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Old 11-12-2013, 05:52 AM   #10
Gollum
 
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: France
Default Re: Introduction to Cthulhu

As said above by others, Cthulhu adventures work as well with Chaosium rules as with GURPS ones. So just choose the system you prefer. Both are great, though quite different: Call of Cthulhu rules emphasizes easy of play and narrativism while GURPS emphasizes realism...

For a very first Cthulhu adventure, I fully do agree with Refplace: Use GURPS Lite only.
http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG31-0004
It will give you all what you need for a first game.

And, as others said, a short adventure sounds better than a full campaign for an introduction.

Chaosium proposes this one as an initiation to Call of Cthulhu rules.
http://www.chaosium.com/forms/coc_quick_start_color.pdf
It is free.

If you want to have a glance on the very new Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, here is the link.
http://catalog.chaosium.com/product_...6900&CDpath=29
It is the same adventure, with the new rules and, here again, it is totally free. All what you have to do is to register on Chaosium site – but if you like Cthulhu adventures, even to play with GURPS rules, you'll surely want to do it anyway.

This scenario is amazing because it is very classical (a haunted house) and still a Cthulhu story. So, it is really a good initiation to Lovecraft world. Furthermore, it is open: the player characters can investigate and, then, enter the house or enter the house and investigate, or even do both, alternatively... They really can do exactly what they want. Finally, the GM can play the bad guy, Walter Corbitt, exactly as he wants. So, he can add danger and tension if the life of the player characters is too easy or, to the contrary, minimize the use of Walter Corbitt's powers if the player characters already are in a too bad situation.

The main difference between Cthulhu rules and GURPS ones is the sanity system. But don't try to create a mix of the two. Trying to design a like-Cthulhu-rules-sanity system in GURPS rules would be a pure lost of time. Just use GURPS Lite or GURPS fright-checks exactly as they are written. It is sufficient to frighten the players, which is the main goal of these rules, after all.

If you want more hints for stat conversions, I write some (I extensively use Call of Cthulhu adventures which are very well designed).

You made a very good choice. You will have fun.

Last edited by Gollum; 11-12-2013 at 05:57 AM.
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