How to create your own scenario?

[MadCultist]

I've been thinking a long time that I want to make a scenario but I don't know how. I've got some sort of a plot and the setting in my mind, but I don't know how to write it down so that it makes sense. I wish someone who is a much much more experienced about this than I am, could help me with this problem.
For example, how do I do NPCs? Should I roll them like player characters and then change their stats or just write some random stats if I don't know what kind of NPCs some of them are?
There's probably more questions but I can't get them in my mind right now. Until then I hope that someone could have some answers this question.

[ElijahWhateley]

One of the best ways to figure this stuff out, IMHO, is to read published scenarios with an eye towards how they're written. YSDC has a bunch of free ones for download that you're not too likely to ever play in, and you can find more elsewhere on the Internet. Not every scenario you find is well-written, but what doesn't serve as a good example can serve as an example of how not to do it.

For NPCs, it matters how important they are. A major NPC you should write up like a main character. Only roll for stuff that doesn't matter and you'd be making up at random anyway - set the skills and stats wherever you think they should be. Minor characters may not need stats at all, or may only need a few -- you can always make stuff up on the fly. For instance, Sniper Joe who never gets closer than a mile to the action, and never talks to the PCs, probably needs Rifle, and not much else.

[The_Tatterdemalion_King]

Try just coming up with a secret or problem the players need to discover, how that is affecting an interesting location (spooky old house, theatre, hardware store, small town, whatever depending on what the problem is) and then giving the players a hook to start wondering about it. The actual amount of notes you need is pretty limited, just information the players need in order to figure out what's going on and where that information is available.

NPC stats can be stolen from other scenarios, especially if they're just combat stats. Putting in some sort of hostile force (townsfolk, cultists, anyone who can interfere with PCs, or even just a series weird events caused by the core secret) allows you more influence over pacing the game instead of just reacting to what the PCs do—although just reacting to PCs is fine if they're the self-driven, aggressive types.

[auyl]

I agree with everything the others have said. Look at prepublished scenarios and take notes on the layout.

Most scenarios are HUGE on background information. Some of this information may seem unnecssary to some people, but the more information you have, the more the investigators will have an in depth feel of the place your scenario is located. As well, make sure you provide multiple hooks for the investigators to sink their teeth into. You have probably noticed that players don't always take the most obvious hints about what to do, so giving them lots of options always helps. My next big note is to lay out a map and have information for each location that adds to the story. If there is no information to be gained at a location, do not include it, unless you're having the characters go on some kind of sidetrack. Make each location visited push the story forward somehow so that the investigators will feel it was worth their time going there.

Hope this helps.

[wombat1]

I found the book "GURPS Mystery" to be a good resource, you might look at it; it has a section on the horror mystery.
The mystery genre is relevant because the players do not assume the role of passive readers reading the story or passive hearers hearing you tell a story, they are, in fact, the heroes or protagonists of a story being built around them--you and your players jointly share the role of collaborative authors, even though as Keeper you have a different and senior role to the other players, and you all together stand in a relationship with the imaginary characters, be they player characters or non-player characters, of author/character. I know that sounds rather esoteric but it may indeed be helpful in sorting out details. What clues need to be there? What detail needs to be there, and what might characters look for if they needed something? Who might the characters interact with?

For your practical question, the NPC's may be drawn up how you like and depend on their function. They will always have what they need, though the NPC's don't always have to be equally good at what they do. So, if your scenario requires "nubile young cutie in fur trimmed pajamas," and see Chandler's "Simple Art of Murder" about writing mysteries for her purpose, http://www.en.utexas.edu/amlit/amlit...andlerart.html , then you are probably better off assigning her APP score, and not rolling it randomly unless you are prepared to end up with "Nubile Young Cutie trying to tempt investigators with APP 4"). She will also have on her equipment list a set of fur trimmed pajamas, though whether they are deployed or not depends in part on your story telling, and in part on the actions of the investigators probing the mystery. If she is otherwise a refined young lady, she may have a fine education and a sheltered existence, and her skills will reflect that, so she may be a better adviser in handling research matters than a combatant. If on the other hand, she is perhaps a bit dubious, her skills will reflect that, and she may know all about pistols, rescue the characters at a crucial moment, and, when they are not looking, help her self to the contents of their wallets.

Her other stats may indeed be rolled randomly, and if used creatively can help suggest details of the story. Hmm, Nubile Young Cutie has APP 17 because we set that, but her strength rolled honestly is 16. She probably has a vicious right hook that has served her well on many an occasion, and that may come in handy should the investigators get jammed up.

The reason I point to mysteries for RPG scenario writing, it seems to me that the model of the mystery story is more relevant than the horror story--the players are posed a question with an unknown answer that they have to solve. If that solution has a mundane explanation (In the drawing room, Col. Mustard, with a club), it is a mystery. If it has a conventional horror explanation it moves towards horror (In the drawing room, the ghost of Col. Mustard, brandishing a club which caused the victim to have heart failure, but also non fatal livid bruises caused by some strange psychokinetics). If it has a Mythos explanation (In the drawing room, the cultist Col. Mustard with a sacrificial club, abetted by a dark young), you have a Mythos horror scenario. In all three cases, the starting point is the same--there is a body in a drawing room beat the bejeebers out of.

[nickedwards]

The thing I try to include are 'choices'. I used to focus on big setpieces but players don't care about those as much as you do. They like having to decide between courses of action, where they can have a big argument amongst themselves. The good published scenarios have points where a 'big choice' has to be made and there are multiple options.

When I map out a scenario I try to plan having four elements per sessions: conflict of some sort (fight is most obvious but could be other things); a big choice that i know they will argue about; some clue or set of clues they discover that unwraps a layer of the mystery (or onion in the original rules) and gets the juices going of the mythos-fans; interaction with a memorable NPC. If a session contains all four things and everyone has a turn in the spotlight, i find you can't go wrong.

Oh and buy Stealing Cthulhu, a great book about creating CoC scenarios.

[Asmodas]

Here's how I do it:

First, start with a concept. Sounds like you've got one of those. I often just have an image in my mind when I start writing - typically a set piece scene that I want the investigators to participate in. A few examples from scenarios I have actually written and run are set forth below:

1. Investigators are trapped in a house during a snowstorm while a byakhee is tearing off the roof trying to find the juicy meat at the center.

2. Investigators wake up in an abandoned farmhouse with no memory of how they got there and a bunch of bodies laying around, most of which have bullet holes that appear to have been made by the investigators own weapons (except for a few that have sucker-shaped wounds and appear to have been dropped from a good mile up).

3. Investigators are forced to jump out of an airplane after it is attacked by a Mythos entity and parachute to "safety" in the mountains of the Russian Caucasus.

From there, you build backwards. How did the investigators get into this situation? Think about possible answers to that question, then write down your answers (I use a spiral bound notebook, but whatever you want will do). Those answers usually prompt more questions. In the case of the byakhee, the question is probably: why is the byakhee attacking the house? The answer might be because it was summoned, which immediately prompts the question of who summoned it, and why? If the answer is that a pissed off Mythos influenced sorcerer wants the PC's dead, then why does he want them dead? Or perhaps the target is actually somebody else, and the investigators are just collateral damage in that sorcerer's quest to get revenge on a longtime rival. Once you know the basic concepts for the main NPCs, it is best to write a physical description for them and then pick attributes and skills that match that description rather than roll them up. Sorcerers need high POW and, as mentioned by wombat, femme fatales need high APP, so don't leave that stuff to chance. It also is a big waste of time to roll up characteristics for NPCs, and half the time I don't even bother. Give them hit points and weapon skills if that is all they need, and maybe a few skills like Spot Hidden and Hide that are relevant to the game (Spot Hidden if the characters will likely be hiding from the NPC, for example, and Hide if the opposite situation is likely to occur).

Another big tip from an old timer: use redundant clues. Unless you are playing Trail of Cthulhu (and even then) it is likely that important clues will be missed due to failed rolls and general player obliviousness. If they need to get to a house by a certain time in the scenario so they can witness the byakhee attack, then make sure that there are at least two ways they can find out about the house. Perhaps there is a clue at the scene of the murder (or weird happening, or whatever) that links the house's femme fatale owner to the murder (high heel prints in the snow, or a fellow resident who remembers seeing the woman around shortly before the murder). But, always assume that the investigators may discount the first clue for some unforeseeable reason, or perhaps just have bad dice and crit fail their Fast Talk rolls, say something offensive to the witness, etc. So you need to have another way to get the same information to the players. Perhaps one of the townies recalls seeing the femme fatale with the victim at a speakeasy a few days ago, and everyone in town knows where she lives.

Once you have the overarching theme, climactic set-piece, and a trail of breadcrumbs to lead the investigators there, start filling in the gaps. Write descriptions for places the characters might visit, and make sure there is a reason they might benefit from going there. Simple stores and other amenities need not be described unless they are really terrible, and therefore might have an impact on the investigators' options (i.e. there is only one general store in town, and it has no telephone or any explosives in stock, but does have ammunition in most popular calibers). Also consider writing short histories for some of the key locations and characters. A lot of this info will never come out, but it gives NPCs something to talk about except for the main clue that they otherwise supply to keep the story going (it always looks a bit silly if the NPC janitor has nothing to say except "I saw these weird glowing lights going over the hills north of town right before we found that mutilated cow in the playground out back").

[rylehNC]

At a minimum you need:

A. a location, situation, or encounter which you think the players will enjoy dealing with;
B. a reason for their characters to want to deal with it; and
C. a way for the characters to get where they are to where they have to deal with it.

Each of these steps can be tricky for Call of Cthulhu:

A. frequently involves an NPC or group with their own timetable that can advance despite the investigators' actions (or inaction), as well as the increasing motivation to deal with the investigators in a more permanent fashion. The Keeper must always mull the possibility of the world ending or a TPK ambush.
B. lots of players run their characters as though they have little interest in investigating, and will be skeptical about the supernatural at the start of the campaign. This can be annoying to a Keeper who wants to establish a suspenseful pace.
C. sometimes a trail of evidence (or a chain of logic) looks perfectly obvious to a Keeper, but murky and attenuated to a player. All the core clues and automatic successes in the world won't help a group of them having an off-day.

[ElijahWhateley]

I also like to make sure there's at least a couple possible approaches to the problem. It's possible only one (or none of them) has a chance of success, but there should at least be options for how to get started.

[The_Tatterdemalion_King]

I also like to make sure there's at least a couple possible approaches to the problem. It's possible only one (or none of them) has a chance of success, but there should at least be options for how to get started.

You can also just figure out how the adversary or situation works and what trails that leaves and let the players poke at it. Some of the best scenarios are the ones that leave the players to decide (or negotiate) what is and is not an acceptable outcome. RPGs are like life that way.

[ElijahWhateley]

Yes, but it's a good idea to ask yourself, "How would I investigate this?" The players will likely answer the question differently, but what matters is that you can come up with an answer, not what the answer is.

[NewOrleansMythos]

Find a scenario you like and adapt it. Rearrange the pieces. Make up new pieces. Set it in your home town. You and your investigators will know where main thoroughfares and landmarks are and will be somewhat conversant on the history. Mix and match with other scenarios, novels, short stories or movies that you like. This is a quick and dirty way to get the ball rolling. Before long, you may find that the "adapted" scenario becomes its own thing without having to reinvent the wheel.

Look at it this way, of the 40+ plays that Shakespeare (allegedly) wrote, I think only one of them was an original story. Everything else was an adaptation of a pre-existing story. Woah, that gives me an idea for a new CoC setting . . . Elizabethan Mythos! Further, Old HP was a collaborative Mythos-building kind of guy, so you would be keeping with the tradition.

There's nothing new under Yog Sothoth. If you look at it that way, making your own scenario might not seem so daunting.

[Nightbreed24]

Just to add my 2 cents too: you can adapt almost anything. There are many movies and stories which already have Lovecraftian elements or can be easily beefed up with adding a few. I strongly suggest reading the The last Lovecraft(ian) film you watched... thread. Even the silly ones are worth checking out: I made a scenario by adapting Manos The Hands of Fate from all things.

Another thing I like to do is pick an unknown expedition, armed conflict or battle, add Mythos to it and send my investigators there.

[Cearlan]

Following on from what has been said above, you can make your investigation framework and then work backwards. Sort of like - as a cultist I got to perform this ritual on this night ... how did I get there and what clues could I have left behind, this helps to flesh out your storyline. This would show who knew / did / said etc what and why, which will give you a more structured and rounded story.

For this reason I initially use cue cards at this stage untill I have some sort of semblance of where I want the story to go and what clues are available to my investigators. Some people use flow charts, some corkboards but they are just the same type of thing really. Whatever works best for you really.

[Malik]

Old HP was a collaborative Mythos-building kind of guy, so you would be keeping with the tradition.
There's nothing new under Yog Sothoth. If you look at it that way, making your own scenario might not seem so daunting.

This is what I do. I'm incredibly lucky in that I live 3 other GMs (all of horror games, though only two actual CoC keepers) and we all play in a shared world so I have a huge resource to bounce ideas around in. Essentially, we come up with some element to include in a campaign be it a monster or a hook or an amusing situation and then just talk about it until more interesting links appear. Stealing points from stories and many other sources or reinventing scenarios we've read, especially if we don't think they reached their potential, means there is a no end to the inspiration. Don't be afraid to scrap ideas if they don't pan out either, you'll almost certainly find somewhere to use the ideas you like later on or as a sideline to a scenario.