Chaosium Inc Call of Cthulhu Starter Set

I'm blown away. Let me first separate the two spheres here: there is the game system itself called Call of Cthulhu and there is this starter set which is what I'm rating 5 stars. This starter set is phenomenal value for money. It costs less than many guides that accompany the game and certainly costs less than any guide for D&D. The solo adventure is a great introduction to the plights of a Lovecraftian protagonist and could serve as the basis for a short multiplayer campaign if properly modified. It comes with group adventures too as well as props in the form of maps and letters to give a little bit more immersion to the table. It comes with a set of dice plus one die I'll talk about later. The empty box actually makes a decent rolling surface as well, so in theory it comes with a table. Let's talk about the gameplay itself, the enjoyment of which is entirely subjective and dependent on many factors. It is a roleplaying game which means players embody characters with recognizable traits and drive the narrative forward to move progress in the game. There is no single clearly defined goal or even a definition of winning. In its intended form it is run by one non-player called the Lorekeeper who narrates elements of the world for the players and manages interactions involving the world, objects, and non-player characters. Call of Cthulhu has players assume the roles of investigators who, through accident or purpose, become entangled in strange circumstances like an ominous mystery or secretive assignment which exposes them to some larger grand narrative. These exposures, not expressly defined as such by the game manual but generally accepted as the climax of good cosmic horror, usually include paranormal horror fantasy elements and broadly Lovecraftian plot devices such as cults, magical artifacts, secret societies, cosmic deity-level antagonists which could bring the ruckus and end humanity, and the insanity brought upon typical humans by pondering the implications of such things. Much like other tabletop RPGs players are expected to piece together their world through interactions with non-player characters and with physical objects with the outcomes (including success) of many interactions being governed by chance. Ignore people complaining that a die is the wrong color. That is the extra percentile die which is rolled with the other two to give advantage or disadvantage to the player for their skill check. Depending on the desired probability of success you would use the higher number or the lower one. The actual game system for Call of Cthulhu has some out-of-the-ordinary elements, chief among which is abnormal psychology. Investigators (player characters) have a sanity score which can change. Typically, sanity is reduced through exposure to paranormal events until it falls below a threshold after which the investigator develops some sort of psychological abnormality that could potentially affect their ability to reason or interact with the world in a meaningful way. In other words, characters can go completely insane. There are very detailed lists of phobias, manias, etc. included in the starter kit which could afflict players, some sooner rather than later. There is also a luck system which could be used to modify skill checks, a "push" system for attempting a roll again in which a second failure results in critical failure, and a magic point system. These features add a lot of narrative flexibility. Your players might need to Indiana Jones or Harry Potter some stuff here and there. They are bags of salty water fighting against timeless evil from the space between spaces, after all.

If you're new to roleplay games and like H. P. Lovecraft, you're gonna love this set. This kit has everything you essentially need to start playing immediately. The first booklet is a self adventure you can play yourself or read to someone like I did. The former option helps you get used to being the "narrator", Call of Cthulu's term for being a dungeon master. There are 5 character sheets that are premade with spaces for you to fill out fully your complete backstory. There are also a few blank pages where you can create your own character if you'd like too, but that might be daunting if your players are new or are children. The second booklet is a very condensed rulebook. This is enough for you to play out a few scenerios but I imagine if you like this game that you'll purchase the bigger set of rules. The third booklet is three more adventures for you to play with 1-3 players. I recommend the narrator reads them over and adds their own spins to the adventures, remember the main goal is to have fun and if you want to splice up the premade adventures with your own story and lore, you should. Something that surprised me the most is the how high quality everything is. This feels like it should have costed me easily fifty dollars, so I'm surprised it's listed as only twenty-five. The only thing I really dislike is the dice because I feel they should all be the same color. If this bothers you, there are cheaper sets of complete ttrpg dice available on Amazon. Something I really recommend is to have a soundtrack of H. P. Lovecraft inspired music in the background to help your players get immersed. Definitely would recommend this set, even if you're a noob to roleplaying games. Update: thank you to everyone who made the premade adventure. I played it with my 67 year old mother the day before she died and she had a blast. I never ran a game for anyone before and having the values set helped a ton.

Amazing starter set to one of the best, but least-known TTRPG's out there. Comes with all you need to get yourself and a few friends into the Cthulhu mythos. And if you've never played, don't worry. The first adventure is a choose-your-own-adventure style booklet that walks you through character creation, basic rules and roles, exploring, combat, and storytelling. Plus, you get pre-made character sheets, dice, and basic rules to launch into another 3 adventures with friends. Absolutely great for anyone regardless of experience. Also, well worth the value - similar sets can cost upwards of $50-60.

If you are even remotely interested in RPGs and/or the Cthulhu mythology and setting, consider picking this up. It comes with everything you need to not only play the game, but LEARN it in an interactive way. One of the three books is dedicated to teaching you how to play the game by actually having you play a really fun (and pretty long!) solo adventure. It works kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, but teaches you how the character sheet and stats work, and how to use them to play the game, as well as introduces you to the setting and has a fun story! After that, there is a set of the basic rules for the game, and three MORE adventures to play with a group of your friends. It includes dice, maps, player handouts and aids too. A great way to start playing a great RPG!

The Call of Cthulhu Starter Set is basically a reprint of the previous version, which itself contained a lot of material from previous scattered Call of Cthulhu products. If you're veteran of the game, this may not be anything you really need. As an introduction to Call of Cthulhu or TTRPGs in general, this product is nearly perfect. Taken in order, the solo adventure book is a gentle point of entry to the system (including abbreviated character creation rules) and a good peek at how running a game might feel. The rulebook is complete enough to use as a quick reference but simplified for beginners. The third book, containing three adventure scenarios, features a progression from a 1-player/GM story to a full-party/GM setup.

Good introduction into Call of Cthulhu rules and lore. Comes with 3 small books (a solo adventure, a mini rule book, and a series of modules) and some handouts.

First off I have to say that EVERYTHING in this set is super high quality for a starter set, right down to it coming with premade characters. The booklets are of a higher standard than I expected, the box is wonderfully solid, the art on everything is beautiful, and the dice are solid. Nothing in this set is done without a purpose, including the off colour d10 which is off colour so that you can roll with advantage or disadvantage. I've been playing D&D for years so getting into Call of Cthulhu was much easier for me, but I could hand this to someone who'd never played Tabletop RPG's and they could get the hang of it. a few criticisms; The language used in this is a bit advanced, but I suppose that is to be expected with eldritch horror. The handouts and character sheets are clingy and difficult to pull away from one another. The layout of the adventures are a bit difficult for a new Story Keeper if they've never been a game master before (advising roleplay with sometimes little to no direction) though at times the opposite is true, wherein it holds the hand of new game masters really well. Finally the biggest issue is the difficulty curve it has for understanding the mechanics in general (to an extent), the books often do a poor job of explaining how certain actions are meant to play out, Primarily combat. regardless of these nitpicks this is an INCREDIBLY worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in Call of Cthulhu, ESPECIALLY if they aren't sure they'll like the game enough to warrant the slightly high cost of the main rulebook and player's handbook for 7th Edition.

This is an excellent starter set for an excellent RPG. The inclusion of “The Haunting” really sets this product apart. I purchased this (for a second time) specifically for that adventure after having lost my first copy in a move. The quality of the dice and books is fine. They are not overly impressive, but are perfectly acceptable. But the inclusion of high quality props for each adventure is an absolute slam dunk for a starter product imo. The use of these props intersects so perfectly with the investigation elements of this RPG. Highly recommended to anyone considering bringing Call of Cthulhu to their table.

100% Fenomenal

Historias excelentes y sencillas para keepers novatos y jugadores novatos, mi mesa y yo quedamos encantados. Sin duda volvería a comprarlo

Not a review of the system, but what you get in this box: Chaosium does great 1 inch starter set boxes. This one has all the rules and resources you need to run Call of Cthulhu out of the box. The solo adventure does a great job of teaching the basics of the game to the Keeper/GM or players and models how an adventure can work. The slimmed down rulebook is enough to get you going and you don't feel the need to rush out and buy the core books until you feel 100% sold on the system. The starting adventure, hand outs, and character sheets are a good way to introduce the system, though it could encourage a few more diverse checks to make some skills feel more relevant. It comes with a single set of green polyhedral dice. Not enough to comfortably play with, but you can make it work if that is all you have. Owning more polyhedral dice (or at least more d10s) would be best for getting started. Overall, if you're interested in trying this system, this is a good way to give it a go. For the price, having a physical copy of all the included materials is nice compared to grabbing it digitally from somewhere like Chaosium, DriveThruRPG, or from their seemingly yearly Humble Bundle offering.

I cannot rave about this enough! The way it's designed and laid out is perfect for beginners of any level into the world of Call of Cthulhu. Explains things clearly and simply and I love that it gives plenty of examples. Even helps calm the nerves by giving realistic expectations for your group. The single player introduction to the rules was an absolute blast to read and play, then onto a small group session then trains you up to a whole group of people. Highly recommended!

Best entry into the game. Better than other RPGs on the market. Especially the solo game let’s the keeper experience the game and learn the rules quickly. Why are other RPGs not using this way of teaching rules?