I have mentioned before that playing Call of Cthulhu in the early eighties was how I learned to role-play. The new 7th edition Call of Cthulhu (CoC) Keeper Rulebook and Investigator Handbook are, I believe, an excellent way to learn role-playing today. They are not short works and I don't mean they are for the faint-of-heart, mildly curious about this hobby sort of weekend explorer. Rather if a person has decided to commit to learning to role-play, I can think of no better introduction. The CoC books spell out just what good role-playing is and how to do it. There is so much good advice scattered throughout each volume that is seems impossible to come away from a cover-to-cover read without learning something to improve one's game, even for an old-timer like me.
The Investigator Handbook is focused on good role-play from the player's perspective and within the parameters of the COC game, of course. So much of role-playing crosses the game rules boundary and is applicable to almost any rules, making CoC's Investigator Handbook almost a universal role-play aid. Example, The Investigator Handbook informs the player how to make a PC for the CoC game, specifically for the default 1920's setting. In going over the CoC chargen specifics advice is given for how to generally create a PC for any game. Using a combination of die rolls, preconceived imaginings and "random" tables, the player develops a fleshed-out PC with referee approval.
Investigator's in CoC are not superheroes. They are built to resemble people of the 1920's (using the default setting) and therefore have every-day abilities and skills. The ability to investigate, as the name implies, is the chief function of the investigator (not killing and looting?). Starting with an idea, an imagined character concept, perhaps a mental image of the PC, the player rolls dice for their attributes. The attributes may suggest something a bit different than what was imagined and it's the player's job to start modifying the concept. Choosing a profession and associated skills the player brings the PC to life. Random tables can be consulted for things like appearance, family, contacts and son, but players should feel free to be inspired by what they see on the tables rather than slavishly copy down the result of every roll.
Giving thought to the PC's motivations, goals, how they fit into society and how they get on with other party members is part of the chargen process as well. Much of each PC's "personality" will grow from playing the PC over several sessions, but it is helpful to have some idea "who" it is that you are playing from the start. Other player responsibilities are gently addressed in the Investigator Handbook. Topics such as planning out the group's goals, making contacts for future play, knowing when to run away, staying within character and within period/milieu are discussed. These are things we all struggle to learn at first and for some players, myself included, I gathered this information slowly over many years in the hobby.
One thing that there isn't much of in the Investigator Handbook is the actual rules of play. Yes, it is assumed this is the only book the players will need in order to play CoC 7th. The Investigator Handbook gives the players what they need, just not all the extra stuff. CoC is a percentile (d100) system which is rather intuitive from the start. The Investigator Handbook tells you how to roll the dice and test for success against your various skills, which are described in some detail as to what can be done using each skill. The rest of the rules, monsters and keeper advice are in the Keeper Rulebook, which is only necessary for the referee or keeper. This is old school! Tell me what you would like to do and I as referee/keeper will inform you how we will go about resolving your chosen action. The keeper is not only the final arbiter of the rules at their table, they may be the only player that knows the rules well. This is a big responsibility for the keeper, but it is a style of play which harkens back to the origins of the game and helps keep the sense of mystery and surprise alive!
In one definite sense, CoC 7th ed. Investigator Handbook (and Keeper Rulebook) is not old school. The layout and artwork is very professional and top quality by modern standards. Art can evoke imagination and the combination of old timey 1920's images and stunning mythos illustrations easily sets the stage for imagining oneself as an investigator of the macabre in the era of tommy guns and prohibition.
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