[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?

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[mimmimmim.livejournal.com]

I once had a group who played Cthulhu in a completely daft fashion, so I switched to Paranoia, where they became sensible.

I preferred Paranoia. It's the RPG equivalent of ISIHAC, with the GM as Humph...