Lovecraft links

Not strictly a role playing entry, but I thought I would point out some nifty Lovecraft links that I have been enjoying recently in lieu of something more substantial:


Lovecraft is Missing - An enjoyable little Lovecraftian homage webcomic which is particularly enjoyable if you know your Lovecraft. More pulp than classic cosmic terror, but still a lot of fun.


H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast - This is a regular half-hour podcast by two guys going through and discussing every Lovecraft story. Usually their inane banter is a little too inane for me, but often there is also a lot there of interest, especially when they have guests like Ken Hite.


Propnomicon - This is another fantastic site, this time about prop making. Not just for Cthulhu related things, but for a whole bunch of interesting topics. The creator also produces and provides for free some really awesome props for all manner of role playing games, so big ups for that.


That is about it for now, but I have some more things festering around in my fevered mind to post later.

Play-testing time

Today, assisted by some kind souls, I ran a play-test for a soon to be published adventure for Trail of Cthulhu. Set in a field hospital during World War 1, the adventure asks the players to investigate some recent unexplained deaths. Overall I think the game went OK, but running a play-test presented me with some interesting challenges.

Probably the biggest challenge was not modifying the scenario before hand. As the game was a play test, I deliberately decided not to modify things in order to provide the most effective feedback. This is something I have taken for granted in my recent gaming life and, to be honest, something I wasn't aware I did so much. I guess it's only when I didn't have the ability to do this, that I realised I really appreciated it.

This made the game being a little more messy than I would have normally preferred, as there were aspects that didn't sit totally right with me. The adventure was also designed with a real 'sandbox' approach to the setting. The players found this good in that it gave them a lot of freedom to investigate different leads, but I felt some of the scenes were a little 'messy'. There were also a large number of NPCs to juggle which was a little draining and quite a shift in tone towards the end of the story.

This meant some aspects of the game didn't really 'pop' as well as I would have hoped, which is a little disappointing, as I was the GM for a new bunch of guys who I respect as gamers. I am also fighting off the beginnings of a cold, which didn't help matters much. However it did remind me of the importance of scenario familiarity, especially when you can't make changes, and I think the feedback generated will be very useful for the publishers. Next up is Thursday's regular New York campaign, so hopefully I'm feeling better by then.