Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

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Shannon Mac
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Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Post by Shannon Mac » Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:45 am

What are your top five Call of Cthulhu RPG scenarios (and details as to why if you like). I'm looking to learn about a few more and possibly run them in the future. Thanks.

Note that this doesn't just apply to a 1920s setting. It could be Invictus or Cthulhu Dark Ages and so forth.

Preference for something that could be done in 8 hours or under (I'm well aware of the classic COC campaigns: MoN; HOTOE, SOY, etc). Also, it helps if you ran it/played in it so that you can give me an idea of its gravitas.
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Re: Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Post by Shannon Mac » Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:30 am

Here's what I have so far btw:

FOR BEGINNERS: EDGE OF DARKNESS (in 6E) (great starter for noobs) (I modified this to a longer scenario and ran it 5 times)

EPIC CTHULHU CAMPAIGNS: MASKS OF NYARLATHOTEP (meat grinder in characters) and THE KING IN TATTERS (more of a madness scale bit)

SETTING: SECRETS OF SAN FRANCISCO (great for my current online campaign and it has four adventures in back)

MODERN: Fricker's DOCKSIDE DOGS (this technically isn't Chaosium but it was written by one of the 7E creators) (RESERVOIR DOGS meets the Mythos) (I've run it 7 times now)

RUNNER UPS OR ADVISED BUT YET TO RUN/PLAY THEM: the new HORROR ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, MANSIONS OF MADNESS, 
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Re: Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Post by trevlix » Wed Feb 05, 2014 1:41 pm

I could only come up with 3, but these were the ones that came to mind.

1. Crack'd & Crook'd Manse - One of the best written scenarios IMO.
2. In Media Res - Great atmosphere. Have never run it, but would love to.
3. Closed Casket - I have fond memories of playing in this one, so I may be biased, but its a good one-shot.
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Re: Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Post by PirateLawyer » Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:10 pm

The best published scenario I've ever run is Convergence, from the core Delta Green book. Every time I have run it, it has generated genuine horror reactions from the players.

Machine Tractor Station Kharkov-37 is excellent too. It does require a fair amount of prep since as a Chaosium monograph it wasn't edited to a professional standard, but all the ingredients are there for a great scenario full of paranoia and horror with a large dose of purist helplessness.


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Re: Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Post by Shannon Mac » Thu Feb 06, 2014 2:15 am

You better, Jon. ;)
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Re: Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Post by Keeper Jon » Thu Feb 06, 2014 5:55 pm

Shannon Mac wrote:You better, Jon. ;)
Yep. Balls have been kicked. :P

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Re: Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Post by Gladius » Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:49 am

David Conyers - Burning Stars - One shot with a very sadistic twist
Keith Herber - The Thing in the Well - A chapter from The Day of the Beast campaign, could be run as a one shot. Really creepy.
Keith Herber - The Case - From the "Curse of Cthulhu" campaign book - Evokes a strong New England feel; based on my favorite Lovecraft story, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
Fricker, Kershaw-Moore, and Mason - Gatsby and the Great Race - I've only read and heard about, would really like to run at a con because of its unique format
David Aniolowski - Fade to Grey - I hear a lot of good things about it and want to run it but haven't yet

Machine Traktor Station Kharkov - On many good reviews I bought the PDF, and while I've not run it, I must say I was underwhelmed with the readthrough. I have a hard time envisioning it playing out as an interesting scenario. I'd love to listen to a live play of it, if anyone can point me at one, to prove my expectation wrong.

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Re: Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Post by PirateLawyer » Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:29 am

Gladius wrote:Machine Traktor Station Kharkov - On many good reviews I bought the PDF, and while I've not run it, I must say I was underwhelmed with the readthrough. I have a hard time envisioning it playing out as an interesting scenario. I'd love to listen to a live play of it, if anyone can point me at one, to prove my expectation wrong.
I have run it in the past. Both times my players loved it.

I have no idea why you would think the scenario is uninteresting. The paranoia is baked in and the Stalinist setting and the premise of the investigation is ingenious. There is a fair amount of work on the Keeper to keep the investigation paced correctly but the slow realization of what's happened, and continuing to happen, is genuinely horrifying for the players. And the guaranteed bleak resolution is very Lovecraftian.

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Re: Your top five Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Post by WinstonP » Sun Feb 09, 2014 1:34 pm

I am happy to hear of people enjoying my MTSKh-37. :)

My fave 5:
A Happy Family - Adventures in Arkham Country
God of the Mountain - Mortal Coils
Signs Writ in Scarlet - Sacraments of Evil
Ummm. Let me think more.

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