I hate it when this happens

[NestroEmichae]

I think this is the proper forum for this. If not, please move it.

If any of you notice a mild irritability, which is the main reason I have not been posting on here, it is because of a problem with my players. 6 of them have developed psychological problems due to periodic exposure to stress and fear. The only periodic exposure they get is my games. As such, I have been advised to stop playing CoC with all of my groups while they recover. As you can imagine, I am not the least bit happy. Good thing I required them to have periodic psych exams.

What really makes this difficult is that they refuse to move back to DnD and my d20 Modern games have not proven popular. I may be forced to use such drastic measures as a half-developed Resident Evil campaign and the Aliens: Game Over d20 Modern undeveloped campaign. If those fail I may have to go into ~shudder~ Warcraft oR V:tM. Top it all off, they are complaining about how things have changed.

As such, I will be posting less often than I used to on here. I cannot allow a constant irritation to affect my posting on here more than a minimum.

Interestingly, any of you that post on the WotC forums may have noticed my account on there being active once more. There is a new Nestro Emichae on the net. That makes 8 official and 4 imposters to date, though I am the original.

[FunGuyfromYuggoth]

it is because of a problem with my players. 6 of them have developed psychological problems due to periodic exposure to stress and fear. The only periodic exposure they get is my games. As such, I have been advised to stop playing CoC with all of my groups while they recover.

This is very intriguing to me, as striving to create atmosphere suitable to the game should bring players closer to their inner demons without dangling their actual psyches too close to the fire. What is your technique and if you could describe it, how would you do things differently if you could?

[Roadkill]

6 of them have developed psychological problems due to periodic exposure to stress and fear. The only periodic exposure they get is my games. As such, I have been advised to stop playing CoC with all of my groups while they recover. As you can imagine, I am not the least bit happy.

Dude, I'm in awe. None of us have managed to do irreparable psychological damage to that many players in just a few sittings. What's your secret? Which scenario were you running?

[Lingering_Dark]

Not just what scenarios, but how did you run them!

[MrFilthyIke]

Not just what scenarios, but how did you run them!

I saw a very straight-laced guy start to "lose it" after a very intense Cthulhu scenario, but our GM had really given us a mind funk of a scenario.

[Wood]

He's kidding.

Tell me he's kidding.

[GHill]

I saw a very straight-laced guy start to "lose it" after a very intense Cthulhu scenario, but our GM had really given us a mind funk of a scenario.

Now this I've seen, some newbies who aren't familiar with the idea of HPL can be prone to "losing it" if you throw them in at the deep end

6 of them have developed psychological problems due to periodic exposure to stress and fear. The only periodic exposure they get is my games. As such, I have been advised to stop playing CoC with all of my groups while they recover. As you can imagine, I am not the least bit happy.

Obviously not good friends then

Umm also the normal human reaction to periodic exposure to stress and fear when its leading to the development of psychological problems is to avoid doing the thing that causes the stress and fear in the first place, especially if its voluntary, you don't normally have to be told.

[Wood]

Are we having our collective chain yanked here?

[Thorulfr]

Are we having our collective chain yanked here?

Don't know - but as a Keeper, I too have had some problems with a player that "couldn't take it." After a particularly intense scenario, he changed religions and ran off to live in a co-op on a mountain for about 6 months. He's better now, but is too busy to play. Rats; I had plans for his character...

[Tittan]

Um... you mean that your Players rolled on the insanity tables??
I've always thought that the game is scary in the way a movie can be scary, and I've never even started to consider the fact that my players can get mad from playing my games, but now that you mention it...

One player constantly needs to have lights around him.
One player can't go outside if it's raining. (Due to something his PC experienced in the rain.)
One player never answer his phone, but sends a sms within 30 seconds asking what I wanted.
One player stopped watching the news when I pointed out that you could look at them the Lovecraftian way.
Etc

[NestroEmichae]

Wow. Nearly a month. Time flies when you're not having fun.

This is very intriguing to me, as striving to create atmosphere suitable to the game should bring players closer to their inner demons without dangling their actual psyches too close to the fire. What is your technique and if you could describe it, how would you do things differently if you could?

Part of it is my physical appearance. I didn't get the nickname 'Lich' because I am obsessed with death.

Typically, I use a combination of things. Dark rooms with candles for light, a human skull I own staring at the players (unnerves people for some reason), releasing snakes into the room when doing a Yig campaign, etc. What's really fun is when you have the players play characters that are exact replicas of them. They forget it's happening to the character.

It takes time, practice, devotion, and knowing your players to pull off.

Is it just me or am I bad at giving this kind of advice?

Dude, I'm in awe. None of us have managed to do irreparable psychological damage to that many players in just a few sittings. What's your secret? Which scenario were you running?

Wasn't a few sittings. It's been over a year of play. And I didn't just use one scenario, but used several. My secret? Scaring the players and the characters. Imagine how you would react if the Keeper were describing a snake crawling up your character's leg and one suddenly started crawling up yours.

Not just what scenarios, but how did you run them!

I made the horrors as real as I could without getting dangerous. See some of my techniques in the above replies.

He's kidding.

Tell me he's kidding.

I wish.

Umm also the normal human reaction to periodic exposure to stress and fear when its leading to the development of psychological problems is to avoid doing the thing that causes the stress and fear in the first place, especially if its voluntary, you don't normally have to be told.

Uh huh. Then explain why some people are cops, some people are soldiers (by choice), and many people work stressful jobs and fear that losing those jobs will lead to their lives falling apart. Besides, who said my players were entirely normal? They obviously are not to have stuck with something long enough to develop real problems from it.

Are we having our collective chain yanked here?

No. I was following up on what I said I would do: Taking a short break from posting.

Um... you mean that your Players rolled on the insanity tables??
I've always thought that the game is scary in the way a movie can be scary, and I've never even started to consider the fact that my players can get mad from playing my games, but now that you mention it...

One player constantly needs to have lights around him.
One player can't go outside if it's raining. (Due to something his PC experienced in the rain.)
One player never answer his phone, but sends a sms within 30 seconds asking what I wanted.
One player stopped watching the news when I pointed out that you could look at them the Lovecraftian way.
Etc

You're on the right track. You can have all kinds of fun with your players now. Their defenses are beginning to fall.

[GHill]

Umm also the normal human reaction to periodic exposure to stress and fear when its leading to the development of psychological problems is to avoid doing the thing that causes the stress and fear in the first place, especially if its voluntary, you don't normally have to be told.

Uh huh. Then explain why some people are cops, some people are soldiers (by choice), and many people work stressful jobs and fear that losing those jobs will lead to their lives falling apart. Besides, who said my players were entirely normal? They obviously are not to have stuck with something long enough to develop real problems from it.

Both Police and soldiers spend a great deal of time training for those events that are likely to cause them psychogical problems, its an inherent part oftheir job, these evenet are also thankfully generaly infrequent, sadly it doesn't stop them having psych problems just the same and many will leave the army/police as a consequence. People stuck in otherwise stressful jobs normally have a reason to stay its called a pay packet.

What I was indicating was that it was strange that anyone continue attending RPG sessions (which was causing them real life stress) when they have a choice - they are not being payed to attend, they are not duty bound to do so and frankly if it was causing them that much stress I cant imagine that they were enjoying it that much.

6 of them have developed psychological problems due to periodic exposure to stress and fear. The only periodic exposure they get is my games. As such, I have been advised to stop playing CoC with all of my groups while they recover. As you can imagine, I am not the least bit happy.

Quoting you again What I find strange is that considering that you seem to be the source of their problems you seem more concerned with them not turning up that what you've done to them.

[MarkRyan]

A Question to Nestroemichaeo you work in a mental asylum? (I know that's not the politically correct terminology for such places today but you all know what I mean don't you). My reasons for asking are:

1)Why would anyone want to continue doing anything (ie playing CoC) if it is obviously damaging them or their fellow players?

2)Were the players already psychologically damaged before starting one of your campaigns? (Have you been gamesmastering for your patients)

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I find it quite worrying that you seem to be getting off on the fact that you have (supposedly) damaged 6 players in a year - assuming of course that you aren't talking out of your arse.Somebody please remind me not to ever,ever play in one of NestroEmichae's games as he scares me

[The_Usernameless_Horror]

You do talk a lot of rubbish sometimes.