Can someone summarize the differences between the original version and Investigators?
If you’ve played both, how do they compare in action? Which do you prefer?
I’ve got the original edition of Liminal Horror, and I’m wondering if upgrading should be a priority.
I haven’t got the original but you can check out the new one on the website.
You can also find the legacy edition there. Though it might not be immediately helpful. The important part is that the core rules are pretty much the same.
What is the Legacy Edition
Liminal Horror Legacy edition was the first ever printed version of the rules. This iteration became the original zine (that is no longer in print). All rules are compatible with future releases, but there are some differences (ie. magic, starting gear, etc).
If you are looking to upgrade and can still wait there is the deluxe edition coming soon.
Yeah, I was squinting at the site when it occurred to me that maybe someone had already done the comparison. Plus, I’m be interested in a read on how the changes affect play.
What sent me down this rabbit hole was a review that sorta panned LH for not being what the reviewer wanted it to be (not least of all: cop-friendly).
Ah alright, sorry, I can’t help you much here. From skimming the page of the legacy edition all I can say is that the investigators definitely doesn’t have magic in it.
It’s still not cop friendly 
Liminal Horror and Cops
Liminal Horror is written to be played as normal people with little power, and not as law enforcement (cops, FBI, military) or those with institutional power (politicians, extremely wealthy individuals, etc.). The themes inherent in playing as extensions of those types of systems are problematic, exploitative, and uninteresting. Reframing as people interested in the paranatural, people in over their heads, journalists, writers, etc., is a more fruitful outlet. By the time these stories begin, the systems of power that should have protected the characters have already failed.
Hi, I translated the investigators edition into Spanish. I think it’s a good time to make the upgrade. I never liked the magic system of the legacy edition, now it disappears and resonant artifacts are used. Also included is a damage table inspired by Mothership that gives an interesting twist to the results of violence. Many extra rules that were on the website are integrated as appendices.
You can read more about this in the interview I did with Goblin Archives: here
The switch to resonant artifacts is interesting, not least of all because it follows the pattern of Arcana in ItO and Relics in Cairn. It seems like Odd-based systems just work a bit more comfortably with item-based powers than with more traditional spellcasting.
That’s right. In LH, the characters are normal people facing the unknown. I always found it a bit odd that in the legacy edition there was the possibility of accessing magic during character creation.