02
Apr/2008
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What Makes Call of Cthulhu Unique as a RPG – A Short Rant
I believe that what makes Call of Cthulhu unique, as a game is two fold; a unique atheist perspective and smooth simple mechanics. Most important is that it conveys the concept that the universe is without purpose. The universe simply is and full understanding of the mysteries of its existence and formation are beyond us. We can merely dimly perceive some elements of the whole. There is no creator. Things simply are. It is my belief that, despite the fact that these are works of fantasy, like many allegories the concept is revealed in the telling. The notion of some simplified good vs. evil reality with the reward of an afterlife is an excellent way to keep ignorant peasants toiling, foolish people voting for repugnant candidates, and control the populace through dogma. The absence of this black and white simplification frees the player. As such the milieu created by Lovecraft fits the bill better than anything else I have ever read in terms of illustrating the meaninglessness of things and the need to create meaning for oneself. One must create one’s own meaning with the peril of having one’s paradigm shattered.
This stark view is what sets the special context for role-playing that is provided by the game. It is not loot, power, or glory, but the pursuit of the alien, the horrifying, and the inhuman that sets it apart. It is then this mood, this feeling, the primal fear, like the fear of the dark, along with this unique atheist notion that provides a context to set the players free to be concerned about how they feel, what they will do, what sacrifice they must make, what they will do under stress. All this is present without the burden of levels (unless you play the cumbersome D20 version), experience, loot, mass melee, and a myriad of petty distractions of typical role-playing settings and rules systems. The simple Basic Roleplaying System operates in a nearly transparent fashion freeing the player to play their perceived roles unburdened by cumbersome mechanics. Lovecraft himself felt that it his fiction was about creating atmosphere and thereby evoking horror and mystery. The key elements of the rules and the setting frame this atmosphere.
The only valid concept of good and evil within the context of the game is the frequently required sacrifice of the player characters to preserve the lives of the masses or at least themselves when possible. The defense of humanity without reward, without glory, without honor, without any form of compensation, except from your peers who know the truth, is the harsh reality of the game. The bitter irony that the very folks that have been saved would lock up the player characters or dismiss them for their madness is a vital element. In fact, like a truly good horror story, the characters are often consumed by a terrifying fate despite their struggles or due to one simple failure to balance upon the razor’s edge. The very strength of the setting is the lack of any traditional good vs. evil creator mythology and this is what sets the game head and shoulders above most RPGs as a setting that invokes quality role-playing from its participants.
Tags: RPG Cthulhu Lovecraft Levels Roleplaying
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I never would've thought of labelling the perspective as "atheist" yet it makes lots of sense. And yet it's kind of funny because it's one of my two favorite RPGs (and Lovecraft is one of my favorite authors), yet I give no credence to atheism itself.
