Paul Fricker Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 This is the first of two episodes looking at ghosts and how they tie into Call of Cthulhu. Our original plan was to do it all in a single episode, but we talked too much. Listen here. As a result, this first part is largely us exploring what we think ghosts might be, as well as discussing what we do and don’t like in a ghost story. If you think the answer is “ghosts”, you might be surprised. Next episode, we shall dig more into how we’d use ghosts in our games, and whether ghosts even belong in Call of Cthulhu. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Fricker Posted March 3, 2020 Author Share Posted March 3, 2020 And here is part 2! Listen here This is the second of two episodes looking at ghosts and how they tie into Call of Cthulhu. The first focused on ghost stories and folklore. This time, we discuss how (and if) ghosts might fit into Call of Cthulhu and the wider Cthulhu Mythos. While Lovecraft wrote a handful of tales which might be considered ghost stories, these were usually unrelated to his Mythos fiction. We debate whether it is reasonable to draw all of Lovecraft’s work into our own interpretations of the Mythos, regardless of Lovecraft’s intent. Building on that, we discuss which canon elements of the Mythos might serve as substitutes for ghosts in a more purist game. Mostly, however, we just argue about stuff. You know the drill. Links Things we mention in this episode include: “The Horror at Red Hook” by H P Lovecraft “The Music of Erich Zann” by H P Lovecraft “He” by H P Lovecraft “Hypnos” by H P Lovecraft “The Street” by H P Lovecraft “In the Vault” by H P Lovecraft “The Evil Clergyman” by H P Lovecraft The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H P Lovecraft “The Outsider” by H P Lovecraft The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H P Lovecraft “The Dreams in the Witch House” by H P Lovecraft “The Haunting” “From Beyond” by H P Lovecraft The lloigor Yithians Sapphire and Steel The Stone Tape Supernatural Ghostbusters The English Ghost by Peter Ackroyd “The Ash-Tree” by M R James The Felix Castor series by Mike Carey Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch “The Terrible Old Man” by H P Lovecraft Pepper’s Ghost Tupac hologram Walker in the Wastes The Walking Dead “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James Don’t Rest Your Head “Dockside Dogs” Pulse (2001) The Haunting of Hill House (2018) Haunted by James Herbert The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens The Muppet Christmas Carol Henri Loevenbruck Concrete Cow 20 Concrete Cow 20 will take place on Saturday the 14th of March. This is Milton Keynes’ own one-day RPG convention, held in the Old Bath House in Wolverton. Tickets are £5 on the door. We will be there and we would love to see you! Scott on the RPG Heroes Podcast Scott recently appeared as a guest on the relatively new podcast, RPG Heroes. As the name implies, the main subject is who the guest’s heroes are in the world of RPGs. Klaas also talked to Scott about building atmosphere in horror games and whether Call of Cthulhu scenarios need to be investigations. Paul on The Grognard Files Podcast Paul has also been guesting on other podcasts. The recent interview he recorded with Dirk the Dice at Grogmeet 2019 for The Grognard Files is now available for your ears to enjoy. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 What about The Festival? Longest Necronomicon quote ever 🙂 The nethermost caverns,” wrote the mad Arab, “are not for the fathoming of eyes that see; for their marvels are strange and terrific. Cursed the ground where dead thoughts live new and oddly bodied, and evil the mind that is held by no head. Wisely did Ibn Schacabao say, that happy is the tomb where no wizard hath lain, and happy the town at night whose wizards are all ashes. For it is of old rumour that the soul of the devil-bought hastes not from his charnel clay, but fats and instructs the very worm that gnaws; till out of corruption horrid life springs, and the dull scavengers of earth wax crafty to vex it and swell monstrous to plague it. Great holes secretly are digged where earth’s pores ought to suffice, and things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Fricker Posted March 10, 2020 Author Share Posted March 10, 2020 Ah very good Eric, yes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Fricker Posted March 10, 2020 Author Share Posted March 10, 2020 And also, Scott has recorded two bonus episodes: Following our recent discussion of ghosts in Call of Cthulhu, we thought it might be useful to get an expert opinion. Luckily, our good friend Christian Jensen Romer (CJ to his friends) is a qualified parapsychologist. He is also a member of the Society for Psychical Research and a familiar face to viewers of TV shows like Most Haunted. Listen here As if that weren’t enough, CJ has also written for Call of Cthulhu and other RPGs. In particular, listeners may know him as the author of The Parapsychologist’s Handbook. This was one of the first monographs that Chaosium published, back in 2008. Basically, he’s much better qualified to talk about this stuff than any of us. Scott spent some time talking to CJ about his experiences and how parapsychology treats the subject of ghosts. In fact, we spent so long talking that we are going to have to split the discussion in two. This first part largely covers CJ’s personal experiences with ghosts. Part 2, scheduled for release on the 24th of March 2020, focuses more on general parapsychology. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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