Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)
Encyclopedia
Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction
role-playing game
based on H. P. Lovecraft
's story of the same name
and the associated Cthulhu Mythos
.
The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium
.
version of our world, based on H. P. Lovecraft's observation (from his short essay, Supernatural Horror in Literature
) that "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." There are three primary eras of the original (BRP
) game: the 1920s, the setting of many of Lovecraft's stories; the 1890s Gaslight supplements, a blend of occult and Holmesian
mystery and mostly set in England; and modern conspiracy (Cthulhu Now). Recent additions include 1000 AD (Cthulhu: Dark Ages), 23rd Century (Cthulhu Rising) and Roman times (Cthulhu Invictus). The protagonists may also travel to places that are not of this earth, represented in the Dreamlands (which can be accessed through dreams as well as being physically connected to the earth), as well as travel to other planets or the voids of space.
Call of Cthulhu has a reputation as a game in which it is quite common for a player character
to die in gruesome circumstances or end up in a mental institution. Unlike in most other role-playing games, eventual triumph of the players is not assumed.
system used by other Chaosium
games (first seen in RuneQuest
). For as long as they stay functionally healthy and sane, characters grow and develop. Call of Cthulhu does not use levels, but is completely skill-based, with player characters getting better with their skills by succeeding at them. They do not, however, gain "hit points" and become significantly harder to kill.
but never published. Sandy Petersen
, now best known for his work on the Doom computer game
, contacted them regarding writing a supplement for their popular fantasy game RuneQuest
set in Lovecraft's Dreamlands. He took over the writing of Call of Cthulhu, and the game was released in 1981, using a simplified version of the Basic Role-Playing
system used in RuneQuest. The game won several major awards in the following years :
, who since the fifth edition has been credited as co-author. The game is now in its sixth edition, but the rules have changed little over the years. In 2002, the Call of Cthulhu 20th Anniversary Edition won the Origins Award
for Best Graphic Presentation of a Book Product 2001.
, which often involved the characters wandering randomly through caves or tunnels and fighting different types of monsters, Sandy Petersen introduced the concept of the Onion Skin: Interlocking layers of information and nested clues that lead the Player Characters from seemingly minor investigations into a missing person to discovering mind-numbingly awful, global conspiracies to destroy the world. Unlike its predecessor games, CoC assumed that most investigators would not survive, alive or sane, and that the only safe way to deal with the vast majority of nasty things described in the rule books was to run away. A well-run CoC campaign should engender a sense of foreboding and inevitable doom in its players. The style and setting of the game, in relatively modern time, created an emphasis on real-life settings, character research, and thinking one's way around trouble.
The first book of Call of Cthulhu adventures was Shadows of Yog-Sothoth. In this work, the characters come upon a secret society's foul plot to destroy mankind, and pursue it first near to home and then in a series of exotic locations. This template was to be followed in many subsequent campaigns, including Fungi from Yuggoth (later known as Curse of Cthulhu and Day of the Beast), Spawn of Azathoth, and possibly the most highly acclaimed, Masks of Nyarlathotep. Many of these seem closer in tone to the pulp adventures of Indiana Jones
than H. P. Lovecraft, but they are nonetheless beloved by many gamers.
Shadows of Yog-Sothoth is important not only because it represents the first published addition to the boxed first edition of Call of Cthulhu, but because its format defined a new way of approaching a campaign of linked RPG scenarios involving actual clues for the would-be detectives amongst the players to follow and link in order to uncover the dastardly plots afoot. Its format has been used by every other campaign-length Call of Cthulhu publication. The standard of CoC scenarios was well-received by independent reviewers. The Asylum and Other Tales, a series of stand alone articles released in 1983, rated an overall 9/10 in Issue 47 of White Dwarf
magazine.
The standard of the included 'clue' material varies from scenario to scenario, but reached its zenith in the original boxed versions of the Masks of Nyarlathotep and Horror on the Orient Express campaigns. Inside these one could find matchbooks and business cards apparently defaced by non-player characters, newspaper cuttings and (in the case of Orient Express) period passports to which players could attach their photographs, bringing a Live Action Role Playing feel to a tabletop game. Indeed, during the period that these supplements were produced, third party campaign publishers strove to emulate the quality of the additional materials, often offering separately-priced 'deluxe' clue packages for their campaigns.
Additional milieu were provided by Chaosium with the release of Dreamlands, a boxed supplement containing additional rules needed for playing within the Lovecraft Dreamlands, a large map and a scenario booklet, and Cthulhu By Gaslight, another boxed set which moved the action from the 1920s to the 1890s.
has released a series of supplements in a similar vein, by the name Delta Green
, that is set in the 1990s (although later supplements add support for playing closer to the present day).
and provided backgrounds and adventures set in Lovecraft's fictional towns of Arkham
, Kingsport
, Innsmouth
, Dunwich
, and their environs. The intent was to give investigators a common base, as well as to center the action on well-drawn characters with clear motivations. With the departure of Herber, Chaosium's line ended.
(production ceased in 1997; see below), the release of CoC books has been very sporadic with up to a year between releases. Chaosium struggled with near bankruptcy for many years before finally starting their upward climb again. 2005 was their busiest year for many years with ten releases for the game and many more scheduled for release in the near future.
Chaosium has recently taken to marketing "monographs"—short books by individual writers with editing and layout provided out-of-house—directly to the consumer. This allows the company to gauge market response to possible new works, though the long-term effects of this program remain uncertain.
The range of times and places in which the horrors of the Mythos can be encountered was also expanded in late 2005 onwards with the addition of Cthulhu Dark Ages by Stéphane Gesbert, which gives a framework for playing games set in eleventh-century Europe, Secrets of Japan by Michael Dziesinski for gaming in modern day Japan, and Secrets of Kenya by David Conyers
for gaming in interwar period Africa.
In July 2011, Chaosium has announced it will re-release a 30th anniversary edition of the CoC 6th edition role-playing game. This 320-page book will feature thick (3 mm) leatherette hard-covers with the front cover and spine stamped with gold foil. The interior pages will be printed in black ink, on 90 gsm matte art paper. The binding will be thread sewn, square backed. Chaosium will offer a one-time printing of this Collector's Edition.
by Pagan Publishing
. Other licensees have included Miskatonic River Press, Theater of the Mind Enterprises, Triad Entertainment, Games Workshop
, Fantasy Flight Games
, RAFM, Grenadier Models and Yog-Sothoth.com
. These supplements may be set in different time frames or even different game universes from the original game.
, for the d20 system
. Intended to preserve the feeling of the original game, the d20 conversion of the game rules were supposed to make the game more accessible to the large D&D player base. The d20 system also made it possible to use Dungeons & Dragons
characters in Call of Cthulhu, as well as to introduce the Cthulhu Mythos into Dungeons & Dragons games.
The d20 version of the game is no longer supported by Wizards as per their contract with Chaosium. Chaosium included d20 stats as an appendix in three releases (see Lovecraft Country
), but have since dropped the "dual stat" idea.
published Trail of Cthulhu
, a stand-alone game created by Kenneth Hite
using the GUMSHOE System
developed by Robin Laws
. Call of Cthulhu differs from Trail of Cthulhu in that Trail of Cthulhu's system is more mystery oriented and focuses mostly on interpreting clues.
system.
's Savage Worlds
system.
was a collectible card game
(CCG) based on the Cthulhu Mythos that Chaosium produced and marketed during the mid-1990s. While generally praised for its fast gameplay and unique mechanics, it ultimately failed to gain a very large market presence. It bears mention because its eventual failure brought the company to hard times that affected its ability to produce material for Call of Cthulhu.
Call of Cthulhu, the Living Card Game is a second collectible card game; currently it is produced by Fantasy Flight Games
.
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
based on H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
's story of the same name
The Call of Cthulhu
The Call of Cthulhu is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, in February 1928.-Inspiration:...
and the associated Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
.
The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium
Chaosium
Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role-playing games still in existence. Founded by Greg Stafford, its first game was actually a wargame, White Bear and Red Moon, which later mutated into Dragon Pass and its sequel, Nomad Gods...
.
Setting
The setting of Call of Cthulhu is a darkerDark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
version of our world, based on H. P. Lovecraft's observation (from his short essay, Supernatural Horror in Literature
Supernatural Horror in Literature
"Supernatural Horror in Literature" is a long essay by the celebrated horror writer H. P. Lovecraft surveying the field of horror fiction. It was written between November 1925 and May 1927 and revised in 1933-1934. It was first published in 1927 in the one-shot magazine The Recluse...
) that "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." There are three primary eras of the original (BRP
Basic Role-Playing
Basic Role-Playing is a role-playing game system which originated in the fantasy-oriented RuneQuest role-playing game rules...
) game: the 1920s, the setting of many of Lovecraft's stories; the 1890s Gaslight supplements, a blend of occult and Holmesian
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
mystery and mostly set in England; and modern conspiracy (Cthulhu Now). Recent additions include 1000 AD (Cthulhu: Dark Ages), 23rd Century (Cthulhu Rising) and Roman times (Cthulhu Invictus). The protagonists may also travel to places that are not of this earth, represented in the Dreamlands (which can be accessed through dreams as well as being physically connected to the earth), as well as travel to other planets or the voids of space.
Gameplay experience
The players take the roles of ordinary people drawn into the realm of the mysterious: detectives, criminals, scholars, artists, war veterans, etc. Often, happenings begin innocently enough, until more and more of the workings behind the scenes are revealed. As the characters learn more of the true horrors of the world and the irrelevance of humanity, their sanity (represented by 'Sanity Points', abbreviated SAN) inevitably withers away. The game includes a mechanism for determining how damaged a character's sanity is at any given point; encountering the horrific beings usually triggers a loss of SAN points. To gain the tools they need to defeat the horrors – mystic knowledge and magic – the characters may end up losing some of their sanity, though other means such as pure firepower or simply outsmarting one's opponents also exist.Call of Cthulhu has a reputation as a game in which it is quite common for a player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
to die in gruesome circumstances or end up in a mental institution. Unlike in most other role-playing games, eventual triumph of the players is not assumed.
Rules
Call of Cthulhu uses the Basic Role-PlayingBasic Role-Playing
Basic Role-Playing is a role-playing game system which originated in the fantasy-oriented RuneQuest role-playing game rules...
system used by other Chaosium
Chaosium
Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role-playing games still in existence. Founded by Greg Stafford, its first game was actually a wargame, White Bear and Red Moon, which later mutated into Dragon Pass and its sequel, Nomad Gods...
games (first seen in RuneQuest
RuneQuest
RuneQuest is a fantasy role-playing game first published in 1978 by Chaosium, created by Steve Perrin and set in Greg Stafford's mythical world of Glorantha. RuneQuest was notable for its original gaming system and for its verisimilitude in adhering to an original fantasy world...
). For as long as they stay functionally healthy and sane, characters grow and develop. Call of Cthulhu does not use levels, but is completely skill-based, with player characters getting better with their skills by succeeding at them. They do not, however, gain "hit points" and become significantly harder to kill.
Origins
The original conception of Call of Cthulhu was Dark Worlds, a game commissioned by the publisher ChaosiumChaosium
Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role-playing games still in existence. Founded by Greg Stafford, its first game was actually a wargame, White Bear and Red Moon, which later mutated into Dragon Pass and its sequel, Nomad Gods...
but never published. Sandy Petersen
Sandy Petersen
Carl Sanford Joslyn Petersen is a game designer.Petersen was born in St. Louis, Missouri and attended University of California, Berkeley, majoring in zoology....
, now best known for his work on the Doom computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
, contacted them regarding writing a supplement for their popular fantasy game RuneQuest
RuneQuest
RuneQuest is a fantasy role-playing game first published in 1978 by Chaosium, created by Steve Perrin and set in Greg Stafford's mythical world of Glorantha. RuneQuest was notable for its original gaming system and for its verisimilitude in adhering to an original fantasy world...
set in Lovecraft's Dreamlands. He took over the writing of Call of Cthulhu, and the game was released in 1981, using a simplified version of the Basic Role-Playing
Basic Role-Playing
Basic Role-Playing is a role-playing game system which originated in the fantasy-oriented RuneQuest role-playing game rules...
system used in RuneQuest. The game won several major awards in the following years :
- 1982, Origins Awards, Best Role Playing Game
- 1981, Game Designer's Guild, Select Award
- 1985, Games Day Award, Best Role Playing Game
- 1986, Games Day Award, Best Contemporary Role Playing Game
- 1987, Games Day Award, Best Other Role Playing Game
- 1993, Leeds Wargame Club, Best Role Playing Game
- 1994, Gamer's Choice Award, Hall of Fame
- 1995, Origins Award, Hall of Fame
- 2001, Origins Award, Best Graphic Presentation of a Book Product (Call of Cthulhu 20th anniversary edition)
- 2003, GamingReport.com readers voted it as Number One Gothic/Horror RPG
Editions
Since Petersen's departure, continuing development of Call of Cthulhu has passed to Lynn WillisLynn Willis
Lynn Willis is a wargame and role-playing game designer who has done work for Metagaming Concepts, Game Designers' Workshop, and Chaosium.Willis began by designing science fiction wargames for Metagaming, starting with the Godsfire in 1976. He also designed the microgames Olympica and Holy War...
, who since the fifth edition has been credited as co-author. The game is now in its sixth edition, but the rules have changed little over the years. In 2002, the Call of Cthulhu 20th Anniversary Edition won the Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Graphic Presentation of a Book Product 2001.
- Call of Cthulhu, 1st Edition (1981)
- Call of Cthulhu Designer's Edition (1982)
- Call of Cthulhu, 2nd Edition (1983)
- Call of Cthulhu, 3rd Edition (1986)
- Call of Cthulhu, 4th Edition (1989)
- Call of Cthulhu, 5th Edition (1992)
- Call of Cthulhu 5.5 (1998)
- Call of Cthulhu 5.6 (2000)
- Call of Cthulhu 20th anniversary edition (2001)
- Call of Cthulhu Miskatonic University edition (2001)
- Call of Cthulhu, 6th Edition (2004)
- Call of Cthulhu 25th anniversary edition (2006)
- Call of Cthulhu 30th anniversary edition (2011)
Early releases
For those grounded in the RPG tradition, the very first release of Call of Cthulhu created a brand new framework for table-top gaming. Rather than the traditional format established by Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, which often involved the characters wandering randomly through caves or tunnels and fighting different types of monsters, Sandy Petersen introduced the concept of the Onion Skin: Interlocking layers of information and nested clues that lead the Player Characters from seemingly minor investigations into a missing person to discovering mind-numbingly awful, global conspiracies to destroy the world. Unlike its predecessor games, CoC assumed that most investigators would not survive, alive or sane, and that the only safe way to deal with the vast majority of nasty things described in the rule books was to run away. A well-run CoC campaign should engender a sense of foreboding and inevitable doom in its players. The style and setting of the game, in relatively modern time, created an emphasis on real-life settings, character research, and thinking one's way around trouble.
The first book of Call of Cthulhu adventures was Shadows of Yog-Sothoth. In this work, the characters come upon a secret society's foul plot to destroy mankind, and pursue it first near to home and then in a series of exotic locations. This template was to be followed in many subsequent campaigns, including Fungi from Yuggoth (later known as Curse of Cthulhu and Day of the Beast), Spawn of Azathoth, and possibly the most highly acclaimed, Masks of Nyarlathotep. Many of these seem closer in tone to the pulp adventures of Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
than H. P. Lovecraft, but they are nonetheless beloved by many gamers.
Shadows of Yog-Sothoth is important not only because it represents the first published addition to the boxed first edition of Call of Cthulhu, but because its format defined a new way of approaching a campaign of linked RPG scenarios involving actual clues for the would-be detectives amongst the players to follow and link in order to uncover the dastardly plots afoot. Its format has been used by every other campaign-length Call of Cthulhu publication. The standard of CoC scenarios was well-received by independent reviewers. The Asylum and Other Tales, a series of stand alone articles released in 1983, rated an overall 9/10 in Issue 47 of White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
magazine.
The standard of the included 'clue' material varies from scenario to scenario, but reached its zenith in the original boxed versions of the Masks of Nyarlathotep and Horror on the Orient Express campaigns. Inside these one could find matchbooks and business cards apparently defaced by non-player characters, newspaper cuttings and (in the case of Orient Express) period passports to which players could attach their photographs, bringing a Live Action Role Playing feel to a tabletop game. Indeed, during the period that these supplements were produced, third party campaign publishers strove to emulate the quality of the additional materials, often offering separately-priced 'deluxe' clue packages for their campaigns.
Additional milieu were provided by Chaosium with the release of Dreamlands, a boxed supplement containing additional rules needed for playing within the Lovecraft Dreamlands, a large map and a scenario booklet, and Cthulhu By Gaslight, another boxed set which moved the action from the 1920s to the 1890s.
First Supplement Campaigns
- Shadows of Yog-Sothoth, 1982
- Fungi from Yuggoth, 1984
- Masks of Nyarlathotep, 1984
- Spawn of Azathoth, 1986
Cthulhu Now
In 1987 Chaosium issued the supplement titled Cthulhu Now, a collection of rules, supplemental source materials and scenarios for playing Call of Cthulhu in the present day. This proved to be a very popular alternative milieu, so much so that much of the supplemental material is now included in the core rule book. Pagan PublishingPagan Publishing
Pagan Publishing is a role-playing game publishing company founded by John Tynes in 1990. It began by publishing a Call of Cthulhu role-playing game fanzine, The Unspeakable Oath. In 1994, the company moved from Columbia, Missouri to Seattle, Washington where it incorporated. The staff at this time...
has released a series of supplements in a similar vein, by the name Delta Green
Delta Green
Delta Green is a setting for the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game created by Adam Scott Glancy, Dennis Detwiller, and John Tynes, aka the Delta Green Partnership, of the Seattle gaming house Pagan Publishing...
, that is set in the 1990s (although later supplements add support for playing closer to the present day).
Lovecraft Country
Lovecraft Country was a line of supplements for Call of Cthulhu released in 1990. These supplements were overseen by Keith HerberKeith Herber
Keith "Doc" Herber was an American author, editor, and musician.Herber was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. He was known for his work on Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. He was employed by Chaosium from 1989 through 1994...
and provided backgrounds and adventures set in Lovecraft's fictional towns of Arkham
Arkham
Arkham is a fictional city in Massachusetts, part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft and is featured in many of his stories, as well as those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers....
, Kingsport
Kingsport (Lovecraft)
Kingsport is a fictional town in the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. The town first appeared in Lovecraft's short story "The Terrible Old Man"...
, Innsmouth
Innsmouth
Innsmouth is a fictional town in the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Lovecraft Country setting of the Cthulhu Mythos.Lovecraft first used the name "Innsmouth" in his 1920 short story "Celephaïs" , where it refers to a fictional town in New England...
, Dunwich
Dunwich (Lovecraft)
Dunwich is a fictional town that appeared in the H. P. Lovecraft short story "The Dunwich Horror" . Dunwich is found in the fictional Miskatonic River Valley of Massachusetts, part of the imaginary region sometimes called Lovecraft Country...
, and their environs. The intent was to give investigators a common base, as well as to center the action on well-drawn characters with clear motivations. With the departure of Herber, Chaosium's line ended.
Recent history
In the years since the collapse of the Mythos CCGCollectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
(production ceased in 1997; see below), the release of CoC books has been very sporadic with up to a year between releases. Chaosium struggled with near bankruptcy for many years before finally starting their upward climb again. 2005 was their busiest year for many years with ten releases for the game and many more scheduled for release in the near future.
Chaosium has recently taken to marketing "monographs"—short books by individual writers with editing and layout provided out-of-house—directly to the consumer. This allows the company to gauge market response to possible new works, though the long-term effects of this program remain uncertain.
The range of times and places in which the horrors of the Mythos can be encountered was also expanded in late 2005 onwards with the addition of Cthulhu Dark Ages by Stéphane Gesbert, which gives a framework for playing games set in eleventh-century Europe, Secrets of Japan by Michael Dziesinski for gaming in modern day Japan, and Secrets of Kenya by David Conyers
David Conyers
David Conyers writes predominantly science fiction and Lovecraftian horror.Most of his childhood was spent in the Adelaide Hills, before moving to Melbourne. There he achieved a bachelor's degree in civil engineering at the University of Melbourne in 1993...
for gaming in interwar period Africa.
In July 2011, Chaosium has announced it will re-release a 30th anniversary edition of the CoC 6th edition role-playing game. This 320-page book will feature thick (3 mm) leatherette hard-covers with the front cover and spine stamped with gold foil. The interior pages will be printed in black ink, on 90 gsm matte art paper. The binding will be thread sewn, square backed. Chaosium will offer a one-time printing of this Collector's Edition.
Licenses
Chaosium has licensed other publishers to create supplements using their rule system, notably including Delta GreenDelta Green
Delta Green is a setting for the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game created by Adam Scott Glancy, Dennis Detwiller, and John Tynes, aka the Delta Green Partnership, of the Seattle gaming house Pagan Publishing...
by Pagan Publishing
Pagan Publishing
Pagan Publishing is a role-playing game publishing company founded by John Tynes in 1990. It began by publishing a Call of Cthulhu role-playing game fanzine, The Unspeakable Oath. In 1994, the company moved from Columbia, Missouri to Seattle, Washington where it incorporated. The staff at this time...
. Other licensees have included Miskatonic River Press, Theater of the Mind Enterprises, Triad Entertainment, Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
, Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games is a Roseville, Minnesota-based game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product in 1997, the company has been doing...
, RAFM, Grenadier Models and Yog-Sothoth.com
Yog-Sothoth.com
Yog-sothoth.com is an ENnie award-winning website devoted to the works of weird-fiction author H.P. Lovecraft, and the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game from Chaosium.- Description :...
. These supplements may be set in different time frames or even different game universes from the original game.
d20 Call of Cthulhu
In 2001, a stand-alone version of Call of Cthulhu was released by Wizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, for the d20 system
D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
. Intended to preserve the feeling of the original game, the d20 conversion of the game rules were supposed to make the game more accessible to the large D&D player base. The d20 system also made it possible to use Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
characters in Call of Cthulhu, as well as to introduce the Cthulhu Mythos into Dungeons & Dragons games.
The d20 version of the game is no longer supported by Wizards as per their contract with Chaosium. Chaosium included d20 stats as an appendix in three releases (see Lovecraft Country
Lovecraft Country
Lovecraft Country is a term coined by Keith Herber for the New England setting, combining real and fictitious locations, used by H. P. Lovecraft in many of his weird fiction stories, and later elaborated by other writers working in the Cthulhu Mythos. The term was popularized by Chaosium, the...
), but have since dropped the "dual stat" idea.
Trail of Cthulhu
In February 2008, Pelgrane PressPelgrane Press
Pelgrane Press Ltd is a British role-playing game publishing company based in London and founded in 1999. It is owned by Simon J Rogers, Sasha Bilton and its sister company ProFantasy Software. It currently produces the Dying Earth Roleplaying Game, GUMSHOE System and related products.-GUMSHOE...
published Trail of Cthulhu
Trail of Cthulhu (role-playing game)
Trail of Cthulhu is an investigative horror role-playing game designed by Kenneth Hite that uses the GUMSHOE System developed by Robin Laws. Trail of Cthulhu is published by Pelgrane Press under license from Chaosium...
, a stand-alone game created by Kenneth Hite
Kenneth Hite
Kenneth Hite is a writer and role-playing game designer. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor's degree in Cartography from East Central University. He has been writing games since 1981 and full-time since 1995...
using the GUMSHOE System
GUMSHOE System
The GUMSHOE System is a role-playing game system created by Robin Laws, designed for running investigative scenarios. The premise is that investigative games are not about finding clues, they are about interpreting the clues that are found...
developed by Robin Laws
Robin Laws
Robin D. Laws is a writer and game designer who lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the author of a number of role-playing games and related products.-Works:Robin D...
. Call of Cthulhu differs from Trail of Cthulhu in that Trail of Cthulhu's system is more mystery oriented and focuses mostly on interpreting clues.
Shadows of Cthulhu
In September 2008, Reality Deviant Publications published Shadows of Cthulhu, a supplement that brings Lovecraftian gaming to Green Ronin's True20True20
True20 is an award winning universal generic role-playing game designed by Steve Kenson and published by Green Ronin Publishing.-Settings:...
system.
Realms of Cthulhu
In October 2009, Reality Blurs published Realms of Cthulhu, a supplement for Pinnacle EntertainmentPinnacle Entertainment
Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. is a gaming and hospitality company based in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada that was created in 1938. It owns and operates casinos in the United States and Argentina.- Company names over time :...
's Savage Worlds
Savage Worlds
Savage Worlds is an award-winning, universal generic, role-playing game and miniatures wargame, written by Shane Lacy Hensley, and published by Great White Games doing business as Pinnacle Entertainment Group...
system.
The Wasted Land
In April 2011, Chaosium and new developer Red Wasp Design announced a joint project to produce a mobile video game based on the Call of Cthulhu RPG.Card Games
MythosMythos (card game)
Mythos is a collectible card game published by Chaosium. It is based on the Cthulhu Mythos stories of the horror author H. P. Lovecraft, as well as on Chaosium's own Call of Cthulhu role-playing game.-Overview:...
was a collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
(CCG) based on the Cthulhu Mythos that Chaosium produced and marketed during the mid-1990s. While generally praised for its fast gameplay and unique mechanics, it ultimately failed to gain a very large market presence. It bears mention because its eventual failure brought the company to hard times that affected its ability to produce material for Call of Cthulhu.
Call of Cthulhu, the Living Card Game is a second collectible card game; currently it is produced by Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games is a Roseville, Minnesota-based game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product in 1997, the company has been doing...
.
Miniatures
The first licensed Call of Cthulhu 25mm gaming miniatures were sculpted by Andrew Chernack and released by Grenadier Models in boxed sets and blister packs in 1983. The license was later transferred to RAFM. As of 2011, RAFM still produce licensed Call of Cthulhu models sculpted by Bob Murch. Both lines include investigator player character models and the iconic monsters of the Cthulhu mythos.See also
- Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the EarthCall of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the EarthCall of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a Lovecraftian horror first-person action-adventure game developed by Headfirst Productions and published by Bethesda Softworks in 2005, in conjunction with 2K Games. The game was released for the PC and Xbox systems; the Xbox version is officially...
video game. - Call of Cthulhu Collectible Card GameCall of Cthulhu Collectible Card GameThe Call of Cthulhu Collectible Card Game or Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game is a collectible card game marketed by Fantasy Flight Games. It is based on the fiction of the Cthulhu Mythos, primarily the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu role-playing game...
- CCG based on the Cthulhu Mythos and the Chaosium pulp horror setting. - Delta GreenDelta GreenDelta Green is a setting for the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game created by Adam Scott Glancy, Dennis Detwiller, and John Tynes, aka the Delta Green Partnership, of the Seattle gaming house Pagan Publishing...
- alternate setting for Call of Cthulhu. - Cthulhu LiveCthulhu LiveCthulhu Live is a live-action roleplaying game version of the popular horror roleplaying game Call of Cthulhu. Based on the bleak works of horror author H. P...
- a live action role-playing game version of Call of Cthulhu. - Arkham HorrorArkham HorrorArkham Horror is an adventure board game designed by Richard Launius, originally published in 1987 by Chaosium and most recently published in 2005 and revised in 2007 by Fantasy Flight Games. In both editions, players take on the role of investigators in H. P. Lovecraft's Massachusetts town of...
- a cooperative board game based on the Mythos. - CthulhuTechCthulhuTechCthulhuTech is a science-fiction and horror roleplaying game created by Wildfire LLC and published by Sandstorm that combines elements of the Cthulhu Mythos with anime-style mecha, horror, magic and futuristic action...
- another role-playing game, conceived for a "Cthulhu science-fiction setting"
External links
- Chaosium
- Yog-Sothoth, A CoC fansite with a mostly-complete listing of all products produced for the game and a Cthulhu Mythos wiki.