Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Swack-Iron" data-source="post: 123074" data-attributes="member: 511">Besides stat blocks? I don't know -- I haven't seen the book. I have my doubts that level-based character progression is suitable to the genre, but that's a discussion for another thread.IMO, any system that wants to simulate HPL's setting needs to, through mechanics and presentation, a) allow characters to navigate the frighteningly murky waters of the world through appropriate stats and skills, b) accurately measure the errosion of sanity through continued contact with the Mythos, c) give the characters a false sense of hope via a relatively minimal ability to effect change (with guns, spells, and research), and d) convay a feeling of the impossible, sanity-stretching largess of the ultimate architects of the Mythos. There are probably a few other things it needs to do, but these are the major ones that come to mind of the top of my head.Both original and d20 CoC perform well on a, b, and c (at least, from my understanding of what d20 CoC has in it). Both original and d20 fall short, IMO, on d.As a gamer, when you see a stat block (in any system), don't you automatically deconstruct it? Don't you think "Wow, it's got Powers X, Y & Z -- what a nasty combo! I bet it could only be defeated by either a [this] or a [that]!" In my mind, the very hyper-level of detail in a d20 stat block only enhances this type of metagaming. This kind of thinking, unfortunately, is not conducisve to Lovecraftian horror at the deity level.Folks, it's a d20 book published by WotC, which means it probably has excellent production values, and written by some of WotC's best authors. I'm especially happy for you if you haven't been exposed to the Mythos before and want to learn about and experience a very special corner of the horror genre (and when you're done, RUN!, don't walk, to your FLGS and find a copy of Delta Green). I think I'm going to give this book a pass, however.</blockquote>

Verification