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Summary: A "must" for all role play gaming enthusiasts!
Review: Call of Cthulhu is an oustanding role playing game book based on H.P. Lovecraft's stories and is a recommended pick for any who enjoy horror roleplaying. Black and white illustrations pack this encyclopedic reference to Lovecraft's many settings and monsters, while outlines of game resources and information are specific to the Call Of Cthulhu scenario. Highly recommended: outstanding and packed with information.
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Summary: Piles of atmosphere, and a cerebral challenge.
Review: Call of Cthulhu is quite possibly the only RPG where all the characters don't weild swords of slaying+20 or have heavy plasma guns. In this game, you want to avoid combat. The book has enough to get you started, and more. It has been written enthusiastically and it gives a good feeling of how insignificant we all are. Do yourself a favour, and get this book.
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Summary: Classic horror roleplaying
Review: Classic horror roleplaying at its best, this book is the latest edition of one of the most enduring product lines in the industry. With more than 300,000 copies sold and an armful of industry awards this game is an excellent example of a complete system in one book In this game, the players are ordinary folks battling against the sanity-sapping horrors of the Cthulhu mythos made famous by H. P. Lovecraft. The basic rules have not changed much through five incarnations, mostly due to its completeness and elegant simplicity which made it such a joy to play. Call of Cthulhu also introduced rules for sanity and a whole range of phobias and pyschological disorders which often produced some of the most memorable experiences in gaming.This new edition features tight, concise writing, terrific artwork, and wealth of information and ideas for GMs and players and is a sterling example of how a game should be put together. More importantly, this game actually encourages role play (since threatening any of the otherworldly horrors is a good way to die painfully) and captures the stark horror of the Lovecraft novels perfectly. A worthy addition to any rolegamers shelf.
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Summary: Yet another 5-star review
Review: Doesn't it tell you something, that *every* review for this edition of this book gives it 5 stars? (Some of the out-of-print editions have reviews here too.) And let's face it, us RPG enthusiasts are not the sort of folks to shy away from criticizing. Some people will say the Basic Roleplaying rule-set is outdated. It's true that games like Unknown Armies and Godlike are pretty cool, and I know people who are using those rules for their CoC games. But just try introducing a newcomer to those rules, or getting someone who's only played D&D before to convert. They get dizzy, I tell you. Nope, for a simple, elegant rule-set that just about anyone can grasp right off the bat, Call of Cthulhu's Basic Roleplaying has still got it, after more than 20 years. The rules fade into the background, where they belong. And unlike other games with their multivolume core rulebooks and endless splatbooks that you *need* if you want a fully fleshed-out campaign, everything you really need is right there in this one rulebook. Heck, every time Chaosium does a new edition, they comb all the supplements for spells, monsters, skills, and so on, and add them into the new edition--to save you time and money! Chaosium even printed the entire short story, "The Call of Cthulhu," in this edition, so newbies can get a taste of what it's all about. If you've got an older edition of CoC, you don't need to buy this one--the rule changes are quite minor. Unlike D&D, a new edition doesn't make everything you already know obsolete--"editions" of CoC are back-compatible with older editions and old supplements. Chaosium does new editions to keep the book in print and to make it a little better every time, not to force the fans to spend money. I bought it because my old book was getting worn out, and I wanted a more durable hardcover edition. Now I can loan out the old book to players. But I'm really happy with the little changes, and it's nice to have some of the information that used to be in adventures and supplements all gathered together in one book.
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Summary: A Role Playing Masterpiece
Review: Few role playing games capture the feel of their genre perfectly in both feel and game mechanics. Call of Cthulhu by Chaosium is such a superb game, that it has endured six editions and over 20 years publication. At its core is the Cthulhu Mythos created by master Howard Philips Lovecraft who wove stories based around a pantheon of alien gods, powerful and diabolic beings whose merest incarnation would shatter the tenuous grip we have on our 'mundane' world where things like night gaunts or shantaks are minor horrors compared to Yog-Sothoth, Azathoth or Great Cthulhu himself. Around these beings are often cults- dangerous underground societies who want nothing more than to see their fabled masters arise from ages past and walk the Earth again. At it's core Call of Cthulhu is a rather mechanically simple game and characters are easy to put together so long as care as taken to understand what skills are needed with regard to the kind of game the Keeper is planning to run. Once your character is complete, make another one and don't get attached to either of them. Seriously, played smartly, most characters can and will survive physically in tact, mentally, however is another story. As the game progresses and as more and more elements of the Mythos are revealed, characters begin to have their sanity chipped away at. If they are strong (and lucky), they can overcome these lurkers in the darkness and restore some of their lost sanity. Characters can also learn magic from a vast list of spells, some are good, most are not as good. It's important to know how to bind a dimensional shambler before you summon one. Spells and magic items can be the focus of adventures as characters race to prevent a cult from obtaining an artifact that will be used in a ritual to summon Cthugha for weenie roast in Central Park one warm summer night. The beauty of Call of Cthulhu, aside from it's relative cheapness compared to other games (you only need the main source book to begin play), is that it can cover very nearly any era-1890's, 1920's (Lovecraft's era), and the present day, and good Keepers will go to some lengths to make sure their players understand what is and is not possible in the various time lines. Plus there are numerous web sites that deal with Call of Cthulhu and offer a host of resources for players and Keepers alike. It's easy to find historical information based on almost any location in the world that a Keeper may plan to run his or her campaign. Most importantly is the mood of the game itself. I've played Call of Cthulhu for fifteen years and most of the games have had great suspense, excitement, and were a lot of fun. I've played it by candle light in the dead of winter, something that adds so much to the atmosphere. Good keepers can build suspense that, like a good novel, will make your skin crawl with a healthy dose of other-worldly fear. It is also important to remember that Call of Cthulhu isn't a meat grinder that chews up and spits out characters as fast as the players can roll them up. As an alternative to swords and sorcery or lightsabers and blasters, Call of Cthulhu is an excellent RPG. Additionally, I highly recommend the works of H.P. Lovecraft as source material, plus their darn good reads.
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Summary: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Review: For those of you who own the 5th edition of Chaosium's award-winning game, you will find that not much has changed in this edition. This is good news though, because unlike many game systems, Call of Cthulhu does not need much improvement. While there are some smaller additions, such as a section on alien technology, the most notable new find is H.P. Lovecraft's short story, "The Call of Cthulhu". This has long been considered required reading for players and keepers alike, but now a Lovecraft novice can find this signature tale without needing to purchase another book (but chances are you will want to). If you do not own this game and are interested in role-playing at its finest, you are missing out. If you own an older addition, this can still be a worthwhile purchase strictly because of its hardcover format and captivating cover art. Enter the world of H.P. Lovecraft, you won't be disappointed.
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Summary: Chaosium's Masterpeice Fails to Disappoint!
Review: For years, Chaosium has brought its faithful followers the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. Arguably the ultimate horror role-playing experience in existance, Call of Cthulhu combines the workings of H.P. Lovecraft, shaping it into a mold that is beautifully crafted about insanity and the occult. This book comes with the complete version of the rules, and you need not purchase other books to play the game (even if you are running it). Comprehensive, in-depth, informative, and realistic, this book is a must-buy for both the experienced roleplayer and those who are just starting alike!
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Summary: One of the best RPG's ever
Review: I am rather new to the "Call of Cthulhu" RPG. As of this writing I am prepairing for my first "Delta Green" adventure. But everything I have read so far has impressed me greatly. The rule book, while not perfect, is very well thought out and writen VERY well. The system is easy to learn, the monsters and critters are scary, and the art work is really really good. This is a top notch RPG which is a great addition to anybodies game shelf. So if you are tired of slaying dragons, or rebeling against evil galatic empries, give Cthulthu and his minions a try.
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Summary: One of the best RPG's ever
Review: I am rather new to the "Call of Cthulhu" RPG. As of this writing I am prepairing for my first "Delta Green" adventure. But everything I have read so far has impressed me greatly. The rule book, while not perfect, is very well thought out and writen VERY well. The system is easy to learn, the monsters and critters are scary, and the art work is really really good. This is a top notch RPG which is a great addition to anybodies game shelf. So if you are tired of slaying dragons, or rebeling against evil galatic empries, give Cthulthu and his minions a try.
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Summary: An Unforgetable Experience
Review: I first read these tales in an "Armed Services Edition" of HP Lovecraft stories, back in 1944! Sitting underseas in a US Navy Submarine in the South Pacific, scared to death, and lonely for home, these stories gripped me so completely, I forgot my real fears of war. That old book, now tattered and yellowed with age, was read by my son and daughter, who now want to pass it on to my grandchildren. It's time for me to replace it with a new Penguin edition before is falls apart, totally! Lovecraft's writing has many weaknesses, flowery language, poor characterizations and vague plots. I see all these faults now, but they never bothered me when I first read him. Women don't seem to be a part of Lovecraft's world, and that is a shame. His stories were too short to correct these faults. Modern full novels, in the Lovecraft tradition, like "The Riddle of Cthulhu," are written with many of HPL's faults corrected; like the inclusion, for example, of unforgetable characters, romance and a believable plot. Still, the "Call" is the source and the classic horror book. You must experience these classic stories, then move on to today's modern "Lovecraft Style" novels!
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