Cthulhu Rising as official Chaosium settings for BRP?

[Trifletraxor]

I strongly belive Chaosium will need to provide some strong official settings for Basic Roleplaying, to have the great success we are all hoping for. Generic supplement can only get you so far, as they usually lack some of the flavour you can get with a setting.

For the sci-fi setting, there is allready a monograph out there, which I think would fit perfectly: Cthulhu Rising.

Cthulhu Rising is a sci-fi setting 300 years into the future, where big corporations are exploring the stars and colonizing new planets. The players groups are usually either civilians, employees of one of the corporations, or space marines.

3 campaigns have allready been written for this game and is available for the Cthulhu Rising website, together with lots of other material free for download.

The setting startet as a pure BRP setting, but was later released as Cthulhu Rising, because some inspiration is taken from the Cthulhu Mythos. The feel I get is more like Aliens than Lovecraft though.

Have a look at their website:
CTHULHU RISING: Horror Roleplaying in a Dark Future

What do you think? Could this be something we should push Chaosium to make the official BRP sci-fi setting? To me, it looks extremely interesting.

SGL.

[Steffworthington]

Have to disagree with the idea of Cthulhu Rising being good for a CoC setting. I do own it but honestly think it's either too shiny and gleaming, too hi tech or too like 2300AD.
It feels like a hard sci-fi game rather than cthulhu. It is a good book though but would, I think, suit BRP as a setting book with the sci-fi setting promoted and the cthulhu element removed ... providing it could withstand it's extreme similarity to 2300AD. I totally agree with the 'aliens over lovecraft' comment.
A small caveat to what I'm saying here as I'm releasing my own monograph soon..
http://cthulhuadventus.blogspot.com
Our setting is Cthulhu investigations against a dark fascist backdrop called the Polity. See here for comments: http://www.yog-sothoth.com/modules.p...wtopic&t=10554
You, as a Guardian, will be all that stands between humanity and destruction.

[Joseph Paul]

On the one hand I don't want to see Cthulhu taint everything that Chaosium does with BRP. I was dissappointed to see the amount of Cthuloid references in Superworld years ago. I thought that some more original material and not a rehash of the Mythos would have helped that game win some more adherents.So Cthulhu Rising would have to be scrubbed clean of the Mythos for me to be interested. As for any similarity to 2300AD, I don't see what the problem would be. 2300AD is dead so filling its 'hard science colonial adventure in space' niche would probably be a good idea.

[Sarge]

I'm biased as I have written a couple of games for John Ossoways Cthulhu Rising website. But I think it works as a setting, and is certainly a lot more interesting than some of the other Cthulhuish out there.

I agree with Josephs Paul Points about Cthulhu tainting a lot of BRP stuff, but I think it works for CR. Besides the settings flexible enough to take a non mythos game, or campaign.

Just my tuppence worth...

PS: Hello by the way First post on this Forum.

[Trifletraxor]

Originally Posted by Steffworthington

It is a good book though but would, I think, suit BRP as a setting book with the sci-fi setting promoted and the cthulhu element removed ...

Originally Posted by Joseph Paul

On the one hand I don't want to see Cthulhu taint everything that Chaosium does with BRP. So Cthulhu Rising would have to be scrubbed clean of the Mythos for me to be interested.

The name would maybe have to be changed and direct references to Lovecraft stuff erased for it to be accepted as a Basic Roleplaying and not Call of Cthulhu setting, but I think the mythos inspiration could stay put so it stayed a sci-fi horror game. Alien races and monsters encountered out in the galaxy is all that is needed for that. The mythos inspiration is what makes it feel more like Aliens than Star Trek (or traditional Call, it doesn't feel like that at all).

Originally Posted by Sarge

I'm biased as I have written a couple of games for John Ossoways Cthulhu Rising website. But I think it works as a setting, and is certainly a lot more interesting than some of the other Cthulhuish out there.

I agree with Josephs Paul Points about Cthulhu tainting a lot of BRP stuff, but I think it works for CR. Besides the settings flexible enough to take a non mythos game, or campaign.

Just my tuppence worth...

PS: Hello by the way First post on this Forum.

Hi Sarge! Welcome to BRP Central! What games have you written for Cthulhu Rising?

Cheers,
Sverre.

[drohem]

I agree that anything Cthulhu should be kept out of the new BRP system. I do think that a scrubbed down version of the Sanity rules should be included as an option in the new BRP system.

For example, if a BRP character ecounters something terrifying like alien entity, werewolf, demons, etc., then it may be possible to loose some Sanity and/or move closer towards mental instability. I think that this would be a great optional rule which could help set the tone for a horror setting in fantasy, modern, or space opera genres without being tied to the Cthulhu mythos.

I like the concept of using a hard sci-fi campaign setting as the official campaign for official BRP products. This would break away from the RPG industry standard of a "classic" fantasy setting as the standard or default campaign setting for official products released in that line.

[Steffworthington]

As for any similarity to 2300AD, I don't see what the problem would be. 2300AD is dead so filling its 'hard science colonial adventure in space' niche would probably be a good idea.

As a contributor to '2320AD' by QLI (I drew all the logos) I'd have to disagree.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/2320/
Also, there are a number of hard sci-fi games out there-
http://www.sjgames.com/transhuman/
http://www.lightspeed-rpg.com/
http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_119.html

What BRP needs is a completely NEW sci-fi idea (or as new as you can get). Either something really different by someone talented or a new licence.. or an old one (Ringworld 2 anyone?)

[drohem]

I would really like to see Aliens and the Space Marines done again. The Leading Edge game system was too cumbersome and detracted from the experience.

If the Aliens license cannot be obtained, then maybe a campaign similar to TSR's Bughunt from the Amazing Engines line could be done.

Halo done in BRP would be cool as well.

Hehe...I like hard sci-fi military type campaigns.

[Sorloc]

Originally Posted by drohem

I agree that anything Cthulhu should be kept out of the new BRP system. I do think that a scrubbed down version of the Sanity rules should be included as an option in the new BRP system.

For example, if a BRP character ecounters something terrifying like alien entity, werewolf, demons, etc., then it may be possible to loose some Sanity and/or move closer towards mental instability. I think that this would be a great optional rule which could help set the tone for a horror setting in fantasy, modern, or space opera genres without being tied to the Cthulhu mythos.

I'm not really sure about the SANity thing... having a timebomb on your character fits 'Call', but not much else. I've always used a Fear Resistance in addition to other Resistance attributes, that could be improved.
I believe that perhaps SAN could be used in other settings, if you simply get a mental disadvantage at 0, severity based on how long you're at 0 before being able to recuperate.
I had a player whose character, Juliette, almost drowned. The player elected to take a phobia of water after that. Very sensible, and great roleplaying. The GM shouldn't have to *inflict* such things upon PCs; the player should step up and treat their character like a real person and take appropriate action.

I like the concept of using a hard sci-fi campaign setting as the official campaign for official BRP products. This would break away from the RPG industry standard of a "classic" fantasy setting as the standard or default campaign setting for official products released in that line.

But sci-fi just doesn't sell like fantasy, unfortunately.

[Sarge]

Hi Sarge! Welcome to BRP Central! What games have you written for Cthulhu Rising?

'ello.

I wrote the Dark Harvest stuff for the website, contributed to the ColSec Doc, plus the current Drakestown sourcebook. (though a revised version of that supplement is on the way with the hepl of Carnage Lee.)
There are a few more games in the pipeline.

Back to Topic.

I think Cthulhu rising strength is that it can be a good background for a pure BRP setting or, as it is now, an alternative setting for CoC. I like that choice.