Will some of the old books get brand new versions for 7e?

[daddystabz]

I am interested in Cthulhu By Gaslight and Masks of  Nyarlahotep.  Will these get 7th edition versions or are we going to leave them as-is?

[nclarke]

TBH they should be way down the list for reprinting. Gaslight had a new edition fairly recently and you can easily use 7e chargen with the Occupations for the 1890's and Masks may be iconic but in all honesty it's getting a bit tired and needs at the very least a rewrite to tighten things up. The MoN Companion book (third party) has taken a long time get into print and is a must for improving/bringing Mask up to a modern level of writing/plotting. If anything is in demand and actually out of print that should get priority. Some of the other Lovecraft Country material would help for example and it's probably not a matter of throwing easily reprinted material at us to get cash flow go.ping/restarted as it was a year or two back..

[TrippyHippy]

Masks was described as the second best selling Chaosium book for Call of Cthulhu, by the previous management. I wouldn't be surprised to see it being updated sometime - maybe full colour with some elaborate handouts - although I suspect a second edition of Beyond The Mountains of Madness is possibly ahead of it in development.

With regards to other supplements, I hope they look at developing new stuff as a priority. I'd like to see some futuristic settings - like Alien/Aliens in space, plus a post apocalyptic setting. And, beyond that, lots of new adventures and scenarios. 

[Sid Vicarious]

This then begs the question....what's in the pipeline? The Chaosium website has some chat about Runequest and Mythic Iceland, but nothing specific regarding CoC 7e releases.

[Mankcam]

I would love to see both Beyond The Mountains Of Madness and The Masks of Nylarthotep updated for CoC 7E. However it's so simple to convert stats from earlier editions to 7E that it's really not an issue either way. 

[Sid Vicarious]

Certainly would like to see an update of BTMOM. And Cthulhu Invictus, although it is comparatively recent and doesn't appear to be priority.I'd like to see a licensee pick it up if Chaosium is busy with other things.

The first CoC book l ever bought was Cthulhu Now, almost 30 years ago.THAT definitely could use an update. 

[Mike M]

Do you 'need' a book to tell you about playing the game in the modern day? The Rulebook and Handbook already have modern skills detailed (Computer Use, etc.). Anything technical would be out of date before it was printed and so on.

I'm reviewing our back catalogue and some of the best will updated and refreshed in terms of content, format, art and layout as an ongoing process.

[TrippyHippy]

The problem with 'modern' books is twofold: firstly, they get dated pretty quickly and secondly, they'll have to compete against other games like Delta Green and The Laundry. 

Personally, I think modern Cthulhu is well covered - although having some more scenarios or campaigns written in the modern day - like Unseen Masters would be welcome.  

 

[rust]

3 hours ago, Sid Vicarious said:

The first CoC book l ever bought was Cthulhu Now, almost 30 years ago.THAT definitely could use an update. 

The German publisher of Call of Cthulhu published an updated Cthulhu Now in 2006. There are a couple of nice articles and descriptions of modern occupations and skills, but overall there is little one could not design in a short time without this or a similar book. Therefore I doubt that an updated Cthulhu Now would really be worth the designers' effort or that it would sell well enough to justify that effort.

[Baulderstone]

I don't think a generic modern book is needed at all. I agree it would date quickly. In any case, it's not like CoC is that detailed a system. The 1920s are still within the modern era with guns, cars and telecommunications. You can use the same basic shooting and driving rules without issue, and communications, whether by telegram or Twitter, don't really require a great deal of mechanical support. 

Call of Cthulhu is also more of an implied setting than a specific setting. While Delta Green has specific NPCs and organizations carrying out specific plans that the PCs can be involved in. Call of Cthulhu has always been much looser. It gives you rules for Lovecraftian monsters and magic, then lets you decide how to use them in the era you are playing in. If Chaosium wanted to do a modern setting book, it would need to be something along the line of Delta Green where it presented a specific campaign model. I'm not saying such a thing is absolutely needed though. It's just the only kind of modern setting book that seems interesting to me. 

As for future supplements, I'd like to see something new. I haven't gotten around to picking up 7E. It's not any form of protest. I just haven't felt motivated to at this point. Updated versions of adventures that I already have aren't going to motivate me. Something new that gets everyone excited might get me interested. 

[AJ The Ronin]

I would love a full color with 7e stats of Malleus Mostroroum. I wouldn't mind if it ends up in 2 volumes. 

[Mankcam]

I quite like seeing Cthulhu across different eras, although it is a niche. Modern Urban Era Mythos, Ancient Age Mythos, Colonial Age Mythos etc are great opportunities for licensees rather than the core company I think.  I would much prefer that Chaosium focuses on the iconic era of the 1920s and 1930s.

There are three main types of books I would like to continue to see:

1. Anthologies of 'one-shot' scenarios - these could be 1920s/1930s, but also an opportunity for other eras. Complete with pre-gens designed for those particular scenarios. These could be themed, or just completely random. Like the recent Nameless Horrors publication. They could range from hard core horror investigations for the purists, through to superficlal serials designed with the ultra pulpy enthusiasts in mind.

2. Lovecraftian County - setting books and small campaigns set in Lovecraft's version of New England USA. Typically 1920s, and hard core purist play would be the focus

3. The Grand Campaigns - global spanning campaigns with lots of exotic locations, in the vein of SoYS, MoN, BtMoM, HotOE. These ideally would be set in the 1920s and 1930s, perhaps being more tailored for action orientated mild pulpy play rather than purist. The kind of sprawling campaigns that attract GMs to the system to run, as part of a GM 'bucket list'.

If Chaosium considers another era other than the 1920s/1930s, then the next logical era is the Victorian/Edwardian 'Gaslight' era from the late 1800s to early 1900s. The core Gaslight book would obviously focus on Great Britain as the heart of the British Empire (just update the most recent Gaslight book), but supplements could also span the empire and beyond, such as Parisan Bohemia, Colonial India, Boer War Africa, French Foreign Legion, the East Indies Company in Java, the American Wild West, Tsarist/Bolshevik Russia etc

But having more than two eras would spread the authors efforts rather thin, so that's the reason I believe the above eras are best served by Chaosium.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Mankcam

[Spence]

5 hours ago, Mankcam said:

1. Anthologies of 'one-shot' scenarios - these could be 1920s/1930s, but also an opportunity for other eras. Complete with pre-gens designed for those particular scenarios. These could be themed, or just completely random. Like the recent Nameless Horrors publication. They could range from hard core horror investigations for the purists, through to superficlal serials designed with the ultra pulpy enthusiasts in mind.

2. Lovecraftian County - setting books and small campaigns set in Lovecraft's version of New England USA. Typically 1920s, and hard core purist play would be the focus

3. The Grand Campaigns - global spanning campaigns with lots of exotic locations, in the vein of SoYS, MoN, BtMoM, HotOE. These ideally would be set in the 1920s and 1930s, perhaps being more tailored for action orientated mild pulpy play rather than purist. The kind of sprawling campaigns that attract GMs to the system to run, as part of a GM 'bucket list'.

If Chaosium considers another era other than the 1920s/1930s, then the next logical era is the Victorian/Edwardian 'Gaslight' era from the late 1800s to early 1900s. The core Gaslight book would obviously focus on Great Britain as the heart of the British Empire (just update the most recent Gaslight book), but supplements could also span the empire and beyond, such as Parisan Bohemia, Colonial India, Boer War Africa, French Foreign Legion, the East Indies Company in Java, the American Wild West, Tsarist/Bolshevik Russia etc

Great post

And my 2 cents.

#1.  I can totally get behind your #1.  I'd have each anthology stay in a single time and setting though.  1920 New England, 1930 Scotland, 1920 Caribbean, etc.

#2.  Perfect.  Though I would add a chapter on tweaks for using them in a more Pulpy game.

#3.  Yes and Yes Again   I agree with the thought of leaning toward pulp, since that is my personal favorite. But like #2, a good chapter on using them in Purist and Pulp. 

I like your take on Gaslight.  But I'd like to not get too narrowly focused on the British Empire.  Other European Powers have great potential for stories as well as US possessions in the 20's & 30's.   Not to mention the worlds Minor Powers of the era.  I'd also not be adverse to seeing some material dip into the 40's. 

Edited June 7, 2016 by Spence

[daddystabz]

I'd love to see a gothic horror book for CoC 7e.  It would tell you how to adapt the game for classic gothic horror in the line of Stoker, Shelley, and, Edgar Allan Poe.

I also would like to see a new Masks update.  The era I want to see updated for CoC is gaslight.  I love the 1800's victorian era and think it is a wonderful period for horror gaming.

[The Hooded Claw]

I would like to see a bumper deluxe  and revised Masks for 7th edition.

Something like what was done to HotOE. Without the administrative meltdown obviously.

[Mankcam]

Seeing MoN 7E in a hardcover with slipcase, which could include a box for handouts/props...that sounds like a kickstarter to me!

[Sid Vicarious]

21 hours ago, Mike M said:

Do you 'need' a book to tell you about playing the game in the modern day? 

Well, no. Nobody said anything about "need". But Chaosium obviously felt there was a place for a modern source book back in the 80s. Currently there are a few options for modern play, but this doesnt necessarily make a Cthulhu "Right Now" redundant. It may even underline its popularity. 

If not a modern source book, then l would certainly like to see a campaign and/or anthologies. Looking forward to "The Things We Leave Behind", albeit from a licencee. 

I would almost certainly buy updated deluxe versions of the big campaigns - Masks, BTMOM, and so on.

 

 

 

 

[mvincent]

I believe an updated English version BtMoM has been in the works for awhile. It seemed the most likely to be the next big conversion project... but that might be awhile off now. It would likely utilize the French (and German) improvements, similar to how HotOE did. 

The French/German versions of BtMoM expand on the adventure, but did not contain as many art improvements as did the French versions of HotOE and MoN. Indeed, the French version of MoN is visually stunning, and I hope Chaosium decides to use that eventually.

I also hope that when BtMoM is redone, they also redo the writing to make it easier to run. I'm currently running BtMoM, and it is a challenge:

• Dozens of NPC's: almost all of which are available at almost all times, and each with detailed backstories and personalities.
• Complicated logistics
• Lengthy writing that does not advance scenes, nor can be read aloud. It extremely difficult to find (or memorize) what you need to run a scene, or what is germane.
• Very little opposition (other than nature: which can be both boring and cumbersome to players)
• NPC's (and their interactions with each other, rather than the PC's) being the focus of the campaign.
• Appears to be written by an author telling a story rather than for ease of use by a keeper.

BtMoM has been hands down the most challenging campaign for me to run (and least enjoyed by my players, despite a lot of work on my part). I cannot recommend it as is. However, seeing how wonderful the new HotOE turned out, I'm holding out hope that a new version of BtMoM could fix these issues... especially if crowd-sourced feedback is used.

Edited June 7, 2016 by mvincent

[rust]

1 hour ago, mvincent said:

BtMoM has been hands down the most challenging campaign for me to run (and least enjoyed by my players, despite a lot of work on my part). I cannot recommend it as is. 

The same here. The campaign suffered from a badly structured information overload, the players either became confused and bored or decided to ignore most of the information completely, concentrating on the action at hand (the little action there actually was). In my opinion half the background material density of the original campaign together with more focus on opportunities for character activities would be better.