Quote from: B.T.;548402Going back over COC 6e, here are some things that I like/dislike.

• The game is very focused on how it should play.  The system could be adapted for other settings and playstyles, but the game focuses on the investigation of Mythos phenomenon.

• Like SIZ as a stat.  Seems better and less arbitrary than size categories in D&D, and I like the damage/health bonus from it.  Much better than Toughness in WFRP, I think.  Would also consider adding a to-hit modifier base on SIZ for both large and small creatures (rules only give a bonus for big creatures).

• Don't like the multiplication involved in allotting skill points.  Very tedious.

• Do like that skills can start out reasonably high.  Unlike in WFRP (my d% system of choice), where you're lucky to get 30% in a skill.

• Split on the Luck/Know stats.  Part of me likes it; part of me feels it's too generic.

• Very much like the Occupations.  Far superior to other skill systems I've seen.

• Dislike the movement rules.  Too abstract for my taste.

• I despise the Resistance Table.  Absolutely loathe it.  Anything that requires me looking up numbers on a chart and cross-referencing them is a huge turn-off.

• Too many different combat skills.  Best to combine them.  Also don't like that blunt weapons cannot impale.  As "impale" is really just "critical hit," it seems unfair to deprive them of such.  Do like the overall impale mechanics.

• Lots of choice DM advice in the book.

• Love the spells, but they need to be formatted and put with the actual spell section.  Also, some of the mechanical descriptions are vague and a bit confusing.

First of all, I very much liked your honest and objective post.

Most of your gripes are mechanical seem very easy to houserule away.

However, I'm a bit confused by your complaint about "focus". What sort of scenario would you like to pull with CoC, that you feel the game's ill-equipped to handle? (I'm a fan of running non-Mythos CoC. I've even run a zombie apocalypse scenario with it once)

Not a complaint, merely an observation--that it has a definite timeframe and style of gameplay in mind.

Quote from: B.T.;548543Not a complaint, merely an observation--that it has a definite timeframe and style of gameplay in mind.

D&D, like CoC, is a "strong personality" game system, which imprints its very unique style on any scenario you pass through it. But like D&D it's receptive to a surprising variety of settings and adventures.

I had an epiphany when I read this (an actual sentence in the book): "Lovecraft didn't restrict himself to the Mythos, and neither should you." Since then I've been using CoC as a generic horror engine every now and then (though nWoD is another good contender for certain scenarios).

BTW, for anyone looking into a system for a zombie survival horror game, look no further. Friends and loved ones rising from the dead to devour the flesh of the living, and CoC's deadly combat (I suggest injecting BRP/RQ-like hit locations or SB/OQ Wounds for extra gore) and Sanity spiral make for an awesome, if pretty bleak game at times.

I think CoC works well in any setting that doesn't involve cellphones, Cable/Dish TV, or the Internet.  CoC settings make players read and write journals, collect photographs, check fuse boxes, and keep a supply of flares with them.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;548678I think CoC works well in any setting that doesn't involve cellphones, Cable/Dish TV, or the Internet.  CoC settings make players read and write journals, collect photographs, check fuse boxes, and keep a supply of flares with them.

In one guy's epic CoC mini-campaign, he used journals written in-character by former players as props for our "new" PCs to discover and study. Good stuff.

I don't have a lot of experience with modern-day CoC, but I agree that it'd feel fairly different. Perhaps Delta Green is better suited for this period (can't wait for the new edition, BTW).

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;548678I think CoC works well in any setting that doesn't involve cellphones, Cable/Dish TV, or the Internet.  CoC settings make players read and write journals, collect photographs, check fuse boxes, and keep a supply of flares with them.

I don't know; I was generally of the style of preferring 20s CoC myself, but a recent short game I ran set in the modern era was really fantastic in terms of how things like cellphones and internet changed a lot of the pace, issues around research etc.  Its not as clear cut as saying "these things just make it too easy", they simplify some things, but not others, and add their own complexities.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;549010I don't know; I was generally of the style of preferring 20s CoC myself, but a recent short game I ran set in the modern era was really fantastic in terms of how things like cellphones and internet changed a lot of the pace, issues around research etc.  Its not as clear cut as saying "these things just make it too easy", they simplify some things, but not others, and add their own complexities.

RPGPundit

Take away i[NTERNET]Phones and high-speed modems from 24 and you get this universe. http://www.collegehumor.com/video/3052195/24-the-unaired-1994-pilot

Cell phones are great for Call of Cthulhu! Just have some pre-prepared creepy messages and texts to send players.

I also highly recommend playing with walkie-talkies, especially if you can have each of the players in a different room with no lights on.

Quote from: B.T.;548402Going back over COC 6e, here are some things that I like/dislike.

• I despise the Resistance Table.  Absolutely loathe it.  Anything that requires me looking up numbers on a chart and cross-referencing them is a huge turn-off.

Anyone who's vaguely numerate can do the resistance table in their head. i.e. 50+ n*5, where n is the active - passive stat value. Is that really that hard?