Pelgrane Press Trail of Cthulhu - Investigative Horror RPG Game | Lovecraftian Tabletop Adventure for Mystery & Horror Fans | Perfect for Game Nights & Cthulhu Mythos Enthusiasts

This is both my favorite iteration of the Gumshoe System, as well as my favorite version of any Cthulhu RPG.The mechanics are light enough they never get in the way of the story (or the gaming). PCs have a high level of competence, never failing at something that supposed to be their area of expertise, yet can still be easily devoured or driven mad by various eldritch abominations. It's not diceless, but the dice come out only when something really dangerous is afoot. It really captures the feel of the source material quite well.The GM's section on the Great Old Ones and Elder Gods is hands-down the best Cthulhu brainstorming I've ever seen in print. Too many other gaming products have focused on the game stats of Cthulhu and his ilk; Trail of Cthulhu understands that what's interesting is the cosmic truths, the symbolism and metaphor, not how many bullets Nyarlethotep can soak up before he runs out of hit points. Fans of Cthulhu will be blown away by this game's GMing advice.For fans of Gumshoe, this is also a treat, regardless of what you think of Lovecraft. Trail of Cthulhu does a great job of porting Gumshoe to a less-CSI setting. It has a simplified skill list that's less crime-scene oriented than Esoterrorists, yet not as stripped down or oversimplified as Fear Itself. Optional "Pulp" and "Purist" rules allow you to customize the system to whatever style of game you prefer to run. Breaking Stability out into two stats (Stability and Sanity) allows for greater control (and variation) of player's decent into madness, and NPC Pillars of Sanity and Sources of Stability give you ways to pull them back from the brink. There's tons of useful stuff here for GMs to steal for their own campaigns.Don't miss the "Idiosyncratic Magic" rules hidden away on pgs 212-213. Though brief, they are the usable framework for a magic system that's playable yet retains a sense that it is creepy and supernatural... as magic should be.