Miskatonic University Podcast

This episode, Keepers Bridgett & Evan unpack the best ways to begin a scenario! We’re going to define what the means, things to consider, best practices, worst practices, and even provide you with some recommendations on authors who truly stuck the landing on a strong opener!

Patreon Plug & Update

Hey listeners! Did you know that MUP has a Patreon? That’s right! We do! 

You can directly support the show, and our surrounding community, by becoming a Patreon!

“Dr Weir’s Optometry and Travel Agency: Where you’re going, you won’t need eyes to see.” Submitted by iPwned

Head over to patreon.com/MUP or click the patreon icon on the sidebar of our website. If you’re able to support us, we’d appreciate it! Patreon, we offer everything from exclusive backer only bonus content, Patreon only episodes, backer only hangouts, access to our backer only portal on Discord, and more!

The Discord Plug

Our MUP Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D 

And thank you to our editor NATE for editing this episode. 

Bridgett’s Pet Pick Shout Out

Tonight, I’d like to shout out friend of the show, GroucyLenny and their cats, Lily and Camille, who are captured here with the caption– nefarious plan is to absorb all of the sun’s energy to destroy humankind.

Wait. You guys are getting sun? I’m in Ohio. I haven’t seen the sun since October 2025. Can I join this plan??

Thanks for sharing with us, GroucyLenny!

Main Topic

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Main Topic!

Tonight, we’re going to unpack the best ways to begin a scenario! We’re going to define what the means, things to consider, best practices, worst practices, and even provide you with some recommendations on authors who truly stuck the landing on a strong opener! 

From a storytelling perspective and from a game design standpoint, this is such an important topic that I don’t believe it is getting enough affection. It needs some love, so I’m happy that we’re slowing down to really explore the impact that introductory scenes and onboarding have on the rest of your game and storytelling experience!

What is the beginning of the scenario?

Is this… a roundtable of character introductions? What do you look like, name, occupation?

Is this an opening scene?

Is this worldbuilding?

Why do we care about this topic?

Arguably, the introduction, climax, and conclusion are the most essential and vital points of storytelling

Essential things to establish?

The world

The vibe/genre/tone/expectation

Your PC’s place and impact in the world

Character connection

Level of buy-in/care

Good Examples:

Sorrow in Tsvao by Bridgett Jeffries (begins with a team meeting) buff.ly/3AvlvAr

Taken for Granite by Jade Griffin’s (begins with a car crash) https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/379700/taken-for-granite

Graham Walmsley’s Cosmic Dark 

Opening scenes for a campaign: Two-Headed Serpent drops you right in the action and sprays your face with blood, while setting up the central mystery of the campaign. HotOE lets you fool around at a party with some characters who later become important but it doesn’t do much to establish the plot.

[As a counter-example, the start of The Haunting often flops because it’s geared towards new players and doesn’t immediately put them in the action.] 

Homework

Dear listener, tell us of your favorite scenario start!  

This episode, Keepers Bridgett and Evan talk about how, why, and maybe where and when to teach players to play a tabletop RPG WHILE you play.

Patreon Plug & Update

Hey listeners! We have a Patreon, through which you can support us! You can directly support the show, and our surrounding community, by becoming a Patreon! Why support us through Patreon? Because if you don’t, we have to sell advertising to such beloved sponsors as:

Greyhounds of Tindalos Interdimensional Bus Company. Let’s face it: traveling between dimensions is a difficult experience at the best of times. Whether traveling for work, or pursuing the vacation of a lifetime to parallel realms that you could previously only glimpse with a Tillinghast Resonator, you deserve an option that’s convenient and in your budget. Whether you’re visiting Albuquerque, Azatoth, or any of the sharp corners in between, consider the Greyhounds of Tindalos for fast, budget-friendly service. Routes that travel through the Dreamlands may have higher rates.

Thanks to Patron Dan Tice for this ad idea!

Friends, you can STOP this madness and help us get to the topic at hand WITHOUT ads! How? Head over to patreon.com/MUP or click the patreon icon on the sidebar of our website. If you’re able to support us, we’d appreciate it! Patreon, we offer everything from exclusive backer only bonus content, Patreon only episodes, backer only hangouts, access to our backer only portal on Discord, and more! 

Welcome new Backers:

Adam Alexander & Antheny

The Discord Plug

Our MUP Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D 

And thank you to our editor EQUINOX for editing this episode. 

Bridgett’s Pet Pick Shout Out

FredKiesche’s wildlife tour!

Main Topic

Tonight, we’re going to talk about how, why, and maybe where and when to teach players to play a tabletop RPG WHILE you play.

Why should you teach during play?

Homework

Dear listener, tell us – do you have any tips for teaching at the table?

This episode, Keepers Bridgett & Evan discuss losing PCs. We explore how to pay tribute, celebrate, and honor the stories that have ended. We share personal experience and offer varied insight on how GMs could approach PC loss. To aid in the discussion, we’ve resurrected hosts, Keeper Murph and Keeper Dave!

Patreon Plug & Update

Dear listeners! We have a Patreon. Our Patreons literally keep the lights on and make this show possible. So if you love this content, and you want to keep it alive, we ask that you visit patreon.com/MUP and subscribe to be a backer. Because if you don’t, we’ll have to start selling ad space to trusted corporate partners like Curwen and Ward’s Essential Saltes Company! 

Yes, that’s Curwen and Ward’s Essential Saltes. Bridgett, are you feeling tired, run-down, and lacking in your vital energies?

{Yes}

Are you in need of a good revivification? 

{Yes}

Then turn to Curwen and Ward’s, America’s most trusted provider of alchemical and mystical supplies. That’s Curwen and Ward’s Essential Saltes, a family company since 1662. [Thank you to IPwnedMSCS for the ad suggestion!]

And if financial support isn’t in the cards right now, you can spread the good word of MUP in your communities by sharing a link and heaping glowing praise upon us where others can see. A like, a share, a nomination in your favorite podcast award platform, even a review goes such a long way!

And if are a Patreon backer and you’d like us to advertise YOUR favorite mythos company.

The Discord Plug

Our MUP Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D 

And thank you to our editor BEN for editing this episode. 

Chaosium Con News Brief

Main Topic

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Main Topic! Tonight we celebrate 350 episodes of the Miskatonic University Podcast. This is an incredible milestone and a fantastic achievement. And as we continue to breathe life and tell amazing stories with this beautiful MUP community, we decided the that the best way to celebrate is to honor the PCs who took their final breath and tell stories no more.

Why does this topic matter? Why do we care?

What makes a strong, memorable, and meaningful PC death.

Roundtable where we recount and retell our favorite horror PC deaths!

This episode, Keepers Bridgett and Evan welcome back Perry Clark to continue our discussion on Madness in Culture and Era! Let’s discuss why this topic matters and dive into Invictus, Dark Ages, Regency, Gaslight, and 1920’s Classic!

Patreon Plug & Update

Dear listeners! We have patreon.Our Patreons literally keep the lights on and make this show possible. So if you love this content, and you want to keep it alive, we ask that you visit patreon.com/MUP and subscribe to be a backer. 

And if financial support isn’t in the cards right now, you can spread the good word of MUP in your communities by sharing a link and heaping glowing praise upon us where others can see. And furthermore, you can hang out with us on Discord!

The Discord Plug

Our MUP Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D 

And thank you to our editor GENE for editing this episode. 

Main Topic

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Main Topic! As mentioned in the intro, tonight we’ve gathered to discuss Madness in Culture and Era! How did this topic originate? What does it mean? Let’s unpack!

Questions: 

Why does this topic matter? Why do we care?

Each setting/culture has its own:

Relationship to the supernatural/religion

Relationship to violence

Understanding of mental health

Ways of treating and dealing with trauma (or not)

Invictus

https://www.chaosium.com/invictus/

https://goldengoblinpress.com/

Dark Ages

https://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu-dark-ages-3rd-edition-hardcover

Highlights from sourcebook: Humors table; no diagnosed conditions; religious healing (monasteries, pilgrimage, relics)

Regency

https://www.chaosium.com/regency-cthulhu-pdf/

Highlights from sourcebook: Mesmerism & Reassure; Reputation

Gaslight

https://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu-by-gaslight-keepers-guide-pdf

Highlights from sourcebook: Alienist occupation; Mental health, asylums, Bedlam; insanity as a legal defense

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susto

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture-bound_syndrome 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanganyika_laughter_epidemic 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_mania

1920s (Classic)

https://www.chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-keeper-rulebook-pdf/

Sources Cited: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lJ_QxYrGrTzTkAr_Gb1O-P9sDzfze1MtufSepHM8PkE/edit?usp=sharing

Homeworkd

Dear listener, tell us something new that you learned from this episode, or some inspiration that you’ve gathered to launch your own research into the topic! 

This episode, we continue with Part II of our Miskatonic Media Club! This is where the hosts explore how to pull game design inspiration from movies, books, TV, and other arts! This episode, we’re joined again by game designer Quinn Murphy to discuss Sinners. 

The Discord Plug

That’s right! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D 

And thank you to our editor Equinox for editing this episode. 

Main Topic

Last time we got into a great conversation with Quinn about aome elements of Sinners that we want to use in our gaming, and we’re going to pick up where we left off. Evan, where did we leave off?

Well last time we talked about story development elements, incorporating music into a setting and game, and some great tricks and tools for representation of cultures and people. 

So let’s dive into the next element!

Horror rooted in specific culture, with cultural responses (e.g. Hoodoo performed by a main character)

Survival horror; how to do that well in a scenario?

Integrating sexiness into your horror game?