Goodman Games

I've got a whole shelf full of Cthulhu RPG stuff:
1. Call of Cthulhu (both regular and d20 versions)
2. Delta Green
3. Arkham Horror board game
4. Trail of Cthulhu (for Gumshoe)
* Probably others I'm forgetting at the moment.

What makes "Age of Cthulhu" better/different than other Cthulhu games?

I wouldn't say that "Age of Cthulhu" is necessarily 'better' than the other options you've listed (although AoC is specifically meant for use with the Call of Cthulhu RPG ruleset from Chaosium).

'Different' is probably the better way of describing it. It's Call of Cthulhu with a distinctly pulp-era action flair.

Imagine the traditional Call of Cthulhu game viewed through the lens of a cliffhanger serial, such as Buck Rogers or Indiana Jones, and you've got the idea. In addition to investigating mysterious and sinister events, there's an emphasis on two-fisted, rip-roaring action as well - gunfights, car crashes, swinging from the chandeliers, and so on.

That dangerous and dusty old book your investigator is carrying may come in handy (or may drive you insane), but the revolver your investigator is carrying will come in handy too ... and at some point during the adventure, you'll probably need to use it.

Is it a gaming style for everyone? Probably not. There's some Call of Cthulhu players who don't like that pulpy, more over-the-top style of play. So "Age of Cthulhu" probably wouldn't be to their tastes, at least not without seriously tweaking the adventures.

Personally, I happen to enjoy it quite a bit.

Yeah, Fin, I don't know if you meant it that way, but your question makes it sound like AoC is a separate game unto itself -- when it is a series of adventure modules.

What Mike said.

The Age of Cthulhu line evokes a pulpier feel and style of play. The adventures tend to play faster and may involve more combat than traditional CoC adventures. The creepy elements are there, to be sure, but that Indiana Jones element is there too. Sort of Hill House (or Hell House if you're a Matheson fan, like me) ... if Rick O'Connell (of The Mummy) walked in the door.

Mike_Ferguson wrote:Imagine the traditional Call of Cthulhu game viewed through the lens of a cliffhanger serial, such as Buck Rogers or Indiana Jones, and you've got the idea.

That dangerous and dusty old book your investigator is carrying may come in handy (or may drive you insane), but the revolver your investigator is carrying will come in handy too ... and at some point during the adventure, you'll probably need to use it.

This sounds pretty cool! I need to look for these!

GnomeBoy wrote:Yeah, Fin, I don't know if you meant it that way, but your question makes it sound like AoC is a separate game unto itself -- when it is a series of adventure modules.

Clearly a mis-understanding on my part, as I thought it was its own rules system. I didn't realize that these were modules designed to fit into the regular CoC rules.

No worries, man.