One complaint about the Call of Cthulhu task resolution system is that a mystery may hinge on uncovering critical information, which depends on using a skill to find. Failure of the skill roll then totally impedes further progress. While I don’t find this problem to be as large as critics claim; there often is more than one way to skin a cat. But, nonetheless, there have been some solutions presented to this problem. One of which is to just not make the information subject to a skill check at all. However, I have always found this dissatisfying.

Night Danger on Twitter (X) has had an insight in regard to this problem. The issue is time. Many tasks in real life are certain to be completed given enough time and effort. So why base success on a single roll? Why indeed? Mr. Danger has inspired me to design one alternative approach. And, while still preliminary, I think there may be something to it.

Note: this approach has some limits. It applies neither to combat nor to where other means of determining time to complete are defined in the rules (e.g. reading tomes, psychoanalysis). In addition, the GM may well choose to impose physical or environmental limits that impede completing a task within the determined time. Plus, this approach doesn’t completely eliminate failures, but should make such much rarer while still imposing possible consequences.

Under this approach, tasks as assigned a Skill and a Task Length Category. The skills I present here are the Call of Cthulhu first edition skill list. The Task Length Categories are shown in the table below. For each skill, there is a range of Task Length Categories applicable to each specific skill.

Method:

• The GM chooses the skill and the Task Length Category he assessed the task falls into. The task length category is kept secret.
• The player states what Task Length Category he thinks the task will take.
• Note: one could make Task Length Category chits for each side. Each side chooses one, then flips the chit simultaneously.
• GM and Player reveal their Task Length Category
  If the player has chosen a category longer than the GM chose, then the task is successful. GM rolls for how long it takes for the player’s chosen category. This length is secret from the player.
  • If the player has chosen a shorter Task Length Category than the GM, then the player makes a skill resolution check.
  • If successful, then the GM rolls on the category chosen by the GM.
  • If the roll is an impale (20 percent or less of the PC skill), then the GM rolls on one Task Length Category lower than the GM chose.
  • If the task resolution roll fails, then the GM rolls one Task Length Category longer than he chose.
  • Note: the infinite category is essentially a failure, but this is Call of Cthulhu there might be situations where a player is exposed to Infinite Time.
  • All rolled task lengths are secret from the player until such time has passed within the game.
  • Note: for tasks that are longer than a year but less than infinity, a GM might break them into multiple Very Long steps. For example, the task of “Write the Dictionary” might be twenty Very Long task attempts.

So, there you have it. It likely could use some refinement of course. But if you give it a go, let me know how it worked for you.