "The right to cherry-pick" (starting a book by its middle pages!) 9. "The right to read aloud" 10. "The right to shut up" (keep quiet our feelings about a book)

Voted Stormbringer 1-3, essentially for sentimental reasons. I ran as much Elric! than SB, and own more Elric! in RPG bookcases...

I don't see much hostility towards religions here, just an interesting conversation, and that's much pleasant. Just a few more points, for the pleasure of conversation : I think about D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley - the author is a man and he has written one of the most important stories about women's sexual pleasure - the very first story that claims their right to have some, and from a woman point of view (third person). So yes, a man can write believable female dialogue and even feelings. Not any man, for sure, but some can. I do believe you can enjoy an author without being agree with his beliefs. For example, I'm rather found of both Louis-Ferdinand Céline who is politically indefensible but probably the greatest french writer of the 20th century (Bukowski agrees with that in Pulp) and Norman Spinrad - relentless anarchist ever... The first is humanely a swine, the second shows an empathy (in my own cosmogony the most important human vertue ever) so intense towards people that it is catching and almost makes me crying (oops! I think you know now for whom my human beliefs tend to...). And still Céline as Spinrad have modern and deep writings I would recommend to anyone (just advertising on Céline... and do not read Bagatelle pour un massacre - this is crap in every way). I am atheistic. I write short stories and some magazines and anthologies publish them. As far as I can remember, I never talked about it in my stories. But maybe some attentive readers can see it through my writing? I don't know. I have no intent about it, and I just don't care. I like to think I am tolerant (I married at church for respect of my wife's beliefs). I just write stories I intent to enjoy myself (when writing) and maybe a few others (when reading). And I hope they are not so bad... 🥴 Anout HPL and christianism, I read somewhere (can't remember where - an essay, maybe Houellebecq's) that in Dunwich horror, the final death of the son of Yog-Sothoth at the top of a hill, with his shout "F... FATHER..." looked quite a bit at the Golgotha's scene with Jesus wondering "Eli, Eli, sabaknati...". That's an interesting point, wether you agree with it or not. You can be atheistic and still catch some inspiration from your undeniable cultural - and religious - background, conscienciously or not. And I don't think HPL's intention is to jerk christianity here (I'm even not sure he's aware of this possible comparison), but just catching the intensity of a scene, maybe an image that stroke him in his youth and remained in his mind. As I said I am atheistic, but I won't deny the evocative strength of some Bible passages I read. In my opinion, the debate about can you write cosmic horror if you are theist or not is specious. Little tags, again, both on stories and individuals... 😉 Going back to Stephen King (after all, he's the subject of this topic). I don't have the cultural keys to understand King's beliefs as you can do. I'm french, and religious matters are quite different here. Few christian believers, especially in my birth area, which is one of the most atheistics - for several historical reasons. We are certainly wrong, but here we see King (and I'm talking about people who do enjoy King's stories) like a conservative man - not reactionary, of course. Do you see him that way? Differences of points of view from one place to another is much interesting... Sorry for this long long post... and for the many faults I certainly made... ☺️

Anyone can write anything he wants. Just need a pen and some paper (or a keyboard). And some talent, maybe? But talent doesn't have any religious belief (or unbelief). Then, once the words are written, anyone can put any little tag his wants on it: "cosmic horror", "bitlit crap", "lounge gore"... They're just little tags. Nothing more. Whatever you believe, write, that's all. And remember: if in confinement you're short of bog rolls, then - and only then - little tags are useful.

Great campaign it seems, I agree. And I think, as Soltakss and Qizilbashwoma: let them do these and take advantage of what they do : is the polar bear OK in the current climate? And what would happen if he crosses another polar bear? Maybe a female in heat? Or, if the PC's bear is a she, could she cross a male when she's in heat? what are the administration tasks of a school dean? what about the students' pranks he could be victim of? how does the character handle risks of heresy in his new cult? how does he justifies hanging around with the other PCs - such heretics! - in front of his own cult? what if the enchanted item would be the major relic of the new cult?... the elite military unit could be victim of a political coup, becoming a discplinary unit... or be banned... outlawed... And you can cross-over these: the enchanted item is for sure this relic of the cult. The PCs realize this at the new cult's temple opening ceremony, where they are of course all invited. That's the moment the worst students of the school decide to have fun with their dean (maybe a "very subtle" revenge against a too much severe dean...). The most fanatical new cultists immediately ask for blood, all non believers being of course suspects - and so guilty. At that very moment, the NEW elite unit begins to clean out the city in search of the so-called traitors of the FORMER elite unit, and they're breaking in the temple! And if your heroes manage to escape, they just discover all the horses slaughtered in the stable (and the stable almost destroyed) by the polar bear trying to escape in order to catch up with the female in heat he smelled. Yes, she's just in front of the temple (a ceremony is always a good occasion for street entertainers), performing her show and dreaming she crushes her tamer... Oh, I'd love to have such a group... 😈😇

As a CoC keeper, I do allow PCs to increase skills above 100%, through experience checks. I do this for similar reasons as explained by Andyl (anyway, PCs remain much weaker than Mythos creatures....). But in no way I would allow to split their actions. Skills > 100% just allow to make (eventually...) "brighter" actions... and then I use this to emphase more and more, by contrast, their helplessness facing Mythos entities... I know, that's sadism, and I do not abuse of that trick, but from time to time it's quite efficient! And 1% still remains a critical, and 100% a fumble, of course.

This was discuss (and is currently discussed) here : As I said, I recommand Discord (for the vocal) and Roll20 (for the sheets and applications). See my post (and the others' of course) about it. Good luck !

I'm not a fan of Stephen King, but I did read quite a bunch of his books when I was 14 or 15 (at this time, he was indeed unmissable...). I do admit he's got talent for atmosphere - at least when he focuses on atmosphere and succeeds to avoid his usual psychological pitfall... I mean, I prefer his short stories (like The Mist) and briefer novels (maybe except for IT - but maybe that's because I discovered King with IT). Tommyknockers, at least in my opinion, looses himself in too much psychological developments. I even prefer the 1st edition of The Stand (1 volume - "editor's cut") than the initial story republished in 3 books. But there are still many good stories, including in his novels - Pet Sematary, Blaze, Carrie, Charlie..., and I won't forget his essay Anatomy of Horror. I'm sure he is an author who can at least interest Lovecraft fans - a Stephen King wouldn't exist without a previous HPL (atmosphere, alien entities like IT...). Incidentally, that's what John Carpenter tells us in his excellent In the Mouth of Madness.

Indeed, if there's a hope to give a cure/therapy to "ordinary" fear, cosmic and/or alien horrors maybe shouldn't be allowed to be cured at all, or at least in very few proportion. Probably it depends on the setting? Thanks for the references, g33k, I'm goind to have a look at these! 👍

I do agree with this topic's idea. I think many of us do want to develop at least a few rules that could complete the SRD according to our own aspirations. Exchange ideas here could both emulate our reflexion and avoid to fall in prohibited contents by mistake (I don't know all BRP rules by heart although I'm running Chaosium games since about 25 years...). Concrete example: I already wonder how I could replace - without plagiarism, as said Crel - the Sanity mechanics (a prohibited content - what I do well understand since it is a deep trademark of CoC). A mechanism designed to manage fear effects and their consequences is still necessary for many genres (horror settings of course, but also many Sci-Fi or adventure settings). Maybe a POW vs POW check on the Resistance table? This could work when a PC is faced with a supernatural creature or even a terrifying animal (man-eater tiger for example). But then what about scary scenes (dismembered corpse...)? A table recording many and many situations with allocated POW scores seems too much complicated. A generic POW score for "normal" but macabre scenes, necessarily lower than the lowest POW score of supernatural creatures/monsters? And maybe the PCs POW scores should have a limit that could avoid them to make any check for "normal" sights (e.g. POW 15 or more means no check)? This is just a first draw, as it comes. And maybe it is still prohibited content... Let me know if that's the case!!! 😉 And since this is a first draw, I'm sure some of you have much better ideas on this matter...

Hi! Discovering your videos, and must say they're quite great!! Just one thing about this one: I would add a 6th thing, above all others, both for roleplayers and gamemasters: good humour, and (especially for GMs) the will to provide a good time for everybody at the table. It certainly looks like a cliché, but I saw two many people forget this principle, so I think it's always useful (unfortunately) to repeat it... I'm taking advantage to congratulate you for the good job! Keep going on!