MOB

Chaosium art director Jaye Kovach shares her perspectives on exactly what makes good TTRPG art. Part of our Chaosium Interviews series with James Coquillat.

Feature not a bug. Yelmalio wins by not losing.

Our Polish printer has sent over an advance copy of RuneQuest: Weapons & Equipment — looking good! Remember, the PDF version is available now; get the cost of the PDF off your purchase of the 128 page full color hardback when it is out, mid year!

No, I think Yelmalio is an awesome cult for combat characters.

Way back in 1980, when I first got my hands on Cults of Prax and saw there was a cult whose god was evocatively named Waha the Butcher, teenage me thought "Wow, cool!" Then I read the cult...

From our Fan Use and Licensing Q&A: Q: What does YGWV (“Your Glorantha Will Vary”) mean? How does this apply to fan and licensed products? A: Glorantha is one of the oldest and most influential fantasy role-playing settings. It is the magnum opus of legendary designer Greg Stafford, who accumulated Glorantha's myths, legends, and other lore from 1966 until his passing in 2018. “Your Glorantha Will Vary” is a long-established principle in Gloranthan fandom. First espoused by the creator of the setting himself, Greg Stafford, in a nutshell what it means is you are free and welcome to take what you want from the incredibly rich tapestry of myth, magic, history and wonder of Glorantha for use in your own games. We work closely with our Commercial licensees to ensure what they publish is in alignment with our published products, but Fan content creators - including those publishing in the Jonstown Compendium - have no such obligation. The “official” canon for the world is found in material published by Chaosium/Moon Design Publications, with what is presented in The Guide to Glorantha and The Glorantha Sourcebook as definitive. nb, in addition to YGWV, there's also YGMV - "Your Glorantha May Vary". As you'll frequently see in the RuneQuest and Glorantha discussion boards at BRP Central, this term is often used when offering personal interpretations and speculations about the world of Glorantha, e.g. "In my RuneQuest campaign, we play the Sun Dome Templars of Prax as if they are Spartans who've somehow ended up the Wild West. YGMV."

Here Chaosium's Jeff Richard talks about the importance of TTRPGs as an independent medium, rather than one that is defined by its relationship to books and film. Part of our Chaosium Interviews series with James Coquillat.

Last week we shared some of the stand-out cover art going on in the Miskatonic Repository! And there's similar great stuff happening in the Jonstown Compendium, our community content platform for RuneQuest! So, this week we got RuneQuest creative director Jason Durall, Chaosium vice president Michael O'Brien, and our community content Ambassadors Nick Brooke, Allan Carey, and Bridgett Jeffries to pick out some of their favourites by indie creators. The Six Paths by Edan Jones. Cover by Katrin Dirim. Jason says, "Not only do I think Katrin is one of the most important artists working in the tabletop games space at the moment, she's also probably one of the nicest. This cover perfectly integrates design and titling, and exhibits a level of quality in presentation above and beyond many professional products." Legion by Neil Gibson. Cover by Teguh Suwanda. Jason says, "The simplicity of this cover and the feeling of dread it inspires makes it one of my favorites. Clean and eye-catching, it instantly tells you what is inside the book without actually saying anything." The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass by Martin Helsdon. Cover by Mark Smylie. Jason says, "A military parade in all of its fine panoply sells the "reality" of Glorantha far more than any action sequence might have. Here we have an army at its proudest, either marching in a time of peace or heading out to the battlefield. It embeds me in the setting and makes me feel like I'm a citizen of Boldhome, watching the soldiers and their Queen marching off to war." Citizens of the Lunar Empire by Chris Gidlow. Cover by Mark Smylie. Nick says, "Mark Smylie’s cover brings the corner bar of Chris Gidlow’s insula to life. The artist took great pains to match the author’s description, and even borrowed details from Dario Corallo's interior illustrations of the residents he depicted." Tales of the Sun County Militia: Sandheart by Jonathan. Cover by Jacob Webb. Nick says, "An evocative scene that captures the bleak desolation of this border setting." The Treasures of Glorantha: Vol 1 - Dragon Pass by Shawn Carpenter, Austin Conrad, Gil Cruz, Simon Phipp, and Jerry Thorpe. Cover by Sasha Radivojevic. Nick says, "An epic fantasy temple scene with nifty Gloranthan details." To Hunt a God by Austin Conrad. Cover by Ludovic Chabant. Allan says, "A well composed cover with a lot happening and little surprises that pop out at you the more you look. It is action packed with the promise of adventure. I also like the title." The Houses of Teshnos by Paul Baker. Cover by Paul Baker. Allan says, "Strong bright colours draw the eye into the centre of this title. A simple cover design that isn't too busy, with a clear title. An instant attention grabber that makes me want to look closer." Six Seasons in Sartar by Andrew Logan Montgomery. Cover by Andrew Logan Montgomery by digital alteration of Creative Commons License works. Allan says, "This cover effectively uses a very limited palette, great use of light and dark areas draw the eye from the dear to the title and back again, forcing you to refocus on both. Simple use of some art software image distortion adds a further element of interest and mystery." The Company of the Dragon by Andrew Logan Montgomery. Cover by Andrew Logan Montgomery by digital alteration of Creative Commons License works. Bridgett says, "This is my currently my favorite overall cover from all of Chaosium's Community Content. It's a show stopper for me. I love the rune use in the title, the mist effect on the antlers, and I absolutely appreciate its unapologetic boldness. I kinda need it on a TShirt." Korolstead: Secrets of the Smoking Ruin by John Lawson. Cover by Silvana Massa. Bridgett says, "This is another one of those covers that begs for a second, third, and fourth look. I appreciate something different each time. This cover uncovers wounds associated with feelings of rage, sorrow, and vengeance. I don't know what's going on here, but I'm ready to grab a sword, a bow, my crew, and find out." Rubble Runners - A collection of Pavis Characters by Jon Hunter. Cover Cover by Jon Hunter by digital alteration of Creative Commons License works. Bridgett says, "There is a a degree of depth and surrealism here that begs the viewer to stop and appreciate. The temple's reflection rests on the surface of the water... but that same aquatic and reflective feel is also present in the night sky behind it. It's gorgeous." The Gifts of Prax by Diana Probst and Kristi Herbert. Cover by Diana Probst and Kristi Herbert. MOB says, "An evocative cover. The radiant spirit bison hints you are in for an otherworldly experience." Secrets of Dorastor by Simon Phipp. Cover by Dario Corallo. MOB says, "An exciting fight scene that clearly shows the deadly reputation of the land of Dorastar is well-deserved (and that RuneQuest combat itself can be quite deadly; hopefully the character in the foreground is about to unleash some mighty rune magic!) Black Spear by Nick Brooke. Cover by Mike O'Connor. MOB says, "Greg Stafford memorably said that Glorantha is the "technicolour cure for bland pseudo-medieval generic fantasy". Nick Brooke's Black Spear is that dictum writ large, especially with Mike O'Connor's radiant colour art!" What is the Jonstown Compendium? Are you a Gamesmaster looking for new scenarios and story elements? A player looking for something mysterious to spark a character idea? Is your group looking for more Gloranthan goodness to use in your game? The Jonstown Compendium is where you can find — and create — self-published material for your Gloranthan roleplaying games.

Yesterday, in an update to backers of the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter, we were pleased to let them know that shipment of their boxed sets will commence in just over a week! If you're a backer, we thank you for your patience! Now is the time to make sure your shipping address is correct: please go to the update for more details. If you weren't a backer and would like a copy, never fear: we'll be selling the remaining copies via Chaosium.com AFTER distribution to backers is completed.

Wonderful new creations on the Jonstown Compendium... The Six Paths Edan Jones (Pay-What-You-Want*; 28 page PDF) A sourcebook on gender among the Heortlings. Contents include: descriptions of the six main Heortling genders; the cults of Heler, Nandan and Vinga; six example characters exploring the gender identities. Featuring artwork by 2021 Greg Stafford Award winner Katrin Dirim. *Note: This sourcebook is PWYW, as an alternative, the creators have asked you to please consider donating whatever amount you would have paid for this to your local LGBT+ charity. Highways & Byways - A Wayfarer's Companion Drew Baker ($10.95, 106 page PDF) What time is dawn? How long will the journey take? Is there even a road to take or will the party have to travel overland? Inspired by the cartography of the RuneQuest Starter Set, Highways and Byways tackles the dilemma of every adventurer; how to get from point A to point B. Vilinar Cave Dario Corallo ($3.16, tokens) VTT tokens of a classical nest of broos from The Revenge of Muriah, the fourth adventure in RuneQuest Classic's Borderlands & Beyond. More Glorantha Area Maps Mikael Mansen Gloranthan Settlements 1 to 16 - $5.50 - $6.55, assorted maps Talastor - $15.50, 2 maps Mountains of Shadows - $16.30, 2 maps Plus title in Japanese! Under the Jonstown Compendium community content license, fans of Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha can sell and share their own material on DriveThruRPG. Check out the Jonstown Compendium Guidelines and start creating!

Roll20 is ten years old! And to mark this milestone, for the month of May we have a special 10th Anniversary Bundle for Call of Cthulhu. Save 40%! Discover for yourself why Call of Cthulhu is Roll20's 2nd most popular system! And if you already own any of these Roll20 titles, they are deducted from what you pay for the bundle. The bundle includes: Call of Cthulhu Investigator Handbook Call of Cthulhu Starter Set Call of Cthulhu Quickstart Rules (inc The Haunting scenario) Malleus Monstrorum The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic The Lightless Beacon Gateways to Terror Mansions of Madness: Behind Closed Doors Reign of Terror Dead Light and Other Dark Turns

Jason Durall, RuneQuest and BRP creative director, shares his tips and tricks on running the best TTRPG playtests: what you SHOULD do and what you SHOULDN'T do. The latest in our Chaosium Interview series with James Coquillat: catch them all at our YouTube channel!

There's some stand-out cover art going on in the Miskatonic Repository! So we got Call of Cthulhu creative director Mike Mason, Chaosium vice president Michael O'Brien, and our community content Ambassadors Nick Brooke, Allan Carey, and Bridgett Jeffries to pick out some of their favourites by indie creators. What makes an effective Miskatonic Repository cover? Mike Mason says: For me, the key to a good Miskatonic Repository cover is ensuring it stands out from the crowd. You have a small window to catch someone’s eye and make them click on your book: the DriveThruRPG preview image is roughly 3 x 2 cm. Thus, ensuring the artwork and design of the cover is focused on doing just that is (very) important. Having good art is not always enough – it’s how it’s used, how it shapes the cover, how it draws the eye, and how eye catching it is – that’s key. The three (plus one honorable mention) covers I have chosen do the above in different ways. But, what’s important is that they drew my eye and made me want to know more." The Black Tree of Cold Springs by Diego Batres. Cover by Ruby Fulgham. Mike says, "Very nice stylized artwork that draws the eye to the main title – and that funny-looking tree! Color pallet reinforces the Dust Bowl setting of the scenario." A Tableau of Red by Helen Yau. Cover by Lucas Neves. Mike says, "Lovely illustration, with red color reinforcing the scenario’s title. Evocative and very human-centric art that draws you in." Infestation by Callum Imrie. Cover by Leon Möller. Mike says, "Good use of color that makes the illustration stand out. Simple yet effective design, which leaves the main title unencumbered." An Occurrence at Como Bluff by Dawson Wohler. Cover by Jake Blackwood. Mike says, "Honorable mention – I love the period styled artwork and the classic “movie” poster set up (plus there’s a dinosaur!)." The Hammersmith Haunting by Cat Clay. Cover by Evanto Elements. Bridgett says: "Clean, classy, crisp, elegant, easy, breezy, beautiful CoverGirl cover." Full Fathom Five by Paul Fricker. Cover by John Sumrow. Bridgett says: "Because Sumrow is awesome, and I love how present this cover feels. It's evocative in the sense that the second my eyes fall upon this cover, I'm on the ship with the crew." The Snake's Oil by Michael Frank, Arthur Rothfuss III, Emily Mills-Woodruff, Chris Hogan, Scott Stamper, Wayne Holt. Cover by Ginny Munson. Bridgett says: "Every time I see this cover, I stop to examine and find something new. It's atmospheric, yes, but it's also alarming in a sense that you've got this no nonsense, heavily pregnant woman, seemingly summoning a snake. I already have a good sense of how this scenario may feel.... And then you have, "mature content, immature people," running across the bottom. ... And that will never not be funny to me. PS: In case you missed it... Check out the tattoos on the woman." The Highway of Blood: A Call of Cthulhu Scenario for the 1970s by Alex Guillotte and Ian Christiansen. Cover by Alex Guillotte. Allan says, "This one because it leans right into the genre it is portraying. Is well laid out and pulls the eyes in different directions across the page so you see all the elements." Viral: A Modern Call of Cthulhu Scenario by Alex Guillotte and Bud. Cover by Alex Guillotte. Allan says, "This one because the cover evokes the kind of story you are going to be playing , it has a stand out palette amongst the crowd, and it is well laid out with all the right elements." Cthulhu Maps - Masks of Nyarlathotep - Prologue - Peru Pack by Lovemaps. Cover by Lovemaps. Allan says, "A stand-out brand, clearly identified as part of a group when you see multiples of them on the same page. Clear, informative well-branded." Storm from a Teacup by Royce Wilson. Cover by Pexels (Pixabay.com) MOB says, "Here's an example of an evocative image sourced from a free use site (in this case Pixabay) that matches the title theme of the scenario perfectly. I love how the broken open infuser and scattered tea leaves darkly suggests something violent might have just happened: truly a storm from a teacup." Sorrow in Tsavo by Bridgett Jeffries. Cover by Alex Strachan (Pixabay.com) MOB says, "Another great example of an image sourced from Pixabay. A blood-red sunset is perfect for a cover that promises the visceral experience of man-eating lions in Africa. The design also leaves plenty of room for cover text, description, and logos." The Mummy of Pemberley Grange - Seeds of Terror by Allan Carey and Nic Holland. Cover by Simon Lissaman. MOB says, "What Allan did with his 'Seeds of Terror' series is come up with a simple yet elegant and effective cover design that can be easily repeated (with minor color variations). If you like the first one you try – and you almost certainly will – you can easily identify all the others in the series." Carnival of Madness: A Call of Cthulhu Scenario for the 1970s by Alex Guillotte and Ian Christiansen. Cover by Alex Guillotte. Nick says, "Alex Guillotte's cover for Carnival of Madness is typically genre-savvy: if you saw this in your local multiplex, you'd join the queue to see that movie." The Dragon of Wantley by S.R. Sellens. Cover by Vitogh. Nick says, "Vitogh's cover for The Dragon of Wantley captures the classic Chaosium Call of Cthulhu look and feel. A Mythos monster destroying Yorkshire? Count me in!" Beach Blanket Bloodbath by James Thomson. Cover by Dean Spencer. Nick says, "Dean Spencer's cover for Beach Blanket Bloodbath is luridly over-the-top and really sells this gonzo collection of five scenarios from different eras to me." WHAT IS THE MISKATONIC REPOSITORY? Are you a Keeper looking for new scenarios and story elements? A player looking for something mysterious to spark a character idea? Is your group looking for eerie ideas to use in your game? The Miskatonic Repository is where you can find —and create —self-published material for the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. Interested in submitting content? Go here to see the guidelines, and here for the additional guidelines. No extra license is required. Get started and download the MS Word template or the InDesign template for Miskatonic Repository submissions, and check out our other free creator resources.

And Paul Fricker, co-author of Call of Cthulhu 7th edition and one of the hosts of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias podcast, shows off the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society's Call of Cthulhu Classic Gamer Prop Set. His verdict: "Mindblowing".

COVID-19 Shipping and Fulfilment Update - 30 April 2022 We hope that you, your family, and your friends continue to be in good health. Sadly, although it's been more than two years since our first COVID-19 shipping and fulfilment message, delays and supply chain disruptions continue to affect international shipping movements and postage times all over the world. If anything, they have got worse. However, we're happy to say it looks like the next month or so is going to be a very, very busy time for us. During May (and perhaps into early June) we'll be releasing four highly anticipated titles: Cults of Cthulhu* A Time to Harvest* Call of Cthulhu Starter Set (40th Anniversary edition, with new box art) Plus, fulfilment of the long-awaited Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter! (if you missed the Kickstarter, we'll be selling the remaining copies via Chaosium.com AFTER distribution to backers is completed). *Remember, you can buy and enjoy the PDF versions of Cults of Cthulhu and A Time to Harvest now, and we'll deduct that cost from the physical versions when they are released. While the pandemic is by no means over, for better or worse the world seems to have transitioned to a "new normal" and so this will be our last COVID-19 Shipping and Fulfilment Update (future updates of this kind will just be 'Shipping and Fulfilment'). There was great uncertainty in April 2020 as the pandemic spread across the globe, but we made the decision at that time to not reduce our headcount nor cut anyone's hours – our team are Chaosium and what makes the company succeed. Thanks to your support we've been able to stick to that, and will continue to do so. We appreciate people buying direct. It helps the company as these trying times continue. On behalf of the whole Chaosium team, wishing everyone all the best until the Stars are Right again. — Rick Meints, president Chaosium Inc.

Chaosium Unveiled checks out Keeper Tips: What The Critics Say "Regardless of your Keeper/GM style, or whether you’re a newcomer or a veteran in the role, there’s some very useful pearls of wisdom in here – and it’s well worth adding to your RPG bookshelf (or that of any Keeper/GM friends you might have) as a result."— Game On Aus, Keeper Tips reviewed. "Warm encouragement to tell horrible stories in a kindly way. I bloody love it."— Mark Morrison (Horror on the Orient Express, Terror Australis, Reign of Terror, etc). Available now from all five Chaosium fulfilment warehouses (US, EU, AUS, CAN, UK): $USD17.99, price includes PDF.

Lords of the Middle Sea: The Roleplaying Game is in development. Based on Lynn Willis's 1978 futuristic proto-Steampunk board game, set in the post-apocalyptic ruins of a flooded North America, the tabletop RPG utilizes a streamlined version of the Basic Roleplaying system. Jason Durall, creative lead for the project, writes: So far, all of our "in-house" playtesting for Lords of the Middle Sea has been done virtually during the pandemic of 2020-2022 and is ongoing. With a stalwart team of voyagers crewing the stolen airship, the Bella Dama, we have soared across the skies above the sunken future of the Middle Sea. But a nice milestone happened at Chaosium Con earlier this month - the first in-person game of the Lords of the Middle Sea RPG was played as a VIP event with a lovely group of players. We had such a great time that everyone agreed to finish up the scenario online vs rushing it through to the final conclusion. This was also one of the first "official" playthroughs of Charles Dunwoody's starter scenario, "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (involving an escort mission for a bathysphere diving expedition). Naturally, something goes wrong... Shown below is how it looked with the tabletop arrayed for the Chaosium Con VIP players: Here's a quick update as to the status of the core materials: The core book is content-complete, and editing is proceeding on the combat chapter at this time. The big map is done. Smaller images are being commissioned (slowly, due to RuneQuest commitments). Playtesting continues (we're on session 36!) and many notes are being incorporated into the manuscript. Four adventures are completed, one in progress, and two more have just been commissioned. Lords of the Middle Sea cover art by Ossi Hiekkala.

By David Larkins, Pendragon line editor. A new edition of the Pendragon RPG is coming! The intention of this series of design journals by Pendragon line editor David Larkins is to trace the path of development, starting in the early 1980s and culminating with the forthcoming new edition of the Pendragon RPG, which will be first to be wholly published by Chaosium in a quarter-century. Pendragon Design Journal #1: Where It All Began Pendragon Design Journal #2: Bringing the Light Pendragon Design Journal #3: A Modular Approach Pendragon Design Journal #4: Refining Traits and Passions Pendragon Design Journal #5: Honor and Glory Pendragon Design Journal #6: Combat! Pendragon Design Journal #7: The Social Game Pendragon Design Journal #8: The Battle System It is a notable oddity of the English language that our word for “mounted noble warrior” has nothing to do with horses. Every other European word for knight derives from the horse, whether directly (chevalier, caballero) or by implication (Ritter). “Knight” refers instead to the social status of the person who holds the title, in its original meaning of “servant.” (Interesting to note that the word for another legendary mounted warrior, samurai, has a similar etymology, but I digress.) Nevertheless, the knight’s bond with their horse is evident in related words such as chivalry and cavalier that share etymological roots with the Latin-derived words for “mounted warrior” found on the Continent. The etymology of squire is much more straightforward: derived from esquire (from the Latin scutum), the word may be translated as “shield-bearer”—a clear reference to the squire’s role as helper and companion to their knight. I remember when I first started playing Pendragon that one of the features of the game that immediately told me this was going to be a different sort of RPG experience was the inclusion of spaces on the character sheet for tracking your knight’s warhorse and squire. Certainly, the idea of companion characters/animals under the control of a player is not unique to Pendragon, but what I found fascinating is that everyone got not just one but two such companions right from the start! Although both squire and horse serve important mechanical roles in the game – which remain unchanged in the new edition – these vital companions also provide the Player-knight with opportunities for roleplaying and characterization. Past editions gave squires a bit more love than horses when it came to fleshing them out. In the new edition, rules for generating squires and their skill sets, introduced in 5th edition supplements, are now folded into the core rules. Furthermore, the rules for making a Player-knight in 6th edition always initially result in a 14-year-old squire, giving groups the option to start play right away, with everyone as Player-squires, or else quickly age up their character until they qualify for knighthood around the age of 21. There is therefore the option to create an even more fully fleshed-out squire using the basic character creation rules. But what of horses? Here, 6th edition finally gives these noble beasts their due, including an entire chapter all their own in the core rulebook. Here we find tables and descriptions for all the mounts of the Boy King Period, along with their armor. Terminology for horse breeds and tack is covered, along with the significant mechanical differences between Combat and Non-Combat Trained Horses. It is in the second half of the chapter that we are treated to a few simple rules that, taken together, really elevate the horse from a mere mode of transportation and weapon of war to a true companion, with their own unique presence. First comes the choice of whether or not to ride a stallion: stallions require increased maintenance and training, and are harder to control than mares or geldings. The payoff is a bit of Passive Glory earned every year in recognition of your character’s superior Horsemanship, for that is what it takes to ride one into battle without handicap. Then comes the question of coat and markings. Picking out the right sort (or having it gifted to you) is vital to every status-conscious knight. The most expensive color is gray, followed by bay, yellow, chestnut, and dun, with black as the least expensive. Pale horses are rare enough to seldom be available, but may be gifted by fairies. True white horses are so rare as to never be available for purchase, being bestowed instead as significant gifts or rewards. White, gray, and bay warhorses grant a bit of Passive Glory so long as they are the knight’s primary steed; a knight who rides a white stallion receives 30 Passive Glory every year! But what of that steed’s personality? Provided is an optional table where, with one or more rolls of a D20, you can quickly generate your horse’s quirks that render the creature instantly memorable. In my current campaign, one of my Player-knights has a Charger with the “Chowhound” trait, meaning it takes any opportunity to grab a bite to eat, even when inappropriate. The horse is affectionately named Mouth, and has seen his master through many a bloody battle and strange quest; his master, in turn, lavishes him with care and attention, even though he is by no means a rich knight, in an effort to keep the cold hand of the annual Horse Survival roll at bay. I have personally witnessed excited Players happily blow their treasuries on the best breed of horse they can afford, and use all their leftover denarii on draping their precious steed in the best armor available. (This didn’t prevent another Player-knight’s horse from being swallowed whole by a terrible serpent, but the less said about that, the better.) These rules do not apply just to warhorses, of course, and knights and ladies alike may delight in finely-bred amblers for their cross-country rides, or coursers specially bred for the hunt. If you good folk are anything like nearly every group I’ve ever run Pendragon for, there are at least some among you who even now are contemplating the possibilities of maximizing Glory and cutting out the costly middleman by having your character embark upon a horse-breeding program of their own. And for that, you need look no further than the system which appears in the appendices of the Noble’s Guide, which presents a simple system for determining the offspring of dedicated breeding programs. With the right resources, and a little luck, your Player-knight or lady may thus produce from amongst their herd a horse of truly outstanding quality. Best of luck, and may Epona look kindly upon your efforts! Art: 'Boar Hunt' by Mark Smylie.

Call of Cthulhu creative director Mike Mason talks about the process he and Paul Fricker went through when updating the game to its current 7th edition. Part of our Chaosium Interviews series with James Coquillat.

The greatest RPG campaign ever written is coming to the Glass Cannon Network - Call of Cthulhu’s Masks of Nyarlathotep! Starring Ross Bryant, Kate Stamas, Noura Ibrahim, Rob Kerkovitch, and Keeper Troy Lavallee. Join them for the premiere "Time for Chaos" on Friday May 20th at 5pm PT /8pm ET: http://twitch.tv/theglasscannon What the critics say about Masks of Nyarlathotep "This will be an adventure you and your RPG friends will be talking about 20-30 years after the event. If you played Masks years ago and want to play it again, yes. The best commercially available RPG scenario has got better." — The British Fantasy Society, Masks of Nyarlathotep: Call of Cthulhu. RPG review. "For something which had already established itself early on as an rpg classic, Chaosium have gone and ratcheted-up this one to 11." — Whispers from the Ghooric Zone, The Lovecraftian Thing a Day (2018) No.182: The Masks of Nyarlathotep. "The Greatest Roleplaying Campaign Ever? If Masks of Nyarlathotep is the campaign by which all other Call of Cthulhu campaigns are measured, then [this new edition of Masks] just raised the bar." — Reviews from R'lyeh, The Greatest Roleplaying Campaign Ever?. "A touchstone campaign for Call of Cthulhu, much as the original Ravenloft adventure is for Dungeons & Dragons." — Refereeing & Reflection, The Greater Festival of Masks. "...a milestone for Call of Cthulhu and for RPG campaigns. It expanded our ideas of what roleplaying game adventures could be and raised the standards for the industry and the RPG art form." — The New York Review of Science Fiction. "...widely considered one of the best RPG adventures ever made" — Gizmodo. Masks of Nyarlathotep, 666 page slipcase set - $129.99, price inc PDF Masks of Nyarlathotep special leatherette edition - $249.00 special price $199.00, price inc PDF Also available at DriveThruRPG and Fantasy Grounds.

Now on YouTube! Join Keeper London Carlisle and Investigators Briana DeCoster, Jesus Rodriguez, Kelli Butler, and Brandon O'Brien as they venture into 1920s Harlem as seen through the Cthulhu Mythos!

Now available from our friends the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, the truly amazing Call of Cthulhu Classic Gamer Prop Set. Created to coincide with the release of our Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter*, it contains 124 individual props in this set, all organized into handy folders with complete instructions. *Remember – if you missed the Kickstarter: we will have left-over copies of both of the Call of Cthulhu Classic boxed sets available for sale to the general public via Chaosium.com. These will go on sale directly after the Kickstarter fulfilment, tentatively scheduled for early May. The HPLHS won Product of the Year in the 2019 ENNIE Awards for their Masks of Nyarlathotep Gamer Prop Set, and for Call of Cthulhu's 40th anniversary they promised to raise the bar with levels of detail and realism to enhance fun and test sanity. Did they pull it off? Jon Hook of the Modern Mythos Podcast has already unboxed his copy – his verdict: "This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen." Watch Jon's unboxing here:

The 'Unnatural Selections' series is our regular round up of notable Chaosium reviews worth a look. Here's what reviewers and readers alike have had to say about R.J Ivankovic's amazing 102-page adaption of H.P. Lovecraft's classic story, retold in anapestic tetrameter*: "If you are a Lovecraft fan, The Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers is a must-have volume because it is may be the best adaptation of a Lovecraft story into another medium." - Geek and Sundry. "Absolutely charming – I bought this book as a gift, then I had to buy one for myself as well." - Customer Review. "(Ivankovic) does a splendid job of distilling Lovecraft's complex language of into succinct and swift verse... Lovecraft fans will find this a fun take on a favorite story." - H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. "Absolutely delightful... almost too good." - Tsath (Customer Review) "If you’re the kind of parent I am, you’ll wish for this book to stealthily introduce your children (and your nieces and nephews) to the wonders of Lovecraftian horror." - Cannonball Read "It made me laugh, it made everyone I've shown it to laugh. The artwork is beautiful, and the poetry of the text is spot-on. If I could give it 6 stars, I would." - TF Druid (Customer Review). "This book is marvelous in every single way! ...a unique transposition of a classic horror story into another genre altogether; you can buy it unashamedly for yourself, claiming that you'll gift it to the neighbour's kids."—Antonios S. Review, RPGNet. "5 Stars - so much fun!" - Richard B (Customer Review). "If you like weird fiction and have read The Call of Cthulhu, you owe it to yourself to buy this book. And if you know a child into the weird, scary, and peculiar, you will be the world's greatest uncle/aunt/friend if you buy them this book."—Dreams & Nightmares magazine. Get your H.P. Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers ($19.95) and its companion volume H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon for Beginning Readers ($17.99) from Chaosium today (and you buy direct from us you get the PDF version included in the price). A great way to introduce your kids to the Mythos - or your nieces and nephews: be that beloved, exceedingly strange relative! *BTW, What is anapestic tetrameter? Anapestic tetrameter is a poetic rhythm often used in children's stories. Each line consists of four units of rhythm, known as 'feet'. Each foot has two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. A well-known example is the beginning line of Clement Clarke Moore's poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas" (aka "A Visit from St. Nicholas"): "Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house / not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

Bestselling author M.T. Black (Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, The Room with No Doors, and many platinum DM's Guild titles) was an inspirational keynote speaker—there's so much to learn from his own journey as a TTRPG creator.

Enjoying reading Transgressive Horror ("Reflections on Scare Films that Broke the Rules"), when I discover that not only one, but *three* of my very talented Chaosium colleagues are contributors: Mike Mason (writing about 'Jaws'), Jaye Kovach (on 'The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane'), and James Lowder (on 'Witchfinder General')! The anthology is by Ghost Show Press and is available at DriveThruFiction in various formats: https://bit.ly/3OkGzPK