Masks of Nyarlathotep Advice?

[SageNytell]

So it looks like I might be doing a Let's Play thread over in Something Awful of the classic Call of Cthulhu campaign Masks of Nyarlathotep at some point in the semi-near future. Any advice on running the campaign from those here who've run it? I really dug the APs Shallazar posted on the community site, I'll be listening to those again as well as the Yog-Sothoth guys. Looking forward to this. 

[clockworkjoe]

Read through the entire book first

Figure out a mechanism to introduce new player characters to replace fallen ones - some organization or reason why professors and lumberjacks keep signing up to investigate the cult

Try to keep the group from heading to the boss fight chapters first - egypt and kenya can end a campaign if the PCs make the wrong decisions - well every chapter is like that but Egypt and Kenya are the worst about it.

[Teapot]

A callander is a good tool to keep track of where they are and what they're doing.

[clockworkjoe]

Oh - one piece of advice from Mr. Glancy - run an adventure first where Jackson Elias is a helpful and friendly NPC - so when he gets murdered at the start of the campaign the players will want to investigate his death and catch the people behind it.

[SageNytell]

That's this coming Sunday after next. Added plus is the oneshot I'm running involves Nyarlathotep, though it's in a tangential fashion. It'll help explain why Mr. Elias is poking into the cult to begin with.

[clockworkjoe]

http://detwillerdesign.tumblr.com/post/42107885000/keepers-korner-running-masks-of-nyarlathotep

[SageNytell]

Talk about timing! The game looks like it'll be run online, so I'll try and get good scans of the various props and some supporting images.

[Marik]

I'm also planning on running Masks as the next campaign for my gaming group. We just have to finish off the AD&D 2nd edition campaign were currently running, which should take another 4 or 5 sessions.

I've read the advice here and in a few other areas including the link that Ross posted.

My gaming group including myself has never played Call of Cthulu. I'm planning on running a scenario to introduce Jackson Elias and to help us all familarize with the rules before we jump into Masks. I'm thinking that I would prefer this scenario not get too deep into the mythos though. I don't mind cultists and the like, but I would rather have the group not knowing that the mythos or the supernatural does exist until they encounter it during the Masks campaign.

I guess I just need a good detective story to get Jackson introduced and keep the Mythos hinted at instead of confirmed.

Any thoughts or ideas about the introduction or advice in general? I will be a rookie Keeper running a bunch of rookie players so I'm sure I can use it  .
 
Marik

[Flawless P]

Maybe Elias and the players have friends or family members who have joined a more mundane cult of random sunshine happy people. This goes against all of those peoples personalities and they all meet outside of the cult compound each of them mounting their own investigations.

This small group of like minded individuals could then help one another in attempting to "save" their friends.

Add mythos influence on the cultists to taste and maybe glaze with 1-2 pts of cthulhu mythos score at the end.

Make the session take 2-3 meet ups so that Elias can really endear himself to the PC's.

But don't try to make him too likeable, other wise player logic suggests that he will be hated.

If possible have him block a bullet for a player and get grazed or otherwise pick up a fallen player who is being chased by cultists ect... Even just one player owing his life to the NPC can endear him greatly.