Arjen Poutsma

@poutsma

Former Spring Framework committer, now writing Call of Cthulhu scenarios.

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Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· 2d

Editing of my #BlackLancers campaign continues in our vacation cottage, before the rest of the family wakes up.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· 3d

Our vacation home for the coming week

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· 10d

This is targets with 10 HP. The RAW side shifts a bit, but mostly at low skill. At mid-to-high skill (45%+) the numbers barely move.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· 10d

I made a house rule to replace #CallOfCthulhu's notoriously lengthy full auto rules. Roll Firearms (MG) as normal: • a Regular success kills 1 target, • a Hard kills 2, • an Extreme kills 3. This drops the number of dice rolls from up to 30 to 1, with a similar distribution.

Output from a script that compares the standard Call of Cthulhu automatic-fire rules against the new house rule, for a machine gun firing on a group of people, using Monte Carlo sampling: each row simulates thousands of randomized rounds to estimate average outcomes. Both methods assume each target has 13 hit points.

The table covers skill levels 30, 45, 60, and 75%, and group sizes 1 to 3; with groups larger than 3, the standard CoC rules end up with too many penalties to hit.

Each row has two sets of three columns: "RAW down / RAW rolls / RAW wipe" for the standard rules, and "final down / final rolls / final wipe" for the new house rule. "Down" is the average number of people killed per round; "rolls" is the average number of dice rolls needed to resolve the attack; "wipe" is the percent chance of killing everyone in the group.

Across all rows, both methods kill a similar average number of people, but the standard rules take anywhere from about 5 to 34 dice rolls per round, while the new house rule always takes exactly 1.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· 11d

Hmmm. Not sure…

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· 12d

Black Lancers: my WWII #PulpCthulhu Campaign of Polish Tankers and Nazi Sorcery is finished. I began writing it in 2017: nine chapters, from Poland, via Hungary, Italy, France, Scotland, and finally Germany. Done.

The epilogue of the Black Lancers campaign. It reads:
EPILOGUE

Once demobilized, the vast majority of the soldiers of the 1st Polish Armoured Division do not return home. The Soviet-backed government strips many veterans of the western armies of their citizenship, and denies them their pensions. Most who do return are arrested.

In Britain, the Poles are excluded from official victory parades and denied standard military pensions, forcing many into hard labor or low-paying civilian jobs. General Maczek works as a hotel bartender in Edinburgh.

The Dutch prove more appreciative: once news of the general’s financial situation reaches the Netherlands, collections are organized on his behalf and the government grants him a pension. Several hundred Polish soldiers end up living in Breda with local women they met during the war.

With the collapse of communism in 1989, some veterans are already dead; others make the journey home for the first time in fifty years.

At the end of this campaign, the Keeper should go around the group and talk to each player in turn about the fate of their hero.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· 13d

Perhaps that statue wasn't so bad after all.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· 17d

@the-kraken.bsky.social I am there in spirit.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jul 11

Of course I had to kit her out with some D&D bling: fancy dice, and a dice bag & tray from @allrolledup.bsky.social

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jul 9

The final result. #CallOfCthulhu #BlackLancers #RevolutionaryFrance

A map of the Paris Temple Tower, prison of the Royal Family during the French Revolution.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jul 6

Another map. #CallOfCthulhu #BlackLancers #RevolutionaryFrance

Map of the Temple Tower, where the French royal family was imprisoned during the French Revolution.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jul 4

I love making maps. #CallOfCthulhu #BlackLancers #RevolutionaryFrance

Map Of The Paris Temple Enclosure In AugusT 1792

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jul 2

I am sorry, but you don’t get to pick your fate in a revolution/invasion. You do get a nicer heir to the throne, though. She has hair and everything!

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jun 28

Breakfast for the four-year old.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jun 27

I have been invited to Miffy’s birthday party.

A number of stuffed animals seated around a table, having tea and cake.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jun 25

Every hometown’s got an ominous megastructure, what’s yours?

Santa Claus, a statue by Paul McCarthy in Rotterdam.

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jun 23

The one advantage of this blistering heat is that we have solar panels ☀️

Arjen Poutsma@poutsma· Jun 21

Deep in the editing trenches of Black Lancers, my Pulp Cthulhu campaign set in WWII. I started in 2017, and now have roughly 100 pages left to edit. Almost there!  #CallOfCthulhu #TTRPG #PulpCthulhu #BlackLancers