Call of Cthulhu- which version should I buy?

[King of Old School]

And that main point is not subjective; it's just been ignored by the pro-BRP crowd.

I think it would be more fair to say that the point is subject to whether or not you play D&D or other d20 games; you (and I) do, many pro-BRP players don't and thus it's not so much that they're ignoring it as it's a non-factor for them. "Compatible with D&D" is not a universal, objective good.

KoOS

 

[Gomez]

I think it would be more fair to say that the point is subject to whether or not you play D&D or other d20 games; you (and I) do, many pro-BRP players don't and thus it's not so much that they're ignoring it as it's a non-factor for them. "Compatible with D&D" is not a universal, objective good.

KoOS

Though it is a big plus when you are trying to recruit new players into playing Call of Cthulhu as they are familiar and like the d20 system.

 

[billd91]

I've played and run both BRP and d20 CoC and the more I ran the d20 version and used the manual, the more I realized that I prefer the BRP version.

For one thing, I like starting investigators as highly competent professionals, very capable in their fields. With d20's level system and everything tied and advancing together, it's not as satisfying as being able to spend my points in my educational fields in BRP.

The magic system, I think, works better in BRP with its magic points, POW scores, and so on. Powerful cultist sorcerers are more fun to play as a DM in BRP than in d20 because they aren't always eating their STR or other stats to cast spells.

The Cthulhu mythos skill and issues surrounding it, especially sanity effects, work more seamlesslly in BRP as far as I'm concerned.

I'm also not too keen on the d20 manual's organization or presentation of some of the rules. The firearms section is particularly vexing to me.

Now, d20 CoC isn't a bad game. Not a bit. I just don't think it's as good as BRP.
And, by the way, there are TONS of materials out there for BRP, if you're willing to chase down out of print materials. Aside from Horror on the Orient Express, most adventures I've played in aren't particularly linear and I've played in many.

 

[Desdichado]

I think it would be more fair to say that the point is subject to whether or not you play D&D or other d20 games; you (and I) do, many pro-BRP players don't and thus it's not so much that they're ignoring it as it's a non-factor for them. "Compatible with D&D" is not a universal, objective good.

That's a good point.

Still, even if you don't play D&D, having access to the bazillions of D&D and d20 Modern resources for your strictly CoC game can only be a good thing.

But yeah, I'd say it's fair enough to say that if you have no interest in playing anything other than BRP CoC then it's a non-issue to the question of whether or not you should pick up BRP or d20 CoC. Then again, if you have no interest in playing anything other than BRP CoC, then everything else is a non-issue for you.

 

[Desdichado]

Now, d20 CoC isn't a bad game. Not a bit. I just don't think it's as good as BRP.

Those are also good points. If it were up to me, I'd reprint the d20 book with OGL material like the d20 Madness and GrimNGritty Hit Points incorporated as core changes to the d20 system, which would remove some of those complaints. I also don't particularly like that the Sanity mechanic is ported without modification onto d20. There's the pretty weak excuse that by feeling different, it feels wrong, and that's a stylistic choice, but I think that's pretty weak.

Bruce Baugh wrote a nice little super-cheapo pdf called d20 Madness that ports CoC/UA Sanity into d20, instead of just using a BRP mechanic in a d20 game. Highly recommended, except for the fact that it's a separate document, and therefore not integrated specifically into the rulebook.

Also, for my money (which was nothing; I picked up the "Beta" version when Ken Hood offered it for free on his website), GrimNGritty hit points takes away any lingering disatisfaction with levels in the genre.

 

[psychic mind flayer]

I just bought the d20 Cthulhu book. Now that I've read it and understand it, I totally take back what I said earlier. Even though it's a lot more rules-heavy, it is surprisingly easier to use than the BRP System (once you memorize the whole book ). I don't know why I hadn't bought this earlier. It also has great advice on GMing. Also, (this is probably a cliche by now) you can modify DCs, so it'll be harder to do harder stuff, not like in BRP, where everything is just as easy as the next thing.

 

[jcfiala]

Here's something I figured out recently for quick and dirty conversion of BRP to D20. When you've got a stat roll in BRP, it's often along the lines of INTx1 or DEXx5. Convert them as follows:

STATx5 DC10 STAT Check
STATx3 DC15 STAT Check
STATx1 DC20 STAT Check

It mostly preserves the same chances, is easy to remember, and you can always throw in situational modifiers.

 

[King of Old School]

Though it is a big plus when you are trying to recruit new players into playing Call of Cthulhu as they are familiar and like the d20 system.

Well, if they are familiar with and like the d20 system, anyways...

But yeah, I'd say it's fair enough to say that if you have no interest in playing anything other than BRP CoC then it's a non-issue to the question of whether or not you should pick up BRP or d20 CoC. Then again, if you have no interest in playing anything other than BRP CoC, then everything else is a non-issue for you.

I didn't say "only plays BRP CoC," I said "doesn't play D&D or d20." There's a lot of room for other games, particularly other horror, modern or quasi-realistic games (all genres that CoC exemplifies). Someone who plays World of Darkness, various flavours of GURPS, Unknown Armies and Kult isn't going to care about d20 compatibility even outside of D&D, unless he finds that he really likes the d20 mechanics and decides to dive into the d20M pool.

Of course, I still think CoCd20 is a great book because it's so well-written -- someone on RPG.net described it as one of the best supplements for NWoD he owns.

KoOS

 

[Desdichado]

I didn't say "only plays BRP CoC," I said "doesn't play D&D or d20." There's a lot of room for other games, particularly other horror, modern or quasi-realistic games (all genres that CoC exemplifies). Someone who plays World of Darkness, various flavours of GURPS, Unknown Armies and Kult isn't going to care about d20 compatibility even outside of D&D, unless he finds that he really likes the d20 mechanics and decides to dive into the d20M pool.

Yeah, sorry--I didn't mean to say that you would only be playing BRP CoC and no other game, I only meant that in relation to d20 CoC.

Personally, I like both systems well enough, and wouldn't mind playing in either, but as my responses in this thread indicate, I really prefer d20 for a variety of reasons.

 

[King of Old School]

Personally, I like both systems well enough, and wouldn't mind playing in either, but as my responses in this thread indicate, I really prefer d20 for a variety of reasons.

I'm in pretty much the same boat -- I own both, like them both, and I'd happily play either game. I get more use out of CoCd20 because all of the material (incl. crunch) has more utility for my other d20 games (which right now is Spycraft 2.0), and the non-crunch is wonderfully applicable for NWoD gaming.

KoOS