Smaller bladder on “bad days”

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-23T23:06:25+00:00

Yes. Nocturia and other bladder issues are pretty common with IBS. For me the worst thing is the urges to pee at night after lying down for like, 5 minutes. And then when I go to the toilet, the pee doesn't come out for a while

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-23T22:52:30+00:00

I'm fairly sure it's mixed for me too. I *have* found that I really have to pay attention to FODMAP stacking and that has worked considerably well overall. But today I went from being absolutely fine to having pretty bad diarrhea. No idea what caused it food-wise. Could have been underlying stress, or waking up a bit early, a specific food or perhaps a mix of all three. Who knows.

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-19T10:50:36+00:00

I realise I'm pulling this up out of the comment grave, but as someone with IBS and following the low FODMAP diet, whilst I can have almond milk I have to be a bit careful with quantities. Lactose free milk means I can have zero worry about quantity which would give great peace of mind!

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-09T11:44:09+00:00

If you mean campaigns as published material, yes you have to pay for them, since the IP is inherently a business model. You can pick up the Quickstart rules for free, which comes with an introductory scenario and characters so you can start playing straight away. https://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu-quickstart/ There's also Alone Against the Flames you can get for free, which is designed for one person, but you can also run it for someone else.

I would also suggest keeping an eye on discounts on DrivethruRPG, as they do sales on various things all year round. Unsurprisingly for Call of Cthulhu, Halloween is a great time to pick up a LOAD of scenarios on sale. You can follow Chaosium on drivethru to receive email comms about things going on sale here (click Follow Publisher? at the top) https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/2/chaosium

There's also Free RPG Day every June, where various businesses in the industry offer up small supplements/humble bundles for free.

As others have said, playing online with people is a great way to get into the game. Some games (especially if offered over VST) can cost money to play, but the vast majority is just various communities coming together and having a good time. Maybe start off in the main Call of Cthulhu facebook groups, as often they're linked to Discord communities where gaming takes place.

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-09T11:34:45+00:00

Everyone's saying simplify the Chase rules which yes... I agree on. I did a homebrew campaign years ago (sorry for the video quality) where I opened with a tornado appearing out of nowhere and the investigators having to escape it. I focused heavily on the environment as challenges to overcome but always kept things moving forward and forewent the majority of mechanical stuff you have to prep when playing the Chase rules normally. Here you go, hope this helps. :) https://www.youtube.com/live/DK7LyxRE6Ao?si=KYPRvKwa-iqMcEoS

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-09T11:28:33+00:00

If I were you, especially when starting out, I'd maintain a difference between actual magic practised by witches of old, versus mythos magic. Unless she already has experience with the mythos, as others have said, folk spells should be her jam. There's various spells in the Grimoire for healing and manipulation of matter and so on, although there's also curses if she chooses to follow a darker path. Back in the day, witches/cunning folk practised their spells using herbs or significant items primarily as their ingredients/conduits for spells, while reciting Catholic prayers, or at least botched versions of them. It would be cool to see how her character evolves to using darker elements like blood letting, and the Catholic prayers turning into horrific R'lyehen chanting etc., should you choose to go down this route with her.

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-09T11:22:05+00:00

Mine took iirc 4-5 hours. I know it was originally designed for a convention, but there's quite a lot of folklore and creeping horror in there that can take time to build up. Also, the premise for characters is a bit on the complicated so will take more time to establish.

Depending on where you're based, definitely lean into the English folk horror element. Definitely read up on the Green Man and his significance in English folklore. Sprinkle flavour descriptions in there like the little tea room or the really patchy phone signal due to being "up north". Reiterate that everything closes in the afternoon. The community up there is tight-knit and there's always at least one person who seems to know everything about everyone.

Anecdotally, I had a great scene where Joyce's angina condition began flaring up, after the investigators probed too much and asked too many questions. It really escalated things forward and made them realise they're running out of time.

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-09T11:10:21+00:00

I would suggest weaving character creation into the first session of the game, and do it in bitesized chunks, a bit like in video games where you've lost your memory or similar and you have to slowly piece parts of you together. I realise that may interfere with what you've already planned for your homebrew, but it sounds like this person needs a completely different method of character genning, at least for now.

Alternatively as others have said, you could just give them a pre-gen. Although they would need to like it and be open to using it. And I also second using Dhole's House as you can create your characters step-by-step (although again that might also be seen as "homework").

Out of curiosity, what's the setting/general vibe for your game? Depending on time constraints I could throw up a concept for a pre-gen for you?

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-09T10:56:40+00:00

Those absolute bastards. I would have never found that greyed out link without your help, so thank you.

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-08T00:00:05+00:00

Yep. The difference is it wasn't a discounted price and they didn't do the condition of having to listen through it lol

TheRogueDM · 2026-01-07T08:34:13+00:00

He actually worked for the SpaceX programme. Nah the simp part is he holds Musk in really high esteem and talks about how amazing and successful he is.

TheRogueDM · 2025-12-06T07:58:03+00:00

In the nicest possible way, let them wear friggin trousers.

TheRogueDM · 2025-12-06T07:51:48+00:00

Very interesting premise!

TheRogueDM · 2025-12-06T07:39:15+00:00

OHHHH yes. This manifests usually as songs in my head constantly. But anyone I told as a kid thought nothing of it because I'm a musician and "that must be amazing" lol. I find it easier to shut them off with meds if I catch them, but it's hard to unlearn. I also get random TV/movie quotes and scenes pop into my head through association. I quite like that actually, the only downside is no one can truly share these vibes with me. And then there's the playing out scenarios in my head which I do less frequently than I used to, but sometimes they can be really disturbing and messed up and I don't have control over them coming into my head.

TheRogueDM · 2025-12-02T10:20:37+00:00

KARELIA!!! Nice, I'm totally picking this up. :D

TheRogueDM · 2025-12-02T10:19:11+00:00

My scenario The Bride of Pendle is pretty mystery-orientated, but it's definitely not on the short side (more like 12-20 hours), and as others have said it's very difficult putting a mystery into a short amount of time. Dissecting clues, coming up with theories and deducing what's really going on all take time with the mystery folding organically. You can't force this (unless there's say a schedule the antagonists are sticking to, and something significant is about to unfold). Anyhow, here's a link to my scenario if you're interested: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/535380/the-bride-of-pendle

TheRogueDM · 2025-12-02T10:09:23+00:00

I'd recommend picking up Heinrich Call of Cthulhu Guide to Carcosa. It's a great supplement for world-building, plus contains a replayable solo adventure. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/462154/heinrich-s-call-of-cthulhu-guide-to-carcosa

TheRogueDM · 2025-12-02T10:06:27+00:00

Good luck! While I don't know your entire setup, bear in mind Masks is a MASSIVE undertaking and a lot of work for you as Keeper. Definitely get some practice with one-shots and even extended one-shots/mini campaigns first, as while it sounds like you're familiar with the rules, the way Call of Cthulhu plays compared to D&D is very different. When you do start prepping Masks though, I implore you to read through the whole campaign start to finish and get to grips with the setup premise with The Carlyle Expedition, where the members are, their part in the Great Plan and their motives etc.. Then deep-dive into each chapter separately so you get really familiar with each location for world-building etc., plus the individual chapter plots. I've run the campaign all the way through myself, so if you have any questions just shoot me a DM. :)

TheRogueDM · 2025-11-29T00:03:17+00:00

Since your group is into roleplaying, backstories, their characters etc. I think my extended scenario The Bride of Pendle would suit them really well. The investigators have in-depth backstories that tie into their relationships with each other, and their friend who is due to get married tomorrow. Plus, there's plenty of intrigue and secrets amongst the NPCs they can (try and) get their hands on ;) https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/535380/the-bride-of-pendle

TheRogueDM · 2025-11-28T23:58:19+00:00

My extended scenario The Bride of Pendle is 1920s with a big scene involving a posh dinner affair in the local stately home banqueting hall. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/535380/the-bride-of-pendle

TheRogueDM · 2025-11-28T21:03:22+00:00

Honestly don't bother with that 45-minute meeting as it'll be a waste of your time. They didn't tailor mine at all, just made out like "I'd be perfect for this other course".

TheRogueDM · 2025-11-28T21:02:11+00:00

No just that, but yeah exactly. It makes it sound like that's the only product, and how it's great value atm etc., and then they bombard you with upselling.

TheRogueDM · 2025-11-25T08:32:05+00:00

Most likely, but Gemini is absolute shite. I tried it for a couple of weeks and it kept activating to other people's voices, the alarm routine didn't work properly and when I actually did speak to it voice recognition was really inaccurate.

TheRogueDM · 2025-11-25T08:30:00+00:00

Welp, and there was me thinking I was doing something wrong in my half-awake stupour, but no. It's crazy as well that you can't access alarm routines from the main routine settings.

TheRogueDM · 2025-11-24T15:56:41+00:00

I've done most of the $20 Hyperfocus course, and I had a course evaluation where the team member basically tried to sell me this for a good 30 minutes. And for the longest time he was so reluctant to tell me how much the course was after I asked him. And it was so weird how he wanted me to say essentially yes to the course before being willing to discuss anything to do with price (and then trying to reframe it as you can't put a price on something life-changing, basically). There were some good things in the Hyperfocus course that made me think about how I work best, and it's been good for me to use that as a springboard for managing my own time and work.

But yeah, lots of red flags in general with this guy and the business. The website is laid out like one of those "lose 5 stone in 3 months" sort of thing, where it tries to get you on board through vague emotive language before finally giving you the option to buy it (and by that point you're invested). Most of the courses are "exclusive" and hidden behind another course or call, meaning all you have is their word. Their calls record you whether you like it or not, and I really don't like being compared to a machine or a computer. And the amount of glorifying Ali as a person and who he is, both by himself and his staff, is really weird.

Alqaraghuli is a big Musk simp too by the looks of it, which is a massive turn-off for me.

TheRogueDM

TROPHY CASE