Call of Cthulhu d20

[IronWolf]

2002 ENnies Winner!
Categories: Best d20 Game, Best Graphic Design & Layout

The Old Ones were,
the Old Ones are,
the Old Ones shall be.

Ancient knowledge and dark secrets await those brave or foolish enough to delve into the depths of the unknown. Discover terrifying, malevolent creatures that defy even the darkest recesses of the imagination. Confront horrifying truths long hidden away from the minds of the sane. The risks of investigating such arcana reach beyond death -- the rewards exceed explanation.

Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, the Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game is a self-contained d20 System game that provides everything you need to explore the realm of horror.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

My background for this review is that I have read many Cthulhu mythos stories, but have
never read the Chaosium RPG so I won't compare this to that. This will be a long review...

General:

Cost: $39.95 for 320 pages in a hardcover seems about normal to me considering the
quality of this book.

Layout: This book has a great layout with some interesting presentations and a few
minor flaws. One thing you notice right away is the columns aren't divided equally but have
a diagonal seperation. This may annoy some people but for me it doesn't effect my readabilty
at all. I think is a great idea giving that strange Mythos atmosphere to something as boring
as column layout. Now the one minor flaw I see is how the pricing for weapons is handled.
Instead of placing it in the table with the weapon statistics there is a seperate table for
the general prices. I would have much preffered a specific price for each weapon. However it
does aid in estimating the prices of guns from other sources.

Artwork: This is one of the high points of this book. The quality of the art is
excellent , on par with the best from the Psionics Handbook. Also the representations of the
Mythos creatures are perfect. Some highlights include the Sanity chapter start on p. 46
great insane glint in that guy's eyes, my favorite p. 285 a picture of Cthulhu trashing the
iconic characters from the PHB, and p. 294 Hastur with a nice Yellow Sign behind him.

Chapter by Chapter Analysis

Introduction: A nice intro here. Standard "what is roleplaying" sidebar and an
interesting commentary on melding CoC with D20 that gives some insight into the choices they
made.

Chapter 1 - Character Creation: Sticking with the books general concept of not making
a standard d20 game, the classes have been, more or less removed. Instead everyone is like
an Expert from the DMG with some nice twists. You choose Offesive or Defensive Save and BAB
progression then choose a template of core skills or can choose the option to make a new
"class" by choosing any 12 skills as class skills. I love this because it really focuses the
system on the skills in a way that makes most characters unique from each other. Also for a
more combat oriented game they give the option for Defense bonus ala Star Wars.

Chapter 2 - Skills: Like I said above with the focus on the skills this is an
important chapter. You get 8 + Int skill points a level so you have many points to spread
around. The standard skills are here with useful additions like Computer Use, Demolitions,
Psychoanalysis (Heal for the mind), Repair, and Research. Also of note are the Cthulhu
Mythos and Psychic Focus skills. Cthulhu Mythos has no upper limit but can't be bought with
skill points. You gain ranks by surviving mythos encounters or readng mythos tomes and it
lowers your max sanity. Psychic Focus ties in with Psychic feats from the next chapter.

Chapter 3 - Feats: An assorted batch here including some modern updates like Drive-By
Attack and Rolling Shot. I would have like to see more roleplaying oriented feats. Also
there is an entire group of Psychic Feats which you can take after you take the Sensitive
Feat. These allow a character to use the Psychic Focus skill to read minds, "read" the
history of an object, see invisible things, and much more. These may not be appropirate for
all campaigns but they will excite some people greatly.

Chapter 4 - Sanity: How they fit an entire Psych 101 course into one chapter I'll
never know. This chapter is just that good! It lays out Sanity and the Sanity score for your
characters. It lists how you can slip into insanity in different ways for different periods
of time. It tells you have to seek treatment. And then it lists more mental disorders than
you can shake a Freudian phallic symbol at. There is an entire sidebar listing 50+
phobias which can be used as manias and philias also. (Teratophilia, attraction, possibly
sexual, to monsters, can you think of a more dangerous disorder for a Cthulhu game?) The
sanity system gives a sort of second hit point system. The book describes how you can alter
it to reflect heroes struggling with horrific events or an inevitable slide into madness for
your characters. Definately one of the best parts of this book.

Chapter 5 - Combat: Nothing too increbily earth shaking here but they do have firearm
rules that are well detailed. Also of note, Attacks of Opportunity are considered a optional
rule.

Chapter 6 - Equipment: Something for the gun nut in all of us =) They have both very
general rules for guns (for those that could care less) and very detailed specfic stats for
many guns. A great deal of this chapter describes specfic guns. A wonderful section
describes how gun control laws, like the Brady Bill, will effect your PCs. Finally there is
a great deal of misc. equipment that could have been detailed more fully. This chapter
definately has a modern era focus however prices are listed for both 1920s and 2000s.

Chapter 7 - Magic: Details the books, artifacts and spells. Unlike the D&D system you
can cast spells you know as much as you want... at a price. All the items in this chapter
have a definate dark tone that will keep characters up at night. Spells cost Sanity and
Temporary ability damage to cast. And are there some big bang spells here. Would you like to
call your deity? Only 20 Wis damage and 1d10 Sanity. However rules are provided for dealing
with multiple casters of a spell. A nice section that has plenty of adventure fodder in it.

Chapter 8 - Creatures: Note to PCs don't try to fight this things, just run, very far
and very fast. This is an evil DMs dream. The mosters in this section could scar someone for
life ( not just the PCs but their players too!) Even the measly zombies (Animated Corpses)
have punch to them. Attention was given to Lovecraft's monsters and they all seem to be very
faithful to their literary sources. Every monster has an associated Sanity loss. There are
even templates; Chosen of Hastur, Cult Sorcerer, Ghost, Loup-Garou (Scary werewolf),and
Mummy. One excellent aspect is the example templates are in fact fully developed NPCs you
can pop into your campaign. For example the greater mummy is an Egyptian Priestess that
poses as a modern day medium.

Chapter 9 - The Cthulhu Mythos: Lovecraft for Dummies. Tells a newcomer what they
need to know about the Mythos. Also gives guidelines for making new books, gods and
monsters, and dark secrets.

Chapter 10 - The Gamemaster: Details on making the atmosphere, running the game and
experience awards. Since CoC is not combat focused the XP is given based on DM determined
story goals. This is a great way to give XP in a game where several sessions could have
little to no combat.

Chapter 11 - Stories: Advice on creating adventures, campaigns, and tons of good DM
advice. I love the flowchart concept they suggest here and it is personally how most of my
adventures are organized.

Chapter 12 - Settings: Another masterpiece section gives story ideas for every decade
from 1890 to 2000. Not only that but each decade is broken into subgeneres; Lovecraft
Country, Hometown Horrors, Private Troubleshooters, Badges and Secrets, Esoteric Orders,
and Global Hot Spots. Every story idea references the story, TV show, or movie that it is
based on so you can go to the source for further ideas.

Adventures: There are two low-level adventures included that I haven't read fully.
The first takes place in a nicely mapped theater and the second in a sleep research clinic.

Appendix - Lovecratian D&D campaigns: The Appendixes of this book are some of the
best parts of this book starting with this one. Full of ideas on how to use Lovecraft
material in your campaign it also includes conversion notes for the book's creatures and
spells into a D&D campaign. It discusses how hardened advetureres would be effected by
Sanity. Finally, my favorite part, it gives Sanity losses for what looks like every single
monster in the Monster Manual.

Appendix - Dieties and Great Old Ones: Full stat write-ups for every Cthulhu Mythos
diety from Azathoth to Yig. I mean Granted Domains, Hit Dice, Attacks, Special Attacks,
everything. These things are (as they should be) incredibly powerful. Azathoth tops the CR
scale at 50. I've read in playtesting Cthulhu killed 13 20th-level characters, 6 at a time,
before being imprisoned. Full attention is given to the worship of these gods giving
much campaign material.

Appendix - A Brief Conversion System: A very brief Chaosium to d20 conversion. I
haven't read the old RPG but this looks like a barebones conversion. There is a full skill
conversion sidebar.

Appendix - Recommended Reading List: 2 pages full of horror stories you should read
to get into the Lovercraft and Horror mood.

Sample Characters: 4 smaple 1st level characters

Index: Full complete index

Character Sheet: A character sheet based off the one in the PHB. Just needs more
space for weapons and a slot for wealth, but otherwise very useful.

Overall Impression: I can't say how much I think of this book. By far this is the
best d20 book I own (and I own way too many =D ). The layout and artwork are beatiful. They
use quotes from Mythos stories throughout the book to great effect. Even if you don't want
to play Call of Cthulhu this book would be great for those seeking to make a darker campaign
by adding the Sanity rules and Monsters. A devious D&D campaign would involve only the gods
from this book, truly that would be a dark world. Even the cover of this book is awesome.
Complete firearms rules, a scare your PCs magic system, a skill and feat based psychic
system, and so much more. This book earns a 5 and thrashes all other d20 books the way
Redgar gets beat by Cthulhu in much aforementioned favorite picture on p. 285.

If you got all the way to this point in the review I like to thank you for reading it and
say I hope it is useful to you. Now I'll shamelessly plug my comic from my college newspaper
( entropyinaction.150m.com ) and apolgize for my 3 AM spelling errors. =D

 

[Messageboard Golem]

My entire prior Call of Cthulhu experience had been based on rumor. I knew it was based off of H.P. Lovecraft's stories, was very scary, involved something called a Sanity score, and had one of the highest character death rates of all RPGs.

Also I heard that the stories it was based off of were frightfully good. One spring break trip to the library later, I picked up Call of Cthulhu d20 to see what Monte Cook and John Tynes had done with such excellent subject material. I was not disappointed.

First off, this books looks wonderful. The cover is rather disturbing star-scattered eyes and fanged mouth looking out of a leather-ish looking background. Blood-soaked tentacles poke through the background at random intervals. Mild cheese factor, but still a little freaky. The pictures throughout the book are very well done. Dark, realistic (for when they need to be, like when showing investigators), or bizarre (as when showing Mythos creatures) and very well done. Also, instead of straight columns of text, the pages are split diagonally. It's a bit hard to get used to, but I think it adds to the "wrongness" of CofC.

Also, quotes from H.P. Lovecraft's stories are used at the beginning of each chapter, and at appropriate intervals. They really help highlight certain points.

The one nice thing about CofC is that it is a stand-alone book. You do not need the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide or any other d20 books to play Call of Cthulhu. For instance the Introduction walks you through what a role-playing game is, as well as what CofC is based on. Most chapters have a complete definition of how the d20 mechanics work (ability scores, skills, feats, combat, etc.)

This book is divided into 12 chapters, Character Creation, Skills, Feats, Sanity, Combat, Equipment, Magic, Creatures, The Cthulhu Mythos, The Gamemaster, Stories, and Settings. Also included are two short adventures and a large appendix.

Chapter 1: Character Creation

The Character Creation does a Cthulhu style recap of the PHB stat scores and rolling methods, comparing various scores to things more likely to be included in CofC. Instead of comparing a high Strength score to something a Great Red Wyrm might have, they compare it to a Shoggoth. ;-)

Instead of character classes, characters can pick either a Defense or Offense Option. (Better saves for a lower BAB, or a higher BAB and worse saves). Characters also pick a character template, including 9 core skills, plus three more of their choice. Examples are Antiqurian, Criminal, Detective, Doctor, Priest, or Soldier. New templates can be added by choosing a new combination of skills.

A varient Defense bonus (apparently this is similar to Star Wars' mechanics) is also provided to allow the DM the option of making the investigators a little harder to kill.

Chapter 2: Skills:

Many skills provided here are no stranger to those familiar with the PHB. New ones include Computer Use, Cthulhu Mythos (only gained my experience with Mythos-related things), Demolitions, Drive, Operate Heavy Machinery, Pilot, Psychic Focus, Psychoanalysis (used to regain Sanity), Repair, Research, and Sleight of Hand. Psychic Focus is used for Psychic feats described in the next chapter. Nice presentation all around.

Chapter 3: Feats:

Several feats are those you'll recognize from the PHB, with several adapted for modern use (Drive-by Attack rather than Ride By Attack, as well as the Point Blank Shot feat chain). Lots of half and half feats (like Alertness), and Skill Emphasis (+3 to one skill).

Finally, the fun stuff, Psychic feats. All Psychic feats can only be taken if you have taken the Sensitive feat. Several classic psychic abilities are presented such as; Psychometry, Psychokenesis, Dowsing, Remote Viewing, Second Sight, Mind Reading, the works! Most abilities cost you Sanity points as well, so you've been warned.

Chapter 4: Sanity:

Ahhhh... Sanity. The Sanity rules, according to those in the know, were lifted basically intact from the original CofC. You have so much Sanity, depending on your Wisdom score (5 times Wis). Encountering a Mythos monster, reading a forbidden tome, or just seeing something really freaky can cause you to lose Sanity. If you lose a certain percentage, you go temporarily insane. Lose enough and you're a babbling idiot for life. ;-)

This chapter is jam packed with ways to be insane. Everything from just fainting to becoming schizophrenic. Details are given on a myriad of mental disorders (including a nice table of various phobias). It also shows you how to recover from your insanity (counseling, shock treatment, psychiatric medications..).

Chapter 5: Combat:

This is basically a rehash of what you've seen in the PHB. All the combat modifiers, tables, and weather conditions. Though it was said in some point in this book that if you've gotten to the point in the game where your characters are shooting guns and fighting... you're out of luck anyway. ;-) All is well presented.

Chapter 6: Equipment:

This chapter opens with a bang, and by that I mean firearms. This is the most comprehensive d20 firearms rules to date. There's a generic table for those who just want a gun, then a much more detailed section for those who want specific weapons dealt with.

Next is the various things you can buy, clothes, communications gear, lodging, etc. Prices are given for both the 1920s and the 2000s (where applicable), which is nice.

Chapter 7: Magic:

Magic in Call of Cthluhu is scary. The tomes you learn magic from require you to take Sanity damage from them just from reading them. If you fail to understand them at the end of your studying period, weird things can happen. A thoughtful table is provided, ranging from realizing the book is made of human skin to seeing the book move on its own. Any or all can provide more Sanity loss.

The spells themselves don't require you to be of a certain level to cast them, but all spells cost temporary or permanent ability damage and/or Sanity loss. You may cast them as many times in a day as you care to take the damage. But nearly all the spells are a bit scary. Even defensive ones like cloak of fire cause you some (lesser) damage as well as causing pain to those who attack you.

This chapter also included artifacts like the Mi-Go Brain Cylinder and Plutonian Drug Pellets. They aren't nearly as mentally corrosive to study as studying tomes or casting spells, but all the same you might attract some unwanted attention by using them...

Chapter 8: Creatures:

Creatures in Call of Cthulhu are particularly scary. There are Sanity checks just for viewing them, and most are quite capable of taking out a band of investigators with a single claw, gulp, or yawn. Basically, if you've gotten to the point that you're fighting them, it's too late. Also there are several interesting templates (Chosen of Hastur, Loup-Garou, Mummy, etc) all with examples that include character backgrounds. Very useful for instant NPCs.

Chapter 9: Cthulhu Mythos:

This is Lovecraft's vision in a nutshell. The fate of humanity, the existence of the Great Old Ones, space and time, the works. For those that haven't read Lovecraft's books yet, this is a nice jump-off point to get you in the Cthulhu mood.

This also gives you advice on creating your own gods and monsters, secrets, magic, sinister clues, strange places, everything.

Chapter 9: The Gamemaster:

This gives you both general gamemaster advice, as well as advice on creating and sustaining the terror of a Call of Cthulhu game. This is pretty good stuff, with a lot of options presented.

Chapter 10: Storytelling:

Everything from linear/non-linear adventures, how to keep credibility in the game, motivation, campaign elements, NPCs, and general game-running. For first-time DMs, this is a must. For first time CofC DMs, this is also a must. Several elements have to be taken into consideration when running a CofC campaign that simply don't crop up in a D&D campaign.

Chapter 11: Settings:

Ok, now here's some very useful stuff. Tips for running the game at home and abroad, at the current time or the past are all given. Next is a quick run down on every decade from the 1890s to the 2000s, highlighting major events that could be evidence of cult activity.

A subgenres section is next, giving suggestions on running your game in different modes (in Lovecraft country, as private troubleshooters, as cops or government agents, and a few others). This allows you to approach your game from several different angles.

After that is a long list of possible plot hooks, one from each decade and subgenre. Several of them are inspired by Lovecraft's stories, others by other books, movies, or TV shows. All the inspirational subject matter is listed, so if you want to read or watch it again, you have a long list of things to choose from. This section is overflowing with potential campaign ideas. I wish more books had this kind of stuff!

Adventures:

There are two adventures, The End of Paradise and Little Slices of Death. I'll tell you this, the first time I read The End of Paradise I was alone in a darkened room. Afterwards I was afraid to go to sleep. Both adventures are quite scary, and make good intros for first time players.

Appendix: Lovecraftian D&D Campaigns:

This gives some advice for adding CofC elements into a D&D campaign. This gives suggested uses for Sanity, along with Sanity loss for various common D&D monsters.

Deities and Great Old Ones:

For players that just can't resist a challenge (and for those that have always wanted to know if their 20th level character could beat up Cthluhu) the stats for the CofC Gods and Great Old Ones are presented. To give a hint as to their toughness, Cthulhu himself (CR 34) took on 13 20th level D&D characters before being imprisoned. They couldn't kill him. And he's one of the less powerful of the Gods.

Conversion: This is for those that played the Chaosium version and wanted to convert over. I've never played it, so I'll take their word on it.

Recommended Reading: For those searching for more inspiration, here is a long list of stories and authors that wrote in the type of genre CofC draws off of.

Sample Characters: These are the CofC Iconics, for those that really want to jump into the game immediately.

All in all, this book blew me away. It got my imagination pumping, my adrenaline pumping, and my heartrate skyrocketing. If you love to be scared, answer the Call of Cthulhu.

 

[trancejeremy]

Call of Cthulhu d20 is the latest in the increasingly large number of games converted to use the d20 rules. It's the second game using the Basic Role Playing (or BRP) system from Chaosium to be converted. The first, Dragon Lords of Melnibone (DLOM), was a conversion of the Elric! game. Unlike DLOM, this conversion was done by Wizards of the Coast, and again, unlike DLOM, this was competently done. Competently is an understatement, actually. It's extremely well done, with only some minor flaws.

CoCd20 is produced under license by Wizards of the Coast, and was writen largely by John Tynes and D&D 3E co-designer Monte Cook. It's a hardcover book, both rather large (320 pages) and rather expensive ($39.95, I paid full price at my local-ish game store). While as mentioned it's expensive, it is largely in color. I say largely because while almost all the illustrations and pages are in color, it's somewhat sparsely illustrated. You could actually flip through it and not notice it was in color.

Call of Cthulhu, for those who haven't heard of it, it a game of investigating supernatural horror. Specifically the horror of the works of HP Lovecraft and those who had imitated him (which is a lot of people, actually.). Basically, it involves really ugly, alien, monstrosities, crazed cultists, and things man was not meant to know. (Cthulhu looks pretty much like a D&D Mind Flayer, only godzilla sized and with wings.).

The d20 adapation is pretty close to regular d20. If you know d20, you can play it right away. The major changes are that instead of many classes, there is just one. It's basically the NPC Expert class from regular d20, with 2 more class skills (12 instead of 10), and 2 more skill points per level. There are also some customization options for the attack bonus and saves. Hit points go up each level (d6), just like regular d20.

The other major change is spellcasting. Spells now cost ability damage when cast, and can be cast by anyone who knows the spell (working spells are hard to come by, though). Spells also cost points from a new statistic, one called Sanity. Sanity is actually ported from the original Call of Cthulhu untouched. It's a number from 0 to 99 that represents how sane a character is. The higher the better.

Besides spells, there is also a somewhat optional psychic ability system. It uses a combination of a skill and feats. There's a basic skill for using psychic powers, and several feats which are psychic powers. The typical range, though they are generally weak. Using psychic powers also generally causes ability damage and sanity loss.

Lastly, in order to make combat more deadly, the massive damage threshold has been reduced from 50 to 10(!). There are also no attacks of opportunity, a welcome subtraction, though it's mentioned as a variant rule.

Physical Info:

The cover is pretty ugly, and actually has little indication that it is a d20 game. The only tell tale signs that it's d20 is the d20 logo on the back and the last part of the back cover blurb. (The game clerk where I bought it actually didn't realize it was d20.) The margins are small - 1 inch on the outside margins, and about 1/2 inch on the top, bottom and inside. (I use a mage knight ruler, which is only marked in inches, so I have to guess for smaller than that). The text size is pretty average, so you get your money's worth, text wise.

The layout is actually a bit odd. Presumably to make it more atmospheric, much of the text in the book is laid out in 2 columns per page, with column size changing from top to bottom, rather than fixed. The outside column starts big and gets smaller, while the inside column starts small and gets larger. A bit tricky to read at first. The section on spells however, is 3 normal columns.

As mentioned, there really isn't all that much artwork. There's a large piece at the begining of each chapter, and then the occasional small piece, but it's very sparse. Now that I count it, it's actually 86 pieces, but that include 2 pieces used 3 times each, and most of the art appears in the monster section (pretty much every monster or god is pictured). The art is well done, though. Most of the art is clearly set in modern day, circa 2002 - the large number of bare midriffs on women really gives that away. I guess some of the artists are Britney Spears fans. (Not that I'm complaining. Just very different than regular Call of Cthulhu, which is largely set in the 1920s).

Gorey Details:

The book has 12 chapters, 2 adventures, and a large index of assorted info.

The first chapter is on character creation. It's 10 pages. Rolling ability scores and such. Works just like in D&D, only there is one character class. There are several Professions, which are just sets of prepicked skills. There's not one for a bum or a DJ, so making myself would not be easy.

The second chapter is on skills. It's 22 pages. It's pretty much the D&D list, minus the fantasy ones, plus several modern ones, mostly ones also found in Dragonstar and/or Weird Wars. Also just for this game: Cthulhu Mythos and Psychoanalysis. Like the D&D PHB, there are several sample DCs given for each skill.

The third chapter is on feats. It's 8 pages. Nothing exciting, though it seems to borrow my idea of replicating martial arts by having a feat that allows the character to do physical damage fighting unarmed. It only does d3 - my system increased that (like a monk) when taken multiple times.

There are also Psychic Feats. These let a character become a psychic. Unlike the ones you see on TV (Miss Cleo and that Johnathan Edwards guy), characters with psychic feats are actually psychic. The psychic feats are: Sensitive (the initial one), Biofeedback trance, Remote Viewing, Dowsing, Mind Reading, Mind Problem, Psychokinesis, Psychometry, Second Sight, Telepathy, Scamming the Gullible.

The fourth chapter is on Sanity. This is something new to d20, though if you are familiar with the original CoC it's pretty much unchanged. It's 12 pages

Chapter 5 is on combat. Again, it's pretty much like D&D. The most interesting thing is how it handles firearms. It's very very confusing, actually. It involves a rather large chart full of numbers. It's 34 pages

Chapter 6 is on equipment. It's 26 pages. A variety of equipment is mentioned, mostly on tables, but a fairly lengthy discussion of firearms (and a wide variety of them). Most of the chapter is actually on guns. It has prices for both the 1920s and the 2000s, but the emphasis is on modern day.

The gun section is quite nice. It gives background on a couple dozen guns, and stats for several dozen. Gun damage seems based purely on round size, not kinetic energy (though not always), and so is perhaps somewhat flawed.

Pistol damage ranges from 1d4 for a .22 short to 2d10 for .50 AE round. My favorite handgun caliber, the .357 magnum checks in at 2d6.

Similarly, rifle damage ranges from 2d6 to 2d12. This is where I think some of the problem damages are. For instance, the M-16 only does 2d6 damage, the same as a AK-47. Yet it's widely considered that the Nato 5.56 round, while smaller than that of the AK-47, is much more damaging, because it's fired much faster (and thus packs a lot of kinetic energy). But it's something gun nuts like me worry about and few others.

Chapter 7 is on magic. It's 34 pages. As mentioned, spell casting in CoC d20 is slightly different from regular d20, in that spells cause ability damage (temporary) and sanity to cast. No spell slots or anything. But otherwise it's similar. There's a large number of spells introduced, mostly ones converted from regular CoC, but also some converted from regular d20.

Chapter 8 is on monsters and critters. It's 50 pages. It seems to have most the big name monsters from the Cthulhu mythos. Mi-Gi, Byakhee, Deep Ones (I swear, I used to know someone that might have been one of those. Had that "Innsmouth" look), Elder Things, Hounds of Tindalos. Also a couple new ones, such as the Shoggoth Lord and maybe the Star Vampire. For those using Green Ronin's Freeport, there's an entry for Serpent People (and Yig, later on).

Chapter 9 is on the Cthulhu Mythos itself. It's 14 pages. This could have been longer, I think. And might have made more sense if it were before the chapter on critters.

Chapters 10-12 are all on gamesmastering. They are devoted to how to run the game (setting the tone, etc), scenario design, and such. All together they run about 44 pages.

The first adventure is 12 pages. It's set in modern day, and revolves around a fiendish plot involving a movie theater, a monkey, and duct tape. Well, just the former. I didn't like this one much. It's an almost scooby doo-ish adventure.

The second adventure is also 12 pages. It's set in a sanitarium. It seems one of the player characters is having sleep problems, and so checks into a clinic for help. But much to his dismay, there is a fiendish plot at the clinic. This adventure is pretty good.

The appendix is something of a grab bag of stuff, and runs about 36 pages in length. The first 5 pages or so are on using this book and material in a D&D campaign (or vice-versa). Since CoC is 95% compatible with regular d20/D&D, it's not a very long section.

Next is a big section on the various god-like beings of the Cthulhu mythos. Cthulhu, Hastur, Barney the Purple Dinosaur, Nyarlthothep, Yog-Sothoth, David Hasselhoff, Chaugnar, Yig, etc, they're all in here. Most are illustrated. They're given in D&D style format, actually.

After that is a short (1 page) conversion guide for the BRP and d20 versions of CoC (BRP and d20 are extremely close, mechanic wise), and an inspirational reading list. There's also a page of sample characters (4), and a fairly detailed index.


Summary:

This is an excellent product, and a very good conversion of a BRP game to Call of Cthulhu. How I wish Mr. Tynes and Mr. Cook had done the conversion of Dragon Lords of Melnibone. They manage to make the game extremely lethal, yet keep the compatibility with D&D/d20.

Another nice thing, is that it's essentially compatible with the d20 version of Deadlands, and with Weird Wars: WW2. Weapon damages are a bit different in those games, and those have classes, but they're still extremely compatible. It's also perhaps nice to have classes from those to use in Call of Cthulhu, because I personally think that some people should have more hit points than others, depending on their profession. Soldiers, Police, Operatives, etc, at least.

Considering how much money I paid for this, and that I don't feel ripped off, and actually feel happy with my purchase, I think this deserves the highest rating. It's got some flaws, like an overly complex and somewhat flawed firearm combat system. But for the most part, it was a great job.




BRP vs. d20 Comparison


It's been a while since I owned the regular (BRP) Call of Cthulhu, I used to be into it about 10-12 years ago, but I managed to lose all my books for it (which was about 10-12). Long story. But basically, rather than start over from scratch re-collecting them, I just moved on to other games.

BRP and d20 are very similar on a lot of things. The stats are mostly the same, with Appearance replacing Charisma and Power replacing Wisdom. BRP also has a size stat, which is averaged with a character's constitution to determine a character's hit points.

The combat system is the main difference. Since BRP's hit points are fixed, it's combat has both attack and defense skills. Side A attacks , and if successful, Side B makes a defensive roll - either parry or dodge. And if the roll is made, it's a miss. d20 combat is pretty much offense only. If you roll to hit and are successful, you do damage. d20 characters tend to have more hit points, but only at higher levels. So combat for d20 CoC is actually more deadly than BRP CoC until about 3rd level.

Though the skill system is basically the same, mathmatically, I think the d20 system, in which the target number is fixed and much be exceeded, is more intuitive than the BRP system, in which a character has to roll under this skill level, modified (sometimes) by a difficulty modifier. Especially when you factor in d20's diceless skill mechanics - taking 10 and taking 20.

On the other hand, the core BRP Call of Cthulhu book seems to cover more ground, time wise. Though mostly on the 1920s, it also covers the 1890s and 1990s (at least in later editions. The early ones were 1920s only, with sourcebooks for the two other time periods). d20 CoC mostly covers the 2000s, with another sourcebook for the 20s for it coming from Chaosium (which I'll believe when I see, given their track record).

BRP Call of Cthulhu also seems to have more mythos critters and gods than d20 does. Though I can't swear it, I think d20 CoC is missing some of the more obscure gods and such. d20 CoC also has much fewer mythos books listed in it (ones that the PCs read). The major ones are listed, but I think they missing a lot of the minor ones.

d20 CoC seems to make magic a bit more costly than in BRP CoC. BRP CoC spells only cost magic points to cast, with the occasional permanent draining of POW (The Power stat, which is fairly easy to regain). This is perhaps fitting the genre more. d20 CoC also adds psychic powers, which BRP CoC doesn't have (at least the version I used to have didn't). I'm not sure about those. They seem to add flavor, but might be a bit too powerful. For instance, Psychokinesis has so many potential uses that aren't obvious at first glance, but something a devious person could exploit.

 

[Ceredhion]

Well, whaddya know. A while ago . . . maybe a few months . . . I had a garage sale. I raised 40 bucks (among other things) and so raced off to Borders. I ran to the roleplaying section, and picked up d20 CoC. Ahhhhhhh . . . what a sweet prize. This I had been waiting for for at least 4 months! And now I had the cash!

So I purchased it. I had a canoe trip the next day; it lasted for 1 week. Naturally, I brought it along. I don't have too much regrets. The book has healed that water spill. That was the only real thing. Of course, it was my little precious. I took good, good care of it.

So anyway, the lowdown on the book.
The first chapter has the info on character creation. One of the nice things about this book is that it has a Lovecraft quote at the beginning of every chapter, all 12 of them. First we hear info about the abilities. You know the deal. Then we get an example of creating a new character. Whaddya know . . . almost an exact copy of the NPC cleric. Herm . . . the example characters coincide nicely with the iconic characters of D&D. Alright, now we go to the two 'options': Attack (good attack, only one good save), and Defense (bad attack, two good saves). All characters have 1d6 for hit dice.

Now we go to the section on professions. This is basically a grouping of 9 class skills for you (you can individually choose 3 more), also giving you your income rate. Of course, it also gives information on the 'vital statistics': name, age, etc. The 16 professions they give:
Agent, Antiquarian, Archaeologist, Artist, Blue-Collar Worker, Criminal, Detective, Dilettante, Doctor, Parapsychologist, Priest, Professor, Psychologist, Soldier, Technician, White-Collar Worker, Writer/Reporter

The next chapter we come to is Skills. I'm ashamed of WotC for copying the information from the D&D PHB and copying it into the CoC D20 book. Here's the intro on the Skills chapter:
'Marie can quietly walk up to a door, put her ear on it, and hear a cultist on the other side casting a spel. If Kristof were to try the same thing, he would make so much noise that the cultist would hear him. He might, however, identify the spell the insane priest is casting.'
Now everyone, get out your Player's Handbooks and open up to the Skills chapter. See the similarities?

It continues more in the 'How Skills Work.' Grrrrrrr.

Alright. Enough of that. Now back to the review. The skills are all the ones from the PHB minus the fantasy ones, plus some modern ones as well as a very special skill: Cthulhu Mythos. Can't be bought with ranks, only raised by reading ancient tomes of evil and seeing creatures of obscene blasphemy, an utter parody of all that is good and holy. All right, I'm getting a bit too Lovecraftian with the adjectives. Anyway, the skills are very nice. I like the picture of Drive. It's pretty good.

The next chapter is 'Feats'. You know the set. The weapon proficiency rules are split into the following: pistol, rifle, melee, thrown, shotgun, and submachine gun. Far different from the Simple, Martial, and Exotic in the PHB. Next is a very interesting thing: Psychic Feats. They have different powers, ranging from the simple of Second Sight (seeing strange things) to the strange of Mind Probe (delving into another's mind to find out a secret). They all cost Sanity points (I'll explain later, unless you already know) and some cost temporary Wis damage.

After that, we get to Sanity. Completely unique. A Sanity score is equal to Wisdom times 5. It represents the subject's well, sanity. Once it gets to 0? You're insane. The max is 99. Of course, there are many things that make one go insane, from being surprised to see a mangled animal carcass to actually viewing Great Cthulhu. Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!

Naturally, there is a small list of insanities. Such an interesting chapter.

Next up? Combat. Once again, WotC has plugged stuff from the PHB. Read the combat section and you'll see. *Sigh*. Such a copy. All in all, this is a pretty normal chapter. It's pretty much the same as D&D, so if you're a gamer (which I almost positively know you are), you don't need to read this chapter.

Coming forth is the next chapter, Equipment. First, they break down the basic weapon stuff.

Next is a list of weapons. The firearms section is very, very long and detailed. Then is the general equipment stuff. I don't need to fill you in on that.

Bwahahaha . . . the insane reaches of the Far Realms have infected my mind while telling you of the next chapter: MAGIC! First are descriptions of mindwatering artifacts such as the cursed NECRONOMICON! There are quite a few books, and I don't want to take you through them. So let's go on. Next, are the artifacts. These are mostly strange objects. Most of them have harmful effects. This *is* Lovecraft, of course.

Next? The Spells. Of course, you can cast as much spells as you want once you learn them. But doing that requires reading horrible tomes. However, with each spell cast, you lose sanity and/or ability damage. BWAHAHAHAHA! There is a list of many horrible, blasphemous, and evilly insane spells. But we'll have to hold up . . . for the Monsters are next.

Ah, your sanity must have drained to want to come see me now. For the creatures are truly horrible! There are almost 40, counting the templates. They range from the utterly despicable Animated Corpse to the dreaded Mi-Go to the horrible, beasty WORM THAT WALKS!

Soon following is even more insane: The Cthulhu Mythos! This includes horrible tidbits, filling poor players with thoughts like that of Y'Golonac and the Great Race. But then it's the GM's turn for a bit of fun, with info for creating cults, books, magic, gods, and more! Surely I must have perished by now!

But stay alive, poor souls, for the next chapter is for the Game Master! In here are evil tricks on scaring the living daylights out of players. There are quite a few, at least for the short size of the chapter.

Next is quite chunky: Stories. Quite important, it provides info on creating adventures, as well asor planning out entire CAMPAIGNS! MWAHAHAHAHA! Surely I have been corrupted by this darkness! But the next chapter is even more superb: Settings!

This chapter includes information for running campaigns ranging from the 1890's to modern day, as well as listing helpful subgenres to find adventure ideas for your campaign, with the cross-referenced events charters.

Finally come two adventures. As I don't want to release any spoilers for players, I won't provide information on these.

And finally, all good things must come to an end (yes, all evil things, too). But not yet! With an appendix, listing ways I can horrify players in a D&D game with the horrible information here! Bwahahahaha! I fear for their poor souls! And last, but certainly not least: stats for the Great Old Ones!

All of the material in this book is top-notch, as well as the art. I just love the spells and psychic feats, as well as the creatures. The one big disadvantage is the copying from the PHB. That I don't like. It can get annoying. I just hope that WotC doesn't plan to do this with their next d20 game.

Still, the Call of Cthulhu d20 game is awesome. All I can say is: Get out and buy this book . . . but fear for thy sanity or lest thou be corrupted!

 

[Messageboard Golem]

By Steve Creech, Exec. Chairman, d20 Magazine Rack

This review is for Call of Cthulhu by Monte Cook and John Tynes. Published by Wizards of the Coast, this 320-page book gives you all the information you need to run a d20 system Call of Cthulhu for only $39.95.

Call of Cthulhu updates Chaosium’s classic game based on the works of H.P. Lovecroft for the d20 role-playing system. I’m going to be up front and say this book is fantastic and any fan of the horror genre should own this book. I’m already thinking of ways to blend the information in this book into a Ravenloft campaign. Yes, Virginia, it’s that damn good.

The book wastes no time in giving you the rules for character creation. One difference from standard fantasy d20 is that there are only humans in this game. You won’t find dwarves, elves, halflings, or even orcs here. Fleshing out your character will determine his key skills (selection of a Profession template) and ultimately his feats. The feats presented are pretty much the same as those in the Player’s Handbook with the exception of a section on Psychic Feats. Psychic feats are a carryover from the previous edition of Call of Cthulhu and allow characters to access exceptional mental powers at a cost. Psychic feats include biofeedback trance, dowsing (sensing energy patterns), mind reading, psychokinesis, second sight, telepathy, and more.

The chapter on sanity alone is worth the price of this book, in my opinion. This is something that can be used for any role-playing setting and not just Call of Cthulhu. Characters’ starting sanity points are equal to their wisdom score times five. From there, certain types of encounters force Sanity checks, which can result in the loss of x number of these points. Most of the time, this loss will be temporary. However, it is possible that the character can become permanently insane.

Combat works just like any d20 game consisting of surprise, initiative, attacks, damage and movement. One difference is the massive damage rule. Instead of taking 50 points before necessitating a save, 10 points in a single attack now forces a Fortitude save or death. Another difference is the introduction of firearms. The Dungeon Masters Guide gives a precursory look into the use of firearms, but Call of Cthulhu goes much deeper. The firearms listed run from early single action Colt Army revolvers to modern Heckler & Koch MP5 machine guns. Shotguns and rifles also receive a good treatment. If you don’t want to wait for d20 Modern, this should help fill the void.

Magic in Call of Cthulhu is treated differently. Spells are learned through reading forbidden tomes and artifacts containing the secrets of magic. Such tomes include The Necronomican, Nameless Cults, and The Books of Eibon.

The creatures contained in this book come straight from the Cthulhu mythos and the stuff of nightmares. Undead are typically with nearly any campaign and are represented here also. But the truly scary stuff shows with creatures like Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath, Flying Polyp, Gnoph-Keh, Hunting Horror, Shoggoth, and The Worm That Walks. Templates that can be added to a creature include: Chosen of Hastur, Cult Sorcerer, Ghost, Loup-Garou (lycanthrope) and Mummy.

The remaining chapters provide a wealth of information about the Cthulhu mythos (complete with excerpts from some of H. P. Lovecroft’s works) and other suggestions and tips for the GM. The adventure teaser is well done and can be used to set the stage for a more in-depth adventure. Any time period can be used as a backdrop; from the 1890’s up to modern day. The last part of the book contains two complete adventures that a group can go through to get their feet wet in this genre.

Overall, Call of Cthulhu is masterfully written and a great alternative to standard d20 fantasy genres. But what really makes this book succeed is the versatility that lets you use parts of it for your other d20 campaigns. As I mentioned previously, the Ravenloft setting is ideal for using the elements contained to make your players’ horror experience even greater. I truly like this book and recommend it to anyone who likes to use horror in his game.

To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.

 

[Psion]

Call of Cthulhu mini-review
(My full review of d20 Call of Cthulhu is on d20 Weekly. I am providing this mini review to highlight a few salient points that have not been covered here.)

D20 Call of Cthulhu is an d20 system adaptation of the classic Call of Cthulhu RPG by Chaosium, which is based on the seminal horror works of early 20th century author HP Lovecraft.

In keeping with the mood of Lovecraft's work, the BRP Call of Cthulhu game was very gritty and dangerous. The combat system did not pull any punches, and knowledge of the horrifying true nature of reality could lead to a slow slide into insanity.

The D20 version of the game is in keeping with that. The system does use D&D-style HP, with some modifications. The massive damage threshold is lowered from 50 (as it exists in D&D) to 10. This makes most armed confrontation or confrontation with Cthulhu mythos creatures a dangerous affair.

Another major setting feature emulated by the d20 CoC rules is the insidious nature of reality. Characters receive an insanity score that is often difficult if not impossible to replenish; losing sanity can result in temporary or permanent psychological disorders. In addition, learning spells does not require a specific character type, but costs the character sanity, and the casting spells causes temporary or permanent ability loss. These aspects of the d20 CoC system work well.

Of more dubious value is the character generation system for d20 CoC. To make the system more functional in modern settings, d20 CoC does not use classes per se. Rather, it uses options and profession templates.

All characters choose one of two options, the offense option or the defense option. This determines the characters BAB and saving throw advancement (though you can pick WHICH saving throws are good). The problem with these is that they don't really represent anything concrete. Further, it easy to see characters that fit one or the other but it is also easy to see characters who do not fit either.

Skill points per level is the same for all characters, but "class" skills are determined by the selection of a profession template. Each template represents a number of skills associated with the profession, some of which the player is allowed to select.

The choice of option and template profession is permanent; there is no "multiclassing" of options or templates in d20 CoC. This makes the initial choices very static.

D20 Call of Cthulhu has a plethora of campaign source material for Lovecraftian elements, from tomes to creatures. The Cthulhu Mythos chapter is particularly good, provided a very good overview of the Cthulhu universe's central elements and providing ideas for using them in a game. The gamemaster chapters provide excellent advice for running investigative style horror adventures. Further, appendices provide information on using the elements of this book in D&D and other d20 system games, with rules for more heroic play as well as major mythos figures statistics for epic-style play.

Conclusion

In short, I think D20 Call of Cthulhu is a great supplement but not so great a game. The add-on rules such as insanity and elements like mythos creatures are very well done, and the adaptation material in the appendix should make it easy to adapt to a variety of settings regardless of the style of play you are looking for.

But when compared to other offering for modern games, the character generation system seems very weak and inflexible. The systems for Spycraft and D20 Modern would make for much more flexible venues for investigators in a d20 based CoC game.

-Alan D. Kohler

 

[Ahnehnois]

Why am I writing this review? The Call of Cthulhu d20 game has been around a while. The verdict is out: it's a successful and well-done game. There are a lot of reviews all over the internet of CoC. Why bother writing another? First off, I think I have a different perspective to offer, comparing Cthulhu heavily to D&D and taking into account the 3.5 revision in my review. Also, you can always use a second opinion (and a third, and so on). And I just feel like expressing myself.

Call of Cthulhu is based on the Cthulhu Mythos, which is hard to define. Basically, it's the world and the ideas that permeate the writings of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, a horror writer who wrote in the early 20th century. Whether you ever play this game or not, go read Lovecraft. His stories are quintessential horror, very well written. The Cthulhu game is a horror roleplaying game that uses locations, monsters, and other elements of Lovecraft's short stories, as well as those of other writers who later emulated him.

At $40 U.S., the book isn't cheap. However, the size and quality of the book justify the price. The cover is a deceptively simple and devilish looking face design; very appropriate. Inside, a strange green color permeates the page designs. The colors are dark and set the mood nicely. An odd layout through most of the book is also notable; columns get smaller or larger as you go up and down the page. It's a little strange and confusing, sometimes, but it also helps create the great mood that this book offers.

It's written by Monte Cook and John Tynes. Monte Cook helped design 3e D&D and has his own d20 publishing company. He's certifiably one of the most creative designers in the business. He also wrote the Book of Vile Darkness, a more up-and-down effort. Monte Cook works tend to be filled with random and sometimes brilliant ideas. However, he sometimes throws game balance to the wind (the BOVD prestige classes, for instance). Fortunately, having another writer apparently reins him in, and this book is both creative and mechanically sound, d20-wise.

What's in the book (chapter by chapter):

A short introduction starts right from the top, talking about HPL and defining the term "roleplaying game". You don't have to have played any other d20 game (or any RPG) to understand this book, although D&D players will find it makes sense more quickly.

Character Creation describes the standard d20 ability scores and the Cthulhu class system. In CoC, you are always human, and you have a choice of two "options", offense or defense. Offense characters get better base attack (like rogue BAB, but speeded up by one level), and one good save of choice. Defense characters get bad base attack (like wizard BAB), but two good saves of their choice. Everybody gets d6 hit dice and 8+int mod skill points per level. A variant introduces a level-based defense bonus to AC. Your "core" (class) skills are determined by a "profession template". Basically, you pick skills you think go together logically and fit your character and the Gamemaster approves your skill list. The offense/defense option is strange, and doesn't even make that much sense to me (it would make more sense if there were three options so there could be a middle one for characters who aren't obviously either one), but the emphasis on skills is much appreciated. It sounds strange, but it's functional for a game in which combat prowess isn't that important, and it works surprisingly well.

Skills describes basic d20 skills, often copying right out of the D&D PHB, as well as a few new ones. Psychoanalysis combats the insanity CoC characters are often beset by. Research is like Search, but covers getting information out of libraries or other such sources. Psychic Focus helps Psychic Feats (described later). Cthulhu Mythos doesn't work like a standard skill, you just plain get a rank for seeing something unnatural, with no maximum. It also reduces your maximum sanity, which becomes important later. Speak Other Language is a favorite change of mine. Basically, speaking a non-native language is not automatic. You buy Speak Language for each individual language (Speak Latin, Speak French, Speak Whatever), and you make a check to see if you can translate a given sample of that language (DC 15 or higher, usually). I think it's much more realistic than the core D&D rule of spending two skill points and being perfectly proficient with a language. This chapter should be revised a little to account for 3.5e D&D. Removing useless skills like Read Lips makes Cthulhu characters with their choice skill lists and heaps of skill points even more versatile.

Feats are also pretty much out of the D&D PHB. Some of the advanced ones are excluded (Great Cleave and Spring Attack, for example, although Great Cleave is listed later as a monster feat). Some new feats dealing with firearms are presented, as well as some new +2/+2 skill feats. At the end, some feats are presented that make characters psychic, duplicating weak spells and psionic powers. Again, simple, but quite servicable. This is also a place to incorporate 3.5 revisions.

Sanity is really impressive. A completely new idea for D&D players, sanity is copied from the old Call of Cthulhu game. You have a score that represents how sane you are (maxing at 99, less any ranks of Cthulhu Mythos, but you'll never get there). You lose sanity points for being shocked, particularly by horrific Lovecraftian monsters, and for using magic. Most harrowing events involve a percentage chance to reduce or eliminate the loss, your percent chance of success equals your sanity score. Certain amounts of sanity loss trigger temporary fits; tables are included to roll up results, but the GM can just circumvent them and tell the player something appropriate to do while he's insane. At -10 sanity, you're gone for good, permanently insane. The sanity mechanics are different from normal d20, but work incredibly well. As in Lovecraftian horror, there's not much you can do to resist the lure of darkness and of madness (no will saves or anything), and yet, the player still plays a part in determining whether or not he'll go insane (by his actions). Brilliant work.

Combat is little different from D&D. Attacks of Opportunity are included only as a variant, which will please some people. Some nomenclature is changed, you have "attack actions", not "standard actions". The massive damage is changed to 10, meaning any time you take 10 damage you have to roll a fort save (DC 15) or die. This one little change makes the game a lot more suited for horror, since it's easy to die quickly even if you're high in level. It's basically a really simple way of doing what otherwise would be done via an alternate rules system replacing hit points altogether. The massive damage change accomplishes its goal pretty well though. This chapter is obviously another place where D&D 3.5 should be incorporated.

Equipment is mostly unremarkable, offering sample prices for items for both the 1920's (for a more traditional Lovecraftian game), or for the present (if you'd rather live in the now). The big thing is d20 firearms rules. If you're an afficianado in real life (I'm not), this chapter is probably really important. Fortunately, generic firearms rules are provided for those of us who just don't want to understand the longer, more complicated, more realistic rules. It's a good choice of them to offer, and both rule sets accomplish what they're supposed to.

Magic in Cthulhu is another really great element. All magic has a cost, either in sanity, ability damage (or even permanent drain, which can't be restored by anything in this game). Any character can learn any spell and cast it as often as he wants, but the costs of the spells make magic an object of fear, not a munchkin's paradise. The spells do not include much healing, and although some conversions are present, the powerful and iconic D&D mage spells are not getting in this game. Magic artifacts and tomes are also presented with good rules for identifying and using them, as well as for what can go wrong if you try and you aren't the right monster to use the black magic item in question. This chapter really helps with the horror. Unlike in D&D, magic is unknown, largely dangerous to caster and target, and definitely something to be feared.

Creatures covers the monsters of Mythos lore, done in d20 form, as well as a few templates. Animals are briefly presented, so you can run a game without even having the D&D Monster Manual (which of course is the intent). The monsters are generally powerful, and even little ones can kill a character pretty easily. Sanity losses for even seeing them are included in the stat blocks. The monsters are definitely helpful to the DM looking to create an atmosphere.

The Cthulhu Mythos gives a brief overview of H. P. Lovecraft's philosophies (humans are so inconsequential you almost wish your GM would let you play a monster of some sort). It also covers Lovecraft's gods and old ones. It's a great primer for someone who isn't a Lovecraft expert.

The Gamemaster covers all the miscellaneous rules that aren't in the previous chapters, as well as providing some advice on creating the right atmosphere and mixing the elements of horror without overusing any one. The next two chapters contain a higher volume of more specific GMing advice.

Stories offers ideas about constructing a horror/mystery plot, and contains a lot of advice any GM should take to heart, whether you're doing CoC or not. It also contains sidebars to explain how the examples presented later in the book incorporate the chapter's advice. Cthulhu GMing is an advanced job and a tough one, and the advice is definitely appreciated.

Settings offers suggestions about when and where you set your story, whether it be in the late 19th/early 20th century, like Lovecraft's were, or whether you prefer to use his setting in New England or not. A timeline of possible settings is included, noting what Lovecraftian horror characters existed during a given time and providing plot ideas galore. This is again useful beyond belief to someone who hasn't GMed this sort of game before, which unless you played the original Basic Roleplaying Call of Cthulhu, you probably haven't.

Appendices cover integrating Call of Cthulhu and D&D material in hte respective games. Gods and Great Old Ones of Lovecraftian horror are statted out for your players to die against (they're virtually unbeatable for even 20th level Cthulhu characters). A brief conversion system covers using characters from the old BRP game in this one.

All in all, the CoC game is in many ways the class of the roleplaying game industry. The production values are solid, the work offers usable d20 rules that really mimick Lovecraftian horror quite well, as well as great flavor text and roleplaying advice. You could easily use The Shadow over Innsmouth, The Whisperer in Darkness, or even the story Call of Cthulhu as a model for an adventure and it would run perfectly well.

I've GMed a couple sessions of this game myself, and I can attest that the system is simple enough to really support a high-roleplaying, low power-gaming horror/mystery campaign.

If you're looking for a game to do off on the side of your D&D campaign, or if you want to start a Lovecraft-type horror/mystery game in general, Call of Cthulhu d20 is absolutely the way to go.