Crawling Around the Ankles of the Great Cyclopæan Ones
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In this episode of Improvised Radio Theatre with Dice, hosts Michael Kuhl and Roger Bell West dive into the latest offerings from the Bundle of Holding, focusing on Trail of Cthulhu's upcoming second edition and the new Cthulhu Apocalypse supplement. Roger expresses cautious enthusiasm for the second edition, noting its structural improvements and the value of reusing older materials, while also cautioning that the new campaign supplement, which depicts humanity's collapse after the Great Old Ones awaken, may be too bleak for regular play. He suggests it could work well as a one-on-one narrative experience akin to Robin Laws' Hillfolk. The hosts also discuss the Gumshoe system's strengths—particularly its spotlight-sharing mechanics and clue-based design—while critiquing its inconsistent early rule implementation and the flawed dice pool system in Scion, which they liken to a 'Percy Jackson' RPG with underdeveloped mechanics. A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to advice for GMs on deepening NPC engagement, emphasizing the importance of personality, visual cues, habits, and meaningful interactions to avoid soap opera fatigue. They advocate for using session zero not just for tone-setting but for collaborative character creation and niche protection, ensuring each player feels uniquely valuable. The episode concludes with reflections on integrating player backstories meaningfully without overwriting them, and the importance of respecting player agency while still creating impactful character tests.
Use NPC personalities, habits, and visual cues to deepen immersion and avoid 'soap opera' fatigue.
Leverage session zero for collaborative character creation and niche protection to ensure distinct roles.
Respect player backstories by integrating them meaningfully, but avoid forcing character development that contradicts player intent.
Cthulhu Apocalypse is best suited for one-on-one narratives rather than traditional party campaigns.
The Gumshoe system's strength lies in its spotlight-sharing mechanics and clue structure, not just its 'no missed clue' rule.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Introducing Trail of Cthulhu and Cthulhu Apocalypse
“You are the last human beings alive crawling around the ankles of the great Cyclopean ones.”
The Strengths and Flaws of the Gumshoe System
A deep dive into the Gumshoe system’s design philosophy, particularly its spotlight-sharing mechanics and clue structure. The hosts praise its ability to prevent players from being stymied by missed clues but critique the inconsistent early rule design and the flawed dice mechanics in Scion.
GM Advice: Bringing NPCs to Life
“You want something about them that can trigger memories and create more characterisation. Even if it's just an accent.”
Session Zero: Beyond Tone-Setting
The hosts expand on the concept of session zero, arguing it should include collaborative character creation, niche protection, and discussion of group dynamics. They stress the importance of ensuring each character has a unique role and a reason to be part of the group.
Integrating Player Backstories Without Overwriting
“The test can be passed in different ways. The test results... are used to define the character, not to kill the character.”
“You are the last human beings alive crawling around the ankles of the great Cyclopean ones.”
“The test can be passed in different ways. The test results... are used to define the character, not to kill the character.”
“You want something about them that can trigger memories and create more characterisation. Even if it's just an accent.”
Hosts
roger bell west
person
michael kuhl
person
trail of cthulhu
media
gumshoe system
media
scion
media
bundle of holding
organization
bayern campaign
media
cthulhu apocalypse
media
william blake
person
onyx path
organization
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