Publisher: Chaosium Publishing
Authors: Sandy Petersen, Mike Mason, Keith Herber, Paul Fricker, and Lynn Willis
Year: 2016
Pages: Investigators Handbook – 288 pages; Keepers Ruleook – 488 pages
Retail Price: $99.90 for both physical hardcover books; $50.90 for both in PDF
There really isn’t much more I can say about Call of Cthulhu which I haven’t already said umpteen times before over the years here at The Gaming Gang. If you want to dive a bit further into my thoughts about the granddaddy of Cthulhu Mythos roleplaying be sure to check out my review of the seventh edition right here. For those who may not be familiar with the now nearly forty year old system suffice to say any fan of H.P. Lovecraft’s tales of the macabre, and has an interest in roleplaying, needs to have Call of Cthulhu in their collection.
The system drops the players into the world of the Mythos as everyday individuals who become entangled in eldritch things mankind is better off not meddling with. Call of Cthulhu utilizes percentile dice rolls, as first introduced in the venerable Runequest RPG, to determine success or failure. I’ll be the first to admit, even with a brand new edition of the RPG hitting the scene last year, there are still a few clunky mechanics to the RPG but they don’t prevent Call of Cthulhu from still being my go to title for Lovecraftian gaming.
For those who aren’t overly keen on creating their own adventures, the fact Call of Cthulhu has been around for decades means there are literally hundreds of previously published adventures, campaigns, and settings within and without the traditional 1920’s. These are available not only through Chaosium but also many third parties including Cubicle Seven Entertainment’s excellent Cthulhu Britannica. There are also two brand new supplements from Chaosium which have just arrived on the scene: Reign of Terror (on sale for $12.39) which tackles tales of the Mythos during the French Revolution as well as Down Darker Trails (on sale for $15.89) which introduces Lovecraftian horror to the old west.
