Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook - Revised Seventh Edition: Horror Roleplaying in the Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft

by Sandy Petersen

Book Overview

Call of Cthulhu is a tabletop roleplaying game based upon the worlds of H. P. Lovecraft. It is a game of secrets, mysteries, and horror. Playing the role of steadfast investigators, you travel to strange and dangerous places, uncover foul plots, and stand against the terrors of the Cthulhu Mythos. You encounter sanity-blasting entities, monsters, and insane cultists. Within strange and forgotten tomes of lore you discover revelations that man was...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1568824300
• ISBN13: 9781568824307
• Release Date: May 2016
• Publisher: Chaosium
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.5" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

3rd edition hardcover review

I have always loved CoC and always will. I think that this little gem is what the later editions tried for and some missed. the art was great the organization good, and it truly is a complete rpg. It just has the look and feel of a quality rpg. You can take this book and run a campaign right out the gate (we did every saturday for a year). So if you want a great nostalgia rpg that is complete, come here and enjoy the adventure, for as long as your sanity holds out. Ps Also as a hardcover this is a version that I want on a shelf next to all my Lovecraftian goodness.

A Classic version of the Great Game

This book was originally published by Games Workshop and represents great value (if you don't get silly and pay what some are asking for it). It is the version I played most in my 29 years of running the game. The covers are glossy, heavy card with the artwork originally used for the 3rd ed boxed set. The binding will withstand years of game use. I speak from experience here. Mine got reasonably hard use for a decade and is still in great condition. Inside there are sections for the Player Book, which details character generation, skills and the small number of rules that to be honest I never asked players to learn. BRP is a very simple system to run for a GM (aka "Keeper" in Call of Cthulhu), The Keeper Book which has all the secret stuff in it like the bestiary and madnesses players will eventually suffer if they continue on their quest for Mythos knowledge, and the Sourcebook for the 1920s, a grab bag of facts that is more fun than indispensable. There is also bound in a copy of the Cthulhu Companion, which gives you an additional six scenarios, including one for a Keeper and a single player (a very rare beast indeed). Six color plates are bound into the middle of the book, all on glossy paper. Very nice they are too. The game as represented in this version of the rules is very, very easy for a would-be Keeper to learn and I recommend it as a beginning GM's introduction on Gothic Horror gaming above any of the others. Earlier versions are too expensive and incomplete, later ones are not bound to this degree of hardiness. The rules have changed in detail since this edition was in print. The major differences boil down to "Orate" and "Debate" being combined as "Persuade", and the skill point allocation multiplier having 5 added to it in each case. But this edition of the game is playable, very much so, as it stands.

The best RPG I have ever played

"Call of Cthulhu" is hands-down my favorite RPG. I have been playing it for about 15 years now, and have to yet to get bored with it. In a testament to it's quality, the core rule book has gone through 5 editions without any changes to the core rules. This version, the 5th edition, is improved by higher production value, nicer art, inclusion of spells/artifacts created for various adventures over the years, and the necessary addition of H.P. Lovecraft's signature story, "The Call of Cthulhu.""Call of Cthulhu's" strength is in it's simplicity. The basic d100 system allows for near instant character creation and absorption of the rules. As an RPG, it is a non-combat game that focuses more on roleplaying and atmosphere. (Indeed, investigators who are combat happy will be short lived. "Call of Cthulhu" is famous for it's high body count.) This system has won pretty much every RPG award available. It is the "system of choice" for my regular gaming group of 10 years. Possibly the best roleplaying game ever made.

A Role Playing Masterpiece

Few role playing games capture the feel of their genre perfectly in both feel and game mechanics. Call of Cthulhu by Chaosium is such a superb game, that it has endured six editions and over 20 years publication. At its core is the Cthulhu Mythos created by master Howard Philips Lovecraft who wove stories based around a pantheon of alien gods, powerful and diabolic beings whose merest incarnation would shatter the tenuous grip we have on our `mundane' world where things like night gaunts or shantaks are minor horrors compared to Yog-Sothoth, Azathoth or Great Cthulhu himself. Around these beings are often cults- dangerous underground societies who want nothing more than to see their fabled masters arise from ages past and walk the Earth again.At it's core Call of Cthulhu is a rather mechanically simple game and characters are easy to put together so long as care as taken to understand what skills are needed with regard to the kind of game the Keeper is planning to run. Once your character is complete, make another one and don't get attached to either of them. Seriously, played smartly, most characters can and will survive physically in tact, mentally, however is another story. As the game progresses and as more and more elements of the Mythos are revealed, characters begin to have their sanity chipped away at. If they are strong (and lucky), they can overcome these lurkers in the darkness and restore some of their lost sanity.Characters can also learn magic from a vast list of spells, some are good, most are not as good. It's important to know how to bind a dimensional shambler before you summon one. Spells and magic items can be the focus of adventures as characters race to prevent a cult from obtaining an artifact that will be used in a ritual to summon Cthugha for weenie roast in Central Park one warm summer night.The beauty of Call of Cthulhu, aside from it's relative cheapness compared to other games (you only need the main source book to begin play), is that it can cover very nearly any era-1890's, 1920's (Lovecraft's era), and the present day, and good Keepers will go to some lengths to make sure their players understand what is and is not possible in the various time lines. Plus there are numerous web sites that deal with Call of Cthulhu and offer a host of resources for players and Keepers alike. It's easy to find historical information based on almost any location in the world that a Keeper may plan to run his or her campaign.Most importantly is the mood of the game itself. I've played Call of Cthulhu for fifteen years and most of the games have had great suspense, excitement, and were a lot of fun. I've played it by candle light in the dead of winter, something that adds so much to the atmosphere. Good keepers can build suspense that, like a good novel, will make your skin crawl with a healthy dose of other-worldly fear. It is also important to remember that Call of Cthulhu isn't a meat grinder that chews up and spits out characters a

Classic horror roleplaying

Classic horror roleplaying at its best, this book is the latest edition of one of the most enduring product lines in the industry. With more than 300,000 copies sold and an armful of industry awards this game is an excellent example of a complete system in one book In this game, the players are ordinary folks battling against the sanity-sapping horrors of the Cthulhu mythos made famous by H. P. Lovecraft. The basic rules have not changed much through five incarnations, mostly due to its completeness and elegant simplicity which made it such a joy to play. Call of Cthulhu also introduced rules for sanity and a whole range of phobias and pyschological disorders which often produced some of the most memorable experiences in gaming.This new edition features tight, concise writing, terrific artwork, and wealth of information and ideas for GMs and players and is a sterling example of how a game should be put together. More importantly, this game actually encourages role play (since threatening any of the otherworldly horrors is a good way to die painfully) and captures the stark horror of the Lovecraft novels perfectly. A worthy addition to any rolegamers shelf.