I've been a great admirer of the Trail of Cthulhu rules from Pelgrane Press and particularly the Eternal Lies campaign and I've realized that I may not be able to run it unless I try my hand at PBPing it. I haven't run a game online in a long time, but I thought that perhaps I could try my hand at it again for a campaign that I personally find very compelling.
Eternal Lies is a globe-trotting campaign in the Masks of Nyarlathotep mold which begins with an investigation into a thwarted cult ritual ten years before the game begins, tracing the successes and failures of a previous group of investigators. It's a long campaign but I feel that it could be a very rewarding experience if we can see it through.
So my question is: are there enough potential players out there that would be willing to sign on for a Trail of Cthulhu game that, best case scenario, would go for several years of sifting through clues, routing cultists and being driven mad?
I have a few questions first. One, classic or pulp mode? Second, is material from Libre Magica allowed?
I'm mulling over whether I want to do pulp or hybrid mode. I like the idea of at least a few people surviving from the beginning to the end if we get there and pulp seems more conducive to that. I'm not going to do 100% purist mode since I think replacing characters constantly will get old.
The campaign itself has a hybrid mode guideline that I could expand on more later- things like hypnosis isn't allowed as an occupational skill, no psychic powers for parapsychologists, psychoanalysis isn't an occupational ability for clergy nor can they bless holy water, the private detective sticks to the purist mode occupational skills list rather than the Chandler list. But the purist caps on stability and health are lifted (though I would say 12 in both is a reasonable cap) and the explosives skill is allowed. Essentially, hybrid mode is the purist feeling with some elements of pulp added for the sake of greater investigator survival. There are also some "cherry" rules adapted from Night's Black Agents that might be interesting.
Sources of stability will be used if I end up running it, though: a central aspect of the campaign is the personal cost of investigating the Mythos and sources of stability are a major part of that.
I'm not familiar with Libre Magica- but I do have Rough Magicks, which I would consider using. But from the outset, I would prefer to have normal people being drawn into the Mythos rather than having someone start out with forbidden knowledge. Once the game is underway, though, I'm not opposed to a PC having some spells at their disposal.
I would love to play a Cthulhu game. No of my friends are interested so I have no chance of playing in person. The pbp I tried died quickly when the DM dropped off the map. Sadly I have not read anything on this system due to the vehement disinterest in this game system.
If you are ok with a complete but enthusiastic noob I would be interested.
Love Gumshoe system, and TofC particularly. Have several concepts in mind. Where / when does the campaign start so I can start putting my thoughts together.
If you're curious about Trail and haven't tried it before, there's a pdf of condensed rules available legally and for free here in the forms and handouts section along with a handy rules cheat sheet for anyone, new and experienced alike.
There's also a handy Gumshoe 101 pdf here for a quick overview for players and GMs alike.
Love Gumshoe system, and TofC particularly. Have several concepts in mind. Where / when does the campaign start so I can start putting my thoughts together.
The campaign begins in Providence, RI in 1937 when the investigators are contacted by the heiress Janet Winston-Rogers to look into matters concerning her late father, the entrepreneur (and armchair occultist) Walter Winston. (It is a globe-trotting campaign, though, so a lot of time will be spent on the road.)
I'm interested too.
I'll start a formal recruitment thread soon for character ideas and creation rules, probably sometime tomorrow.
I have a formal recruitment thread set up here to discuss character ideas, post guidelines and discuss the game. Thanks!