By which I mean, in many stories there isn't actually any magic, in some there is magic in the form of psychic powers but it's really all advanced math and science we don't yet have.

Now, some stories like Dunwich Horror just plain old have magic in them.

But, let's say I don't want to use them, I want to run a CoC game in which the horror is alien science, so no resurrection spells or Voorish Signs.

What changes would you make?  How would you run that?

And yes, I know you can say the magic is just alien science, but some of it frankly (like resurrection) really doesn't work well put like that and it sort of misses the point of my query.

Thanks

I ran a one-shot in just that manner, andI found it supremely easy.  Then again, I used Mi-Go, and they're clearly scientists.  I really don't think you'd have to change much...

I wouldn't change anything except to not make many spells available.  Gate still works and maybe one or two of the item creation spells like Brew Space Mead.  Basically, it would be a prune job with no real expansion needed.

Quote from: BalbinusHow would you run that?

A campaign which was a strange unholy mix of The Alienist and PI

Regards,
David R

Quote from: BalbinusBy which I mean, in many stories there isn't actually any magic, in some there is magic in the form of psychic powers but it's really all advanced math and science we don't yet have.

Now, some stories like Dunwich Horror just plain old have magic in them.

But, let's say I don't want to use them, I want to run a CoC game in which the horror is alien science, so no resurrection spells or Voorish Signs.

What changes would you make?  How would you run that?

And yes, I know you can say the magic is just alien science, but some of it frankly (like resurrection) really doesn't work well put like that and it sort of misses the point of my query.

Thanks

I don't think you have to change much -- but I think it's a great opportunity to change the tone and focus of the game.

I assume you're setting this in the typical 1920's setting during which there's all kinds of amazing and frankly disturbing technological progress going on.

I think if you removed summonsing spells you'd need some other way to call up the monster. Maybe a superheterodyne receiver can hear them. Maybe improved x-ray technology gets their attention (there's a really good Lovecraft story where the Mad Scientists creates a machine that makes "invisible things" visible -- and also makes you visible to them).

I think there's another good opportunity to leverage the rapid technology advances in the 20's and the social disruption they caused and play on some of those anxieties -- maybe, instead of cultists, mankind's discovery (and subsequent experiments with) the universe on an atomic scale is the trigger for the awakening of Cthulhu... well meaning scientists will unleash a monster that consumes the world in 20 years?

The medical technology of the time was extremely primitive compared to today and horrific to the modern mind-set. Just setting a game in a hospital or sanitarium might be enough to cost your *players* SAN if you used realistic and uncompromising descriptions of that stuff... and from a mythos perspective the discovery that mold holds the key to curing some of the most persistent and horrible (but terrestrial) threats to humanity suggests all kinds of possibilities.

Final thought: In my games magic wasn't much of a PC thing. I think for most  magical effects you'd be able to find a 1920's leading-edge-technology equivalent (super radios, radiation, etc.) that would do the trick. Resurrection (was in CoC?) would still probably be out, but tissue regeneration and the re-animation of dead flesh through technology would most-definitely be in.

If you run this, I'm interested to know what you do with it.

Cheers,
-E.