New to CoC

[NYCTom]

Hi guys,

First of all, just found the podcast and am really enjoying the episodes! Thanks

Secondly, I've never played CoC, in any variant, ever.

I've listened to HPPodcraft.com, read a lot of CoC short Stories compilations (currently working on Shotguns vs Cthulhu), and even picked up an edition of The Unspeakable Oath. I *enjoy* the literature.

At GenCon I'm determined to finally start playing CoC. I'm definitely doing Arkham Horror Board Game, but what is the best game for a newbie to play to get a "real" experience of Call of Cthulhu - Delta Green? Gaslight? CoC7?

Also, any advice on how to find a gaming group in NYC would be helpful.

all the best,

[Gladius]

Good old, plain, old fashioned, CoC 6th Edition is, IMO, the best way to experience the game as a beginner. (There is no 7th edition yet, it's just in post-playtest mode and there's currently no scheduled publication date for it). Of course, you may be more interested in modern (Delta Green) or Gaslight (1890s) or ancient (Invictus) but if you want to see what everyone's been raving about for the last 30 years, try the basic BRP-based CoC set in the '20s or '30s. Again, just my opinion.

[PirateLawyer]

I highly recommend Delta Green. It uses the BRP rules system and is a phenomenal sourcebook full of information for modern Call of Cthulhu role-playing.

[Dr. Gerard]

I'll put in another vote for playing 6th Edition Call of Cthulhu in the 20s, set in Arkham or nearby. You might indeed find that you resonate more with modern-era Delta Green, or Gaslight. But I support starting with Lovecraft's own era. If you like the literature, you're already a long way to understanding that setting.

Do you have a favorite Lovecraft story?

[PirateLawyer]

I'll put in another vote for playing 6th Edition Call of Cthulhu in the 20s, set in Arkham or nearby. You might indeed find that you resonate more with modern-era Delta Green, or Gaslight. But I support starting with Lovecraft's own era. If you like the literature, you're already a long way to understanding that setting.

I don't think you can make a wrong choice, but I'd point out one advantage to a Delta Green modern game : a neophyte player will be able to focus on the core elements of the investigation without being ignorant about mundane details, which can spoil the immersion of the narrative; conversely, a new Keeper has a lot less research to do in getting the little details right about the setting in presenting the scenario to the players.

That being said, if you have the right group of people - eg. a bunch of talented amateur historians or what-have-you - it's very fun to participate in Call of Cthulhu games set in the past. But not everyone has the time and inclination to do all that research.

[Dr. Gerard]

I'll put in another vote for playing 6th Edition Call of Cthulhu in the 20s, set in Arkham or nearby. You might indeed find that you resonate more with modern-era Delta Green, or Gaslight. But I support starting with Lovecraft's own era. If you like the literature, you're already a long way to understanding that setting.

I don't think you can make a wrong choice, but I'd point out one advantage to a Delta Green modern game : a neophyte player will be able to focus on the core elements of the investigation without being ignorant about mundane details, which can spoil the immersion of the narrative; conversely, a new Keeper has a lot less research to do in getting the little details right about the setting in presenting the scenario to the players.

That being said, if you have the right group of people - eg. a bunch of talented amateur historians or what-have-you - it's very fun to participate in Call of Cthulhu games set in the past. But not everyone has the time and inclination to do all that research.

That's a fair point. I'd also say that when I started to play in college, none of us worried about accuracy. It's ok to get it wrong. But Delta Green is also a good choice -- it has an excellent solution to the problem of party cohesion that many groups run into with horror games. I'm a bit of a traditionalist, so I'd say have fun emulating Lovecraft's stories if you're a fan. The bottom line -- do whatever gets you inspired most. Dive in. Don't worry about falling on your face. And follow your nose into this awesome abyss of cosmic dread and horror role play.

[trevlix]

I agree with what everyone said, but let me throw out that you may want to consider a non-DG modern game. Playing a modern game will allow everyone to be familiar with the time period, etc. and will allow you to take everyday, modern people and put them into the Lovecraftian situations. With DG and new players, I have seen them become more combat oriented immediately since they typically have more reseources at their disposal. But this is dependant upon you and your group and what they feel most comfortable with.

No matter what time period you choose, you'll have fun!

[PirateLawyer]

I agree with what everyone said, but let me throw out that you may want to consider a non-DG modern game. Playing a modern game will allow everyone to be familiar with the time period, etc. and will allow you to take everyday, modern people and put them into the Lovecraftian situations. With DG and new players, I have seen them become more combat oriented immediately since they typically have more reseources at their disposal. But this is dependant upon you and your group and what they feel most comfortable with.

No matter what time period you choose, you'll have fun!

DG agents and friendlies are normal people too - they just happen, for the most part, to work for the federal government, local law enforcement, or be professionals in a wide range of fields. And sure, with those law enforcement powers, they can do some things normal citizens can't. But trust me when I say this: if DG agents get all gun-happy, they typically end up very dead.

Given the richness of the DG material, I cannot conceive of running a modern game without it. But the beauty of it is, there's a wide range of possibilities within the setting. I've certainly written up DG scenarios whose focus is not on a big government conspiracy but a very small, outwardly mundane point of interest - and I watch my players try to find the Mythos connection that just might not be there at all.

[Nvision]

I found DG a little daunting at first, simply because of the depth and density of the material. It's easy to get inundated in acronyms, for example, and I felt it required far more prep time to acquire the confidence necessary to run an immersive game. The modern setting lends some ease to the players, but I've found it also brings a desire for accuracy with things like firearms and agency procedure. True, it's all in the source material, but committing it to memory and making NPCs sound like they knew what they were doing was a bit of a task for me. Then again, playing with friends is vastly different (and more forgiving) than running convention games with strangers, which may have been the wrong place to start running DG :p

I like the classic era as it's kind of filled with a little bit of wonder and foreignness for all (or most) involved, and you can stumble through the learning curve together.

As for finding a group, try here first: http://www.yog-sothoth.com/alli_playermap.php Just scroll to where you're looking for players and there may well be open groups, or folks looking to join a game.

[Howard]

Hi guys,

First of all, just found the podcast and am really enjoying the episodes! Thanks

Secondly, I've never played CoC, in any variant, ever.

I've been on board with the podcast since the beginning(often promoting it on other forums), however, I've never played CoC either. I'm a gamer from 80'ish who passes the time at work with actual play podcasts. I've been with the Skype of Cthulhu show since the beginning as well. Because the game CoC is more investigative and less dice rolling, they make for the better Actual play shows. My current gaming group plays WFRP and Hackmaster but when we get off genre(modern/horror/pulp) we usually use the Hero System rules. Back in the 80's, I've played through the entire CHILL catalog and loved it. I remember seeing that other horror game that I couldn't pronounce with the mind flayer on the cover and thought, "that game won't last".