The Horror at McCarthy Station (Cthulhu Horror/Thriller)

[DM Barnum]

Originally Posted by DM Man In Black

Sounds entertaining. I'd prefer classic CoC and would even be open to WoD. Every day it seems I find more reasons to dislike any of the modern d20 incarnations.

I'm surprised there is so much interest for classic Cthulhu!! It isn't a very well thought-out system, but it does have that "old dusty nostalgia feel" to it. And it will work just fine for this game.

I tend to agree with you guys about D20, though Cthulhu D20 does a fair job of stripping away much of the D20 Modern silliness, and it has a sanity mechanic (which was almost completely stolen from classic Cthulhu). I usually prefer Cthulhu D20 for games like this since it doesn't require anyone to have any particular books on hand. All you need is the SRD and a little guidance for character creation. But it looks like that's not a problem here . . . which is good news! Classic Cthulhu it is!

I've got Call of Cthulhu 5.6 (revised) which is the version we will be using, though if you have any version above 3, they are practically identical except for little tweaks in the character creation rules (which I will post once the game forum is created). Since this is a modern game, we will have to be a little loose with professions and add a few skills (like computers and such), but that shouldn't be hard.

I'll try to get character creation information up today while the kids are napping so you guys can start working on characters while we wait for our forum to be created. If everyone who has posted here actually follows through and wants to play . . . that's too many people for me (I'm lame, I know), so we may have to narrow it down eventually.

Look for more here soon!

[ZM Neylana]

You discovered one of the hidden cults of Cthulhu purists.

Be afraid.

[DM Barnum]

Character creation rules have been added to the first post, so you can be thinking about what direction you'd like to go in. Once our forum is created, I will start a character creation thread so we can roll dice and discuss concepts . . . to make sure we have a good mix of occupations. No need to do anything now but think.

If anyone else is interested in playing, now is the time to post!

[Player123]

Not D20? I'm in (sorry, just can't reconcile D20 and Call of Cthulu in my head).

Wouldn't mind playing a survivalist/climber or a pilot - I think the scientist types have plenty of interest already.

[DM Barnum]

Originally Posted by Player123

Not D20? I'm in (sorry, just can't reconcile D20 and Call of Cthulu in my head).

Cthulhu D20 works pretty well. You just need to make the characters 2nd or 3rd level and scale the challenges so that a skill bonus of +12 or so is "expert" level. Cthulhu D20 is practically a must if you plan on having anything more than just occasional, basic combats . . . because BRP combat is sooooooo clunky and ill-conceived. But for games like ours where combat will be occasional, scary, and most likely over with one lucky turn . . . it works just fine.

Our forum is created. I went through and counted heads, and I am still unsure who wants to play and who was merely curious as to what system we were using. So . . . if you want to play using Classic Cthulhu (v.5.6) rules, post here with a paragraph or two description of the concept you'd like to play. I'll keep this open for the next few days to see who is really interested and then we'll move to the forum to roll dice and finalize concepts.

[Player123]

Originally Posted by DM Barnum

But for games like ours where combat will be occasional, scary, and most likely over with one lucky turn . . . it works just fine.

This emphasizes my feelings exactly. Most Cthulu games should be like this anyway.

Originally Posted by DM Barnum

So . . . if you want to play using Classic Cthulhu (v.5.6) rules, post here with a paragraph or two description of the concept you'd like to play.

A guide/ survivalist/ that is with the research team; well-educated, experienced with arctic expeditions over decades, lived in pretty much frozen climates his whole life. Been a part of arctic rescues and the like, seems to unavoidably be where the danger is.

[DM Man In Black]

I rather like the simple mechanics behind CoC. The system is beefed up a bit to handle combat in more detail in Stormbringer, the Elric RPG. I'm a fan, in case you hadn't noticed. It's also a different magic system to suit the different world. The alignment system is top-notch. It really captures the battle between Law and Chaos in Elric's world.

So I'm thinking of going with a computer tech/engineer type. It would probably be somebody bookish and nerdy. I'm resisting the temptation to go former military. The character's focus would be on technical skills.

[Player123]

Elric was a cool game - I did read several of the novels and that was definitely the perfect system for that world.

I remember buying the basic rules at a con - I haggled with a merchant for a used one and got it for 7 bucks. Money well spent, even for the handful of games we ended up playing.

[DM Man In Black]

Not to hijack the thread, but we are playing a Stormbringer game here. PM me and I'll point it out if you're interested.

Ok, back to CoC.

[GM Neopopulas]

Still, interested. I was thinking a sort of guide/survivalist sort of deal, but i'm sure we'll see a lot of those so i'm flexible