Newbie here - advice needed for solo play to start with

[JrKingofBeer]

Hello,

I am new to this forum, 48yo/M. I used to play RPGs when I was at high school (something at that time called Black Eye) but haven't since then so we can assume I am a newbie.

I have ordered the Call of Cthulhu Classic 2" Deluxe Boxed Set a few days ago. The reason why I ordered this particular set is more as a collector item, looks like a nice package.

Ideally, I would want to practice a bit by playing solo adventures for a while. Then, I think I would be able to convince my wife to play too. But in the meantime, it will be just me.

So, I had a look at what Chaosium has to offer for adventures <here>, but it is a little bit overwhelming. I see that one adventure called "Alone Against the Static" is clearly listed as a solo adventure, so I presume this would work for my purpose ? But what else, is there some kind of book that would collect a bunch of solo adventures ?

What do you recommend ?

Thank you,

- Jean

[Scotty]

Hi and welcome.

I highly recommend our Starter Set that contains the solo adventure Alone against the Flames,

Our Solo Adventures are:

• Alone against the Flames (Starter Set or Free PDF)
• Alone Against the Tide
• Alone Against the Frost
• Alone Against the Dark
• Alone Against the Static

For you and your wife (for 2 people, a keeper and player):

• Does Love Forgive - Two One-to-One Scenarios for Call of Cthulhu

Hope that helps

[DreadDomain]

Of the lot above, i would recommend avoiding Alone against the Dark as your first solo adventure as it is a bit more involved then the others. I haven't played Alone Against the Static Yet but the rest are quite fun... if you do not mind dying too much...

Edited January 11 by DreadDomain

[JrKingofBeer]

Guys thanks a lot for the responses, very helpful. I've ordered the starter set and the recommended adventures. This should keep me busy for a while 😀.

I have 2 additional questions:

1) Are there YouTube channels that are recommended with CoC podcasts that I could watch while... lol... exercising at the gym ? (doesn't have to be solo games).

Here's an example of what I mean: <here>. Any obvious YouTuber that everybody knows about that I should checkout ?

2) the Call of Cthulhu Classic 2" Deluxe Boxed Set. As I explained, I ordered this item as a collector item and initially, I actually wasn't planning to play CoC at all. Just read the material included in the boxed set. But then I changed my mind and decided to give a go at playing as well. So, I have now ordered the Starter Set and these adventures. But, will I be able to use any of the content of the Call of Cthulhu Classic 2" Deluxe Boxed Set at all when playing the adventures I have now ordered ? Or is this too disconnected ? (if you think I am not very well organised, this is correct !)

Edited January 11 by JrKingofBeer

[DreadDomain]

2 hours ago, JrKingofBeer said:

1) Are there YouTube channels that are recommended with CoC podcasts that I could watch while... lol... exercising at the gym ? (doesn't have to be solo games).

Here's an example of what I mean: <here>. Any obvious YouTuber that everybody knows about that I should checkout ?

I like the actual plays found on the Chaosium channel.

Also Seth Skorkowsky has good CoC content and reviews.

[TwiceBorn]

You probably WILL NOT want to watch this, since you intend to play it... 😁

 

[JrKingofBeer]

Yes I noticed the thread advertising Bridgett's video and will stay well clear for now !

@DreadDomain thanks for the tip I didn't realise Chaosium had a youtube channel, will start with this one. Seth Skorkswsky I have bookedmarked. Cheers.

I have another question. So I have ordered the 5 solo adventures advertised by @Scotty above. I will play Alone Against the Flames first, since it's in the starter kit.

How about the other 4, is there a specific order to play them in ? Alternatively, can I find somewhere their level of difficulty ?

I'm asking because what I had in mind was to play Alone Against the Static as early as possible, so that immediately after, I can watch Bridgett's video and see how she did it. To give me some ideas for subsequent adventures. If this makes sense ?...

[EldorfDragonsbane]

Personall I recommend in order of play:

 

1) Alone Against the Flame - Perfect into scenario to get one familiar with the rules, including very basic character creation

2) Alone Against the Tide - Still a basic scenario, this one you can use your Alone Against the Flame character (or one you create) or the pregen

3) Alone Against the Static - Slightly more advanced scenario since it adds a brand new element

4) Alone Against the Frost - Advances scenario, has you playing your character and a small party or additional characters.

5) Alone Against the Dark - Advanced Scenario, this one to me is the most advanced scenario, while you play as one character at a time, you do have to keep track of passage of time, including when you eat and sleep (if you fail to eat or sleep you have penalties). You also at times need to make lists of actions such as towards the beginning of the scenario when crossing the Atlantic, before you start your ship board activities you make a list for each day aboard what you will do in the AM, PM and evening. Take the first Monday if you had written down you are doing X for the AM or PM go to entry Y, if you chose something else you go back to the previous entry to go to the next day.

 

Of the scenarios I have lost the most characters playing Alone Against the Dark. It is a brutally fun scenario. I do recommend printing at least the Pyramid Puzzle out on cardstock to give them a little strength.

[JrKingofBeer]

@EldorfDragonsbane Thanks a lot for the recommendation, very clear 🙏!

[klecser]

Excellent advice above, as always. If you'd like to see what is inside various books, check out my Channel. Here is a direct link to my short BEGINNING of Static, in case you want to get just a short taste:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItV6CGZ8EMo

[JrKingofBeer]

@klecser Thanks for the link to your video. Does it include spoilers ? I have found a few other videos reviewing these solo adventures but I'm a bit hesitant to watch them before I have played them at least once (I just bookmarked them). But perhaps it shouldn't be a concern. I don't know.

I have received my copy of Alone against the Static, it's a beautiful hardcover book !

[Darius West]

As a hint for a new GM, you can run ANY C'thulhu scenario as a solo adventure if you want.  There are a few things you will need to do and remember.

1.  Remember that the Player is the main character, and insure that you don't compromise their agency i.e. their ability to act. 

2.  Be prepared for any player to go off-script.  Familiarize yourself with the era and the setting.  Don't be afraid to improvise.  In one game I ran, my players kept going to the hardware store, and eventually became friends with the owner, Howard J. Kleinberg, who was a wealth of info about how to make and mend things, and even had every back edition of Popular Mechanics.  Howard eventually became a valuable ally against the Mythos, but never quite went Evil Dead Ash.

3.  Lone characters are not the problem.  You can add support NPCs to the story with skills the player character lacks.  I generally have a stable of them for players to meet, recruit, and even adopt as their own new characters if necessary.  Need extra muscle?  Perhaps one of their highschool friends is now a burly longshoreman in need of extra money, and who always has the player character's back?  Lacking library use?  Perhaps they need to swallow their pride and chat with their old flame Phylis Watts who runs the legal library at the local courthouse, but knows all the libraries in the area and can arrange inter-library loans if she feels so inclined.

3(a).  Having friendly NPCs is beneficial for a CoC game.  It stops murder hoboism, as players stand to lose their valuable contacts if they behave too badly.  It also reminds the characters who they are actually fighting the mythos for.  They have people they care about.  If and when the mythos ever threatens those people, there is ample room for outrage and horror, especially the horror of self-recrimination.

4.  Remember that Lone Protagonists were the norm in Lovecraft stories.  Being a solo player isn't a bad thing.  It is often surprising how much a lone character can achieve.

5.  Every Keeper needs to seriously address how lethal they want their game to be.  I would argue that less lethality can help the continuity of a game.  Sometimes the foreshadowing of the monster is more horrific than the monster itself.

6.  Sit down with the player beforehand and discuss your expectations, and listen to and accommodate theirs.  I call this "the briefing".  You will need to address the lethality issue, and discuss that their character may need to recruit NPCs, as well as any other things you think are relevant.  If they are wimps, you may need to discuss what sort of horror themes they can't cope with.  

6(a) not a hint, but an anecdote related to point 6.  I had a friend and player who was a hardcore horror fan.  No amount of body horror or vile themes was too much.  He was all "Bring it on, I'll pour the sauce !".  Then one day his character was in a sewer in a pair of big rubber fisherman's waders, and he fumbled a climb roll and fell in, rising with "someone else's 'log' in the front of his waders."  I had no idea he was a fecaphobe( he never mentioned it during "the briefing") and he literally threw up in his mouth and fled to the toilet.  Afterwards I immediately addressed the issue and toned down the poop for him, after he made a SAN check IRL.  He was good humored about it, but still cringes at the word "immersive", after some of the jokes other mean players made. 🤣

[Runeblogger]

Here’s my review of Alone Against the Static. 😌

https://elruneblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/alone-against-static-for-call-of.html?m=1

[JrKingofBeer]

Guys thanks a lot for the responses this is very helpful !

[klecser]

On 1/28/2024 at 8:19 PM, JrKingofBeer said:

@klecser Thanks for the link to your video. Does it include spoilers ? I have found a few other videos reviewing these solo adventures but I'm a bit hesitant to watch them before I have played them at least once (I just bookmarked them). But perhaps it shouldn't be a concern. I don't know.

I have received my copy of Alone against the Static, it's a beautiful hardcover book !

Depends on your spoiler threshold, I suppose. Does it reveal anything major? Not in my opinion.