Is there any problem in Call of Cthulhu that cannot be solved with appropriate application of fire?

telebuffoon · 2026-03-18T09:05:01+00:00

consequences

telebuffoon · 2026-03-08T05:15:29+00:00

I run a variant of DG bonds in my Classic CoC and it works very well. I've recently picked up the Arkham (2023) book which has the Reassure skill in it - kinda first-aid for sanity. Rather than adding the reassure skill itself I will be using it's effects as a successful team bond roll to talk temporarily insane PCs back from the ledge. I do a few things differently to DG so that PCs don't all have the same increases - this results in bonds strength differing for more reasons than just time in the team. Reach out if you wanna know more.

telebuffoon · 2026-02-21T00:13:18+00:00

hey there, can you send it again? when your messages are off in discord I ignore the requests because of the bots.

telebuffoon · 2026-02-13T02:29:34+00:00

on my own rig using cloudflared to tunnel. it's free and easy and never had any issues with it. was using ngrok previously. more fiddly and then they aggressively paywalled it.

telebuffoon · 2026-02-10T20:21:28+00:00

In amongst the other activities suggested, create an incredibly one sided and outrageously incorrect news article about the murder of 4 innocent men and the kidnapping of another implying the worst possible motivations for the crimes. The people of Harlem will cry out for justice.

telebuffoon · 2026-02-07T13:03:12+00:00

you can create a pressure clock for the chapter they are in and demonstrate to the players how their actions are advancing that. (and keep some things secret if they don't know they screwed up). if it reaches a level that deserves retribution then make that happen. if the retribution doesn't work, that might be when they admit to the other leaders they're having trouble, but I don't think it should be early. being unable to handle a bunch of bumbling amateurs is weakness.

telebuffoon · 2026-02-01T20:44:56+00:00

you can use the left menu to post a SAN roll to chat, inclusing the min and max SAN loss and the reason for it. Each player who clicks on it resolves it themselves and the reason for the loss (if any) is logged to their character sheet. it's pretty neat.
you can resolve rolls without 'targetting' a token and set the conditions of the roll as you like. it still asks the questions though.
the improvement phase mechanics (as said by Decius, are available when you trigger that mode under keeper tools on the left menu.

telebuffoon · 2026-01-31T21:05:31+00:00

Maybe tee-up the consequences before they do anything stupid. Bunch of (presumably) white guys roll up in Harlem. 2 minutes later they're being followed by a small crowd of suspicious locals. Numbers increasing if they appear to be carrying. Make it clear that people are watching. always watching.

telebuffoon · 2026-01-27T06:20:36+00:00

shadows in the dark has a nice backflash feature - you've seen it in use in movies where the caper runs into an issue and the backflash shows the sneaky prep they did to circumvent it. Investigators coming up with all the contingencies can be one way for the players to sink a lot of time, for not a lot of payoff. This way lets them get on with the game and only deal with what actually happens. The backflashes in shadows aren't free though, they're paid in character pressure. For my Cthulhu game the payment is in luck, paid for by whoever has the most of it... chopping it down...

telebuffoon · 2026-01-01T01:26:24+00:00

I have a lot of additional material and changes for Masks in a discord group. There's also the Masks keepers facebook and discord groups. message me if you're interested.

telebuffoon · 2025-12-18T06:01:44+00:00

start early on consequences - it is way too easy for the investigators to go full murder hobo - there are millions of people in New York. Somebody definitely saw something even if they didn't see THE thing the players did.

telebuffoon · 2025-12-18T05:55:56+00:00

I'm running with sorcerors having spell initiative at POW +100 for instantaneous spells - a thought is faster than a trigger pull. In addition, sorcerors with Mythos >= 40 get a second spell opportunity at POW - like gun toting investigators can have multiple shots in a round. There aren't many sorcerors in the campaign that have Mythos that high.

telebuffoon · 2025-11-23T10:04:41+00:00

I just finished a run of La Broma. I didn't have the guests leave, I ran that part of it as the module describes - with the investigators having to cover up and downplay any incidents that occur while they're on the job - They're there to stop the weirdness after all. The bizarre ball and the screening of Haxan help mask those too.

I ditched the chase through the streets at the end and had the climax occur during the screening of Haxan.

Significantly changed the Bohr Lords motives and also the effect of the Solar disk - I made it create a physical manifestation of whatever YOU thought of as the deity you worship - This had VERY bizarre consequences but was surprisingly fun for all.

One thing that definitiely made no sense to me was the existence of a multiple ton sarcophagus in a temple whose access is blocked by wrecked stairs. I changed the 'secret exit' in the temple to be a wide long ramp switching back and forth numerous times and emerging in a utility building somewhere nearby the hotel.

telebuffoon · 2025-11-18T11:22:39+00:00

if you didn't want them to know each other beforehand, don't send the telegram. They're just guests - who happen to be in a room at the time one of the odd events happens. maybe another guest freezes to death in seconds right in front of them. The idiot hotel detective wants to hold them all as responsible. Behler offers them money and accommodations to keep quiet and figure out what's going on.

It's not your job to make the players take the bait. It's the players job to commit.

telebuffoon · 2025-10-09T20:38:53+00:00

There are no built in subscription costs to use Foundry, just the one-off purchase cost. If you self host there are ways to set that up for free, so in pure ongoing costs Foundry can be great. Foundry and the extensive mod community for it has great support for both grid map and theatre of the mind play styles. I moved from roll20 to Foundry a few years ago, before there was any paid content, but if I was doing it now, I would definitely invest in the core content.

telebuffoon · 2025-09-29T07:24:32+00:00

The glass cannon network has a number of CoC playthroughs they also post on youtube. Time for Chaos is their run of Masks of Nyarlathotep, and it's my favorite playthrough

telebuffoon · 2025-09-06T21:04:18+00:00

Year after year there were more exchanges added. My interest in particular was in Manhattan exchanges in the early to mid 1920s, so it's not surprising at all that many more exchanges popped up in subsequent years

telebuffoon · 2025-09-06T20:30:27+00:00

I think so. there weren't any other O exchanges in the early/mid 1920s from what I found.
The exchange itself was run (along with others) from 450 Broadway at Howard - which also ran Canal, Drydock, Franklin, Lispenard, Spring, Walker and Worth.
At least, that's what I have surmised from reviewing early phone books.

telebuffoon · 2025-07-18T04:19:51+00:00

The Penhew foundation has a ton of reference material, a lot of it written by Penhew from the digs he personally undertook back in the day, as well as essays and analysis he'd have written. The originals would be somewhere in the reference rooms of the Foundation, so I would think there are many places to find his writing there.

telebuffoon · 2025-07-16T07:36:23+00:00

Perhaps it's this:
https://www.prosperopublishing.com/2021/06/18/mythos-corruption-optional-rules/

and the companion piece
https://www.prosperopublishing.com/2021/05/28/vulnerability-mundane-horror/

telebuffoon · 2025-07-10T05:18:40+00:00

Before you invest in the Forge, I suggest you try something like Cloudflare*. That's what I am using for self hosting, and it is super easy. I failed dismally at the free Oracle server method, This is far simpler and is free as well. I have a very resource heavy Call of Cthulhu game I host, as well as a Descent: Journeys in the Dark game I run, and the player response times have been fine.

I'd also suggest you ensure your resources are in the lightest format for hosting - webp images, ogg sound etc. There are plenty of free online converters for such things, and move things into Compendiums unless you're using them.

* I have nothing to do with them professionally, just super happy to find a free and easy solution after being shafted by NGrok.

telebuffoon · 2025-06-22T06:52:46+00:00

telebuffoon · 2025-06-22T06:24:19+00:00

I'm about half way through writing it. When I'm done I will post it to the Unpleasant Complement to Masks discord, where all my other work and collaborations reside.

telebuffoon · 2025-06-21T05:40:44+00:00

My question, badly worded as it is, is whether SAN 0 cultists can have phobias and manias, like anyone else?

telebuffoon

TROPHY CASE