Time Issues for A Time To Harvest

[trevlix]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread discussing how long it takes to run the first chapter of A Time to Harvest. This was stated in the thread by Mike Mason:

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Each group runs at different paces - if I was running Episode 1 it would take me 2 to 3 sessions of approx 3-4 hours each session. Others might take 4 to 6 sessions. If you play all day on a Saturday, then maybe one or two sessions. 

I am excited to run this, but there is an issue that I will have with this (and I suspect others may too). I run my organized play games at a local gaming pub once a month and have a 4 hour time slot (that can run over some, but not by much). Players sign up each month, so there is no guarantee the same players will be in each game.

Since the first episode could take 8-12 hours total (depending on group) that means it would take me 2-3 months to get through  episode one. If each episode is like that, all 6 will take 12-18 months to complete. For a group that meets more often than once a month, this won't be an issue; for those of us that run games like this, it is.

My goal now is to read through the episodes and trim out enough that it still makes sense, but can be run within my time slot. Hopefully, I can accomplish this.

This is not a criticism of the quality of the scenario - the material I've read so far is excellent. However, its not what I would consider ripe for organized play. If Chaosium is trying to complete with the D&D Adventurers league which does the same thing, it should be realized that most of the Adventurers league campaigns are also broken up into episodes, but most of those episodes can be played in at least a 4 hour timeframe. This is done so it can specifically be run during one of these shorter time slots. (Yes there is a difference between a D&D dungeon crawl and an investigation, but it is possible to run a good CoC investigation in 2-4 hours)

In any case, I am wondering if I am the only one with this issue. Is anyone else planning on running the game in a compressed timeframe like me and is having to chop material out? Or am I just in a unique situation that doesn't apply to anyone else?

 

Edited April 6, 2016 by trevlix

[Mike M]

Call of Cthulhu is quite a different game technically, in terms of scenario format, from other systems. It is not based on encounters which can be trimmed into episodic formats, instead, it follows an investigative path. 

I think you are doing the right thing for your circumstances, trimming the episodes to fit. 

I would approach it like I do convention games - driving the pace forward, trimming the fat, and aim to fit the entire thing into one session. Which I think can be done with the scenarios in A Time To Harvest. My initial timings were under the assumption that you had more than one session per month. 

[trevlix]

I agree - CoC is not D&D, Pathfinder, or any other system. I just ask that the time frame be kept in mind when designing future organized play campaigns. Its more than possible to design a great scenario that runs ~ 4 hours.

Regardless, its a great scenario and I look forward to running it!

I am curious if others are feeling the same way. If I am the only one with this issue, then any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[morganhua]

I personally like longer games.  At conventions, I like to run 4 - 8 hr games.  I understand your concerns, but for me a 4 hr scenario for a long campaign reduces the complexity of the scenario and reduces the enjoyment level.  A 4 hr scenario generally means a very simple story and resolution such as the scenario Dead Light.  I like the complexity of A Time to Harvest, so far.  There's enough stuff going on to keep the players guessing and even veteran players who know all the monsters backwards and forwards.

[Sean_RDP]

3 hours ago, trevlix said:

I agree - CoC is not D&D, Pathfinder, or any other system. I just ask that the time frame be kept in mind when designing future organized play campaigns. Its more than possible to design a great scenario that runs ~ 4 hours.

Regardless, its a great scenario and I look forward to running it!

I am curious if others are feeling the same way. If I am the only one with this issue, then any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Well I do not think you are wrong, especially with new players,  getting it down to 4 hours at a convention might be difficult. It takes time for a game system and an organized play admin to figure those sweet spots out, even with previous experience. The first modules in a series are very short OR very long anyway... so lots of things going on here that do not have me worried about the length at all. 

All that said, yes I could run this in four hours precisely because I think you can have all the horror without the requisite need to have an actual combat. Things are going to happen and the players will determine if they are at the right place and time for to see if it does.  They will roll dice, pee their pants, make good or bad decisions and have a blast maybe without firing a shot.

I will also note that there has been a... relatively recent change from focusing on 4 hour sessions to multiple 2 hour sessions or even an adventure that can be played in 2 hours. I do not know if you can have a CoC adventure play in just 2 hours (though I am going to try and write one to see). It is a totally different animal than the other games mentioned. For game store or home play however, multiple 2 hour sessions would be perfect and I think A Time To Harvest is perfect for that. At one mod per month, you can do 3 or 4 weeks of 2 hour play and be ready for when the next module comes out.

[Sean_RDP]

6 hours ago, trevlix said:

I run my organized play games at a local gaming pub once a month and have a 4 hour time slot (that can run over some, but not by much)

I should have read this bit too. I think you can run it in four, as I said just narrow the focus of the game and have fewer red herrings.  In fact pushing the "time" aspect may ratchet up the suspense as well. In your case, maybe block out 5 hours for a module, knowing you are going over by 1 hour into the next month. Planning on that gives you some cliffhanger space and still allow some good role playing and action.

Intro and Day 1 - 1 hour

Day 2, 3, 4 - 1 Hour each

Day 5 and wrap up - 1 hour

Just a thought.

[morganhua]

Just finished my first session.  I ran the game online for 4-1/4 hour session for 6 players, we only got through the 1st day.

1/2 hour was spent on technical issues.  There's always technical issues with new players and audio and game board problems.

1-1/2 hour going over CoC 7th rules and character generation, including connections to the other NPCs.  We did not do any short spotlights on early life at Miskatonic U. 

2 hours roleplaying in the car and truck as they got to know the other NPCs and explored Cobb's Corners's NPCs.  The only NPCs they didn't meet were the Karner's, the town drunk, and the hired truck driver.  Session ended with them heading back to the Farmhouse from Cobb's Corners for the evening.  They discovered Jason Haggerty's drawing (and actually purchased it from him) and took Handouts 3 from the school house.  So, they're now very paranoid about the school children and killer trees. And Amanda Wells was asked to find Folklore books in the library and we know how well that's going to turn out.  :-)

 

Edited April 8, 2016 by morganhua

[DeeWhite]

What is the problem with the game taking longer than one session each month? I understand it would make the final sessions occur nearly a year later unless you are making major revisions. As a player I'd rather have a slower paced CoC adventure that I look forward to each month and get the full "bang for my buck" even if we finished later than planned. Of course you would know your players the best and if you think they would change each month then revising it to a more convention-type feel may be right for you. Maybe deciding your own focus for the game - play test and give feedback or play through.

[joggiwagga]

I'll keep this in mind when I run mine at the end of the month.  I was planning on a single 4+ hr session per 'chapter' based on initial information, good to know that it may roll over into additional sessions.  I'll have to touch base with the game store that I'm running at for forward planning (and likely trim down on the red herrings if needed, unless I get a group like my new-to-gaming D&D group that never looks for trouble ever...)

[morganhua]

Did 2nd session and actually finished it in 4 1/2 hours.  Wound up capturing 3 PCs.  2 from Geology dig, and 1 from the farmhouse for 50% party capture.  The rest of the students got away.  So, I was able to finish the game in a total of 9 hours.  They didn't do the Gate subplot or the Missing Girl subplot.  They just never went down those avenues.

[Ebon]

I ran the whole thing in one session, but it took me about the same amount of time all in all as Morganhua  (10 hours for me in total).

However, I also think I could have cut the game to a much shorter length had I removed some of the roleplaying, and focussed more on the major events (the accident, the abduction, the forest) than the explorative nature of Cobb's Corners. I don't think it would be difficult to cut it to 4 hours, as long as you are using pregenerated characters and the players are somewhat familiar with the system/RPGs in general.

[trevlix]

So I was able to run all of session 1 in 4.5 hours. I only had 3 players, which I think helped. I removed a lot of the dream gate subplot and shortened it to 2 days total (mostly bc the players were moving along at a brisk pace). In the end, they still had the majority of the clues they needed and got them through roleplaying and not me just handing the clues to them.

I do want to say that the reason I was hoping for shorter episodes is that in playing at the gaming pub I play at, there is no guarantee I'll get the same players each month. Being able to finish in one session means that its easy for new players to just jump right in. In this particular episode, I didn't feel there were any real good stopping mid-points where I and the players would feel satisfied in stopping and ready to pick up at the next game.

Overall, I enjoyed the scenario and am honestly looking forward to running it at its normal pace. I'm thinking of doing so via an online game.

A couple criticisms of the scenario. First, there is a lot for one Keeper to handle. There are a lot of NPCs to keep straight - and this will only continue to grow. I hope this is addressed in later episodes, because keeping track of 8 NPC students and the multitude of townfolk was not easy. I made due and focused more on the townsfolk and fortunately the PCs went along with this. They were happy to distance themselves from the rest of the group and go off collecting stories on their own so it all worked out.

Another thing...the Gismend River is mentioned multiple times - in a clue, in The Accident, etc. However, its not on any maps that I could find. I initially thought that it was the Deerfield River from the town map, but realized in game it was not. I still made it work, but with something so prominent in the game, I would have liked to see a better map of the area with it on it.

Outside of that, the game ended well. My PCs have no clue what is going on, lost some SAN, and are disturbed by the town. A successful game in my book.

[trevlix]

Ah yeah - one last thing. The town hall is marked on the map (as location #1), but its not described. Is that an oversight or on purpose?

[Mike M]

The town hall isn't described in the text as it doesn't really feature in the scenario - there's nothing of note here for the players. It exists, like the unnamed and undescribed stores and homes. If the Keeper wants to make use of it, they can - but it's outside the scope of the scenario (i.e. there's no need to describe the 'entire' town in detail - we all know what a town hall is etc.)

[trevlix]

I agree, but when players see that marked on a map, they assume there is something significance there.