Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)
In 1981, Chaosium released the first edition of Call of Cthulhu as a boxed set. Sandy Petersen conceived the game under the working title Dark Worlds before taking over its development. The original concept diverged sharply from Dungeons & Dragons by introducing an Onion Skin structure where players uncover interlocking layers of clues leading to global conspiracies. Unlike previous fantasy games, this system assumed most investigators would not survive or remain sane. Petersen oversaw the first four editions with only minor changes to the core ruleset. Lynn Willis joined as co-author for the fifth and sixth editions after Petersen departed. Mike Mason became line editor in 2013 and continued development alongside Paul Fricker. Together they implemented significant rule alterations culminating in the seventh edition release in 2014. A Kickstarter campaign launched on the 28th of May 2013, raised $561,836 against a goal of $40,000. The print version of the seventh edition became available in September 2016.
The game uses percentile dice ranging from one to one hundred to determine success or failure. Every player statistic represents a probability of success for a particular action given what the character is capable of doing. An artist might have a seventy-five percent chance of drawing something successfully. Rolling fifteen or less of that skill level yields a special success or impale for combat skills. Characters do not gain hit points and do not become significantly harder to kill over time. They also do not use levels like other role-playing systems. Sanity Points abbreviated SAN measure how damaged a character's mind becomes when encountering horrific beings. Encountering these creatures usually triggers a loss of sanity points. To gain mystic knowledge and magic characters may end up losing some of their sanity. Pure firepower or outsmarting opponents exist as alternative means to defeat horrors. Eventual triumph of players is not guaranteed within this framework. Player characters often die in gruesome circumstances or end up in mental institutions.
Chaosium released Cthulhu Now in 1987 as a collection of rules and scenarios for playing in the present day. This supplement proved so popular that much of its material now appears in core rulebooks. Terror Australis: Call of Cthulhu in the Land Down Under arrived in 1987 with a revised version reissued in 2018 containing triple the original content. Lovecraft Country supplements released in 1990 provided backgrounds set in fictional towns like Arkham Kingsport Innsmouth and Dunwich. Harlem Unbound received three Gold ENNIE Awards after Chaosium released its second edition in 2020. Cthulhu Dark Ages by Stéphane Gesbert added a framework for playing games set in eleventh century Europe. Secrets of Japan by Michael Dziesinski enabled gaming in modern-day Japan while Secrets of Kenya by David Conyers covered interwar period Africa. The End Times supplement describes monsters attempting to subjugate or destroy the world. Mythic Iceland serves as a futuristic micro-setting alongside these historical expansions. Players may travel to places not of this earth such as the Dreamlands accessed through dreams or physical connection.
Steve Peterson reviewed the first edition for Different Worlds magazine calling it an excellent game worth money for horror fans. William A. Barton noted shortcomings regarding assumed RuneQuest access but called the work excellent overall in Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer issue forty-nine from March 1982. Ian Bailey gave the first edition an above average rating of nine out of ten in White Dwarf issue thirty-two from August 1982. Ken Rolston placed the third edition ahead of competitors due to superior campaign setting tone and atmosphere in Dragon issue one hundred thirty-eight from October 1988. Rick Swan admitted skepticism about the fifth edition but found fresh material and judicious editing in his review for Dragon issue one hundred eighty-six from October 1992. In his 1990 book The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games, Swan rated the game four out of four calling it a masterpiece. A reader poll conducted by UK magazine Arcane in 1996 ranked Call of Cthulhu number one among fifty most popular roleplaying games. Scott Taylor for Black Gate rated the game fourth in the top ten role-playing games of all time in 2013. Reports indicate the game became the second-most popular title on Roll20 virtual table top platform in 2021 after Dungeons & Dragons.
The game won multiple awards including the 1982 Origins Award for Best Role Playing Game. It received the 1985 Games Day Award for Best Role Playing Game and the 1986 award for Best Contemporary Role Playing Game. The 1994 Gamer's Choice Award honored the game with Hall of Fame status while the 1995 Origins Award also granted Hall of Fame recognition. Chaosium earned the 2001 Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Book Product for the twenty-first anniversary edition. Gold Ennie Awards recognized the seventh edition Quickstart as Best Free Product in Silver during 2014. The UK Games Expo Awards named the game Best Roleplaying Game in 2016. Beasts of War Awards selected it as Best RPG in 2017 alongside Dragon Con Awards for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures/Collectible Card/Role Playing Game. Pulp Cthulhu rules won Best Supplement Gold at ENNIE Awards that same year. Call of Cthulhu Investigator Handbook took home Best Cover Art Gold while Keeper Screen Pack secured Best Cartography Gold and Best Aid Accessory Gold. Tabletop Gaming Magazine ranked the game third among Top 150 Greatest Games of All Time in 2018. ENNIE Awards honored the Starter Set with Best Rules Gold in 2019 and Alone Against the Static received Best Writing Gold plus Best Adventure Long Form Silver in 2024.
Chaosium licensed other publishers to create supplements video card and board games using the setting and brand. Infogrames developed Shadow of the Comet released in 1993 based on H.P. Lovecraft's Dunwich Horror and Shadow Over Innsmouth stories. Prisoner of Ice followed as a follow-up game released by Infogrames in 1995 for PC and Macintosh computers. Dark Corners of the Earth appeared as a first-person shooter adventure game by Headfirst Productions published by Bethesda Softworks in 2005 or 2006. Chaosium announced a joint project with Red Wasp Design called The Wasted Land released the 30th of January 2012 for mobile devices. Metarcade produced Cthulhu Chronicles for iOS featuring nine interactive fiction stories set in 1920s England starting the 10th of July 2018. Cyanide developed Call of Cthulhu survival horror role-playing video game published by Focus Home Interactive for PlayStation 4 Xbox One and Windows. Fantasy Flight Games created Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game following the failure of Mythos collectible card game which ceased production in 1997. Grenadier Models sculpted Andrew Chernack's first licensed miniatures released in boxed sets and blister packs during 1983. RAFM transferred the license later producing models sculpted by Bob Murch as of 2011.
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Common questions
When was the first edition of Call of Cthulhu released?
Chaosium released the first edition of Call of Cthulhu in 1981 as a boxed set. Sandy Petersen conceived the game under the working title Dark Worlds before taking over its development.
Who developed the seventh edition of Call of Cthulhu and when did it release?
Mike Mason became line editor in 2013 and continued development alongside Paul Fricker to implement significant rule alterations culminating in the seventh edition release in 2014. A Kickstarter campaign launched on the 28th of May 2013 raised $561,836 against a goal of $40,000 for this project.
How does the Call of Cthulhu system handle character death and sanity?
Characters do not gain hit points and do not become significantly harder to kill over time while Sanity Points abbreviated SAN measure how damaged a character's mind becomes when encountering horrific beings. Player characters often die in gruesome circumstances or end up in mental institutions because eventual triumph is not guaranteed within this framework.
What awards has Call of Cthulhu won since its inception?
The game won multiple awards including the 1982 Origins Award for Best Role Playing Game and received the 1985 Games Day Award for Best Role Playing Game. The 1994 Gamer's Choice Award honored the game with Hall of Fame status while the 1995 Origins Award also granted Hall of Fame recognition.
Which video games are based on the Call of Cthulhu setting?
Infogrames developed Shadow of the Comet released in 1993 based on H.P. Lovecraft's Dunwich Horror and Shadow Over Innsmouth stories. Dark Corners of the Earth appeared as a first-person shooter adventure game by Headfirst Productions published by Bethesda Softworks in 2005 or 2006.