RPG Rx: Letting Players Drive Lovecraft

RPG Prescriptions

'Dreams and Fancies' by tom1231 on Flickr'Dreams and Fancies' by tom1231 on Flickr

In a thread on RPG.net, smarttman asked:

I’m going to run a Lovecraftian adventure soon, and I…want to try the style of…having a small outline of events/places I want the players to see, and just kind of let the players do their own thing when it comes to exploring. Of course I will guide them in the right direction, but I want the adventure to be more free-form, letting cool moments create themselves instead of me saying “This is a cool moment. They will encounter it.”

The key problem here lies in the kind of Lovecraftian story you want to run.

Some Lovecraftian stories are complicated mysteries, in which the protagonist investigates obscure clues which all come together in a complicated tapestry. This must be GM-driven, and requires a lot of work.

You have a much easier job if your story involves five clues that all lead to the mausoleum. This is a place-driven story. Let the players find clues–any clues you wish–that take them to the next set piece, and you’re good to go.

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