MOB

None of the Coders ever probably return to Prax again after they are recalled following the Cradle episode; their involvement in that debacle I outline in this other thread, along with what happens to all of them in the years afterwards up to the current RQG timeline. (TL/DR: After being cleared in the recriminations that followed the Cradle, Count Julan is later promoted to higher office in the Citadel of Halfway; Princess Anderida withdraws to the Red Moon; Maculus finally retires to do his 'sorcerer in a tower' thing in his own purpose-built retreat near Eneal in Aggar; Nose Ring is said to be captaining one of the fabled Black Galleys in the Underworld, seeking the Giant baby; and Eslas defects from the Empire to serve the returned Sheng Seleris). But, in the shattered times after the Dragonrise, Princess Anderida's daughter Johana forms a new cadre of Lunar Coders, so who knows where they might appear!

Chaosium staff artist Loïc Muzy talks about how he learnt to be an illustrator for TTRPGS. Part of our Chaosium Interviews series with James Coquillat. nb this interview is in French with English subtitles.

Author of Call of Cthulhu's Berlin the Wicked City, David Larkins, talks to James Coquillat about his process for writing with precise historical detail. Part of our Chaosium Interviews series; watch them all on YouTube!

Many thanks to the nearly 3000 people who downloaded a 'Pay-What-You-Want' copy of our Call of Cthulhu release Does Love Forgive? over the past two weeks and made a donation to Ukrainian relief efforts. Based on messages and feedback from supporters of this initiative, we estimate USD$18,000 or more has been raised for organisations supporting people seeking safety from the conflict in Ukraine. And some kind people did actually pay us at DriveThruRPG too, so we'll be donating that entire amount to Ukrainian relief as well. Does Love Forgive? was originally published in Polish by our friends Black Monk Games. So far, Poland has accepted over 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees. Black Monk is running their own charitable support efforts, and have links where you can donate directly to Polish aid organisations. If you would still like to support Ukrainian charitable relief, here is a list of worthy organisations. #weareallus

The Brazen Head is one of the eldritch items up for bidding in the classic Call of Cthulhu scenario 'The Auction'. It is rumoured to be a powerful Mythos artefact, said to be able to answer questions put to it – if the right ritual is performed. 'The Auction' is from The Asylum, which is returning to print as part of the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter, and will be available in general release in May. You can also see the Brazen Head in the splendidly authentic auction catalogue our friends H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society have created, as part of their Call of Cthulhu Classic Gamer Prop Set (which opened for pre-orders yesterday)... ... and now, thanks to our friends at TYPE40, you and your players can also experience the Brazen Head through an all-new lens, as a 3D digital prop! Only $1.99 — Pack contents Brazen Head: 5 digital reference cards + 3D digital prop Using Augmented Reality: 1 digital reference card AR: Supported Devices: 1 digital reference card Digital reference cards Each artifact has two to four digital reference cards, provided as PNG format images. If you run your games via a virtual tabletop (such as Roll20 or Astral), or video call (such as Zoom), you can upload and share each card as a digital handout. If you and your group play in person, print and use them as you would a paper handout. 3D digital props 3D digital props are supplied as GLB format. You can view these using the 3D Viewer app on Windows 10/11, or with a variety of free third-party apps that support GLB files on any device. No software or app is required! Just scan the accompanying QR code on your phone or device to display the game prop. You’ll be able to explore the prop for clues and information, switch to Augmented Reality with a tap. TYPE40 founder Allan Carey says, "I’ve been playing Call of Cthulhu since 1987 and it continues to strike fear into my heart and drive my imagination. I love it." Do check out the rest of TYPE40's range of digital gamer props for Call of Cthulhu, including The Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, Doors to Darkness, and Masks of Nyarlathotep (Peru chapter is Free!).

If you follow the story I posted here, taking events in Sun County from the Cradle through the Great Winter to the second battle of Moonbroth, it's pretty clear the priest Daystar has embraced Chaos deep down in the mines of Pent Ridge. But I don't think his protege Belvani knows that, and he betrays the Lunars literally at the last second at Moonbroth, adroitly changing sides. Although he is illuminated, Belvani aims to win by not losing, which is a very Yelmalion thing to do.

The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society's Call of Cthulhu Classic Gamer Prop Set is open now for preorders - and if you order it now you get special pre-order perks. The HPLHS's Masks of Nyarlathotep Gamer Prop Set won product of the year in the 2019 ENNIE Awards, and this one promises to be just as awesome, with "levels of detail and realism to enhance fun and test sanity". Created to coincide with the release of our Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter, what does the HPLHS Gamer Prop Set contain? A sixteen-page broadsheet newspaper containing 42 different newspaper clippings, printed on real newsprint, complete with fronts and backs, easter eggs and bonus material Large format maps, a nautical chart and other large items Scads of handwritten letters, diaries and notes Brochures & Photos Police and other legal forms Pages from horrifying books and much more! PLUS PRE-ORDER PERKS! Order now and you'll get the HPLHS's special Pre-Order Bonus: large format period maps of Austria, Scotland and the Belgian Congo! And you'll get the whole set at a special awesome introductory price. All told, you get 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.

In his latest 'Out of the Suitcase' post, Chaosium president Rick Meints says he can't imagine playing RuneQuest in Glorantha without Cults of Prax; it's one for the ages. Although first released way back in 1979, it is still considered one of the best treatments of religion in a fantasy RPG ever written. From the archives, this is William Church's original map for the cover of the second printing, done in ink and watercolors. https://www.chaosium.com/blogout-of-the-suitcase-31-cults-of-prax-one-for-the-ages

Our Call of Cthulhu release 'DOES LOVE FORGIVE?' will remain Pay-What-You-Want at DriveThruRPG until March 14. Remember, don't pay us*, make a donation to a Ukrainian aid organisation instead (suggested places to donate at the link). So far, more than 2000 Call of Cthulhu fans have downloaded the adventure. If everyone has then gone on to donate the cost of the PDF – and we know that some people have donated a lot more – that's at least $12,000 towards supporting refugees from the Ukrainian conflict. As our friends at Black Monk have said, "We can't do much alone, but together we have the strength that matters." #weareallus *some kind people have nevertheless paid us too, so we'll be donating that entire amount to Ukrainian relief as well. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/322173/Does-Love-Forgive

David Larkins, Pendragon line editor and author of Call of Cthulhu's Berlin the Wicked City, talks about how TTRPGs evolve over time as they go through new editions and their fan base changes. Part of our Chaosium Interviews series with James Coquillat.

That is correct. But the BRP monographs could be republished on DTRPG using the BRP SRD/OGL. The creators wouldn't even need Chaosium's permission (or pay any royalties) to do that. As @Rick Meintssaid, the Stormbringer stuff is off the table. Of the BRP titles, many of these were just filed off RQ3 rulebooks done in-house, because Chaosium no longer had the rights. If/when we do a revamp of the BGB I guess we can look at those again, but it's likely they won't be repeated: after all, Chaosium now owns RuneQuest again. Of the other BRP monographs, as outlined above they could republished on DriveThruRPG (or elsewhere) using the BRP SRD/OGL. Or released as fan works non-commercially under the Fan Materials policy. But as @David Scott noted, the vast majority of the monographs were for Call of Cthulhu, so we're going to prioritize getting the MULA stuff sorted first as we have an ideal venue in the Miskatonic Repository for republication. The reality is, none of the monographs were selling well for a very long time (we took them down on December 31st, but it was several weeks before anyone even noticed). The Miskatonic Repository gives all the MULA monographs a chance of a new lease of life, especially as we're going to allow them all to be POD from the outset.

Last November, Peter Willington signed up to the Storytelling Collective’s month-long RPG Writer Workshop and produced his first Call of Cthulhu scenario. 'The Catcott Collection' is an intimate one-to-one story set in 1920s Bristol, beautifully illustrated with period images sourced from the archives of the Bristol Museum. As our community content ambassador @Nick Brooke writes, the Bristol Museum's Archivist was not remotely fazed that Peter’s scenario depicted his employer exposing casual researchers to the perils of madness and death, and asked to have a copy for inclusion in their archives "as an unusual re-use of our holdings." More here: https://www.chaosium.com/blogmiskatonic-monday-47-the-catcott-collection-now-available-in-print-preserved-forever-in-the-bristol-archives-as-an-unusual-reuse-of-our-holdings

Chaosium Con Event Registration is open: https://warhorn.net/events/chaosium-con-2022 Create an account, log in, and fill your schedule with VIP events, games, panels, workshops, auctions, seminars, and more!!! Join us in Ann Arbor Michigan for the inaugural Chaosium Con. It's going to be AWESOME. See you in Ann Arbor!

Many thanks to the 1000+ people so far who have downloaded a free copy of 'Does Love Forgive?'. If everyone has then gone on to donate the cost of the PDF – and we know that some people have donated a lot more – that's some $6000 towards supporting refugees from the Ukrainian conflict. Does Love Forgive? will remain Pay-What-You-Want at DriveThruRPG until March 14. Remember, don't pay us, make a donation to an aid organisation instead (suggested places at the link).

We're making the Call of Cthulhu scenario collection Does Love Forgive? 'Pay-What-You-Want' on DriveThruRPG for the next two weeks (regular price is USD$5.99). If you download it, instead of paying us, we encourage you to make a donation to organisations supporting people seeking safety from the conflict in Ukraine. Does Love Forgive? is a collection of two special scenarios for Call of Cthulhu for one Keeper and one player — great for a fun evening of gaming for two people. It was originally published in Polish by our friends Black Monk Games. As a neighbour to Ukraine, Poland is welcoming an influx of refugees — it is reported over 327,000 people have sought refuge so far, with a queue still going for many miles on the Ukranian side of the border. Black Monk is running their own charitable support efforts, and have links where you can donate directly to Polish aid organisations. Here are some other places where you can donate: International Committee of the Red Cross - Ukraine Crisis UNHCR United Nations Refugee Committee - Ukraine Emergency Save the Children - Ukraine Crisis Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres - Ukraine National Public Radio NPR also has a non-exhaustive list of organizations that are asking for assistance. As our friends at Black Monk have said, "We can't do much alone, but together we have the strength that matters." #weareallus

Our talented staff artist Loïc Muzy talks with James Coquillat about his experiences illustrating Cthulhu Mythos creatures throughout his career. You can see Loïc's superlative work throughout many Chaosium products, including The Malleus Monstrorum and the Petersen Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors. Part of our Chaosium Interviews series on YouTube (this interview is in French with English subtitles). Plus see Part Two: How RuneQuest Rekindled Loic Muzy's Passion for Art.

For our Chaosium Interviews series, staff artist Loïc Muzy shares with James Coquillat how his journey into working on RuneQuest Glorantha helped rekindle his passion for his artistic work. You can see some of Loïc's Gloranthan art in the RuneQuest Starter Set. nb this interview is in French with English subtitles.

We've retired the Chaosium monographs series but have a means to keep them in print, should the creators (who retain ownership of their original work) wish. Details at the link below.In retiring the monographs, we've acknowledged the important role Dustin Wright played in pioneering this program, which started in 2003 and ran for ten years, producing some 80 titles and launching the writing careers of quite a few Call of Cthulhu writers. And in many ways, presaging the community content programs of today, e.g. DM's Guild, Storyteller's Vault, Pathfinder Unlimited, and Chaosium's own Miskatonic Repository, Jonstown Compendium and Explorer's Society.

Chaosium has officially retired its "Monograph" series, which between 2003 and 2013 released material for the Basic Roleplaying System and, under the Miskatonic University Library Association (MULA) imprint, for Call of Cthulhu. Established in 2003 and spearheaded by Dustin Wright, the monographs were an important precursor to the community content programs now a familiar part of the TTRPG market, including the DM's Guild, Storyteller's Vault, Pathfinder Unlimited, and Chaosium's own Miskatonic Repository, Jonstown Compendium and Explorer's Society. Independent creators could release titles under Chaosium's Miskatonic University Library Association or BRP brand, and — as with current community content programs — retain ownership of their original creations while using Chaosium's rule systems and IP. Monograph creators also performed most of the editorial and layout functions, with Chaosium printing and distributing what was submitted. While this meant quality and consistency could be somewhat variable, the monographs were a successful and innovative program that produced various products, including Cthulhu Invictus, Ripples from Carcosa, Secrets of Morocco, and Secrets of Tibet, that were later revised and republished as mainline Call of Cthulhu releases. Many well-known Call of Cthulhu authors also got their start writing monographs for the MULA. "While innovative for its time as a model to support independent creators and to foster new writing talent, the monographs have been superseded by our thriving community content programs at DriveThruRPG," said Chaosium vice president Michael O'Brien. "We will be contacting the monograph creators to finalize any payments and advise them that the Miskatonic Repository is a now an option for them to keep their work in print. For the former monographs we will be waiving the usual requirement that a title be a Electrum seller (250 pdf sales) before it is eligible to be print-on-demand. Furthermore, our community content ambassadors will be on hand to assist MULA creators who wish to convert their work to the Miskatonic Repository format," said O'Brien. WANT TO TAKE PART IN THE MISKATONIC REPOSITORY COMMUNITY PROGRAM? Under The Miskatonic Repository community content license, Call of Cthulhu fans can make their own work for use with the game line available to the public, using guidelines, templates, and art provided by Chaosium. Whether you share your content for free or put it up for sale, this program is a digital home for terror that joins the dreamscapes of all who peruse it. Miskatonic Repository Guidelines for Content Creators Additional Guidelines

I too am Chaosium staff. Like @Rick Meints, I do skim this site most days and if you ping me I'll usually respond in a day or two.

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! Last time, we took a look at how 6th edition Pendragon handles that most important knight’s duty: combat. But there is more to a knight’s life than fighting, and there is a place where the stakes are just as high as on the blood-soaked killing fields: the courts of the nobility. The key to success when navigating the halls of power is Geniality. First introduced in the 5th edition supplement Book of Feasts, this is an entirely subjective Statistic. Everyone’s “base” Geniality is 0. Unlike Glory, Geniality is ephemeral, constantly rising and falling. Unlike Honor, Geniality has nothing to do with one’s inherent worth. Rather, it is strictly external: what are you wearing? How richly are you living? Was that you who dropped that witty bon mot? Or did you just inadvertently insult the king? Your character’s Standard of Living is the best way to raise Geniality. The wealthier you appear, the more prestigious your titles, the more favorably you are viewed by your noble peers. Beyond that, all bonuses to Geniality are transitory: with the appropriate outlay of treasure, you can get yourself dolled up with gold and jewels for that all-important appearance before the king; the Fashion Skill is indispensable here. And feasts (discussed in more detail below) carry the potential for massive Geniality bonuses—or shame and ignominy! So what does Geniality get you? Simply this: Geniality acts as a modifier to your character’s Appeal (APP) Characteristic and most Courtly Skills (specifically Compose, Courtesy, Dancing, Fashion, Flirting, Gaming, Intrigue, Orate, Play Instrument, and Singing). It also acts as a modifier to everyone else’s Recognize Skill when applied to you. Geniality reflects the highly subjective, hierarchical courtly environment. Does being genial make you a better chess player, then? No, but it makes it more likely your opponent will let you win in order to curry favor! However unjust, a rich lord, well-dressed and possessing noble titles, will have his voice heard (Orate), his petitions granted (Courtesy), his attention returned (Flirting) with much greater success than an ordinary household knight. Where Geniality truly shines, in my opinion, is the fact that all nobles possess it: knights and ladies alike. A big bull of a knight might be an unstoppable force in combat, but a Genial lady (or more courtly knight, like Sir Tor) will run circles around him at court. Queen Guenever is the most Genial of all, and through this she wields tremendous influence and power. The core materials focus primarily on the application of Geniality to the lives of knights, but we do have plans for a future supplement that will go into courtly play in much greater detail. As mentioned, feasts are where Geniality truly shines. If you are familiar with the Feast Deck from the Book of Feasts, you may be pleased to learn that 6th edition uses a similar approach. A basic set of feast cards will come packaged with the forthcoming Pendragon Starter Set, with a larger deck available separately. If you already own a Feast Deck, you can simply use that. There’s even a simplified card-less system included with the feasting rules for groups without access to a deck, or for those who prefer not to use cards. For those unfamiliar with the Feast Deck, each card presents an event that occurs during a feast, usually involving just one character but sometimes affecting the whole group. (These latter event cards can have unexpected knock-on consequences! In a recent session in my current campaign, one of the Player-knight’s call for “More Drink!” led to serious embarrassment for another Player-knight, who ended up getting drunk and causing a scene.) Many cards carry a bonus to Geniality, often with a chance to increase that bonus further with a successful Skill or Trait roll—or turn the bonus into a penalty with a failed roll. As the feast goes on, the Player-knights track their Geniality as it rises and falls. At the end, these scores earn a little Glory, and potentially much more if a Player-knight has earned enough to exceed the feast’s Geniality Threshold, meaning they are remembered as a highlight of the evening by all in attendance (and earning a more significant Glory award). Naturally, the larger the feast, the harder it is to hit that threshold. Royal Feasts more or less require you to start with a high base Geniality from your station for there to be a chance at exceeding the threshold, whereas an equally-opulent lord or lady attending a feast is all but guaranteed to be the standout guest. Glory from feasts is all well and good, of course, but perceptive readers will have noted that, with the potential for stacking Geniality bonuses, feasts are hands down the best venue for courtly maneuverings. From Intrigue and Flirting to Courtesy and Orate, Player-knights and ladies can use feasts to further their ambitions in a variety of ways. But beware the temptations of too much drink, or an inviting smile, lest you end up humiliating yourself in front of your lord and peers, or even find yourself challenged to a duel over an affair of honor! Art: "Gossip" by Mathilde Marlot

In what definitely resembles the start of a Call of Cthulhu adventure, legendary YouTuber cgpgrey chronicles his descent into madness obsessively researching the "Tiffany Problem" — leading him to an obscure medieval tome called The Scotichronicon (really) h/t @SteveMND!

Our friends at Roll20 have reported that user numbers on their platform have doubled in the last two years, going from five million users to more than 10 million since March 2020! Throughout that explosion of growth Call of Cthulhu has remained the second-most popular system on Roll20. To support that growth we continued to add a whole lot of new Call of Cthulhu titles to the Roll20 platform throughout 2020 and 2021. And we have exciting plans for 2022, which we will share soon! In the meantime, check out all the Call of Cthulhu titles we have on offer in Chaosium's Roll20 Marketplace. If you're "Cthulhu Curious", our Quickstart Rules and the Lightless Beacon scenario are both free!