LFP Call of Cthulhu Starter Set One-Shot Games - Biweekly Sunday 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM EST [18+] [Text chat only]

Hi, all. I’m looking for a group of up to 4 players interested in playing some Call of Cthulhu (7 th edition) Starter Set adventures. We would be using the Starter Set rules, not the full Keeper’s Handbook ruleset, and would be playing every other Sunday (9:30 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern time) through Roll20 (for rolls and displaying some handouts) and Discord through voice or text chat. When? I’m hoping to start on Sunday, December 21st at the earliest, or sometime shortly after the new year. Play style: We would begin with the Starter Set adventure, “The Edge of Darkness,” (which should take a couple of sessions) then playing through a handful of additional one-shots that will all take multiple sessions. The balance of play would probably be 75% investigation, 15% roleplay, and 10% combat. The tone will mostly be serious to try to maintain some of the horror atmosphere, with the occasional OOC or IC joke being fine. Aside from some pre-generated handouts that go with the published adventures I’d be using, don’t expect too many bells and whistles; this will be mostly theatre of the mind (no grids or virtual minis for combat, for example). About Call of Cthulhu and horror games: I’m new to horror RPGs (though a long-time horror fan) but from what I’ve gleaned, there are some important differences to keep in mind if you are mainly used to D&D or similar games. Firstly, as in horror movies (and Lovecraft stories), main characters often die or go insane, so don’t get too attached (and maybe have a backup character concept in mind!). Secondly, experiencing the horrors of the world (and cosmos) and unlocking horrifying mysteries are the primary sources of enjoyment rather than leveling up your characters and making them more badass; learning everything you can about a potential threat is often your only hope of surviving by the skin of your teeth. Thirdly, embracing horror tropes means finding reasons to send your investigator wandering into terrible danger when the most logical and sensible thing is to run far, far away, whether it’s an archeologist fixated on finding a legendary artifact in spite of tales of the destruction it brings, or an artist obsessed with the terrible beauty of an otherworldly creature that others find unnerving. Players: I’m looking for players with an interest in horror narratives and Lovecraftian horror in particular, but you don’t need expertise in either. My ideal player is more focused on creating an interesting story and character rather than litigating game rules, happy to share the spotlight with others, inclusive toward people of various backgrounds and identities (i.e. unlike Lovecraft himself), and willing to put up with a rusty/relatively inexperienced Keeper/GM. Also: if we opt for a text chat only game instead of voice (open to both), fast typing speed and pretty good writing skills are a must. Occasional typos and occasional misspellings are perfectly fine, but frequently bad writing detracts from the atmosphere in addition to any communication problems it might create. You do not need to purchase any books; you can use the free Quick-Start rules and I’ll fill in the gaps with the slightly expanded Starter Set rules. Please do not ask to join if you’ve played the starter set scenarios! About me: I haven’t GM-ed regularly in many years and will be a complete noob to COC, so please forgive in advance the many dumb mistakes I’ll make. I’m easy-going and the rest of life is stressful enough, so don’t bring any (non-narrative) tension to the gaming environment. The real cosmic horror is a lack of kindness and respect for others. If you’re interested (and managed to read all this): Congratulations! Please reply with a post where you discuss 1) what interests you about Call of Cthulhu 2) your experience (or interest if new) in any kinds of roleplaying games 3) what qualities are ideal in either fellow players or GMs/Keepers/DMs.    

Greetings, i would love to join if possible.  1.. As for what interests me about CoC is that it has been one of my favourite RPGs these past 25+ years, but it was always difficult finding groups for it, as most had a preference for more action based games. And since a kid i enjoyed reading mystery and horror alike, authors like Agatha Christie and Lovecraft were often common reads. As well as Clive Barker, Michael Connely and the like. So mystery and horror have always been of interest.  2. I have played many a different RPG these past nearly 30 years now, i have ran and played in several 4th Ed CoC games. But in later years i have mostly been locked into mostly DnD groups, but i need to go back to my roots, and play some non-d20 games again. Though i have also played in and ran games like Exalted, FFG Dark Heresy, Deathwatch and Rogue Trader, FATE and  Savage Worlds too these past years, but DnD has been the primary., as it is by far the easiest game to find games for sadly.  3. I have always been a fan of teamwork and communication, if a group is interested in working together, the RP Tends to flow easily. And if the GM is more focused on the story rather than every little roll or mechanic to be followed 100%, it usually becomes more enjoyable for all. For at times there are situations where rules or modules as written collide with player creativity in odd ways, and then it is better to guide or be a bit more flexible.  And as it is Call of Cthulhu, for players it is also important to go into the game knowing you wont win. At best you can stave off the horror for a bit. 

Hi, Kirgast. Welcome aboard and let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you, mostly my questions at this time would be, if we then should exchange discord info, for more ease of communication. 

Yep, just PM-ed you my info.

I believe I would be interested in joining. I have looked into the quick start and noticed that it doesn't give any occupations to make a custom character and ended up getting the Investigators Handbook so I could make a custom character. Also, what era are you planning for the setting? I only ask for gear. I did grab gear for both 1920 and modern (though I would need your input one item if it's modern for pricing). So, I do have a character made and can send it to you if you want to see it. I don't mind text but would lean more towards voice but will understand if everybody else would prefer text. Let me know if you any questions and I'll answer.

Hi, Viking Bear. The first scenario will be set in 1923. As for gear costs, we're going with the Starter Set approach to gear which is basically, if it's gear that your character would use for their occupation and is appropriate for their Credit Rating score (and makes sense to be toting around, e.g. no one walking around in public with a gatling gun;) ), you can have it. I don't actually have the Investigator's Handbook or Core Rulebook (didn't want to invest a ton of money in the game until I gave it a try), so there may be some rules in there that won't come into play with the stripped down rules we'll be using (for example, player magic). I would be open to voice rather than text. I'd be intrigued to see your character; I'm pretty new to Roll20 but if you want to give me access through here or you want to send it to my Discord, I can PM you the info. For Kirgast or anybody else looking to join, don't worry about building your character yet or picking up any of the books (there are rules for building characters in the Starter Set that are easy to sum up along with some sample occupations you can pick from). We can also work that out in a Session 0.

1. I played CoC when I was a teen and also ran some games with the original edition. That said, I remember very little about the scenarios so it'll all be fresh to me. I love the rich stories and artifacts about the CoC gaming system. Although, it could get a bit linear as players often gallivanted about the world but to specific spots as they investigate. I've read almost all of Lovecraft's stories. I see it more as an opportunity to create a story together as opposed to a leveling up campaign. 2. I'm a complete Roll20 newbie but also work in tech, so hopefully can catch on relatively quickly. I've gone thru the basic tutorial/demo and so have some familiarity with the UI. That said, I've played D&D of course, but have usually preferred game systems such as Warhammer Fantasy, Shadowrun and Call of Cthulu. Recently, I got into some of the light gaming systems such as Tunnel Goons from Nate Treme and even ran two brief games using his Roder system. 3. I'm fine with a rusty GM as I'm also a rusty Player. ;)  I'm not the fastest typist in the world (4 finger wonder) so voice would be ideal but I can give text only a try. Looking for a friendly and collaborative group. The schedule works well with me. I looked online and wonder if the pdf from Chaosim is the starter that you were referring to or did you mean the one for around $30 ? Also, would we have a "session 0" to meet and greet as well as generate/run through character generation, do that individually beforehand or maybe we'll be using pre-mades from the Starter?

I actually found the Investigators Handbook PDF online for free here:   Call Of Cthulhu - 7th Edition Investigator Handbook : Chaosium : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive . You don't have to sign up or anything and I was able to download it. I only did it because the Quick Start PDF from Chaosium didn't have any occupations. I filled out a paper copy that I had but I could give you the quick background. He is a 26-year-old mechanic who grew up on a farm in rural Tennessee hunting, fishing, and helping with the animals. He is a tall, rugged, muscular, and scruffy man with a scar over his right eye where a horse kicked him when he was younger. He is educated but prefers working with his hands. He believes in the Norse gods. His grandfather is the most important person in his life due to being trapped together in the wilderness on a hunting trip when he was younger. He loves to go to Thunderhead Mountain to get away from people. His most treasured possessions are his truck and his tools. I still need to flush him out more but figured wait for a session 0 to see what everybody else is doing and to get more of an idea of why he is going to be investigating. I also just made him on here but I'm not sure how to allow you to see him.

Argie said: 1. I played CoC when I was a teen and also ran some games with the original edition. That said, I remember very little about the scenarios so it'll all be fresh to me. I love the rich stories and artifacts about the CoC gaming system. Although, it could get a bit linear as players often gallivanted about the world but to specific spots as they investigate. I've read almost all of Lovecraft's stories. I see it more as an opportunity to create a story together as opposed to a leveling up campaign. 2. I'm a complete Roll20 newbie but also work in tech, so hopefully can catch on relatively quickly. I've gone thru the basic tutorial/demo and so have some familiarity with the UI. That said, I've played D&D of course, but have usually preferred game systems such as Warhammer Fantasy, Shadowrun and Call of Cthulu. Recently, I got into some of the light gaming systems such as Tunnel Goons from Nate Treme and even ran two brief games using his Roder system. 3. I'm fine with a rusty GM as I'm also a rusty Player. ;)  I'm not the fastest typist in the world (4 finger wonder) so voice would be ideal but I can give text only a try. Looking for a friendly and collaborative group. The schedule works well with me. I looked online and wonder if the pdf from Chaosim is the starter that you were referring to or did you mean the one for around $30 ? Also, would we have a "session 0" to meet and greet as well as generate/run through character generation, do that individually beforehand or maybe we'll be using pre-mades from the Starter? Hi, Argie. Sounds good and welcome aboard! Sounds like everyone would prefer voice, so we'll go with that. This is the Starter Set I'm referring to but the character creation rules are brief enough that I can walk you through it in a Session 0 or via email. I think a Session 0 sounds like a good idea. We will basically just be using Roll20 for the roller and displaying some handouts, so no expertise should be needed. Thanks for linking to that, Viking Bear! I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. As noted above, a Session 0 sounds good. I've had a friend express interest in joining, so between Kirgast, Viking Bar, Argie, and him, we should have enough PCs. Kirgast, I know you mentioned a friend might join; there's still a slot open for them, but otherwise, I will call off recruiting and plan to run the game in voice format. What do people think about either December 21st or 28th for a possible Session 0?

I'm open to either date. Just let me know what works for everybody. I'll PM you my discord

Either one is fine with me. I'll get that Starter Set and stay away from reading the scenarios. If we don't use pre-generated characters, I'm vaguely thinking of playing a 1920's psychiatrist who is an aficionado of Jung and whose approach seems to lend itself to a Chthonic-curious worldview. I don't know if that would work for the scenario though.

Argie said: Either one is fine with me. I'll get that Starter Set and stay away from reading the scenarios. If we don't use pre-generated characters, I'm vaguely thinking of playing a 1920's psychiatrist who is an aficionado of Jung and whose approach seems to lend itself to a Chthonic-curious worldview. I don't know if that would work for the scenario though. That character concept sounds interesting and would fit in just fine in this scenario. Will PM you my Discord info!

Sounds like we are all set for Session 0 on December 28th. Will set up a Discord server this weekend and send out invites.

What time are we thinking about on the 28th?

I was thinking we’d aim for 9:30 Eastern if that works for everyone. 

AM or PM? Both work for me since I'm currently unemployed but if I get a job PM will be a bit late to start playing. I'm CST so I'm an hour behind

@Viking Bear, I think it's 9:30 AM EST since that was the original time. However, if it is 9:30 PM, I probably can't make that either.

Yep, 9:30 AM, not PM.