Keeper + a player: which scenario to play?

[Poe]

Dear all,

I've already bought the rulebook. Since we're only two players, I would like to ask if there are scenarios for a keeper and one investigator or alternatively if you could provide some tips to adapt the multiplayer scenarios for our case.

Thanks 

E.A. Poe

[Atgxtg]

You might want to try to adapt some of the solo adventures (they usually have Alone in the title). They were are written for a single investigator, so all you really need to do is read through them and try to adapt the "pick a path" style of play into an adventure you can run, which usually isn't all that difficult.Alone Against the Flames is available as a free download, too, and might be a good one to start with. 

As far as a general guideline goes, CoC is actually well suited to a single PC, and many things are best solved through investigation rather than confrontation. Just keep in mind that with only one player, all failures and fumbles are magnified in their effects, and combat of any sort becomes more deadly, as there isn't anybody that can step in and make the roll if the player fails, or help if the player gets hurt. So I'd suggest that you be far more careful with the number of fights and how you frame them. Avoid (competent) ambushes against the PC at all costs. You might even want to create some sort of NPC assistant for the player just so you have someone who could find the unconscious PC and bring him to a hospital or some such. 

[klecser]

Starter Set adventures. Paper Chase in particular. Edge of Darkness and Dead Man's Stomp with some revisions.

I'd also recommend the forthcoming Gateways to Terror, which is available in PDF right now. Any of those scenarios could potentially be adapted to one player.

Deadlight could be adapted to one player.

Finally, the free scenario The Lightless Beacon could easily be adapted to one player.

[Poe]

Thank you for the information, I will try with one/ two of these.

I was fascinated by Berlin book adventure, is it good for one investigator?

Edited November 11, 2019 by Poe

[Joe Kenobi]

I'll caveat by saying I haven't yet run any of these for a solo investigator myself, but here are a few ideas:

1) Paper Chase -- As klecser mentioned, this one's in the Starter Set and explicitly designed for 1 keeper + 1 investigator.

2) Spark of Life -- Published in the Miskatonic Repository as an "isolated investigator adventure," meaning 1 keeper + 1 investigator. (Here's hoping that term catches on to make these scenarios easier to locate!)

3) Monophobia -- You'll have to adapt it from 6th edition, but it's free to download and contains three solo investigator scenarios (Vengeance from Beyond, Of Grave Concern, and Robinson Gruesome)

4) Mr. Corbitt -- Published in Mansions of Madness (and so you'll need to update to 7th edition), this one is written for "one or more investigators" and I've heard runs well with just one.

5) Macabre Tales scenarios -- Macabre Tales is a Lovecraftian RPG designed for one-on-one roleplaying. You could look at adapting its scenarios to Call of Cthulhu.

[commandercrud]

Most any of them.

[seneschal]

"Murder in the Footlights" is free and simple.  I'd downplay henchman Otto if possible.  He might be too much for a lone adventurer to tackle.

https://www.chaosium.com/content/FreePDFs/CoC/Adventures/Murder in the Footlights - A Free Adventure by Chaosium.pdf

 

 

Edited November 12, 2019 by seneschal

[Stormkhan Cogg of Pavis]

On 11/11/2019 at 7:40 PM, Joe Kenobi said:

I'll caveat by saying I haven't yet run any of these for a solo investigator myself, but here are a few ideas:

1) Paper Chase -- As klecser mentioned, this one's in the Starter Set and explicitly designed for 1 keeper + 1 investigator.

2) Spark of Life -- Published in the Miskatonic Repository as an "isolated investigator adventure," meaning 1 keeper + 1 investigator. (Here's hoping that term catches on to make these scenarios easier to locate!)

3) Monophobia -- You'll have to adapt it from 6th edition, but it's free to download and contains three solo investigator scenarios (Vengeance from Beyond, Of Grave Concern, and Robinson Gruesome)

4) Mr. Corbitt -- Published in Mansions of Madness (and so you'll need to update to 7th edition), this one is written for "one or more investigators" and I've heard runs well with just one.

5) Macabre Tales scenarios -- Macabre Tales is a Lovecraftian RPG designed for one-on-one roleplaying. You could look at adapting its scenarios to Call of Cthulhu.

I've actually begun working on something all about this. I agree the "isolated investigator" label is excellent!

New scenarios for a lone investigator, at differing levels of hazard. Nowt published yet but - heck - it takes time to write this stuff!

[alter]

There were scenarios for one player from John Hook as strech goal for last Age of Cthulhu kickstarter. And I think John wrote something for Repository? 

[Joe Kenobi]

3 hours ago, alter said:

And I think John wrote something for Repository? 

Yup, that's Spark of Life, linked above.

[alter]

Didn't know the title if this scenario. Thank You @Joe Kenobi

[Poe]

 

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.

Edited December 25, 2019 by Poe

[Joe Kenobi]

Bumping this thread to add a new option I see in the Miskatonic Repository: Red Skies.

[klecser]

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."