Greetings all -

Longtime lurker, first time poster here -  I was looking for some information and I'm hoping the group can help me.

I'm a long-time fan of call of Cthulhu, having purchased a handful of supplements here and there over the years. But never have had the opportunity to play.  Now that my group is ready to give it a go, I'd like to try running it.

My problem is I've heard a lot about the "Wokeness" of the new version and I'd like to try to avoid that at all costs.  I'm just looking for a good story and some easy beginner adventures that would fit well with our group. We're not really into the social justice movement and would just like to concentrate on telling our own stories and having fun. All that other stuff just gets in the way as far as we're concerned.  That might be all well and good for others out there, and I'm not knocking anybody for that, but it's not for us. To each their own you know.

So can anybody tell me what would be the best books and supplements to avoid for New Cthulhu? How far back do I need to go in order to play a game that is not tainted with the new agenda?  Thank you very much for your help in advance.

Aztecman

I have a rune-tattoo-covered Odinist ex-military type about to run some 7e Cthulu for me & co, will let you know what he comes up with!

Quote from: aztecman;1113549Greetings all -

Longtime lurker, first time poster here -  I was looking for some information and I'm hoping the group can help me.

I'm a long-time fan of call of Cthulhu, having purchased a handful of supplements here and there over the years. But never have had the opportunity to play.  Now that my group is ready to give it a go, I'd like to try running it.

My problem is I've heard a lot about the "Wokeness" of the new version and I'd like to try to avoid that at all costs.  I'm just looking for a good story and some easy beginner adventures that would fit well with our group. We're not really into the social justice movement and would just like to concentrate on telling our own stories and having fun. All that other stuff just gets in the way as far as we're concerned.  That might be all well and good for others out there, and I'm not knocking anybody for that, but it's not for us. To each their own you know.

So can anybody tell me what would be the best books and supplements to avoid for New Cthulhu? How far back do I need to go in order to play a game that is not tainted with the new agenda?  Thank you very much for your help in advance.

Aztecman

LMAO
Are you serious? Because this reads like delicious satire...

Quote from: aztecman;1113549How far back do I need to go in order to play a game that is not tainted with the new agenda?  Thank you very much for your help in advance.

Aztecman

Pretty much anything published before 2012 should be fine.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;1113556Pretty much anything published before 2012 should be fine.

Ok, very good then, that's good to know. Is the newest version of the Masks of Nyarlathotep boxed set ok or should I stick to the original version?

Quote from: aztecman;1113568Ok, very good then, that's good to know. Is the newest version of the Masks of Nyarlathotep boxed set ok or should I stick to the original version?

I've got the pdf of the new version (I'm assuming you mean the recent "deluxe" edition). It's fine and has some nice full color art. But if you've got any post 1996 printing, that will serve just as well. They added a ton of extra bulk - I think it's nearly 3 times the page count of my 1996 version - without adding all that much to the campaign. The major addition is a new "prequel" chapter in Peru where the investigators meet Jackson Elias.

Aztecman! Welcome aboard! Definitely post more!

Pre-2012 product is decent demarcation point, but I'd go earlier. CoC is an odd beast in that very little changed in its early editions so any pre-2000 "edition" is nigh-identical. If you want to avoid "Woke-thulhu" (btw, that's very cool), skip anything Chaosium has been selling because those asswipes don't deserve your time or money.

Also, here's the BEST CoC supplement. It's Silent Legions by Kevin Crawford.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145769/Silent-Legions

Quote from: Dimitrios;1113571I've got the pdf of the new version (I'm assuming you mean the recent "deluxe" edition). It's fine and has some nice full color art. But if you've got any post 1996 printing, that will serve just as well. They added a ton of extra bulk - I think it's nearly 3 times the page count of my 1996 version - without adding all that much to the campaign. The major addition is a new "prequel" chapter in Peru where the investigators meet Jackson Elias.

I saw that, it's tempting for sure. I just didn't want to drop alot of money on it if there's content in it that's part of the Nu-Chaosium mindset. I do have access to a copy of the original version, but the newest one is greatly expanded. The prop kit from http://www.hplhs.org/ is also very impressive.

Quote from: Spinachcat;1113584Aztecman! Welcome aboard! Definitely post more!

Pre-2012 product is decent demarcation point, but I'd go earlier. CoC is an odd beast in that very little changed in its early editions so any pre-2000 "edition" is nigh-identical. If you want to avoid "Woke-thulhu" (btw, that's very cool), skip anything Chaosium has been selling because those asswipes don't deserve your time or money.

Also, here's the BEST CoC supplement. It's Silent Legions by Kevin Crawford.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145769/Silent-Legions

Spinachcat - So you think COC 5th edition is ok? that's the current version I have now. Yes, I am very careful about giving my money to companies nowadays. I can't justify paying to support their agenda. Others might, (and that's fine for them) but I'd rather pay for content I enjoy.

I've heard about Silent Legions, I just may have to pick that up! Are there any supplements or just the one book?

Honestely, the current CoC 7E products are not much different to the earlier stuff, except mainly in production value and illustration colour (a bit too colourful at times).

No one's gonna go marching at a protest rally after playing C7oC 7E.

I wonder if Woke-thulhu is just a natural result of one too many failed san checks from producing too much Cthulhu?

Other side effects may include drinking too much soy, colouring your hair fluorescent pink and thinking that there are more then two genders.

5th edition is a solid edition. If my 2nd and 3rd edition books vanished, I'd be happy with 5th and I probably wouldn't even notice any differences. The early editions of CoC were basically the Core Game + added resources, so my 3rd edition is just my 2nd edition with some more goodies like adventures, monsters and magic. 5th is the same thing.

As for Silent Legions, there is only the core book, but its freaking amazing with ideas to support creating your own Mythos campaign and even if you never use the OSR system in the book, the random tables are made of gold for CoC.

My group is 6 sessions into the new Masks of Nyarlathotep, and we are having a blast with it. This is our first CoC game, and I can't comment on previous editions or other adventures. I've got my hands full with this. We also are just regular gamers, not particularly interested in identity politics.

I gather there were a few race swaps from the previous version, but I've been playing it 100% by the book (with one exception, see below) and haven't had any problems and nothing has seemed jarringly out of place.

I know, you read some of these posts and can't help but think the game is a bunch of oppression olympians smashing the patriarchy with the horror element taking the back seat. It's not like that. You are shooting at and allying with people of all types. They might mention the racism present in 1920 but really, they aren't lying about it.

The handouts/props from the newer set really add quite a bit to the game and should be a consideration, so the players can make a "crazy wall" and try to make sense of the clues and decide what to do next. I've seen there are some more extensive third party sets that you could also use with older versions, so that can be an option to.

The included pregenerated characters are the only thing I haven't used, as they don't appear to have been generated "normally" and aren't balanced, with a few Lovecraftian Superheroes in there. Fighting over who got to be Caramon was acceptable in 1985 but nowadays I expect balanced characters, or at least something a little less blatant. I just made some new pregens for it using the standard rules and that problem was solved.

So I would say the social justice content is pretty low, but higher than zero. If you are a zealot who is going to rage about the less than zero, maybe try the excellent Delta Green instead. I would give Masks 2 thumbs up, way up even.

Hey kids, the new sandwich everybody loves only has a little shit shoved into it and you can always eat around that part!! So it's not really a shit sandwich, just a delicious meal with just a wee tad of fresh poop inside. You'll hardly notice the smell if you hold your nose!

Fuck Chaosium.

Quote from: Spinachcat;1113602Hey kids, the new sandwich everybody loves only has a little shit shoved into it and you can always eat around that part!! So it's not really a shit sandwich, just a delicious meal with just a wee tad of fresh poop inside. You'll hardly notice the smell if you hold your nose!

Fuck Chaosium.

Sir, does this mean Ann Margaret is not coming?