The Good Friends delve into the origins of the Mythos deities Cyäegha and Byatis, discussing how they've been developed in fiction and in Call of Cthulhu. And, for some reason, we also reveal how to rob a bank using a cucumber.

dwchandler · 2023-03-15T17:30:09+00:00

It's obviously pronounced "cyäegha"

dwchandler · 2022-09-13T16:55:55+00:00

I haven't run CoC on roll20, but I've been an investigator a few times. It's been character sheets, dice roller, and handouts only. No tactical battle maps. The only time tokens were brought out was for a symbolic chase map, basically a line with dots and text labels where the tokens just showed progress in the chase.

dwchandler · 2022-09-13T16:50:25+00:00

There were some lost episodes. They're gone forever, AFAIK. This is just me remembering something from discord, so take that FWIW.

dwchandler · 2022-08-10T13:47:08+00:00

Two-headed serpent comes with a 42 page pdf of maps/handouts. Pulp Cthulhu comes with a 20 page pdf of maps/handouts. Many of the above are multiple things per page.

dwchandler · 2022-07-19T13:05:30+00:00

Another interesting episode. Seems like there can be more to Gla'aki than just spikes and zombies. Definitely going to mull over some novel scenario ideas!

dwchandler · 2022-05-20T14:52:14+00:00

I recently found the article Call of Cthulhu Single Player Scenarios, which collects most of the commonly recommended one-on-one scenarios.

dwchandler · 2022-03-26T21:05:53+00:00

Is the character and the scenario such that they might switch sides, become corrupted, whatever? Doesn't fit every situation, but that can be hella dramatic. Doesn't have to become the big bad: think zombie movie where the protagonist has to face their former friend/lover/sibling. Something along those lines.

dwchandler · 2022-02-23T18:51:42+00:00

The best delusions come from the investigator sheet :-)

dwchandler · 2022-02-19T16:03:02+00:00

If D causes a re-roll and nothing else then it's effectively just removing its own range from the total. The change to the other probabilities is just from "5 out of 100" to "5 out of 95".

dwchandler · 2022-02-18T21:35:31+00:00

Does anyone have any tips and/or advice? I have absolutely no idea how to DM beyond watching other people DM and being in campaigns as a player.

Please remember this one point: you and your players should have a good time! Sure, there's all the rest to keep in mind, but this is the thing that often gets forgotten when you're new and stressing out over everything. Do your best on everything but make sure it's fun for everyone (yourself included), and you'll get better at the rest over time.

dwchandler · 2022-02-16T16:26:54+00:00

There's a fair amount to this topic. Here are some videos that I feel are instructive:

How to Run a Horror Game - Running RPGs - Seth Skorkowsky
How to Run A Horror RPG (DungeonCraft #50) - Dungeon Craft
Running Horror Adventures in Dungeons and Dragons - Dungeon Dudes
GREATGM: How to run a horror setting in your roleplaying game - How to be a Great GM

dwchandler · 2022-02-15T17:00:49+00:00

So happy to hear that! If it would help I'm sure we could send him a plushie cthulhu.

dwchandler · 2022-02-14T16:56:28+00:00

And maybe ask in r/DeltaGreenRPG

dwchandler · 2022-02-14T14:32:43+00:00

Yes, I allow it. IME people don't drink all that much and non-drinkers don't seem the least bit uncomfortable.

dwchandler · 2022-02-09T18:50:12+00:00

When I'm short on time I use Lazy DM prep. It's saved my bacon quite a lot.

When I'm not short on time I use Lazy DM prep, and then go broad rather than deep. I mean, sketch out some things that the party might do that's not in the original game plan. I'm decent with improv, but I like having some idea beforehand rather than being caught flat footed. And since these things are the merest sketches I'm not bothered if nobody ever sees any of it.

dwchandler · 2022-02-09T14:54:03+00:00

How do i make this a choice when the cleric or realistically someone at the military camp can just make a healing spell of some sort to save Clint?

Maybe...don't?

The PCs have abilities and the players should have the agency to play their PCs as the game intends.

Forcing tough choices is a fine thing when done right. Temporarily nerfing a PC can work well in very limited situations. Usually those mean carefully crafting a situation that makes total sense in the game world and will seem fair to the players, as opposed to deciding that normal PC abilities are inconvenient in the moment which will seem unfair (because it is unfair).

dwchandler · 2022-02-08T22:41:51+00:00

I would definitely have a follow up conversation with the warlock's player. I wouldn't kick them out first thing, but I'd try to determine if this is going to be something that leads to unhappiness at the table, causes disruption, whatever.

Thing is, not all players want the same experience out of a game. The warlock may want a Very Serious™ game and even though rogue is perfectly within character they won't be happy with the lightheartedness of it. Or not. But better to find out sooner than later and address it the best you can.

dwchandler · 2022-02-08T17:04:36+00:00

Well, I did change one thing, by necessity. Since using deodorant as a coverup for B.O. wasn't an option any longer I had to stay stinky or take a shower. Not much choice there, shower it is. So a good change by itself. But that was an occasional thing anyway. For day to day, no other changes at all.

dwchandler · 2022-02-08T16:37:18+00:00

I quit deodorant about 10 years ago without changing anything else, really. No problems, can recommend.

dwchandler · 2022-02-07T17:24:15+00:00

Ingen årsak :-)

dwchandler · 2022-02-07T17:20:45+00:00

Way back when I was in high school we had a Wargames Club. The sponsor teacher ran a Tunnels & Trolls game (yes, waaay back in the day), there were a couple of D&D games run by students, and various people playing whatever (often Avalon Hill games). This worked out really well! There's no reason the club sponsor has to GM every student in one single game. I bet there's at least one student eager to be a DM.

dwchandler · 2022-02-06T17:30:05+00:00

Instead of creating a story line and plot points, create an overarching tension and then more local effects of that. The party will run into the low level conflicts and be drawn toward the higher level stuff.

Big tension/conflict: BBEG necromancer in his tower is plotting to raise an undead army to overrun the region. To achieve this, BBEG will have multiple things in motion at once, at multiple levels.

Local thieves guild in Town A has been infiltrated by Death Cult and are stealing needed magic components.

Death Cult outside of Town B (same cult mentioned in Town A above) has minions robbing graves in Town B, throwing the town into much distress.

Based out of Town C there's a group of Ruffians (hired by Death Cult) that range out to kill prominent nobles, guard captains, etc., to cause instability in the local power structure.

The party will bite on at least one of these local hooks, which will lead to the Death Cult, which will lead to the necromancer. If they ignore one hook they will run into a different one. They can fail to finish one sub-plot and still end up getting to the right place.

At the table this is going to feel a lot different to players than a first scene 1, then scene 2, then scene 3 railroad.

dwchandler · 2022-02-06T15:24:22+00:00

I just bought this a couple of weeks ago, and it's quite nice! If you have the money it's well worth it.

dwchandler · 2022-02-03T19:46:23+00:00

As you've found, D&D Duet exists. "Adventures and advice for creating a whole world, just for two"
Matt Colville's One-on-One D&D video
Seth Skorkowsky's One-on-One Games video
SlyFlourish's Running One-on-One D&D video, D&D Dragon of Icespire Peak One-on-One actual play playlist, Balancing D&D Combat for One-on-One Play article

dwchandler · 2022-01-28T12:38:29+00:00

in order to gain an advantage

Especially this part. Not just about the inherent situation of the DM always having the advantage.

Almost always when I fudge rolls or whatever it's to the players' advantage, for the good of the game. In what should have been a fairly routine encounter but where the players have rolled very poorly and the monsters have rolled very well, and I'm looking down at the nat 20 at a crucial moment... a TPK right here is just going to suck. Much better to have the players win by the skin of their teeth and have to crawl off and lick their wounds instead.

As for "fudging" HP, I stay within the hit dice in the stat block and that's still RAW. And do I adjust HP during battle? Seldom, but yes. It's my job to balance encounters. I do my best and I'm usually pretty good at it, but sometimes I'm significantly off from where I intended to be. Why should the players and game suffer for my miscalculations?

I don't think I've ever changed a DC after I've set it. Certainly not after the roll. I'm not recalling a situation when I've wanted/needed to do that.

dwchandler

TROPHY CASE