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"I need to read another review of WOTC's d20 'Call of Cthulhu' like I need a hole in my head."
I hope you'll stay with me here, because I have two responses to that. First, the following review covers a very different aspect of the game from its predecessors. I am not going to waste your time with a detailed desciption of the d20 mechanics; other reviewers have already done a superb job of this. Instead, I want to take a look at the new Cthulhu from a literary angle. The mechanics are not the only thing distinguishing d20 CofC from Chaosium's original version; there are a number of subtle stylistic changes that should be addressed.
Second, a hole in your head can be advantageous. It's one method to let a little light in there in case you have a hibernating Shan.
This review is not intended to stand alone. Please check out the other reviews and then come one back, especially if you are a long-time player curious whether or not this version is worth a look (hint; it is).
Read on, gentle reader.
ABOUT ME I have played "Call of Cthulhu" since the first edition of the game, and owned four of the subsequent editions (including the limited 20th anniversary release). I'm a big Chaosium fan, having started my gaming life with RuneQuest 2. While I have always loved Chaosium's "Basic Roleplaying" version, I personally have no axe to grind with the d20 system. I own the "Wheel of Time" d20 game, and am currently really enjoying Green Ronin's fine "Mutants & Masterminds." So something you won't be reading here is an attack on d20. You can get that elsewhere.
THE PAGAN EFFECT (SOME BACKGROUND) d20 Cthulhu describes itself as "...the Call of Cthulhu game as seen through the lens of the d20 rules..." (page 5). I would argue this isn't the whole truth. Steve Jackson's "Cthulhupunk," despite its innovative setting, was really more of an example of Cthulhu viewed through the lens of different mechanics. WOTC's Cthulhu is a little bit more than that.
John Tynes, co-author of this version of the game, has brought to d20 Cthulhu what I like to call "the Pagan effect." For those new to the Cthulhu gaming scene, Tynes comes to us from Pagan Publishing, a company that entered the Mythos universe with a fine fanzine, "The Unspeakable Oath." For years, UO supplemented Chaosium's original game with superb adventures, articles, and alternate views of the Chaosium-Cthulhu canon. Issue after issue, UO was always pushing, strecthing, and expanding the game in new directions.
Chaosium's Cthulhu was originally designed to recreate the tone, mood, and setting of Lovecraft's works. Much of the game was centered around "Lovecraft Country," places like the mythical Arkham, Dunwhich, and Innsmouth. It was set, originally, in the same era as Lovecraft's tales (the 1920s). Even the writing style of the main rulebook (especially the editions produced after Lynn Willis came on board)was written "Lovecraft-style"---scholarly and genteel with an undercurrent of menace. The Chaosium version even included detailed timelines of events from Lovecraft's stories and statistics for characters from his works. In short, it existed as a kind of homage to Lovecraft's stories, perceiving them as the core of the Mythos and trying to stick to them as closely as possible. Later, the game did expand into different eras, but it seemed hesitant to stray too far from its roots.
What Tynes and Pagan Publishing did was to go on to produce a series of excellent sourcebooks and scenarios, each of which took the original, Chaosium version of the game into bold new territory. Pagan Publishing recognized that while the Mythos began with Lovecraft, it's key concepts could be applied to several distinct subgenres, eras, and locales. "Coming Full Circle" was a superb non-Mythos setting that introduced psychic feats. "The Golden Dawn" took the famous esoteric 19th century society into Lovecraft's dark cosmos. For my money, the crown jewel of Pagan's work was "Delta Green," a hard-edged setting that dragged the Mythos into the new millennium. DG not only set a new tone, it re-invented a lot of the old Mythos standards. Notable mention should also be made of "Realm of Shadows," which brought us Mordiggian and a detailed look at the ghouls.
d20 Cthulhu is as much "...the Call of Cthulhu game seen through the lens of Pagan Publishing..." as it is a d20 version of the game. Here's how;
A DEVICE TO TELL YOUR STORIES "...don't get too hung up on defining 'the Mythos'...use it as Lovecraft did; as a set of plot devices to tell your stories..." (page 204)
Far more than the Chaosium version, the d20 Cthulhu game is about Mythos subgenres. It doesn't try, as its predeccesor did, to offer an established setting to operate in. Rather, it emphasizes the themes of Mythos stories and offers ideas on using them in various other times and places. It favors hinting and suggesting over attempting to define and create. The chapter on the "Cthulhu Mythos" does not define the entities that make up this anti-pantheon; it only briefly describes them without statistics or details. The rest of the chapter talks about the themes of Mythos stories; cults, books, magic, mysterious secrets, gods and monsters, horrible families, and more. Instead of giving Hit Points for Azathoth, it talks about the elements which make a tale a Mythos tale. After all, the gods are so unknowable and vast that statistics would detract from them rather than enhance (incidentally, statistics are offered for the gods in the back of the book, NOT for use in this game, but for those who want to introduce the Gods and Old Ones into D&D--make of this what you will). The next two chapters give an in depth look at gamemastering Mythos tales and writing Mythos stories.
The Settings chapter again shows the hand of Pagan. Instead of trying to capture the feel and locales of Lovecraft, it discusses various subgenres (Lovecraft Country, Hometown Horrors, Esoteric Orders, Private Troubleshooters, Badges and Secrets, etc). These allow you to create different kinds of groups; a coven of mystics, government agents, private detectives, etc. Then, the chapter divides the 20th century into 10 slices, talking about the flavor and tone of each decade and how the Mythos functions in it.
The rules chapters also show the Pagan Effect. The game now offers Psychic Feats for campaigns that might benefit from them, and detailed catalogues of weapons and the history of 20th century gun laws. These were not part of the original game, and some would argue they stray from the original medium. But the fact remains, some people might want a gun-heavy horror game brimming with government conspiracy, spies, syndicates, and intrigue. Others might want characters with special powers. These things may not be, strictly speaking, Lovecraft, but they can be Mythos. After all, Great Cthulhu is no less menacing if your investigator can read minds, nor does he fear your modern semi-automatic. These things are just examples of how this game is more a "Mythos Buffet" rather than a catered dinner.
SUMMARY The d20 Call of Cthulhu is worth a read, even for die-hard fans of the original game. While it lacks much of the charm of the original, it does offer innovative ideas for those who prefer to build their settings from the ground up. It is versatile, so versatile in fact that many will object to its lack of established setting or even specific genre. The original game immediately conjured up images of smoky speakeasies, bubble-headed flappers, and bathtub gin as much as shuggoths and nightguants. The 1920s, the dim streets of Arkham, and the stench of Innsmouth were all part of the fun. This Cthulhu is a different animal, less a setting than a toolkit for taking the Mythos to new places. While the original emphasizes Lovecraft, this version seems to remind us that thousands of other Mythos writers have had their own visions of the material. It invites us to do the same.
Chaosium's Cthulhu remains the game for those who love Lovecraft. This game is for those who admire the infinite variations and re-interpretations his legacy offers.
