Running the Game - How to Play Call of Cthulhu 7E (Tabletop RPG)

[@Waffles-Mcnachos]

Cultist: "Your future self is talking end times about you." Lucille: "Jokes on her. I'm gonna ruin her life!"

[@RabbitTactics]

*cultist suffers 1d6 sanity damage thinking of how that'd work out*

[@ahmedmuawia2447]

"Staying alive is overrated anyway" This quote describes the investigators well

[@TheLegoLord100]

"Boats are weapons of mass destruction" Seeing as how this and the stories of old man henderson are the only 2 CoC stories I know, I'm inclined to agree

[@DontStopThinking]

Don't forget the original The Call of Cthulhu story.

[@ImpKnt80]

@@DontStopThinking @L0rd_of_cows *Clears Throat* *But Johansen had not given out yet. Knowing that the Thing could surely overtake the Alert until steam was fully up, he resolved on a desperate chance; and, setting the engine for full speed, ran lightning-like on deck and reversed the wheel. There was a mighty eddying and foaming in the noisome brine, and as the steam mounted higher and higher the brave Norwegian drove his vessel head on against the pursuing jelly which rose above the unclean froth like the stern of a daemon galleon. The awful squid-head with writhing feelers came nearly up to the bowsprit of the sturdy yacht, but johansen drove on relentlessly. There was a bursting as of an exploding bladder, a slushy nastiness as of a cloven sunfish, a stench as of a thousand opened graves, and a sound that the chronicler could not put on paper. For an instant the ship was befouled by an acrid and blinding green cloud, and then there was only a venomous seething astern; where - God in heaven! - the scattered plasticity of that nameless sky-spawn was nebulously recombining in its hateful original form, whilst its distance widened every second as the Alert gained impetus from its mounting steam.*

[@AtrusOranis]

F=MA Boats have a lot of both.

[@ped3752]

Cthulhu: Evil elder god of destruction Also Cthulhu: Is roadkilled by a boat

[@devonhill9099]

Don’t you mean “mast” destruction 🙃

[@Master_E444]

Note to Self: -Never let Rosalind use a gun. It apparently causes nightmare faces -Never let Scott drive a boat. It’s like riding a nuclear warhead. -Never let Lucille become the scion for an Eldritch God.

[@2010AZ]

Never let ANYONE become the scion for an eldritch god. And ESPECIALLY best waifu.

[@Master_E444]

@@2010AZ I mean especially Lucille. Besides if she can't stop herself from doing it once she gets old enough, their's the ultimate contingency someone can resort to.

[@tylerhylton4927]

2010 AZ always let best waifu become the scion for an eldritch god. We already worshipped her before, now she’s literally omnipotent. She’ll take care of you.

[@Master_E444]

@@tylerhylton4927 maybe. I'd just worship them normally

[@SciDarkReal]

⁠@@Master_E444funny thing regarding the ‘ultimate contingency’, it nearly happens at the end of this story but you don’t realize until the crisis is over

[@sirunklydunk8861]

Note to self: never let Rosalind handle guns

[@OldManPopz]

More like: ALWAYS let Rosalind handle guns

[@willnorman-bargo]

What a good/sad story. I may just have to make a next part to this story.

[@handlebarfox2366]

Honestly, you could have a whole new game starring Lucille twenty years later where you play out that ending.

[@willnorman-bargo]

@@handlebarfox2366 maybe I was thinking like after she becomes a full deep one she would try to help humanity in what ever way she should. And maybe if she could get some deep ones to follow her start some form of deep one civil war.

[@handlebarfox2366]

@@willnorman-bargo The story ideas never end... and you're more acquainted with the lore than I am on that one!

[@willnorman-bargo]

@@handlebarfox2366 well tell you what, if I ever play this game or come up with how it would work or something like that I will tell you about it.

[@TheRauzKindred]

Something that I'd note, death is not a guarantee if the game is being played correctly it is fair in its own brutal way, I and two other friends went through the suggested starter one-shot module. One friend was the keeper, and the other played a mob boss and I played as their butler/enforcer (think Max from Cats Don't Dance). We ended up actually successfully defeating the cultists and the horrible threat at the end of the story without dying (barely of course), and only mild sanity loss. My friend's character developed a phobia for corpses due to the monster we encountered, and some hearing loss after helping shoulder a shotgun to steady my character's aim to help blast the horror back to kingdom come. We weren't even running the Pulp Cthulhu rules, but after the insane stunts we both pulled off, our Keeper agreed he might as well just use that setting modifier from then on haha. Remember kids, be like Old Man Henderson AND PUNCH THE MYTHOS IN THE FACE HAHAHA!

[@UlfgrimRaneth]

"Why is coc so hard?" Hehe

[@someotherworldlybeing3167]

Or sock or cos idk

[@skylarneal5844]

I came looking for this comment

[@grantingtherant1465]

"Boats man, in CoC they're like weapons of Mass destruction" Especially when they're dropped onto a penthouse by a helicopter stolen by the army by some angry stoner who just wants his lawn gnomes

[@someotherworldlybeing3167]

Interesting

[@randomguy6679]

What the hell?

[@Luigicat11]

@@randomguy6679 Old Man Henderson. I'll let you learn the rest from there.

[@jameslove4965]

goddamnit cj got me a punch in the gut and a kick in the feels this christmas. R.I.P. Scucille

[@SciDarkReal]

i swear i have to be cursed because EVERY TIME there’s a ship that is both borderline canon AND one i like, this EXACT SHIT happens my bad y’all i keep getting everyone killed

[@macabrederek9179]

"Oh yes Daddy, Disembowel Us!" Ok, that had me rolling in stitches. Seriously though, thank you for this series. I am currently running my very first CoC game tonight with my home-crew, often times having to reference your videos for consideration. Absolutely love your use of delayed dice-rolling, and will probably bring it back to my Vampire: The Masquerade and Dungeons and Dragons games. This has been amazing work, and a fantastic series.

[@luna4s]

I knew. I knew this was Call of Cthulhu, I knew it wouldn't have a happy ending. (Spoilers after read more.) Yet somewhere along the way I started to HOPE that at least Lucile and Scott would somehow make it out alive... I genuinely got attached to these characters and the fact that Scott died in the end.. and that Lucile spend the next couple years likely alone and trying to give meaning to the dead of her friends by fighting her future self... To then just.. disappear, likely for new adventurers to face, someone familiar, yet completely different from the character they played before themselves...

[@TDSFounder]

Tragic, I know.

[@probablynotasith5355]

This is call of Cthulu. There are no happy endings.

[@paocut9018]

I have never played but this story really ignited a desire to play a game of CoC for myself. I also got attached to the characters and was sad to see them die but as he said, the best moment to kill a character is when the character had time to develop and the players got time to attach themselves to him

[@18ps3anos]

@@paocut9018 If everything goes accordingly, yes. But there's always a variable you cannot control as the keeper. And that is the players' actions. If they make bad decisions their characters will die. You can somewhat try to manage what kind of actions they can make. But you shouldn't let them get away with doing stupid decisions unless they are very well contextualized. Balancing this is quite tough, so it's important, if your players are new, to always communicate what the point of the game is, and which mind set is required for this type of game. It's not a game for everyone but it can deliver quite powerful experiences.

[@stm7810]

I had a happy ending, was playing in a 1980s setting, ended up wiping out the local cultists with a gun fight in a movie theatre, Even if my character was forever traumatised by shotguns and her girl friend had unhealable nerve damage to her right arm and a traumagenic head mate.

[@O4C209]

"Yeah, staying alive is over rated" I was just going to leave this great quote and then you got all deep with Hope being at the bottom of Pandora's Box....... :-/ Great series. I'm going to get CoC now and force both of my groups to play. Side note: Half way through, I was watching more to see the story's end than learn the game.

[@mr.cup6yearsago211]

“Great series. I’m going to get coc now” (Insert Lenny face here)

[@xCCflierx]

16:48 Agreed. I love how this game makes it super obvious that you have the option to do nothing while being attacked. It means that there is both running and fighting. Both are hope. Running is also a symbol of hope. No hope means you understand there is no point in running. No point in fighting. You do nothing. You let things happen. Even the cultists you made had hope. They hoped that by the end of their lives, they would be different from the rest of humanity that just crumbled away without doing anything. They hoped that maybe whatever was left when these cosmic horrors arrived would have their mark on it. They would continue to exist through that mark.

[@FoxFireImr]

Kinda unfortunate it ended cause I liked the characters. Still, good job.

[@MalekitGJ]

get your lube, its Call of Cthulhu

[@SciDarkReal]

@@MalekitGJhuh what why

[@commentatorboy]

This series was amazing. You said that we should go out and play it. Honestly, we should decide on that. But let me tell you this. You efforts were not wasted. For you planted the seed of hope into the future generations of "COC enthusiasts". You layed the ground work for introducing COC to MANY players. I will share this. I will tell my friends about it. But in the end, it is all about interests. Do players like the dungeon crawler style game with alot of action? (Which many of my friends do), or do they like the horror story, which your characters might/might not die, and therefore you have to tread carefully? Your introduction to COC is very thoughtful and well put. For that I thank you.

[@DetectiveBarricade]

Granted, COC CAN support a more dungeon-crawl style game with plenty of action through the Pulp Cthulhu rules. Seth Skorkowsky has a video on the Pulp Cthulhu rules if you're interested in seeing how those work.

[@commentatorboy]

@@DetectiveBarricade that I did not know. Thank you for the recommendation

[@DetectiveBarricade]

@@commentatorboy Seth also has a number of COC scenario reviews that could be handy if you're looking to run a campaign or a one-shot for your friends to get a taste of the game. (and I think Chaosium, the folks behind COC 7e, might have free basic rules on their site)

[@DontStopThinking]

⏱️Here's a time stamp list for those you watching this on mobile⏱️ 0:56 -- Setting Expectations 1:56 -- One-Off vs Campaign 3:36 -- Published Scenarios 5:46 -- Secret roles 7:14 -- Handouts 9:32 -- Concealing Information 11:26 -- Killing Characters 15:05 -- Why is COC So Hard? 16:37 -- Best Condiment for Evil

[@llewelynshingler2173]

Rest in Peace, Investigators.

[@felipeuseche332]

Pro tip: have a death playlist with cool and evocative songs for characters deaths for extra emotional points. Later, you can use the death songs in critical moments to elicit emotional reaponses from the players.

[@matthewherndon6488]

“Happy Birthday” was the biggest twist in the story. Talk about subverting expectation.

[@Birfhum]

I have been running a Call of Cthulhu 7th edition game and your videos have been an invaluable help. I love how you weaved the narrative into the rules explanation to make it an excellent and highly recommended watch!

[@zacharybouis7998]

Just wanted to say, I started running Call of Cthulhu for some friends over Discord during quarantine and I had almost no GM experience before this and besides the Keeper's handbook this video series is the one resource I keep coming back to the most. Thanks man!

[@williamshafer1996]

15:07 most relevant question/title ever, "Why is CoC so hard?"

[@Sir_Tentacle]

Ahhh~ I was waiting for this. Thanks for "How to play Call of Cthulhu" series I realy enjoyed while watching even I rewatch it time and time again just for fun and they were worth it.

[@joaosoares-rr5mj]

i realy wanted to see scott and lucile get out of there and living a happy life together ;-; god darnint, screw the kobaiachi scenario, i would captain kirk the shit out of it, and find a way to cheat into victory.

[@leonardoribas9237]

pra caralho ne

[@rikardosilva1754]

@@leonardoribas9237 Koroi, tem 4 BR aqui?

[@ImABucket]

I have written about 22 pages of notes spanning each of the 10 videos so that I will be able to start and keep a COC game with my friends. Over this time I have been brainstorming and planning out a new campaign that I will officially be starting with my friends tomorrow night. I hope all goes well and I can create a fun, yet terrifying, story that each of them will enjoy. Thank you for all of the help! Without these videos, this campaign would have taken months to set up. :)

[@ukaszstrzelecki9157]

Came for the rules, stayed for the story. Great job man, I really enjoyed it.

[@ulf___]

The best call of cthulhu tutorial on youtube

[@agentnightshade1010]

I'm curious if this dude has a PDF of this campaign somewhere.

[@Incrediblefatslug]

What a great ending to an excellent series. I feel so much more confident in my abilities to run this behemoth of a game.

[@RPGImaginings]

I bought some of your merch CJ! Thanks for contributing this great series to the community! I think it is so important that you bring up the distinction between one-off and campaign play. Even within the community you can tell whether people have more experience with one or the other. And that is fine. What isn't ok when people start dolling out advice from a one-off perspective when people ask questions about how to run campaigns effectively. Keeping style is very different between those two major approaches. Really strong Keepers understand the distinction between them and how style needs to adapt.

[@fasteddy9789]

Thank you DST. You have successfully gotten my wife and I into COC we finished our first scenario out of Monophobia. Many thanks CJ!

[@C0365086]

This series is amazing. I’m running my first CoC game this New Years Eve, and your work has made me feel a lot more confident! Thanks so much

[@JdLcool-j1s]

Nice I thought doing the same .

[@vdsora32]

I got so attached to this story and it ended with a melancholy but hopefully end. Plus I learned alot about this system.

[@christianlecroy980]

Rosalind used the classic move of "when in doubt shoot it out."

[@whippedalcremie7718]

Spray and pray

[@TenebrousHero]

Amazing conclusion. It’s rare that a tutorial video series comes with an equally gripping narrative throughline! Your work is amazing

[@MnemoticCat90]

I'm so glad that this series happens to exist. I'm running a game for the first time ever and one of my players recommended Call of Cthulhu, but I had a hard time parsing the rulebooks until I came across this. Jt helped me absorb the basics enough that I can now understand the rulebooks better!! Thank you so much for making this

[@edwardgiurgiu6812]

maaaan that was so goood. Specially the conclusion and the tid-bit about hope, really well done! Respect

[@mysouptoocold1656]

The twist ending is so important, and you did it well, my friend

[@azralan618]

I really cannot thank you enough for making this series. It introduced me to a gripping narrative disguised as a tutorial and an awesome game system. I ran my first session (one-on-one with a friend, to get him into it) three weeks ago and it was amazing, but a little difficult at first. The one-shot we played was "Der Nachtexpress" and I constantly kept forgetting some details which led to me having to "roll back" the narrative sometimes. I thoroughly enjoyed this ride and the end, while slightly unexpected, was amazing too; although Rosalind going in guns blazing wasn't something I thought would ever happen. And that "Happy Birthday"... kind of a d*ck move. Her companions for the last few months or so are gone and- I don't know, makes it seem like a sarcastic present. I almost expected an "I love you" "I know" situation. Hopefully, the poster I ordered arrives soon. Once again, to round it all off: Thank you very much for producing this amazing, high-quality series, it is very much appreciated and at least won me over to the CoC side of things.

[@Xentrolis]

I really enjoyed this series! Used to play CoC basically every weekend back in 2007 and 2008. CoC was the first tabletop RPG I ever played, then Vampire: The Masquerade. I got into D&D years later. Now, I have new friends and all they've played and ever play is D&D, and I wanna run this to introduce them to this very important part of my teenage years. I told these friends years ago that combat in CoC is perilous and isn't something you should seek out, but a few of them LOVE hack-n-slash, so we'll see if they like it.

[@lawabbit2679]

I’m running my first call of Cthulhu campaign rn, and this series has helped me make it an amazing experience for both me and my players, thank you so much! :)

[@andysimmons2648]

This has been an awesome series. Thank you for making it, CJ.

[@paocut9018]

I watched this searies to learn how to play for a Halloween one-shot but I was in love with it because you explain the game in conjuction with the telling of a game. I loved that story and it game me even more eagerness to be Halloween so I can play with my friends

[@ready-ish7837]

my first session of CoC is literally tomorrow! this series is a godsend thank you so much for making it!

[@DarthReluctant]

CJ, can I just say how much I've loved the story of Lucille and her group. This sort of narrative made the rules explanations much more fun to follow along with.

[@WillSmith-fm1sz]

I'm currently waiting on my books to come in the mail. I found these videos before I bought them and you convinced me. Lol

[@crystaltydemagic]

You made this seriesat the perfect time. Writing a homebrew campaign and this helped so much coming from a D&D mind set.

[@matthewk320]

lucil was such a good and cute character. great job and thank you for teaching me how to play this game.

[@pytellone233]

This series is the best thing I watched on YT in a while! I'll make my players watch you before our next session.

[@johnedgar7956]

Hello CJ! Thank you for this! I know I'm late to the party here, but while I've been a Lovecraft fan for a long time I've only just now gotten started learning to play the CoC game. (Too many years playing D&D instead. Don't judge.) These videos were FANTASTIC, and were super helpful! You have MAD video graphic & editing skills...pun intended. 🙂 Gonna start running CoC for my family members who play RPGs with me and make them watch this video series. You are awesome!

[@Rage639]

Wow, just wow. I have never been so touched by of all things a tutorial for how to play a game. I was not prepared for this. No one warned me. Will play my first session later today as the keeper to a group of first time investigators. We have played plenty of DnD 5e but I have always wanted to try Call of Cthulhu. Thank you sincerely for making this tutorial and the accompanying story. Liked, Subscribed and will if you get one I will definitely become a Patreon! I hope to one day be able to achieve such an amazing and touching story in one of our games.

[@matyaspetro3090]

I just bought the starter set and this is the best learning material online! Also I had a lot of fun while learning, the story and the animations were very entertaining! Thank you so much!

[@ninjapirate92]

New to the game. Thank you so much for this series. I recently ordered the books, but this series has definitely given me a hefty head start to learning the system and I already have a couple groups of friends wanting to play! Keep up the great work with future series!

[@daved.8483]

Nice work!!! You should be proud of it. From a new lore keeper who is preparing himself to venture deep down into the mythos horror, I say: Thank you!

[@Talviir]

Best Cthulhu mechanics tutorial hands down...seriously going to miss it.

[@RoryMcShane]

Thank you for this series! Incredibly helpful and I loved the background story to go along with it 😊

[@lieutenantfalcon5936]

This How to Play really got me in the mood to play Call of Cthulhu, I thank you! I'm thinking about trying to find a group of friends and see if I can play a ex-Russian white Officer who escaped Russia when the Red army took over his home town.

[@Exxag]

A friend once suggested me getting into Call of Cthulhu because I started being interested in Pen&Papers back then. Coincidentally, your series started a few days before and since then, I was always looking forward to your next CoC video. And now, I am having my first CoC session next weekend and I am very hyped! (though as an investigator and not as a keeper) :D

[@wanderingbardagain6945]

This was such an awesome series. Love the way you structured the series, the information you delivered, the wonderful story and the animation. Great job CJ! Looking forward to your next videos, as always. Keep up the great work.

[@eskoevtyukov4764]

Great series! It has been really useful to give to my players so that they get a hang of the game's rules without me having to explain them!

[@mikesands4681]

Really great series. I come back to see the episodes every year

[@kevins.4185]

This was very enjoyable, my group is about to start playing ourselves and the GM told us to actually build 2-3 characters in case one of our investigators leaves or dies. I personally am using it to explore different play styles in the game to try and find what I will find the most entertaining.

[@ExlaSaro]

It's really nice having this series to refer to. I recently started getting into dming 5e(with limited success only to the fact that I had 5 experience players) but I recently picked up CoC to start playing around with and trying it out and I love running it. It's amazing getting to play devil's advocate to get your players to make dumb life choices or risking they're lives for something as small as a single cup of coffee(yes that was a thing that happened....no I won't go into more detail). My only regret in it is I moved it too fast, I planned a 5 week campaign and it ended up ending in three, oh well live and learn. But this series help me immensely with the set up and some of the more finnese of the game and can't thank you enough for making it. PS. I love your animation style and it is very pleasing to watch.

[@caracrotalus]

Please, I need more info on the coffee thing!

[@someotherworldlybeing3167]

Go into more detail or death

[@wolftwinbladed7921]

Thank you for making this series. It inspired me, along with Seth Skorkowsky to get Call of Cthulu as it is a fantastic tabletop roleplaying game. Your content is great and I hope you have a fantastic day

[@TheAirhead99]

This series is AMAZING, I'm late to the party but holy cow this has made it so entertaining and easy to learn the rules and they make great markers for quickly having someone describe the rules in the heat of the game. (Especially the Thompson guns XD). I loved it! oh and boats are WAAAAY to strong lol

[@theknightofbadassness301]

It was a great series, C J. Thank you for making it.

[@FelipeEdit10]

This was one of the best content that i've consumed in youtube in years. Thank you so much. You are an incredible person.

[@sebasculin3739]

This series was amazing. Well done on producing such a masterful tutorial to a game system with an engaging narrative. I would never have been so excited to someday play it otherwise.

[@Nonofyourbussiness15]

Okay rewatching the series but really thank you CJ I love this series

[@littlegreeneighbour]

Great episode, great series. Would love to see more on CoC, especially on game mastering. I'd also be interested on a series about Starfinder. That would be really great!

[@willtijerina5149]

Thank you for all your hard work. This was a very informative and entertaining series that makes CoC easier to learn and get excited about.

[@felipeuseche332]

Never heard the expression "less deadly" besides the cover of Masks. Funny

[@Nonofyourbussiness15]

You got me to run a two part coc one shot. Thank you

[@plumeria1985]

I want to rewatch this series not only to learn how to play/manage a game, but also for the story. I also know that if I do, I'll start crying because these I'll start reminiscing and grieving for the characters.

[@jelkehuisman]

I've never been a lore keeper. Only played it as a character. My friend and I want to run a zombie scenario with it though, so this video definately helps.

[@NdoNosCI]

I ran a test before this and I don't think I had the best pacing. Thanks for coming out with this video

[@MasterZelgadis]

Thanks so much for this great series. Played two sessions now, and about to run the 3rd on Jan 1st. This helped me a lot!

[@MutantGames]

Kinda going late at this point to say something about all this. I really love how every chapter explaining a rule of a game ended up getting me so interested on the history of the investigators meanwhile I learn a lot from a really good Tabletop Rpg game. Kinda hope there was more content like this about other systems and other stuff about TTRPG, I Kinda wish of a video about Hc Svnt Dracones Second Edition, really good system but really overlooked because of his art. Good Series overall, interesting, fun and engagin until the very end of all things... Really this ending got me a tear drop the first time.

[@OGNoNameNobody]

@CJ "Necessity is the Mother of Invention" Thank you, and Good Job, creating the thing you wish you had.

[@DTux5249]

Amazing end to an amazing series. Can't wait to see where we go next!

[@darkwolf719]

i picked up the starter set few months ago and just recently i picked up the keeper's and the investigator's guide for Call of Cthulhu, this series was a very good guide for me to learn and i Love the story you told as you were explaining the rules. I hope to find a group willing to play this game

[@michellejulia384]

Great series CJ. Thank you very much for your efforts. I refer all my new players to your channel.

[@popeofnope1944]

Thank you so much, I'm writing my own campaign and this series has been a godsend

[@nines3048]

I'm probably never gonna play CoC but that was one hell of a story

[@jaysw9585]

This was absolutely fantastic. Thank you.

[@erc3338]

Now I'd love for you guys to cover Free League Publishing's Alien: The Rokeplaying Game that came out earlier this month.

[@xCCflierx]

12:14 is this just for killing them with plot? Or like, should I be trying to save them if they die in combat at a bad time? Should I make combat easier to avoid until a good time, and then only require roles when I want them to fight/die to get out?

[@djluma85]

Another great episode! this series has helped me alot and I always refer people to this when they have any questions regarding the rules. Great story and I hope some day we get to see the conclusion. Thanks again!!!

[@jpenber5418]

Thank you for this series! It's both entertaining and very useful for a new Keeper.

[@daveyg34]

Loved this series. Can’t wait to play the game!

[@Jpteryx]

Great advice! I like using delayed skill rolls in D&D too.

[@ShineDark]

Honestly, if I had been in her position, I would’ve just offed myself when I learned what my future self was gonna do. I can’t destroy the world in the future if I don’t live to see it.

[@SciDarkReal]

that’s the easy route, but lucille knows what she’s doing damn well

[@probablynotasith5355]

If your open to suggestions maybe do a how-to-play of Vampire the Masquerade next? That should be interesting.

[@boltodj]

The joke about boats being WMDs is awesome. 😄

[@olgagoodluck]

Thank you very much for this series! It was extremely helpful and interesting!

[@ralphjackson2518]

Very well done. I kinda want to see a spinoff about the various spinoff or variant rule sets like Pulp Cthulhu or Delta Green

[@itstimeforacrusadeparrythi9722]

What is the song in the end of the video? I really like It, but i dont know the name, does anyone know It?

[@BXRDERLINE1111]

Gaia in Fog - Dan Bodan

[@vimbert]

As always, this video has some great GM advice. Another great video, man.

[@zaap125]

I wish a series like this was done for more table tops RPGs like D&D, Pathfinder and Mythras