Call of Cthulhu: REIGN OF TERROR

About the adventure

IMAGE: The Morning of 10 Thermidor Year II. Oil on canvas by Lucien-Étienne Mélingue, c. 1877. 𝘈𝘩 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢, 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢, 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘩 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢, 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢, 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘈𝘩 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢, 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢, 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘩 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢, 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢, 𝘤̧𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘜𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘶𝘹 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 REIGN OF TERROR is a two-part Call of Cthulhu investigation into the unknown, set amidst the excitement -- and horror -- of the French Revolution. 💀 Delve into Paris' newly-dug catacombs, where the laborers whisper of being watched... 🔪 Investigate a series of grisly political killings as Louis XVI's court grows ever more corrupt and greedy... 🩸 Race through the blood-soaked boulevards to outrun cultists and Robespierre's secret police... ...and 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 bring a finale to the horrible march of the guillotine...

Additional Details

How to prepare

Internet connection (Chrome/Firefox), mic & headphones, Roll20 account, Discord account, and Discord app required. Webcams and dice highly encouraged!

What I provide

I will bring the Reign of Terror scenario, LOTS of handouts, the "official" pre-generated characters, as well as all published Call of Cthulhu rules. I will also provide a nicely appointed and friendly Discord server, and character art from me, a professional illustrator!

Gameplay details

In this game, you can expect low-pressure roleplay, plenty of player freedom, lots of bloody French Revolution flavor, and a fun "B movie" atmosphere. I'm open to all experience levels, and available to schedule additional "office hours" to develop characters or ask questions! I'll be in touch before we meet to coordinate our first session and establish what you need from me as a GM! We'll start with a free "session zero" to get to know each other, set goals and safety guidelines collaboratively, and introduce rules and characters. Then we'll play 3-4 hours a week! Character details and rolls will mostly be tracked through Roll20, although I encourage note-taking and I always love the sound of real dice! I run a light-hearted table, but I have a zero tolerance policy for behavior that makes others unsafe or uncomfortable. We'll check in early and often about how you feel, and resolve conflict immediately, out of character. ============== Note on the troubling history + legacy of Call of Cthulhu: The Call of Cthulhu RPG, and by extension the scenario we're using for this adventure, is based on the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and other white male "cosmic horror" writers from the turn of the 20th century. Their beliefs on race, gender, class, ability, and other identities ranged from limited to radically bigoted, even for the period. More to the point, the "horror" in these stories often boils down to "the other" -- that is, people or ideas beyond the control or understanding of wealthy white American men -- and some of the "monsters" from this genre even hint at hateful stereotypes. While the Call of Cthulhu producers make a small effort to correct for this nasty legacy, the rulebooks and scenarios *as written* still occasionally indulge in the "fun" of cosmic horror at the expense of marginalized communities. With all of that in mind, I believe that we can still get at the campy, chilling fun of this genre, if we're very careful. We'll address this during our first session, and agree on an approach for whenever it comes up. I'll do my best to deviate from the source book by default wherever its horror, comedy, or spectacle is achieved by punching down, but I may miss something! I encourage everyone to call out harmful content, to whatever extent you feel comfortable. ============== Note on the Reign of Terror in France It's also worth noting that this scenario is set during a powerfully bleak few years of history in France, and in Paris in particular. The Revolution was stoked by a wealthy monarchy that couldn't or wouldn't save its people from mass death due to rampant famine and disease. The promise of healing through revolution quickly died, too, as the Republic failed to solve the monarchy's problem, became increasingly totalitarian itself, and began persecuting its countless supposed "enemies." With the invention of the guillotine, this suspicion and fear was weaponized with brutal efficiency, and thousands more across France lost their lives under the direction of a few dangerously panicky men. Paris endured decades of violence in its streets as various factions fought amongst themselves for control of the country, such that entire plazas were unfit for public use due to the blood soaking the ground. This is a very potent, action-filled setting for horror, and the irony of the Revolution's arc even lends itself to some (dark) comedy, but it's heavy stuff! The scenario places you in the shoes of people who bear that weight on their shoulders and sometimes have to make very painful decisions. With that said, it's okay to feel uncomfortable about the content, or the tone with which a kinda-pulpy horror story addresses that content. Scenes can always be closed or edited, and it's always cool to take a break. This is *our* reign of terror, after all. ==============

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Bleed
Breaks
Debriefing
Lines and Veils
Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist
Open Door
Session 0

How will character creation work

This scenario has six pre-generated Investigators to play with (complete with backstories that intersect with the plot), although I'm very open to creating new ones, or a mix! In our first session, we'll flesh out any existing characters and/or create new ones as a group. No prep necessary!

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.