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A while ago I received an email asking me about starting a Kult campaign, my answer wasn't wonderful, but I thought it might be worth posting here. If you have any comments, better ideas or anything you want to discuss, contact me at the address below. I really hope to expand this page to become the definative guide to starting up a Kult campaign.
Firstly, decide where to set the campaign, this may sound basic, but it means you get time to purchase maps (if you are setting it away from where you live) or make decisions about whaty the place is like beyond the illusion.
Secondly, design NPCs - again don't worry too much about doing things in depth (I find a five sentance who where what why when type statement suffices), these will be at the core of the adventures.
Write an introductory adventure involving the NPCs you have mentioned. I reccomend this taking about 2 nights of play and only giving players a very brief glimpse of what is to come. This should manage to start with getting the characters to talk (a party is a good situation for this) and involve something dramatic (a kidnapping, armed robbery or something - maybe the characters get kidnapped) Let them find out some of the reasons for these things happen, but only give them a brief glimpse that something supernatural is going on (of you have seen the first few episodes of Twin Peaks you should know what I mean)
(the next bit is technically ilegal in the UK, so if you happen to be from Metropolis or Target games, I don't recommend it, its only an idea - honest) Photocopy all the character generation pages from the book, try to cut out all the references to the occult etc. and let the players generate reasonably normal characters - don't tell them what the game is about or show them the dark secrets pages.
One by one, preferably without other players knowing, take the players aside and ask them if they would like a Dark secret (or tell them they _would_ like a dark secret), let them know that you will be 'nice' to them if they take this secret (which is essential to the plot of a later game, honest) and that none of the other characters have such a secret.
Give the players a list of several important NPCs. Ask them to choose a few, and mention in their background how they know them. These links can be used to bring the characters together in the first adventure.
Adventures should become more and more dangerous and more and more warped thereafter until gradually the characters understand what is going on, what passing through the illusion actually means.
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