Is Call of Cthulu fun to play?

[kengar]

If you're looking for more action in your otherwordly, insanity-causing horror RPG you might try a Delta Green game (from Pagan Publish - uses the CoC rules with a D20 verson on the way). It's a more military/intrigue feel to the Cthulhu mythos.

Chaosium has "Pulp Cthulhu" on the way too (BRP + d20 rules). Probably later this fall.

The main thing to remember with CoC is that it isn't high fantasy, it's dark/horror. Characters are called "Investigators" not "Adventurers" for a reason. If the players aren't into it, it's harder to pull off.

That said, it can be a blast to play.

 

[kengar]

Would you all who've played it say it was like Shadowrun in its paranioa level? Or even worse? From what y'all are saying, I guess I should have plenty of starter characters ready to go from the beginning.

I never played Shadowrun so someone else would have to answer that one.

If you are handing out starter characters, have a couple extra ready. If this is an ongoing campaign (more than 1-2 sessions), let them make their own. The advantage of a longer campaign is that you have more time to keep folks guessing and build suspense. You don't need to unleash a Shoggoth in the first session!

Let the players enounter the weirdness gradually. They should be cautious, but motivated to press on. PC death and/or Insanity happens, but it doesn't have to be TPK every night. Investigators can actually last a while if the players are smart. Like the book says, if the characters encounter major Mythos creatures it should either because of :

A) It's the climactic scene/finale
B) They really screwed up!

You can do more with keeping them second-guessing than walloping them with beasties. I posted a thread here in System Forums about ways to mess with the players' minds in CoC if you're interested.

Good luck and Have fun!

 

[Bagpuss]

Its worse than Shadowrun for paranoia. After a few games you realise your character would be much better off if they just remained at home and didn't investigate anything. But then where would the fun be.

 

[Yonshalmnu]

I never played Shadowrun so someone else would have to answer that one.

If you are handing out starter characters, have a couple extra ready. If this is an ongoing campaign (more than 1-2 sessions), let them make their own. The advantage of a longer campaign is that you have more time to keep folks guessing and build suspense. You don't need to unleash a Shoggoth in the first session!

Let the players enounter the weirdness gradually. They should be cautious, but motivated to press on. PC death and/or Insanity happens, but it doesn't have to be TPK every night. Investigators can actually last a while if the players are smart. Like the book says, if the characters encounter major Mythos creatures it should either because of :

A) It's the climactic scene/finale
B) They really screwed up!

You can do more with keeping them second-guessing than walloping them with beasties. I posted a thread here in System Forums about ways to mess with the players' minds in CoC if you're interested.

Good luck and Have fun!

Um, actually, I meant, making extra characters for myself. I'll be the player, not the dm.

 

[kengar]

Um, actually, I meant, making extra characters for myself. I'll be the player, not the dm.

LOL

ok...never mind

Seriously, though. Playing is a blast, too. Have a couple concepts of different character types you might want to play, but you shouldn't need a regiment in the wings.

CoC is much more of a roleplaying game -IMHO- than D&D. At least, that's been my experience. Talking to NPCs, solving mysteries, etc. is a bigger part of a CoC adventure than in a lot of other games. Think of it like going to a scary movie; if you didn't want to get a little scared, you wouldn't go. Work with you GM to maintain the mood and it will be that much more fun.

 

[Orryn Emrys]

I have to admit... this game surprised me.

When d20 CoC first hit the shelves, only one of the five of us who ended up playing it was seriously interested. We're D&D veterans, but none of us had ever tried the original Chaosium game. Well, one of my players had read a couple of Lovecraft stories and bought the book immediately. He bought a collection of Lovecraft's work at the same time, then convinced us to try the game.

I was floored. I don't think I would ever be interested in a long-term CoC campaign - there's too much insanity for role-playing "purists" like us to really put up with for very long - but we played through a few short adventures and it was incredible.

I do recommend that an aspiring Call of Cthulu GM do some Lovecraftian research. The game is designed so that you can go many different directions... we even started our characters with kind of an X-Files approach in mind... but, in the end, our GM really surprised me. I was expecting his usual fascination with the "grotesque" to paint the experience in shades of gore, but in the end it seemed very tasteful. The Lovecraftian theme is dark and brooding, with more than a hint of madness, and it's what you don't see and are unable to comprehend that brings your consciousness and that of your character closer together.

Enjoy.

 

[Crothian]

It's a great game and very different from traditional D&D. It can eat PCs, litereally. However, I think with a good DM and players who understand their role you can have characters last a while. Even in the orginal game where PC life expectancy was short, I had a guy survive about 24 sessions. The other 3 players went through about 15 character collectively in that time. Of course he did have a glorious end and was carried off by some large flying creatures.

 

[Orryn Emrys]

I have to admit... this game surprised me.

When d20 CoC first hit the shelves, only one of the five of us who ended up playing it was seriously interested. We're D&D veterans, but none of us had ever tried the original Chaosium game. Well, one of my players had read a couple of Lovecraft stories and bought the book immediately. He bought a collection of Lovecraft's work at the same time, then convinced us to try the game.

I was floored. I don't think I would ever be interested in a long-term CoC campaign - there's too much insanity for role-playing "purists" like us to really put up with for very long - but we played through a few short adventures and it was incredible.

I do recommend that an aspiring Call of Cthulu GM do some Lovecraftian research. The game is designed so that you can go many different directions... we even started our characters with kind of an X-Files approach in mind... but, in the end, our GM really surprised me. I was expecting his usual fascination with the "grotesque" to paint the experience in shades of gore, but in the end it seemed very tasteful. The Lovecraftian theme is dark and brooding, with more than a hint of madness, and it's what you don't see and are unable to comprehend that brings your consciousness and that of your character closer together.

Enjoy.

 

[The Serge]

I played the game once when I was in college about seven or eight years ago. I enjoyed it and ended up reading some of the short stories, which handle atmosphere very well.

The funny thing for me is that my D&D games have always had an undercurrent similar to that of the CoC games. There is a darkness and a sense of desperation. While I don't use Insanity points, I do explain how terrible the appearance of a Pit Fiend is, or how mad-shatteringly incredible the presence of a Dragon or a high level NPC is. Terrible, dark things happen regularly to PCs, their families, their loved ones, and to the people to whom they feel responsible. PCs are faced with knowing that there are many things hidden in the world that pose a risk to mortals and that many of these things hate Humanity and want to destroy it. They know that even their allies cannot be fully trusted. I just don't use Insanity scores in my games.... but I think the Players get the idea.

I love what d20 did for CoC. One of the reason I never got into the last game (aside from the fact that the overwhelming horror turned away other players) was because I already knew 2ed D&D, Marvel Superheroes, DC Superheroes, and Spycraft and was thinking of getting into Star Wars or Star Trek. I did not want to have to buy all these other resources, especially when other people weren't playing. Now, since I don't have to learn an entirely new system, I would love to play CoC regularly. I've even toyed around with implementing the Insanity elements into my D&D campaign, thereby capturing the Dark Fantasy overtones that have always existed but have never been quantified. Ravenloft has elements of this but was always restricted due to the fact that most people played it like "grey" D&D rather than Dark D&D.

CoC is a great game that really offers some great things. It can be like Raiders of the Lost Ark, or it can be like Angel Heart. Loads of fun!

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Would you all who've played it say it was like Shadowrun in its paranioa level? Or even worse?

Worse. In Shadowrun, you usually play competent runners who know what they are doing most of the time (unless you are playing in my group... ).

In Call of Cthulhu, you are up against the unknown. By default, you cannot truely comprehend what you are up against - otherwise you would be either locked up in an asylum somewhere - or chanting with the cultists.