andrewducker | Apr. 30th, 2007

Ran my first game in, ooh, 6 years or so. And it went rather well. I used to run games all the time, and I was worried I'd have forgotten how, but the players seemed to rather enjoy it.

Anyway, it was a Cthulhu one-off, and here's the pre-session brief I sent out:

Background:
In 1922 you were all students at the University of Arkham, Massaschusets. You got caught up in Dreadful Events which we dare not detail, and a bond of blood and terror was formed between you all. Also involved was Professor MacBeath, whose knowledge and quick thinking saved you all. It is now five years later, and you have each received a telegram from him, asking you to travel to his home in Brant Rock as a matter of urgency. Singly, and in pairs, you arrive...

Character stuff:
I'm going to keep this simple. I'll need a name, an idea of what you've been doing in the five years since The Dreadful Events Of Which We Do Not Speak, 5 things you have some proficiency at, 2 things you have lots of proficiency at and 2 things you're not at all good at. Examples could be driving, cooking, research, guns, dealing with stress, ordering people around, etc.

I'd also like to know a snippet of what you did during the aforementioned Dreaful Events. First come first served, so if someone else has already given me a snippet that yours contradicts then I'll have to edit yours (with you, of course).

I got some great ideas back from people, and I largely based the adventure around the background they came up with, which is my favourite way to construct plot - you can be sure the players will be interested in it, it plays to their strengths, and it saves me having to make things up from scratch.