Interview: Sean Preston on Realms of Cthulhu

There's been a long stretch of excitement ever since Reality Blurs first announced Realms of Cthulhu for Savage Worlds, and now the wait is over. There have been a few reviews of this new product (Unclebear.com and Gnome Stew), and the forums at Reality Blurs and Pinnacle Entertainment have been buzzing with discussions about the setting and how it works with the system. Reality Blurs President Sean Preston takes some time to answer a few personal questions and fill us in on some of his ideas and perspectives on the design, development, and play of this new Savage Worlds setting based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. I tried to ask the questions I thought might be stirring in the maddened minds of those who are still undecided about this product. Read on to see what Sean has to say.

First, let's start with some introductory questions. How were you introduced to role-playing games, and what games have you played since then?

My older brothers brought home the original D&D game way back when, and I was fascinated from the beginning, and played whenever they would let me. As I got a bit older, we had a family hobby shop, Viking Hobbies, which specialized in roleplaying games and all sorts of board and miniature games. I've played and been exposed to all sorts of RPGs -- D&D (all flavors); Stormbringer; Call of Cthulhu; Runequest; Traveler; Man, Myth, & Magic; Powers & Perils; Bunnies & Burrows... I should probably stop now. I even recall one put out by SPI that was so complicated that your stats were calculated based upon your home world and had adjusted columns depending upon the gravity of the current planet you were exploring...

What is your favorite gaming memory?

There are a number that stand out, both personally and professionally, but let's go with one that's particularly humorous. I had a buddy running a terrific Stormbringer campaign, and we had just looted a body. We were playing anti-heroes to the hilt, and this was back in the day when guys used to roll to see who got treasure picks first. Well, we both wanted these fine, emerald gloves that had powers quite similar to the Green Lantern's ring, but we'll come back to that in a moment. He rolled a 99 and was looking particularly smug, then I picked up the dice and rolled ‘00'. You must remember, the power of double ‘0' was particularly mystical in those days, so I got first pick. My friend was playing a vicious, treacherous Pan Tangian swordsman, and decided to keep the gloves anyway as he had been wearing them. To that end, he created a green horse, and began to ride away. He forgot that my own character, a Melnibonean swordsman with some bound air elementals, could match pace, and I came upon him with my deadly, demon-bound spear to finish him off. Did I mention this was a high-powered campaign? As I caught up with him, he thought he'd finish me off, and used the gloves to create an emerald sword in his hands? The GM asked if he was sure, and smiling, my friend grinned at me, began warming up his dice, and said, "Yes." My friend forgot, for that moment, that the gloves could manifest only one thing at a time, and while he got the sword, his horse disappeared beneath him, and he tumbled through the air, to land before me. As a Melnibonean, I showed him the traditional mercy that one grants a friend, and killed him swiftly, tucking the gloves in my belt. I never really wanted them, you see; I just didn't trust him with them...

As adult gamers, we don't have the disposable income or free time as we had when we were younger, but there are ways to continue maintaining some semblance of a gaming lifestyle. How do you manage your time between your personal life, work, and gaming? What practices and tips can you offer our readers?

I can appreciate where you're coming from on this, as I've been in various places and spaces in my life where gaming had to give a bit in lieu of other concerns. I count myself lucky to be involved in the industry and immersing myself in the work daily. Sometimes, I immerse myself too much, such as with pending projects and deadlines, but the thing is to take time out for relaxation. My buddies had other demands on their times, but earlier this year, I connected with some other gamers, and we've got a regular, solid game group together. The past few years, however, my gaming consisted primarily of playtesting and con games. They offer different experiences than regular play.

My advice to gamers is to reach out to a group in your area and make connections. I know many forums offer venues to find other like-minded gamers, and I've had personal success getting permission from the local hobby stores in calling out for new gamers by putting out flyers and what-have-you. Once you have a group, you need to set a regular schedule and channels of communication -- a Yahoo! group or mailing list lets everyone know who is available and when. Finally, you need to try to keep the group going regularly, even if it's you and one other guy. You can play board games, talk about gaming, or do some one-on-one roleplaying, but you keep the pattern alive and maintain your commitment. People can feel your passion and work it out as well. Finally, be realistic. I used to game nearly every day, back in the day. Now, I shoot for once a week, but am happy with at least once every other week.

Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying (BRP) system is the tradition for Call of Cthulhu (CoC) games. What's the benefit of bringing a Cthulhu RPG to Savage Worlds via Realms of Cthulhu (RoC)? Is there anything new that RoC brings to the game table?

Realms of Cthulhu offers the versatility of varying play styles that enable the Keeper and his group to easily tailor the game specifically to their group. This was something that I wanted to do from the outset rather than just take a purely pulp perspective. People have responded very well to this. Through simple tweaks, the feel of the game or even a given scenario changes dramatically.

I love Call of Cthulhu and, while writing this, it was paramount we captured the Lovecraftian feel. Our audience seems to agree. Anything new? Well, we have some nifty generators for Mythos tales, creatures, books, and magic. RoC introduces a brand new sanity system and really opens up the inclusion of the Mythos to any of the existing settings already out there for Savage Worlds. We also have a nice section on supporting cast members. Rather than specific people by name, we have a hefty number of characters that easily fill the role of the supporting cast, be they allies or adversaries.

While this core book cleaves closely to traditional tropes, it is because we needed to establish a solid foundation before expanding outwards. I'm very familiar with Charleston, South Carolina, and our support material is going to focus primarily on expanding out the boundaries of the Mythos. The robust conversion tables we offer showing how to convert between RoC and CoC will have the pleasant benefit of making these new works of interest to all Keepers.

One consideration I had in the design of the game is something I had heard from gamers over the years -- the issue of death and insanity in Call of Cthulhu. Let's face it. The game can be lethal, and you invariably will go mad. That's part of the appeal. Right? Certainly. However, it puts off a segment of players that actually want to develop a character over a period of time without the immediate worries of an early grave. To that end, the play styles help in designing a campaign and setting the level of expectation for a group.

Is RoC a viable entry point for those new to Cthulhu RPGs, or should one start with Chaosium's BRP version? In other words, does one need familiarity with Chaosium's CoC to play RoC, or does RoC adhere well to the themes in CoC?

RoC is a great entry point for those new to the Mythos. We offer a solid framework for player and Keeper alike, and the skill set is easily translatable. A segment of our playtesters had no previous experience with CoC, was instantly hooked, and ran out and got a lot of the adventures offered by Chaosium. This we took as beneficial to everybody. RoC cleaves closely to the themes found in traditional Mythos works, as well as Call of Cthulhu. We walked a fine line between innovation and tradition. For example, while Call of Cthulhu has Harvey Walters as its traditional archetype, we have Amanda Locke. We want to offer new materials for the long time Cthulhu fan, as well as those just coming to the party, so we have such things as the obligatory dysfunctional family found in Drake Manor.

As Shane Hensley reiterated in his interview with us, Savage Worlds was designed for the adult gamer who has a job, a spouse or partner, kids, etc. How might RoC facilitate a limited gaming lifestyle? Is it better suited for such an audience than BRP? Does it still follow the ‘Fast! Furious! Fun!' philosophy of Savage Worlds?

RoC is designed to integrate seamlessly into Savage Worlds, so for those already familiar with Savage Worlds, there is the slightest of learning curves with how terror and magic function. The creatures are very detailed, but since a traditional Mythos scenario is nothing like a dungeon crawl, it's not cumbersome for the Keeper. We follow the philosophy of Savage Worlds by having a madness track analogous to the damage track, and with only a handful of Edges and Hindrances. Defining Interests, something developed first for Iron Dynasty, and first debuting in Ravaged Earth, are used here to help the player round out their investigator with a few more details.

Is it better suited for such an audience than BRP? That's so difficult to say. BRP is a solid system and I've enjoyed it immensely over the years, and it's not cumbersome at all. It's different. It's kind of like asking is Cribbage superior to Pinochle? It depends on who is playing. I've played some games in the past, such as Rolemaster or Chivalry & Sorcery, that under the right GM and with the right people, flowed more smoothly than some of the simpler game systems on the market.

Several of the options in RoC allow for a more action based game and can easily scratch that pulpy itch some of the folks are looking for, while still maintaining that dark edge. I have a great time playing it, and I hope everyone else does too.

CoC is known to have various types of playstyles. Savage Worlds is typically associated with pulp action gaming despite its ability to accomodate other styles of play. What does the content in RoC present in terms of the tone or style of play using Savage Worlds?

We offer four play styles: Heroic Horror, Slippery Slope, Dangerous Action, and Dark Spiral. This is on a sliding scale from pulpy to gritty. Our preferred in house style is Slippery Slope as it combines the fusion of what we deem the best elements of both: the cinematic action of Savage Worlds, and the mind-shattering dangers of the Mythos. While the mechanics are succinctly presented, we go on to give a lot of consideration to the type of game a given group wants to play in, and insight on how to build a campaign around a certain style. Mechanics only go so far. To that end, I've shared a lot of the personal knowledge and experience I've gleaned in running games over the years in helping the Keeper shape their game, and how to clearly define expectations.

In essence, we give you a Cthulhu toolkit that lets the Keeper run the game as he sees fit, be it high-flying, over-the-top action, or to what I call traditional Lovecraftian, the Dark Spiral, which keeps with the Mythos stories that are, I daresay, a bit more mind numbingly sanguine than the traditional CoC game.

We've heard about the pulp vs gritty options present in the game, but only about the gritty damage rules and new sanity rules. What other changes to traditional Savage Worlds have you incorporated into the game.

I might have hit on these before, but Defining Interests is one of the bigger changes that we've instituted. Those familiar with Ravaged Earth will already be familiar with these. Our fan base has really liked that particular tweak, and it's something we'll be instituting in our other settings as we move forward. The introduction of the Sanity system is one of the bigger changes, and that cascades throughout everything. Magic is given a solid treatment, and we have a handful of new Edges and Hindrances, but Savage Worlds has such a robust rules set that all we needed to do was concentrate on those elements that defined the Mythos to us.

Some Cthulhu fans struggle with the idea of a character running up and punching/shooting/saying witty quips as the Old Ones get trounced in pulpy fights. Some fans feel that one of the core tenants of Cthulhu is the idea that we are mere humans against an insurmountable evil. Do you see the pulpy Cthulhu as a change to the core mythos, or a growth of it?

Really? I never saw the separation between Cthulhu and pulp. Lovecraft wrote pulp fiction and that's where he and his contemporaries had an outlet for their outré ideas. It was within pulp that Cthulhu was born. I talk about the varying style of player and there is room for all of us. Some of us even enjoy variety.

Realms of Cthulhu is a roleplaying game of cosmic horror. So be it. We are not deviating so radically from anything that has been done before. The main difference is the rules set we provide more easily facilitates such play. Chaosium has done a lot of adventures and campaign books, and the one that most readily leaps to mind as a pulp campaign is Masks of Nyarlathotep. Tell me, I'm wrong. The only danger in that campaign is the brutality of the combat system in BRP. It doesn't readily support the style of play that Masks begs for. That's not a knock on the system. BRP models damage as the "you really don't want to get in a fight" sense that encourages caution and forethought. Something really ahead of the curve when it was first released.

Savage Worlds allows for some rough and tumble action right out of the gate. The name suggests that though. Doesn't it? The combat system of Savage Worlds allows physicalities to not dominate play time, and thus can encourage more melees. Remember, even in a pulpy context, do most folks really want to punch a deep one in the face? When we designed the creatures and sample investigators, we've stressed taking a more realistic approach to character design. Focus on building your investigator rather than just building a combat monster.

I have a paragraph on the first page of the player's section entitled "Wherein Lies Hope?" that sums up the goal for the investigators. They are good guys fending off the evil. I drafted this early on, and tried to adhere to that as the project moved forward. Yes. Things are bad, but inaction is often worse than action, terrible and dangerous though those actions may be.

Do you plan to develop additional products for this as a line, or is this a one shot product?

We already have a number of things in the works. Nearest and dearest to my heart is Echo of Dead Leaves, a plot point campaign book that will also provide detailed information on Charleston, SC circa 1927. I'm neck deep in this, and we've got a number of top flight writers involved in working on our Mythos Tales series. We're also sorting out details for a screen, as well as a few other surprises.

Reality Blurs has a close relationship with 12 to Midnight. You've even mentioned in past interviews how some products from both companies are somewhat interconnected such as Agents of Oblivion (AoO) and Pinebox/East Texas University (ETU). Do you have similar collaborative plans for RoC as well?

Not at present. As a licensed product line, we have to maintain more rigorous controls than we might with some of our other lines.

Switching gears a bit, tell us about some upcoming products for your other lines such as Ravaged Earth and AoO.

Clockwork Dragons is a new RunePunk adventure I've penned. We also will be releasing the figure flats for RunePunk, as well as the PDF of DarkSummer Nights very shortly. Agents of Oblivion is going through updates and edits, and Case Files are in development for it. More Relics & Rumors and new adventures will be rolled out for Ravaged Earth, along with the plot point campaign. However, we don't want to give too much away yet. For now, I'd like to sign off with a huge thank you to everyone for their support of Reality Blurs and our latest release, Realms of Cthulhu!