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What kind of mystery is the hardest to solve? Rivers of London line editor and Call of Cthulhu associate editor Lynne Hardy shares some useful advice about how to make your own mysteries from scratch, and how to alter them on the fly if your players do something unexpected. Lynne is talking with James Coquillat for our Chaosium Interviews series.

Congratulations to Miskatonic Repository creator Kat Clay, winner of the 2023 Ditmar Award for 'Best Fan Writer'! The Ditmars are an Australian premier science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually since 1969. Kat's award is for her YouTube channel, where, among other topics, she features her TTRPG writing, with such titles as "6 Things I Learned Writing My First Call of Cthulhu Game" and "How to Design Your Call of Cthulhu Game using InDesign". Kat's bestselling indie Call of Cthulhu creations 'The Hammersmith Haunting' and 'The Well of All Fear' can be found at the Miskatonic Repository at DriveThruRPG.

Physical editions of the Basic Roleplaying Universal Game Engine book* are fast approaching! Here, Chaosium's Jeff Richard talks about some of the strangest settings that the versatile BRP ruleset has been applied to. Part of our Chaosium Interviews series with James Coquillat. *buy the PDF direct from Chaosium now and we'll deduct that cost off the price of the physical book when it is out!

This is David Scott's inundation map being referred to: As noted, that's only what the extent of the inundation would be without the intercession of magical/divine/heroquesting/technological ways to impede the rising water. nb the red circle David marked on the map is the separation between the Oslir river watershed and the Creek-stream-river watershed, and here he chose not to have the flood spill over at this point.

As I said in that other thread about the Great Flood thirty years hence, [David Scott's map, showing widespread flooding across all of Prax and Kethaela etc] only shows the extent of what the inundation would be like without any magical/divine/heroquesting/technological interventions, which might take place in various locations with varying degrees of success. I already have an idea what the Sun Domers of Prax might do to meet the peril. And remember, in the Cave of Serpents at Sacred Ezel the Enervi Sybil gave a prophesy, that one day "the dykes of Esrolia will save the Holy Country".

Call of Cthulhu 7th edition co-author Paul Fricker has formally joined the Chaosium team as an associate editor. Paul is best known for the latest edition of Chaosium’s acclaimed RPG, Call of Cthulhu, in partnership with Mike Mason, and more recently for the ENNIE-award winning Rivers of London RPG, in partnership with Lynne Hardy. Paul has participated in the creation and development of numerous scenarios and campaigns, beginning with Gatsby and the Great Race, back in 2005. Presently, Paul has three best-selling scenarios on the Miskatonic Repository, Chaosium's platform for independent Call of Cthulhu creations at DriveThruRPG: Full Fathom Five, Dockside Dogs, and My Little Sister Wants You to Suffer, with more in the works. Paul also developed the Call of Cthulhu strand of the Storytelling Collective's popular 'Write Your First Adventure' workshop, assisting literally thousands of aspiring TTRPG creators take their first steps towards publication. "Paul has been an integral part of the success of the current edition of Call of Cthulhu since its initial release. As the popularity of Call of Cthulhu continues to grow, it's great to bring Paul formally on board to help work on the many exciting releases we have in various stages of production," said Chaosium vice president Michael O'Brien. In addition to his writing, Paul appears on two podcasts: as one of the hosts of the horror and gaming podcast, The Good Friends of Jackson Elias ; and alongside Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu Creative Director, Mike Mason, on their short fiction podcast, Mason and Fricker’s Eldritch Stories. Paul also has a blog (The Frickerverse). PAUL FRICKER COMPANY BIO.

Six scenarios against the Unknown! Chaosium Unveiled looks at Nameless Horrors 2nd Edition. Originally published in softcover nearly 10 years ago, this updated hardback edition of Nameless Horrors contains brand new art, player handouts, and maps for each of its six scenarios. Available now! Nameless Horrors 2nd Edition – $42.99, price includes PDF Nameless Horrors 2nd Edition Leatherette – $90.00, price includes PDF Nameless Horrors PDF – $21.99 PDF also available at DriveThruRPG – $21.99 VTT version at Roll20 – $43.15

What is your best tip to prepare for a gaming session? Chaosium's Jason Durall shares some of his suggestions in the latest interview on our Chaosium YouTube channel. He is talking with James Coquillat.

When the Good Times return and the Sun Dome once again reigns triumphant in glory, everyone gets a pony! During the Solitude of Testing they live for this day...

nb above, Joséphine is reading the Call of Cthulhu prop newspaper, lovingly created by our friends at the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Call of Cthulhu RPG: https://store.hplhs.org/products/call-of-cthulhu-classic-newspaper

That's a wrap - all six episodes of Graveyards of Arkham have been filmed and are safely in the can! Editing will be underway in the coming weeks! Now begins the heart-breaking tear down of the set, and the cast is returning home. Here are some more behind-the-scenes shots from Day 3!

It's a wrap on Day 2 of the Graveyards of Arkham shoot! Episodes 3 and 4 have been fittingly horrific, and we truly cannot wait for everyone to experience this story together!

"Kay-OH-see-um" or "Kay-OS-ee-um"? In his new Out of the Suitcase post, Chaosium president Rick Meints shares an old ad that talks about how to correctly say the company's name (TLDR - there is no right way, but Rick does share how Greg Stafford himself pronounced it). https://www.chaosium.com/blogout-of-the-suitcase-44-kayohseeum-or-kayoseeum/

The folks at Good Time Society sure have knocked it out of the park for Graveyards of Arkham with their amazing set for the production! It's now a wrap for day one, with the filming of both episodes one and two, as well as appearances from two of our guest NPCs! We'll be back with even more tomorrow, but for now please enjoy some photos!

Exciting! The Graveyards of Arkham film shoot starts in a few hours time at the Good Time Society studios in Los Angeles! Cast and crew have assembled, the magnficent set is prepared, costumes are ready to be fitted, and we're good to go – and all of this is made possible thanks to our wonderful Kickstarter backers! Here's a few quick snaps of the studio, while things are getting underway. We'll post another update at the end of the day's shooting, and every day while the filming takes place. This is going to be fun!

Out today in PDF, two new releases for the 7th Sea RPG: Land of 1000 Nations and Cities of Faith and Wonder! Land of 1000 Nations Land of 1000 Nations covers The Woven Land—the distant continent, and its many peoples, beliefs, magics, cultures, and nations. This 144 page book provides an extensive exploration of the histories, customs, social structures, and spirituality of the various cultures of the Woven Lands. A rich digest of folklore and mythology showcases the depth of culture of the peoples of the distant continent. Throughout the book is a collection of beautiful artwork depicting the peoples of the Woven Lands, created by a diverse group of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color artists. A suite of highly detailed non-player characters and story seeds to spark your very own new tales of high adventure. The book also includes new Backgrounds, Advantages, and Fighting Styles applicable for 7th Sea characters hailing from the Woven Land. Available now in PDF from Chaosium.com* and from DriveThruRPG - $16.99 Cities of Faith and Wonder Cities of Faith and Wonder explores cities full of adventure and mystery, thwarting the plots of Villains and uncovering vast conspiracies! Two major cities of Theah - Vaticine City and Iskandar - are brought to life in wondrous detail for the first time. This 216 page book also features a robust city-building system, allowing you and your players to create your own capital, township, village, or metropolis from the ground up. Whether you’re looking to put your own personal touch on Théah, or create a vast and interconnected hub as a basis for an entire story, the tools you need are found within! Available now in PDF from Chaosium.com* and from DriveThruRPG - $19.99. *purchase the PDF now direct from the Chaosium website and we'll take the cost of the PDF off the price of the physical book when it is released. What is the 7th Sea RPG? 7th Sea is a tabletop roleplaying game of swashbuckling and intrigue, exploration and adventure, taking place on the continent of Théah, a land of magic and mystery.. Players take on the roles of heroes thrown into global conspiracies and sinister plots, exploring ancient ruins of races long vanished, and protecting Kings and Queens from murderous villains. It is a world of sharp blades and sharp wits, where a cutting retort can be just as deadly as a sword’s point! New to 7th Sea and the world of Théah? Check out 7th Sea Getting Started section or download the Quickstart and start sailing across the 7 Seas!

Yeah, the Nochet I wrote up in the mid-1990s very much has a Constantinople vibe. Which I shamelessly and cheerfully just switched to Sog City when we wrote that metropolis up several years later for How the West Was One. [Interestingly, back on the original point, even when the post-Manzikert Byzantine Empire was at its apogee under Manuel II, definitely a if not the major power of the region, they granted trading monopolies to the Genoese and Venetians. But this was always for trade beyond the empire's borders. Ship trade inside the empire was reserved for proper Romans. My analogy here is the Choralinthor Sea.]

I think you must have misread Tales #13. The monopoly granted is only for sea-going trade*; my thinking when writing this some 25 years ago was the along the lines of the trading relationships the Genoese and Venetians had with the Byzantines. I agree with you that the foreigner Capratis and Du Tumerines would have nothing to do whatsoever with grain supplies to the city, or collecting tolls etc. *writing this today, I would make this even more clear: the monopoly granted is only for sea-going trade, e.g. out into the Ocean and beyond. The Great Houses of Nochet control and monopolise domestic commerce inside the Choralinthor Sea.

RPGMatch is an application where you can register and meet other TTRPG players who like to play like you do. As they say, Think: Tinder for tabletop roleplaying games (without the romance). With this partnership, fans of Chaosium games will be able to unlock an exclusive badge for their RPGMatch profile, as well as connect easily with fans of the brand (see image above). Additionally, fans will be able to select and find matches for the full roster of Chaosium games: 7th Sea Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine Call of Cthulhu Pendragon RuneQuest Rivers of London Sign up for free on RPGMatch and start playing with other Chaosium fans! And then unlock your exclusive Chaosium badge here!

How narrow is too narrow for the focus of a story? Pendragon line editor David Larkins talks about writing for a fixed niche, be it the Knights of King Arthur or the eldritch horrors lurking in 1920s Berlin. David is talking to James Coquillat as part of our Chaosium Interviews series.

Gamehole Con takes place in Madison WI on October 19-22, and Chaosium's Rick Meints, Jeff Richard and Mike Mason are all special guests. You can catch Rick, Jeff and Mike running games, participating in panels, and at our booth in the dealer hall. Rick is also honoured to be one of the auctioneers for Gamehole's Charity game auction. Gamehole Con is one of the biggest tabletop gaming conventions there is, and we hope to see you there!

"Bend it like Nyarlathotep" - The Wrexham FC connection to the Stream of Blood Wrexham A.F.C. is the soccer club owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney that is the subject of the popular documentary series Welcome to Wrexham. While watching, keen-eyed Call of Cthulhu creator Stephanie McAlea pointed out that the club's COO is obviously a fellow Call of Cthulhu fan, based on what's on his bookcase. He is! That's British writer and comedian (and football executive) Humphrey Ker, and you can see him playing Call of Cthulhu on the Stream of Blood actual play show. e.g. here: nb On the bookcase is our 666 page mega campaign, Masks of Nyarlathotep (your Spot Hidden gets an experience check, Steph!):

What is the most powerful Call of Cthulhu creature you’ve defeated? In this Chaosium Interview, Call of Cthulhu creative director Mike Mason talks about how including unkillable enemies in your games can change their dynamic. Mike is talking to James Coquillat. Catch all the interviews in this series at the Chaosium YouTube channel!

OzComicCon Sydney September 23-24, Sydney Showground We'll be running demo games of Call of Cthulhu, RQG, Pendragon, and Rivers of London! Badges available here but if you'd like to help us demo games you can get two badges for free entry - see the Cult of Chaos Call for GMs below! SXSW Sydney October 21-22, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour A new event in Sydney, with a Gaming Festival taking place over 5 1/2 days. Badges available here, but if you'd like to help us demo games you can get two badges for free entry - see the Cult of Chaos Call for GMs below! Cult of Chaos Call for GMs OzComicCon Sydney: With two weeks to go we're still looking for more GMs to help demo Call of Cthulhu, RQG, Pendragon, and Rivers of London. If your'e interested in doing a couple of four hour shifts on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, with two badges for free entry, a Chaosium t-shirt and US$10 Cult of Chaos Credit for each four hour shift, please contact our convention coordinator Andrew here. SXSW Sydney: SXSW is offering each GM two badges for the full 5 1/2 days of the SXSW Sydney Gaming Festival (value $165 each, so $330 in total - come GM for us, and you can bring a friend!) Badge gives access Wednesday - Sunday plus the Opening Night Party event on Tuesday evening. GMs will also receive a Chaosium t-shirt, and and US$10 Cult of Chaos Credit for each four hour shift on Saturday and Sunday at Fortress Sydney. If you're interested, please contact our convention coordinator Andrew here.