So, I've been a long-term RPG lurker, collecting books, building up my library but never actually playing any games. That's not quite true. I did get involved in a Call of Cthulhu campaign in 2013 once (so that was 6th edition back then) of Beyond the Mountains of Madness.
The campaign had started off with a sort of prequel, I can't remember what that scenario was called, although I think it was set in New York. And I had my character all worked out. In detail. A certain Wilson Kilgour, mining engineer from Southern Rhodesia. An experienced man used to working in harsh conditions with expert knowledge of igneous geology. Quite handy with a Kar98k too. I was looking forward to all this. But it did not last long, because the real world intervened.
I had started to work on a project in Turkey, managing certain aspects of the new Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge across the northern end of the Bosphorus, less than a kilometre from the Black Sea itself. And that meant all of sudden I had to be in Istanbul once a fortnight for project meetings.
Fun though that was, being in Istanbul, at the Point Hotel near Taksim Square every Thursday night (Thursday night is tango night!), it meant that I had to drop out of the campaign. I hope Wilson carried on as a redoubtable NPC. I never found out.
Anyway, fast forward to late September in 2019. The Edinburgh ORC (Open Roleplaying Community) was having a pub meet, and for the first time since 2013 I was going to get involved. And up I pitched, thinking about Cthulhu but coming away with, ah... something else altogether.
I'd arrived at the meet not actually knowing anyone there and being a bit nervous. My idea, however, was to find out about Call of Cthulhu because I knew the organiser Bill was into running (and writing) Achtung! Cthulhu games, so, near enough. However, I had decided beforehand that I would be open to anything reasonable, up to and including D&D5e.
However, instead I ended up sitting at a table with someone planning a RuneQuest (Roleplaying in Glorantha) campaign and setting up a one shot at the local gaming cafe. I had known nothing about RuneQuest beforehand but the setting of Bronze Age / Classical mythology was interesting to me, particularly as I have had a long interest in the ancient civilisation of Asia Minor (particularly the Lydians and even earlier, the Hittites).
So, I learned all about the history of the game, and its current iteration (recently published in 2018). That said, I'm confused as to what edition it is (7th or 4th?) although it's back in the Chaosium fold now which I think is a good thing. In fact the chap explaining all this to me and arranging the games is apparently in the process of getting (some of?) his scenarios published by Chaosium, which impressed me.
I've yet to play anything yet: the one shot is a few weeks away, but I did like the Bronze-age Jason and the Argonauts / Trojan / you name it type setting, the more thoughtful ('esoteric' as I referred to it) approach, the widespread use of magic, the lack of rigidity with regard to character classes and the general classical mythological context, being a keen reader of the classics and all that.
Reading the quick start rules (available free from Chaosium / DriveThru RPG) the mechanisms did seem a bit 'crunchy' but the similarity to Call of Cthulhu was reassuring. However, this is not your typical hack and slash RPG like D&D but actually closer to Cthulhu in terms of magic, the supernatural and the fact that your character could easily die if hit in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sounds like a challenge.
Finally, in doing my research on the game, the box art of the second edition really caught my eye for some reason. I can't for the life of me think why.
Anyway, there you go. I'm about to start playing a game I'd heard of but knew nothing about, based on a long conversation in a pub with someone I just met. Could be interesting.
The campaign had started off with a sort of prequel, I can't remember what that scenario was called, although I think it was set in New York. And I had my character all worked out. In detail. A certain Wilson Kilgour, mining engineer from Southern Rhodesia. An experienced man used to working in harsh conditions with expert knowledge of igneous geology. Quite handy with a Kar98k too. I was looking forward to all this. But it did not last long, because the real world intervened.
I had started to work on a project in Turkey, managing certain aspects of the new Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge across the northern end of the Bosphorus, less than a kilometre from the Black Sea itself. And that meant all of sudden I had to be in Istanbul once a fortnight for project meetings.
Fun though that was, being in Istanbul, at the Point Hotel near Taksim Square every Thursday night (Thursday night is tango night!), it meant that I had to drop out of the campaign. I hope Wilson carried on as a redoubtable NPC. I never found out.
Anyway, fast forward to late September in 2019. The Edinburgh ORC (Open Roleplaying Community) was having a pub meet, and for the first time since 2013 I was going to get involved. And up I pitched, thinking about Cthulhu but coming away with, ah... something else altogether.
 |
| Such beautiful teeth, but what's underneath? |
I'd arrived at the meet not actually knowing anyone there and being a bit nervous. My idea, however, was to find out about Call of Cthulhu because I knew the organiser Bill was into running (and writing) Achtung! Cthulhu games, so, near enough. However, I had decided beforehand that I would be open to anything reasonable, up to and including D&D5e.
However, instead I ended up sitting at a table with someone planning a RuneQuest (Roleplaying in Glorantha) campaign and setting up a one shot at the local gaming cafe. I had known nothing about RuneQuest beforehand but the setting of Bronze Age / Classical mythology was interesting to me, particularly as I have had a long interest in the ancient civilisation of Asia Minor (particularly the Lydians and even earlier, the Hittites).
 |
| I've told you till I'm blue in the face. And elsewhere. |
So, I learned all about the history of the game, and its current iteration (recently published in 2018). That said, I'm confused as to what edition it is (7th or 4th?) although it's back in the Chaosium fold now which I think is a good thing. In fact the chap explaining all this to me and arranging the games is apparently in the process of getting (some of?) his scenarios published by Chaosium, which impressed me.
I've yet to play anything yet: the one shot is a few weeks away, but I did like the Bronze-age Jason and the Argonauts / Trojan / you name it type setting, the more thoughtful ('esoteric' as I referred to it) approach, the widespread use of magic, the lack of rigidity with regard to character classes and the general classical mythological context, being a keen reader of the classics and all that.
Reading the quick start rules (available free from Chaosium / DriveThru RPG) the mechanisms did seem a bit 'crunchy' but the similarity to Call of Cthulhu was reassuring. However, this is not your typical hack and slash RPG like D&D but actually closer to Cthulhu in terms of magic, the supernatural and the fact that your character could easily die if hit in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sounds like a challenge.
 |
| You'll catch your death, dear. |
Finally, in doing my research on the game, the box art of the second edition really caught my eye for some reason. I can't for the life of me think why.
Anyway, there you go. I'm about to start playing a game I'd heard of but knew nothing about, based on a long conversation in a pub with someone I just met. Could be interesting.
