Miscellany: Call of Cthulhu

I can't believe I've gone all this time without encountering the classic horror roleplaying game, "Call of Cthulhu." Based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, "Call of Cthulhu" pits players against otherworldly horrors and mysterious cults (which are all part of an overarching "Cthulhu Mythos"). First released in 1981, CoC is now in its 6th edition, and it has become one of the horror RPGs against which all others are measured.

Unlike superpowered combatfests like D&D and V:TM, CoC's characters are ordinary people with human abilities...and human frailties. A single lucky shotgun blast from a crazed cultist can end a character's life. Death also comes quickly against the godlike monsters described in the CoC game manual - often the goal is not to kill an enemy, but merely to escape from it or thwart its plans.

The most significant part of the CoC experience is Sanity. In addition to the usual hit points and magic points, all CoC characters have a limited supply of Sanity points. Sanity is lost as your character encounters awful monsters and gory sights. Lose enough Sanity points and your character becomes temporarily insane - fainting spells, overwhelming fear, seizures - the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Lose 20% of your Sanity, and your character goes indefinitely insane; he or she acquires a psychological ailment (examples include extreme claustrophobia, multiple personality disorder, substance abuse) that lasts until treated with psychoanalysis or drugs. Lose all your Sanity, and the character goes permanently insane, with basically no hope of recovery.

There rules of the game aren't perfect. The inevitable slide into madness might make for fun roleplaying, but sometimes players can get too cavalier about their characters, confident that they'll be able to roll up new characters anyway. You never truly get the sense your character is advancing, because no matter how many mysteries your investigator has solved, he or she will never be a match for even the lowliest of the Great Old Ones. But, while humanity may never be able to triumph over these creatures, it's fun to give it a try.