简体中文
EnglishWhat Is Chaosium and Which Game Should You Start With?
Updated
Chaosium is a tabletop roleplaying game publisher best known as the home of Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, Pendragon, 7th Sea, and Questworlds. If you are new to its catalog, start with Call of Cthulhu for horror investigation, or choose another line based on the genre you enjoy. For most first purchases, a Starter Set is the lowest-friction entry; move to a Core Rulebook when you want the complete rules, and consider a Slipcase Set only after you know you want a full collection.
What Chaosium publishes
Chaosium describes itself as "the home of mythic adventure" and lists five main game lines alongside Basic Roleplaying (BRP). The table below matches each line to its genre so you can pick by interest rather than by title recognition.
| Game line | Genre and setting | Good fit if you want |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Cthulhu | Horror and investigation inspired by Lovecraft | Mystery, dread, and ordinary characters facing the unknown |
| RuneQuest | Bronze-Age fantasy in the world of Glorantha | Deep setting lore, myth, and cult-driven fantasy |
| Pendragon | Arthurian legend and knightly drama | Chivalric campaigns, family sagas, and courtly roleplay |
| 7th Sea | Swashbuckling adventure | High-action intrigue, duels, and nautical adventure |
| Questworlds | Setting-neutral mythic adventure | A flexible framework you can adapt to your own world |
The system underneath: Basic Roleplaying
Many Chaosium games share a common engine, Basic Roleplaying (BRP). It is a percentile-based system: characters are defined by skills rated as percentages, and you roll d100 to see whether an action succeeds. This creates a consistent feel across the catalog—characters tend to be capable but mortal, and outcomes are easy to read at the table because the target number is printed on the sheet.
A practical example: if your investigator has a Library Use skill of 60%, you roll d100 and succeed on 60 or less. That single mechanic carries across many Chaosium titles, so learning one game gives you a head start on the others.
Starter Sets, Core Rulebooks, and Slipcase Sets
Chaosium organizes its store around three tiers, and the site's navigation makes the intended progression explicit: "Begin your Journey with our Starter Sets," then "Continue with our Core Rulebooks," then "Or go for our full Slipcase Sets."
- Starter Sets are designed as the beginning point. They typically give you what you need to run a first session without committing to the full line.
- Core Rulebooks are the complete rules for a game line—the right purchase once you know you are continuing.
- Slipcase Sets bundle a line's core material into one collection, which suits groups that have already decided to go deep.
The site also lists individual products, such as Age of Vikings: Companion - Hardcover at $47.99, so you can buy supplements à la carte rather than only in sets.
Which game should you start with?
For most newcomers, Call of Cthulhu is the most common entry point: it is the line Chaosium is best known for, and its investigation-focused play is easy to explain to a new group. Choose differently if your group's taste points elsewhere:
- Pick RuneQuest if your table wants a richly detailed fantasy setting rather than horror.
- Pick Pendragon if Arthurian knights and generational play appeal more than monsters.
- Pick 7th Sea for fast, cinematic swashbuckling.
- Pick Questworlds if you prefer a generic system you can reshape.
Once you have chosen a line, buy its Starter Set first, run a session or two, and only then decide whether the Core Rulebook or a Slipcase Set is worth it for your group.