[freeroleplay] Re: Lovecraft
- From: Edward Terry <eterry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: freeroleplay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 01 Mar 2005 12:47:14 -0500
> My problem with the CoC insanity system isn't that you go insane
> from using magic and summoning strange things, but with the more
> mundane aspects of it. It doesn't make logical sense.
>
> If I pick a book off the shelf in some dusty library, and read about
> the ancient civilisation of the Deep Ones I go insane.
>
> If I pick a book off the shelf in some dusty library, and read about
> the ancient civilisation of the Jelly Babies I don't.
>
> It doesn't matter how strange, alien and horrific the Jelly Baby
> culture was, there's no chance of gaining insanity. I could read
> some James Herbet or Stephen King horror novel (possibly rewritten
> to make it appear like a factual account), and I don't go insane.
I don't see any reason to accept the CoC insanity system without
changes, and I agree with your earlier comment that a generic horror
system would be better than a CoC-specific horror system. I prefer
generic rules systems because they are more objective, and they apply to
a variety of situations (such as encounters with the Jelly Babies, which
CoC would not really cover). Rules systems which include a setting
usually believe that their setting is more "special" or "unique" than
any other. This is understandable, but it detracts from the system.
That said, however, I think Lovecraft's popularity is due not only to
his writing skill but also due to the extraordinary alienness of the Old
Ones. I'm certainly not an expert on horror -- I'm more into fantasy
and sci fi -- but I can't think of any other fictional or mythological
species as alien or as horror-inspiring as the Old Ones. In other
words, I think Call of Cthulhu is the exception that proves the rule:
The Cthulhu mythos really is more unique. (Although a Cthulhu campaign
still runs better under a generic system, in my opinion.)
> Why not? What is so special about the Mythos that even reading about
> it makes you go insane? In reality, I would read it and discount it
> as a work of fiction. Only if I became obsessed in finding out the
> truth do I see it as plausible that I may go insane, and that's a
> purely roleplaying choice, regardless of whether it's the Deep Ones
> or the Jelly Babies.
>
> And what if someone has written a non-factual account of the Deep
> Ones? How can I, as a reader, tell the difference between a true
> account and the fake one? Does one drive me mad and the other not?
I don't think reading Lovecraft or other horror fiction would drive you
insane. If you read all the horror you can find but don't take it very
seriously, you might lose a point or two of sanity. If you really get
into it, you might lose a few more points and would probably be pretty
weird. (I can think of some people who qualify.) This is analogous to
a casual reader of, say, Japanese culture being less affected by it than
a serious scholar. The scholar is going to become more like the
Japanese than the casual reader.
It should not matter whether the subject matter is fact or fiction, as
long as a) it is very detailed and b) you really dive into it. The only
fiction that comes to mind that is sufficiently detailed to have as much
effect as a factual account is Middle-earth. If there's another
fictional work with as much detail, I haven't encountered it.
There could be some GM discretion involved, but I think you could safely
assume that insanity increases proportionately with your skill ranks in
the culture of the Old Ones (and related cultures) and in magic (which
was developed by the Old Ones and is closely linked to their culture).
Various factors such as reading books and encountering Old Ones could
increase your skill ranks.
>>I think that the madness caused by increasing your understanding of
>>magic and the Old Ones is the same phenomenon on a larger scale. After
>>all, the Old Ones are far, far more alien than any human culture, or
>>even most alien cultures that are described in science fiction.
>
>
> Alies such as the Qax, the Jart or the Tines (Baxter, Bear and
> Vinge respectively) are much more alien than anything Lovecraft
> ever dreamt up, and yet I don't go mad reading about them.
>
> If I used magic to summon a Great Old One, then I'm happy for
> insanity to kick in, since it can be explained by a supernatural
> change caused by the spell. But for reading a history book?
Degrees of alienness are obviously subjective. You would have to rate
various races and cultures and decide how much they will affect your
sanity. Personally I would have to rate the Old Ones at the top.
>>To see the Old Ones is to gain some degree of understanding of them.
>>Some people go mad from seeing the Old Ones not because their appearance
>>is so horrible (although it is), but because they begin to understand
>>them.
>
>
> Should I go insane if I saw Godzilla? How about a Tyranosaur?
> Terror I can understand, and possibly insanity leading on from
> that, but no more so than from terror of any other thing.
>
> To me, it doesn't make sense for there to be something special
> about the Mythos in this regard.
Seeing Godzilla or a tyrannosaur does not give the visceral, intuitive
understanding that you get from seeing an Old One. Even intense study
of Godzilla or tyrannosaurs probably would not drive you insane, because
they just aren't that alien. Your mind can grasp them and their nature
without too much trouble. (It would take a lot of time and effort, but
you don't have to completely alter your mental frame of reference.)
Becoming an expert on tyrannosaurs will affect your personality to some
degree, as will any intense course of study, but it probably isn't worth
rating in game terms.
Edward
Other related posts:
