Call of Cthulhu

[LcKedovan]

Well at the age of 40 I have more the right for the title of Grumpy Old Man!

No Offense Taken!

Though I prefer d20 because of it's more complex rules. Well not really complex but I think BRP is too simple. I would rather be focused on the roleplaying and horror than keep tripping over shoddy rules.

But hey! To each their own! Let's just be friends with Nyarlothotep and lets not worry about which of his thousand forms we worship!

For me, the fact that it is so simple lends much more to Roleplay opportunities... D20, although still deadly to characters, gives much more of the min/max possibility. IMHO if a campaign is running (Like Masks of Nyarlathotep, one of my all time favourites) I don't expect characters to survive with their original character. Why put all the effort into a detailed D20 character if he dies. Simple rules and chargen means you are back in the game faster!! .

-Will

 

[Desdichado]

d20 chargen for CoC takes all of 10 minutes if you're slow.

 

[Yellow Sign]

For me, the fact that it is so simple lends much more to Roleplay opportunities... D20, although still deadly to characters, gives much more of the min/max possibility. IMHO if a campaign is running (Like Masks of Nyarlathotep, one of my all time favourites) I don't expect characters to survive with their original character. Why put all the effort into a detailed D20 character if he dies. Simple rules and chargen means you are back in the game faster!! .

-Will

Then why not go to a straight story telling game with no rules. Humm diceless!

Edit: Gosh Darnit! You sucked me in again!!

 

[Yellow Sign]

Now that I think about it. It's not any harder or take any longer to build a d20 CoC character than it is to build a BRP CoC character. Ok so you have to pick out your feats and figure out your saves. Basic math that takes seconds to do.

 

[Victim]

Y'know, when I was making my list, I started with RitW, erased it, and put Dunwich Horror instead! I love RitW, but the "investigator style" is better put forward by inspector Legrasse and company, and Professor Armitage and Company, than by de la Poer - although de la Poer is excellent inspiration for when an investigator goes to zero SAN.

Actually, the way I see it, Rats in the Walls is a major strike against the SAN system in CoC games. Look at all the characters who actually end up going insane. Not characters who worry about going mad, or characters who want to be convinced they were mad so they don't have to deal with stuff. I mean, who wouldn't worry about going insane if you see impossible elder creatures?


Possible Spoilers:

Spoiler

Generally, the characters ending up degenerate were connected to the horrible secret of the story by blood. In RitW, the noble scion recovers his families properties only to discover the horrible secret of his ancestors, and then falls into their ways himself. I believe it was Shadow over Innsmouth where the main character was related to the fish people and ended up joining them. There was story rather similar to rats in the walls about a guy with a monkey in his family tree. Arthur Jenkins or something?

And the biographical info in the books mentioned an aristocratic kind of attitude and upbringing (except without the money). Therefore, it seems characters are going insane from bad bloodlines, rather than secrets man was not meant to know.

 

[Morpheus]

Actually, the way I see it, Rats in the Walls is a major strike against the SAN system in CoC games. Look at all the characters who actually end up going insane. Not characters who worry about going mad, or characters who want to be convinced they were mad so they don't have to deal with stuff. I mean, who wouldn't worry about going insane if you see impossible elder creatures?

Dreams in the Witch House has Brown Jenkin. I believe that is what you are referring to.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

There was story rather similar to rats in the walls about a guy with a monkey in his family tree. Arthur Jenkins or something?

Arthur Jermyn.

 

[LcKedovan]

d20 chargen for CoC takes all of 10 minutes if you're slow.

True perhaps Joshua, but not for most people. Especially when you are really working out what Feats & Skills fit your character. BRP is much simpler, mainly because the options are fewer for your characters. I would make a friendly wager that if we each took a person off the streets each of roughly similar intelligences and no RGP experience that the one making the BRP character would be finished much, much faster. Don't get me wrong, I like both systems

-W.

 

[LcKedovan]

Then why not go to a straight story telling game with no rules. Humm diceless!

Edit: Gosh Darnit! You sucked me in again!!

I told you not to read that book with my name in it! Now you are merely a pawn in my greater schemes!!!

-He who must not be named unless you want to ask him something

 

[Desdichado]

That'd be an interesting exercise. I think the selection of a feat or two taking a long time is an exaggeration, though. BRP has skills too, IIRC.