why is Call of Cthulhu its own game system and not a sub system of BRP?
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why is Call of Cthulhu its own game system and not a sub system of BRP?
I think CoC was done first. But if you have the BRP ruleset,there is an extension for it on Fgwiki that modifies it for Coc. ;)
Basic Role-Playing was originally produced by Chaosium as a 16 page booklet in 1980 - being a subset of rules from the their RuneQuest FRP system. This then became the basis for a number of Chaosium's other role-playing games (Call of Cthulhu in 1982, Ringworld, Stormbringer to name but a few) but was originally more of an intro (like various "lite" rulesets available now. In fact, 1st Edition CoC included the basic role-playing booklet in the box as background and character creation - I suppose a bit like CoC quickstart is now.
Of course, in the present day BRP is a big rulebook and stand-alone system in it's own right. Back to your original question - Why isn't CoC a sub system of BRP? I don't know exactly, but I would imagine that it is because it has been a game in its own right for over 30 years, has a dedicated following and a has a particular market niche. I'm not 100% familiar with recent CoC editions, but I believe it still doesn't include most of the BRP optional combat rules (such as hit locations) as CoC is more about investigation and quick (lethal) combat than a tactical combat game.