Pre-release Review of He Who Laughs Last

He Who Laughs Last is a modern day Cthulhu Dark scenario, written by Dave Sokolowski, and current being funded via Kickstarter. I was given a pre-release copy of the scenario for review. Since this was pre-release, no format editing or layout has been done so I will not comment on that; only the content will be discussed.

For those who don't know, Cthulhu Dark is a rules-light Lovecraftian horror rule set written by Graham Walmsley. Its purpose is to focus on the story-telling aspects of RPGs, as well as the investigation and sanity-wrenching discoveries found in a Cthulhu mythos game.

The scenario is set in modern-day Los Angeles. Without going too much into the plot and revealing spoilers, the PCs are contacted by the father of a friend who has just committed suicide. He suspects more is going on and asks the PCs to look into it. As the PCs dig deeper, they find horrors beyond their imagining.

Sound like a typical Cthulhu scenario? Well, its not. Sokolowski does a very good job of creating an original plot, twists that will throw the players for a loop, and an ending that is worthy of any Lovecraftian game. He gives the Keeper a number of great NPCs and locations to work with, while still maintaining the sandbox of L.A. that the PCs can play in.

Additionally, the scenario contains the Cthulhu Dark rules, a few house rules, and thoughts on how to run a Cthulhu Dark scenario. The last bit is much appreciated, as this will help a first-time Cthulhu Dark GM run the game more effectively.

The scenario is not without its faults, but these are few and far between. Based on this draft, it needs to be streamlined a bit more, but this is something that will likely get taken care of in the editing process. I would have also liked to see a few more thoughts on running the scenario, based on Sokolowski's experience.

Overall, He Who Laughs Last is a scenario worth the time of any GM. It provides an original plot, memorable locations and NPCs, and a time the players will enjoy.

The kickstarter has already funded and is well on the way to its stretch goals. I recommend everyone to jump on and grab it while you can.

A Midsummer Night's Haunting

In my last post, I discussed the Cthulhu Dark scenario I wrote for the RPGGeek contest.

Turns out, I won!!!

The scenario, entitled A Midsummer Night's Haunting, is about three college girls trying to be witches that end up summoning some bad things. The PCs get pulled into the scenario through any number of ways, and have to protect them through the night.

The scenario can be downloaded from its RPGGeek page, or from my Google Drive Cthulhu Dark folder.

I was really surprised I won - there were a lot of great entries in the contest. I feel very honored to have been chosen by many people who I respect on RPGGeek. Thanks!

The Flexibility of Cthulhu Dark

I just turned in my entry to RPGGeek's 2013 Holiday Adventure Contest, a yearly contest where GMs must write a scenario surrounding a specific holiday. This year's holiday was Midsummer - not an easy thing to write about. Since you should write what you know, I created a horror scenario.

I found out two things from writing this scenario. First, writing a horror scenario that is not Lovecraftian horror was difficult for me. I've been writing Call of Cthulhu scenarios for so long that it was hard to change my mindset, even just slightly. In the end, (I think) I was able to do it.

Cthulhu Dark
The other thing I found out was that the Cthulhu Dark RPG is extremely flexible.
Initially, I wanted the scenario to be generic and without a rules system so GMs could pick it up and run it in any system they desired; Call of Cthulhu, Dread, Chill, FATE, and so on.

However, as I was writing the scenario, there was a nagging feeling I had with one part that I felt needed some type of mechanic; in this scenario it was spirits possessing NPCs. I kept looking at it from the perspective that I was the GM and wanted to run it - this was something missing that needed defined.

I decided I needed a system to put around it. After some soul searching, I chose Cthulhu Dark.

Cthulhu Dark is an RPG system written by Graham Walmsley that simplifies RPG to its essence - storytelling with very minimal mechanics. This fit perfectly into my scenario. I still wanted the players to have the ability to roll to do things, which Cthulhu Dark has. I still wanted some type of sanity system, which Cthulhu Dark has. But I still wanted it to be more story telling and roleplay, which Cthulhu Dark allows.

However, the possession mechanic that I wanted didn't really fit into the Cthulhu Dark rules. Then I found an article written by Graham on how to hack Cthulhu Dark. Following his advice on there, I created a new possession die used in my scenario.

Possession Mechanic
The possession die is a d6 that represents a spirit's attempt to possess an NPC. When this happens, the die is rolled and compared to the group's Possession level. If the die is higher than the current Possession level, the NPC becomes possessed.

The group's Possession level starts at 4 and is decreased to 2 when a second NPC is possessed. In my scenario, this represents the various spirits getting more powerful with each possession.

A PC may help prevent possession of an NPC by risking their insanity to add their Insanity die to the roll. The lower die of the two is used to determine if the NPC becomes possessed, but the insanity rules for rolling the PCs insanity die still apply. Only one PC may help during any possession roll, and that PC must be present when the possession attempt takes place. The PC should role play how they help prevent the possession.

Flexibility
In the end, the addition of the new die fit perfectly into my vision of the scenario and allowed me to do what I wanted. It also showed me the flexibility Cthulhu Dark gives a horror GM. Without something as simple as Cthulhu Dark, I'm not sure I would have been able to create what I wanted to create.

It also allowed me to create a scenario that has rules surrounding it, but can still be easily converted into any other system. Win, win!

Will I use Cthulhu Dark all the time? No. But its another tool in my toolbox that can be pulled out, and modified, to suit whatever needs I have. That is the real power of the system.