Tournaments for fun & profit” “How to win Call of Cthulhu Tournaments
“How to win Call of Cthulhu Tournaments, Tournaments, for fun & profit”
By Paul Maclean
Introduction
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As you may have guessed from the title, this is not an entirely serious piece of literature. This article represents my very personal views on how I like to play and enjoy Chaosium’s excellent game and has led to some moderate success for me (UK Student Nationals ‘Horror’ winner 2001, then 2nd place in the ‘Open Random’ section in 2002).
Before the game begins
There are no guarantees to winning tournaments. RPG’s are usually about cooperative play for good reasons, Call of Cthulhu doubly so – the opposing forces are always too great to consider ‘every man for himself’ as a realistic option. The following relates specifically to tournament play which in itself is a strange beast, consisting of people you’ve (usually) never met before, playing for simple enjoyment or with eyes to the prize – where you’re hurled into a scenario with a randomly drawn pre-generated character of someone else’s making and with a ‘who knows what’ kind of potentially apocalyptic climax only a few hours away. In tournament play there is rarely a ‘tomorrow’… I’ve broken down into sections what I consider to be important aspects in play; some by their title may be self explanatory, others I have tried to expand upon. If this piece is of interest to you, then you may also wish to read Mark Morrison’s article ‘Judging the Insane’ from DAGON #25 (1989), a copy of which is available from Yog-Sothoth.com for download.
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Bring the right materials – would seem obvious, but many forget. A small amount of stationery – pens, pencils, notepad or similar and I would recommend a highlighter pen.
- One way or another you will Know thyself have ended up with a character to play and will usually have only five or ten minutes to become thoroughly acquainted before play begins. Depending on the scenario author, background information can be as slight as ‘you are an amnesiac’, through to two page essays saying ‘you are a soviet double agent, with three degrees in agricultural science and an in depth knowledge of the works of Tolstoy and The Beatles greatest hits’. Read any background text very carefully; use a highlighter pen to pick out keyword points and potentially critical information. A trait of many tournament characters is they have some developed relationship with the other members of the party – some your character may like, some you may dislike or even be related to in some way. Don’t forget your own character name! (see the next point). Know others - After you’ve gone over your character your Keeper may ask you to introduce yourself to the rest of the party, take this opportunity with both hands! If the Keeper doesn’t make this suggestion, suggest it yourself and begin (unless the Keeper has another agenda forbidding this). By having better knowledge of your fellow party members you can interact and work better as a team – who’s the academic?
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“How to win Call of Cthulhu Tournaments for fun & profit” Who’s the hero-type? Who’s the medic? Who’s afraid of furniture? You know the drill. Note their names, what key character traits did they reveal to you when they talked about themselves? These are the people who are going to help you stay alive over the next three, four or more hours. Get to know them. Notes help - One of my tricks is to sketch out the table we’re playing around and mark on the relative positions of the other players and the keeper, along with crib notes of important points about the other players – character name, age, sex, relationship, physical condition etc. An example of such a sketch on the back of a completed tournament name card can be seen at the end of this article (Figure 1.).
During Play Stay in character – always. If you’re really serious about playing then never break character during the game. Don’t be tempted to make a quick quip out of character because you think it’s funny. It can be disjointing to the flow of the game and the Keeper’s eyes may be upon you…taking notes as they do. Always refer to other players by their character’s name and do make use of their name rather than gesturing to them and saying ‘why don’t we..?’ Again the notes from earlier are critical here. Try and think yourself into your character – do as you think they would do. They are not pawns on a tabletop; you are now them (a bit like method acting). Never use prior or outside knowledge, especially of a Cthulhu Mythos subject. You may be terribly wrong, and will undoubtedly get marked down. Support the other players – the greatest prize in Call of Cthulhu is life, to live another day and see another dawn having fought off the evils of the Mythos one more time. No-one can do this alone. Remember the information you noted about the other characters before starting – use it, join with them and help in any way you can. Every
one in the party should have a role to play. If someone is doing a lot of the talking now, it will probably be your turn later. If you have ideas, share them! Hoarding information and items only restricts you as a group (unless that’s what you’re supposed to do of course – no penalties for staying in character…mwah-ha-ha-ha-hah!). Follow the clues – tournament games are often short – one session affairs. The clues to solving the mystery should be quite evident. Be critical and analytical of any information that comes your way and act upon it– there is often little time for red-herrings so the scraps of information should have some bearing. Be logical. Again, make a note of clues as you get them! If you feel something is incidental it probably is – but don’t quote me on that. Humour in context – the best way to have a laugh, if your character says or does something during the game that is funny or is in an amusing situation. Side-splitting, but still in character! [insert own funny story here] When to sacrifice – and I’m not necessarily talking about altars. There may come a point when you simply have to be brave, when you have to put your character on the line with the real possibility of them not making it. It’s usually bad manners to suggest that someone else in the party should do it if it’s obvious you’re the right choice (again this etiquette goes out the window if that’s what you character would normally suggest)! Most tournament scenarios are not designed for player characters to die early in the game; you would have to be very, very unfortunate or very silly to lose everything. However this is ‘Call of Cthulhu’ so beware. If you do die, take it in good humour and know that you did the best that you could. You may still get the highest ranking for a game well played. Bribing the Keeper – generally not advised. However if you bring snacks like biscuits or small sweets and these are for sharing around the table, including the Keeper, it
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“How to win Call of Cthulhu Tournaments for fun & profit” cannot harm – if only at an unconscious level. Again, beware if you use this as a deliberate ploy, CoC Keepers and players are smart, trying to buy your way into good books is often a sure-fire way of getting out of them. The same goes for ‘eye candy’ and wearing suggestive clothing – you know who you are... ;-) The use of props – can add style and vividness. If you can plausibly work something in the room into the game, all the better. I recall one occasion where the Keeper challenged us to work in a copy of Cosmopolitan into the story – so I did, in character, and I was lucky enough to win. Props, especially in CoC can be fun and help the group enter into the spirit of things more easily. The Keeper may provide them (as per the example above) however I’ll undoubtedly be watching out for players carrying around carpet bags full of trinkets and bits & bobs at the next set of tournaments (hats, pipes, glasses, pocket watches – word to the wise, stay away from the false moustaches and guns). Overbearing players – note, players rather than characters. A tricky problem. We all know they exist and can bring misery to the rest of the group. Those who talk loudest and longest can often seem to be ‘the best’ simply by virtue that the other players give up or are drowned out. Don’t let it happen! If your Keeper is on the ball, they will realise what is going on and try to help, if only by making sure they hear everyone. In the end it’s up to you. Normally you’re unfortunate enough to have just one overbearing player let alone two. Make sure you are noticed by the Keeper, whether that means speaking up or as a last resort putting your hand in the air (though this can feel a little like being back in the school room). If everyone else in the group does the same the antisocial player will have to take stock. Stand up for your self but be wary of turning the game into a shouting match with five or six people (though I’ve never seen this happen in more than 20 years of ‘Call of Cthulhu’).
Leading Characters – some scenarios are designed with a ‘lead character’ in mind, usually as a plot device. They may have popular or critically useful skills or be declared as ‘extrovert’ in their background descriptions. Since most characters are handed out randomly and you’ve (hopefully) no idea of the plot, you never know if you will or won’t get such a character. If you do, try to play with forbearance in mind to others (see ‘Support the other players’, above). If someone else has such a character, keep in mind some of the advice given on ‘Overbearing players’ which may be applicable here as well. The difference between overbearing players and leading characters should become apparent during the game. Take advantage of breaks – a golden opportunity, especially over lunch, to take stock of the situation. If you anticipate an immediate challenge ahead – try and prepare for it. An example is a game where we knew we were going to have to perform in a travelling show. We took advantage of the lunch break to come up with some new lyrics to old songs (far better than trying to remember the originals) and did the song & dance performance during the game after lunch. Entertaining and fun to do. Another note on breaks, unless absolutely necessary, don’t take them of your own accord. It can disrupt play (e.g. by stopping the game or the plans the Keeper had for you) and you may miss vital information the other players may forget to tell you when you return. Stay in the game. Knowing when to break from your character – appears to be contrary from the earlier point ‘Know thyself’, however there are times when to proceed and stay engaged in the game you must do this. A good example is one where your character description denotes your character as being shy, introverted and generally anti-social (I have seen this) –who knows you’re doing great role-playing if your sitting quietly in the corner with your character sheet? The
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“How to win Call of Cthulhu Tournaments for fun & profit” Keeper if they remember – maybe? Even in the context of a three or four hour game it is not unreasonable for a character to begin to grow or change – especially if circumstances warrant, such as times of crisis – of which there are often many in CoC. Again, look for ways to bring your character to the fore – plausibly and ‘in character’. Think smart. You’d be mad not to enjoy inanity – often a gift in the game – if you survive catatonia and avoid reduction to zero SAN that is. It gives you the chance to do some often outrageous and entertaining role-play (see also ‘Humour in context’ above). Make sure you know what the insanity is – the Keeper should explain to you quite clearly (in or out of earshot of the others). This is a good ploy to bring out introverted characters – or even players. Be careful what you eat and drink – during the game crisps or chips are not a good idea, nor are carbonated drinks for obvious reasons – however this can be hard as junk foods often seem to be a staple diet for role players. Chewy sweets should also be avoided unless your character is a wisecracking gum-chewing smart-ass (well, you never know). Try drinking something noncarbonated and think about saving the food till meal time. This leads to a lot less mess to clear away afterwards as well. It’s always worth being considerate towards your tournament hosts and the next group of players. Enjoy – surely the whole point of play. You’ve spent time & money getting to the tournament, so make sure you have a good time. Get into the spirit of things and enter the fantastic and horror-filled worlds of wonder waiting for you. Have fun and maybe make new friends in the process. If you do, you’ll be a winner no matter who actually gets to the podium.
After the game Re-assess your life – hopefully you’ve had a fun and enjoyable game. The whole point of playing. After every game you play you may want to consider if there were things you could have done better, and if so, how. Not just the solving of game problems, but also interactions with NPCs and other players. Again it’s worth making notes for next time. Consider acting classes – no seriously – if you find you really enjoy the theatrical side of role-playing it may be just the ticket – and it can give you a whole new and highly entertaining social life. You really must be gunning for it if you consider this an option just to improve your role-play. Discretion is the better part of role-play – tournaments often have multiple scenarios available for people to play. You are bound to meet others who have played the scenario you are going to play next and vice versa. Don’t talk to them about it! Keepers will often ask you not to talk about the game as it can spoil the surprise for others. To be fair, everyone should be on a level playing field and that means no prior knowledge. It’s difficult to ignore once you know, so best not to ask or be told. In the end it’s your choice.
Conclusion All of the above are simply points for consideration. Take them or leave them as you will. I have found them useful over the years and I hope they have been of some interest to you. I can’t guarantee that any of them will help you ‘win’, but I hope some of them may make your games yet more enjoyable. I have certainly profited by way of many entertaining tales to tell and friends well met. Thank you Cthulhu.
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“How to win Call of Cthulhu Tournaments for fun & profit” Figure 1: Example of tournament name card in use. Blanks are available for download at YogSothoth.com (http://www.yog-sothoth.com/downloads.stm)
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