similarly
February 28th, 2022, 12:51
I'm new to Call of Cthulhu. Just started my first adventure (The Haunting). I would welcome any tips that experienced Keepers could give on running a CoC game.
I played a LOT of different roleplaying systems in the 1980s and 1990s, but mostly D&D and Cyberpunk. CoC seems like a VERY different experience to me, and it's like wearing a new pair of shoes. It's cool and all, but feels a bit awkward.
Some things I've kind of figured out on my own:
1. Atmosphere is EVERYTHING in this game. As keeper, it's on me to scare my players.
2. Theater of the mind seems to work best. I made a map, but basically, I've found that fear requires imagination, and that seeing the map just isn't scary. I understand now why the maps in The Haunting are just simple black and white hand-drawn style. Even there, I feel a strong compulsion to try to describe rather than show.
3. Pacing is important. Like a horror movie, build up to the fear slowly.
4. Unlike most games that are very heavy on combat and adventure, CoC seems very heavy on the roleplay. In our first session, we only rolled the dice a few times.
But, again, it feels weird to me. I'm so used to D&D where, if it feels slow, attack! And this isn't really that kind of game. OH, I'm PLANNING to attack, but it's sitting in the dark waiting for them, and before I go all out and attack them, I want to play with them first. But it feels weird not to have a combat-focused game!
So, experienced keepers, what advice do you have for clueless newbies? What can I do to have a fun and successful game for my players?
I played a LOT of different roleplaying systems in the 1980s and 1990s, but mostly D&D and Cyberpunk. CoC seems like a VERY different experience to me, and it's like wearing a new pair of shoes. It's cool and all, but feels a bit awkward.
Some things I've kind of figured out on my own:
1. Atmosphere is EVERYTHING in this game. As keeper, it's on me to scare my players.
2. Theater of the mind seems to work best. I made a map, but basically, I've found that fear requires imagination, and that seeing the map just isn't scary. I understand now why the maps in The Haunting are just simple black and white hand-drawn style. Even there, I feel a strong compulsion to try to describe rather than show.
3. Pacing is important. Like a horror movie, build up to the fear slowly.
4. Unlike most games that are very heavy on combat and adventure, CoC seems very heavy on the roleplay. In our first session, we only rolled the dice a few times.
But, again, it feels weird to me. I'm so used to D&D where, if it feels slow, attack! And this isn't really that kind of game. OH, I'm PLANNING to attack, but it's sitting in the dark waiting for them, and before I go all out and attack them, I want to play with them first. But it feels weird not to have a combat-focused game!
So, experienced keepers, what advice do you have for clueless newbies? What can I do to have a fun and successful game for my players?