What can you tell me about the setting of this Cthulhu-like game? What are it's best supplements and how do they add to the setting?
The setting is a little like X-Files or but seen from a dysfunctional, darkly comic British point of view. So you are fighting Cthulhu and budget cuts at the same time and whatever you do you'll need to in triplicate. How you balance the civil service satire and the horror is up to you.
The system is a slightly cut down version of Call of Cthulhu; still a little too detailed for the subject matter, the new Dr Who system would have been a better match, but it still works.
I've only played it once. I'd happily play it again.
How is it cut down from Call of Cthulhu?
I own the core rulebook and as far as I can determine it's more BRP than CoC; there are properly explained rules for opposed skill rolls and levels of success, for example.
The only supplement I picked up so far is God Game Black, because that expands the canon, incorporating information from the most recent novel.
You are probably best placed to judge than I am. The GM described the system to me as cut down CoC and when I was creating a character it did indeed look rather familiar. Not being a CoC veteran I would not be able to point out the differences if any.
If you say it's closer to Basic Roleplaying I am happy to take your word for it. Either way, for the purposes of this thread, the description should be adequate to give the OP a general sense of what to expect from the game.
It's basicly a more mechanically solid CoC, Laundry-style. Its good, but not so good that I've run it. Yet, at least.
Jason D haunts these forums. He wrote the thing.
If you slaughter a chicken and summon him, he'll probably be happy to fill in the details.
Quote from: 3rik;742369How is it cut down from Call of Cthulhu?
I own the core rulebook and as far as I can determine it's more BRP than CoC; there are properly explained rules for opposed skill rolls and levels of success, for example.
The only supplement I picked up so far is God Game Black, because that expands the canon, incorporating information from the most recent novel.
Yes, more canon is always good. Learned another thing. I think I like canon. Last couple of years I played games without any official canon. It does offer some flexibility, but I never really got into it. To me a setting without canon, doesn't really feel like a setting at all. Probably because there isn't any "world in motion" present.
I'm running a Laundry campaign (started more than a year ago).
What I like :
_If your players (or yourself) are burned-out on Cthulhu it is a nice way to go back to it with a different point of view, CoC players who keep the same habits (put every skill point on Rifle, Research and Spot Hidden :D) won't last long.
_The mix of horror and terror (especially in the available adventures) is really good. This is not a CoC spoof and is not played only for laughs, between the moments of humor there are moments of true horror. It is interesting because it fits the mood of most gaming groups I've gamed with. Keeping a 100% horror mood is quite difficult, most of the time someone cracks a joke, if only to relieve the tension.
_Laundry adventures follow that kind of rythm : at one moment a little girl make the players laugh and crack jokes when she tells them about her invisible friend Yog-Snuffles and a moment later they run away screaming after Yog-Snuffles has torn a SAS commando into pieces.
_Even what seems to be the funny bits (red tape mostly) has a good (and frightening) reason to exist. When it is possible to fry your brain or read a restricted file by using a paperclip you touched, well, yes, there are strict rules concerning the use of paperclips in the Laundry.
_Characters don't have to be super-agents or former navy seals (à la Delta Green). The recruiting methods of the Laundry allows interesting and fun character concepts (my gaming group is made of a former janitor, a feng-shui specialist, a cryptographer and a doctor). The point is that the players, as their characters don't have to be well-versed in the spy genre, techniques and lingo to enjoy the game.
_The adventures available so far are top-notch : offering that mix of humor and terror I talked about, relying more on player decisions than dice rolls and yes you can survive them even if you only have a pistol skill of 15%.
_As in the books the adventures get darker and darker. The humor is merely what prevents the game from becoming very depressing.
_You don't have to like the novels to like the game (I don't like them)
If you can only get one supplement go for Black Bag Jobs, all the adventures in this book are pure awesome.
Let me get this straight.
I own a well-worn but very well-conserved copy of 15th anniversary CoC 5.5e.
I'm pledged on both Raiders of R'lyeh and the CoC Brazilian Portuguese translation crowdfunding efforts.
I'm picking up L'Appel de Cthulhu in ten days.
And you're telling me there's another version of CoC I might want to pick up?
Well, screw you guys. :D
Really, my interest us piqued. I'll look into it.
I have the core book, but avoided reading it when I purchased it because it contained 'spoilers' for the third Laundry novel (which I had not read at the time, but subsequently have). Since I was running a sporadic CoC 1920s campaign at the time anyway, I left it on my bookshelf. That was 2+ years ago (*sigh*). Once I have some spare time, I plan to go through it properly, and possibly run it this summer or autumn.
I wonder how good the adventures are for only one player? My wife is a huge fan of the novels, but not a RPG player (though not deeply 'opposed' to them either; she just sees RPGs as something that I generally do with my 'guy friends', which is fine with me). It would be great if I could run the game for her on the odd Sunday afternoon when we don't have any plans.
Quote from: Akrasia;742430I wonder how good the adventures are for only one player? My wife is a huge fan of the novels, but not a RPG player (though not deeply 'opposed' to them either; she just sees RPGs as something that I generally do with my 'guy friends', which is fine with me). It would be great if I could run the game for her on the odd Sunday afternoon when we don't have any plans.
Hmm. You'd probably need to give her a few extra skill points (or use the rules for veteran agents from the Agent's Handbook) to compensate for the lack of other characters, although you could also make use of the requisitioning rules and have her bring in consultants when needed.
Of the adventures, I think all the ones in the corebook should be fine. Most of Black Bag Jobs should also be fine, although two (
Secret Agendas and
The Shadow over Kafiristan) sort of assume that the players will be split between the dreamlands and the waking world for sections of the adventure, but that's not hard-wired into the adventure.
In the upcoming Unconventional Diplomacy anthology, two of the adventures would be tricky-but-not-impossible for a single PC (admittedly,
The Scramble for Buranda is just merrily lethal for everyone...)
Quote from: kobayashi;742417_The mix of horror and terror (especially in the available adventures) is really good. This is not a CoC spoof and is not played only for laughs, between the moments of humor there are moments of true horror.
OH! Well that's good to know. What little I'd read about the series had me thinking it was much more comedic. If it has a serious edge then I oughtta take a further look.
I'll just quote the main character (from
the Fuller memorandum) :
QuoteBecause the truth is, my God is coming back. When he arrives I’ll be waiting for him with a shotgun. And I’m keeping the last shell for myself.
Quote from: Mytholder;742432In the upcoming Unconventional Diplomacy anthology, two of the adventures would be tricky-but-not-impossible for a single PC (admittedly, The Scramble for Buranda is just merrily lethal for everyone...)
Heh.
Buranda. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_places_in_Yes_Minister#Buranda)
Quote from: 3rik;742369How is it cut down from Call of Cthulhu?
I own the core rulebook and as far as I can determine it's more BRP than CoC; there are properly explained rules for opposed skill rolls and levels of success, for example.
It's a slightly simplified version of the Call of Cthulhu rule set, with some of the innovations and lessons learned from BRP.
I think I did a better job on it than I did on BRP, but your mileage will vary.
Quote from: Soylent Green;742370You are probably best placed to judge than I am. The GM described the system to me as cut down CoC and when I was creating a character it did indeed look rather familiar. Not being a CoC veteran I would not be able to point out the differences if any.
If you say it's closer to Basic Roleplaying I am happy to take your word for it. Either way, for the purposes of this thread, the description should be adequate to give the OP a general sense of what to expect from the game.
It was deliberately designed to be easily-compatible with CoC, so that GMs could utilize the wealth of material available for that game. It would take little effort at all to Launder a modern CoC or
Delta Green scenario.
Quote from: baragei;742371Jason D haunts these forums. He wrote the thing.
If you slaughter a chicken and summon him, he'll probably be happy to fill in the details.
Mmm.... chicken.
To be clear, though, Gareth Hanrahan and John Snead did far more than I did on the line. I provided the core rules and some later source material. Pound for pound,
The Laundry is Gareth's baby.