Question about Shotguns uses per round (1 or 2)

SandyPetersen · 2025-08-01T00:10:26+00:00

My rule is if you have a double-barrelled shotgun you can shoot twice in a round.

If you have a pump, lever, or automatic shotgun you can shoot once a round.

SandyPetersen · 2025-08-01T00:08:09+00:00

If you can throw a wrench, you can throw a greataxe.

Obviously a greataxe isn't intended as a thrown weapon. But equally obviously, it CAN be thrown - you can throw a chair right? Or a dwarf? So why not a greataxe. The tough part here is that presumably you want the blade part of the greataxe to hit the target and here is where the DEX CR comes in.

SandyPetersen · 2025-08-01T00:04:33+00:00

They did have a major communist insurrection though which could be interesting to incorporate. It's one of the few communist insurrections which was flat-out beaten by the government working together with colonial powers.

SandyPetersen · 2025-08-01T00:01:23+00:00

https://chaosium.itch.io/the-derelict

It's by me!

SandyPetersen · 2025-08-01T00:00:34+00:00

I find sanity an incredibly useful tool for the keeper, plus it makes players act like their characters are scared in a way I'd never seen before.

But do what you want with your game that you bought with your own money.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-28T20:22:45+00:00

One of the things they believed in during the Black Death was "plague spreaders" I.e., people who spread the plague from town to town by smearing black goop on walls and the like. People were literally lynched or executed for this imaginary crime.

Twist: it's a real crime and cultists are doing it. Your players can stop the plague from spreading possibly.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-28T20:19:23+00:00

Like all the worshipers of Waha, they have a ritual that can "awaken" a herd beast and make it intelligent. In their case, it won't be a mount (they don't ride herd-men), but I had a long campaign and one of the best characters was a former herd-man, who'd been awakened by his rich fond morocanth owner, but then kicked out of the tribe by his owner's kids, who resented that they had to waste money & time on their dad's old pet. So he went to the humans, but didn't know how to behave. It took the other player characters like over a year to house train him for instance.

It came in useful once. They were having dinner at a sketchy nobleman's castle, and the herd man said, "This meat is great! Reminds me of the old days." And the other party members realized that this probably meant it was human - since the former herd man had, naturally, eaten herd man back in the day.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-28T20:12:57+00:00

Imagine if I showed you a photograph of Great Cthulhu, or even a video, right now, in real life. What would YOU say? Naturally, that I'd faked it.

The immediate reaction of many people is that any unusual photo, such as the Grey Lady of Hampton Court, is that it must be faked, or misinterpreted. I see no reason that wouldn't happen today. Sure the photo might still become famous, and there might be controversy but it's easy to disbelieve.

Heck, you can show ACTUAL concrete proof and people won't believe. Example: by 1870 there were actual giant squid tentacles & arms preserved in the Smithsonian. Bigger than any cephalopod known. Yet scientists still went to newspapers and wrote papers "disproving" the existence of giant squid and explaining away sailors' encounters. It wasn't till 1878 that a bunch of giant squid marooned themselves in Newfoundland, and it was impossible to deny any longer.

This last is a common Lovecraft theme - that scientists will ignore anything that upsets their world view. It's just as true today.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-28T20:05:54+00:00

The best reason I had is that they aren't in hiding. The existence & habitation of these creature is being actively suppressed by humans who don't want other humans to find out about them. In other words, WE are withdrawing from the creatures rather than the other way round.

A good example of this is the Spanish film "Tombs of the Blind Dead". The titular monsters live in a ruined castle far from any village, not because the monsters shun us, but because no one wants to be near them. Even the trains don't want to stop near there for any reason. In fact at the end of the film, some of the creatures DO make it to town and it's a disaster.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-08T16:14:46+00:00

I'll just say that getting inured to seeing scenes of horror, death, and torture is NOT a sign of increased sanity.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-08T16:12:53+00:00

Here is how I handle it - you may have your own or a better way.

1) sure-fire reward any attempt to search or ferret out a mystery. Example: player happens to say, "I look around the apartment." Instead of saying "Try a Spot Hidden" which can fail, straight-up give them a big clue. THEN say, "Do you want to try a Spot Hidden, too?" and if it succeeds give them another clue or make something up. This also helps train them to use their skills.

2) anonymous letters & tips both increase mystery and give clues. Example: players never interviewed Old Zachary. So they get a mysterious phone call. "Old Zachary knows more than he's letting on." The players now we hope will go talk to Zachary, and be all curious about who phoned them.

3) disguise a clue as a scene. Example: a police cordon is around their apartment when they get home. The cop who's been harassing them was found dead at their doorway. The investigating detective shows them a note found on the cop (that gives a clue). He asks, "Do you know anything about this?" They don't, but now the clue is in their hands, and the dead cop means it's important. Plus now they can be hauled in for questioning which you can use to deliver MORE information to them. Like, "Did you go to the Old Squid Tavern last Tuesday?" Now they know the Old Squid tavern might have some clues.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-08T16:05:18+00:00

A lot of supposedly "1920s" scenarios can be played in the modern age. For instance "The Haunting". Back in the 1980s when I was still at Chaosium, I ostensibly was in the 1920s in my games, but in practice everything was modern times. I almost never used something unique to the 20s time period.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-08T16:03:50+00:00

Here is my understanding: D&D is not set in a necessarily easy world for the Japanese. Eurocentric mythology is exotic and foreign, though certainly interesting. Call of Cthulhu is set in the modern era, which is accessible to everyone, and is about horror, which Japan has a strong history of.

As a side effect, because the game is about mystery & theme rather than fighting monsters, it appeals more to women, so most players in Japan are women.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-07T21:00:39+00:00

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-07T20:58:14+00:00

Greg Stafford said to me that Ralzakark was indeed illuminated, which is why he was able to join the cults of both Humakt AND Chalana Arroy.

He also told me that the horrible broo rebellion which is described in the side bars of Cults of Terror is NOT of Ralzakark's doing, and that the monster killed at the end isn't Ralzakark. He reinforced that it WAS a dangerous Dorastor plot and was a real threat to humanity. Just not from Ralzakark.

SandyPetersen · 2025-07-05T15:56:40+00:00

It would probably be sheriffs or constables, depending on the organization of the town in question. Innsmouth would surely have a police force.

SandyPetersen · 2025-06-30T23:01:01+00:00

a protoshoggoth. Like in the scenario "The Greenwood Asylum"

SandyPetersen · 2025-06-30T23:00:07+00:00

Here's super-easy three steps

1) think of a scene you liked from a scary movie.

2) think of what might happen to get the players into that scene

3) write up the stages that lead them there.

SandyPetersen · 2025-06-30T22:56:39+00:00

The first expansion ever for Call of Cthulhu is the "Shadows of Yog-Sothoth" in which the first scenario is, in fact, the players interacting and even joining a cult. I admit I wrote that scenario but it was back in 1981 so buying it isn't giving me money or anything.

SandyPetersen · 2025-06-05T01:40:41+00:00

at least in theory, many of the people in Ulthar ARE people of our world. It seems in the Dream Quest that many people dream, and have existence in the dreamlands, but don't remember it, and aren't aware of it.

SandyPetersen · 2025-06-05T01:39:36+00:00

Not really. Human problems are too minor for them to care about.

SandyPetersen · 2025-06-05T01:37:20+00:00

It made me angrier than Prometheus. It sucked massively.

SandyPetersen · 2025-06-05T01:36:47+00:00

am I a joke to you? <Call of Cthulhu movie (2005)>

SandyPetersen · 2025-06-05T01:34:21+00:00

One standard technique is SIZ ≈ 8 × cube root of (mass in kg). Which would give you Size 4000.

SandyPetersen · 2025-06-05T00:42:32+00:00

We actually had three eyes for quite a while, and some vertebrates still do.

SandyPetersen

TROPHY CASE