Foot Chases in Call of Cthulhu

This week we demonstrate another new aspect of the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition rules. Paul takes on the role of Keeper and convinces Matt and Scott to run for their lives, as we check out the revamped chase mechanics.

The idea of the chase rules is that running away from trouble should be every bit as exciting as combat, especially as some of the most memorable action scenes in Lovecraft’s work are chases. What would The Shadow Over Innsmouth have been like if the narrator has stood and fought the deep ones? Well, apart from thirty pages shorter.

The chase this week is on foot, but we will follow up with a car chase in a later episode.

This is the first of the sweat lodge recordings, when we discovered that during the height of summer, Paul’s shed can reach temperatures normally only found in Cthugha’s pants. You may hear the guzzling of water, gasps of heat prostration and the sizzling of subcutaneous fat. Paul was laid-up with heatstroke for 24 hours after this, so we hope it was worth it.

Please feel free to leave a comment here if you would like us to explain any aspects in more detail, or track one of us down on Google+. Yes, people do use G+.

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4 comments on “Foot Chases in Call of Cthulhu”

Steve Dempsey Jul 16, 2013

This is a bit disappointing, still 10 minutes to go but it isn’t clear how this is different from the usual take it in turns rolling the dice by initiative order. I don’t understand what difference speed makes during the chase, or the different locations mentioned. Also, you might bring in some of the other new things such as luck or pushing rolls.

Steve Dempsey Jul 16, 2013

Also, could you turn the mic up a bit? It’s a very quiet podcast.

Scott Dorward Jul 16, 2013

Sorry that it’s not covering all the bases. I’ll see if Paul can explain some stuff in more detail.

Pushing rolls doesn’t happen in the chase mechanics, so we didn’t mention it. The idea is that if you want to retry an action, you just do so on your next turn, as per combat.

We’re going to try using a different way of recording next time. Currently we all cluster round one microphone, which seems to mean we’re either too quiet or we get distortion. I’m going to try mixing three headset microphones instead, so this may help.

Steve Dempsey Jul 16, 2013
This is a bit disappointing, still 10 minutes to go but it isn’t clear how this is different from the usual take it in turns rolling the dice by initiative order. I don’t understand what difference speed makes during the chase, or the different locations mentioned. Also, you might bring in some of the other new things such as luck or pushing rolls.
Steve Dempsey Jul 16, 2013
Also, could you turn the mic up a bit? It’s a very quiet podcast.
Scott Dorward Jul 16, 2013
Sorry that it’s not covering all the bases. I’ll see if Paul can explain some stuff in more detail.
Pushing rolls doesn’t happen in the chase mechanics, so we didn’t mention it. The idea is that if you want to retry an action, you just do so on your next turn, as per combat.
We’re going to try using a different way of recording next time. Currently we all cluster round one microphone, which seems to mean we’re either too quiet or we get distortion. I’m going to try mixing three headset microphones instead, so this may help.