- Joined
- Jan 22, 2008
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The roleplaying game of Call of Cthulhu is pretty old: it was originally released in 1981 and has gone through seven editions since. I used to play it at university and enjoyed it a lot. Out of interest, I bought the current starter boxed set (£30, which is a fair price) and had a look.
CoC is basically the opposite of Dungeons & Dragons. Instead of mighty warriors, you play weak, normal people who will probably either go mad or die in combat very quickly when the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos arrive. You don't get tougher as you play and it's best to avoid physical confrontation. Almost all the career options are featured in Lovecraft somewhere or feel very period-appropriate: antiquarians, scholars, artists and the odd detective or bootlegger are common. It is exceedingly true to Lovecraft's world, although some aspects are slightly modernised and some of the better elements from Lovecraft's imitators are included. In short, it's done right.
The starter set includes a sort of Choose Your Own Adventure booklet ("If you open the tome, turn to 34. If you run screaming into the night, turn to 12"). This cleverly introduces the workings of the game to the reader. Also included are three adventures, two of which I remember from the old days. I look forward to giving them a go, once I've convinced some friends to join in.
CoC is basically the opposite of Dungeons & Dragons. Instead of mighty warriors, you play weak, normal people who will probably either go mad or die in combat very quickly when the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos arrive. You don't get tougher as you play and it's best to avoid physical confrontation. Almost all the career options are featured in Lovecraft somewhere or feel very period-appropriate: antiquarians, scholars, artists and the odd detective or bootlegger are common. It is exceedingly true to Lovecraft's world, although some aspects are slightly modernised and some of the better elements from Lovecraft's imitators are included. In short, it's done right.
The starter set includes a sort of Choose Your Own Adventure booklet ("If you open the tome, turn to 34. If you run screaming into the night, turn to 12"). This cleverly introduces the workings of the game to the reader. Also included are three adventures, two of which I remember from the old days. I look forward to giving them a go, once I've convinced some friends to join in.