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Scott Dorward

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    Weird Science in Call of Cthulhu (Good Friends of Jackson Elias 213)

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    Episode 213: Weird Science in Call of Cthulhu

    https://blasphemoustomes.com/2021/07/19/weird-science-in-call-of-cthulhu/

    We’re back and we’re playing God. It’s a demanding role but we have hubris to spare! In fact, no one has ever had as much hubris as we do. We shall use our hubris to remake the world in our image! Our hubris will shake the very pillars of the universe! Those fools at the institute told us that hubris would be our undoing, but what do such petty-minded idiots know? We’ll show them! We’ll show them all! 

    Main Topic: Weird Science in Call of Cthulhu

    This episode is our exploration of the role played by weird science in Call of Cthulhu. From Crawford Tillinghast and his resonator to Herbert West and his ill-fated experiments in reanimation, Lovecraftian horror is built upon the archetype of the mad scientist. Pulp Cthulhu has expanded this reach, drawing in elements of the weird science hero from the pulp magazines. But how does all this work at the gaming table? What can we steal from other media? And will anyone notice if we transplant our laboratory assistant’s brain into this handy gorilla? Listen to find out the answers to at least two of those questions.

    Links

    Things we mention in this episode include:

     
     
     
     

    News

    A Weekend With Good Friends returns

    At the time of posting, we are a month away from the next Weekend With Good Friends, starting on the 20th of August 2021. This is the online gaming convention organised by our wonderful listeners and hosted on our Discord Server. If you would like to offer a game, GM sign-ups begin on the 31st of July. Player sign-ups begin a week later. Full details can be found on our website.

    Chase rules videos on Arkham Studios

    Paul and Mike Mason chased Nathan from Arkham Audio all around the place and recorded it for posterity. The resulting videos now provide examples of play for the Call of Cthulhu chase rules.

    • Like 3

    Do Deep Ones at a Fancy Dress Party Cause Sanity Loss?

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    I debated something like this with Matt and Paul recently on an episode of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, although relating to shoggoths. It makes sense to me that the circumstances under which you encounter a Mythos entity would impact how shocking you find it. Seeing a Deep One swimming around in an aquarium, for example, might be unsettling, but I can't imagine it being sanity-blasting. Being pursued through unlit sea caves by a mob of Deep Ones, catching hideous glimpses by torchlight as they close in would be terrifying. Encountering a hybrid that shares a family resemblance to you would be even worse.

    The fancy dress party sounds like an even more special case, as it would be easy to rationalise the Deep One's appearance as normal in that context. Maybe the SAN loss could come later when you realise they wear no mask.

    *** SPOILERS, KEEPERS ONLY!! - Need some basic guidance for running Two-Headed Serpent

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    You're right in that the New York chapter is meant to be a metaplot that twists between the chapters. You should definitely play it out as much as you can, letting your players have lots of opportunities to interact with people at the Caduceus offices.

    There should be plenty of events to make the heroes suspicious about Caduceus. The campaign starts out with the heroes discovering that they've been lied to about the organisation's true motivations. From there, they are sent out to use what is effectively a nuke on a civilian population in North Borneo and to neutralise a largely peaceful cult in Oklahoma for what appear to be ideological reasons. The main hook, however, is the Mafia subplot, where the heroes are pushed into investigating their employers by outside forces. The implication that Caduceus may be involved in smuggling heroin should stir up some interest.

    With respect to point 3, there are some guidelines in the text about when the memos about Mu should come into play. If the heroes are poking around the offices early in the game, these memos simply won't exist yet. You are in complete control over when these clues turn up. Don't feel pressured to reveal them early if you don't want to.

    The heroes have a chance to encounter Rose Meadham in the Iceland chapter, although not in person. She is speaking to the other serpent people in the control room, using a remote video connection. There are some guidelines there for how she might interact with the heroes.

    Hope this helps!

    • Like 4

    Blackwater Creek Question

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    The default in the scenario is that the investigators retain any taint they acquired, even if they destroy the Earth's Womb. That said, I've heard of Keepers reducing or undoing the effects, which seems entirely reasonable to me. It all depends on how horrible you want to be to the investigators.

    • Like 5

    Pulp Cthulhu corrections thread

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    3 hours ago, morganhua said:

    Not sure if it is deliberate or a typo, but starting luck is different in Pulp Cthulhu than from CoC 7th.

    In Pulp Cthulhu, page 23, col 1, Luck: roll 2D6+6 and multiply by 5.

    In CoC 7th, page 32, col 1, When creating an investigator roll 3D6 and multiply by 5
    for a Luck score.

    From my memories of the playtest version, this is deliberate. Pulp heroes start with more Luck than investigators and gain more during the development phase.

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