How to design your Call of Cthulhu game in InDesign

So you've written an amazing Call of Cthulhu scenario but now you have to put it in a pretty PDF to upload it to DriveThruRPG. 🤷 Never fear! I've got you covered in this 36 minute tutorial on how to design your Call of Cthulhu game in InDesign.
I'll take you through how to prep your materials, set up a master page, set up paragraph styles, resize and add photographs, and export your PDF for sale on DriveThruRPG.
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[@NickBrooke]

This is really useful, Kat! Just a few print-nerd observations... For printed works, the bottom margin should probably be a bit bigger than the top and side margins - that's where readers hold the physical book, so their thumbs can get in the way of any text down there. (I learned this from Robert Bringhurst, who is the GOD of page layouts). Chaosium's templates have 0.75 inch top, left, right margins and 1.25 inch bottom margins: this is why. It's irrelevant for pure PDF products, of course. When exporting printable PDF pages, remember that you only need to set external bleeds: top, bottom and outside edge = 0.125 inches; inside edge = no bleed. Easy to forget; very easy to fix. Finally, and again only for print, I'd put the page numbers at the bottom left and bottom right corners of each spread, not centred. That way they're easier to see when you're flicking through the book! (I used not to do this, and it does look much better with them) And here's a handy tip for you: instead of going to Photoshop, you can check image resolutions using the "Links" menu in InDesign. Go to Links > Panel Options and tick these two options: "Actual PPI" & "Effective PPI" (pixels per inch). Effective PPI is what matters for this: it's the resolution you're reproducing the image at. (So a one-inch square 300 PPI image (actual resolution), reproduced at double size, is only 150 PPI (effective resolution)).

[@KatClay]

Thank you so much Nick! This is so helpful for me too! Also I love the tip about larger margins on the bottom for my grubby little hands to hold the book. 👐 Legend.

[@Ars_Fabula_TTRPG]

This is such an indispensable resource for creators looking to quickly get into laying out their work. Thank you for this video.

[@KatClay]

You're very welcome! So glad it's been able to help so many people.

[@Zacctastic]

Great video. I had to LOL on the comment in regards to the unit system:"Whatever they use in America." That would be the Imperial System which is the original English system. 😃 Yeah, we kept it and I am happy to talk about how much something weighs in stones.

[@KatClay]

Haha yep I'm Australian so it's metric all the way here!

[@EmpireofShadowsRPG]

My original, long-winded praise of this video seems to have been deleted by KZbin, so here's my shorter newer praise-post! Kat - this is hands-down the best how-to video for anyone looking to create something in InDesign out there! Awesome job! Thank you!

[@KatClay]

Thankyou! And I'm so pleased to see it being used for awesome projects 😄 not sure what KZbin is doing but I appreciate your comments!

[@rjurikdavidson]

This was really useful. Not in terms of actually helping me escape the layout Hades that I'm trapped in. Oh no. But at least know I have a map of that particular Hades. I know which part of Hell I'm trapped in. That's always good.

[@KatClay]

Yes, design hell is real. Now you just need to follow Orpheus out of the underworld...

[@rjurikdavidson]

I want to make some sacrifices. Can I do that? Note, SAN is off the table. I'm already indefinitely....iinsaaaane. @@KatClay

[@Weird_Quests]

Loved your part on the panel this weekend at PAX :D I’ve been writing freelance for D&D 5e primarily, but have been a Keeper on CoC for close to 8 years :D Want to start writing my own ideas and materials into cool one-shots :D

[@KatClay]

Thankyou so much ☺️ CoC is so much fun to write for. Sounds like you have a heap of skills already from writing for D&D. But if you want any Cthulhu specific tips just shout!

[@Weird_Quests]

@@KatClay thank you so much! I’ve also already done the StoCo course on D&D, I might do the CoC specific one too. I’ll definitely send questions your way :) any preference to do so?

[@KatClay]

You can email me at [e-mail] or just message on socials.

[@chrislackey]

This amazingly helpful! Thank you!

[@KatClay]

So glad it can help you ☺️

[@rjurikdavidson]

I'm super looking forward to you using these tips for our written up scenario called, um, "The Deep!" :) Nah, I'll do it too!

[@KatClay]

You mean you're looking forward to sending me my own video so that I can do the design on our scenario? 🤣

[@rjurikdavidson]

@@KatClay Exactly. Though you might need to provide me with the link…

[@mikemason7182]

Awesome! Well done.

[@KatClay]

Thankyou Mike! ☺️

[@JustinB_Oz]

Really useful tips Kat. Awesome video well done.

[@KatClay]

Thanks Justin 😙

[@talesfromratcitydavidwaldr3902]

So following this for my Shenandoah adventure. When I do place from my word it only seems to do the first page of the 106 page doc, they don't seem to flow onto other Indesign pages. I am not sure what I am missing.

[@KatClay]

It's been a while but I think you need to autoflow the text from the first box. You'll still need to do layout work to get it looking like you want but if you've set up the master pages it should take a lot less time. helpx.adobe.com/au/indesign/using/threading-text.html

[@davidwaldron228]

Thanks heaps