Best version of Gumshoe?

[UnplayedRanger]

I’ve long had my eye on Night’s Black Agents, but it got me thinking, is there a “best” gumshoe rpg? One the really makes the system shine?

 

[Brock Savage]

Trail of Cthulhu

 

[Fenris-77]

Swords of the Serpentine for me, for sure.

 

[Arcane_Avatar]

For fitting system to setting I found that CtR really provides the feel of an MR James story. NBA has all the material needed for a high octane cinematic spy thriller. It will depend upon what exactly you are looking for. Ashen Stars for a investigators in Spaaaace thing. Trail for Thirties Investigation Chandler style although I've played Trail with some of the Pelgrane Trail material and it's very not Chandler. Bookhounds for book trade based shenanigans for example. Existential horror with Esoterrorists and Fear Itself There is generally not a single 'best' GUMSHOE version most are tweaked to support the setting.

 

[Ragr]

As above really. They are all individually modified to fit the specifics of the setting and genre each is focusing on and they all hit those targets very squarely. Perhaps the most generic one is Fear Itself as this is designed to cater for various styles of horror, so if you're a fan of the genre and want a flexible introduction to the system that might be the best option. FI and Esoterrorists are the most simple, with NBA probably the most complex in terms of available options for pcs. Within each of the games there are further levers you can pull to adjust the games to taste; ToC has a purist or pulp option and NBA offers four different modes of play to simulate a range of spy options from technothriller to Le Carre style treachery and trust.

I've run/played every one except for Mutant City Blues and they've all reliably delivered on what they promised; the only one that disappointed a little was Timewatch but that was more that I don't particularly like gonzo rather than the game itself being weak. I started with Esoterrorists and it's the game that got me back into the hobby after a fair hiatus.

Take a punt on the genre that interests you the most.

 

[UnplayedRanger]

Take a punt on the genre that interests you the most.

Turns out NBA was only $30 on Amazon. Spies vs the supernatural is the setting that seems to appeal to me the most.

 

[Ragr]

Turns out NBA was only $30 on Amazon. Spies vs the supernatural is the setting that seems to appeal to me the most.

I hope you really enjoy it. I had a blast running NBA and taking the players through The Zalozhniy Quartet campaign as well as playing in a one shot convention game set in not so sunny Prague. I also have some very early plans to run the Kult campaign The Black Madonna using NBA at some point in the future.

 

[EmperorNorton]

As above really. They are all individually modified to fit the specifics of the setting and genre each is focusing on and they all hit those targets very squarely.

Pretty much this. My favorite is Mutant City Blues, but it is one of those things that it is entirely to do with the subject matter, which is interesting, than anything about the incarnation of the system.

 

[Voros]

I'm quite taken with a number of Gumshoe games so it is hard to pick one.

One not yet mentioned is Cthulhu Confidential, made for one-on-one play.

https://site.pelgranepress.com/index.php/category/products/cthulhuconfidential/

 

[Ragr]

I've run The Fathomless Sleep for CC twice and enjoyed both runouts. For what is essentially a fairly scripted experience both games were notably different in feel and this came as a pleasant surprise; one game was quite a relaxed and slow building affair whilst the second was more full on in terms of pace. The system offers a slightly wider range of outcomes than initially appears to be the case as well - there's no escaping the plot structure but the choices through it feel meaningful and important to the character. Both players said that it felt quite intense and was better suited to short bursts.

 

[chuckdee]

The One-To-One versions are the best IMO. I'm playtesting Paragon Blade and and it's the best iteration (being the most recent), just as I think SotS and FoDG tie for the best of the OG rules. But I can say that Ashen Stars is the worst, IMO. I have Mutant City Blues, but haven't really read it yet.

 

[FreeGamer]

Mutant City Blues is the Gumshoe game that appeals most to me. I still pray to the heavens that one day I get to play my flirtatious plant-controlling detective again. *crosses fingers*