Modern Mythos with Jon and Seth

A deep dive into the ecology and history of the Great Race of Yith. They unpack prehistoric body-hopping, ancient cities in Australia, and engineered future hosts like beetle swarms. The conversation covers bizarre Yithian senses, time-travel mind-swapping tech, cults that trade human worship for advanced tools, and campaign ideas for using Yithian mechanics in tabletop play.

In this episode, we're again joined by actor and director Drew Shirley to discuss old school dungeon crawling and modern Cthulhu gaming. Old School Dungeon Crawling is New Again Question…? ● What is up with the old school "scene", and its indy success? Favorite old school systems and why? ● What are the parallels between this old school style of play and Call of Cthulhu? History of D&D and its inspirations. ● How do the three: Old School, Modern D&D, and Cthulhu compare to each other, where do they stand apart? ● How does knowing Old School methodology help your Cthulhu game as a keeper? What can you steal? ● How do you feel about sword and sorcery games in general? ● What Cthulhu elements do you wish D&D had more of, and vice versa? Be sure to check out Drew Shirley's upcoming Kickstarter… You Carry the Fire! It's a cool adventure with awesome art that is very much a blend of the two sensibilities (Old School and Cthulhu) we have been discussing. RedBubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Modern-Mythos/shop?asc=u Discord: https://discord.gg/t7Ud67zRG3 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmk5Y_OheFJL7-Xgvx-REJA/featured We can't do this show alone. We want to thank our amazing editors Max Mahaffa and Edwin Nagy for their hard work and keen skills at making us sound awesome! We also want to thank John Sumrow, for our badass logo. He's a very talented artist, so please follow him on Facebook, check out his official website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/

In this (belated) episode, Seth and Jon talk with author Ruthanna Emrys. We discuss her Innsmouth Legacy series, Winter Tide, Deep Roots, and The Litany of Earth. It was a great conversation with a wide range of topics and inspirations. Lovecraft Reread: https://www.tor.com/series/the-lovecraft-reread/ Reading the Weird: https://www.tor.com/series/reading-the-weird/ Ashes and Entropy, edited by Robert S. Wilson: https://www.amazon.com/Ashes-Entropy-Laird-Barron-ebook/dp/B07H9B25LF/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, by Alexis Hall: https://www.amazon.com/Affair-Mysterious-Letter-Alexis-Hall-ebook/dp/B07HLQMC9Z/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LP8IMZRSCWKT&keywords=the+affair+of+the+mysterious+letter&qid=1679362054&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+affair+of+the+%2Cdigital-text%2C116&sr=1-1 Forget the Sleepless Shores, by Sonya Taaffe: https://www.amazon.com/Forget-Sleepless-Shores-Sonya-Taaffe-ebook/dp/B07GFRFP2P/ref=sr_1_3?crid=NTZF00WH1KD6&keywords=sonya+taaffe&qid=1679362985&sprefix=sonya+taaffe%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-3 We can't do this show alone. We want to thank our amazing editors Max Mahaffa and Edwin Nagy for their hard work and keen skills at making us sound awesome! We also want to thank John Sumrow, for our badass logo. He's a very talented artist, so please follow him on Facebook, check out his official website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/

In this episode, Jon & Seth talk about Deep Ones! H. P. Lovecraft first introduced the Deep Ones in Shadow Over Innsmouth. Recently published CoC scenarios that include Deep Ones: Angel's Thirst, Waiting for the Hurricane (Pulp Cthulhu), Mother's Love (by Seth Skorkowsky), Flotsam & Jetsam campaign Previously published CoC scenarios that include Deep Ones, courtesy of Sentinel Hill Press site: https://sentinelhillpress.com/2017/01/20/innsmouth-and-deep-one-scenarios/ "Bless the Beasts and Children" (Adventures in Arkham Country) "The Crawford Inheritance" (Escape from Innsmouth, 2nd Ed) "Dark Dreams of Innsmouth" (The Unbound Book #2) "Dead Leaves Fall" (Dead Leaves Fall {monograph}) "Drawn from the Water" (Arkham Gazette #2) "Escape from Innsmouth" (Escape from Innsmouth) "Freak Show" (Tales of the Miskatonic Valley) "The Hopeful" (More Adventures in Arkham Country) "The Innsmouth Connection" (Before the Fall) "Mary" (Before the Fall) "No Room at Innsmouth" parts 1-3 (Dagon #1-#3) "The Occulted Light" (Before the Fall) "Old Acquaintance" (Before the Fall) "The Raid on Innsmouth", a mega-scenario in 6 parts (Escape from Innsmouth) All the Deep One scenarios they could locate for Call of Cthulhu, plus useful items from related games: North America Arkham Case Files: Deep Morgue Black Cod Island – Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity By the Bay – Day of the Beast Coming of Age – Unseen Masters Lurker in the Crypt – Fatal Experiments Secrets of New Orleans Secrets of New York Secrets of San Francisco Spawn of the Deep – Blood Brothers (technically called 'Gill Men in scenario) The Starshrine – Lurking Fears South America The Watchers of Easter Island – Shadows of Yog-Sothoth Europe The Blandford Manor – The Whisperer #1 Devil's Hole – In the Shadows The Last of Joy – Minions Mouthbreathers – Minions The Secret of Marseilles – King of Chicago Songs of Fantari – Fatal Experiments Uisge Beatha – Shadows Over Scotland Terror from the Skies Thor's Anvil – Nocturnem, Book 2: Hollow Winds The Watchers of Walberswick – White Dwarf #50 The Yorkshire Horror – Cthulhu by Gaslight[2] Africa The Cairo Guidebook Death in Luxor Asia Secrets of Japan Shanghai – Masks of Nyarlathotep Oceana Destroying Paradise, Hawai'ian Style – Atomic Age Cthulhu Grace Under Pressure Project π – Worlds of Cthulhu #1 Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/modern_mythos RedBubble Link: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Modern-Mythos/shop?asc=u We can't do this show alone. We want to thank our amazing editors Max Mahaffa and Edwin Nagy for their hard work and keen skills at making us sound awesome! We also want to thank John Sumrow, for our badass logo. He's a very talented artist, so please follow him on Facebook, check out his official website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/

COMBAT: Initiative: Descending DEX order Tied DEX values are broken by relevant Combat Skill (descending) Action: One main action Time is flexible for the situation, as governed by the Keeper, but it's typically just a few seconds… 3-5 seconds Movement can be included in the action, but only if the movement and action can be reasonably executed within the 3-5 second timeframe Types of Actions: Attack with Skill Fighting Maneuver (How does it differ from an Attack) Flee Cast a Spell Other Non-Combat Action Attack with Skill: Roll relevant Skill check Level of success (Regular/Hard/Extreme) could influence the scale of success or amount of damage inflicted If both combatants are engaged in Melee Combat, then both combatants roll their relevant Skill check – Attacker vs Defender Defender can Dodge or Fight Back Dodge: In case of a tied level of success, Defender wins Fight Back: In case of a tied level of success, Attacker wins RedBubble Link: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Modern-Mythos/shop?asc=u Discord Link: https://discord.gg/t7Ud67zRG3 We can't do this show alone. We want to thank our amazing editors Max Mahaffa and Edwin Nagy for their hard work and keen skills at making us sound awesome! We also want to thank John Sumrow, for our badass logo. He's a very talented artist, so please follow him on Facebook, check out his official website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/

In this episode, Jon and Seth discuss the fallout from Hasbro's December 2022 fireside chat with their shareholders. This entire conversation is speculative, so please take it with a grain of salt. For all we know, nothing detrimental will come from this, and at worst Jon and Seth sound like old men yelling at clouds. Only time will tell for sure. The gents also discuss ghouls and how you might use them in your Call of Cthulhu game. They talk about how they differ from their fantasy RPG counterparts and the extent of their reach in the realms of Call of Cthulhu. Hasbro Fireside Chat Links: Hasbro Fireside Chat Audio: https://investor.hasbro.com/events/event-details/ubs-fireside-chat Source Article #1, by Jeffrey Dohm-Sanchez on 12/8/22 (ICv2 website): https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/52833/hasbro-fireside-chat-breaks-down-magic-the-gathering-brand Source Article #2, by Charlie Hall on 12/8/22 (Polygon website): https://www.polygon.com/23500171/hasbro-magic-overprinting-fireside-chat-cynthia-williams One D&D Trailer showing new VTT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpI7J9vtbnw D&D Beyond Buyout https://www.polygon.com/23023498/hasbro-buys-dnd-beyond-pdf-wotc-fandom As always, we can't do this show alone. We want to thank our amazing editors Max Mahaffa and Edwin Nagy for their hard work and keen skills at making us sound awesome! We also want to thank John Sumrow, for our badass logo. He's a very talented artist, so please follow him on Facebook, check out his official website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/

In this episode, Jon and Seth discuss the fallout from Hasbro's December 2022 fireside chat with their shareholders. This entire conversation is speculative, so please take it with a grain of salt. For all we know, nothing detrimental will come from this, and at worst Jon and Seth sound like old men yelling at clouds. Only time will tell for sure. The gents also discuss ghouls and how you might use them in your Call of Cthulhu game. They talk about how they differ from their fantasy RPG counterparts and the extent of their reach in the realms of Call of Cthulhu. Hasbro Fireside Chat Links: Hasbro Fireside Chat Audio: https://investor.hasbro.com/events/event-details/ubs-fireside-chat Source Article #1, by Jeffrey Dohm-Sanchez on 12/8/22 (ICv2 website): https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/52833/hasbro-fireside-chat-breaks-down-magic-the-gathering-brand Source Article #2, by Charlie Hall on 12/8/22 (Polygon website): https://www.polygon.com/23500171/hasbro-magic-overprinting-fireside-chat-cynthia-williams One D&D Trailer showing new VTT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpI7J9vtbnw D&D Beyond Buyout https://www.polygon.com/23023498/hasbro-buys-dnd-beyond-pdf-wotc-fandom As always, we can't do this show alone. We want to thank our amazing editors Max Mahaffa and Edwin Nagy for their hard work and keen skills at making us sound awesome! We also want to thank John Sumrow, for our badass logo. He's a very talented artist, so please follow him on Facebook, check out his official website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/

In this episode, Seth and Jon share tips, tricks, and habits every player should know, and how GMs might consider addressing problematic players. Player Tips Do prep-work before the game (pick that skill/power from leveling last game) Remember Other People in the room - Hogging Time/Spotlight Avoid Distractions (phones, crafting, etc.) Look out for other players' fun Learn your character's skills/powers/spells/gear Help the GM keep the game going (sometimes by telling the GM to focus up) Make a character that would do the adventure (little metagaming involved) Talk to the GM and inform of problems/concerns/wants Never forget that the goal is fun, not necessarily winning. Many horror games have PC deaths, but that's part of the fun of horror games. Trust the GM – if it seems like the GM is implying that the next stage of the adventure is "East," then take whatever precautions seem wise and try going East, despite the chaotic urge you may have to go "West." If playing in-person with a group, offering to assist with food, drinks, and cleanup is always good. Online playing - show up on time Online playing - ensure your technology is working Make Notes Dealing with Problem Players Determine cause. Is it a reaction to boredom or other player. Determine if the bad behavior is a symptom of a larger problem. Talk to them - might not understand they're causing issues Using the game to punish them only makes it worse (the temptation is real) Every single time I've booted a player from our group the games instantly improved. Watch for signs of problem players, like during character creation… are they excited to make a character who can be a source of chaos in the game? Patreon Shout-Outs Jacob Robinson Warren Hall Jack Raposa Chaos Alfa Guy Fortune https://www.patreon.com/modern_mythos RedBubble Link: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Modern-Mythos/shop?asc=u We can't do this show alone. We want to thank our amazing editors Max Mahaffa and Edwin Nagy for their hard work and keen skills at making us sound awesome! We also want to thank John Sumrow, for our badass logo. He's a very talented artist, so please follow him on Facebook, check out his official website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/

In this episode, Seth and Jon share tips, tricks, and habits every player should know, and how GMs might consider addressing problematic players. Player Tips Do prep-work before the game (pick that skill/power from leveling last game) Remember Other People in the room - Hogging Time/Spotlight Avoid Distractions (phones, crafting, etc.) Look out for other players' fun Learn your character's skills/powers/spells/gear Help the GM keep the game going (sometimes by telling the GM to focus up) Make a character that would do the adventure (little metagaming involved) Talk to the GM and inform of problems/concerns/wants Never forget that the goal is fun, not necessarily winning. Many horror games have PC deaths, but that's part of the fun of horror games. Trust the GM – if it seems like the GM is implying that the next stage of the adventure is "East," then take whatever precautions seem wise and try going East, despite the chaotic urge you may have to go "West." If playing in-person with a group, offering to assist with food, drinks, and cleanup is always good. Online playing - show up on time Online playing - ensure your technology is working Make Notes Dealing with Problem Players Determine cause. Is it a reaction to boredom or other player. Determine if the bad behavior is a symptom of a larger problem. Talk to them - might not understand they're causing issues Using the game to punish them only makes it worse (the temptation is real) Every single time I've booted a player from our group the games instantly improved. Watch for signs of problem players, like during character creation… are they excited to make a character who can be a source of chaos in the game? Patreon Shout-Outs Jacob Robinson Warren Hall Jack Raposa Chaos Alfa Guy Fortune https://www.patreon.com/modern_mythos RedBubble Link: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Modern-Mythos/shop?asc=u We can't do this show alone. We want to thank our amazing editors Max Mahaffa and Edwin Nagy for their hard work and keen skills at making us sound awesome! We also want to thank John Sumrow, for our badass logo. He's a very talented artist, so please follow him on Facebook, check out his official website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/

Mike Mason, Creative Director at Chaosium and seasoned Call of Cthulhu developer, joins to talk long-running campaigns. He outlines campaign types, linking one-shots into arcs, and balancing player investment with survivability. They cover pacing, atmospheric scenes, avoiding pointless deaths, player prep, note-taking, and practical tools for keeping investigations coherent.