Cosmic Horror experience


Strange Aeons


Can this AP be run by someone without any experience with the genre? Are there a few key sources that would be recommended to get up to speed? Or is it not even worth it?

For context I have had some players indicate an interest in the AP but it is a genre I have no familiarity with


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I would say that this AP can definitely be run without any actual experience with Cosmic Horror as a genre. The Order Of The Amber Die did their marathons of this campaign with virtually no expectations of what a Lovecraftian story should be about. If you're thinking of running this campaign "blindly," then I'd suggest giving their documents a look, since they're fantastic.

My own group just finished with the first book, with 1/4 being very familiar with the genre (my wife and I play a lot of the Arkham Horror board game, but the weirdness and horror translate well enough on their own that the other three players feel exactly what the story is going for as well.

If you want to delve into the genre more yourself, I'd recommend by checking out the works of Lovecraft, Derleth, and (especially for this campagin) Robert Chambers. There are also a slew of movie/TV adaptations of those stories (with varying degrees of goodness). Notable visual works from which to draw inspiration include True Detective (TV), Cabin In The Woods (Movie), Event Horizon (Movie), In The Mouth Of Madness (Movie), and Phillip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (TV).

If you just want the barest of advice so that you can go into this one blind yourself, I would have one main thing to say: play up the weirdness. Things should frequently be beyond comprehension, without concrete explanation of why. The first book has a number of great primers for this, right down to the local weather.

I hope this helps, and hope that you love this crazy ride of an AP as much as I do!


Lanathar wrote:

Can this AP be run by someone without any experience with the genre? Are there a few key sources that would be recommended to get up to speed? Or is it not even worth it?

For context I have had some players indicate an interest in the AP but it is a genre I have no familiarity with

It may well be better that they don't. Every player sits down to game with expectations as the GM we have to manage them. This AP is great and has a lot of Genre theme to it, but it is still a Pathfinder AP. Those expecting something more akin to Call of Cuthulu or similar games will likely be disappointed.

That said don't let a lack-of nor lots of experience with the genre deter you. There is great writing here don't miss it!


Cabin in the Woods is more of an SCP game. :) Youtube does have various fan adaptations of stories such as The Beyond but they do tend to have little flourishes done by the creator.

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