Baron

Alas, I tried a Google hangout game one weekend, and my wife and daughter made sure it was completely impossible for me to play. Why do they demand my undivided attention? It looks like I'll have to miss on the real-time online gaming world. <sigh>

I'm working on what's turned into a rather long-term project of coming up with my own BRP/d100 version, by reading through various options out there and making choices. Just to add a few to your list, you might want to add to a comparison chart some of the following: - Do characteristics affect skills? - How are hit points calculated? - Are weapon skills grouped into classes? - By how much are skills advanced? - Are difficulty levels used for skill resolution? - Are skill rolls required for casting spells? - Are weapons and shields broken or worn out? - How do shields and Dodge work?

Good point that bore repeating. Pulp certainly refers to the original magazines, which Lovecraft's work appeared in. Which means that by that definition, Cthulhu = pulp. Doesn't invalidate anyone's choice to play games in whatever style they enjoy most. Personally I think Indiana Jones or Buck Rogers or Barsoom when I think of pulp. But if I put Shub Niggurath into the town square, I'd expect there to be a sanity reaction from the protagonists. Not from seeing a mi-go, unless you were Indiana Jones. Because Buck would have seen aliens, and Barsoom already contains various types of monsters. But Indy should, IMO, have a sanity issue from the mi-go appearance. And again, I would have him gibber, and then grab the dynamite. The story must go on, after all...

Definitely don't want unkillable characters in any rpg. At least IMO. It's not a game if chance isn't an element, because you can't have a GM vs Players adversarial relationship. SAN rules are a problem? Not if you tone it down a bit. Don't make SAN too incapacitating, that's all. You see a gibbering horror, you begin to gibber. While getting the dynamite. OK, so that's a little flippant, perhaps. But if you want to put Cthulhu monsters into a pulp movie serial or magazine, there should be some narrative incidence of insanity as a result of the encounter. Likewise in an rpg designed to emulate a pulp movie serial or magazine. Now, go for broke and put the Cthulhu monsters on Barsoom. Unless you just want a punching bag made of hit points with a Lovecraftian label attached, there should be some insanity as a result. No? Otherwise what's the point? Stick with big white apes.

I'm happy to respect the opinion of the majority, but since Interplanetary would be considered a pulp genre book, I don't think it's off topic to ask what makes something pulp or not. To me, it's a matter of playing style and description. I don't see the need for fate points or pulp points or any other mechanic, whether to make CoC pulp, or Interplanetary, or any other setting book. So, that's it? A mechanic that allows players to flip a die result? That's what makes pulp, and what CoC lacks? Does Interplanetary have such a mechanic? Does BRP require such to play a Barsoom campaign? Or not. If a moderator is so compelled, feel free to delete my post then.

Alright, I see this all the time and I finally have to ask. What is it that people think needs to be changed to make Call of Cthulhu into "pulp?" I, too, don't see a difference. Unless you want to argue that pulp protagonists don't ever seem to die...

Ah, a good point! Thanks!

That is awesome news! That makes it a must-have for me, thanks!

Oh, look at that! Upon initial read, I thought it read, "Khaaan!"

"Grand Campaigns," and "Secrets of Shanghai," +1! I also want to see Classic Fantasy I and II in hardcover editions, for sale in stores.

Well, congratulations! Looks great.

WB, I totally understand, no problem. RMcS, I appreciate your offer, thanks! It would be great if that works out.

Yes, nicely done, sir!

I would be interested in seeing your "mod doc" for Gamma World, whenever it's finished. I loved that game!

I'm going to disagree, in that I think it should go the other way around. BGB is a compilation of various options from various BRP gamesets from over the years. To me, it makes quite a bit of sense to present in such a collection the system used in the longest-running, unchanged version of BRP that's out there; CoC. Then present various other options, if you like, to allow people to layer on the variants they may prefer. Why would you take an extent, popular system and then revise *it* to fit better with a hodgepodge of various versions of games that are no longer in print? Just my opinion, of course.

I'm not thrilled to hear that a seventh edition may have significant changes in it. The thing that has kept me a loyal consumer of CoC merchandise on a regular basis has been that unlike a lot of other rpg systems, Cthulhu has remained essentially the same. Ah well, it's not on the shelf yet, so I'll just wait and see what they come up with.

Anyone read through this and have impressions to share?

Hm, good point. Complication is out.

Anyone tried Age of Shadow? Opinions?

Hmm. Can't get the full-size preview to display. Anyone got this?

Sure. And you can get a quick-start for Cthulhu, I believe at no cost.

One thing I adore about Chaosium, specifically Cthulhu, is that the new editions consist of minor upgrades that always seem to be transparent and completely backwards-compatible. My players can each have their own printing of the rules, and we can all play together. That is why I will always remain a happy Cthulhu customer. Wish other games were similar. I just get fed up with them.

I've never seen Cthulhu Dark Ages. It's regular CoC with some additional details? As a big Middle Earth fan who's constantly on the verge of settling on a set of BRP variants to run a campaign with, I'd be interested in hearing of your progress on this project.

Wow, nice! Another oldie I can re-acquire someday!

If true, it's a sad insight into trying to run a business without knowing what you're doing. OTOH, 'loss leaders' serve a purpose. Getting a significant increase of people introduced to your product is worth something, too. Then those new players will need to buy books, on which there would hopefully be a better profit. And I'll say it again; boardgames come in boxes. With fiddly bits. Is every gaming company losing money on boxed boardgames? Really?