Call of Cthulhu- which version should I buy?

[Kanegrundar]

I say play CoC anyway you want. Use any system you want. As long as the players either go insane due to seeing some terrible elder thing or drive themselves insane due to not trusting ANYONE or THING around them, then it's all good!

Kane

 

[Desdichado]

Well this just bothers me. You know Wham had a huge amount of fans in the 80's. People LOVED Titanic. Lots of people love lots of things, that doesn't make said thing the right choice for any other group of people just because of majority opinion. I'm really suprised you used that argument JD, that's not your usual logical and well thought out style.

I don't know that there is a logical argument here; I'm pointing out that mechanically I believe the two systems to be more or less equal for "emulating the genre" correctly, and TO ME, the "other stuff" is overwhelmingly better in every way in the d20 version. Since it's just a matter of personal taste, there's no logical argument there. And I'm not even making the argument of supposed preponderance of approval from the audience. I don't know that d20 is more popular than BRP. I just know I like it better.

 

[KaosDevice]

I don't know that there is a logical argument here; I'm pointing out that mechanically I believe the two systems to be more or less equal for "emulating the genre" correctly, and TO ME, the "other stuff" is overwhelmingly better in every way in the d20 version. Since it's just a matter of personal taste, there's no logical argument there. And I'm not even making the argument of supposed preponderance of approval from the audience. I don't know that d20 is more popular than BRP. I just know I like it better.

Wow, that's weird. Rewind the conversation and I said esentially the same thing way back.


Just me though.

You kinda came back to my argument. Follow the dance around.

Nice to meet you when you get back here.

 

[KaosDevice]

There's really no need to get "fighting mad" with me. I have no real big preference between the two versions of the game as a game, they're both more or less equally good IMO for different reasons.

I didn't say ''I" was fighting mad, I said..."we". You know me and the other psychopomps. (no wait I did said I, but meant me and the Byakhee)



The discourse over D20 and BRP is really useless, both are great.

I use BRP! Others use D20.

The war for your soul is over.

You can choose as you like.

 

[KaosDevice]

Iaudience. I don't know that d20 is more popular than BRP. I just know I like it better.

Well, I am glad you backed off into the subjective field. A game is a game, and who loves it, is who loves it...

and that's it.

 

[Desdichado]

Well, I am glad you backed off into the subjective field. A game is a game, and who loves it, is who loves it...

and that's it.

I didn't back off; that's where I always was on the items you mentioned. I understand intellectually that some people could prefer the BRP art/presentation/etc. to the d20 one, in much the same way I understand intellectually that some people could prefer the D&D movie to the LotR movies. Keep in mind, the last BRP incarnation I've seen was the paperback 5th edition; if you've got some super special leatherbound book, I've never seen that.

Of course, what I consider to be the single most important factor, you completely passed over: compatibility with the broader d20 universe. Can I run d20 Modern adventures in CoC d20? Yep. Can I use The Book of Vile Darkness in CoC d20? Yep. Can I use The Book of Fiends or any other d20 monster book in CoC d20? Yep. Can I use Hounds of Tindalos, Byakhee, rat-things, etc. in a D&D game? Yep (and I very frequently do.) Can I use CoC Sanity, magic and psychics in a d20 Modern game, or even D&D? Yep. Can I create hybrid fantasy homebrews with a strong CoC vibe? Yep.

These are all things that I have done, and do frequently. They would be more difficult to do in BRP, because the systems aren't compatible. It'd be too much work to be worth it. And to me, that's the #1 reason why d20 CoC is better than BRP CoC. Of course, IMO, the rest of it's better too, but really, that's just gravy. And that main point is not subjective; it's just been ignored by the pro-BRP crowd.

 

[MonsterMash]

One big advantage of the BRP version is availability - there are lots of copies of old editions which are perfectly usable floating around, while the D20 version doesn't come up for sale much on e-bay (I know as I've got a search with email notification set up).

 

[Infernal Teddy]

If you speak / read fluent german, go for the german version - the "basic" edition was the basis of the US "Limited" edition, and the german limited... well... let's just say it was very... eldritchlooking...

Otherwise, go d20.

 

[badash56]

Hey guys, I am a huge fan of Cthulhu. I have a ton of old books from Chaosium. Recently I had an idea, and I want to bounce it off you guys here.

What if you combined Spycraft 2.0 with the Delta Green setting, using the d20 Cthulhu book for creatures?

 

[King of Old School]

What if you combined Spycraft 2.0 with the Delta Green setting, using the d20 Cthulhu book for creatures?

By default, it would be a lot less gritty and desperate than stock DG, and a lot more cinematic; even with the appropriate campaign qualities, SC2.0 characters are just a lot more uber-competent than a character from either CoCd20 or CoC-BRP.

That said, one of the SC2.0 campaigns I was working on borrowed liberally from both CoCd20 and DG, so obviously I say "go for it!"

KoOS