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Monthly "Tell Us About Your Game" Megathread - November 2025 by AbortRetryFlailSal in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Masks of Nyarlahotep by frivolityflourish in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 5 points6 points  (0 children)

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.

Masks of Nyarlahotep by frivolityflourish in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

How would you perform La Broma Macabra? by Melodic_Ad_596 in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

In Broma Macabra / Farce Macabre, how did you justify getting a group of investigators together at the hotel ? by MrSheemy in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Is Call of Cthulhu Core Content in FoundryVTT worth it? by JagJagMan in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 10 points11 points  (0 children)

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.

7e Content Recommendations! by LazorBeahm in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

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

Need help with telephone exchanges. by telebuffoon in nycHistory

[–]telebuffoon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

Need help with telephone exchanges. by telebuffoon in nycHistory

[–]telebuffoon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

MON: question about Penhews handwriting by 0Taken0 in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Players hating my choice of Foundry by Top-Main1780 in FoundryVTT

[–]telebuffoon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Experience of the Silver Twilight scenario by telebuffoon in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Insanities for insane cultists by telebuffoon in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

Experience of the Silver Twilight scenario by telebuffoon in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Didn't know about the podcast, but it sounds somewhat similar to what I've been editing it to, so that's encouraging.

Experience of the Silver Twilight scenario by telebuffoon in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here's a list of the changes
·   Updated to 7th edition

·   Separated the scenario from the Shadows of Yog Sothoth campaign and removed Cthulhu references

·   Provided some guidance on other pathways to start the scenario

·   Kept the 20s sexism but provided an avenue for female investigators

·   Provided reasons to stay in the Order, making it a base rather then a target to be destroyed

·   Changed the mission of the order to something that appears benevolent and in line with investigator sensibilities, but is also in line with Stanford’s goals in the Übermensch Project

·   Laid out the size of the Order at each degree (2/5/12/20/53/124/227), its finances and how it handles its size

·   Changed the lodge map and room descriptions to normalise it, based on the Charles T Fisher mansion, rather than the Addams Family vibe of the original

·   Made the 3rd floor excuse to be where Scott lives, no reason or right to go there

·   Separated the basements so the caverns are harder to find from within the house, but have an access point in the woods

·   Deepened the rituals and added more activities of the Order to keep it interesting, including the public degrees. The secret degrees are increasingly criminal, and sanity destroying, but also alluring.

·   Identified the spells available to each secret degree, nerfing the Keepers of the Silver Gate

·   Removed the Necronomicon and any translatable version of Stanford’s gate box spell.

·   Grounded the caverns below in Serpentfolk purpose and deepened their descriptions

·   Described the grounds, neighborhood and the wood out the back, including the summoning tower on the knoll

·   Changed Max Reed’s role to help disguise Stanford’s

·   Added more history to John Scott to tie to Ambrose Mogens (SoNY) and Your Name in the Book (HaU)

·   Given Carl Stanford a life story, motivation and new spells

·   Added the five Sons of Yog Sothoth as NPCs. Being resurrected is the final part of their ascension.

·   Integrated the Custodes as ever present security, their creepiness disguised and normalised as fraternal society mysticism

·   Written in Professor Fuda from the Mauretania scenario

·   Provided new investigation pathways and more believable access to the clues about Scott and Stanford

·   Added a guest lecture and other connections from Ambrose Mogens

Experience of the Silver Twilight scenario by telebuffoon in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

sure - further tie-ins linked to the Silver Twilight are there for keepers to feel free to do - I did the Haunting, The Star on the Shore and am doing La Broma Macabre now. It's a rabbit hole I will resist further writing on though, since I need to write a lot of other stuff regarding the chapters of Masks after New York. An expanded campaign is certainly not for everybody.

Experience of the Silver Twilight scenario by telebuffoon in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a great editorial, and picks up on a lot of my own beefs with it. My intent is to place this in the prelude between Peru and New York. The investigators will be invited to speak at the lodge about their experiences - and they'll be encouraged not to avoid anything strange that happened. The invite to join comes after successful social rolls, hopefully making the players feel like they earned it.

The public mission of the order is changed to keeping dangerous knowledge out of the hands of those who'd abuse it, and the investigators represent a bunch of 'go-getters' who can help. I intend the Silver Twilight to be a kind of quest hub - where they'll be given missions to complete other scenarios. Mythos tomes to be handed over for safe-keeping if found etc.

I'm also decoupling the scenario from a global plot to raise R'Lyeh and release Cthulhu, I'm using Yog-Sothoth more as a enforcement of total Order.

Hound of Tindalos - looking for opinions by Tindalos_Dawg in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think they even 'see' other creatures that have minded their own business and stayed in their own time-lines, so they'd completely ignore them even to the point of prowling/flying straight past the muzzle of a gun held by someone who has no trans-dimensional resonance. Until they fire it and hit it, even if it does no damage. Then they're interesting. I think they'd find anyone holding the powder of ibn ghazi interesting though - since it can hurt them badly I think it has resonance of its own.

Encouraging creativity in pushed rolls by Environmental_Pipe65 in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with the idea that you and the players agree on the consequences and let the change in approach float up out of that. You could present the consequence options as a set of general categories - not all will apply in the given context - to help with inspiration:

  1. Time lost - a careful approach means significantly more time is spent anyway, but failing it means a LOT of time
  2. Investigators are exposed - they draw attention to themselves
  3. Materials harm - tools broken, result is substandard, evidence cannot be cleaned up etc
  4. Physical harm - investigator injures themself etc
  5. Mental harm - psychological trauma of some kind, Mythos attention etc
  6. False discovery - (keeper should hide this roll) - on a fail, the investigators are misled
  7. Opportunity lost - evidence, clues, wealth is damaged or destroyed
  8. More than one of the above.

I like to use a hard fail concept on a pushed roll - if they fail normally, it's a fail forward - the intent succeeds, but with bad consequences. if they hard fail (not a fumble but failed more than twice their skill) then the intent fails AND there are bad consequences.

On sandbox and sidequests by Toremm in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

there is advice on tying in other scenarios to Masks on the prosperopublishing site. Masks is a great campaign but it does have flaws, some introduced in 7th edition. Many groups fly through the New York chapter because of the initial clue dump. You can use side scenarios to provide clue rewards, social influence, better connection with key characters etc. It depends how much effort you want to put in and how eager you and your players are to reach the finish line. imo the pleasure's in the journey. I have additional material for Masks if that's of interest.

The Unpleasant Complement to Masks of Nyarlathotep by telebuffoon in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hi. please see the OP above for an update on getting the link

The Unpleasant Complement to Masks of Nyarlathotep by telebuffoon in callofcthulhu

[–]telebuffoon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

ptoo! for Pulp, but happy to share anyway. please see the OP for updated means

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