Call of Cthulhu is a tabletop roleplaying game based upon the worlds of H. P. Lovecraft. It is a game of secrets, mysteries, and horror. Will you stand against the horrors of the night? Whether learned professor, nosy journalist, or hard-hitting detective, investigators need all the help they can get. Let this book be your guide.
The Investigator Handbook is an essential player aid for the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition roleplaying game. Written for those who will be playing the roles of investigators, the Investigator Handbook contains expanded rules for creating players characters, a wealth of over 100 occupations and skill descriptions, as well as guidance on getting the most from the game.
Why the Investigator's Handbook is a Valuable Resource
The question I've most often seen asked about Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition is whether this book is necessary to play the game. The answer is no - everything you need is in the Keeper's Rulebook. But what is in this book is well worth the price.
While not necessary, the Investigator Handbook is an excellent resource, especially for new players. It’s not at all a must have, but I think it could do wonders for new players. I plan to have it out on the table when I run the game and to encourage players to flip through and check things out.
Matthew J. from RPG Imaginings calls it "An excellent resource, especially for new players..."
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Call of Cthulhu players will love having the Investigator Handbook at their fingertips during play. The "player's guide" on its own is ridiculously worth it.
Overall, this is a really nice book. It’s filled with evocative art, plenty of setting color, lots of useful advice and helpful hints, and generally handy material for a player in Call of Cthulhu.
Expanded Character Creation and Occupations
Expanded character creation contains a detailed look at skills, and a positive cornucopia of occupations. Full rules for creating unique characters for Call of Cthulhu which will be of benefit to players and Keepers alike.
The core component to any Call of Cthulhu character. The book contains over 60 occupations that will shape your investigator. Each occupation lists the mechanical benefits (and drawbacks!) as well as a brief explanation to inspire your character. It is a little hard understanding how the occupation system works from the Keeper Rulebook and can get chaotic when a bunch of people are making characters together.
Historical Context: Prohibition-Era America
The signature setting for Call of Cthulhu, prohibition-era America is covered in detail. The book includes information on key events during the period, modes of transport across the country, and investigator information like forensics and photography.
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Guidance for Players
A chapter on core advice for both roleplaying and Call of Cthulhu in general will benefit new and returning players. The chapter focuses on cooperation, separation of character knowledge and player knowledge, and setting your expectations.
This book isn't required to play Call of Cthulu but does help give a better idea of the amount of freedom the Call of Cthulul system has.
The Enduring Legacy of Call of Cthulhu
Call of Cthulhu has been called “one of the best roleplaying games of all time”(Geek & Sundry But something that’s overlooked about this classic horror RPG… is that it’s also one of the most versatile and well-researched historical RPGs around...
“More than four decades later, Call of Cthulhu is not merely Chaosium’s flagship; it is "the Dungeons & Dragons of horror gaming." It has become the lingua franca of the genre, the common framework through which players, Keepers, and designers alike approach tales of the uncanny and the unknown… Like D&D, it has been endlessly imitated, parodied, expanded upon, and reimagined, yet the original endures - still recognizably itself and still drawing new players into its orbit. For many, it is not simply a horror RPG; it is the horror RPG, the game against which all others are measured.
Jonathan Wyke, Paul Carrick, Francois Launet, Victor Leza, Charles Wong, Mike Perry, Mariusz Gandzel, Cyril van der Haegen, Linda Jones, Rachel Kahn, Grilla, Chris Huth, Robert Hack, John T.
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Quality and Presentation
Not only is this a top of the line hardcover book with heavy duty cover, beautiful color artwork, heavy pages and great binding, but they really took the time to ensure that it arrived in excellent condition. When I saw the packaging, I immediately lost 3 points of sanity! The book was double boxed, with spacers at the corners to reinforce the package in case it was dropped.
The game contained in the book is phenomenal, of course. Easy to understand rules, lots of options to customize your game to make it as complex or as straight forward as you and your players want.
How to Make a Call of Cthulhu Investigator | Call of Cthulhu Character Creation
tags: #call #of #cthulhu #investigators #handbook