[RPG] Explaining Cthulhu to people who don't normally play it...

[mrph]

I'm sure that someone's already written this list, so I'll probably go google after I've posted this one, but I've been thinking about running some modern Call of Cthulhu.

In turn, that got me thinking about why Cthulhu isn't much like some other games - and what players need to be aware of...

So, without further ado, here's version 0.1 of my list. I'm trying to avoid mythos spoilers, so most of this is intentionally generic.

1. Humans are fragile. Combat is dangerous and guns are very good at killing people. Experienced characters don't suddenly become bulletproof, either.
2. If you're the only thing standing between the bad guys and victory, you're actually doing pretty well. It means you're successful and determined enough to have temporarily blocked their plans somehow. This isn't the default situation - until you know what they're planning, you're in no position to stop them, after all.
3. Investigators don't get to live long and peaceful lives. You get killed, you go mad... perhaps you even embrace the darkness, change sides and turn against your own kind. At best, you might retire to a troubled life filled with sedatives and horrific dreams. That's the deal. You fight, you die... but other people get to live a better life because you're putting yourself in the line of fire, letting them live a quiet life without knowing what's really going on...
4. Prevention is better than cure. If you don't let them do something truly awful, you don't have to worry about staying alive and sane long enough to confront and undo it.
5. Deadlines are not always flexible. The stars are not your friends. The calendar doesn't like you much, either. Bad things tend to be scheduled for particular dates, usually festivals or nights when the stars are properly aligned. If you're not ready before those dates arrive, the bad guys are going to start the party without you...
6. Your character is not mentally indestructible. Things out there can send them crazy. Knowledge can be a bad thing. Seeing... things... can be catastrophic. Cthulhu isn't a shoot-'em-up. As a player, you might be used to facing eldritch horrors in other games... but your character doesn't live in a world where that happens. At least not as far as they know. And every little piece of evidence that the world isn't what they think it is... well, that's one more spike hammered through the ragged remains of their sanity. Sometimes you can beat back the demons, but still... it's a little unsettling, isn't it?

Comments

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

guns are very good at killing people

TBH, as someone who enjoys target shooting in real life, has a target range at the bottom of my garden, and encourages my friends to partake, I've always had a bit of a problem with this.

Guns at close range (1-2 metres) wielded by anyone are usually deadly, yes.

Guns at anything much further away wielded by anyone who doesn't practice for a couple of hours at least once a month, are pretty much always going to miss. There are only a few real instant-kill zones on a mammal, and unless you hit the upper head, throat or mid/upper chest, you are almost certainly NOT going to die immediately. In my experience it takes an untrained person most of an afternoon to be able to consistently hit a 20cm target at 5 metres with an air pistol (and I'm talking about just getting the pellet on the paper, not near the bullseye or anything), so it would be longer and less accurate with a proper firearm with proper recoil and such.

Unless actually declared by the player, a journalist (typical COC character) is not the type of person who naturally practices with firearms.

Now the problem with this for RPGs is twofold. Firstly, the mechanics of "called shots" are an utter pain in the arse (a leg shot is usually non-deadly for several days... unless you hit an artery). Secondly, the mechanics of "infected wounds" are an even bigger pain in the arse.

Hence most sane RPGs take a view of hit points, and when you're out, you're dead or unconcious. But be clear; this is fictional and solely for the purpose of keeping the pace of the game going. In real life you are highly unlikely to die within hours, let alone immediately, if someone keeps shooting you in the leg or shoulder. If you are firing a period firearm which is difficult to reload, you will most likely get walloped by your opponent long before the next projectile is in the chamber.

Ergo whilst COC is more life-like with regard to firearms than many other RPGs, I'd dispute that it is still quite a long way off anything that could be called "realistic". Guns in untrained hands at non-point-blank ranges rarely hit their target, let alone kill anything. If they're not firing a splash-damage weapon (eg. shotgun) then an untrained gunman at medium or long distance represents very little risk.