BronJovi

Hello #CallOfCthulhu #GameKeepers  

I am in the initial stages of planning my first ever session running a #ttrpg and am excited but pretty nervous. I have really enjoyed playing Call of Cthulhu and love the game and the universe (minus the racism) generally.

I've settled on #TheLightlessBeacon as the scenario I will run and have watched a few reviews on YouTube. But I would LOVE to hear how others have run it especially if it was your first time. I would love to hear from players too, things that worked and your experience of it as whichever character you played.

So please, if you're up for it, let me know how it went for you? And please boost if you wouldn't mind so I can meet and learn from other Game Keepers and players in the #fediverse
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Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

Nov 8, 2022 at 10:06amWeb
Show threadwinterminNov 8, 2022
@BronJovi I haven’t played that module, but congrats on becoming a GM! It’s fun! Don’t be nervous, exude calm, and if necessary, menace. Tell us all how it goes!
Show threadBronJoviNov 8, 2022
@wintermin thank you, and I will! It's a few weeks off yet (need to get the Victorian state election out of the way first).
Show threadStryder NotaviNov 8, 2022

@BronJovi I don't have any experience with that adventure, but I can think of a few things our keeper did right in a particularly memorable game.

The first was to use descriptions of the sounds we heard without giving away the source - there was at least one scary sound that turned out to just be something flapping g loose in the wind (but it certainly built the tension for us, because we didn't know what it was).

Secondly, especially if it's a one-shot, the game can be just as memorable if it all goes horribly wrong for the players. That game ended with one of us dead (noble sacrifice to take the monster down) and everyone else aboard a boat, engine destroyed and floating somewhere in the Arctic circle with no radio.

It was a very memorable session.

Show threadBronJoviNov 8, 2022
@StryderNotavi did someone catastrophically fail a roll for sailing skills? Sounds super memorable 😂
Show threadStryder NotaviNov 8, 2022
@BronJovi The noble sacrifice may have involved a gas canister exploding and taking the boats engine out with it.
Show threadBronJoviNov 8, 2022
@StryderNotavi hahahaha amazing 
Show threaddevNov 9, 2022
@BronJovi This was the first scenario I ran, probably best first one imo, due to relative linear nature. One thing I learned during was it can quickly become overwhelming tracking turns along with everything else when it hits the fan for them, so next time I wrote everyone’s characters on an index card with any stats I thought would be relevant, DEX, hp, sanity etc. Huge improvement.
Show threaddevNov 9, 2022
@BronJovi Also, when I first started I always forgot to do Sanity checks, but one of the most fun aspects in the game is when the players have to deal with a friend with a temporary bout of madness along with everything else. Another thing I do, that may be controversial among others, is fudge rolls if I thought it would improve the player experience or story narrative.
Show threadBronJoviNov 9, 2022
@mung thank you SO MUCH for this. Tracking rolls and generally keeping on top of everything freaks me out at the moment. The people I will play my first game with as Keeper are experienced TTRPG players (mostly D&D; I've never played D&D 🫣). I'm thinking that I might ask them to choose a ready-made character rather than get them to self develop a character. For the purposes of learning is that somewhat easier do you think so I can be prwtty familiar with the stats? Or is it better to have them choose and then briefly prep before play and wing it?
Show threaddevNov 9, 2022
@BronJovi Using a pre -made character is a great idea to start! Gets everyone used to the skills and how they work. It’s def different than dnd, so emphasize that it’s more about mystery/horror and investigation than epic battles (tho it does have those) and much easier to get killed in this game, so don’t just rush into combat (or let them find out for themselves 😁).
Show threaddevNov 9, 2022
@BronJovi Also, handouts are a very fun aspect of this particular system, so you can either make them yourself or find some others have made. Google ‘lightless beacon handouts’ and you’ll probably find some cool shit. Or I can send you the ones I used and you can print them out. Players love em! I’ll probably reply to these posts as I think of more beginner tips thru out the day, but most important is have fun!
Show threadBronJoviNov 9, 2022
@mung please do!! I'll probably compile a bunch of tips for my own use as I plan the game and get my head around the rules a bit more.
Show threaddevNov 9, 2022
@BronJovi will do! Check out Seth Skorkowsky on YouTube, he has tons of videos about specific scenarios, how to run games generally and tons of other tips. Hugely helpful!
Show threadCarolyn Ivy SteinNov 23, 2022

@BronJovi I think the most irritating thing about running an RPG for the first time is that one thinks one can prepare and that if one prepares well, nothing much will unbalance you. But that is not the case. You should expect player characters to be difficult and to lob surprises at you. I recommend that you cackle and roll dice whenever you are trying to think.

"So you want to enter the swamp, do you?" Roll a D100.

Show threadBronJoviNov 23, 2022
@CarolynIvyStein thank you! Is being able to pivot easily more about knowing at least the rules really well, or relying on one's storytelling abilities (or some kind of combination)?
Show threadCarolyn Ivy SteinNov 23, 2022

@BronJovi It's really about distraction. You can never know the rules well enough. Some rules lawyer will always know them better. So don't rely on rules knowledge. RPGs are not about the rules.

Storytelling chops are an excellent thing to rely on.

The ability to let the PCs do their own thing while devising evil things for them to encounter on the fly is a good thing. Here you can find help with various products.

Show threadCarolyn Ivy SteinNov 23, 2022
@BronJovi Or you can set up some of your own distractions in advance. Usually some sort of horrific sighting that herds the players back to the path of the adventure.