Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Call of Cthulhu D2002, November 22, 2003
Even though this product is a year old, and much reviewed, I felt obligated to contribute. The reasoning: I'm a 20 year long fan of the original CoC game - and HPL.This product is expertly produced and well written. The thematic approach taken is well illustrated on the credits page: Based upon Call of Cthulhu by Sandy Petersen and Lynn Willis, Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. With *inspired* being the key phrase. The Chaosium version is about roleplaying IN the worlds of HP Lovecraft - with that focus on an identical setting and parallel plot situations. The D20 CoC game isn't meant to replicate either the fiction or the Chaosium classic. Just like D+D 3E wasn't meant to replicate TSR AD+D (thank God(s). In addition to a stand alone game, it is clear that part of the intent of this book was to "officiate" the use of Lovecraft's mythos in D+D. Nearly 20 years after their banishment from Deities and Demigods, the Elder horrors can return to haunt the lands of Elves and Hobb- er... Halflings. Despite my serious worries over a level based CoC game - I will blasphem and proclaim that *system* wise - this game is superior to the original CoC. The D20 system is far more dynamic and flexible. Target numbers are simply the best way for characters and the GM to have more control/impact over the game environment. The dicing becomes a transparent medium with which to create drama in which the characters are the stars (lucky or otherwise). Most players I currently deal with find the idea of percentile scores and fixed, chart based target numbers very restricting. It makes character individualities and base traits less important. And I see no reason to enforce that through use of a dated - though very efficient - system. The provided flavor text constantly emphasizes Lovecraft's influence (he is quoted on nearly all the pages) and the frailty of the characters compared to fantasy/action counterparts. And that the game shouldn't be about duking it out with monsters. A noble attempt to immediately nix delusions of slugging it out with a shoggoth. But there is no way getting around an investigator with 75 hit points being able to survive multiple shotgun blasts unless they are very unlucky. One freak indigent with a baseball bat should be a real threat. The feats aren't particularly disruptive - many are non combative or only add a slight "edge". But neither are they necessary. They can easily be overlooked or adjusted as play style dictates. Psychic feats seem out of place at first, but I've had several players ask about having some slight mental or mediumistic power.
Level oriented advancement won't be a problem beyond the potential for very hit point heavy characters. This is easily remedied by simply using a d3 instead of d6 for hit point advancement - and of course in the best HPL based games - having most of the situations get worse through violence. One thing that strikes me as a bit confusing is that there is no substantial or logical adjustment to the sanity rules. With all the emphasis of a D20 in the D20 system, the sanity loss remains exactly the same - percentile based. I still think this is the best simulation of eroding sanity in any RPG, so I'm not complaining - but it seems an odd thing to leave inorganic to the D20 system in the context of changing just about everything else. I also have personal interpretive issues with the use of skills to "first aid" a character going insane (or even characters slipping to -10 sanity instead of just losing the plot at 0). The section pertaining to insanity classification and treatments is well researched and thoroughly explained. The handling of spells and tomes is fairly true to form. There is a bit more "D+Dism" here than elsewhere in the book, but that isn't something a good group/GM can't overcome. If you wish to make the forbidden books harsher to read and their associated magic/lore less easy to use - then go for it. Monte Cook won't have you arrested for changing his game.
The monsters are well presented, with some of the text coming right out of the original RPG. There are a few key creatures missing, which I can't imagine couldn't have been made room for. The "Mummy" template section particularly interesting - and have enjoyed some of the "variant" interpretations of the various "False Gods". Most people who shout down the D20 versions of various games have never played them, or even synthesized the rules. Many somehow reconcile a stand against corporate superstructure by turning up their noses at D20 while wolfing down as many fast food meals as their friends are willing to buy for them during their weekly gaming forays. CoC D20 core rules are no exception. If reliance on a percentile system to create a successful horror scenario is necessary - then you should probably look into a different hobby. Playing in the tradition of Lovecraft's horror is about setting and atmosphere. Not which dice you roll. However most players I know have come to prefer dynamic, target based systems over static percentile based games. I see no issue with using a 'different' system if that makes them happy and allows you all to enjoy the story. The fact that I have used AD+D 1st ed as dark fantasy/Lovecraft is testament to the mutability of Cthulhu and the mythos. After reading the rules and supplementary text I am confident that any alterations won't affect the ability of a good GM and players to enjoy Lovecraft's vision. Bad GMs and players will always pervert a game's intent and atmosphere with a predisposition towards superpowers and mega-damage. Does this game - through use of its level/feat/class based groundwork *promote* sessions in which Investigators attack cultist hide-outs A-Team style? No - bad players and worse Gamemasters promote that. Rules are static suggestions drawn from a page in a book.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fine adaptation--I just wish it weren't d20!, January 12, 2004
First, a word of warning to the shopper--although Amazon doesn't make it clear in the title, this is the d20 version of the Call of Cthulhu RPG.That out of the way--the greatest thing in this book is John Tynes' articles on how to GM a Call of Cthulhu game, and the background info on the Mythos. They are actually better than what's in the regular (non-d20) Call of Cthulu rulebook. Also, the rules for psychic characters are intriguing, and it's kinda kewl to have all those Mythos monsters and gods statted up for d20, so you can spring them on your unsuspecting Dungeons and Dragons characters. Those good points are so very very good that I give this product 5 stars, despite one very serious flaw: the rules are lame. Oh, Tynes and Cook do good things with them--many of their ideas were later used in other d20 products, and they certainly make some small improvements with the d20 rules. But it's still d20, and thus far clunkier and less elegant than the original Call of Cthulhu rules. Now, those CoC rules are far from perfect, but still, they are so much easier to learn and to use, and really, the *only* thing you need to buy to play CoC is the rulebook--no, not the "core" rulebook, because there *aren't* any other rulebooks! Oh sure, there are supplements, but unlike D&D, none of them is crucial to play. And unlike D&D, when Chaosium does a new edition, they don't change it so much that it's completely incompatible with previous material. Most of the changes are in gathering together published spells and monsters and equipment, so that (gasp!) you won't *have* to buy other supplements! So, I didn't actually buy it for the d20 rules--although that will allow me to introduce my local gaming group (some members of which refuse to play anything other than D&D) to CoC. I bought it as a supplement for the regular version of Call of Cthulhu--something entirely unnecessary, but beautiful and fun to have. Looked at that way, it's 5 stars, easy.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I think folks are being a little harsh., December 26, 2002
Having read the above reviews, I feel a somewhat calmer voice might be necessary. This book is exactly what it says it is: a D20 adaptation of the Call of Cthulhu rules. The game designers' job was not to remove what had gone before, but to mesh two rather disparate systems together as seemlessly as possible. I don't think they succeeded on every front, but I think they did a very good job, overall.I think this game works especially well on two levels: 1. Introducing new players to the game and to HPL: Like it or not, D20 rules are the most popular RPG system on the market right now. There are many, many people playing D20 games who have not even heard of H.P. Lovecraft. Personally, I got into the game before ever picking up one of his books, and they led me to a whole genre of fiction I might never have looked at otherwise. D20CoC is now poised to do that for a whole lot of players. And I've had players who weren't at all interested in learning a new system to play Classic CoC express an interest in trying D20CoC, and, from that experience, become willing to learn the original game. 2. Making it possible to add CoC flavor/encounters to D&D: I've done it in the distant past, and I'm certainly thinking about it again. Do I think this game is a substitute or replacement for Classic CoC? No. I am running and will still run Classic CoC when I want to run Cthulhu. Do I think it's still a fun game and a decent adaptation? Yes, and I do recommend it for those who might want to try Cthulhu but who don't want to take the plunge and learn a whole new game system.
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