Best version of Call of Cthulu?

[daggaz]

I remember a thread like this some time ago, but my search query returns nothing when I look for Cthulu in the title (so many threads, all shouting out at the same time, and then suddenly silent..) so...

Which version of CoC do you think is the best, and why? I was recently in the gaming store and found a tattered version of 4.0 for a cheap price, and almost hopped on it when I remembered that there were quite a lot of versions of this game so I thought I had better get a word on it from the mighty playground before I put my hard earned money down.

(tho to be honest, buying an aging, tattered copy of CoC just meta-screams RL horror possibilities!)

[NPCMook]

Current Chaosium is 6th edition. I don't know if there is still a D20 version... there's also CthulhuTech by Catalyst Games.

[bosssmiley]

Don't think of CoC editions in terms of D&D 2/3/4E. Think more in terms of successive polishings of a single (pretty solid) core system.

Material written for the early editions is perfectly usable under the later revisions. This is good as CoC has seen some of the best adventures and sourcebooks ever written for an RPG.

Get the newest edition that you can for a good price. If that's CoC4 for a few $$$s then you've still got a really good deal. Enjoy.

[Natael]

Any of the Chaoseum editions are fine as stated before. I've read through the d20 version and I think it looks like trash personally. Never tried Cthulhutech before. Personally, I'm running CoC using GURPS, pretty much winging conversion from the adventure books, working pretty well for me, though your milage may vary.

[Comet]

Cthulhu is not meant for d20. Any other version works, I think.

If you're interested in a different spin of the game, try looking up Trail of Cthulhu. It's less gamistic, more streamlined and all in all simpler. But you won't find the rules as comprehensive as the original and the game's focus is heavily on collective storytelling, instead of the dice.
I found it fun, so at least read a few reviews and see what you think.

Edit: Trail of Cthulhu is also much more faithful to Lovecraft's original vision. While I love Chaosium's Cthulhu, I think it has, for a long time, been essentially a stream of sequels for itself, rather than the source material. That's what happens with a long-running product line. Things become a little too fleshed out for my tastes.

ToC brings back the air of mystery. As a plus, it has guidelines to playing both classic cthulhu (everybody loses, oh the horror) and pulp-style cthulhu (adventurous men and women solve the mysteries of the old ones while fistfighting angry cultists and escaping from zombies).

[hamlet]

For all intents and purposes, Chaosium's versions of CoC are virtually identical, or close enough that you'd never notice a difference without looking specifically. They are, in fact, much closer than 1st and 2nd edition AD&D.

Your 4th edition copy will work just fine on the newest publishings out of Chaosium.

[mikeejimbo]

Cthulhu is not meant for d20. Any other version works, I think.

If you're interested in a different spin of the game, try looking up Trail of Cthulhu. It's less gamistic, more streamlined and all in all simpler. But you won't find the rules as comprehensive as the original and the game's focus is heavily on collective storytelling, instead of the dice.
I found it fun, so at least read a few reviews and see what you think.

Edit: Trail of Cthulhu is also much more faithful to Lovecraft's original vision. While I love Chaosium's Cthulhu, I think it has, for a long time, been essentially a stream of sequels for itself, rather than the source material. That's what happens with a long-running product line. Things become a little too fleshed out for my tastes.

ToC brings back the air of mystery. As a plus, it has guidelines to playing both classic cthulhu (everybody loses, oh the horror) and pulp-style cthulhu (adventurous men and women solve the mysteries of the old ones while fistfighting angry cultists and escaping from zombies).

Trail of Cthulhu also has the obvious benefit of being written by Ken Hite.

Though I'm kind of with Natael: I think GURPS works quite well with Cthulhu. The Pulp Guns series (with High Tech), perhaps Creatures of the Night, and GURPS Horror (You'd have to make do with the 3rd edition one until the 4th gets released) would be all you need.

[Kurald Galain]

Cthulhu is not meant for d20. Any other version works, I think.

This, precisely.