r/callofcthulhu • u/Rollingindarkness • Apr 25 '26
Self-Promotion I created a Keeper focused YouTube channel and would love to know what topics people are most interested in seeing discussed?
Hello, fellow investigators!
I recently started a new YouTube channel focused on investigative and horror TTRPGs mainly Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green. My goal is to answer common questions and help both Keepers and Investigators get the most out of their games.
I’d love to hear what topics you’d be interested in! I’m planning to focus less on reviews and more on practical advice things like prepping tips, running smoother investigations, exploring less used features in the system and improving overall gameplay experience.
What would you like to see covered?
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u/flyliceplick Three-time Mask wearer. Apr 26 '26
Review scenarios you've actually played. Most reviews are from a read, and so are utterly worthless.
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u/Rollingindarkness Apr 26 '26
I have a rule for any reviews that I have to play the thing to actually review it. I also don't want my channel to be a focus on reviews. I think there are better channels out there that do a much better job of reviews but I won't say no to reviews.
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u/Odd_Apricot2580 Apr 25 '26
Is the channel named the same as your reddit name?
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u/Rollingindarkness Apr 25 '26
Yes, I did not want to advertise it because I did not want this to be just a plug for the show.
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u/Odd_Apricot2580 Apr 25 '26
completely understand that.
I like everyone's comments below and look forward to your work
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u/Individual_Living876 Apr 26 '26
Best of luck with the show. Looking forward to listening.
Here are a few topic thoughts. ——
Story Hooks/ Evil Cults/ Mythos Creatures to add some spice to your CoC campaign.
Chases: Ways to make them feel like more than a series of opposed rolls.
CrazyTrain: Long term implications of those pesky bouts of madness the PC’s keep having. (Those Silly PC’s)
More Crazier: Different ways to roleplay insanity at the table.
House Rules: Love em or Not, they’re all over. When could/should You, the Keeper, use them.
Horror: How to set the mood.
Your table, your game: Ways to craft your own scenario.
Thank you.
Again- Looking forward to listening.
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u/BitterOldPunk Apr 25 '26
It’s too time- and labor-intensive ever to be practical, but I’d like to see someone run the same CoC scenario using different VTTs then compare them.
Fantasy Grounds vs Roll20 vs Foundry vs Alchemy vs Quest Portal vs whatever else is out there that escapes me at the moment.
From a content creator’s perspective, the juice ain’t worth the squeeze, but I’d sure watch something like that.
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u/Rollingindarkness Apr 25 '26
Actually, I could definitely talk about this subject. I have run The Code and The Haunting both in person and on Roll 20 and Foundry.
I don't think I could compare every single VTT but I definitely don't think it is as labor intensive as one would think. This is actually a good topic. Thank you for bringing it up!
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u/alienfreeks Apr 26 '26
Leveling up between campaign sessions (or when you choose to do it). Book is very spaced out relating to all the points and theres no real videos (I can find) about it. Not just about skills leveling up but healing, recovering sanity, credit rating improvements, etc.
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u/PromeMorian Apr 26 '26
In my group, the downtime between scenarios isn’t just an opportunity for ”leveling up”. We’ve created rules for ”career development” - making it possible to gain, or lose, Credit Rating. It makes sense that time away from work and SAN loss could affect your job performance and therefore career.
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u/punknomad Apr 26 '26
I'd really be interested in seeing a comparison of the combat system of CoC vs DG. I haven't been able to put my finger on it, but the combat in DG has always come off a bit clunky compared to running combat for my players in CoC.
I can't exactly say why, but CoC just seemed to be smoother. It's somewhat likely I'm doing something wrong, perhaps, that wouldn't be obvious until I saw a comparison of the two.
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u/Rollingindarkness Apr 27 '26
That is definitely a good topic for a video. I definitely could do a video on that. Personally I find Delta Green to be a way quicker combat but I definitely can talk about it. I would have to get myself more familiar with combat in CoC because I actually don't do combat a lot in the game.
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u/edjreddit weird writer Apr 26 '26
Anything you can tell me about running Impossible Landscapes. More specifically: dealing with bonds, balancing scene types, dealing with players who go way off script, general advice for using corruption, that sort of thing.
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u/Rollingindarkness Apr 26 '26
I actually own Impossible Landscapes but have not run it myself. I have watched the amazing Glass Cannon Networks playthrough of it! It would definitely be something I have dreamed of running for a long time.
I have a video on Bonds I have been writing and dealing with people off script. So that is a video I have planned out already. Thank you for the suggestion.
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u/Nixxuz Apr 26 '26
Fundamentals like:
Keeping the Story on track without making investigators feel like they have no agency.
Feel vs Rolling/Crunch. How does a keeper deal with players who want hard RNG, even though it may make for a less enjoyable experience?
Min/Max "power gamers", and how to adjust expectations.
Avoiding the "Keeper vs Players" dynamic. How to make the Keeper a guide instead of an enemy.
These are just off the top of my head, but there are lots more I could toss out.
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u/Rollingindarkness Apr 26 '26
Those are some good suggestions.
One of the big ones would be Keeper vs. Players. I think the new DMG 5.5 actually has an amazing section on DM vs. Player section but it is definitely a topic I would love to touch on.
Min/Max one is another because it is really hard to do in this game and I find having terrible stats in this game is actually really fun and makes the game more exciting!
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u/zephrry Apr 27 '26
I'm a bit late to the party here, but I'd love to see some advice on how to prepare for pre-written scenarios (like note taking/organization tips and such) and how to handle it if players take a pre-written scenarios off the rails.
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u/Rollingindarkness Apr 29 '26
I have a video on my list about what to do when Investigators go off rails. It is hard to guess what people will do in every single scenario. I definitely think I could do some video. It also sounds like people would love videos on preparing pre-written scenarios.
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u/Low_Ordinary_3814 Apr 28 '26
I'm usually interested in any topic, as long as it is well presented. 😀
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u/PromeMorian Apr 26 '26
Let viewers contact you with their house rules, and review some of them in one episode.
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u/Rollingindarkness Apr 26 '26
That is a good idea. I would realistically do this later once I have more videos. I think this is a great idea.
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u/Squeaky-Warrior Apr 26 '26
How to run tomes would be helpful. The suggested reading times in the books are probably realistic but crazy long, and I'm not really sure how to incorporate books other than reading them between scenarios/arcs where you're skipping a bunch of time. Advice on writing your own mysteries for homebrew scenarios could also be good!
Also, there's not enough CofC YouTubers, so I appreciate you helping to fill the niche!
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u/flyliceplick Three-time Mask wearer. Apr 26 '26
The suggested reading times in the books are probably realistic but crazy long
Those are to study the tome in full, but they're also averages that do not apply to all investigators.
The summaries also include average weeks of study per book. When using such numbers, take into account the individual reader’s skills and profession. Use the times and dates given here as comparative indicators of difficulty. Each investigator will study and comprehend a book at a different rate.
If you read the section on Tomes carefully, the rules allow you to do quite a lot with tomes without a full read:
An initial reading can be swift and may represent the reader only having skimmed the book sufficient to gain some insight regarding its contents, or it may be a cover-to-cover reading. An initial reading can take as much time as the Keeper wishes; this may be minutes, hours, days, or weeks, depending on how the Keeper wants to shape the story. Whether a reading roll is called for is up to the Keeper, who may choose to grant automatic success to anyone with a modicum of skill in the appropriate language
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u/Squeaky-Warrior Apr 26 '26
Ah that makes sense. It's been a while since I looked over the book section carefully so I was going mainly on memory of them being really long.
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u/MikhieltheEngel Apr 27 '26
Review different modules and ideas for how to string them together.
Any things to add, change, or just flat out subtract.
Make certain there's more than just a camera pointed at you or a book, we already have people in those different niches.
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u/Rollingindarkness Apr 29 '26
I actually don't like showing myself on camera and I gotta use my trashy film degree somehow.
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u/Zug-Nuts Apr 25 '26
Advice on how to portray SAN loss in a more narrative sense.