Dying of St Margret's as a convention scenario *SPOILERS*

[AJKM]

I'm am tossing around some ideas about what to run as a ToC convention scenario early next year. I have recently purchased 'The Dying of St Margret's' which I've really enjoyed reading and though this could be an option.

I am interested in hearing any feedback people have had who have run it as a convention scenario, or in general, for their players. In particular, I'm interested in hearing about how players reacted to the distinctive purist ending to the story (or if anyone has played a pulp version of it for that matter). There might be some newish players to the system and to the Cthulhu mythos in general, so I would be concerned about turning them off the game.

Also if anyone has any thoughts about the timing of the scenario. I'll be interested to hear about it as well. We have three hour time slots and I'd use pre-generated characters. Would this allow me enough time to run the game well?

[GrahamW]

It's basically designed as a one-shot scenario. Keep an eye on the timing. You should be in the caves 45 minutes before the end: if you do that, everything's golden.

When I ran this at conventions, the ending worked well, even with people who hadn't played many RPGs before. The key is to tell the players what's coming: that they're going to go mad at the end, but they get to choose how. Then, at the end, hand their epilogues over to them.

I've got more to say about this, but that's a good start.

Graham

[AJKM]

[GrahamW]

Let's see. The instructions in the text itself are pretty good, but just to emphasise...

Tell the players about the ending, explicitly, at the beginning of the game. It's a Purist Lovecraft scenario. They don't stand a chance. They cannot fight the Mythos. They will go mad (well, strictly speaking, they might not, but it's a good assumption to make). The fun is in choosing how this happens.

If they're on board with this, I've found that players tend to go with it.

Then, when the text tells you to, use the Drives. So, do a Directed Scene at the beginning, illustrating the Drive; in the workshop, let each player describe how their Investigator anticipates their Drive will be fulfilled; and, at the end, let each player narrate an ending, in which their Investigator's Drive crumbles away.

Each time, let the players do the describing. This is crucial. Prompt them "So, this is going to achieve everything you wanted, right?", then ask them to react "How does your guy feel about that?".

For example, in the workshop scene, tell each player that it looks as though their Investigator will achieve their Drive, then ask them how they react to that. The players will know they're setting themselves up for a fall, here: this is fine.

And, then, at the end, allow them to narrate their epilogue however they want. We've had Investigators running deep into the caves, lost for ever; others live out their days in an insane asylum. Players love describing these epilogues.

There's some advice on timings in the scenario, too. It's good advice. Let the Investigators go where they want, at first, but then ensure they're in the workshop 90 minutes before the end, and the caves 45 minutes before the end.

Graham

[akenol]

I have played this scenario a few times with different groups now, and I must advise you to really explain the concept of drives before you start the scenario. Especially for players new to ToC. Many new to ToC haven't understand the importance of drives when I have played it.

It is also a good idea to explain the status between different classes of society in the 30's. Because there could be a problem for roles with low Credit rating when they arrive at St. Margaret, and a problem for people with high credit rating in the village.

Several of the groups I have played with have also had problems with finishing the scenario in one evening. But this shouldn't be a problem if they focus on solving the mystery, and not just dunning around at random in the school.

Good luck!