Favorite moment as a Keeper

[Patrickthedirebunny]

Alright, I recently posted a thread in which I mentioned that I ran my second Call of Cthulhu game as Keeper. Before we started, I was extremely worried that I'd fail miserably and end up stuttering and stammering, but it actually went extremely well, and I felt a huge sense of satisfaction as I saw my investigators roleplay together and look for evidence and clues, and really think about what they would try to do. My career as a Keeper has been short so far, but that has got to be my favorite moment was that feeling! Have you guys got any moments like that?

[lordofstella]

Very glad to hear your keeping went well! A lot of people think that being the keeper is all work and no fun, but watching the evening unfold is a truly exciting and rewaring feeling.

As for a similar moment, I'd have to say that my favorite was towards the end of a scenario I did involving a vampire. For the last half an hour, all the players were literally physically cringing after announcing each step they made. They were truly fearing the results of their own actions and it was a wonderful feeling =)

[Patrickthedirebunny]

That sounds awesome! And thank you very much : ) My players were doing something similar, I was running The Haunting, and I was doing the thing where Corbitt makes a thumping noise upstairs. It terrified them into not going upstairs at all, and they refused to go into the basement. It was pretty hilarious!

[lordofstella]

Love the thumping from The Haunting! Gotta love it when your investigators have no idea what to expect =D

[Patrickthedirebunny]

Indeed! I look forward to making my own custom made scenario to try and frighten them even more! Given that we've seen Grave Encounters recently... I think I might have some ideas.

[Machinehead]

My favourite was from years ago when I first ran the Haunting. It involved Corbitt, a blanket and a kerosene lantern. I'm sure you can piece it together from there

[Patrickthedirebunny]

That sounds amazingly clever...

[Sorrowking]

My fave moment was during The hills rise wild when a certain investigator in a desperate attempt to destroy Levi set fire to his trench coat........Did I mention that he had 8 sticks of dynamite in his pockets? Any way there was a massive explosion obliterating the cabin and all inside it also severely damaging the rest of the group who were hiding in their cars.
The exploding investigator has been known to appear on burnt toast since then.

[mosswood17]

I am running a scenario I made myself. The PC's were visiting a mine in a town that they had time traveled to almost 40 years ago. They were investigating a mine closed down. The two guys went down into the mouth of the mine while the woman waited at the top of the mine. A car pulled up the road and stopped to watch them. The woman, afraid, called the men out of the mine. As soon as they came out of the mine the mysterious car turned and drove away. Trying unsuccessfully to catch up with the car, they decide to pull over on the road leading back to town. A strange cry from the forest makes them uneasy and they turn the headlights on and they see something "black and shiny" scamper on 4 legs across the road and disappear into the foliage. They panic and beeline back to Chicago, but a pair of headlights seem to be following them. They pull over and the car drives past them slowly (they cannot see anyone inside), but drives on down the road. They backtrack to another restaurant and eat a shaky dinner before driving back to Chicago.

One of the players told me that was his favorite part of the evening. I think it is my favorite part so far. This is the first time I have ever run (I have never played either) a game of Call of Cthulhu. It has been something I have wanted to try for a long long time. I love scaring them with the fear of the unknown. Lovecraft would be proud.

[Patrickthedirebunny]

Daaang, that's impressive for a first time player! Hopefully I can live up to that level of suspense : D

[Mechanicum]

I've only kept one real game so far (damn summer break is keeping me away from my player base), but I think my best moment was when I punished a player for trying to meta-game during the Haunting. He was intentionally avoiding Corbitt's bedroom so he wouldn't have to deal with the angry bed in there; and instead just poked around the children's room. So, in a fit of malevolence, I had the children's bunk-bed smash him through the wall.

[Asmodeus]

Sort of a weird metagame moment: My group had recently killed a vampire (the usual; severed the head, stuffed garlic in the mouth etc.). We finished up the game and went for a post game beer (real world) in a small country pub near the referee's house.

All of us started to discuss the evening's game (rather loudly apparently); "We should have burned the body", "I'm not sure that cutting his head off was a viable option" etc. until one of us noticed that everyone sat at the bar had turned around and was listening intently, eyes getting gradually wider.

The landlord threw us out; we tried explaining that it was a game, and we weren't really murdering lunatics, but I don't think he really understood

[lordofstella]

Sort of a weird metagame moment: My group had recently killed a vampire (the usual; severed the head, stuffed garlic in the mouth etc.). We finished up the game and went for a post game beer (real world) in a small country pub near the referee's house.

All of us started to discuss the evening's game (rather loudly apparently); "We should have burned the body", "I'm not sure that cutting his head off was a viable option" etc. until one of us noticed that everyone sat at the bar had turned around and was listening intently, eyes getting gradually wider.

The landlord threw us out; we tried explaining that it was a game, and we weren't really murdering lunatics, but I don't think he really understood

This is a win.

[johnnyhamper]

Spoiler alert

I was running the Going Down to Dunwich intro scenario for the Laundry RPG. One of the investigators (Professor Thornage) worked out who the assassin was and had tracked him back to his room. I had him seperated from the other players at that point and he said he was going to use his government issue smartphone to text the others. The rest of the investigators were searching an innocent NPCs room and weren't expecting anything. I realised that I had already got the players' real phone numbers set up as a text group on my phone and allowed him to send the following message "From Professor Thornage: ******** acting very fishy. I think he is the badmash. Doesn't want me to see what is in his room. Told you Dr. ***** was innocent. Come quick - bring help!'

Cue beeping of phones and exhortations of 'Oh bloody hell!!!' Its the first time I've used players phones like this and it worked a treat.

[Aklo]

Had a wonderful Keeper moment last night, playing a original RP, using the Trail of Cthulhu Armitage Files as a spine, we find the group gathered at the mysterious Mr/ Pickman's gallery opening. Sponsered by the local Boston Playboy Austin Kittrel, the nervous painter watched as the investigators rubbed elbows with celebrities and art collectors, admiring Pickman's older work in preperation of his new unveiling.

Long story short, the players knew they were on to something as they saw occult symbolism in many of innocuos works, but the tension built as Pickman and his assistants called attention to nine veiled paintings and exploded as they drew the veils back...

It helped that only one of my players had ever read Pickman's Model beforehand, but as the veils fell away and the crowd gasped someone screaming at the sight, I took pleasure in describing the grisly ghoul paintings, the centerpiece of which was "Ghoul Feeding" itself, but "Subway Accident" the Lesson and several others, leering back at the investigators who promptly had to roll (and failed!) their stability checks.

The ensuing explosion of protest, from one investigator trying to calm the mob, while another tried to pull the shocked Pickman out of harms way was incredibly satisfying as was the artists subsequent escape. A wonderful night!