Call of Cthulhu

[airboy]

I've bought a bunch of Call of Cthulhu supplements on sale at rpgnow in pdf format.  I think I own most everything that is in the 1920s era.

[Dammit Carl!]

And there is nothing wrong with your hobby pursuits.

- 3 or so days since my last rpg purchase -

[Nefaro]

How's the 7th Edition?

I think they're supposed to be printing hard copies soon™.

The few reviews I've seen said the system has changed quite a bit, for the first time.

[airboy]

I've not read the full 7th edition manual yet.  The quick start freebie that I read earlier this year was not much of a departure from the 1st edition rules - which I've been using since the game came out.

I run CoC games as a series of one-shots.  CoC is mostly impossible to keep characters alive and sane over time.  CoC as I run it is usually a complex mystery that must be unraveled.  Sometimes the villain is not from the mythos, but is an evil individual. 

As I'm writing games I'm strongly leaning towards having God as real and who occasionally intervenes via the Holy Spirit.  Demons and Devils are real.  Minor Gods today (Greek/Roman & Norse) are real but have even more limited sway.  CoC is such a flexible system that you can use it as a platform for generic horror roleplaying.  The basic idea is close to what John Ringo did in Princess of Wands and Queen of Wands books.

[Nefaro]

I was actually first introduced to Lovecraft when I saw the Call Of Cthulhu rpg in a hobby store, back in the 80s, and picked it up.  The lore was so intriguing, I started consuming Lovecraft stories afterward.   8)

I'm sure the newest CoC version still has many similarities to the venerable system.  Just saw a couple reviews mentioning they've added some modern extras or changes to it.  Such as some 2nd chance type tokens (like Bennies in Savage Worlds & many others), for one example.  I got the impression they're trying to extend the average character lifespan .. in the hard & fast rules anyway.  I'd check it out, but it's probably one of the last rpgs I'd find a group for these days.

[airboy]

I read the 7th edition manual for the differences between the 7th edition and the 6th edition yesterday.  For me, this is a difference from the 1st edition and the 7th edition.  So my framework of comparison is different from some.

In general I like the changes compared to the first edition.  It seems like there will be a lot of recalculation up front to convert something from earlier editions to the 7th.  But once you make the conversion combat and other things will be a lot faster and will curtail some needless decisions (punch vs kick vs grapple ......).

One very interesting thing they did was eliminate separate categories for rifle and shotgun into a combined firearms category.  I understand their logic: if you know how to shoot one you can more quickly understand how to shoot the other.  But there are some differences.  Shotguns you have to lead the target quite a bit if it is moving.  Rifles - your lead is much smaller.  Still, how to load, handle, understand the safety, shoulder, etc..... have a lot of overlap between the two.

Got me to thinking quite a bit.  I'm easily in the top 5% of the US population in shotgun accuracy.  I shoot thousands of rounds a year at moving targets (birds and clays).  I would never win a tournament or be considered an "expert" but in any random group of 20 US residents I would be in the top 1 or at worst 2.  Rifles - I almost never shoot anymore.  But I know how to load most any rifle, understand the clip system and the tube system, know where the safety is, can shoot from a prone or standing position, etc.....  I also know how to shoulder a rifle and the difference in how you aim between the two and the firing range limitations.  I guess in terms of a random group of US citizens I would be in the top 30% for rifles - behind most people who deer hunt or shoot regularly - but way above those with little or no long gun expertise. 

They made some interesting trade-offs in the new system.  The one I'm still not clear on is when you have a POW vs. POW contest.

[Nefaro]

I realize that it's been quite awhile since I've owned a copy of CoC.   Probably as far back as 4th Edition, maybe 5 or 5.1.

But always had the impression that the production quality, art, etc. remained pretty much the same over the years.  With relatively minor art additions & such. 

Didn't really expect the 7th Edition hardback to be such a huge leap.  I still expected it to be closer to the old 80s/90s level of quality.  Boy, was I thankfully wrong.  The material quality and layout seems good.  But holy testicle Tuesdays, Byakhee! The full-page artwork!  :dreamer:



*Went on a bit of an RPG spree again, nabbing a few core books.  Another somewhat similiar interesting one on the way is the new edition of Bloodshadows.*

[bayonetbrant]

[Nefaro]

.... and maybe one will survive.