Renew #RPGaDAY2025

 Renew a person???  Mmm Sandy Petersen maybe? In terms of his work as a game designer, he has certainly reinvented himself! That's what I mean. If he's very behind in other aspects, well, that's unfortunate.

Since the days of RuneQuest, which introduced the world to Lovecraft, creating a title that has been revamped time and time again in multiple ways on the back of other titles and initiatives, but at the end of the day adding aspects of what he learned as a designer to his next creation, I think it demonstrates his ability renew himself. The products that made me most attached to his authorship and style were The Call of Cthulhu and Cthulhu Wars. 

And in the case of the game Risk Meets Cthulhu, well, I feel that it doesn't convey much of the atmosphere or feeling of horror and mystery, but at least from time to time you can feel a little desperate, which can be more or less common in certain tabletop strategy games.

And with The Call...wow, what a great title, for many years my favorite character creation, and although I never knew how to fully use the sanity system, its high mortality rate, and the possibility of shooting a minor creature to death, I add a je ne sais quoi to the game. The game that truly shaped me as a storyteller. It's clear that in terms of hours played, DnD beats any other role-playing game, but in terms of lessons learned, memorable moments, and personal enjoyment, the adventures related to or inspired by The Call are the best.

Mistery #RPGaDAY2025

 A call of Cthulhu post..great!

So..I think it's difficult, extremely difficult, to establish an aura of mystery in a role-playing game. Whether you're playing something related to Call of Cthulhu or something like D&D, it doesn't matter, creating a space where mystery can develop is no simple matter. Players are generally disorderly and hate anything serious or solemn.

Obviously, this isn't true of all players, but the fact that they're playing a game puts many people in a state where they want to be chaotic or more disorderly than usual, so in general it's difficult to create an aura of mystery amid so much chaos and disorder.

But anyway, leaving aside the specific elements that will only apply in specific cases. In general, the mystery has worked well for me, if we find ourselves with a plot that gradually unveils the BIG REVELATION.

And in general, I see that Cthulhu modules work that way, a creature in a rural village. Dead animals, accidents, unusual weather events. Disappearances or sudden changes in behavior, violent and repulsive deaths. And then the creature suddenly appears, perhaps even ending the existence of an important NPC in front of the group of investigators.

That's usually the method: three forceful presentations in three different scenarios and moments in order to build mystery, plant clues, and then end with a grand curtain call where a tentacle grabs and squeezes the groom to death.

But they can also present a mystery, since all the machinery is already in motion. A campaign begins with Cthulhu standing on the shores of New York, so that his mere presence generates a large number of events.

Similarly, you can start with the classic prison break. Tied to an operating table in a sad, abandoned, smelly place, with a burning pain in your right side.

 The mystery may already have been revealed, but its effect can be felt and the actions of the investigators can begin to be set in motion, who will generally fight to survive or to prevent the THREAT from causing as much damage as possible.