Call of Cthulhu

[kipling]

Why do so many people say this? You'd think they were talking about Paranoia, now Call of Cthulhu!

Horror should be the slow slide towards insanity, punctuated by the sudden "fall" from that brink of madness.

I've played CoC Campaigns...yes, Campaigns...that lasted months with only one death (and he died a hero, ironically). The investigators were a mess, and many sought help afterwards, but death for not necessary for a good horror game.

That's certainly one way to play horror, and an effective way--but I've done others as well. I've run (short-term) games that concentrated on the gross-out, for example.

And we've certainly run CoC games as if they were Paranoia games. I think I lost four characters in the first half of Masks of Nyarlathotep.

 

[Unseelie]

I honestly never saw a reason to pick up the D20 version. The Chaosium version is perfect in my opinion and the system is easy to learn even for new roleplayers (almost everything is percentage dice based). The characters are so physically weak compared to the creatures of the Cthulhu mythos that they won't even consider sticking around and fighting. The D20's incorporation of D&D's hit point system makes high level PC's actually consider it when in a good horror game that should NEVER be an option (or at least a suicidal option).

Except that the massive damage threshold is set at 10 points... my experience is that combat is only *slightly* less bloody than the BRP version of CoC.

I prefer the D20 version, but that's primarily because that the book is actually well laid out and organized, unlike the Chaosium product.

 

[MrFilthyIke]

And we've certainly run CoC games as if they were Paranoia games. I think I lost four characters in the first half of Masks of Nyarlathotep.

I guess my experience has been different, as all CoC I've played were serious, long term campaigns, even if traveling to Pluto was a part of that trek, we still came back (unhinged of course). There was always therapy to coax a hero back to service to go screaming crazy again. But almost never death.

And some of them even started with a 9 POW/45 sanity!

 

[SweeneyTodd]

I'm not sure why people worry about advancing hit points. It's not like characters would be making it to tenth level anyway; this is Call of Cthulhu we're talking about. And you could always houserule it if you like.

The d20 CoC book is extremely well laid out and has tons of good information in it, including good advice on how to run a horror campaign. If you like d20 already, it might be the one to pick up. Either one is a good purchase, though.

 

[teitan]

Oh man, I ran a couple of sessions of Cthulhu D20 for my players and all but one thought it was fun. He didn't like Sanity and the fact that he died... LOL. SOme people just can't take it. I ran one scenario in the Dark Ages that sucked canal water, which he played in and I will readily admit that it sucked. Now the second adventure I ran was a very Resident Evil kind of adventure with a secret research facility in Canada and the players were camping and got attacked by insects (can't recall the name), knocking them loopy until a helicopter came and captured the swarm and took the players as well to this secret facility. WHen the players came to they interacted with some NPCs and then all hell broke loose in the night. All but one died because of their own stupidity...

Things I noticed: HP don't matter. You take ten or more points, sayanora senor. Sanity is fun, but don't over do it because the players get real sick of it.

I ran the game all wrong in the first one, the second scenario was exactly what me and my players wanted but for an extended campaign, a different approach is necessary because you don't want players building a new character EVERY session sometimes more than once. At higher levels the game is definitely more pulp than BRP, which is probably more suitable for extended gaming. I have a love/hate relationship with the psychic feats, I love the way they work, I hate that they cost sanity, which really prevents players from taking those feats. With magick it works, but not psychic powers.

Were I to run another game I would change the emphasis of enemies to humans with the occasional encounter with the Things That Should Not Be.

Jason

 

[mmadsen]

The d20 version works like d20 (levels, skill points per level, etc.) but the game is still very deadly, especially at levels below 8th or 10th. Characters gain d6's for hit dice, BUT there is a massive damage mechanic (take 10 hit points dmg. or more in one hit, and you must make a Fortitude Save DC 15 or DIE).

Has anyone considered removing hit points entirely? Every hit is "massive" -- Fort Save DC = average damage or dying (as -1 hit point).

 

[VorpalBunny]

I like hp for my more "pulpier" games. However, as a rule of thumb I use hp = CON with -10 hp = dead for my more "Lovecraftian" games. It seems to work out pretty well. Characters are a little tougher at 1st-level, but they're not powerhouses later on either.

 

[jaygeh]

Fun game to play

I run a CoC game for my weekly gaming group, we have gone through 3 missions over the past 2 years.I am using a combined rules system, since my rule book I bought when the game first came out, but have supplemented it with some recent additions. I find if we keep it loose, and not to rules driven, that we have a great time. I love making handouts and have the guys think through things before we get to any conflicts and combat. Plus you can find a lot of stuff on-line of pictures from the 20's and newspaper articles that they can pour over for clues. We really have fun with the game, usually playing a mission for 3-4 weeks before someone else runs some other game

 

[Scorpio616]

Yeah, that the massive damage threshhold is only 10 HP, takes care of the problem of the PCs soaking up massive hits. Higher level HP just helps them not having to sit out and suck after a couple of low damage nicks so the players can keep doing what they sat at the table to do, play the damned game! Even if a PC gets a bunch of HP, and has the skills to go all batman through a crowd of dagger armed cultist, he still will be crumpling to heavy weapons or mythos monsters that do D&D level damage.

Heck another great thing is that the D20COC system forces characters to have room to grow, rather than jamming 80%-99% skills into the commonly used BRPCOC skills right at the start.

 

[Remus Lupin]

Holy Thread Necromancy Batman!

Rise! Rise, oh undead conversation! Rise from the grave to consume our brains once more!