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Post by hamurai on Nov 11, 2017 7:03:57 GMT -6
I haven't run a Call of Cthulhu game for 3 or 4 years now. Because I always enjoyed it, I finally grabbed the Horror on the Orient Express box and look very much forward to playing the campaign. The books are written for CoC 7th edition - none of us have this edition. I have the 4th or 5th edition, but I was considering using a different, more rules-light game system.
The reason behind the decision to use a different system is simply that I doubt that the entire group will be present for the complete campaign. My guess is that 2 or 3 people will be there every session and 1 or 2 will be there if they can make it or let it be. Maybe we will invite others along the way to join us or have a guest player jump in spontaneously.
I have the Cthulhu hack, which reads really nice, but I'm unsure how it will be at play and if the mechanics will make characters as "fragile" as in the original system. Does anyone have any experience with it?
Another idea was to use the Cypher System, which I also own and like because of the simple rules. (Edit: Has anyone of you used the suggested Horror Rules in there?)
What do you think, what other system would you consider for running a CoC campaign?
(I have pretty much ruled out the Savage Worlds' Realms of Cthulhu. I've run two games with these rules and wasn't happy with it.)
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Post by hamurai on Nov 11, 2017 7:49:53 GMT -6
How would sanity be represented in the Traveller system?
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Post by Finarvyn on Nov 11, 2017 8:17:40 GMT -6
I'd be tempted to use 5E CoC because that's what I have the most books for, but as it was written for 7E the advantage to using that would be you wouldn't have to convert anything.
By the way -- I have been pondering buying this but it looks huge and I wonder if there is almost too much material for me to actually use. What's your take on this?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2017 9:57:52 GMT -6
New World of Darkness might be worth a shot - not the advanced systems, just the basic book where you get to play humans.  |
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Post by hamurai on Nov 11, 2017 10:38:13 GMT -6
How would sanity be represented in the Traveller system? I would either reduce one of the existing ability scores, intelligence most likely, and consider the character has succumbed to the dark side when it reaches zero. Or, roll a new score. I think the time at GenCon I played in a Cthulhu-based Traveller scenario that is how it was handled. TLBB Traveller is my “go to” system for any non-fantasy milieu. I like Traveller's system, too. Hmm. I'm considering this Thanks! |
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Post by hamurai on Nov 11, 2017 10:41:13 GMT -6
New World of Darkness might be worth a shot - not the advanced systems, just the basic book where you get to play humans. I have yet to have a look at that. I'm not a big fan of dice pools, though. Does the nWoD basic book feature sanity rules? |
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Post by hamurai on Nov 11, 2017 10:59:56 GMT -6
I'd be tempted to use 5E CoC because that's what I have the most books for, but as it was written for 7E the advantage to using that would be you wouldn't have to convert anything. By the way -- I have been pondering buying this but it looks huge and I wonder if there is almost too much material for me to actually use. What's your take on this? The conversion is actually pretty simple from what I've seen so far. The main difference is that now all attributes are 3d6 x5, as the old luck score, for example. So every attribute is now a d% number to roll against, which is easily converted. Some other things were changed a little (opposed tests, for example, and HP more or less still calculated the old way). I haven't read through it all yet, but so far I really like the handouts and maps and the campaign overview is well done, too. There are 19 "core" adventures and several optional side stories (in different times even, from 330 AD and Cthulhu Invictus through the Middle Ages on to 2013 and Cthulhu Now), which is really cool. There are 6 books in the box, 2 of them are handouts and fluff text to supplement the campaign's journey. The fluff book can be given directly to the players as it has no spoilers and is written as a guide to the journey which would actually be given out for travelers on the Orient Express. The campaign book I read through easily on one evening, it is a very good introduction to the campaign and how to use it, and that there are optional adventures and even an "early" ending to the campaign if the GM wants to cut it short. There are also ideas for using the campaign in other times (Cthulhu Gaslight or Now) or even alternate settings like Achtung! Cthulhu, how to make adventures more pulpy or more gritty and so on. Another book is entirely dedicated to NPCs who can also act as "replacement" investigators if a player character dies. The campaign itself is in 3 books, which hold around 700 pages together. That's a lot, but there are maps, pictures, handouts and info boxes in there, too, and some adventures are optional. The handouts are a very nice addition for the players, but I guess you'll have to find a group that can hold their info together. Lots of information can be gathered to ensure survival and the group should collect this info and use it. TL;DR: The box is huge, but I think it's not overwhelming. The layout and presentation are well done and it probably helped that they split the campaign up in 3 books. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2017 13:52:47 GMT -6
New World of Darkness might be worth a shot - not the advanced systems, just the basic book where you get to play humans. I have yet to have a look at that. I'm not a big fan of dice pools, though. Does the nWoD basic book feature sanity rules? I have to confess I don't quite remember; I *think* we used Willpower and Morality as quasi-Sanity.  I ran a couple of Ravenloft and Masque of the Red Death games this way; some of the better games I've run. The one thing I didn't like about CoC was how closed the setting really was; more experienced players knew what to expect. NWoD/Mortal was way more open, story-wise. "Kingdom of Nothing", by the way, was the single best horror-themed RPG I ever played, even if not at all comparable to the ones named so far; maybe that one is worth a look for you, as well. |
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Post by DungeonDevil on Nov 11, 2017 16:52:11 GMT -6
No matter what rules you use it will always be a railroad!
(Thank you! I'll be here all week! Try the veal!)
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Post by hamurai on Nov 12, 2017 1:31:34 GMT -6
@rafael, thanks for posting the character sheet. I guess Morality would be the go-to stat, if it's anything like humanity and the paths of the old WoD. And I'll check out Kingdom of Nothing, thanks for the recommendation! Of course, CoC is best when the players know next to nothing about the setting. At least when it comes to the Mythos creatures. But there's always the option to introduce your own or to change the ones they know. What I like about the Horror on the Orient Express is that it's easily converted to another setting, as the story mainly features "human" antagonists. I guess it could even be played in a setting without magic and supernatural as well, although you'd have to make adjustments. DungeonDevil, joke aside, you are right of course. The adventure has a set path and the characters must follow the rails of the Orient Express. There are several optional paths along the way, though and there are even suggestions how the story can be more open, so the players won't feel railroaded so much. Many scenarios take place during the stops of the train, where the players are more or less free to act as they wish. |
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Post by hamurai on Nov 13, 2017 1:27:16 GMT -6
"Kingdom of Nothing", by the way, was the single best horror-themed RPG I ever played, even if not at all comparable to the ones named so far; maybe that one is worth a look for you, as well. Wow, thanks again for this recommendation! As a fan of Gaiman's Neverwhere I just had to get this when I read the info text. I must admit Kingdom of Nothing reads really cool and while I'm not sure if it's what I'll use for my CoC campaign, I will definitely play this game vanilla! |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 6:37:07 GMT -6
KoN was one of the best horror games I ever played - but, like with most *real, well-done* horror, it's a dance on a razor's edge. If you boil it down, you have your players portray people with PTSD who are forced to confront their disease. That's a bit too intense for the kind of games I want to run. - You can have excellent results, but it's always a mindf**k.
That's another reason why I prefer fantasy over any other genre in gaming; your Elven village being sacked by a horde of angry Uruk-Hai usually doesn't bring back bad real-life memories.
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Post by hamurai on Nov 13, 2017 10:30:34 GMT -6
I think the challenge will be to let players always have their doubts whether the dangers are imagined and, as you say, part of their PTSD, or real dangers only they can see. In the end, though, I guess you can play it either way, if you like. You could probably play it as urban fantasy where the dangers are real fantastic creatures, or you can have a more psychological horror.
My first associations were Neverwhere, The Fisher King and Brazil, which I really liked.
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Post by Falconer on Nov 13, 2017 12:37:31 GMT -6
I have played the older Call of Cthulhu editions, and, it seems really lite and intuitive. In every game of it I have ever played, under any GM, it really didn’t seem like the GM ever had to explain any rules beyond how to physically roll a d100. And they have been mostly one-shots with mostly non-gamers, even. So, that would be my vote. It’s not the perfect game, but, to me, Call of Cthulhu is Call of Cthulhu. I will add that I have the Astounding Adventures book, and it adds in a lot of great fun.
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Post by hamurai on Nov 13, 2017 23:25:20 GMT -6
Thank you; I've talked to some of the gaming group and it looks like many would prefer the original system or Cthulhu Hack... I guess I might be ending up using the CoC rules after all, at least I won't have to worry about converting.
I'll start by giving the quickstart rules of the 7th edition a closer look. I hope I'll be comfortable with the CoC rules again.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 1:33:30 GMT -6
My first associations were Neverwhere, The Fisher King and Brazil, which I really liked. Yeah, this seems to be more or less what it was built around those models. This is also why the game is apparently not balanced out when it comes to the topics that it deals with. Myself, I've run TERRIBLE, terrible games in KoN. One was based in the Adrien Brody movie "Wrecked"; another, longer one was basically a reenactment of the first Silent Hill video game. Both were pretty brutal, in terms of psychological terror. The games were both pretty successful, but afterwards I decided that this was not for me. Especially with teens and tweens, games are angsty, anyway. So, no need to emphasize that any further. |
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Post by ritt on Nov 14, 2017 18:31:55 GMT -6
Just use old-school CoC and ruthlessly ignore the more complicated and "Granular" stuff (Like, say, throw out all the weapons stats -it always struck me as odd that Cthulhu was so gun-detail obsessed- and just have all guns do 3d6 damage.). That would give you a very light system that would still do it's job nicely.
One of the things I love about CoC is, just like Moldvay/Cook D&D, you can bend it really, really far before it breaks.
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Post by kenmeister on Nov 15, 2017 9:52:25 GMT -6
My copy of Horror On the Orient Express is written for CoC 4E.
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Post by grodog on Nov 15, 2017 20:55:57 GMT -6
What do you think, what other system would you consider for running a CoC campaign? I'd consider Trail of Cthulhu if you're looking for a more rules-light game, but I've not played it yet and have heard that it may be more story-driven then perhaps you're looking for. If you have the new Delta Green RPG, it may be closer to traditional CoC but it has some interesting mechanics that you may want to check out, too: it's Pay What You Want on RPGNow @ www.rpgnow.com/product/175760/Delta-Green-Need-to-Know?affiliate_id=48458My copy of Horror On the Orient Express is written for CoC 4E. That's what I was trying to remember, thanks Ken. hamurai, you might just dig up an earlier copy of the HotOE set, perhaps in PDF, and then just run with whatever earlier version of CoC your crew is most comfortable with, too, perhaps. Allan. |
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Post by hamurai on Nov 15, 2017 23:13:05 GMT -6
I'll check it out, thank you!
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