Call of Cthulhu: Robinson Gruesome

Wilson from Castaway

In a one-on-one Monophobia (Call of Cthulhu 6e) adventure a journalist crashes on a deserted island. However, when he finds other human beings he begins to wish he hadn’t.

Featuring Aser and Megan. Music by Kevin MacLeod, “Alchemist’s Tower”

Direct Download!

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September Release Schedule

Image of the Orient Express with the words 'Experience Horror and Luxury aboard the Simplon-Orient Express. A journey like no other.'

What are we playing this month?

September 6, 2015 – Monophobia: Robinson Gruesome
After his plane crashes near an island, the survivor begins to regret looking for other inhabitants.

September 13, 2015Scary on the Choo-Choo 1: Leavin’ on a Steam Train
A group comes together at the request of an old friend to stop a growing threat. Join us as TRF plays the classic adventure, Horror on the Orient Express!

September 20, 2015Not So Strange 3: No One Gets out of Prague Alive
We’re finally going to get this episode out. The crew heads to Prague to investigate a suspicious organization.

September 27, 2015Scary on the Choo-Choo 2: The Second Most Evil Hat
Travelling into the past, a different group is summoned by Professor Smith to stop the nefarious cult of the Blood Red Fez.

What’s Cool on Kickstarter

There’s many interesting items to be found on Kickstarter, and here are the coolest ones this week.

Project Bombshell
Cthulhu and Friends are launching their first kickstarter to bring their world to and explore the parts we haven’t been able to see yet. They’ve already funded a comic about The Man Jack, and will be releasing issues looking at the backstory of other characters as stretch goals are met.
CaF Kickstarter logo
“When you play an real-play tabletop RPG, you always run the risk of having the dice kill one of your characters. When you play an H.P. Lovecraft inspired game, the chances of having the dice kill one of your characters is almost certain.

For our GM, saying she thinks outside the box is an understatement; she destroys the box. It’s because of these classic critical failures during gameplay that much of her storytelling must go untold. Now, in an effort to give the fans more of the rich story that they have been craving and to give our GM the creative outlet she desires, we’re going to start releasing a series of comic books.”

 

Recall of Cthulhu
This game is super adorable and would be a great way to slowly infect your child’s mind with Cthulhu, making sure those seeds of madness are planted early!
Recall of Cthulhu kawaii concept art

“Recall of Cthulhu presents the horrors of the mythos in a way they were meant to be – cute and cuddly! This classic matching game can be played by up to four of the most deranged patients in the Sanatorium, as well as young cultists aged 4 and up! The game can be played as a simple matching game, or the advanced game can be played which adds a small layer of complexity to the game.

Included in the game are 60 tiles representing 15 creatures, items, and places of the Cthulhu Mythos, as well as two player aids for playing the advanced game. What better way of improving your memory for those dusty tomes of spells than a quick game of Recall of Cthulhu?”

 

The Incredible Chemistry Set
I remember my chemistry professors reminiscing about the good old days when you bought a chemistry set and you could actually hurt yourself with what you got. Most sets you can get now involve safe experiments with little excitement. This deluxe kit gives you the resources to really understand and experiment. Plus it comes in a beautiful box.
Incredible Chemistry Set contents

“The Incredible Chemistry Set includes the glassware, chemicals, and lab apparatus necessary to perform the most interesting and exciting chemical reactions. We have spent months researching the most fascinating reactions to include in the set. All of this research has been compiled in our Experiments Book. This book includes procedures for 35 experiments. The set, along with the book, will enable you to carry out these experiments. Please keep in mind that some of the experiments require chemicals and items that cannot be shipped (such as dry ice, acid, strawberries, etc…) Also included in the set are selected physics experiments (magnetism & electricity).

Many chemistry sets fail to include exciting reactions. Our Experiments Book is packed with the best experiments that science has to offer. The book does not go into the same depth as other chemistry books, but rather provides simple, easy-to-follow instructions for performing each experiment.”

 

Ferroflow – A ferrofluid sculpture
I like pretty things that look cool, and this awesome desk sculpture definitely fits the bill.
Ferrofluid sculpture demonstration

“Every now and then you need a little distraction from staring at your monitor for hours on end, and Ferroflow is your answer! Just touch it to turn it on and enjoy the display as it moves ferrofluid around in cool and unique ways, automatically. The spikes and fluid motions will provide just the break you’re looking for, and good luck keeping your coworkers away.”

 

Still active!

Cultists of Cthulhu
Pennypult
Numenera: Into the Ninth World
AcadeCon 2015
The Things We Leave Behind
Meta Dice
Vurt: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game
Chaos of Cthulhu
All Fathomed Out

#RPGaDay2015 31: Favorite non-RPG thing to come out of RPGing

autocratik topic grid

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 31, What is your favorite non-RPG thing to come out of RPGing?
Aser:
Megan and Aser engagement photo
Chuck: My wife, LARPing actually but I will count it.
John: Friendship with Aser, Megan, Rob, basically anyone I game with on @TRFpodcast! Also ‘The Ancient Ones’ in our all-star Skype Cthulhu games: Shep, Shannon Mac, Ed and John.
Jonn: My two sons… okay maybe not both of them. Definitely the first one though… The second one was more likely the result of alcohol. I love you kids! 😀
Landan: Making new friends
Matt: I’ve met a lot of cool people and made some really good friends because of playing RPGs.
Megan: Meeting Aser 😀 He tweeted that he wished he could find a group to play Call of Cthulhu with and I responded, and now I have a wonderful fiance.
Patrick: At the risk of sounding sexist, Chainmail Garments. Most people stop at the bikini, but the chain main halter top is also a thing. I can’t imagine the chafing, those poor women.
Rob: All the awesome friends I’ve made through gaming!

Previous #RPGaDay Posts

#RPGaDay2015 30: Favorite RPG playing celebrity

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 30, Who is your favorite RPG playing celebrity?
Aser: Harry Dresden ummm, I guess I mean Jim Butcher.
Chuck: Vin Diesel
John: Vin Diesel maybe.
Jonn: Wil Wheaton. I’m really liking Titansgrave. I probably would have waffled between Vin Diesel and Wil Wheaton otherwise.
Landan: Wil Wheaton
Matt: Stephen Colbert. He is so unapologetically geeky about Lord of the Rings and D&D references. It is a delight to watch.
Megan: Well, Vin Diesel obviously.
Patrick: Brian Posehn
Rob: Tie between Blaine Capatch and Vin Diesel

Previous #RPGaDay Posts

#RPGaDay2015 29: Favorite RPG website/blog

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 29, What is your favorite RPG website/blog?
Aser: DriveThruRPG 😛
Chuck: DriveThruRPG
John: TheRedactedFiles.com, Twitter.
Jonn: Reality Refracted. A.L. has a very nuanced approached to talking about role-playing games. The post are rarely antagonistic and he doesn’t spend any of his time bashing people like a lot of bloggers do.
Landan: Paizo, Monte Cook Games, TRF, Geekly Inc., and I can’t think of any others off the top my head.
Matt: The Angry GM is a good read for me. I tend to design and plan games in similar ways to him, but he has much more detailed insight into why what he does works. This has helped me understand why I do things the way I do, which in turn has helped me refine my techniques. And, while I don’t visit Penny Arcade or their forum as much as I used to, I got a lot of really good info from there.
Megan: I like Gnome Stew and Tribality quite a bit for advice and news. I also love TRF because it’s my baby 🙂
Patrick: TRF, I really don’t look anywhere else. My plate is usually full of my other gaming vices.
Rob: TRF

Previous #RPGaDay Posts

#RPGaDay2015 28: Favorite game you no longer play

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 28, What is your favorite game you no longer play?
Aser: It’s hard to believe we haven’t played Eclipse Phase in more than a year, but that’s the sad truth. D20 Modern was fun too, though I’m not sure how those characters would’ve done in the long run.
Chuck: The old DC supers game, the first edition
John: BECMI D&D (might play again soon?) or Marvel.
Jonn: For me, it is D&D 2e/4e. I’ve enjoyed most every version of D&D but recently stopped playing 2e/4e. I have been gravitating towards games like Fate Core and Cortex. I’ve gotten the most enjoyed out of D&D than any other ruleset; however, I slowly gravitated towards simple rulesets that have less rigid systems for combat, skills and (especially) magic systems.
Landan: It has been a long time since I played Saga Ed. Star Wars RPG
Matt: D&D 3.5 did a lot of things very well, and I played it for a long time. While Pathfinder is strictly better in almost every way that matters to me, I had a lot of fun with 3.5.
Megan: WH40k: Rogue Trader. The first RPG I played, and it still has a special place in my heart. I miss Khan, the greatest explorator.
Patrick: Mage: The Awakening
Rob: RIFTS

Previous #RPGaDay Posts

#RPGaDay2015 27: Favorite Idea for Merging Two Games into One

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 27, What is your favorite idea for merging two games into one?
Aser: My favorite idea is something we’re doing currently actually. The party from our Mysteries of the Ninth World campaign is going to step into The Strange. 🙂 It was Megan’s idea and I was foolish enough to add fuel to the fire.
Chuck: I thought mixing The Strange with Numenera would be fun, turns out, there were some problems.
John: The Strange makes that very possible. Or introducing the Cthulhu Mythos into Eclipse Phase.
Jonn: A setting inspired by Earthdawn and Fallout. Where the cataclysm occurred during the pre-Columbian period. Places like the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde, Tulum, Chichen Itza were constructed to be vaults and the PCs would come from and/or be exploring these locations.
Landan: I am not sure maybe two parallel universes all of a sudden start to merge… I have no clue.
Matt: I’d love to have a game that incorporated vehicle combat well, whether that was spaceships, car chases, etc. that lets the PCs work together in a meaningful way.
Megan: I don’t think there are a lot of game systems I really want to merge into one. But I love the idea of merging worlds together (which the Strange does beautifully). I’m playing with this concept in my Numenera game, by bringing the Strange into it.
Patrick: Aces and Eights and Deadlands.

Previous #RPGaDay Posts

#RPGaDay2015 26: Favorite Inspiration for your Game

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 26, What is your favorite inspiration for your game?
Aser: My favorite inspiration when planning a scenario is typically a random bit of interpersonal interaction in a larger work of history I’m reading, something humanizing, that can really turn people you’ve never met into someone you care about. I try to bring that into the game. Or when running The Strange, I’ll just open the Bestiary and see what nastiness would be fun to inflict on my players that day. 😛
Chuck: Live play podcasts.
John: Movies, game-inspired fiction, podcasts.
Jonn: Famous Quotes, Ancient History and American History.
Landan: Music, Art, Television, and Movies. The most recent character I created was based off the album cover for Chevelle’s “La Gargola”
Matt: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave provides a lot of potential for a story that evolves over time without resorting to a “twist”.
Megan: I use Aser a lot to bounce ideas off of, and then twist his and my ideas into one mega-idea.
Patrick: Horror films.
Rob: Zombie Movies

Previous #RPGaDay Posts

#RPGaDay2015 25: Favorite Revolutionary Game Mechanic

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 25, What is your favorite revolutionary game mechanic?
Aser: We keep talking about the Cypher System, but for good reason I think. In Cypher, the points used to buy uses of your special abilities and boost your die rolls, are also your health. the use of expendable points to help your rolls or achieve success in Gumshoe is also a real favorite: emphasizing the toll the adventure is taking on the player.
Chuck: Exp for discovery not combat.
John: Burning Games’ FAITH uses cards not dice; the ‘rest’ refresh method from Cypher System and D&D.
Jonn: Fate Points. Well Fate Points are nothing new, but how they interact with the rest of the system is fairly revolutionary.
Landan: Maybe the GM intrusion mechanic for the Numenera RPG and I believe other Cypher System games.
Matt: Communal world-building is a great idea that I kick myself for not incorporating into my games before. I love it as both a GM and a player. Runner-up is the social combat system in the Dresden Files RPG; it’s the only such system I’ve seen that works reasonably well.
Megan: I like being able to spend to increase your roll in the Cypher System, as well as being able to reroll by spending XP. It’s the only mechanic I regularly miss when I’m playing other games.
Patrick: Drama Dice from 7th Sea. Tangible rewards for cool stuff players do in game. Look it up, cool shiznit.
Rob: Complications replacing HP

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