Call of Cthulhu vs City of Mist
Compare Call of Cthulhu and City of Mist side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Call of Cthulhu | City of Mist | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Horror, Modern | Modern |
| Play Style | Investigation, Deadly, One-Shot Friendly, Atmospheric, Roleplay-Heavy, Mystery, Horror, Corruption, Skill-Based | Narrative, Investigation, Mystery, Roleplay-Heavy, Fiction-First, Noir, Urban Fantasy, Drama, Tag-Based |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 equal to or under your skill percentage. Success tiers at half (Hard) and one-fifth (Extreme) of the skill value. Bonus and penalty dice adjust the tens digit. Failed rolls can be pushed for a second attempt at greater risk. | Roll 2d6 + invoked tags. Characters have no numerical stats — instead they invoke narrative tags from their Mythos (legendary) and Logos (mundane) themes. 7–9 partial success, 10+ full success. Statuses replace HP on a 1–6 tier track. |
| Dice | d100 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Community | High | Low |
| License | Chaosium Fan Material Policy | Community content (Cauldron of Mist) |
| Cost | $$ | $$$ |
| Publisher | Chaosium | Son of Oak Game Studio |
| Year | 2014 | 2019 |
| Best For | Investigation-driven horror where combat is deadly and sanity is fragile. Great for one-shots. | Groups who want noir-style investigations in a modern city where characters channel mythological archetypes — balancing mundane lives with legendary powers. |
| Highlights | Sanity system mechanically reinforces horror tone. Intuitive percentile skill system with tiered success levels. One of the largest published scenario libraries in the hobby. | Tag system makes every character unique, investigation mechanics are well-designed, layered interplay between mythic and mundane identity |
| Considerations | Chase rules add complexity with limited payoff, 46-skill list requires point allocation across multiple categories, sanity spiral can remove player agency in extended campaigns | Tag-based resolution takes adjustment from traditional RPGs, heavily tied to its urban noir setting, two-book format can feel expensive, prep-intensive for the MC |