Ratings for - RPGnet RPG Game Index

Statistics: Call of Cthulhu

Core Game Ratings

Rating: 8.03 / Ranking: 7

These ratings are based on 188 ratings with 1.47 average weight and 18 reviews.

This is compared to an index-wide 3.64 average ratings and 1.98 average weight.

This rating earns a medium-high level of trust because of its considerable input.

Ratings + Reviews:

14%

22%

21%

31%

Index Ratings Only:

14%

26%

15%

28%

RPGnet Reviews Only:

15%

30%

35%

Content Ratings

This game has contents. The following charts show the composite ratings for these contents which make up some of the overall rating of this product (though they are not depicted in the product composite chart, above).

Basic Role-Playing Composite:

22%

19%

16%

13%

Shadows of Yog-Sothoth Composite:

39%

10%

20%

25%

Core Game Comments

All User Comments

Rating	User	Comments
10 / 10	Yossarian	My first (and biggest) love in roleplaying.
10 / 10	-Blackhawk-	A true classic that has stood the test of time. There is a reason it has remained mostly unchanged throughout the years.
10 / 10	Chade	My go-to horror game.
10 / 10	Ars Mysteriorum	A beautifully twisted game with a beautifully twisted system. Also, one of the best modifications of BRP, showing how it can be cut and tailored to fit its source material.
10 / 10	Nightwalker	Fantastic. A system that really instills the classic concept of roleplaying. All hail BRP! Now, a 10 rating is "one of the best ever." Not, what's really cool for today's gamers. This game laid foundations for all of the most popular horror, fantasy, and sci-fi games, including the incredibly popular World of Darkness, Unknown Armies, Warhammer Fantasy, and Warhammer 40k. To say this game is overrated is, in my opinion, an unqualified statement. This iteration of the BRP system is well-crafted and wonderful to play. Anyone who wishes to experience the roots of horror roleplaying will find this game an intellectual masterpiece in the narrative style of gaming.
10 / 10	J. E. Bennett	Recently dethroned by Trail of Cthulhu, still one of my most formative RPGs.
10 / 10	Big Willy	Pretty much perfect, if you know what you are doing.
10 / 10	clockworkjoe	I've been running this game since I was in junior high. I'm in grad school and still using the same copy of the core book (version 5.6) that I got back in 1995!
10 / 10	JavaApp	Again, one of the best. A game that challenges you to be you best, rather than letting the background & engine run itself.
10 / 10	NathanHill	A classic game that stands the test of time and remains one of my favorites - the system is sort of clunky, but it's classic and easy to use. All in all, the great support and modules make this an easy game to play plenty of one shots.
10 / 10	Paul of Cthulhu	Best game in the world.
10 / 10	sabbatregent	The only RPG that truly never gets old. Simple but powerful rules, great setting and great research makes this a most even for non gamers.
10 / 10	SJBenoist	What is there to say about CoC that hasn't already been said? Still plays beatifully at what it was meant to do.
9 / 10	TrippyHippy	The system may need a little bit of a polish in parts these days, but this is truly an immersive game that creates an experience and atmosphere that is entirely different to D&D. Probably my favourite game to play after all these years.
9 / 10	Nomad4life	A classic go-to game for horror.
9 / 10	ShannonA	Though I'm quite interested in Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, I'm not a big fan of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. Like Paranoia it always struck me as one of those concepts that was hard to develop a campaign around. Nonetheless this is a beautiful set of rules, and this new sixth edition also uses some great graphical layouts adopted from the German edition (and before that my own layout of 5.5), so it's all around a great piece.
9 / 10	fhans	I've always had a soft spot in my heart for this game...its quirks seem to work in its favor. The classic of Lovecraftian horror...an uncomplicated rule system and plenty of dark atmosphere.
9 / 10	Ahrimanius	An alltime classic
9 / 10	gorillacus	This game makes me feel like a total pro-GM. I can do just about anything with it and players love it. What else is there? (besides...you know.)
9 / 10	Sleeper	Even though it's not one of my personal favorites, it's hard to overestimate the influence of this game. CoC brought an entirely new paradigm to the table (investigation), and has consistently been one of the most stylish and atmospheric games on the market.
9 / 10	Sword Raven	I absolutely adore this book, one of the first I bought as my entrance into the RPG hobby.
8 / 10	gm_insight	Cthulhu is one of the settings i like the most
8 / 10	Gitrog	Going insane is fun! I enjoyed playing in this unique setting and game. My character was Sarah Crumpet, a middle-aged shopkeeper who dabbled in the occult. I was eviscerated by some sort of horrible flying thing.
8 / 10	owe for the flesh	The definitive horror rpg up until 1991 when Vampire was released. Still very functional, with some of the best supplements in the business (behind only RuneQuest).
8 / 10	Count_Zero	The definitive Mythos Horror RPG.
8 / 10	Oliveira	Packed! One of the most comprehensive core rulebooks I know of.
8 / 10	Thornlord	A very good RPG that is the opposite of combat oriented.
8 / 10	Zounds!	While the system is showing its age these days, Call of Cthulhu remains the definitive horror rpg.
7 / 10	JDCorley	Nostalgia colors much of the love for this game. Call of Cthulhu does, at best, a mediocre job of producing stories like Lovecraft's. Still, the sanity mechanic is both brilliant and truly innovative for its time - hell, even today it holds up well even if the rest of the system is clunky and outdated. A decent game.
7 / 10	Menchi	While it has had some great horror scenarios and support, Call of Cthulhu really shows its age. The system is okay, but never really captured the atmosphere that the scenario design managed to capture. Better systems exist - such as Nemesis.
7 / 10	Skiorht	Probably the best second generation RPG. Call of Cthulhu broke the mold and ushered in a new style of playing. By now the system is starting to show its age, and the monster manual approach to the Mythos is slightly underwhelming. The game is nonetheless one of the most important RPGs ever.
6 / 10	Pig with Pen	A good game with a great system. Minus one point because the German translation published by Pegasus is so much better.
6 / 10	João.Mariano	An instant classic that made me devour Lovecraft's fiction but with some outdated assumptions on design.
6 / 10	Skywalker	A classic but showing its age
6 / 10	Thanuir	Simple rules, with sanity being technically beautiful. A good take on magic (almost always costs sanity, but not using it may be expensive, so, what will you do?). Statted out mythos creatures are a little out-of-place.
5 / 10	eruditus	I love the content and the setting material but for what I think CoC should be about - dying and insanity - it leaves a little to be desired. I have had many solid years of gaming with this game, though.
5 / 10	Harlekin	Overrated
5 / 10	Jon Hastings	As a source of inspiration for more-or-less freeform gaming and GM storytelling: great. As a system to help create the feel of a Lovecraft story: just okay and burdened with a lot of stuff that seems unnecessary (i.e., the game hasn't aged all that well, I think).
4 / 10	Sangrolu	A classic game of Lovecraftian horror. Has had a huge influence on the shape of horror in the hobby and has also arguably done much to build awareness and enthusiasm for the works of Lovecraft and his contemporaries. Alas, the system is showing its age and Choasium has done little to address this fact. The percentile based system does not handle opposed checks or varying difficulties as effectively as more modern games do, and the much vaunted sanity system is highly over-rated.
3 / 10	Simple Man	An overrated, aged, average system paired with dry textbook-esque setting info. Absolutely boring to read anything but the Lovecraft stories/quotes.
0 / 10	4thWorlder	Ahhhh... I have but only skimmed thy tome and play.

Core Game Reviews

All RPGnet Reviews

[ Link 12 Possible Reviews ]

Rating	User	Summary
5 + 5	Travire	Call of Cthulhu. By far and away the best roleplaying game ever ! Deserving of the numerous awards and accolades it has been given, Call of Cthulhu goes from strength to strength. A must have for every serious roleplayer. [ Read Review ]
3 + 4	J Stewart	Call of Cthulhu 20th Anniversary Edition. A fine book made by a find company. Yet still errors raise their ugly head! [ Read Review ]
5 + 5	Adam Hutchinson	Call of Cthulhu Edition 5.5. [ Read Review ]
4 + 5	Michael Tresca	Call of Cthulhu Edition 5.5. [ Read Review ]
4 + 5	Steve Darlington	Call of Cthulhu Edition 5.5. [ Read Review ]
3 + 5	James Maliszewski	Call of Cthulhu Edition 5.5. [ Read Review ]
5 + 5	Mark Strecker	Call of Cthulhu Edition 5.6. [ Read Review ]
5 + 5	Tomas J Skucas	Call of Cthulhu Edition 5.6. [ Read Review ]
4 + 5	Chris Womack	Call of Cthulhu Edition 5.6. [ Read Review ]
4 + 5	C.H. Gallant	Call of Cthulhu Fifth Edition. [ Read Review ]
4 + 4	Lev Lafayette	Call of Cthulhu Fifth Edition. An excellent and well-known game of horror and investigation, one of the most enjoyable and styish games ever produced - let down by some rather odd design choices. [ Read Review ]
5 + 5	Mike Mearls	Call of Cthulhu First Edition. [ Read Review ]
3 + 4	SJE	Call of Cthulhu First Edition. An enormous overview of the Call of Cthulhu RPG line spanning 60 books and 6 companies- Ia, Ia! [ Read Review ]
5 + 3	TrippyHippy	Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook Seventh Edition . Visually impressive and a wealth of material - some old, some new. While the game is still pretty much the same, some of the new rules are heavy handed and ill thought out. [ Read Review ]
3 + 5	Edward Kabara	Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook Seventh Edition . TL; DR-Great RPG with an ok execution. 85% [ Read Review ]
5 + 5	Antonios S	Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook Seventh Edition . The stars are right for the best edition of the best role-playing game in the world. [ Read Review ]
4 + 4	merb101	Call of Cthulhu Sixth Edition. The classic horror game set in Lovecraft's world of dark lore and elder things. Possibly one of the best horror games available, if you are into lengthy investigations, researching old tomes and eventually going insane. [ Read Review ]
5 + 5	C.W.Richeson	Call of Cthulhu Sixth Edition. Call of Cthulhu Sixth Edition brilliantly succeeds at providing a comprehensive horror game built on over 20 years of play. [ Read Review ]

All Magazine Reviews

Year	Magazine	Synopsis
1992	Vortext #3	"This book is a must for new Cthulhu players and ferees, and I wholly advise that anyone wanting to buy Call of Cthulhu wait until the fifth edition hits the shelves."
1992	The Unspeakable Oath #5	9/10 "It's probably pointless to review this here."
1982	Adventure Gaming #11	Review of Call of Cthulhu.
1982	Different Worlds #19	"an excellent game"
1982	Abyss #19	An overview of the Call of Cthulhu RPG, with a positive discussion of it (and a prediction of hordes of imitators).
1987	Breakout! #26	Nigel Slater: "If you have not yet been introduced to the world of CofC then this is a marvellously inexpensive way to do so. If you already have the rules, then there is no need to get this item."
1996	Shadis #26	In depth review of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu.
1982	White Dwarf #32	Rating: 9/10.
1982	The Space Gamer #49	"an excellent piece of work"
1982	Dragon #61	"It is difficult to either love or hate this game."
1986	White Dwarf #80	"[will] help keep Call of Cthulhu at the front of the fantasy game genre"
1987	Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer #80	"the one reprint that is worth the money"
1990	Dragon #158	"...presents H.P. Lovecraft's dark and macabre vision in a most satisfying way."
1992	Dragon #186	5/5 stars. "...the new edition is too good to pass up..."