MOB

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for its time as a model to support independent creators and to foster new writing talent, the monographs have been superseded by our thriving community content programs at DriveThruRPG," said Chaosium vice president Michael O'Brien.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!

As part of our Call of Cthulhu 40th anniversary our friends the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society are creating a Deluxe Handout Set to go with the five supplements included in our Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter. Winners of Product of the Year in the 2019 ENNIE Awards for their Masks of Nyarlathotep Gamer Prop Set, they promised this new one will offer "levels of detail and realism to enhance fun and test sanity". Having just seen all the proofs, we can certainly say they have delivered! The HPLHS Call of Cthulhu Classic Gamer Prop Set will be released around the same time as the Call of Cthulhu Classic boxed sets, later this year*. We will have more details about the release date soon... *If you missed the Kickstarter: we will have left-over copies of both of the Call of Cthulhu Classic boxed sets after the Kickstarter fulfilment. These will be offered to the general public via Chaosium.com. ABOVE: ONE OF HPLHS'S STUNNINGLY AUTHENTIC NEWSPAPER CLIPPING PROPS FOR THE SCENARIO 'THE HAUNTED HOUSE", FROM THE TRAIL OF TSATHOGGHUA.

The Miskatonic Repository and Jonstown Compendium are Chaosium's thriving community content programs at DriveThruRPG for independent creators. Here, the Council of Shoggoths (organizing body of the Miskatonic Repository Con) discuss with James Coquillat what types of Community Content you can expect at Chaosium Con, coming up in April: Events Include: Try This At Home (Fri 9am) — Panel with the Shoggoths and Chaosium Community Ambassadors where we discuss how to get your playable content published. Play with the Author (Fri 2pm) — Play directly with the author on some awesome bestselling community content! RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, and even 7th Sea! Creators Corner (Sat 9am) — Join writers, editors, artists, proofreaders and more for this informal hangout. Mimosas and breakfast provided! Get your badge for Chaosium Con and we'll see you in April!

The review site Reviews from R'lyeh — a "blog dedicated to reviews of RPGs and their supplements, with an emphasis on Call of Cthulhu and other Lovecraftian inspired games" — marks its 1500th review this month with a review of the Call of Cthulhu RPG. Reviews from R'lyeh reviewer Pookie concludes the characteristically comprehensive review by noting: "There is a reason why Call of Cthulhu is regarded as one of the greatest roleplaying games ever published. It is a classic piece of design that successfully emulates the singular genre it is inspired by and in doing so, introduced new ways to roleplay and tell amazing stories as well as innovations to the roleplaying hobby that are still influential today. It is always going to be the greatest horror roleplaying game there is, not just because of the Mythos, but because of its influence, innovations, and the simple fact that it can still give you a great playing experience." In October 2019, we congratulated Reviews from R'lyeh on its 1000th Review, which was of Greg Stafford's masterpiece King Arthur Pendragon ("one of the greatest roleplaying games ever published, the perfect combination of mechanics and theme", said Pookie.) We now congratulate Pookie on reaching this new milestone of 1500 reviews! What is also notable is Pookie's commitment to reviewing work by independent creators (many first-time authors) in the Miskatonic Repository and Jonstown Compendium community content programs at DriveThruRPG. You can find these at Reviews from R'lyeh under the search tags 'Miskatonic Monday' and 'Jonstown Jottings'. This support of new and up-and-coming TTRPG creators is greatly appreciated!

As we said in our announcement, we have halted our plans for any future NFT/digital collectable releases. Either in Q2 or any other time.

I too see date palms as more an Oasis thing, rather than found growing along the Zola Fel. (BTW, as discussed in another thread, I noted that because dates were a staple for the Bedu of Arabia and are very sweet, they didn't crave sweet things. They craved fat. Where we might give a child some candy as a treat, in those days on the Trucial Coast a treat would be giving a child a great big gobbet of fat to chew on. Just bear that in mind when a hospitable Praxian Oasis dweller offers you a "treat" that's not a marshmellow...)

We have heard your concerns about the licensed NFTs created for Veve using Chaosium IP. Today we are announcing that we are suspending production. Read the statement from Chaosium President Rick Meints here: https://www.chaosium.com/blogchaosium-suspends-plans-for-future-nfts

Outsiders joke that Sun Domers who don't look like this get the 'Total Celibacy' geas.

It was loads of fun doing that series of daily posts - I think in the end there was about 48 posts in a row, covering what went on in Sun County from the appearance of the Cradle in 1621 right through the Great Winter and its aftermath to the Second Battle of Moonbroth. Lots going on at the moment, both professionally and at home, but when I have the time I'll continue the tale from 1624 through to 1627: this is known in Sun County as "The Time of Two Counts".

Enter the mythic, Bronze Age world of RuneQuest with our new trailer featuring Becca Scott!

The Bits and Mortar program is available to FLGSs worldwide - see store locator here: https://www.bits-and-mortar.com/store-locator

We are so excited to announce our official RuneQuest Stream! Join our stellar cast from Monday, February 14th at 3PM Pacific, at Chaosium Twitch for our roleplaying game of heroic fantasy rich in magic, mystery and extraordinary adventure, set in the world of Glorantha. Cast Members Taking the role of Varakos Wolf-Killer is London Carlisle @LondonCarlisle! This fierce warrior is a disciple of the Death God Humakt, and as the name suggests, isn't much of a dog person. Chaosium's own David Naylor @goodshipfuntrip steps into the boots of Mago the Fierce, a passionate follower of the god Storm Bull, who lives to destroy chaos - and to go absolutely Berserk when the occasion calls for it (and sometimes when it doesn't). Ambassador for the Miskatonic Repository, Bridgett Jeffries @SymphonyEntert3, turns her sighs to the mythic, Bronze Age world of Glorantha for the first time by joining us in the role of Yanioth, devotee of the Earth Goddess Ernalda! In the role of the hero Vasana, follower of the storm god Orlanth, is Cynthia Marie @Cyndancer! This warrior and her trusty bison, Molon, are fresh off the battlefield and ready for new adventure! The official RuneQuest stream will be run by the impeccable James Coquillat @robopelican, for whom we have no special promotional graphic, for his talent shines forever in our mind's eye! Begins Monday, February 14th at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm GMT / Tuesday 10am AEDT. www.twitch.tv/chaosiuminc

Our sneak peek of the forthcoming Pendragon 6th Edition core rules and accompanying scenario, Greg Stafford's The Adventure of the Great Hunt, is now available in Japanese! アップデート：日本語でもご利用いただけるようになりました！ Along with English, Russian, and Italian. All free to download at our Itch.io page: https://chaosium.itch.io/the-adventure-of-the-great-hunt

Vale Richard L. Tierney, writer, poet and scholar of H. P. Lovecraft, who passed away on February 1st at the age of 85. Richard was well-known for his work in heroic fantasy including his Red Sonja novels, and his Simon of Gitta series combining the Cthulhu Mythos with Gnosticism. For Chaosium, Richard contributed stories to several Mythos fiction anthologies including The Yith Cycle, The Necronomicon, and The Book of Eibon. The first collection of his Simon of Gitta stories were published by Chaosium as The Scroll of Thoth in 1997. Richard also wrote 'The Cthulhu Mythos in Mesoamerican Religion', published in 1983's The Cthulhu Companion. Described by the Vintage RPG Podcast as "a fascinating exercise in comparative religion, revealing the secret truth of the Cthulhu Mythos lurking in the hearts of human faiths", we're pleased that this influential essay is returning to print again as part of our Call of Cthulhu Classic line for the game's 40th Anniversary. Our condolences go to Richard's family and friends — Chaosium.

Chaosium Con VIP Sessions Update!VIP Sessions will be available to book on March 01, 2022.However, GMs who sign up to run at least (1) 4-hour slot are able to sign up for events (yes, even the VIP events) a WEEK EARLY on February 22, 2022.These highly coveted sessions will take place in their own dedicated area at the con, and seats will be paid entry ($25/seat and maximum 2 seats per badge holder).Remember, you must already be a registered attendee for Chaosium Con to book as a VIP player for one of these sessions. Check out our convention page for more details!

From Bridgett Jeffries VIP Events at Chaosium Con, you say? We DO say! Let’s check out the rollout! This is an exceptional opportunity for you to play at the table with some of Chaosium’s most wildly creative and brilliant creators in sessions for Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, Pendragon, Questworlds, Lords of the Middle Sea, Hawkmoon, and Rivers of London. These highly coveted sessions will take place in their own dedicated area at the con, and seats will be paid entry. They'll be available to book soon. Remember, you must already be a registered attendee for Chaosium Con to book as a VIP player for one of these sessions. More VIP sessions may be added. Check out our convention page for more details! Friday 8 April – 9.00AM-1.00PM Nightmare City (Call of Cthulhu) with James Lowder Speakeasies in Prohibition-era Chicago were not the safest places to frequent, but the best boasted high-quality drinks and even higher-quality entertainment. The Wilde Reputation was not one of those. This dingy joint offered the worst rotgut on the South Side and entertainment that could, on the wrong day, prove more dangerous than all the city’s mob bosses combined. For a handful of patrons gathered at the Reputation in January 1929, it’s the wrong day. Based on the Corpse short story cycle by James Lowder. No experience with Call of Cthulhu needed. [Content warning: body horror, violence, cosmic horror.] Friday 8 April – 9.00AM-1.00PM The Church on the Hill (Call of Cthulhu) with Lynne Hardy The Church of St Mary and St Hardulph has stood overlooking the village of Breedon on the Hill for many centuries, although the site on which it stands is older still. And as with all historic sites, there are many legends attached to it. Unfortunately, a recent blasting accident in the quarry at the foot of the hill has damaged the church and the vicar, Rev. Lucas Wolf, has called in the investigators to assess the damage. But what might the accident have to do with the strange claims by the groundskeeper and the church’s cleaning lady? What secrets does the church on the hill still hold? Friday 8 April – 2.00PM-6.00PM The Forest on the Waves (RuneQuest) with Jason Durall When Argrath sent you down the river to Nochet, it seemed like an easy enough task. Deliver enough in the way of treasure and sweetened words to keep Queen Samastina on your side and keep the money flowing. But now, it seems your lazy journey down the Creek-Stream River has hit a snag... Friday 8 April – 2.00PM-6.00PM The House of Infinity (Call of Cthulhu) with David Larkins Private Llewellyn Bagshaw lies in the Invalid Ward of St. Mary’s Teaching Hospital in Arkham. Another anonymous victim of the Great War, he is paralyzed and unable to communicate with the outside world. Unfortunately, Private Bagshaw holds a key clue to a mystery that the investigators are pursuing. There is only one way to retrieve the vital information: journey into the Dreamlands and find the prison that Bagshaw has built around himself based on his past traumatic memories. The investigators must ensure that, in the course of retrieving the clue, they do not find themselves trapped in his self-made prison as well! Friday 8 April – 7.00PM-11.00PM An Unexpected Mystery (Call of Cthulhu) with Mike Mason Mike will improvise a Call of Cthulhu scenario from scratch, using just a few cards from the various Keeper Decks and his twisted imagination. Expect the unexpected and participate in building the story in this one of a kind, unique session. Saturday 9 April – 9.00AM-1.00PM The Wilde Reputation (Call of Cthulhu) with James Lowder Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: For a handful of patrons gathered in January 1929 at the dingy speakeasy known as the Wilde Reputation, a magician’s act gone awry leads to a frantic trek through the city's darkest corners and encounters with its strangest inhabitants, from the Crooked Smile Killers to the weird denizens of the Resurrection Cemetery. The scenario can be played as a sequel to “Nightmare City” or as a stand-alone. Based on the Corpse short story cycle by James Lowder. No experience with Call of Cthulhu needed. [Content warning: body horror, violence, cosmic horror. Saturday 9 April – 9.00AM-1.00PM Jeff runs RQ! (RuneQuest) with Jeff Richard Jeff runs RQ! Join Chaosium’s Creative Director as he runs a session of RQG for you! Saturday 9 April – 2.00PM-6.00PM The Hunting Party (Hawkmoon) with Jason Durall Prince Yaroslav of Waldenstein has invited dignitaries from across Europe to his home at Castle Mirenburg. Enjoy the finest Tragic Millenium hospitality with nobles and worthies from across the land, and perhaps a bit of a most dangerous sort of entertainment. Saturday 9 April – 2.00PM-6.00PM The Goat Man is Coming (Rivers of London) with Lynn Hardy The Folly has been called in to investigate strange sightings of some sort of man-beast along Parkland Walk, a “linear nature reserve” running between Finsbury Park and Highgate. But what has its appearance to do with the strange rash of tags declaring “The goat-man is coming,” and is there any link to the urban myths that haunt the ghost station at Crouch End and its mysterious spriggan statue? Saturday 9 April – 7.00PM-11.00PM The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea (Lords of the Middle Sea) with Jason Durall Your crew has done some strange jobs, but this is a new level of crazy: serving as watchout for a bathysphere as it sends a crew into the deeps of the Middle Sea, to pick through a sunken treasure trove: the Texarkana Ordnance Center. It should be easy, but fate had other plans for you. Saturday 9 April – 7.00PM-11.00PM The Rod (Questworlds) with Ian Cooper When the crew of the RV Common God are handed The Tod in a dive bar near Aurora Field, it triggers a series of events that bring them up against their arch-rival Jason Odor, in a race to uncover the mysterious artefact’s secrets. Uses the Rocketpunk setting: Pioneer Space. Join us in person for the first ever Chaosium convention! Come along for a weekend dripping with cosmic horror, essential runes, swashbuckling adventure, and chivalrous quests! Play Games. Make friends. Experience Chaosium like never before. Book your ticket today!

In this latest Chaosium Interview, Call of Cthulhu associate editor Lynne Hardy goes through some of the most common red flags you might notice in your TTRPG games, and how you can address them to improve the game experience for everybody. Lynne is talking with Chaosium's James Coquillat.

In his latest 'Out of the Suitcase' post, Chaosium president Rick Meints notes that the Glorantha-themed jokes included on the back side of the Jan/Feb 1981 Chaosium order form are as corny now as they were 40 years ago... https://www.chaosium.com/blogout-of-the-suitcase-30-a-few-jokes-at-gloranthas-expense

In his latest 'Out of the Suitcase' post Chaosium president Rick Meints talks to 1990s Chaosium staffer Sam Shirley about the layout process back then, which was literally cut and paste, with glue. Kids, that's how layout was done back in those days.. https://www.chaosium.com/blogout-of-the-suitcase-29-kids-thats-how-layout-was-done-back-in-those-days

In his latest 'Out of the Suitcase' post Chaosium president Rick Meints tells the story about how Griffin Mountain came to be. As luck would have it, the actual original layout still exists, and is part of our company archives. https://www.chaosium.com/blogout-of-the-suitcase-28-how-beyond-the-pass-became-griffin-mountain