Jump to content

Books to get Started in CoC


Belgath

Recommended Posts

I recently join the organized play group "love RunQuest Glorantha" but it appears to manly be focused on CoC. What are the best book to get me started?  Looking St spend about $200. It also looked like there was only PDF will there be printed hard backs out soon for CoC7 source and supplements? I will be at GenCon so would be happy to buy the physical books if they going to have them there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you could start with the 7th edition Rulebook, the 7th edition Investigators Handbook, Pulp Cthulhu and perhaps a collection of adventures like Nameless Horrors to get a feel for the Cthulhu setting. I would not recommend the Keeper's Companions and Malleus Monstrorum because I think that they still use the 6th edition rules, in my view it would be better to wait for the 7th edition versions.

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Things you might consider:

Rulebook 7e

Invesitgator Handbook 7e

Keeper Screen 7e

Dead Light - stand alone scenario - good intro scenario which could follow The Haunting in the Quick-Start Rules.

Nameless Horrors

Then - coming soon:

Pulp Cthulhu (PDF available now)

Doors to Darkness - collection of scenarios aimed at newer Keepers.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd also say you don't need  the Keeper Companions or Malleus Monstrorum yet.

You'll have plenty to be getting on with the 7e Rulebook, 7e investigator Handbook and some adventures.

I'd suggest you don't even need Pulp Cthulhu until you've played some "normal" Call of Cthulhu a few times.

The 7e Keeper's Screen is a very useful addition though.

Edited by groovyclam
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is everyone really on board with the new edition, or just being polite because this is the company board, and the editors post here? Hope this isn’t a taboo question, and I don’t mean to offend; I just assumed most people were sticking with 6e or earlier.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Falconer said:

Is everyone really on board with the new edition, or just being polite because this is the company board, and the editors post here? Hope this isn’t a taboo question, and I don’t mean to offend; I just assumed most people were sticking with 6e or earlier.

No, I am really using the 7th edition now, although I have to admit that I began to use it only because of Secrets of Tibet and then Pulp Cthulhu, which are both very useful for my campaigns. However, I also still use the 6th edition, mainly because of the excellent German supplements published for it, like the ones for the Dreamlands or for the Gaslight era. :)

Edited by rust
  • Like 1

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Falconer, you know what the say about assumptions. I see most UK based con Keeper's switching over to 7e now that books are in the wild rather than only through KS/Backerkit. The authors did a good job in retaining backwards compatibility so using older material is easy and can be done on the fly. Not sure that you can even get a hard copy of 6e any longer although Chaosium are still offering pdf's I believe.

I ran The Derelict for Free RPG day at a local game store and no-one had any trouble dealing with 7e if they had played under previous editions. I shall be running a shortish campaign in September using Pulp Cthulhu and 7e and set in the South Pacific and I'm currently playing in an on-line game of Curse of Nineveh using 7e and no shortage of interest due to using 7e.

There are however some people who are still playing 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th edition CoC or still playing 6e just because they don't want to learn a new game in the same way folks are still using AD&D and D&D 3.5 even though 7e CoC is really very simple to change over to unlike later D&D editions.

  • Like 2

Nigel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Were starting a 6 week CoC game block at our club. Were using 6th edition as that's what everyone has got. No one see's the point of rebuying everything they've got already, even if it's a good update (which I know it is). For me it's financial - even if i wanted to, I can't afford it, especially with gods war looming.

-----

Search the Glorantha Resource Site: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com. Search the Glorantha mailing list archives: https://glorantha.steff.in/digests/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With an earlier edition plus the CoC 7E free QuickStart PDF,  then that would be all anyone would need to run any new scenarios. However considering that there are only a few CoC 7E scenarios available at present I suspect many people will get by quite well for a long time with any of the earlier editions of the game and vice versa, regardless of adding the CoC 7E QuickStart or not.

I am really happy that there is a reason to buy the current edition of CoC (beyond just updating for the sake of it), yet there isn't a huge pressure to do so due to fear of becoming radically obsolete. This was a good move from Chaosium's part; very respectful to their fan base yet bringing a sense of freshness to the game at the same time.

In addition to the production value, the few changes within the rules and game mechanics are definitely an improvement in my opinion.

Edited by Mankcam

" Sure it's fun, but it is also well known that a D20 roll and an AC is no match against a hefty swing of a D100% and a D20 Hit Location Table!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Belgath said:

I recently join the organized play group "love RunQuest Glorantha" but it appears to manly be focused on CoC. What are the best book to get me started?

Are you going to be mainly playing or are you going to be Keeping as well? If the former, I'd just get 7e Investigator's Handbook and play the hell out of some mysteries/campaigns. Then branch out to the 7e rulebook if you're going to be Keeping some campaigns, or one-shots.

15 hours ago, Belgath said:

Looking at picking up the following. Is there anything I should add?

Call of the keeper screen 7th
Keeper companion 1 & 2
Malleus Monstrorum
Pulp Cthulhu
Call of Cthulhu 7th 

Seems like quite a lot to digest as it is.

14 hours ago, Mike M said:

Things you might consider:

What shocking suggestions from the CoC 7th edition line editor! "Get nearly every CoC 7e book and supplement released so far, and then get more 7e products when they're available". ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Falconer said:

Is everyone really on board with the new edition, or just being polite because this is the company board, and the editors post here? Hope this isn’t a taboo question, and I don’t mean to offend; I just assumed most people were sticking with 6e or earlier.

I'm not being polite; I like 7th edition better than 6th edition, and will recommend it accordingly. Though I guess I will be polite in saying that I understand why other folks prefer some of the pre-6th editions as the classic, more old-school version of the game. (And impolite in saying that 6th edition is a good game wrapped in an unreadable hot mess of a layout: if you don't want 7th edition, get edition 5.6 or 5.6.1, which are the exact same content, as far as I can tell, but in a readable layout.)

Belgath, my advice would be to download the free Seventh Edition Quick-Start Rules PDF (which includes the classic starter scenario "The Haunting") and the free solo adventure Alone Against the Flames, and to buy either the 7th-edition Investigator Handbook (if you're going to be a player) or the Keeper Rulebook and Keeper Screen pack (if you're going to GM), and to digest all that material before you pick up anything else. If you're GMing, I'd concur with Mike Mason's suggestion of the upcoming 7th-edition scenario pack Doors to Darkness, which includes adventures set in the game's "classic" locations and era (Lovecraft Country in the 1920s) plus advice for new GMs.

Nameless HorrorsDead Light, and Pulp Cthulhu can wait until you've gotten comfortable; all are worthwhile IMO, but you don't need them, and certainly not as part of your initial embrace of the game. The rulebooks are plenty of reading on their own. :-)

Edit: The reprints of the 7th-edition books are on the boat(s) from China, per this G+ post by Chaosium's Michael O'Brien.

Edited by trystero

— 
Self-discipline isnt everything; look at Pol Pot.”
—Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the answers, everyone. I didn’t mean that I doubt that anyone is genuinely pro-7e; I just hope there isn’t a culture here where it’s taboo to be pro- any other edition. I’m glad to see diverse opinions.

Personally, as a newbie I found the 2nd Edition core set the very easiest to digest. As a player, I also always enjoyed the expanded occupations found in the Investigator’s Companion Volume II. As a GM, I like a good Screen and Shadows of Yog-Sothoth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm another who is sticking with 5e.

The changes in 7e aren't huge, but I don't really see any of them as 'improvements'... just alterations.

My gripe is more with what I see as an overall change in tone and GM advice pushing some ideas I'm not on board with. It's a great looking book, definite improvement over 6e's visual mess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Falconer said:

 I just hope there isn’t a culture here where it’s taboo to be pro- any other edition. 

Certainly not, so no need to worry. ;)

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Falconer said:

Is everyone really on board with the new edition, or just being polite because this is the company board, and the editors post here? Hope this isn’t a taboo question, and I don’t mean to offend; I just assumed most people were sticking with 6e or earlier.

As someone who has been critical of changes in 7E (and still am), I can assure you that the creators or anyone else for that matter have never attempted to shut down criticism on this site or anywhere else. The new edition itself is not a massive departure anyway, and so there is only so far that criticisms can really go anyway. If you are a new player, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the new edition. If you are a more established player, it'd be the sort of thing you'd possibly debate over a friendly beer.  The main things that I'm critical of are more the bits and pieces that were chopped out (like the Call of Cthulhu short story), and it's why I hold on to my old editions. Most of the rule issues can be picked or not as each group wants.

The new Pulp Cthulhu, if you are into action/adventure style play, is unquestionably well delivered and fun. If you are looking for something more sombre, then currently the Cubicle 7 stuff is probably the best there is. 

Edited by TrippyHippy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As someone who loves the changes, if anything, I tend to perceive here and Yog as more critical of the changes than among casual CoC players. Nobody seems to be bothered either way.

I should say love the changes except the ablities going from 3-18 to percentile because I was used to converting them in my head and now in 7th I keep finding myself unconverting them then reconverting to percentages in my head. I realize this means I probably failed a SAN roll somewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Numtini said:

 I realize this means I probably failed a SAN roll somewhere.

This is just a normal long term consequence of playing Call of Cthulhu ... ;)

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I have thoroughly enjoyed my initial read through. As I have never played the earlier versions of the game. So I can't compare it to earlier versions but I like what I see with CoC7 and Pulp C looks like a lot of fun. I will run a  couple one shots in a week or so. My kids want a really scary adventure any recommendations something Will run from 4 to 10 hr that would spook my teenage kids out?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/16/2016 at 7:35 PM, Belgath said:

Also would love to join a roll 20 game even if it jest a one time adventure.

There are folks who are running A Time to Harvest via Roll20 so that might be feasible for you to do!

(I'm currently only running it in person, but I've been considering doing an online run as well)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...