I'm going to introduce my D&D players to Call of Cthulhu. As players they tend to be reckless and use combat as a first resort. They understand the dangers inherent in CoC but...still!
Remind them before starting the game that they can take their time to investigate and that not everything is solved by rolls and combat.. some stuff has to be dug from their intuition
Also make sure it doesn’t inadvertently degenerate into a player-vs-GM mentality feeling. As Keeper I never *try* to kill players, but sometimes if players aren’t used to the unkillable monsters (or that we’re playing in the ‘real world’ with real consequences for antisocial or illegal behaviour) idea they can feel like they are being punished.
It might even be worth having the players watch a CoC liveplay in advance to understand what fun looks like in CoC. Personally i feel like CoC has so much potential for fun, because even failure is fun (in the hands of skilled players). Any of the top-notch Chaosium streams or the excellent Glass Cannon series would be both helpful and entertaining.
It's always about setting expectations ahead. At least with this kind of game, I would think people expect characters to die or become incapacitated for a time or permanently. That is the mood of thr game, even if it isn't inevitable each session. It will happen at some point though. Still, you just can't assume anything anymore. I don't really play role playing games where you couldn't possibly lose a character. I think people need to learn the art of letting things go. It isn't bad if you have to make a new character. It is kinda bad to keep going back to the same old type of characters. I like many flavors of adventure, but if you already know all the tracts, is it adventure anymore?
But how do you communicate to your players, before combat has started (especially if they’re experience is with 5e), that they’re facing an enemy they can’t kill with conventional tactics and equipment?
In Runequest and Pendragon, you at least have weapons and in the former’s case magic to help kill monsters. Rivers of London is relatively lighter and safer enough that you’re usually just doing police work and negotiating and there’s few real actual monsters to deal with besides small time crooks who you’re supposed to arrest anyway and not kill. In Call of Cthulhu, you’re just human investigators going up against cosmic horrors that could level armies or Earth with relative ease, with few or complicated weaknesses that don’t exactly advertise themselves for your convenience. Needless to say, Call of Cthulhu had quite the investigator body count, assuming you don’t end up stark raving mad
Right on time! Starting a game with something on these lines soon! Thank you!,
A Hound?.....game over man, game over!
I'm going to introduce my D&D players to Call of Cthulhu. As players they tend to be reckless and use combat as a first resort. They understand the dangers inherent in CoC but...still!
Remind them before starting the game that they can take their time to investigate and that not everything is solved by rolls and combat.. some stuff has to be dug from their intuition
Also make sure it doesn’t inadvertently degenerate into a player-vs-GM mentality feeling.
As Keeper I never *try* to kill players, but sometimes if players aren’t used to the unkillable monsters (or that we’re playing in the ‘real world’ with real consequences for antisocial or illegal behaviour) idea they can feel like they are being punished.
It might even be worth having the players watch a CoC liveplay in advance to understand what fun looks like in CoC. Personally i feel like CoC has so much potential for fun, because even failure is fun (in the hands of skilled players). Any of the top-notch Chaosium streams or the excellent Glass Cannon series would be both helpful and entertaining.
well maybe its the way your presenting encounters
That's why I play pulp, let's the players have more abilities and capable of countering monsters.
It's always about setting expectations ahead. At least with this kind of game, I would think people expect characters to die or become incapacitated for a time or permanently. That is the mood of thr game, even if it isn't inevitable each session. It will happen at some point though.
Still, you just can't assume anything anymore. I don't really play role playing games where you couldn't possibly lose a character. I think people need to learn the art of letting things go.
It isn't bad if you have to make a new character. It is kinda bad to keep going back to the same old type of characters. I like many flavors of adventure, but if you already know all the tracts, is it adventure anymore?
But how do you communicate to your players, before combat has started (especially if they’re experience is with 5e), that they’re facing an enemy they can’t kill with conventional tactics and equipment?
You’d be surprised. I’ve never had any difficulties with it. But it’s really a ‘session zero’ or discussion to have before you start playing.
In Runequest and Pendragon, you at least have weapons and in the former’s case magic to help kill monsters. Rivers of London is relatively lighter and safer enough that you’re usually just doing police work and negotiating and there’s few real actual monsters to deal with besides small time crooks who you’re supposed to arrest anyway and not kill. In Call of Cthulhu, you’re just human investigators going up against cosmic horrors that could level armies or Earth with relative ease, with few or complicated weaknesses that don’t exactly advertise themselves for your convenience. Needless to say, Call of Cthulhu had quite the investigator body count, assuming you don’t end up stark raving mad
I would say that 99% of CoC scenarios have low level entities to deal with....you ain't going to meet Cthulhu
The auto generated subtitles for this make this seem even weirder than it is
I guess only thing I can say to unkillable creatures run away 😂😂😂😊😊
That depends on the unkillable creatures understanding English.
Otherwise, they will not understand you telling them to run away
Drake!!! We are LEAVING!!!!