CoC-keeper Tips v1.1

KEEPER
TIPS
Collected Wisdom
on Running Games
KEEPER
TIPS
Collected Wisdom
w CREDITS x
The Collected Wisdom of Scott David Aniolowski, Sean Branney,
Allan Carey, Keris McDonald, Jason Durall, Paul Fricker, Bob
Geis, Lynne Hardy, Bridgett Jeffries, Jo Kreil, David Larkins,
Mike Mason, Mark Morrison, Thom Raley, Matthew Sanderson,
Becca Scott, and Seth Skorkowsky.
Edited by Mike Mason.
Artwork by Simon Bray and Andrey Fetisov.
Design and Layout by Nicholas Nacario.
Proofreading by Lynne Hardy.
Licensing conducted by Michael O’Brien, James Lowder, and

Mike Mason.
Call of Cthulhu Creative Director: Mike Mason.
This supplement is best used with the Call of Cthulhu

roleplaying game.
Keeper Tips © 2021 Chaosium Inc. All rights reserved.
Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition) © 1981–2021 Chaosium Inc. All

rights reserved.
Call of Cthulhu, Chaosium Inc., and the Chaosium dragon are

registered trademarks of Chaosium Inc.
No offense to anyone living or dead is intended.
This material is protected under the copyright laws of the

United States of America. Reproduction of this work by any
means without written permission of Chaosium Inc., except for
the use of short excerpts for the purpose of reviews is expressly
prohibited.
Find more Chaosium Inc. products at chaosium.com.
Chaosium Inc.
3450 Wooddale Court
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
w CONTENTS x
Introduction�� 5
Ground Rules�� 7
Inclusivity �� 11
Preparation�� 13
Players �� 21
Sensitivity �� 31
Designing Scenarios �� 33
Gameplay �� 49
Keepering �� 59
Horror �� 71
Sanity �� 75
The Cthulhu Mythos �� 77
Non-Player Characters �� 83
Monsters �� 87
Online Play �� 89
Props & Handouts �� 91
Miscellaneous �� 101
Resources �� 103
Biographies �� 105

w INTRODUCTION x
A gathering of wisdom, advice, and tips from Keepers for
Keepers of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game.
Released as part of the 40th anniversary of Call of

Cthulhu, this book is aimed at anyone—whether veteran
or novice—who plays this well-loved tabletop game, but
is particularly aimed at those who undertake to run,
referee, and potentially craft their own scenarios.
The information herein stems from a diverse range
of people, some who have been running the game since
its birth, and others who might be considered to have
“fresher” outlooks. All have presented what they consider
to be their most useful and insightful advice.
Some of the tips are contradictory. Some repeat or
reinforce advice. Imagine, if you will, that you are sat
with a group of experienced Keepers, each sharing and
building upon the ideas of the others. Take from this
what you will.
You may agree or disagree with some things. That’s
good. Consider the advice and turn it into something
useful for you. Or, just ignore the stuff that doesn’t
appeal. Hopefully, what’s in these pages allows you to dip
in once in a while and find a new nugget of inspiration.
If you are a long-time Keeper, thank you for your
service. If you are new and just starting out, welcome! I
hope you enjoy the journey.
Mike Mason
2021
w 5 x
w GROUND RULES x
Call of Cthulhu is all about the story. It’s fine to occasionally
fumble a roll or bend or ignore a rule in order to allow the story
to progress.
Before play, forecast the structure of your scenario

before you start. Explain the style of the game, upcoming
breaks, your run style, and what the players can expect.
Don’t bypass having a Session Zero prior to starting

your campaign. This is the best time to set the tone,
experience, and expectation for the game. You can delve
into what the players are hoping for and ensure that
everyone is on the same page. This minor step can save
you a ton of headache.
If you like to use miniatures, use miniatures. If you love

handouts, use handouts. If combat makes your blood
pump, pulp it out. There is no wrong way to play Call
of Cthulhu.
The rules of the game work for you—you don’t work for them.
Atmosphere is vital, but don’t underestimate the

importance of laughter as a tool for controlling tension
buildup and release.
Don’t worry if your players are laughing during the

game—it means they’re enjoying themselves, which is a
good thing.
Ideally, running a game should be like running a dinner

party. People play best when they are comfortable and
relaxed. Choose an environment that is free from clutter
and distractions. Make sure the players have beverages
and bathroom access. Games can be paused for any
reason the players might need.
w 7 x
Don’t feel that you have to limit yourself to Lovecraftian
horror. Gothic horror, survival horror, horror adventure,
horror comedy, and more can all be easily enjoyed with
Call of Cthulhu. Explore the genres!
Never let the rules get in the way of a thrilling sequence

or good storytelling. The rules are there to give you a
structure for how to solve various issues that may arise.
Texting and talking on cell phones are the quickest way

to cause distractions during a game session. Before play
begins, discuss the use of cell phones with the players.
Turning phones off is an ideal solution, but, failing that,
suggest that if they must be used, the player steps away
from the table briefly to use their phone. But, do be
aware that, for some people, looking at their phone can
be a form of anxiety release. We are all different, so do be
open to the requests of your players. Scheduling a mid-
game break can help too.
Call of Cthulhu is not “Keeper versus Investigators.” You

are co-authors, telling a story together. Keepers, no one
is keeping score on how many investigators you killed.
Call of Cthulhu is a life sentence. I still play and write

with people I ran this game for 35+ years ago. I love that.
The dice determine success or failure, but the dice do

not decide what success of failure looks like in your
story. When a player succeeds at a skill roll, their goal is
achieved, but, when they fail, the Keeper decides what
happens.
This is a game best played after dark.
Don’t pay attention to any Call of Cthulhu tips in this book.

You have your own voice, your own horrors. Use those.
w 8 x
If you are hosting a live game, have extra supplies
(dice, pens, and paper, etc.) in case someone shows up
unprepared. Your game will go smoother if you avoid
these awkward moments.
If your friend ever says they want to run Call of Cthulhu,

encourage and support them, and cheerlead for the
group. Buuuuut, if you sense that is applying pressure
(maybe they want to do it, but they’re not really ready),
then ease back down.
If you have something you want the players to find out

about, you should make the clue obvious. The players
don’t need to roll dice to find an obvious clue, but, if they
do, it’s about who finds the clue, rather than whether
they find it or not.
The purpose of roleplaying is to have a good time. It’s not

about winning, it’s not about historical accuracy, it’s not
about who’s been doing it the longest. It’s about everyone
having a good time.
The goal of any tabletop game is to have fun. While we

may wish to frighten, thrill, or challenge our players,
never lose sight that everyone’s enjoyment is the true
objective. Everything that you put into your games
should be to enhance the fun of the experience.
Yes, it’s important for the Keeper to make the game fun
and entertaining for their players, but it should be fun
for them, too. Players, be nice to your Keepers—they
work hard for you.
Be nice to everyone.
w 9 x
w INCLUSIVITY x
Even if aiming for historical accuracy, there’s no need to
lean on bigoted or misogynistic elements of our collective
past. If you insist on there being a narrative purpose for
such elements, discuss them with each player separately
ahead of time. The game is fictional and you may rewrite
history to include women and people of color to make
your table a more inclusive and welcoming place for all.
Be inclusive when writing. Writing your own scenario

means you have an opportunity to populate it with
different types of people, maybe people different from
yourself. Consider different races, classes, cultures,
countries—you can set your scenario anywhere and at
any time, and that gives you a rich pool to draw from, to
tell your story.
Think about how to create conflict while avoiding

stereotypes, slurs, and cultural appropriation. Some
research will help you craft your tale. Use the marvelous
variety of human experiences to flesh out your setting,
characters, and plot.
The reason we run You Too Can Cthulhu is that we love

introducing players to Call of Cthulhu. Over the years,
we’ve attracted a good number of returning players. It’s
always nice to see our old friends back at the table. Yet,
it’s the new players who inspire us to go the extra mile.
It’s very true what they say about first impressions, and
striving to deliver a new and exciting experience is a
huge motivator.
w 11 x
Be respectful. One thing to remind myself about is that
not everyone has the same preferences and tolerances
that you do. As a horror-based system, Call of Cthulhu
can venture into areas that may be uncomfortable for
some people. If you know a scenario has thematic
elements that some could find objectionable, be upfront
and frank with your players before the game begins. Let
them know what to expect.
Inclusivity matters. Offer a diverse cast of investigators

and non-player characters (NPCs) that are BIPOC,
LGBTQ+, varying sexual identities, disabled, and more!
Are you struggling or afraid of creating diverse

characters? Here’s a simple trick. Create a good character
and then decide their gender, race, orientation, their
disability after the fact.
Stop typecasting marginalized persons as villains. Stop

stereotyping marginalized people. It’s a tired cliché and
you’re better than that.
Remember, the game is not about you, the Keeper. Do not

try and control the players or make decisions for them.
You are playing together with them, not manipulating
them. If they do something unexpected, find a way to
incorporate it into their story.
Not all cultists are “other,” many look exactly like the
investigators.
Diversify investigator careers. Great characters don’t

have to have formal careers or specialized fields to be
useful or epic. Examples include the referee, taxi driver,
nanny, tutor, phone solicitor, social media influencer,
travel agent, bank teller, and so on. Regular folk are at
the heart of many great Call of Cthulhu stories.
w 12 x
w PREPARATION x
Plan, plan, plan, and then forget the plan. Don’t be
precious about whether your players do everything you
expected, they never will. Be ready to make things up on
the fly if the investigators head in a direction you didn’t
expect.
Have the players make their investigators together—this can

make sure that they not only avoid gaps in required or useful
skills, but also allows them to determine possible connections
between their investigators.
Read through the scenario thoroughly before running

it. Make sure you understand which points are going to
cause the most impact on the players, especially where
they might have points of revelation. At the same time,
try to avoid creating elaborate pantomimes of what you
want to happen. Remember, you don’t want to force the
players to do anything.
The purpose of the game is to entertain, so make sure you

go over any themes with your players ahead of time that
might show up in the game. Do not drop a big bombshell
on a player like, “Oh, your investigator is now pregnant,”
without first having had a talk with the player ahead of
time.
If you are about to start running the game for the first
time, prep a one shot, playable in one night. See if you
and the players like it. I’d advise against jumping into
a long scenario or a campaign. It will make a better
impression if your first story concludes with a definite
ending.
w 13 x
Provide the investigators with a useful group or
organization to join, such as the Silver Twilight or any
of those mentioned in the Call of Cthulhu: Investigator
Handbook. The private libraries of such organizations
could be useful with research, and groups with actual
lodges could be used as bases of operation when the
investigators travel away from home to solve cases.
You don’t need to know everything. You don’t have to

memorize the name and family history of every NPC or
know which road goes to which city in every direction.
Everything outside your story can exist in a haze until
you and the players fill it in, together.
Discuss with your group the tone of the game, the style
of play, and agree behaviors. Set expectations early and
review them occasionally as you play.
If planning a game session, four players is a good

maximum number to invite. Over that amount, they are
harder to scare. Safety comes in numbers.
Before an investigation, select a handful of images to

represent NPCs of different genders, cultures, social
classes, and ages. When you need to come up with such
an NPC, having a visual aid can help to sell them as
“real” to the players.
Before a campaign begins, make an investigator tracker.

Record information like DEX order to help make combat
go faster. Other information worth having on the tracker:
investigator name, profession, current SAN, any ongoing
insanity, key backstory information, and if they own any
artifacts or tomes.
w 14 x
When players are creating their own investigators for a
pre-written scenario, take a look at their backstories and
identify any people that are significant to them. Where
possible and appropriate, consider if there are any NPCs
in the scenario that could be these significant people.
Don’t be afraid to change their names if needed. This can
make an investigator feel more connected to the story as
it unfolds.
When prepping a scenario, take a moment to do a little

extra reading on that place or historical period. Players
love immersion.
No matter how much you prepare, your players are going

to ask things you don’t know. Try not to worry about it
when they do. If it’s a real-world fact, you could always
ask one of the players to quickly check it online for you (as
long as it won’t distract them from the game); if it’s not,
make it up on the fly, but make a note of it somewhere
so you don’t forget what you said the next time they ask.
If you, as a Keeper, want to add/change/remove elements

of pre-written scenarios you want to run, you should not
be afraid to do so! It’s not as though the author will come
after you for doing so… apart from [REDACTED]—they
might.
During “session zero,” give the players a rough idea of

what skills may be needed in the course of the scenario
or campaign. This could be a list of languages needed
or just a broad description like, “physical skills will be
valuable and highly used.”
w 15 x
Have a list of random names to hand that are
appropriate to the setting of the scenario. Sometimes,
the investigators will want to interact with an NPC that
you haven’t yet prepared for the scenario. Having a list
of names ready allows you to improvise a little quicker
and not break the pace of the game.
If you are using a published scenario, read it several

times in advance, annotate it, and change anything as it
suits your game. Authors are not perfect! Read as if you
are a PC, and constantly ask: “What do I think is going
on at this point? Is it a threat? Is it interesting? What
can I do about it?” Be prepared to fill in any details or
logic bridges it seems the author has missed out or left
unclear.
If you are running a campaign, a helpful suggestion at

the beginning of each session is to do a recap. Ask for
volunteers at the start of each session to take notes so
they are able to present a recap at the beginning of the
next session.
A previous session recap is a really useful tool for the

Keeper if they ask one of the players to give it, because
it lets the Keeper know what the players (and their
investigators) think is going on—even if that’s not
actually what’s happening!
If you are running for a group with new players it can

be useful to employ easily accessible tropes and easily
referenced settings for them to latch on to. Think The
Maltese Falcon meets Indiana Jones and you can’t go far
wrong.
w 16 x
Published scenarios are often the best choice. It is a
challenge to sandbox a whole Call of Cthulhu mystery,
unlike combat-focused fantasy games. It is often good
to run a solidly plotted mystery. Prep is important, but
it’s easier with a published scenario as the work has
been done for you. Read over the scenario so that you
understand what’s at stake, what each NPC wants, how
the clues connect, and how to solve the case.
If you intend to run a scenario multiple times for

different groups, consider laminating the character
sheets and handouts. Players can use non-permanent
marker pens to write on these, allowing you to wipe them
clean after each game. This way, you’ll only have to print
the documents once—saving your paper and ink/toner.
Even if you are using a published scenario, do your own

independent research on the setting and location. There
may be other elements you can bring in as local color
or as red-herrings—folklore, locations, history, or NPC
characters. Check out online maps and satellite views if
using real-world locations.
When starting a new campaign, ask each player to

come up with an ally (an NPC who is willing to help the
investigator), a bystander (an NPC who is not necessarily
a helper or an enemy), and a nemesis (someone who will
make life difficult for the investigator). These NPCs
help give life to a campaign and add dimensions to an
investigator. These are a resource for the player as well
as the Keeper.
An exception to the prep rule: when you run your own

stuff! If you haven’t had the writing breakthrough you
need, but have a strong start, solid NPCs, and a good
back story, I go ahead and run it. Being on the spot often
gives the spark to help you fill in the gaps.
w 17 x
With pre-gen investigators, grant the players some
bonus skill points, say 50 to 100 points, to customize
their character. The points could top up a skill or even
give them a new skill.
After reading a scenario, some Keepers may wonder how

others have run it in the past and how they overcame
any obstacles they encountered. In addition to detailed
reviews and discussions that can be found online, there
are many published scenarios that have “actual play”
recordings available. These can be quite informative and
may inspire you to make adjustments to the scenario
that you hadn’t previously considered. Personally, I
wholeheartedly recommend Seth Skorkowsky’s YouTube
channel for his reviews of Call of Cthulhu scenarios and
campaigns.
Weave the investigators and the plot together.

Incorporating names and other details that the players
come up with produces a more collaborative story. Refer
to the investigators’ backstories and take careful note of
any details for later incorporation into the scenario.
Not every investigator group needs to be from a

local university. Other interesting options include
criminal gangs looking to use the supernatural to their
advantage, a medical or science group looking to explore
the Mythos to help further understanding, or a suburban
book club looking to protect their neighborhood from the
supernatural.
w 18 x
It’s helpful to read through a pre-written scenario a
few times before running it, to help memorize as many
details as you can. It can be helpful to make notes too.
If the scenario has a complex background or numerous
important details to convey in certain scenes, breaking
each section down into a bullet-point list helps me to
quickly navigate the story. Likewise, drawing up a
relationship map to illustrate the links between NPCs
can also be helpful.
If you are nervous about thinking on your feet, advance

preparedness is what will save your ass. You should go
into a gaming session knowing your scenario, even a
pre-published one, intimately. But, don’t be inflexible.
Some of the best gaming moments happen when player
characters (PCs) do something unexpected or players
think of something you haven’t. Instead of reflexively
blocking these avenues, treat them as opportunities to
twist the horror knife and ramp up the stakes or the
scale of the problem. They start flagging down passing
motorists to help? Fine. Make it a Sunday school bus,
so the investigators have to ask themselves if they
are prepared to endanger innocents. Have the Good
Samaritans killed in front of them for extra guilt points
(and Sanity loss). Or, maybe, it could fit your scenario
that the entire bus is full of things that look like kids but
really aren’t…
Most adventures can be easily adapted to your favorite

time period. Read through the adventure and make
notes of anything that needs to be changed—of course,
some scenarios may need more work than others, while
some are more flexible. Don’t be afraid to make changes
to make the scenario fit.
w 19 x
If you are running a beginner game, the classic
introductory scenario “The Haunting” by Sandy Petersen
is available in the Call of Cthulhu Quick-Start Rules. It
has successfully spooked and hooked new players for 40
years, so should work for you, too!
If the scenario you are running has portraits for NPCs,

consider printing them out (along with their name) to
use as handouts. These can help the players by “putting
a name to a face,” and allows the Keeper to keep track
of which NPCs the investigators have met in play. This
works particularly well when running scenarios with a
large cast of NPCs. If portraits are not provided, a quick
search online can reveal a wealth of images you could
use instead.
If you are running a scenario at a convention and you

provide pre-generated investigators, consider leaving
some of the details blank for the players to fill in and
customize. Consider not specifying the starting Luck for
the pre-gens and get the players to roll for their starting
Luck as per the rules. You can even be generous and set a
minimum starting Luck value (if their dice are unkind to
them). Other potential areas that players can customize:
name, age, gender, appearance, and so on.
w 20 x
w PLAYERS x
Don’t make assumptions about your players based on
how they look.
Let players know that you welcome all of their ideas—

unless they impede another player’s fun. If one player
wishes to push another investigator out of a window,
don’t be afraid to pause the game to make sure this feels
like fun for both of the players before diving in.
Share the stage. Only say as much as needs to be said to

convey the scene and to get your players’ imaginations
running. When your players start talking to each other,
let them take it away. This gives you time to think about
what will happen next.
Call of Cthulhu is the perfect game for first time

roleplayers. Percentile skills are easy to understand, and
the game is pure story and mystery.
Make a habit of regularly asking your players what

they want. What sorts of adventures, horrors, obstacles,
and locations would they like? Do they have any special
requests of what they do or do not want?
Newer players sometimes do not know how to participate

in a game—how an investigation works, how to pursue
clues, what to do with clues, and how to interact with
PCs and NPCs alike. Try to paint a picture for them and
then ask what they want to do. Listen to what they have
to say, and help them if they’re struggling to understand
their options.
Encourage the players to talk in terms of their

investigators’ actions rather than using rules
terminology.
w 21 x
New players are often quieter and less interactive than
experienced players. Perhaps ask your more experienced
players to assist you in making the newer ones feel
comfortable. In setting up the game, have one of your
experienced player’s characters find a way to relate to
the new player’s character. Let them be related, lovers,
or colleagues. Thus, the experienced player naturally
becomes someone the new player can relate to and
provides a sounding board for their decisions and actions
during the game.
Let your players fill in the blanks. If you feel like you’ve
been monologuing, break up the exposition by asking
your players questions. “What would you bring with
you?” “How does your investigator feel about what’s
happening?” “Who do they wish they could ask for help?”
If a player asks you what something looks like and

you don’t have a description already made up, turn the
question back to them: “What do you think it looks like?”
Not only does it get you out of a hole, it helps the players
contribute to building the world their investigators are
exploring.
Ask the players questions about their investigators–—

their backstories, aspirations, friends, and rivals, and
take note of any replies that might be incorporated now
or for use later.
If one or two players begin to dominate the party, go

out of your way to include the others. Have an NPC
interact directly with a quieter player, handing them
the opportunity to forge a relationship. Or, instead of
opening up each decision to the group, specifically ask a
player, “What would (PC’s name) like to do next?”
w 22 x
When a player asks, “Can I push that?” turn the question
back to them. “That sounds good, how are you doing
that?”
Call of Cthulhu is a co-operative game. You and the

players have different roles but you must work together
as co-creators. Your task is to help the PCs through the
plot by giving them the clues they need. Your players’
role is to undertake an investigation willingly and with
focus. They are not there to be an awestruck audience to
your storytelling prowess. They are the protagonists of
the story.
Make players work. A Keeper has to walk a fine line

between making clues and useful information accessible,
but not making it too easy. Players will feel a greater
sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when they
have to work to find information, discover something
hidden, or piece together the clues. If you make it
impossible, they’ll likely feel frustrated. But, if you make
it challenging, each discovery they make in the game
yields its own satisfaction.
If a player is away for a session, you can just fade

them out—they go off on an errand, are sick in bed, do
research, recover from injury. If you must run them as
an NPC, don’t bother with their stats. It would suck to
miss a session but your investigator loses Sanity or dies!
Never tell a player how their investigator feels, tell them

what they perceive. Ask for Sanity rolls and let the player
decide how their character feels about what’s happening.
You can describe something scary, but the player has to
decide whether their investigator is scared or not.
w 23 x
As a player, are you offering opportunities for others
to shine? Are you helping the Keeper tell a good story?
Are you contributing to their enjoyment too? Are you
contributing in a positive or negative way?
Encourage the players to make backup characters. Have

them leave their characters’ Personal Interest skill
points unallocated. When the backup character is later
introduced to the game, the player can then assign those
remaining skill points toward any skills most suitable or
needed for the game at that time.
Character immersion is the ideal goal, but not everyone

is comfortable acting out in character or using an
accent. Americans attempting British accents frequently
degenerate into Monty Python lunacy quickly! Encourage
players to know their investigators and take on as much
of their mannerisms as they are comfortable with. Some
players go as far as to dress in costume, which is a great
help for getting into character. A heavier burden falls on
the Keeper who must play numerous parts as they tell
the story. Just do the best you can to the extent you are
capable of.
Player buy-in is important, more so in a horror game

than most others. In order to add a sense of horror,
players should be encouraged to buy into the genre and
allow themselves to be scared.
Encourage players to take ownership of their character

and their story.
Pronouns matter. Respect the chosen pronouns of both

your players and their investigators.
Give every player equal opportunity to spend time in

the spotlight, but, at the same time, be sensitive—not
everyone wants to be the center of attention.
w 24 x
Keepers should make it a rule to not allow players in a
scenario that have already played. It’s unfair to everyone
involved. The player may be a good actor, but it subverts
the spirit of the game. The Keeper cannot build suspense
and create revelation if one player already knows what
to expect.
Know your players. Get to know their preferences and

dislikes. Adjusting and designing scenarios gets much
easier if you do.
Never say “no” to a player’s idea. Roleplaying is a

collaborative experience. If you think a choice does not
fit in the scene, ask for an Extreme success instead of
telling a player they can’t try something they’d like to
try.
Counsel your players to create characters that are

involved in the story, rather than be passive observers.
Example: an expedition to the Antarctic will be an active
game for scientists and explorers, not so much for the
pilot and the radio operator.
Listen to your players and find out what they want for
their investigators. Based on this, give your players
moments to shine, even if that moment is a glorious
death.
Give your players a sense of agency (even if it’s just an

illusion of choice).
If the players decide to play, then they have a

responsibility to engage with the story. But, do your best
to meet them halfway.
w 25 x
Avoid being unnecessarily harsh when reviewing
newly created investigators. Remember, regardless of
how skilled or well-armed an investigator may be, the
monsters of the Cthulhu Mythos will always be more
powerful.
Encourage your players to nominate one person as “chief

archivist,” who looks after all the handouts from the
scenario.
Players sometimes love solving mysteries for their own

sake, to the point of always looking for “just one more
clue.” If they’re floundering, don’t be afraid to tell them
that they’ve got what they need to move on to the next
part of the investigation, or that they’ve found everything
of interest in the scene.
The Sidebar: I’m a big fan of pulling individual players

aside to tell them things only their character would know
or give them information unique to their character’s
psychological state. Rather than saying to the group, “Bob,
you missed your Sanity roll and you hallucinate a giant
monster smashing through the window,” pull Bob aside
and tell him quietly that his character is hallucinating
and what he sees. Then, he’ll return to the table, play
resumes, and suddenly he screams about the monster
breaking through the window. It can be very effective.
Older players are often more difficult to bring reliably to

the gaming table. If you have a middle-aged friendship
circle, you need to just accept this and not sweat it.
Players of any age can have workload stress and
difficulty finding enough time, but once people have
family responsibilities—like small children and elderly
parents—their priorities have to change, and dedicating
an inviolate evening, day, or weekend to gaming will
become near-impossible. That’s life. Don’t desert them.
They still love your game, but they just need some
flexibility and empathy.
w 26 x
I don’t think there’s such a thing as a bad investigator,
only bad roleplaying. Personally, I’m kind of over playing
detectives with high Strength, Spot Hidden, and weapons
skills. Give me the 74-year-old granny with a bad hip
and glaucoma. Give the insurance adjustor with asthma
a fear of heights and a Sanity score of 34. Weaker,
more everyday characters can be richly rewarding in
game play. Characters who lack “useful” gaming skills
demand that the player find new ways of dealing with
difficult circumstances, besides breaking down doors,
picking locks, and shooting cultists. If you think of the
protagonists in Mythos stories, few of them are heroic
and capable.
Encourage your players to keep journals and notes. Not

only will it help them to remember what is happening in
the game, but it will also become its own tome of lore and
nostalgia in years to come.
Privileged players can ruin the experience for everyone.

Be a grateful gamer.
Sometimes players get desperately focused on trying to

“win.” Yet, missed rolls can sometimes be more satisfying
than successes. Whatever results the dice give you, work
that back into the world of the game. Don’t think in terms
of “You missed your lockpick roll,” but, rather, “It seems
like the cylinder of the lock is rusty—it just won’t turn.”
It’s time to confront that player or Keeper that isn’t a

good fit for your table experience. Be tactful, be humble,
and either resolve your differences… or go your separate
ways in friendship.
w 27 x
This can be a hard one to accept: your players’ enjoyment
comes first—before your own, and before the integrity
of the fictional world you have lovingly built. Nothing
compels you to do all the work of being a Keeper if you
don’t get anything out of it. If you pour your heart and
soul into creating a campaign, but then your players
spend a whole session being railroaded, upset, ignored,
or frustrated, then they will not come back for more and
your efforts will have all been wasted. So, be sensitive
to player mood and be flexible. Mutual respect is a
prerequisite for a roleplaying game. The players need
to respect your role in guiding them through the plot,
trusting that you will not arbitrarily kill them or balk them
or waste their time. You need to respect your players—
their agency, their enjoyment, and the validation they
get from achieving something or defeating an opponent,
or making a leap of understanding.
When you’re trying to create a delicate mood of fear and

paranoia, having someone bust open a bag of chips and a
can of soda can really kill a moment. Having refreshments
on hand is usually a good idea, but you may want to only
let your players enjoy them during intermissions in the
actual gaming. That, or get “quieter” snacks.
During the game, it’s the players’ responsibility to

share the spotlight. During the game, it’s the Keeper’s
responsibility to make sure that every player has an
opportunity to shine.
You might find that you have one or two players who do
all the talking and make all the decisions. Be alert to
quiet players and try to engage them. Ask open-ended
questions: “What are you thinking?” “What would you like
to look into next?” “What’s your next step, do you think?”
w 28 x
For a memorable game, it is imperative that both
the players and the investigators are invested. This
may sound like common sense, but if your players are
disinterested and your investigators are not involved,
you’re all just spinning your wheels in the mud.
Sometimes players, especially those new to a game,

can be passive or indecisive because they are nervous.
They are worried that they will “get it wrong” and that
it will get their PC into trouble or killed. You should
establish early that there is open dialogue between you
and the players, and that you don’t expect them to know
everything their character would. They should always
be able to drop out of character to ask, “What are my
options?” “What would be the normal thing to do in this
situation?” “What are my chances of pulling off this
action successfully?”
Players—well, their investigators—are, pretty much

without fail, going to go chasing off after the thing or
NPC you included as a throwaway comment or a bit of
set dressing. Let them—they’re telling you what they’re
interested in. It may take a bit of fancy footwork on your
part to get them back to the main plot, but allowing
them to follow their own leads keeps them invested in
the story.
Not all players like solving in-game puzzles for

themselves. Others love having the opportunity to do
so. You know your players best and what their likes
and dislikes are (and if you don’t, you should ask them).
Never insist on players solving a puzzle if it’s not their
thing—it’s perfectly fine for them to roll the dice and for
you to give their investigators the solution. Not being
able to solve a puzzle can be really frustrating and could
easily spoil your players’ enjoyment of the game.
w 29 x
w SENSITIVITY x
Be sensitive to identity. Be sure to ask your players
about their investigator’s gender and racial identities.
Not making assumptions makes your players feel more
comfortable and in control, even if their investigators
certainly are not!
Setting tone and expectations before play with a group

is important. What do you expect from your players, and
what do they expect from you? Will the game be serious
or frivolous? How often do you meet? What if someone
isn’t enjoying themselves, how do you address that?
Call of Cthulhu is played all over the world. If you’re

writing a scenario, be mindful that not every Keeper or
player is from your country or culture. Don’t assume that
your area’s historical knowledge is known worldwide.
Provide context to assist the Keeper and their players.
This is a horror game, so be sure to let the players know

that before you start. Have a discussion on what sort
of things people are happy with in the game and what
things they may want to steer clear of.
Never attempt to leverage players’ real-life fears or

anxieties against them to provoke a horror response.
Provoking a traumatic response in your players does not
equate to effectively evoking horror. The horror is meant
to be in the game, not in real life.
Dealing with real-life prejudices in your games in the

name of “historical accuracy” should only feature in
your games if that’s the sort of experience everyone at
the table is interested in exploring. Ask and talk to your
players beforehand.
w 31 x
When a question arises of inclusion of a character from
a historically-marginalized group, do not fall back on
received wisdom about the status of that community at
the time—do your own research first.
Everyone has boundaries. If you cross someone’s

boundary, things can stop being fun. Descriptions in
scenarios of animal abuse and child endangerment are
obvious risk-points, but it can be really difficult to know
where these boundaries lie for individuals. For example,
you might introduce an NPC who chain-smokes—but
one of your players is trying to give up smoking, and
what you see as an innocent bit of characterization,
makes them really uncomfortable. You don’t have to
anticipate everything or make your game bland—Call of
Cthulhu is horror, after all. But, don’t assume that just
because you think something is fair game in fiction, that
everyone else will agree. Accept that people have genuine
differences, and also that an individual’s boundaries
can shift depending on their daily life circumstances. If
you step over a line, even through no fault of your own,
apologize and back off from the description.
Never yell in a player’s face when roleplaying a villain,

and avoid “personal” abuse, even in-character. That sort
of thing bypasses the “We’re playing a game, here” bit
of the brain and goes straight to the trauma-processing
part. It can evoke what seems like a disproportional
reaction, which might derail your player and your game.
w 32 x
w DESIGNING SCENARIOS x
Consider how the investigators can solve the scenario.
Ideally, there should be multiple ways, and, vitally, one
should not involve combat.
All of those cool scenes, characters, events, and ideas

that you have bouncing around in your head? Write them
down in one place. Be it a physical notebook or an app
on your phone, consolidate them into one list. Trust me.
You’ll thank me later.
You are unique. Your storytelling, your writing, and your

ideas are unique. Don’t fear sharing that with the world.
When designing a mystery for an investigation, ask

yourself “What does the antagonist want? What are they
trying to achieve? What obstacles stand in their way or
what steps do they need to perform to get their way? Why
is this happening now?” If you can come up with clear and
unambiguous answers to these questions, the mystery
should be relatively easy to construct around that. If you
don’t know the answers to these questions, your mystery
may seem muddled and lack a clear resolution.
It can be useful to think of your game as an onion. The

more layers of the mystery that are pealed back, the
more is revealed to the investigators.
Try not to make your plots too complicated—no matter

how simple you think you’ve made your storyline, your
players are going to add complications that you never
have even dreamed of.
It’s an excellent idea to write a GM flowchart of clues—

where they can be found and how they lead to the next
scene or piece of information.
w 33 x
In writing scenarios, defy your players’ expectations.
Many players are very familiar with the Cthulhu Mythos
and the fiction much of it comes from. Use this knowledge
against them. If you’re sending them to Dunwich, give
them an experience where their knowledge of “The
Dunwich Horror” will not help them and may, in fact,
lead them to wrong and dangerous conclusions.
Researching the approximate era and location of your

scenario inevitably throws up a number of interesting
scenario seeds, from mysterious disappearances to tragic
deaths and dark rumors.
If you know when and where you’d like to set your

scenario, you might be surprised when you do some
research about how little you have to do to tweak
real historical places and events to make them more
Mythos-y. Always do so respectfully, though.
While you might anticipate and plan for multiple ways

that your players might approach and overcome an
obstacle, your players will always surprise you. Work
with the plan they make and not the one you imagined
them making.
Call of Cthulhu scenarios should not be random, but,

rather, they need to be carefully laid out so that they
make sense logically. It is a task, sometimes quite
difficult, to make sure all the little bits fit together like a
puzzle. It’s likely that some of your players will be more
intelligent and cleverer than you imagine. Try to create
for them.
Draw from your own life experience—was there a time

when you were frightened by something in the dark, or
did you have a recurring nightmare as a child? Well,
pretend like these things may actually be real. Now
what?
w 34 x
Keep a commonplace book to jot down ideas for villains,
cults, monsters, creepy scenes, and so forth. Go back to
it periodically and read through it to start building out
scenarios with one or more of your ideas. Keep it handy
when you’re reading fiction or watching films.
Red herrings ought to be used judiciously. You don’t want

every piece of information encountered by investigators
to be a vital clue. But, on the other hand, if you dish out
a lot of red herrings and let your players chase them all
down, you can end up wasting a lot of time and losing
the central thread of the investigation. If you use red
herrings, don’t let your players waste too much time on
them. Providing a solid dead end will help your players
get back to the relevant part of the investigation.
Not every campaign needs to be a world-trotting

adventure. Sometimes the best horror hits closer to
home.
The importance of research really cannot be understated.

You’ll find surprising details you can integrate into your
scenario, be able to play your NPCs effectively, and really
evoke a sense of time and place in your descriptions
during the game.
The pineapple on the sideboard. Only put into a scene,

gaming session, or scenario what you want your players
to investigate. If you put a pineapple on a sideboard in a
room they enter, they will investigate it.
Write and run what you’d like to play.
Incorporate your experience and interests into the story to

flesh it out. Think of things that have happened to you and
incorporate them.
w 35 x
Don’t let a single skill check grind an adventure to a
halt. If the investigators fail that skill roll, maybe their
goal is still accomplished but now they need to deal with
an unplanned for complication. This will keep things
interesting and avoid them being disappointed if they fail
that critical scenario-ending skill roll.
When writing a scenario to fit a particular time-length

(e.g., a four-hour convention game, a one-hour demo, to
run in one sitting with your regular game group, etc.) a
little goes a long way. Focus on simple story structures
(a handful of scenes, a short trail of clues, not too many
NPCs, one or two conflicts), as you’ll be surprised how
little is needed to fill a short game.
If playing in a modern-era campaign, don’t be afraid of

the technology that comes with it. Your investigators
will have cell phones, allowing them to do some research
in the field or giving them easy access to things such
as flashlights and cameras. Don’t be afraid of letting
investigators use these devices. Not every place they go
will be a dead zone.
Sometimes, having limits on when technology does and

doesn’t work can help build the tension, as long as you
use it wisely. There’s nothing quite as terrifying as
your cell phone, which was working perfectly earlier,
suddenly not having any signal right when you need to
call for help.
Do not. I repeat, do not, incorporate single-roll death

sentences on the investigators. It is the highest act of
dumbassery to kill a character who fails a single Climb
roll when scaling a wall. It’s not fun. Don’t do it.
w 36 x
Remember that a scenario should be an interactive
experience and that the investigators are its stars. Don’t
overshadow the investigators by having NPCs resolve
plots. Likewise, avoid scenes that you believe must happen
in a certain way (i.e., where the investigators cannot
affect the outcome). If the players feel that their actions
will not make an impact in the game, their engagement,
enthusiasm, and interest can (and most likely, will) fade.
An easy way to make a home-brew campaign is to

read several adventures and string them together into
a campaign. Whether they have similar enemies or
themes, make a few changes to connect them together.
One can contain a clue which leads to the next, and so on.
An NPC who shows up several times—whether an ally
or enemy—can also be used to connect the adventures.
Even though a Keeper knows why the events in the story

are happening, provide a means for the investigators to
discover it as well. A journal or confession is an effective
way and, more importantly, allows the players to
understand the story.
Scenario crafting is like forging a chain. In this case,

a chain of events. Even if the overall structure of the
scenario is a sandbox, all the elements need to be linked
together to make logical sense.
Have a record of the timeline of events for your scenarios,

and what the investigators do and when, while running
a campaign. This allows you to run what the antagonists
are doing in parallel with the investigators, and how
each affect the other. There are lots of period specific
calendars available for free online.
w 37 x
You can ransack popular culture for plots, but eschew
major horror tropes taken from movies in favor of those
taken from books and stories—if your players are horror
fans they’ve probably seen the same films, and that is
likely to break the immersion: “Oh right, it’s Human
Centipede.”
If you are writing a scenario for an existing group of

investigators, take a look at their character sheets.
Identify their highest skills and consider including
scenes in your scenario where using these skills would
be advantageous. Players like having their time to shine.
Likewise, avoid creating obstacles in the scenario that
require skills the investigators do not have. Some (read
all) players can find this frustrating.
Never be afraid to rewrite a scenario’s plot hook to

better fit your party’s occupations or backstories. All the
details in published adventures should be considered
more as suggestions rather than as strict guidelines.
Sometimes, the most authentic thing within a scenario

may call for an unusual skill (or at least a skill none of
the investigators have). Ensure the players know that
the point of this is to bring in that NPC you had them
meet last session, you know, the professor who is a
leading authority on cuneiform. Also, that professor is
probably a good replacement investigator, ready and
waiting in the wings.
If an adventure hinges on the players making a single

successful skill roll at some point to discover a critical
piece of information, they are almost guaranteed to fail
that roll. Have multiple means for the investigators to
learn the vital clue, or have its discovery be automatic
with the skill check determining possible setbacks for
its discovery.
w 38 x
Historical accuracy is not as important as you might
think. Just because your game is set in 1920s Chicago
does not mean it has to adhere to every historical detail.
The world of Call of Cthulhu is, after all, filled with deep
ones, elder gods, and the like (which aren’t historically
accurate either).
While it can be tempting to throw some red herrings

or dead ends into an investigation, the practical
reality is that each of these is potential off-ramp to the
investigation. These side avenues, while occasionally
interesting, can often derail or obfuscate an already
confusing investigation, as a mystery is never as obvious
to the players as it is to the Keeper.
If you are going to use red herrings, think about whether

or not you can use them to impart some other interesting
or potentially useful information—if not for this scenario,
then for further along down the line. It doesn’t have
to be a major revelation, but it might give a clue as to
someone’s motivations or give the investigators a chance
to hone their skills so they are ready for a much more
important encounter later in the story.
Have a friend read through your scenario once you

have drafted it and get them to tell you what they think
the story is and how the mystery plays out. If they can
explain it to you from a read through, then you’re on the
right track.
I do not like red herrings that have been purposefully

added, usually randomly, to a scenario; and, I feel
justified in expunging them. There are some, however,
that happen naturally and logically… those are great.
Also, the players often go off on little tangents during
the game. Ideally, don’t let them know they have done
this and try and incorporate their “wandering” back into
the game.
w 39 x
Playtest. Playtest. Playtest. Playtest. Playtest. And
then… playtest some more.
When playtesting your games, play them as written, not

as you think they should work. This will help you will
find any flaws in the game structure that you may be
glossing over because you know how the game should go.
Or, get someone else to run it and watch what happens.
Getting someone else to playtest your scenarios is a good

idea. You know what you think you’ve written and you’ll
run it with all the blanks filled in, no matter how hard
you try not to. Someone else can’t do that.
If you wish to include pre-generated investigators with

your scenario, these work best when they have specific
hooks into the story, and that they have skills that will
be useful in play. Additionally, try to provide a broad
range of investigators to cater to as many players’ tastes
as possible (e.g., a mix of male and female investigators
or all gender neutral, different ethnicities, different
ages, etc.).
Your favorite novels and movies can work as the basis of

a scenario. Perhaps investigators can look into the death
of a protagonist from your favorite horror story or movie
shorts, following up on the events that happened after
the original story.
If there is a “ticking timeclock” element to an adventure,

where the investigators must complete a task or solve a
mystery before a certain time, make the players aware
of that. That knowledge gives a sense of urgency to an
adventure.
Think about consequences. What happens if the

investigators do nothing or if they weren’t there? What
happen next, after the investigators burn down the
house?
w 40 x
Always remember, the antagonists aren’t just sitting
around waiting for the investigators to do something
before they’ll act. They have their own agenda and
timetable.
If you are looking for inspiration to write a scenario

but are stuck for ideas, try setting yourself some initial
criteria and let your ideas build up around that. Do
you want to write a scenario about a particular god
or monster? Have a flick through the Call of Cthulhu:
Keeper Rulebook or the Malleus Monstrorum and see
which of them appeal. Perhaps you want to write about
a specific place or time? Doing some research about it
might uncover information that sparks ideas.
One of the greatest aspects of the game is its relatability

to the real world. This allows for a more vibrant horror
than could ever be realized in other game settings.
Drawing on your own perspectives and experiences
allows you to deliver a uniquely personal story that
reaches your players and elevates play.
It’s fun to lock a scenario to exact dates, allowing you

to look up historical headlines for those days. It blends
fiction and reality, and helps you hide scenario news
items amidst real events. It’s also cool to print out a
calendar of the period and let the players mark off the
days.
It’s always easiest to sell the lie when it’s rooted in the
truth.
Everyone has their own writing process. Once you find

it, you’ll find your groove. Maybe it’s vision boards or
shower-inspired epiphanies. Maybe you’re a pantser
(write by the seat of your pants), or maybe you’re an
intentional planner. Find what works for you… and
write.
w 41 x
Read widely round the horror genre. Consider, while
reading, what it is that is effective in terms of detail
and reticence, revelation, narrative structure, hooks,
suspense, atmosphere, and setting. What works to make
it horror? Not everything will be translatable into an
RPG format, as they are very different forms of media,
but it can supply you with inspiration.
Read widely outside of horror fiction. Read biographies,

read history books, read classics of fiction. Expanded
reading and horizons brings inspiration from the most
unlikely of places.
And, don’t forget to read murder mysteries! You are

writing a mystery that needs to be solved, after all.
Not everyone has the time to read all those lovely books,
so don’t discount films, documentaries, and TV shows as
sources of inspiration and period detail. If they’ve been
adapted from a written source, they may even give you
some hints on how to adapt your favorite book or short
story into a scenario.
Remember that your scenarios are written for a Keeper.

It’s easy to become blind to your own intuition when
writing. You know what’s in your head; however,
outlining that for a stranger requires stepping back. Be
intentional about offering Keeper support.
People from historically marginalized groups make for

great investigators; they rarely make for interesting or
original villains.
An elevator pitch is a persuasive and succinct sales

pitch that is typically two sentences or less. Each of your
games should have an elevator pitch. If you can’t pitch it
within two sentences, then it’s too complicated.
w 42 x
Avoid the Bottleneck: in writing scenarios, try and
avoid constructing them so that there is only one path
to success. If, for example, the scenario dictates that the
players must break down the door to get the “Important
Thing,” everyone can be stuck in a frustrating impasse
if the players can’t or don’t want to take the prescribed
action. Even if there is a probable path, it’s prudent to
imagine other options.
Write about something that piques your interest. Your

passion for the subject will enhance the scenario. One
of the things I enjoy the most is the research that I do
as part of scenario development. Once you start down
the rabbit hole of a game idea, you can find all sorts of
historical facts and figures, photos, locations, artwork,
and far more. It is amazing what kind of interesting
things you discover along the way, which you can
incorporate into your scenario.
My most memorable Cthulhu games have often had a

morality-based decision at the conclusion. Consider
offering the investigators a difficult choice as opposed to
“kill the monster.” It’s a great way to end the game on a
dramatic note.
When considering the climax of your scenario, try to

present a number of options as to how the story may
conclude, or, if you have a particular end point in mind,
try to work in a few different ways that the investigators
may reach the end. This can help to keep the scenario
interesting for Keepers that run it multiple times for
different groups.
Do you have a finished scenario ready to publish?

Consider sending it to another Keeper to run! The
feedback will be invaluable.
w 43 x
Don’t be afraid to throw out an idea that’s not working.
It can be frustrating to toss out an idea, especially if you
have spent a lot of time on it. If it does not fit into the
scenario or it does not significantly advance the plot, you
are better off cutting it. Be prepared to change ideas on
the fly. And, maybe, the thing you cut will work better in
another scenario.
It’s not always easy taking feedback on your scenario.

But, take a deep breath, read the comments, and think
them over calmly and dispassionately. In the vast
majority of cases, the reviewer is trying to help you
make your scenario the best it possibly can be. You
don’t have to take all of their advice onboard, but, at
least, consider it.
If you’re asked to give feedback on someone else’s

scenario, make sure it’s constructive. Just saying you
didn’t like something isn’t very helpful and doesn’t give
the writer any clues as to how they can improve things.
Why didn’t you like it? Was it just not to your taste, or was
there something specific the writer can change to make it
better? Also, don’t be afraid to praise something that you
really enjoyed—far too often, feedback concentrates on
what isn’t working rather than what is. A kind word can
make all the difference to someone’s confidence and give
them the boost they need to make those other corrections
you suggested.
It can be fun to throw in uncanny events, but remember

the tendency of investigators to seize upon the smallest
thing and pursue it relentlessly—red herrings rarely
need to be introduced, as investigators are quite capable
of coming up with their own!
w 44 x
Be your own harshest critic. We all have attachments
to our creations; however, sometimes they are not good!
Make sure it’s you, and not the players, who makes that
discovery. After you’ve finished your first draft, take
a step back, and then return to read your scenario in
full. With fresh eyes, you may see bottlenecks that need
clearing or holes that need filling. Or, a great new idea
may have occurred to you in the meantime!
Sink the hook early. If you are writing for a convention

scenario, time is against you. Make sure that the
investigation’s goals are clearly set, early in the game.
Ambiguity and lack of urgency can turn into indifference
and boredom in a hurry.
The goal needs to be something that appeals to all of the

investigators. Their motivations may be different, but
the hook needs to spark interest in each one.
Within the context of the game, the player characters

may do things that attract the attention of the police.
Don’t be afraid to use them. If the police get involved,
work with it as a justifiable consequence. Let the
characters be detained for a brief spell. Maybe they find
an ally in the arresting officer or in the cell next door.
Remember that the police have personalities too.
Open-world or sandbox games are perfect for home

games. But, for convention settings, they don’t work as
well. There just isn’t enough time to allow players to
wander, while still making it through the story. We’ve
found that a tightly crafted and well-polished scenario
allows you to deliver a great experience. It may be a bit
of a railroad, but if the scenery is breathtaking and the
ride is thrilling, no one is going to complain.
w 45 x
Props versus clues: in writing your own games, it’s
worth thinking about what you give your players and
what they’re meant to do. I steer away from the term
and even the idea of “clues.” A clue is intrinsically
helpful to an investigation. If you give a player a clue,
they will anticipate that it is directly relevant to their
investigation. I prefer to give out props—items that
reinforce the world of the scenario but which may or
may not actively help the players. When players are
unsure whether or not an item is useful, I find they give
it more deliberation than they do when they know the
item exists solely to point them to the next step in their
investigation.
Player agency. You never want your players to leave the

table thinking this scenario could have run perfectly well
without them. Even in a scripted convention scenario,
with a linear story and limited branches, you should
include ways to let player decisions govern elements
within that framework, such as the order of locations
visited, the path of a line of inquiry, or some facet of the
way they play their characters. This limited flexibility
can be set up in the writing phase with careful seeding
of clues and an open mind as to how things might play
out with a table of creative players. You don’t have to let
them take over and run the train off the tracks, but you’ll
likely have a happier set of gamers at the end if they
feel like they played, and didn’t just listen while you led
them along.
w 46 x
You Too Can Cthulhu have been running games at
conventions for well over a decade, and we never stop
trying to improve our preparation and delivery. This
means testing our scenarios and providing often brutally
honest feedback. Playtest your scenarios for different
tables of players. What one player may come up can
wholly change the outcome of a scene, and even make you
consider altering the whole scenario. It’s another way to
find good ideas that just don’t work in this scenario—or
ideas that are just bad altogether.
Exhausted with creating investigator or NPC character

sheets? Use the Quick-Fire Method in the Starter Set (or
on page 48 of the Call of Cthulhu: Keeper Rulebook). You
can have a character prepared and ready in under five
minutes. Or, use dholeshouse.org and do it online.
Support the community creators on the Miskatonic

Repository. Leave reviews, share their listings, engage
in their discussions, and run their games. We don’t do it
for the money—we do it because we love the game and
want to share it with others.
A good gamemaster is a storyteller. But, Keepers should

keep in mind that it’s interactive storytelling and they
need to listen to the ideas, comments, and actions of
the players. An offhand comment by one of your players
might open up your gaming to fascinating and exciting
possibilities that you never imagined.
w 47 x
w GAMEPLAY x
Not everything is a dice roll. If your players want to do
something reasonable, let it happen! Getting too caught
up in whether something succeeds can stop the flow of
the narrative.
Anything can be a dice roll. If you’re not sure how to

answer a player’s question, let the dice decide. Not sure
which investigator a great old one should attack? Assign
a number to each player and roll to let fate choose! Or,
make it the one who just got the highest Luck roll.
What’s your rush? Sometimes the most exciting sessions

are the ones where nothing gets done. If your players are
enjoying a scene, don’t feel like you need to hurry them
out of it to get to all the locations you had planned.
Don’t be afraid to roll back a scene and retcon the action.

Take responsibility for any errors, ask the players if
they’re comfortable with the rollback, and be transparent
about the reason for the rollback.
When searching for clues in a scenario, Spot Hidden is

great if the investigators are doing a general search of
a room or area looking for clues. But, if they are being
specific, then let them locate a clue without a Spot
Hidden roll. For instance, if a clue is taped to the bottom
of a desk and the investigator specifically says, “I get
down on my hands and knees to look under the desk,”
they should be rewarded with the clue and not need a
skill roll. A generous Keeper may grant them the skill
check anyway without asking for them to roll, as an
additional reward.
You don’t have to act and speak in character, but players

tend to take their lead from the Keeper. If you do it,
they’ll do it too.
w 49 x
While historical accuracy can certainly be fun to
incorporate into your game, never feel constrained by it.
The game world does not need to be exactly like the real
world it represents.
Know what time your session must finish, and, when

you inside 30 mins, start planning the ending. Ending on
a strong point really finishes the session on a high and
makes everyone eager for the next session.
Did a player not record a piece of everyday equipment on

their character sheet, such as a lighter to burn evidence?
Did their investigator remember to bring their flashlight
from the car or home? A Luck roll is the best way to
determine this.
Try to adapt to all the weird tangents your player will

take. Give them room to explore things even when not
necessarily crucial to the overarching story. It can make
your players feel like they are investigators in an open
world with seemingly limitless possibilities.
The “real world” consequences and the things that come

back to bite investigators, or sometimes even help them,
can give players a sense of being part of a world that they
exist within.
Yes, Spot Hidden can include the sense of smell or even

that tingling sensation that something is wrong. The
“spot” in Spot Hidden does not necessarily have to relate
to sight alone.
Descriptions come first, math second. Always describe the

physical action before the number ramifications. Before
losing Sanity, tell a player what they see and ask them to
tell you how this affects their psyche. Then, tell them how
many Sanity points they lose.
w 50 x
Get the players to make Sanity rolls before describing
the scene. That way, you can adjust the description
based on their rolls.
Silence is golden. If your players are debating how

to handle a stealthy situation, whether to attack, or
whether to touch that shiny artifact, let them imagine
what might happen first. Sometimes, sitting in silence
for a few moments while they wonder aloud what horrible
consequence you may have in store, or asking them, “Are
you sure that’s what you want to do?” can help to set the
mood and make all the players more apprehensive.
The players’ fear of death or insanity for their investiga-

tors is far more powerful than actually having them die
or go insane. Have them know of, and fear, the looming
threat to their investigators. Whether they actually do
die or go insane is less important.
If the investigators fail to discover a particular clue at a

location, move the clue, or one like it, to another location.
Or, introduce a new clue that tells them to go back and
recheck where they missed the original clue.
If investigators take the story off its rails and you feel
unprepared, use the other brains at the table! Ask
players to tell you what they see when they unexpectedly
go into the railway station.
If an investigator is about to encounter a situation that

will lead to “insta-death,” try to warn them. It could be
clues, strange environmental effects (such as smells or
burn marks), or even just asking the player if they really
want to do that. Try to give them two or three warnings
before disaster strikes.
w 51 x
During clue gathering scenes, inspire the players to
split up and investigate in parallel. Saying, “While they
are doing that, what are you doing?” hints they could
be elsewhere. You can then cut from group to group.
Everyone gets a roleplaying spotlight, rather than
having one player hover up all the clues.
The marvelous thing about the 1920s is that, sometimes,

cars just don’t start, flashlight batteries fail, and you
don’t have to justify it. Make a Luck roll. Car doesn’t
start—you need to get out and crank. In the woods. In
the dark. At night. Roll Listen…
Just because investigators are easy to kill doesn’t mean

you need to kill them.
Build enduring tropes (personal to your group) into your

longer games and campaigns. Recurring NPCs, locations,
and events that have an effect on the world around the
investigators.
“Roll some percentile dice, no reason,” is my favorite way

of having the players make a secret roll in the open, such
as a Spot Hidden or a POW roll to resist possession. You
get the result you need, with a free serving of paranoia.
It is quite likely that not everything in a game will go

as you planned it to. That’s okay! Improvise, accept, and
adapt. This is all part of the co-creation process between
you and your players.
Keep track of any evidence or potential witnesses that

the investigators might have left at the scene of a crime.
Eventually, their enemies or a persistent detective might
begin investigating them.
w 52 x
If the investigators call the police, have the authorities
not believe them, suspect them of related crimes, be in on
the plot, arrive after the events unfold, become victims
themselves, or otherwise not solve the investigation for
them. The authorities might hinder more often than they
help.
Expect the unexpected and always be ready to improvise.

Players are clever, inventive, and original. They’ll
surprise you. Accept that you cannot plan for every
contingency.
Never be afraid to “steal” something the players suggest if

it’s cooler or more entertaining than the solution you had
planned. This is meant to be collaborative storytelling,
after all.
Use failed Sanity rolls or skill checks as a mean to diminish

the investigators’ supplies. A startled investigator may
accidentally squeeze the trigger on their gun or drop and
break their flashlight. A failed Climb roll might result in
something getting broken, like a cell phone or a vial in
their pocket, rather than cause physical injury.
A simple trick for being more effective and delivering

a great player experience is to stand up while running
your game. This allows you to command the table more
effectively and creates more energy. If you can walk
around the table, you’ll be able to whisper a clue into a
player’s ear, dramatize an NPC trying to manipulate, or
get right in the middle of a small-group conversation. It
adds a physical element to your storytelling. Your players
will be more focused on you, and more easily engaged
when doing so. But, be respectful of people’s space and
check with the players that this type of “acting” is cool
with them first.
w 53 x
Be aware of technology. Mobile phones, GPS, or the
internet can greatly change how the investigators
approach a problem, making certain obstacles easy to
overcome. Don’t simply block their use with no service
or downed lines every time the players wish to use them.
Instead, incorporate technology into your adventures.
Remember, if the investigators have access to
smartphones and facial recognition, so do the bad guys.
Never let the rules get in the way of a good experience.

Call of Cthulhu is a game of suspense and atmosphere.
If you have put together a memorable chase scene, do not
worry about whether you are adhering to the letter of the
law. Checking on minutiae during play can easily make
an exciting scene fall flat.
In the middle of a game, if you are unsure of a rule: take

a break, and, while the players get drinks, double check
the rule. Or, wing it and apply logic to see you through,
and then, once the game is over, recheck the rules to see
what you did right or wrong. Often, I find these the best
ways to learn rules I’m unsure of.
Give inanimate possessions a personality. An investigator’s

car that regularly backfires or house that leaks makes them
more feel more real.
At conventions, we often have multiple keepers managing

a single scenario—so, if you can swing it, see if a friend
can help you as a second keeper for NPCs. Having your
players encounter two (or more!) NPCs in a scene can
open up all sorts of storytelling opportunities in terms
of those characters establishing the setting, possessing
different clues, having conflicting viewpoints, conspiring
together to deceive the PCs, and much more. It can also
be helpful if the players split the party—multiple Keepers
can manage separate player groups for scenes happening
simultaneously.
w 54 x
Read the rulebook. Play games. Then, reread the
rulebook—especially the Running the Game chapter.
Most of the answers you seek are in there.
My favorite closing tactic near game’s end is to offer the

players a “sunset” scene. Give each player an opportunity
to briefly outline the lives of their investigators post the
events of the scenario. If you listen carefully, the majority
of the sunsets will give an honest review of the scenario.
Remember that investigation can take a lot of time. A

Library Use roll might represent a half-day’s work. If
the players are attempting too much research in one day,
have the library or museum close and then ask them
what they plan to eat for dinner.
Don’t be afraid to give the investigators a bit of time off,

with some period detail worked into the campaign or
session. Have a relative take them to the cinema or the
symphony, or a potluck at the local church. Immersing
them in the mundane makes the horrific intrusion of the
Cthulhu Mythos all the more devastating and unreal.
Map all combat! It will save so many misunderstandings and

arguments about who was where, facing off against whom.
You don’t need miniatures and a squared gaming mat.
Don’t map combat! Painting the scene and describing the

action with words gives you lots of flexibility—but don’t cheat.
w 55 x
Take your pacing cues from your players’ preference. If
they enjoy in-character shopping or dining, roleplay it
with them. If they find that sort of stuff tedious, skim
right over it and get back to the action or the plot. “Okay,
you send your equipment order through to Harrods and
dine at the Ritz. The moon is rising as you step out onto
the street at 9 pm, when all of a sudden…” The worst
gaming session I ever played in was one where the PCs
were invited to a society party. Now, every single player
in that gaming group was an introvert for whom three
hours of cocktail chit-chat with strangers was a foretaste
of Hell… Except for the Keeper, who was having the time
of their life roleplaying every NPC. It was horrible—and
not in the fun, game sense. Try to cultivate a feel for
what sort of scenario your particular player group likes.
You might not get it right straight away, but it will come
with experience.
Undermine the pillars of the PCs’ confidence. Are they

members of an anti-Mythos organization? Drop hints
that it has been infiltrated. Do they have academic allies?
Strike those mentors with public disgrace. Do they have
family? Keep the PCs afraid for them—or of them. Do
they have high social status or loads of income? Chip
away at that through media gossip, the Company Board
turning on them, threats of unemployment, a hostile
company takeover, or a stock market slide.
w 56 x
Dreams play an important part in the Cthulhu Mythos,
whether it be through the use of the black lotus or the
dream influence of deities like Cthulhu. The Keeper
can run a session of Call of Cthulhu only to have the
investigators wake at the end, the whole experience
having been a dream. Changes to Cthulhu Mythos
knowledge and Sanity remain the same, while all other
skills, hit points, etc., return to what they were prior to
the dream beginning. This can be an effective tool for
introducing clues or deadly dangerous confrontations
and give the players an “out” at the end. Just don’t do it
often or the whole thing loses its effectiveness.
Try to end every session with a hook or with the players

announcing what their plans are for the next session.
w 57 x
w KEEPERING x
Be on the investigator’s side. A Keeper should spend more
time trying to keep them alive and sane than trying to
harm them. The dice and obstacles in the investigators’
path may have different intentions.
Run the game with confidence and conviction. It anchors

the horror.
Run your game like it’s a movie. Your players may be

leading the action, but a good Keeper facilitates conflict
and drama. Don’t be afraid of creating situations where
all hell breaks loose.
It’s a campfire story. Everyone participates. There

are no winners. There are no losers. There is just the
living memory of the stories that you co-create. Create
memories that are worthwhile.
Summarize the rules for new players. Don’t try to explain

every rule at the outset—just give them a brief overview
and then address specific rules as they arise in play.
With new players, summarizing the rules up front is a

good way to make them bored. Demonstrate and explain
key rules during play, as you go. Real situations in game,
where the players are engaged, make for better learning
opportunities.
Stand up, move around, use your hands, tell your story.
Immerse yourself in the scene, see it, live it and enjoy
the story. You are telling a unique story—no two games
played from the same scenario will be the same. Along
with your players, you will create epic moments of fun
that will be remembered for years to come and belong
solely to you and your group.
w 59 x
The Keeper’s role is like that of an orchestra conductor:
you set the tempo. Getting a good pace to the game is
essential, keeping everyone interested and excited. That
doesn’t always mean fast-paced; sometimes, the players
need a chance to catch their breath and review the
situation.
Suspense! Never let your players feel at ease. Make

them wonder what’s coming next. Paranoia is a Keeper’s
best friend.
New to Call of Cthulhu? I suggest starting with shorter

games. If you are Keeping, don’t try and tackle Masks of
Nyarlathotep or Horror on the Orient Express unless you
have some experience under your belt.
Roll your dice in the open.
If an investigator assigns points in an unconventional

skill or language (such as Ancient Egyptian or Pilot
Aircraft), create situations that allow them to use it.
If you’re using pre-generated investigators and you’ve

given the players additional skill points to spend so
they can customize them, offer the players the option
of holding off on assigning those points until during the
game. That way, when they reach a skill roll and no one’s
very proficient at it, someone can bump up their ability
and reveal a hitherto unknown side to their investigator!
If you have a new player, it’s your duty to make them feel
welcome and included. Encourage your other players to
be friendly and embrace the new player as someone who
shares their interests in the game.
Listen to your players and react to what they say and do.
w 60 x
When possible, use at least three senses to describe any
scene (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste). This makes it feel
more real for the players. Don’t only use the same three
for every scene. Mix it up.
When describing a scene, mention the incidental parts

first and lead up to the impactful moment at the end. As
though the person seeing the room with the dead body
in it is looking at everything else first and then sees
the body last. This builds tension, adds an element of
foreshadowing, and makes what you want the players to
see the most important part of the scene.
Don’t be concerned if you make mistakes. When you’ve

finished playing, read through the rules again. Hone
your skills over time.
The Keeper’s job is not only to tell the story, but to manage
the game session itself. They should make themselves
responsible for their players, just like any host would.
Make sure every player gets their chance. I like to think
of the way Steven King writes… you need to jump back
and forth between parties the way King jumps between
scenes. If the party splits, look for a dramatic pause to
switch to the other group. This not only gives relief to
people from just sitting there, but it also gives the other
group time to formulate their next move.
Don’t be afraid to improvise on the fly if the players seem

lost or bored with the investigation. Move an encounter
up from later in the scenario, or drop a clue they might
have missed earlier to nudge them back in the right
direction.
w 61 x
The ancient Greeks wrote plays that lead the viewer to
catharsis. Part of what a Keeper should do is lead the
investigators to a mind-blowing revelation. It’s partly
a mystery game, so let them solve it. Keepers are
sometimes tempted to give the players too many clues or,
worse, use Idea rolls to give them the information when
it isn’t really needed. Learn to trust the intelligence of
the players, and let them draw their own conclusions.
Let them have the sudden revelation, “I know what’s
going on!” and watch the delight in their eyes.
You don’t need a degree in history to play in your favorite

time period. If you don’t know a fact, make it up. Be
consistent, though.
Reward heroism and punish amorality. When a player

knows what they will lose and yet sacrifices to save the
others, they are the true hero. But, when a character
avoids loss for selfish reasons, make sure that they
receive realistic consequences. Shooting someone has a
price.
Running games at a convention is a different animal.

There’s usually a hard finish time, so it’s important not
to let players dawdle or get bogged down in details too
early in a scenario. Be lenient through the first half of the
game and help them get to the crux of the story. Players
in a convention game tend to have a better experience if
they finish the game 30 minutes ahead of schedule than
if they run out of time before the finale.
w 62 x
Keep notes as you run the game. Not only does it help
you keep track of what the investigators have achieved
in the course of play, it helps to maintain consistency.
Perhaps the investigators did something unexpected
and you had to make up some details on the fly. Writing
down a quick note helps to make sure you can provide
the same details later and not break the flow if players
notice contradicting information.
Some nights I get lazy or worried the game won’t be good

and think, let’s just play a boardgame. When I push
through that and actually run the game, it’s always
incredible and reminds me why roleplaying games are
the best game of all.
Occasionally, ask the players very specific questions

about their investigators. What color is their tie? What
are they eating for lunch that day? Are they wearing a
hat? This not only makes the players suspicious that
the information might be important (a little paranoia is
good), but, most importantly, it causes them to visualize
their characters more clearly.
When describing combat encounters, instead of narrating

the details of every single action as they occur, consider
narrating the gruesome details and thrilling heroics at
the end of each round, once all the rolls have been made.
This creates a more thrilling scene as the players get to
see several parts all moving together.
w 63 x
Don’t be afraid to cut off unproductive avenues of
investigation, particularly when the investigators are
chasing down red herrings or their own tails (based on
what I like to call “user generated content”), such as leads
that aren’t really leads or clues that aren’t really clues. If
you keep clearing a path, the investigators will follow it,
thinking that it’s a legitimate part of the investigation. If
they’re digressing too much, just say, “After looking into
the matter, it becomes obvious that this was a dead end.
What’s your next course of action?” Trust me, you will
save yourself a lot of hassle.
When describing what the investigators smell, relate that

smell to something the players are familiar with. The
smell of rotting fish or vinegar are far more descriptive
than simply calling it “pungent.”
Use an investigator’s backstory whenever possible. Their

Significant People, Locations, and Possessions are story
seeds that you can use to tailor an adventure or to help
motivate the characters.
Most players will follow the Keeper’s lead in playing. It’s

fine to have moments of humor here and there, but when
you when you need the game to take a darker tone, make
sure that you are setting that tone.
Put on a good show. Players are choosing to spend a

number of hours of their life with you, so do your best to
make it worth their while. Commit to the running of the
game by injecting energy and enthusiasm. Bring your
NPCs to life by altering your voice, and through body
language, to help convey the appropriate emotion for the
scene.
If a player voices a theory about the plot that’s better

than what you had planned, go with that if possible. The
player feels proud they “figured it out” and you get a
better plot.
w 64 x
Keepers… drop the ego. All the players are important
to the game. Don’t think of yourself as the focus of
the game. This game is about “having fun with your
friends.” Remember, you are also a player. Pay attention
to the others, and don’t get lost in your performance. The
reason for your acting is to create drama for the players
to enjoy, not to gain praise afterwards. Your reward
should be the delight in their eyes.
When disseminating information, just describe the

evidence as found and leave it up to the players to deduce
what has happened. Avoid confirming or denying the
players’ deductions.
Sticky notes used as tabs or bookmarks help enormously

when flipping back and forth through a scenario or
rulebook.
Cliff-hangers: put the investigators in a situation that

they really want to see the resolution, as this can help
keep players interested and eager to return to the game
when you next meet.
Remember that you are providing a service to your

players. Never forget that every action that you take, in
and out of the game, is in service to your players.
Keep an eye on the time. This is particularly important

if you are running a game that has to end before a
particular point. Occasionally, take a moment to check
the time that’s elapsed since the start of play and
compare it to what point the investigators have reached
in the scenario. If the investigators haven’t got as far
as you thought they might, you may want to consider
adjustments/improvisation that can allow the scenario
to reach a satisfying conclusion in the time you have left.
You know that anxiety, expectation, and pressure that

you feel before running? It’s okay. We feel it, too.
w 65 x
Don’t stress the rules. The only ones I need to remember
are Sanity thresholds, injury, and death. Everything else
can be done freestyle with percentile rolls, and just as
much fun is had.
The Keeper should try to control their own actions.

It’s like playing poker—don’t give away the game.
Sometimes, the players guess the big secret of the
scenario, but don’t give them any hint they are correct.
Do not shake your head. Let them sit and worry about it.
The fun lies in watching them squirm and second guess
themselves.
Never kill investigators when you can maim them

instead.
Don’t be afraid to give the investigators enough rope to

hang themselves.
Do not rush to blast the investigators’ Sanity, opting

instead for a slow burn building to a crescendo.
Most of the best games I’ve run or played in have been

ones where firepower did not provide the solution to the
investigators’ problems. Taking firearms out of the mix
requires that the players think of new and exciting ways
of dealing with threats.
Players can be reminded that sometimes going back and

looking at handouts from earlier in the scenario can help
keep them on track or remind them of leads they may
have forgotten.
w 66 x
As a Keeper and a host, be responsible to the entire group.
If you have a disruptive player, it’s your responsibility to
take care of the situation. If you are like me, you may have
difficulty with confrontation, but you must consider the
other players first. Ideally, you can diffuse the problem
in private with the player, but know that ultimately you
may have to dismiss them from the group.
Don’t be afraid to tell the players what kind of characters

are appropriate to the scenario you are about to present.
While it is often the case that any type will do, in many
cases the story and plot can exclude certain types, such
as hobos and criminals, or dilettantes and lords. Work
with your players during the character creation phase
of the game.
The use of cell phones and computers might seem to

give investigators the upper hand, but there are ways
of taking these things away from them in a modern
Call of Cthulhu game. Investigating in wild or rural
areas could prevent cell phones from picking up service.
Technologically-advanced races like the mi-go could have
blocking technology that prevent the use of cell phones or
computers, or worse, some creatures might use human
technology against them. A diabolical Mythos computer
virus might summon a hound of Tindalos or open a
Gate to some horrible dimension and attract the alien
inhabitants.
Modern technology can be useful in a game. The

investigators get to split up and keep in touch, and
can look up regular information easily (“What’s the
address?”). This doesn’t harm the game in any way. The
full contents of the Necronomicon aren’t online, and
there is no scientifically proven data on the Great Old
Ones available with an online search. And, if humans
can use this technology, so can the cultists.
w 67 x
Be flexible with time. Not all scenarios allow for this,
but, if you can, don’t be afraid to let time pass in a game.
Investigator injuries (both physical and mental) can be
grievous and take a long time to recover from. Mythos
books are heinously complex and may require months or
years to read and understand. Why not? I’ve seen games
in which players have returned to the Corbitt house
over the course of years of game time. It makes the story
that much stronger when the investigators return to the
house three years after their first visit.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You don’t have to create,

run, or write alone. Seek help. Ask questions. Gain
perspective. Solicit feedback. There are several online
communities that are active and willing to help.
Play as though it’s a horror movie with an audience.

When a scene happens at the table, everyone has seen
it—so the players don’t need to relay to each other
(basically replaying the scene again). Use, “You tell them
what happened” to move things along. I’m a monster
who cuts their roleplaying, but it keeps the pace up.
Life was slower in the 1920s. Players tend to take for

granted how quickly we can do things nowadays. Tasks
like research and travel were incredibly time-consuming
back then. You don’t have to bog down your game, but
you can remind players that searching for something in
a library is very laborious. Driving is much slower, roads
are bad, cars are slow, and so on.
Work on your pacing, both in terms of the flow of the

scenario and tension buildup among players.
As a creator, writer, and Keeper, humility and consistency

should be your foundation. You will move faster, go
further, and accomplish more if you stay humble and
consistent.
w 68 x
Do the investigators need a certain skill to complete an
adventure? Give them a chance to improve this skill with a
free skill check over the course of downtime. This will make
things a bit smoother for them.
When running a longer campaign, locate a calendar and

a map from the year that the campaign is set in. These
can be found online. Use these to note the passage of
time and their journeys. Make notes on events, such as
when a player will finish reading a Mythos tome or when
they recover from indefinite insanity.
Lean on film language. To emphasize isolation, cut away

from the direct action and describe things in the third
person: their car seen from high overhead, driving up the
lonely mountain, disappearing into the green gloom. It
makes players shudder.
What did I get myself into? I’ve been running games for
strangers for more than a decade. I have hundreds of
hours of experience. Yet, I still get nervous and question
my worthiness to run games for people. It’s perfectly fine
to have jitters—in fact, I think it’s probably better if you
do. If you don’t, you may not care enough, or may have a
little too much confidence.
When divulging secret information to one player, or

playing out a scene that you don’t want the other players
to know about, take the player(s) involved to a different
room with you. The player involved might withhold this
information for now, or come back and tell all, ramping
up the in-game tension as a truth is revealed.
Practice cross-cutting between investigative scenes

when your group splits up.
Just do your best to deliver a memorable experience to

the people who’ve committed their time to your creation.
w 69 x
Everyone gets a turn. Gauge all your players to see if
they are having fun. If you see a player who appears
shy or hesitant to jump in, engage that player with a
scene or plot hook that makes them feel important to the
story. However, not everyone participates in the same
way. Coax and encourage, but don’t drag them into the
action. Not all players enjoy the game in the same way,
and some may prefer to take a more reserved role. If
your efforts to draw a player in don’t seem to be working,
that’s OK. You can gently shift your focus to the others
who are more engaged.
Investigators should be rewarded for surviving the events

of a campaign. This can be in the form of a Mythos tome,
a unique spell, a new weapon, or a piece of equipment. It
could be wealth or land, maybe even a building. Players
like to feel characters are improving, even if death and
insanity are always around the corner.
If you are running a scenario with a contemporary setting,

and the investigators have internet access, there is always
the option of allowing the players to do so too. Let them do
their own research on things that are too small for a Library
Use roll: “What time does the Smithsonian open?” “How long
ago was the Mayan Empire anyway?” “How far is Stonehenge
from Avebury Stone Circle?” If they have to make a research
skill roll on a history subject, why not—on a success—send
them a URL to a really useful website instead of writing
your own handout? It’ll give them a sense of having actually
discovered something “real,” and lend an air of creepy
plausibility to your scenario. Naturally, you need to check
carefully beforehand that they will not run across spoilers!
w 70 x
w HORROR x
The best horror is created in the mind of the players as
they come to realize the hopelessness of their situation,
but don’t let them become completely lost. Always leave
a narrow escape—one that keeps getting narrower as the
game progresses.
Horror can be cathartic fun, but real-life trauma is not.

Consent in gaming is vital. See page 185 of the Call of
Cthulhu: Keeper Rulebook.
A failed pushed roll is a chance to push the horror. When

a player loses a pushed roll, they are giving you license to
make their investigators’ lives more difficult.
We play in an arena of horror. Sometimes, we push

boundaries that other games wouldn’t dare touch.
Despite how you feel about them, I recommend using
safety tools (X-Card, Lines and Veils, etc.).
If you’ve got a big scare coming up, progressively make

your voice softer. Players subconsciously lean in to hear
you. Then you can get them.
It is perfectly acceptable (and encouraged!) to scare your

players, but it is not okay to make them uncomfortable
or offend them. People play roleplaying games to escape
the real world, so it’s often best to just avoid sensitive
or offensive subjects. Have an open discussion with the
group before you begin and ask what things bother them
and then avoid those topics. Tell them to speak up if
anything in the course of play bothers them. On the topic
of horror itself: horror is good, but some people don’t like
gruesome, visceral body horror. As the Keeper, it is your
job to ensure that your players enjoy themselves and
have a good experience.
w 71 x
Traditional monsters, such as vampires and werewolves,
still have a home in Call of Cthulhu. They can be either a
refreshing change of pace or a Mythos twist can be put on
them, making them terrifying alien creatures that will
keep investigators on their toes.
If you are going for raw horror, the personal can have
more impact than the monstrous. Self-mutilation is more
viscerally horrific than attacking a third party. Auto-
cannibalism is more horrific than cannibalism, morality
notwithstanding. A possessed NPC who smashes their
own face repeatedly against the corner of a stone fireplace
is more memorable than one who sprouts tentacles and
reveals themselves to be an eldritch monstrosity.
Changing the tone, speed, and phrasing of your voice can

unnerve players.
Subvert the players’ expectations. If they expect a

supernatural entity to be behind the strange occurrences,
have it be a normal person. If they are invited to a party
or event where they believe they will encounter the
adventure hook, have the inciting incident or adventure
occur on their way to or from the (completely normal)
party or event.
Create scary choices.
As a Keeper, don’t show all your cards at once. A slow

burn, with a reveal as tension builds, can often be more
horrific than hitting the investigators with monster after
monster.
w 72 x
Old horror movie trick. Describe a glimpse of something
to one player, and then, when they ask for more detail,
deny that you said it.
“You see a face at the window.”
“What does it look like?”
“What does what look like?”
“The face at the window!”
“What face? There’s no face at the window.”
Watch horror movies and television for ideas on how to

ramp up tension and unleash scares. They inspire me to
think visually.
Above everything else, the greatest horror is the fear

of the unknown. Don’t describe all the details in depth,
leave room for the players’ minds to fill in the blanks—
their imagination will conjure horrors far worse than
you can eloquently describe. Sometimes, saying hardly
anything and fading to black is all you need to do.
To increase the sense of vulnerability and horror,

isolate the party. Losing easy access to rescue or escape
raises the tension. When appropriate, try to isolate the
investigators from one another. Being alone in a dark
room with a scuttling threat invokes more fear than it
would if there were other people beside you.
John Carpenter’s The Thing. That is all.
w 73 x
w SANITY x
As an alternative to randomly rolling, give the affected
player a few moments to consider how their investigator
might react to the mind shattering event and come back
to them to find out. Once they have given you their take,
you can use that to present something personal and
fitting for the story.
Call of Cthulhu’s Sanity rules are one of the games

many strokes of genius. Embrace the Sanity rules and
encourage your investigators to do likewise. Well-timed
bouts of madness can be incredibly fun and dramatic.
Investigators struggling against their own phobias and
manias can be richly rewarding and make for great
roleplaying. Personally, I love it when I fail a Sanity roll.
Sanity loss should almost always be the result of a roll—

resist the urge to deduct Sanity points through arbitrary
fiat.
Wanton killings and acts of brutality should always cost

Sanity for all but the most hardened investigators.
Describe the monster or event that causes Sanity loss

in a way that the player finds frightening or disturbing.
Paint the unnatural or scary details for them first,
and then, as if an afterthought, ask them to roll the
investigator’s Sanity.
w 75 x
One way to view Call of Cthulhu is as a struggle between
player and Keeper for control of the investigator. While
the investigator is rational and their Sanity score
is high, the player has complete control. But, when
the investigator suffers Sanity loss, the Keeper gets
brief control over the investigator. Ultimately, if the
investigator succumbs to permanent insanity, the player
must yield control, and the character falls to the Keeper’s
control.
When not in combat, I have bouts of madness last a

number of minutes equal to the 1D10 roll. Sometimes,
depending on the situation, I change minutes to seconds.
Delusions during periods of investigator insanity are an

effective tool to introduce insane insights or push the
story forward. Have a long-absent friend or dead relative
appear or call them on the phone offering assistance.
Resist ever telling or confirming with the player (later
on) that the encounter was a hallucination and not a
supernatural event.
Indefinite insanity can be “cured” by Keeper decision. If

the investigators are travelling or resting, I allow them
to recover in most cases.
Don’t forget to make use of delusions for insane

characters.
When an investigator goes insane, work out with the

player how they want to handle it. Give them some
guidance or suggestions as needed. That way, the player
retains the agency for their own character.
When appropriate, grant an insane insight as a sort of

reward and recompense for a character’s loss of control.
The insight should inform or confirm something about
the plot that can help drive them forward.
w 76 x
w THE CTHULHU MYTHOS x
Remember, the Mythos is neither magical nor
supernatural, though it may seem that way to
investigators. All things are possible within its realms.
Magic should never feel mundane. Evoke the five senses

when a spell is cast, or have some minor eerie event
occur, like all the clocks and watches in the room stop at
the exact same time as the spell is cast.
Every author makes their own changes to the Mythos,

the same goes for being a Keeper. Don’t be afraid to put
your own spin on the Cthulhu Mythos, there is no strict
canon.
Worth repeating: there is no canon where the Cthulhu

Mythos is concerned.
Not every cemetery needs ghouls and not every library

should have a Mythos tome. Strange and rare things
should be kept rare and unexpected.
Need alternative names for Mythos creatures and deities

to hide their identities from jaded players? Look through
mythology and folklore—some of these beings could have
been misappropriated by cultists to act as masks for
deities of the Cthulhu Mythos as well as its monsters.
Don’t let the otherworldly ever seem blasé. If your players

are saying, “Oh, it’s another deep one,” or “Don’t worry,
it’s just a ghoul,” that saps the thrill and mystery from
the game. Cultivate an environment in which anything
out of the ordinary is indeed out of the ordinary. Even
small things can really unnerve players when presented
well.
w 77 x
Some of the powerful Mythos entities represent a
fundamental “wrongness” to reality itself; a refutation
of natural laws and science. While many, such as elder
things, are scrupulously scientific in their nature, some
of the entities can transform and warp reality with their
presence. This might be some Lynchian non-sequitur or
a bit of unreality, like gravity, sound, light, or even time
behaving strangely. These sort of outré manifestations of a
Mythos entity, if used selectively, can be just as effective as
the sight of the entity itself.
When using the powers of the Mythos, keep the players

guessing. Don’t treat monsters or gods as nothing more
than collections of stats. The Mythos should be weird,
unnatural, and too complex and alien for mere mortal
minds to comprehend. Reality becomes slippery in its
presence. So, use foreshadowing and coincidence, even
if your investigators are facing something as apparently
mundane as deep ones. Defy physics. Mess about with
time, so that the investigators are never entirely sure
that they have returned to the world as they know it, or
whether their own minds can be trusted. Maybe, they
get back home and find nobody remembers them being
away. Their families all have green eyes now, or their
house has suddenly acquired an ancient, damp cellar.
If your investigators are permanently paranoid and on-
edge, you are doing it right.
After a Mythos event, which might have had witnesses

or caused a large stir, show the investigators how it
might be explained away or covered up by the press or
the government in the following days or weeks.
w 78 x
I’ve heard many players say things like, “I read ‘so-and-
so tome’ as we drive to the graveyard.” The rules explain
that reading Mythos tomes is a time-consuming process,
but many players don’t understand why. If the reading
of an occult tome is likely to be an issue in your game,
consider giving the investigators a sample from an actual
grimoire. Real occult tomes tend to be very difficult to
read and understand, and illustrate the point of why
it may take months to read a book. The works of John
Dee, Hermes Trismegistus, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa,
Giordano Bruno, and others were what Lovecraft had in
mind.
Reading a Mythos tome takes as long as the Keeper

wishes. And, finding the piece of information needed
within a scenario mighty take an hour, a day, or a month.
Work within the logic and narrative drive of the scenario.
Use a tome’s Mythos Rating to enable investigators to
get the morsel of information they need to move things
on, then, they can read the tome properly later on.
When Mythos entities are summoned, especially major

ones, turn the peripheral special effects right up. Clouds
boil unnaturally or the stars seem to swirl, all the dogs
in the vicinity start howling, birds fall dead from the sky,
the local temperature plunges, the earth trembles, and
so on.
For an extended game, ask about an investigator’s

history, and then say, “What was your first encounter
with the Mythos?” and let them make it up. The reason is
to get past the boring “No, no, this isn’t real,” part of the
scenario. They “know” it’s real.
w 79 x
Mythos Tomes should feel strange and unnatural. Assign
a weird and unique quality to each of them. Maybe
they move when the investigator isn’t looking, always
open to a certain page, smell of fresh flowers and wet
earth, or they seem to whisper unintelligible secrets or
conversations from the past. The strange quality doesn’t
need to present itself right away.
The activities of the Mythos entities—gods and

lesser beings—goes back billions of years. That’s an
unimaginably long period of time. If you’ve got players
who are up for it, run preludes or little mini-encounters
set in the distant past that have some relevance to the
adventure at hand. These can be pretty simple affairs:
escaped experiments (Homo sapiens) trying to turn the
table on an elder thing in a prehistoric valley, hunter-
gatherers fighting a gnoph-keh, or a hunting horror
arriving at a ritual in ancient Mesopotamia. They’re
doomed, of course, but this lets the players and Keeper
vicariously experience the thrill of a total wipeout and
still continue their normal campaign.
Investigators who have cast Mythos spells or read tomes

of Mythos lore should be tainted by the experience,
temporarily or permanently. Maybe they find everything
they eat tastes of blood, or animals panic when they
approach, or they start to ooze a rotten smell, or their
skin blisters horribly in sunlight.
Any reasonable person would flee an eldritch situation,

“Uh uh, no way, we call the police.” That’s smart, but
kills the game. So, let the players know the stakes, which
innocents will die if they do nothing, because whatever
the police do won’t help. Inspire them to act. Or, make it
personal—bad things will happen to the investigators if
they don’t take responsibility and do something.
w 80 x
Most of the gods and greater monsters of the Cthulhu
Mythos are either unaware of or simply don’t care about
human beings. To them we are no more than insects.
Unless the investigators make themselves known in
some way, they can often slip away when faced with a
Mythos deity.
Mythos monsters and gods are not inherently evil.

Ghouls, for example, may want nothing other than to be
left alone to enjoy their charnel feasts. A newly awakened
serpent person may want only to read and research into
what has been going on for the millenniums they have
slept. Some Mythos beings might even become useful
NPCs or allies in your campaign. Many of the gods of
the Mythos want only to break free of their bonds or slip
into this universe or time. Some are mindless and simply
react to surrounding stimulus. The Keeper can devise
situations to challenge the investigators’ morality with
appropriate Sanity rewards or losses, depending upon
their actions.
Mythos tomes are the true “treasure” of Call of Cthulhu.

They should be handled carefully and kept hidden or
locked away. Cultists and unscrupulous antiquities
collectors will be looking for old Mythos tomes, as will
various Mythos beasts, if they know the investigators
have them. Carrying a Mythos tome is not recommended.
Besides being heavy and delicate, old books are easily
damaged by water, fire, or in combat situations. And,
having a Mythos tome will make the investigator a
target.
Not every scenario needs to include a monster. But,

whatever is happening should be malevolent.
w 81 x
w NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS x
Don’t allow the non-player characters to outshine the
investigators.
Have three to five NPCs ready at all times. Give them

a name and a motivation or ultimate goal. Use them
whenever the investigators ask too many questions of
the receptionist or call a taxicab, and so on.
Whenever possible, introduce important NPCs a scenario

or two prior to when they are needed. This avoids the
clichéd and awkward “you receive a letter from an old
friend” hook. Telling your players that their “old college
friend” or “dear uncle” needs their help works far better
if the player already feels an established relationship
with that NPC.
Seize opportunities to foreshadow later events in the

scenario through the NPCs’ interactions with the
investigators.
Consider bringing old NPCs from earlier games back

into play. Or, have the investigators revisit locations
they’ve been to and show them the effect their actions
have taken, for better or worse.
Villains should be villainous.
Villains should be villainous, but they don’t have to twirl

their mustaches while doing it. Not every baddie needs
to be a cackling lunatic—the quieter ones are often the
scariest.
w 83 x
Not all Keepers are great at embodying unique NPCs
on the fly, but it’s a great skill to try and improve as
you play. If you can give NPCs different vocal qualities
and personalities, it will help them seem more like real
people. If you just don’t have that in your skill set, spend
a little extra time creating details so you can at least
describe NPCs as individuals who are vivid and unique.
Details about their appearance or clothing can help
make them more distinct and memorable in players’
imaginations.
When running scenarios with multiple NPCs, make up

character cards for them to show the players. All you
need is an index card, a picture of the NPC, and possibly
a fact or two about them. These can be held up when the
NPC is talking, or given to players as handouts.
When making NPCs, assign each of them an adjective

(greedy, suspicious, trusting, etc.). This makes them
easier to portray in a memorable and fun way for the
players.
Keep a list of excuses or alibis on hand for any hastily

constructed NPCs, or even those already scripted into
an investigation. There’s nothing more obvious to the
players that someone is lying than when the Keeper
scrambles to come up with an answer to a common
question, like “What am I doing here?” “Umm…,” so have
a few ready-made replies on hand ready, along the lines
of “I dropped my pocket watch somewhere and can’t find
it. The missus will raise hell if I’ve lost it. You haven’t
seen a silver watch with a broken chain, have you?”
When roleplaying NPCs, remember that they don’t

know everything that you know as Keeper. Whoever or
whatever your NPCs are, they are fallible. It can be fun
to play up their flaws and allow them to make mistakes.
w 84 x
Keep a list of period- and setting-appropriate names for
use as improvised NPCs. That way your players won’t
know in advance which stranger is “important.”
Pre-made NPCs can be useful as instant replacement

investigators.
Fill out a character sheet for any friendly NPCs who

might be able to serve as emergency backup characters
in case one of the investigators is killed or incapacitated
during an adventure. This allows a player to continue
playing until their own replacement investigator can be
introduced.
For interpersonal skills (Charm, Fast Talk, Intimidate,

or Persuade), instead of asking which skill the players
intend to use on an NPC, ask them what they say and
how they say it. Depending on their answer, the Keeper
determines which skill is the most appropriate. This
causes players who want to use Charm or Intimidate to
think of charming or intimidating ways to interact with
NPCs.
Making PCs responsible for someone else’s safety—an

innocent by-stander, a child, an animal—as this pumps
up the jeopardy. It can also increase a player’s stress, so
use this with appropriate caution.
Create at least one or two NPCs who are either rivals

or colleagues, sympathetic (but maybe not likeable)
characters that are “in” on the Mythos, at least to a
limited degree. They do not need to be trusted, but can
occasionally help provide some backup, a chance rescue,
trade clues, and even provide a ready source of feedback
if their paths cross. This could be a private detective with
some minor Mythos experience or an occultist who knows
about the Mythos but recognizes the horror it represents.
w 85 x
Reuse and reincorporate NPCs. Doing so builds the
feeling of consistency and continuity in the game.
Give an investigator a loving NPC partner who worries

for them. You can keep the partner out of harm’s way,
but that sense of love and duty makes the investigator
even more fearful for their own survival. If I throw my
life away, who will care for them?
Introduce several friendly or helpful NPCs that the

investigators might occasionally call on for aid. A helpful
librarian, telephone operator, or local detective—these
characters might know a little concerning the Mythos or
know where to learn more about it, and can be a big help
for stuck investigators or be a good source for future plot
hooks.
Some players might be inclined to strong-arm,

intimidate, or even try to torture NPCs to get clues or
access to restricted areas. Remember, Call of Cthulhu
is played in a “real world” setting. Such actions should
have dire consequences, like arrest, institutionalization,
or revenge attacks.
If a mystery is going off track or bogging down, have an

NPC—ideally, someone close to the investigators, like
one of their significant people—provide a friendly ear
and sounding board. This NPC can ask them to explain
what’s going on, perhaps pointing out a missed clue.
It doesn’t always have to be significant, but it should
at least get them moving forward and asking more
questions.
Get the players to trust a certain NPC, someone who

is always ready to help when called. Then, watch their
faces when they eventually realize that NPC is their
number one enemy.
w 86 x
w MONSTERS x
Give your recurring monsters a common trait. In my
games, shoggoths smell strongly of bleach, and so my
players have come to associate shoggoths with any
mention of a bleach aroma in the air…
When creating new monsters, take inspiration from

favorite books and films. Use a monster or god from the
Call of Cthulhu rules as a template for your new monster
and then adjust stats and powers as needed.
Keep the monster out of sight as long as possible, but

make its presence and effects increasingly clear with
claw-prints, strange noises overhead, and broken victims
as appropriate. Wind your investigators up before the
fight scene, and the monster reveal will have more
impact. The Shadow Over Innsmouth hotel scene does a
great job of this—furtive footsteps in the hall, bedroom
handles turning slowly… the protagonist is in a panic
before he ever sees anything inhuman.
Each time you present a monster, consider how you can

present it afresh. Avoid using the monster’s name.
Sometimes, when a monster appears, I use HPL’s

technique of piling on the description, fact after fact in
monologue, pinning the players with words to simulate
the paralysis of fright. I always finish with, “Roll Sanity!”
Don’t just describe what a creature looks like. Describing

how it moves is often more effective in creating a sense
of horror.
w 87 x
When possible, hint at the monster before showing it.
Let them hear or smell it. Have them find signs of it such
as hoofprints, slime trails, or mangled victims. Let them
only see a dim shape through the fog or a brief glimpse
passing a window. You only get to reveal it once, so use
the build-up to prolong it.
To convey the danger a monster or other threat poses,

show the investigators a previous victim or have a nearby
NPC become the first target. Seeing what the threat is
capable of makes it far scarier.
Provide the investigators with sufficient warning of the

approach of something large and deadly so that they may
decide whether they stand and fight or flee to fight another
day. Before a Mythos entity is even seen, it may be heard or
smelled. The temperature may suddenly change drastically,
a wailing wind may suddenly whip up, the air may reek of
the stench of rot or fish, and so on. Manifestation effects
can vary by the creature or god approaching.
Never announce to the player what type of monster they

encounter. The uncertainty of what exactly the monster
is makes it more frightening. Let them figure it out.
Learning what it is should be treated as a reward.
Most Mythos monsters are long lived or are near-

immortal. Their survival instinct, like any sentient
being, is going to be strong. Unless directed by a more
powerful being, many monsters will flee rather than
allow themselves to be killed by investigators.
Sometimes it’s just a vampire: encounters do not always

have to be with forces of the Mythos. The Keeper may
pit intrepid investigators against creatures of folklore
or cryptozoology, such as ghosts, werewolves, or bigfoot.
This tactic is useful to keep players on their toes, but
don’t overuse it unless you choose to run a more non-
Mythos horror campaign.
w 88 x
w ONLINE PLAY x
If your camera is too washed out, make sure you have
enough light on your background. Most webcams will
automatically adjust to compensate in a dark room.
If you have access to a green screen, consider finding an

appropriate location image to use as your background,
such as when the investigators head out onto the
moonlit moor. Remote play can lend itself to additional
storytelling elements.
Create an easily accessible way to share images with your

players before you start. Pausing to make sure screen
sharing is turned on, or that the font size is visible, can
break the narrative and take players out of the scene.
Online games eat up an additional 20 to 30 percent of

time. Plan accordingly when running online events. A
four-hour convention scenario may work in the time, but,
after tech issues, players talking over each other, dice
rolling, uploading maps/handouts, you may lose time
online.
When running an ongoing game, at the beginning of

each session, consider asking the players (as a group) to
recap events that happened in the previous session. This
helps bring everyone back up to speed with the story so
far, and also gives the Keeper a way to gauge whether
the investigators have a solid grasp of what is going on,
or if they have potentially misinterpreted something
(whether you correct them or not is up to you!).
For me, the optimal game time for online play is 2.5
hours, as anything longer and I become disconnected
from the game.
w 89 x
Set up a private Facebook Group, Discord, or similar
place for your game. Not only can you communicate as
needed, but, during the game, you can quickly share
handouts and maps there too.
An online shared document allows the players to take

and share notes simultaneously, and this acts as a record
of the game.
Smaller groups are better when playing online. While

you might feel comfortable handling five or six players
around a physical table, try not to have more than three
or four for online games.
Make sure you allow time for comfort and snack breaks
when playing online. If anything, these are more
important in an online game than a face-to-face one,
as staring at a screen for several hours requires a lot of
concentration, especially as your players may well have
been doing it all day as part of their job.
w 90 x
w PROPS & HANDOUTS x
Check out the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society (HPLHS)
products. They offer a lot of free downloadable resources
specifically for making prop documents, including font
and newspaper clippings bundles.
www.hplhs.org/resources.php
Giving your players clues in the form of a handout is

one of the surest ways that your players won’t forget
about that clue later on, and allows them to refer back
to it for any information they might have initially over-
looked.
Handouts are great for several reasons, not least of

which is that it avoids you having to do an infodump to
your players. Letting them read the details should help
that information stick, as well as giving them a sense
of achievement for having discovered something for
themselves.
Physical props can anchor players in the game world. It

is one thing to be told you’ve found the left arm of an
ancient statue, but to put that full-sized mannequin arm
you painted to look like marble on the table, and have
players realize how large it is, and then have to try to
conceal it as they leave the museum, is quite another.
If your scenario features an important clue, especially

if it’s the first one given out—make it a handout, as this
makes a big impression on the players and hooks their
attention for the rest of the scenario.
w 91 x
At the HPLHS, we’re big believers on props and handouts
being an essential part of Call of Cthulhu. Let them be
as realistic as you can possibly make them. When a prop
seems believable, it helps reinforce the believability of
the events of the game. That, in turn, tends to elicit a
stronger emotional response from the players, and that
is what leads to the best gaming. You can find images of
all kinds of props online. See what the real thing looks
like and then try and make your own version.
Physical props are fun, even though not strictly

necessary. They add a little extra frisson of realism to a
game. A letter in an actual stained envelope, a key to a
spooky attic door, a calling card, a broken mask covered
in green slime… if the players can handle it physically it
will help with immersion in the story.
The HPLHS makes the distinction of a prop being a

physical embodiment of an object from within the game
(e.g., the matchbook from the Stumbling Tiger bar).
A handout is something the Keeper gives out to help
facilitate play but which exists outside the world of
the game (e.g., the floorplan of the creepy warehouse).
Unless the players are architects, they’ll probably never
have that floorplan in the game, but the Keeper may give
it to the players as a representation of the space where
the investigators are.
Be careful that handouts don’t reveal more than they

should.
Props and handouts may be as simple or elaborate as you

wish. Letters or pages from diaries or old books are some
of the most common. To make it appear the author was
illiterate, write out the clues with your opposite hand (if
you are right-handed use your left) and misspell words.
To age paper, soak it in tea. Edges can be burned and
crumbled to give the appearance of old paper.
w 92 x
Whether shared in person or online, there’s no substitute
for a visually-impressive handout. Even if you don’t
fancy yourself particularly skilled with arts and crafts,
the smallest bit of work to make the handout pop will go
a long way toward impressing the players.
When dealing with handouts that are text-based, the

Keeper should provide the text to the player so they can
read it aloud to the others. But, be empathetic in your
choice of who reads it, as not everyone is comfortable
doing so. A good Keeper keeps track of their players’
strengths and weaknesses—the last thing you want is to
make a player feel embarrassed during a game.
There are a lot of cool-looking handwriting fonts out

there, but not all of them are easily readable by everyone.
By all means, use the font to create the handout, but
make sure you have a plain-text version available in case
your players have difficulty deciphering what’s written.
It may look really cool, but if your players can’t read it,
they aren’t going to get the clues they need from it.
Newspaper Clippings 1: if you’re going to make a prop

that’s a newspaper clipping, take a look at a real vintage
newspaper. Look at the fonts and the layout and use
them as a model.
Newspaper Clippings 2: don’t just create the text that’s

relevant to the game, create the articles that surround
your clipping. Make your players work to find what’s
relevant.
Newspaper Clippings 3: don’t forget that newspapers are

two-sided. They also tend to feature a lot of advertising.
They are also printed on newsprint. If you have a hard
time finding blank newsprint, pages from some sketch
pads offer a close alternative.
w 93 x
Newspaper Clippings 4: you don’t have to write original
content for filler articles—a little searching online can
reveal scanned pages of vintage newspapers from all
over the world.
When night falls or they enter a place of deep darkness,

switch to candlelight. Players enjoy the anticipation of
a good scare, and telling ghost stories by firelight goes
back millennia.
Some Keeper’s like to use background music to help set

the mood. Quiet, ambient music is recommended, so that
it doesn’t drown out the voices of the players or Keeper,
or become too distracting. Having separate playlists of
different styles that you can easily switch helps to keep
the background music appropriate to each scene.
If you want a really simple way to add some flavor to

your recurring NPCs, try giving each of them a simple
prop when players are interacting with them. A hat, a
pipe, or perhaps a silk scarf or fan?
Players love a visual aid. Even if you’re only showing

players borrowed images from an online search, sharing
the same collective imagination can help players to
better picture themselves in the world you’re painting.
Search online for royalty free Creative Commons images

that you can use in your games. You will find a wealth of
newspaper clippings, old portraits, floorplans, and much
more.
Physical props can help the Keeper and also add to a

scenario’s atmosphere. If the scenario requires the
Keeper to keep track of which character possesses a
certain item, having the player keep the prop on the
table in front of them helps a lot. Also, it adds a level of
tangibility to the game, enhancing the atmosphere.
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Tea bags and raspberries… judiciously used, both can
add elements of age and horror to a handout or character
sheet. Dab a damp teabag into the paper or smear
crushed raspberry across it until you are satisfied with
the result, have fun!
Need a parchment style document for a hand-out? You

can use coffee grounds to stain paper, also using a grocery
paper bag and cutting out a section to draw a map on will
lend a more realistic approach to the handout.
Got smart lightbulbs? Plunge the game room suddenly

into darkness when you trap the investigators
underground, and then pass out torches. Turn these red
when combat occurs with an unearthly monster, or violet
for a summoning ritual.
Period props are often presented as worn and old, but a

1920s almanac bought by an investigator in the 1920s
would be neither. Consider this when making your own
props.
If you are on email terms with your players, agree to

send their investigators clues in the form of pre-prepared
reports, messages, or fake newspaper excerpts with
photos, between game sessions.
When it gets spooky, dark ambient music can create an

atmosphere of oppressive tension. Mark Morrison’s first
choice every time is Lustmord (you can buy his albums
on Bandcamp and support this singular composer).
Soundtracks and non-vocal music are often best for

games, as singing and words can be distracting.
w 95 x
Before you use music or sound or lighting effects, check
to make sure that your players are okay with you doing
so. Some may find background music too distracting;
others may be uncomfortable with flashing lights or
sudden noises. As always, be considerate.
When aging and weathering a prop, you are doing more

than tearing the corner or making it dirty, you are telling
a story. How did the wear and tear happen, who held
this item last, and where has it been? Was it dropped
in a gutter as its owner rushed to catch a hansom cab
and then stood on? Remember, props have had their own
lives, just like your NPCs.
If you are making a handout and want to have it look

handwritten but have terrible penmanship, most word
processors have a font that looks similar to handwriting,
whether cursive or not.
Props don’t just have to be physical; it is very easy

to have a friend record some audio to present to your
players. Perhaps an NPC has recorded their last will and
testament for them to listen to?
Invest in a fountain pen and some ink. With a little

practice, you’ll be turning out first-rate letters and
journal pages in no time. Remember, it’s not essential
to have very pretty handwriting (most people don’t, and
didn’t).
In the 1920s, telegrams were an established form of

communication and often the fastest. Resources for telegram
templates abound and your players may enjoy writing their
missives and receiving a reply on the real thing.
Have audio clips ready to play for voicemail messages,

tape records, podcasts, or radio broadcasts. If you are
really keen (and its period-appropriate, obviously), you
can make your own “found footage” video clips.
w 96 x
Over the years we have spent a lot of time and money
creating props for our scenarios. These range from
newspaper clippings and audio journals to evidence bags
filled with slime and latex models of severed heads. They
add a lot of fun to a game.
Big color maps make such a nice focus at the table, and
are well worth sourcing from the scenario or searching for
period examples. You can print them out at a relatively
low cost and they’ll look splendid on your table.
People like things they can touch. Paper props, such

as newspaper clippings, flyers, and letters, are easy to
make and add a lot to your game in proportion to the
effort required. These are a great place to begin your
prop-making endeavors. From here you can expand to
other objects.
Playing by candlelight and using glow-in-dark dice,

stringing fake cobwebs, and burning incense all help
to set the mood of the game. If playing a Gaslight era
game, while clichéd, tea and scones are good to help set
the mood.
Cue up a friend to ring the player group (on your

phone) at a certain point, getting them to roleplay an
NPC passing on information. Use a period-appropriate
ringtone though!
Not all props need to be things you make. One of the great
things about the grounded nature of Call of Cthulhu is
the ease of incorporating everyday objects into the game.
An active imagination and a visit to a thrift store can
yield an impressive bounty.
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Often, the best props are free. Some of the most effective
ones I’ve ever used in a game were hag stones collected
from a local beach—the players loved handling them,
and a few even ended up wearing them as talismans
during the game, both in and out of character!
Interestingly, while physical props are a big hit, creature

props can fall flat. Unless you have found a way to create
a reasonably realistic shoggoth, it’s best to let the player’s
imagination do the heavy lifting with monsters. We have
learned this the hard way!
A great investment is a big clear Perspex sheet from

the hardware store. Lay it on the table and slide maps
and handouts underneath. Keeps them neat and looks
marvelous.
Creepy background music can be used to help set the

mood. Movie soundtracks, especially, are good. Music
from Hellraiser and John Carpenter’s The Prince of
Darkness are my favorites. The music of groups like Nox
Arcana is good. Sound effects like thunder storms or
crackling fires are also available.
Antique shops sell vintage photos relatively

inexpensively. I get a whole bunch and then design
NPCs from these.
Whenever possible, use lighting, or lack thereof, to

create atmosphere. If the scenario supports it, playing
by lantern or flashlight really heightens the tension
and can establish an ominous environment. The same
goes for sound—if there’s a storm outside the haunted
house they’re in, having wind, rain, and the occasional
thunderclap adds a nice backdrop to the scene. Music
can help set the tone for a specific time and place. And,
an unexpected monster sound effect can create a fun
jump scare.
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Turn a player handout into a playable mini scenario-
within-the-scenario with pre-generated characters. This
technique appears in Horror on the Orient Express (2nd
edition). The idea originally appeared in Phil and Marion
Anderson’s “Tales from the White Heart” Antarctic
convention module in the 1990s.
In our sessions, we use photos to represent prominent

NPCs. This helps both the player and us to better realize
these characters. You spend less time describing and
more time breathing life into them. It’s best to start
looking for photos when you have general ideas, and
let your discoveries shape the NPC. I’ve spent many
fruitless and frustrating hours looking for a specific
photo of a specific character holding a specific item, and
lost plenty of Sanity points for my efforts.
A word of caution about props: They should serve the

story, not be the story. If the investigation leads the
players away from encountering that wonderful gizmo
you crafted, and it’s not hurting the story, let it go. The
flow of the story is the critical thing. Derailing this to
work in a prop can cheapen the experience.
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w MISCELLANEOUS x
If you’re keen to introduce the game to your friends,
have a one-shot ready to play at a moment’s notice. The
ranger and the rogue can’t make the dungeon this week?
Let’s play Call of Cthulhu!
It’s hard to keep momentum in a campaign when life

intervenes. Having four regular players is good, and, as
long as two can make it, play. If you wait for everyone,
there’s a chance the campaign could stall. Plus, added
bonus, two player games are actually huge fun, and very
scary.
For beginners and rusty veterans alike, the new Call

of Cthulhu Starter Set really is a godsend. A slim and
elegant rulebook, and four scenarios to guide you into
the game.
Friday the thirteenth! That’s like International Horror

Day! It’s fun to organize horror things on Friday the
thirteenths and Halloweens. It’s a good impetus to watch
that movie you’ve been saving up and get inspired to run
Call of Cthulhu.
A big part of the appeal of Call of Cthulhu is being in

another historical period. It’s like classic Doctor Who, it’s
educational yet also good fun and scary. If you convey a
sense of that period, the players really get into it.
Themed Refreshment: if you’re running a game in an

unfamiliar setting, the Keeper might consider providing
refreshments that go with the world you’re creating. I
had good success in playing Cthulhu Invictus with an
offering of Roman foods; likewise, for Reign of Terror I
dished up red wine, French bread, cheese… My players
enjoyed having their gaming world reinforced in real life.
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When running Horror on the Orient Express, I’d invite
the players to arrive earlier than usual when their
investigators were about to arrive in a new country in
the campaign. On arrival, I’d serve up a dinner based
on the cuisine of the place they were arriving in, be it
France, Hungary, Italy, and so on.
If you get a chance to play in an unusual location, go for

it. I can still picture a game we played at the bottom of a
stairwell. In an 18th century room. In the cold sunshine
overlooking a river. Atop College Hill in Providence, at
HPL’s favorite lookout. These all happened.
I learned a lot of what I know about running and

writing scenarios from games conventions. I’ve also
made life-long friends through conventions. If you get
the chance, go to a convention, play in, and run some
games.
The Cthulhu Mythos has always been a shared world

of collaborative storytelling. It’s your world now, too, so
make it what you want it to be.
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w RESOURCES x
A selection of possible resources and recommendations.
This list isn’t exhaustive!
Some useful tools for helping to keep things fun while

ensuring everyone feels safe can be found at No More
Damsels’ Table Tools: nomoredamselsrpg.org/table-tools
Need imagery for a classic scenario? In the US, works

published before January 1, 1926, are in the public
domain. But, it’s always wise to check before using.
Need modern images of investigators or NPCs in a flash?

Try this site for copyright free computer-generated
images: thispersondoesnotexist.com
Need royalty free images for your game? pixabay.com,

commons.wikimedia.org, and unsplash.com are great
resources.
Need custom art, maps, or a cover for your game on

a budget? Check out fiverr.com. There have a ton of
talented and affordable artists.
The Miskatonic Repository Creator’s Circle Facebook

Group is a phenomenal resource. There’s tons of
free coaching and support: facebook.com/groups/
MiskatonicRepoCreators
If running a modern-day campaign, Google Maps is an

excellent tool. Find a view of an area the campaign is set
in, which can be used to allow players to coordinate their
actions or give them some idea of their surroundings.
w 103 x
Lots of museums and galleries have great 3D virtual
tours available online. You could let your players do the
walkthrough on a shared screen, actively searching for
that critical item, or that one painting with the vital clue.
Mark Morrison’s favorite music track to herald a sudden

lurch into nightmare is the main title of Steve Jablonsky’s
score for the 2003 remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Character photographs: a search online can reveal a

treasure trove of period photographs that can be used for
both NPCs and investigators. Period actor photographs
are especially good for Pulp Cthulhu.
britainfromabove.org.uk/en has loads of old aerial shots

the landscape and buildings.
news.google.com/newspapers has a wealth of old

newspapers.
Want to know what happened on a day in history?

onthisday.com
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w BIOGRAPHIES x
Thanks to all who contributed to this book.
SCOTT DAVID ANIOLOWSKI’S first scenario, “The

Temple of the Moon,” was published by Chaosium
in the 1986 book Terror from the Stars. Since then,
dozens of his scenarios, articles, and books have been
published for the Call of Cthulhu game by Chaosium,
Triad Entertainments, Pagan Publishing, Miskatonic
River Press, and Golden Goblin Press. Scott wrote the
solo adventure Alone on Halloween, as well as several
scenarios set in Lovecraft’s Miskatonic Valley. Possibly,
Scott’s most notable Call of Cthulhu contribution is
the Malleus Monstrorum. His fiction has appeared in
collections by Chaosium, Miskatonic River Press, PS
Publishing, and Barnes & Noble. Scott lives in an historic
Colonial home on the National Registry of Historic Sites,
and was a professional chef for over 30 years.
SEAN BRANNEY started playing Call of Cthulhu

around 1982 when a weird friend gave him a copy of “that
game with the strange name.” Since then, he’s been a
Keeper for countless games, developed the Lovecraftian
LARP Cthulhu Lives, and co-founded the H. P. Lovecraft
Historical Society (HPLHS). A searcher after horror,
Sean haunts strange and far places across the globe. He
still runs Call of Cthulhu gaming nights at the HPLHS
headquarters in Los Angeles.
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An award-winning artist and propmaker, ALLAN
CAREY runs Type40, specializing in making artifacts
from pop culture. He created several of the artifacts
included in the HPLHS’s Masks of Nyarlathotep Prop
Set. Allan has been a passionate roleplayer for over three
decades. His first taste came at age 15, and he spent the
next two years drawing dungeons and slaying dragons.
During a fateful free period at school he met a group
playing Call of Cthulhu, and has been running from
cults and avoiding insanity ever since. Call of Cthulhu
is Allan’s go to game and he enjoys scaring his friends.
He wholeheartedly believes there are worse things you
can do to investigators than simply killing them. Author
of the Seeds of Terror range of scenarios available on
the Miskatonic University Repository, Allan is now
discovering the joys of scaring people he doesn’t know.
JASON DURALL has been a writer, designer, playtester,

proofreader, editor, consultant, and line manager in
the roleplaying game industry for almost 25 years. He
has contributed to games as diverse and wide-ranging
as Achtung! Cthulhu, Amber Diceless Roleplaying,
Battlestar Galactica, Conan (twice!), Dragon Lords of
Melnibone, A Game of Thrones, The Laundry, The Lord
of the Rings Roleplaying Game, Lords of Gossamer &
Shadow, Serenity, Silver Age Sentinels, Supernatural,
and World War Cthulhu, but is best known for the “Big
Gold Book” edition of Basic Roleplaying. His professional
career in the computer games industry was leading
creative and design teams on Shadowbane, Wizard101,
Pirate101, and Drakensang Online. Now a full-time
writer and game developer, Jason is Chaosium Line
Editor for the ENnie Award-winning new edition of
RuneQuest Roleplaying in Glorantha. He lives in Berlin,
Germany.
w 106 x
PAUL FRICKER is a freelance writer and games
designer. In partnership with Mike Mason, Paul is
best known for writing and revising the latest edition
of Chaosium’s award-winning RPG, Call of Cthulhu.
Over the years, he has participated in the creation and
development of numerous scenarios and campaigns,
beginning with Gatsby and the Great Race, back in 2005,
and most recently Full Fathom Five (2020). At present,
Paul is writing the rules for the forthcoming Rivers of
London RPG for Chaosium. Paul is also one of the hosts
of the horror and gaming podcast, The Good Friends of
Jackson Elias. He can be found on Twitter (@paulfricker),
where he endeavors to focus on the important topics in
life: gaming, music, and food!
BOB GEIS has been playing Call of Cthulhu since 1989.

While he has played a lot of other RPGs, it’s always the
noble, hopeless, futile nature of Call of Cthulhu that
calls him back. He has written a number of scenarios for
publication (including Harlem Unbound), and even more
to round out the library of You Too Can Cthulhu (YTCC)
offerings. He’s the principal YTCC organizer and its
reluctant leader.
LYNNE HARDY discovered roleplaying games back in

the mists of time—or the early 1990s, as they’re more
commonly known. The second game she ever played
was Call of Cthulhu, while her first written contribution
to the game was several scenario seeds in Pagan
Publishing’s Tales of Terror 2. After writing and editing
for companies such as Nightfall Games, Cubicle 7, and
Pelgrane Press, she returned to the non-Euclidian fold
to act as the lead writer, editor, and line developer on
the multi-award winning Achtung! Cthulhu Kickstarter
project for Modiphius Entertainment. She is currently
the Associate Editor for Call of Cthulhu and the Line
Editor for the upcoming Rivers of London RPG. Lynne
doesn’t like horror films much as they’re far too scary,
but she is rather fond of tea and fountain pens. And,
G&Ts. Allegedly.
w 107 x
BRIDGETT JEFFRIES lives in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
She heard the Call of Cthulhu about 10 years ago,
and has been madly in love with the game ever since.
Bridgett prefers to play, run, and write story-driven
games, character-focused and combat light. She has
a history degree, so many of her games have a strong
historical influence with a twist of Mythos. Bridgett’s
scenarios can be found on the Miskatonic University
Repository (Sorrow in Tsavo, Carousel of Fears, and, in
issue 2 of Bayt Al Azif, “Beasts of Gevaudan”). Bridgett
says that what she most loves about Call of Cthulhu is
the intuitive rules and the quality of players the game
attracts. “Horror gaming has provided me with such joy
that I wished to further spread the madness.” Indeed,
Bridgett founded a horror gaming club, Symphony
Entertainment Gaming & Arts, which solely focuses
on horror-based systems. You can check out details of
her events online at SymphonyEntertainment.com or at
conventions around the Northeast United States.
JO KREIL is an experienced game designer and writer,

having written several scenarios and supplements for Call
of Cthulhu, as well as D&D 5e and Star Trek Adventures.
First appearing in an issue of the Unspeakable Oath
zine, she has worked on setting material, a multitude
of adventures, and source books. In addition, Jo writes
and edits short fiction, and also provides sensitivity
consultancy for comic books and novels dealing with
LGBT issues. She is currently working on a novel, and
working toward writing for film and comic books, too.
Besides playing tabletop games, Jo has a passion for
comic books, everything British, reading horror novels,
the call of the ocean, and astronomy. She lives with her
fiancée, as well as a clingy cat with a single floppy ear,
in Pennsylvania.
w 108 x
DAVID LARKINS discovered Call of Cthulhu one
benighted-birthday eve in 1992, and has been a
devoted Keeper and player of the game ever since.
A resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico—where he lives
with his wife Desiree, his loveable mutt Edie, and far
too many books—he wears several hats for Chaosium,
chief among them as line editor for the King Arthur
Pendragon RPG. His previously published work for
Call of Cthulhu includes the award-winning Berlin: The
Wicked City. He has also contributed material to the
RuneQuest and 7th Sea game lines.
KERIS MCDONALD lives in the north of England,

discovered Dungeons & Dragons before it was even
considered a threat to one’s immortal soul, and has been
playing and GMing scenarios for Call of Cthulhu for 35
happy years. Her RPG scenarios have been published
by Worlds of Cthulhu and The Cthulhu Hack. She is on
the writing team for Chaosium’s new Rivers of London
RPG and, at time of writing, is developing the new
edition of Cthulhu by Gaslight. With many decades of
involvement in hitting monsters with rubber swords and
writing live-action roleplaying events, she is currently
helping to run a Victorian Gothic LARP system. A writer
of supernatural fiction across the horror, fantasy, and
erotica genres, Keris has nine novels in print. She is
one-third of the three-author short story collection The
Private Life of Elder Things (Alchemy Press), alongside
Adrian Tchaikovsky and Adam Gauntlett. Her short
story The Coat Off His Back was chosen for inclusion in
Best Horror of the Year Vol. 7. Keris looks forward to the
day she will finally transform into a ghoul and run off
gibbering and glibbering into the night.
w 109 x
MIKE MASON is an award-winning game writer and
the creative director for the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying
game. Mike is the co-writer of Call of Cthulhu 7th edition,
Pulp Cthulhu, Malleus Monstrorum (2nd edition), and the
revised Masks of Nyarlathotep. Mike works on just about
every Call of Cthulhu book that sees print, working with
and mentoring authors to realize their ambitions. Mike
previously worked for Games Workshop, co-writing the
ENnie award-winning Warhammer 40,000 RPG: Dark
Heresy, as well as working on Warhammer Fantasy
Roleplay and the Talisman boardgame. Mike has
always loved horror films and stories. While he has
encountered a ghost, he has yet to see a UFO. He lives in
the Midlands of England, with Stripey the grumpy cat,
betwixt the rolling Derbyshire Peaks and the Satanic
Mills of Nottinghamshire. @mikemason.
MARK MORRISON got his first box set of Call of Cthulhu

in the early 1980s. When he ran Sandy Petersen’s classic
scenario “The Haunting,” he found it worked best with
a new approach to gamemastering, increasing the
tension, atmosphere, and sudden shocking moments of
pure adrenaline. He was hooked, and has been Keeping
and writing for the game ever since. His first ever Call
of Cthulhu scenario, “The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse,”
was recently reprinted in Mansions of Madness Vol 1:
Behind Closed Doors, and he has contributed to many
other publications including the Call of Cthulhu Starter
Set, Reign of Terror, Terror Australis, and the Europe-
crossing mega-campaign Horror on the Orient Express.
He has also written for computer games, and helped
storyline the Call of Cthulhu computer game from
Cyanide Studio. He is still chasing the perfect scare.
w 110 x
THOM RALEY first delved into roleplaying games
in 1975. Moving to the Boston area in 2014, he found
himself in the middle of “Lovecraft Country” and began
organizing live-play Call of Cthulhu games at a local
game store. He attended his first NecronomiCon in 2015,
where founder of the Lovecraft eZine Mike Davis asked
him to take over his online Call of Cthulhu play group. In
time, Thom went on to found his own YouTube channel,
Into the Darkness, to record the games. A professional
graphic artist, Thom maintains a philosophy that Into
the Darkness is all about gaming with friends. Thom is
a spiritual man, and, following college, he studied in a
Greek Orthodox monastery for six fascinating years—
and has lots of stories to tell. He believes hospitality
is of paramount importance, seeking to make others
comfortable and happy, and playing games is central to
this.
MATTHEW SANDERSON (or more often, Matt) has

long been an avid fan of horror in fiction and in films.
He was discovered running a game of Call of Cthulhu at
a local gaming convention, which led to the publication
of his first scenario. Matt has contributed to a number
of Call of Cthulhu titles—Nameless Horrors, Dead
Light & Other Dark Turns, Pulp Cthulhu, and The
Two-Headed Serpent, among others. He lives in rural
Northamptonshire, England, with his ever-loving wife,
Tiffany (who is also very understanding and forgiving,
given the endless hours he spends writing!), along with
a growing menagerie of parrots and chickens. In those
rare moments, when he has “free time,” Matt can be
found enjoying cocktails or searching obscure corners
of the internet for yet more books to add to his already
extensive gaming library.
w 111 x
BECCA SCOTT is an actor, improviser, host, twitch
streamer, and owner of the YouTube channel @
GoodTimeSociety. There, she is Keeper for the weekly
Call of Cthulhu live play “The Calyx,” and best known
for her boardgame tutorials on Geek & Sundry, as a
correspondent for Magic: The Gathering, and the voice
of Sophie Gray in South Park. Find her @thebeccascott.
SETH SKORKOWSKY is a fantasy/horror novelist and

an award-winning YouTube personality with three
decades experience behind the Game Master’s screen.
He’s written scenarios for both Call of Cthulhu and
Traveller. He loves audio books, travel, has a weakness
for bad horror movies, and is really bad at pronouncing
the names of Mythos creatures. Seth lives in Texas with
his wife, and a lot of miniatures he intends to paint but
never does.
The H. P. LOVECRAFT HISTORICAL SOCIETY creates

a great many things for Lovecraftian fans including
motion pictures, audio dramas, audiobooks, gaming
props and artifacts, and the much-celebrated Gamer
Prop Set for Masks of Nyarlathotep. The organization
was founded in 1986 and is the world’s premiere producer
of Lovecraftian entertainment. hplhs.org
INTO THE DARKNESS is a YouTube channel. As of

2021, there are 132 scenarios on the channel, including
Horror on the Orient Express, Masks of Nyarlathotep,
and The Two-Headed Serpent, surpassing 800 game
sessions in just six years. The Into the Darkness club is
always looking for new members. intothedarkness.club
w 112 x
YOU TOO CAN CTHULHU is a team of Keepers
running original one-shot scenarios for Call of Cthulhu
at game conventions and special events. Most members
are based in the Indianapolis, Indiana area. Our games
focus on story and roleplay, and are accessible to new
gamers and seasoned veterans alike. The YTCC crew
strives to make our games stand out from the crowd by
using a combination of props, graphics, video, slides,
music, sound and lighting effects, multiple Keepers, and
a variety of settings in time and location to create an
immersive gaming experience.
Visit our Facebook page for pictures, videos, and more
from the past several years of crazy fun.
facebook.com/youtoocancthulhu
THE CHAOSIUM was founded by visionary game

designer Greg Stafford in 1975. Its award-winning
roleplaying games, boardgames, and fiction have been
acclaimed as some of the most engaging and innovative
of all time. For more than 40 years, Chaosium Inc. has
captivated gamers, readers, and mythic adventurers
worldwide. Its games include Call of Cthulhu,
RuneQuest, King Arthur Pendragon, QuestWorlds, and
7th Sea, among others. We are all us.
chaosium.com
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CoC-keeper Tips v1.1

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KEEPER

Edited by Mike Mason.

Artwork by Simon Bray and Andrey Fetisov.

Design and Layout by Nicholas Nacario.

Proofreading by Lynne Hardy.

Licensing conducted by Michael O’Brien, James Lowder, and

Call of Cthulhu Creative Director: Mike Mason.

This supplement is best used with the Call of Cthulhu

Keeper Tips © 2021 Chaosium Inc. All rights reserved.

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition) © 1981–2021 Chaosium Inc. All

Call of Cthulhu, Chaosium Inc., and the Chaosium dragon are

No offense to anyone living or dead is intended.

This material is protected under the copyright laws of the

Find more Chaosium Inc. products at chaosium.com.

Designing Scenarios ����������������������������������������������������� 33

The Cthulhu Mythos ����������������������������������������������������� 77

Non-Player Characters ������������������������������������������������� 83

Online Play ������������������������������������������������������������������� 89

Props & Handouts ��������������������������������������������������������� 91

Miscellaneous ������������������������������������������������������������� 101

Resources ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 103

Biographies ����������������������������������������������������������������� 105

Released as part of the 40th anniversary of Call of

Before play, forecast the structure of your scenario

Don’t bypass having a Session Zero prior to starting

If you like to use miniatures, use miniatures. If you love

Atmosphere is vital, but don’t underestimate the

Don’t worry if your players are laughing during the

Ideally, running a game should be like running a dinner

Never let the rules get in the way of a thrilling sequence

Texting and talking on cell phones are the quickest way

Call of Cthulhu is not “Keeper versus Investigators.” You

Call of Cthulhu is a life sentence. I still play and write

The dice determine success or failure, but the dice do

This is a game best played after dark.

Don’t pay attention to any Call of Cthulhu tips in this book.

If your friend ever says they want to run Call of Cthulhu,

If you have something you want the players to find out

The purpose of roleplaying is to have a good time. It’s not

The goal of any tabletop game is to have fun. While we

Be inclusive when writing. Writing your own scenario

Think about how to create conflict while avoiding

The reason we run You Too Can Cthulhu is that we love

Inclusivity matters. Offer a diverse cast of investigators

Are you struggling or afraid of creating diverse

Stop typecasting marginalized persons as villains. Stop

Remember, the game is not about you, the Keeper. Do not

Diversify investigator careers. Great characters don’t

Have the players make their investigators together—this can

Read through the scenario thoroughly before running

The purpose of the game is to entertain, so make sure you

You don’t need to know everything. You don’t have to

If planning a game session, four players is a good

Before an investigation, select a handful of images to

Before a campaign begins, make an investigator tracker.

When prepping a scenario, take a moment to do a little

No matter how much you prepare, your players are going

If you, as a Keeper, want to add/change/remove elements

During “session zero,” give the players a rough idea of

If you are using a published scenario, read it several

If you are running a campaign, a helpful suggestion at

A previous session recap is a really useful tool for the

If you are running for a group with new players it can

Designing Scenarios �� 33

The Cthulhu Mythos �� 77

Non-Player Characters �� 83

Online Play �� 89

Props & Handouts �� 91

Miscellaneous �� 101

Resources �� 103

Biographies �� 105