Cthulhu Dark Ages (Cthulhu Dark Ages)

Rating:
Summary: Darkness!
Review: Cthulhu Dark Ages is a stand-alone RPG, and a "prequel" to Call of Cthulhu set around the turn of the first millennium, in the 10th century A.D. I could stop this review right there and you'd pretty much have it, but I should mention that Stephane Gesbert, the author, shows a pretty solid grasp on the grubby physicality of the era that comes out in the text. (The historical material is okay, but necessarily pretty superficial.) This is Cthulhu without shotguns, or libraries, or any of the other crutches that can vitiate the horrors of the Mythos. It's just flickering torchlight and the cold wind from the North -- and it works really quite well. I didn't begin enraptured with it, but the more I read the better I liked the material. Every so often, Gesbert throws you a curve ball, with some surprise identifier of medieval monsters with Mythos creations that evokes Delta Green in its vertiginous cleverness (star-spawn as dragons), or a well-thought adaptation of the basic rules set for medieval assumptions (the disease table goes a long way to reinforce the difference a millennium makes to us mayfly humans). A lengthy scenario completes the book; intriguingly there are no d20 Call of Cthulhu stats given.


Rating:
Summary: Call of Cthulhu in 1000 A.D.? Superb!
Review: The Dark Ages and the Dark Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos: what could be more pleasingly horrific?

Want to know how dark the "Dark Ages" could really have been, from the Lovcraftian perspective? Your wish is granted!

Curious about what happens when midieval role-play gets mixed with cosmic horror? Then this is for you!

"Cthulhu Dark Ages" opens up a new doorway on the world of "Call of Cthulhu" role-playing, providing a venue for players and Keepers who want to explore a time when the amenities of the post-Industrial Revolution world do not exist even in the wildest of dreams . . . but horrible things still lurk in the dark places of the world, and just out of sight in the corner of one's perception! This truly is a new world for CoC players, where things are VERY different from the way they're used to having them! No firearms, explosives and electric lights to fall back on here, folks!

This book is the perfect cross-over for CoC Keepers and players who want to take their Lovecraftian horror RPG into the realm of either a historic or fantasy midieval setting. It will tie in neatly with any number of popular fantasy or Middle Ages RPGs out there (I won't name them; you already know what they are if you're into them). And it's a great addition to it's own parent Call of Cthulhu system, too, of course!

This is an essential addition to any die-hard CoC player's or Keeper's collection. I can't recommend it enough!

Rating:
Summary: Call of Cthulhu in 1000 A.D.? Superb!
Review: The Dark Ages and the Dark Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos: what could be more pleasingly horrific?

Want to know how dark the "Dark Ages" could really have been, from the Lovcraftian perspective? Your wish is granted!

Curious about what happens when midieval role-play gets mixed with cosmic horror? Then this is for you!

"Cthulhu Dark Ages" opens up a new doorway on the world of "Call of Cthulhu" role-playing, providing a venue for players and Keepers who want to explore a time when the amenities of the post-Industrial Revolution world do not exist even in the wildest of dreams . . . but horrible things still lurk in the dark places of the world, and just out of sight in the corner of one's perception! This truly is a new world for CoC players, where things are VERY different from the way they're used to having them! No firearms, explosives and electric lights to fall back on here, folks!

This book is the perfect cross-over for CoC Keepers and players who want to take their Lovecraftian horror RPG into the realm of either a historic or fantasy midieval setting. It will tie in neatly with any number of popular fantasy or Middle Ages RPGs out there (I won't name them; you already know what they are if you're into them). And it's a great addition to it's own parent Call of Cthulhu system, too, of course!

This is an essential addition to any die-hard CoC player's or Keeper's collection. I can't recommend it enough!