7th Ed - First Thoughts

Obviously I haven't read everything yet, but here are my initial thoughts about the new 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu.

Firstly a bit of background.  I have played Call of Cthulhu since the second edition was released.  I remember my friend Dave sending letters to me at uni describing his enjoyment of the game (first ed) and playing through the classic Shadows of Yog-Sothoth campaign.
The release of 2nd ed coincided with my finals and I rushed down to Games Gallery in Newcastle after my last exam and bought the boxed set.  It was our summer game that year, and the enjoyment lasted many years afterwards.

I have, or had, every edition since, and was hooked immediately I heard about the kickstarter for the seventh edition.  A lot has been written about the reasons behind the delays, but after nearly three years from the campaign closing, is it worth it?

Well, yes.  The production values alone make the books a great piece of work.  Al last we have a rulebook the equal of any recently published RPG.  The artwork is stunning, and the use of photographs throughout adds to the feel of the book.

The rules themselves have some changes.  All scores are now expressed as percentages, and there has been some tightening up of skills (e.g. Brawl replaces the various different hand to hand skills like punch, kick etc.).  There is a lot more emphasis on the character's background; who is important to them and what events or places are special.  To my mind this mirrors the inclusion of the various ideals, flaws and bonds in 5th edition D&D or the bonds in the new Delta Green RPG, and represents a shift in the hobby towards rounder character development supported within the rules themselves.
Perhaps the biggest omission to old hands is the resistance table; a staple of the BRP series.  Don't worry, there is still a mechanism for opposed rolls, it just seems odd to not have the table.
I am really looking forward to trying out the new rules once the current Delta Green/Section op is over and I will be running A Time To Harvest, Chaosium's organised play campaign at my FLGS. More on that, with details of any props I make, later.

TLDR:  its great - buy it.