I was recently asked for some advice from a younger Call of Cthulhu Keeper who wishes to introduce the game to newcomers to both the game and Lovecraft: what adventure would I recommend as a good introduction to it? That's when I realized that I haven't played Call of Cthulhu in more than a decade, unless you count Delta Green, which I don't. Consequently, I don't have any good answers to this question. However, I suspect many of my readers might.
So, if you were going to introduce new players to Call of Cthulhu, what adventure would you use? Bonus points if the scenario can be reasonably completed in two 4-hour sessions or less. It can be for any edition of the game or any publisher. Just don't say "The Haunting," because, much as I like it, I don't think it's all that representative of what Call of Cthulhu is about.
I used Paper Chase with newbies once, and they liked it. Starts out mundane and almost incidental, becomes relatable and even stirs you sympathy, and it ends introducing them to the terrible wider reality of an underground world full of ghouls. One of my players said "this kinda freaked me out."
ReplyDeleteWhere did this appear? It sounds interesting.
DeletePaper Chase is in the 7th edition starter set along with Edge of Darkness and Dead Man Stomp. All three make excellent introductory scenarios and the starter set has plenty of good advice for keepers and players new to Call of Cthulhu
DeleteIf "The Haunting" is out, I suggest "Edge of Darkness". I believe it's in the current starter set, and was in at least the fifth and sixth edition rulebooks too.
ReplyDeleteIt was in Cthulhu Companion. It's also in the starter set now.
ReplyDeleteHere is a video that recommends the best for beginners. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E_lirLnTN8
ReplyDeleteThe Crack’d and Crook’d Manse from the Mansions of Madness book is the quintessential CoC scenario in my opinion. For a modern day scenario, Forget Me Not from The Things We Leave Behind is a perfect scenario to introduce new players to the game.
ReplyDeleteSomebody made handouts for The Crack'd and Crook'd Manse:
Deletehttps://www.reddit.com/r/callofcthulhu/comments/8nu15m/i_made_handouts_for_the_crackd_and_crookd_manse/
I've had tremendous success introducing new players to Call of Cthulhu with "Mr. Corbitt" The first adventure in the Mansions of Madness book. It's short, very creepy throughout, and ends with something truly horrific. If you run it really well, you might even get some of the players to feel sorry for the horror at the end which will create a create in-game conflict among the characters as has happened in my games a number of times. The Crack'd and Crook'd Manse from the same book, as pointed out already, is also excellent. What I typically do is run Mr. Corbitt first and then run the survivors through The Crack'd and Crook'd Manse for the beginnings of a potential campaign, as much as you can have a campaign with Call of Cthulhu.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall Edge of Darkness is super solid. All of the hallmarks - investigation, strange objects, failed cults, scary-don't-fight-them critters, and easily consumable. There's even a follow-up.
ReplyDelete