CthulhuTech - Your Opinion?

[Fallen Seraph]

I have been thinking about playing something different and wanted to give CthulhuTech a try. But was wondering what those people who have tried it have thought of it?

I am mainly concerned with the ease of the system, classes, and such things. We aren't the type to be bogged down in lots of rules, and prefer streamlined systems.

We also like our horror, Evangelion, etc, etc. So I am hoping this will appeal to my group.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

I think it's based off the Storyteller system with heavy mods. Beyond that I don't know at >$70US last time I saw a price it was too steep for a game I'd likely play once if ever.

 

[malladin]

I was really looking forward to it, Evangelionesque horror sounded great for the mythos. Sadly I was very disappointed. Aside from a nice core dice mechanism the rules are clunky, and more significantly they seem bolted onto the core mechanic from other sources, rather than designed to work with it. Even worse, in regards my preferences, the game does a really poor job of blending the genres and shows a fairly poor grasp of the mythos and how to use it dramatically in a game. Add on its price and I'd say give it a pass.

 

[ekb]

Framewerk has enough to make it different from Storyteller/SAS to make it worth trying. I particularly enjoy the strategic aspect of playing poker with the dice - but I'd only do that as a contested roll between multiple characters and an NPC. Basically, I'd call the pool out (max of 5, equal to the lowest of the player pools), then the players and GM roll 2 dice. Whoever has the best "hand" wins... which adds nicely to the mecha-jockey competitive vibe. Between this and Agon, I'm finding myself wanting to try more competition/clashing in the party.

Setting is very anime oriented - someone mentioned NGE and that absolutely fits more than CoC or a straight horror game.

I've played it with my group a few times - enough to say it's had a fair shot - and we agree it's best as a mecha game with some horror elements. Then again, this was just from the core book and no add-ons. And we like to break out Rifts on occasion...

Price: oh, yeah... you're paying for that beautiful artwork and the small-press prestige. But last I saw, the list was $45US - not $70.

Mythos purity: Not here. Not at all. Then again, it's not trying to be - it even says that in the intro.

If you really want mechas v. mythos, you'll have to write your own. The ORE mecha system isn't bad, but it's just on the wrong power level for a mythos-oriented game in Nemesis... And you still won't have the modernist/materialist/existentialist shock that makes HPL so good.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Thanks

So, for a group that is well versed in the Storyteller system, it shouldn't be to hard to pick up?

Yeah, I figured some of the mythos/horror would be a bit left behind when dealing with technology and mechas. I am probably going to emphasize more Evangelion/Blue Gender stuff. With more of the horror/mythos seeping in during interplay between the characters.

Since it is hard to set up games here too, what with work and school getting in the way. How is the actual writing itself, since sometimes (especially with WoD books) it is nice to simply have a good reading source for ideas.

 

[ekb]

So, for a group that is well versed in the Storyteller system, it shouldn't be to hard to pick up?

And poker/yahtzee (tm?). Officially in FW, straights are significant... unofficially, I really like the idea of having flushes and other hands in there as well. YMMV. But yeah... if you dig nWoD's mechanics, you'll be fine and happy with CTech...

Yeah, I figured some of the mythos/horror would be a bit left behind when dealing with technology and mechas. I am probably going to emphasize more Evangelion/Blue Gender stuff. With more of the horror/mythos seeping in during interplay between the characters.

Tagers, Nazz/Human relations and Chrysalis should be your focus, then. Storywise, leave the Migou in the background as a shadow and leave the GOOs alone for a while. Well, that's what I'd key in on...

Since it is hard to set up games here too, what with work and school getting in the way. How is the actual writing itself, since sometimes (especially with WoD books) it is nice to simply have a good reading source for ideas.

It's pretty good - but it's not fantastic, blow-your-skirt-up stuff. In comparison with later oWoD/nWoD, it's pretty comparable (especially Orpheus) but it has a few moments of head-scratchingly bad editing. Like that last phrase. And choppy sentences and fragmented text. But at least the jumps and index is accurate. The layout is clear and clean. What else is good is that Mongoose is offering returns for printing errors - so if you have a copy and you discover that the printing is AFU you have a way out (hint hint)... Not that I'd advocate behaviors like that...

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Awesome, nWoD has ever since I got it, a couple of years ago, has been my favourite system.

I am contemplating right now, for plots:

• Players are Tagers who have decided to try and break down what communication there is between the various Cults. So it means infiltration, interrogation and information gathering and finally going in force during specific times, ie: meetings, Cultist movements, etc.
  
• Sorta twisting the canon a bit but... Have the PCs start off as ordinary civilians. Who are caught in the middle of a war-zone as Engels and Mecha face off against the Migou. A squad of Engel pilots get killed off while combating the Migou and the Engels go berserk, till they meet the PCs. The PCs are quickly faired away by soldiers to be interrogated how they managed to "stop" the Engels. They soon realize that the PCs have some innate property within them that breaks through the otherworldly properties of a Engel's psyche. So they are quickly outfitted as Engel pilots to continue in the fight, in which this group has become isolated from the rest of the NEG.
  
• Have a group of soldiers and intelligence officers trying to survive and take down a Cult of the Esoteric Order of Dagon. that has formed in Newfoundland town. They had gone in hot, but quickly found themselves overwhelmed. So they now have to take them out quietly and avoid detection.

 

[Jack of Shadows]

Hey,

I have to recommend it. with one caveat, I haven't played it. I was surprised by how good this game was. I would have given it a complete miss had I seen it on the shelves but a friend bought it for me while I was laid up in hospital a few months ago. The poker dice mechanic is a little weird and it is one of the things I would like to see in play before I commented on it. The rest of the mechanics looked really solid.

As for setting it has some really create material. The only failing here was that the Tager's and Engels can't really be used in the same party with a lot of bending over backwards to explain it. Which is really unfortunate because these are the two character types your players are going to want to be the most.

All together I give it a big thumbs up.

JoS

 

[The Eternal GM]

Not my opinion, since I haven't seen it...

But our resident Cthulhu fiend player bought it online a couple of weeks back.

It wasn't a high priority game for our group, he just likes to buy Cthulhu-related stuff, as do I. When I finally recalled that he'd ordered it and asked why he hadn't mentioned it or brought it to the gaming group for everyone to take a look at (as is customary for all new games with us) he just shrugged and said it wasn't worth it.

Since such negativity is rare in him I inquired further, and he said that after a read through he knew we'd never play it, he didn't like it and he knew I wouldn't either. Since we two are the only ones who run CoC/ToC that does pretty much end all interest.

He said the other day that it now sits proudly next to other books which bear the word 'Cthulhu' on their spines. And that this is about all the interest he has in it now, collector's sake.

Seemingly the book didn't fulfill his criteria, but he really only cited that there wasn't enough mythos-related goodness and that it was second rate to Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 as far as 'punk games go too. He didn't mention system.

Now he's not some Call of Cthulhu purist here. He enjoys Trail of Cthulhu just fine. But his incredible negative response to Cthulhutech after sooo very long waiting for it surprises me and certainly makes me think it's not for our group.

 

[jdrakeh]

Now he's not some Call of Cthulhu purist here. He enjoys Trail of Cthulhu just fine. But his incredible negative response to Cthulhutech after sooo very long waiting for it surprises me and certainly makes me think it's not for our group.

I understand that, in Cthulhutech, HPL's Mythos is really just window dressing and that the system doesn't support its central tenets very well (if at all). The primary complaint seems to be that it's just not very 'Mythos' at the end of the day.