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View Full Version : [Call of Cthulhu] What rulebook to use?



Salt_Crow
2009-08-28, 07:57 PM
So I've recently taken up some interest in Cthulhu mythos and wanted to see if I could incorporate the elements of CoC rpg into my TRPG games (or even play the rule too).

But I've also found that there are just so many different Cthulhu rulebooks that I don't know what to buy or what to avoid.

Can anyone make a definite recommendation as to which rulebook (name of the book and the publisher would be appreciated and edition where relevant) to get, that'd be grand.

Cheers ;)

Kantur
2009-08-28, 08:02 PM
I'd recommend the Percentile/Chaosium/BRP version of the game - any rulebook from about 4th edition on, it's mostly minor changes between editions from what I'm aware of though I believe the most recent has a few more optional rules that're interesting to consider.

DementedFellow
2009-08-28, 08:46 PM
I agree with the above poster. I also want to try to discourage you from trying to get the d20 version of the Cthulhu games. Somehow it just didn't mesh too well. A few spells were cute and flavorful, and it is nice to see Nyarlathotep statted out in a d20 context, but rarely ever are your investigators going to go toe-to-toe with a Great Old One or an Outer God.

Here is my main complaint with the d20 Cthulhu. It tries to be a standalone system, and looks very similar to a player's handbook, but it focuses too heavily on combat. Cthulhu is not combat-style game. BRP is more suited for Cthulhu because combat isn't a priority.

BRP is a fun system that is remarkably easy to pick up and go without having an encyclopedic knowledge of feats that is required with d20.

Project_Mayhem
2009-08-29, 10:58 AM
I play BRP 6th ed, but as Kantur said, all the BRPs are pretty similar after a certain point.

I've never played the D20, but it is less popular, and often critisized. In any case, unless you own it already, you will likely need to take out another mortgage to buy it, as its quite rare.

As a third option, I've heard very good things of the 'Trail of Cthulhu' Gumshoe system. I don't know anything about it though.

So I guess my advice is play the newest BRP version you can get your mitts on

Edit:

Actually, I should mention that the D20 rulebook is apparantly very well presented, and the bestiary is a very good sourcebook for fluff

DementedFellow
2009-08-29, 11:02 AM
I play BRP 6th ed, but as Kantur said, all the BRPs are pretty similar after a certain point.

I've never played the D20, but it is less popular, and often critisized. In any case, unless you own it already, you will likely need to take out another mortgage to buy it, as its quite rare.

As a third option, I've heard very good things of the 'Trail of Cthulhu' Gumshoe system. I don't know anything about it though.

So I guess my advice is play the newest BRP version you can get your mitts on

For some reason, any Cthulhu sourcebook that has any age attached to it is a hard thing to find. I remember pining for months for Horror on the Orient Express. It typically goes for over 100 on eBay. I found my two copies years later. One copy went for 30 bucks at a FLGS and the other I bought from a friend's closet full of RPG materal in a lot sale.

It's like the people who play Cthulhu hoarde the sourcebooks like they are holding the Necronomicon itself.

hamishspence
2009-08-29, 11:12 AM
i noticed it was getting hard to find the D20 Cthulhu version a year or so ago- managed to find it on sale in second hand section of a gaming shop.

I picked it up more based on the principle of "If I want my D&D adventures to include Cthulhu monsters, it would be nice to know what the normal statlines are."

Project_Mayhem
2009-08-29, 11:13 AM
You want pdfs mate - I picked up Masks of Nyarlethotep for about a tenner. Which is somewhere from 15 to 18 dollars?

Can't seen to get that one though, so yeah.