MOB

A message to hard core collectors: this top tier SOLD OUT on Day 1, but we've just noticed several backers have downgraded—jump in while you can! Pledge $249 or more Call of Cthulhu Signed Limited Edition The Full Classic boxed set signed and numbered by Sandy Petersen. Only 200 in the series! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chaosium/call-of-cthulhu-classic

A SUN DOME PALLADIUM *** Everyone in Sun County knows there is a legendary object in the temple vaults that guarantees the sanctity of the Sun Dome. They take great comfort from the fact that, despite all the vicissitudes and indignities they the people suffered in the Solitude of Testing, the Great Temple itself has never fallen. This cube-shaped artefact, a gift of Ernalda to Yelmalio, her husband-protector, is the hexomino. Inside it resides the Temple's defending Spirit Guardians. When the Sun Domers purged themselves of draconic influences in the aftermath of the Dragonkill War(1100 ST), they abandoned their old temple and built a new one. Answering their prayers, Yelmalio sent the Sun Folk the great spirit Feshoaar to dwell in the altar of the freshly-consecrated Sun Dome. In an interesting mythological parallel with Umath's Camp of Orlanthi legend, Sun County too originally had Six Spirit Guardians – north, south, east, west, above and below, one for each face of the hexomino. The legend is Feshoaar subjected the original Spirit Guardians to Yelm's cleansing fire and found that of the six, five emerged from the flames pure. Together, they righteously drove away the sixth, the Guardian of Above, whose draconic urges were too deeply ingrained. They were then to be bound again into the hexomino, which Feshoaar had commanded the people to retrieve from the deconsecrated temple where it lay broken in pieces. But the truth is only five of the hexomino's seven parts were recovered intact from the Old Sun Dome. The Guardian of Above's part simply could not be found. Successive Custodians of the Old Sun Dome fruitlessly searched for the missing piece for many years afterwards, until it gradually passed from memory. The part associated with the Guardian of Below had been smashed into many pieces by the furious mob as they desecrated the temple. When reassembling the hexomino, the Mostali who helped the Sun Folk construct the new temple did what they could to put together the Guardian of Below's broken fragments. As befit its ties to the earth, the Guardian of Below had a feminine aspect. It served to defend the temple from subterranean attack and, by extension, from trolls and other Darkness creatures. Several hundred years ago during the horrors of the Solitude of Testing, its piece in the hexomino shattered to dust defending the temple against rampaging Uz. The aggregate the Mostali had used to repair it was obviously inferior.* The people of Sun County's faith in the hexomino remains rock solid. But they might be disquieted to know that two of its components – that of the banished and forgotten Guardian of Above and now equally forgotten Guardian of Below – are today mere dummy parts. Unlike the genuine pieces that were fashioned from matter taken from the very Sky Dome itself, these replacements are of baser stone. They in fact have no special properties whatsoever, other than helping the hexomino retain its Earth rune cube shape. Hector the Wise hopes that is enough. This particular knowledge remains a deep cult secret. *** From the box, the Midnight Express lifted out a solid, heavy object. It looked something like a large "⅃ "-shaped block, deep blue in colour with shimmering flecks of white. Melo Yelo was nonplussed. "A part of the Sky Dome, praise Yelmalio!," explained Daystar, though this didn't help the baboon's understanding at all. "Come, we must prepare." "Prepare for what?" thought the baboon uneasily, as he followed the strange light priest back into the chamber. *The Light Guide at the time was a member of the Goldbreath family and he swept up the broken remains of that piece and gathered what psychical remnants he could of the Guardian of Below's annihilated spirit. With these fragments he fashioned a magical artefact which became a family heirloom. It is now worn by Lady Vega Goldbreath (it's her Protection-10 matrix, see Sun County p.13). The 'Guardian of Below' continued on, this time as a new cult rank, the leader of an elite band of troll-killers. As the troll threat abated, the position evolved into that of the more general 'Guardian of Sun County', the leader of the militia: this is Vega's current position in the temple hierarchy. She is the first such Goldbreath to hold the rank. [Just reiterating that the Light Lady Vega, a female rune lord of Yelmalio, wearing her family heirloom, is the first Goldbreath to hold the rank of *Guardian* of Sun County. Hmmmm]

Chaosium President @Rick Meints shares lots of inside info about the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter with EN World's Egg Embry: https://www.enworld.org/threads/call-of-cthulhu-classic-an-interview-with-rick-meints-chaosium.681388

Thank you for the compliment! I don't know if your copy included the final single player session ('Against the Skull of Atyar' I think it was called), but thankfully one of the characters - the protagonist, a wingless Wind Child - does actually have a chance to be redeemed in the end. But as I said above, other than the dozen or so copies that were run off for the Australian convention it ran at for the first (and only) time, In Darklight's Shadow is not available in English, and I'm happy for it to stay that way.

THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS Daystar turned and said something to the dragonewt, a series of sibilant incomprehensible spits and hisses formed with his curiously split tongue. Silently, the great reptile came down from the mound and joined them. The priest then called to the lone figure at her brazier, "Forgotten! To my treasury we must go". The woman put down the skull she was holding and went to stand sullenly at the opening of a tunnel close by her bivouac. The priest indicated to Melo Yelo he should come with them. They followed the woman a short distance into the passage and then stopped. Another hundred paces or so ahead the excavation abruptly ended; the beams of the baboon's helmet picked out a jumbled collection of boxes, crates and jars stacked there. Daystar waved impatiently at woman Forgotten. From around her neck she removed two leather thongs. She handed one to the dragonewt, which put it around its thick wrist, and the other to Melo Yelo. Threaded with hair, on each of these thongs was a tarnished silver coin and a finger bone that had been flensed of its flesh. "Go, help The Midnight Express," said Daystar to the baboon, "Don't worry, Forgotten's little baubles will protect you." Melo Yelo went down the tunnel with the oddly-named dragonewt. After they'd gone only a dozen steps they were suddenly assailed by a swarm of moaning ghosts, erupting from recesses in the walls. When Melo Yelo shone his light he saw each of these culverts contained a severed human head. They were packed in tightly with salt, and their preserved leathery faces had gaping mouths as if shouting out in horror or perhaps surprise. Having been bought up among shamans, the baboon recoiled in terror as the mad spirits assailed him. The Midnight Express simply ignored the ghosts and kept walking, and soon Melo Yelo understood they could not harm either of them. "Yes, yes," said Daystar impatiently, gesturing to him to hurry up. With only one arm, Melo Yelo was in fact not of much help when they came to Daystar's stash of valuables. But the dragonewt knew what it was looking for. It took some time, for whatever it was seemed to be near the very bottom of the pile. Daystar's treasury contained all manner of preserved foodstuffs, barrels of salted mock pork, amphorae of oil and wine, an assortment of trade goods, and more. As he helped drag boxes out of the way, Melo Yelo noticed that several were filled with the same packet of wrapped leaves that Cornspot had given him. He remembered his human friend's advice, and reminded himself he needed to give Daystar his offering when the moment presented itself. Eventually The Midnight Express found what it was looking for: a very large, very heavy wooden box. Even it grunted with effort lifting the box clear. The dragonewt carried the box back to where Daystar was waiting expectantly, once again completely ignoring the ghosts. Melo Yelo followed behind and did his best to ignore the evil spirits too. He found it helped by keeping his gaze away from the alcoves. The Midnight Express set the box down before the priest and handed his leather necklace back to the woman. Forgotten snapped her fingers at Melo Yelo, demanding his too. He handed the talisman over and, with a look of bored contempt, she abruptly turned and left. Daystar hissed and spat excitedly at the dragonewt. The box had been nailed shut, but with relative ease The Midnight Express wrenched off the lid. Daystar pounced and started removing handfuls of old, dried straw. With a cry of elation he then drew out something wrapped in a cloth: it was a strange looking dagger, gleaming dully but very, very sharp. It was made of stone. The old priest smiled, and once again licked his lips with tips of his split tongue. And there was still another object in the box, far heavier. Wide-eyed and eager, Daystar nodded, and with another grunt the dragonewt began lifting it out.

Bridgett Jeffries is our Miskatonic Repository community ambassador. Here she tells James Coquillat about how her high school calculus teacher introduced her to TTRPGs, and how the hobby is evolving for the better when it comes to issues such as inclusiveness. Part of our Chaosium Interviews series on YouTube.

4000 backers and still just under a week to go: thank you to everyone so far joining our 40th year celebration! 4000 Backers and still just under a week to go! Thank you to everyone so far joining our 40th year celebration! The boxed sets and PDFs on offer are not only packed-full of nostalgia from the birth of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game in 1981, but are also fully compatible with the 7th Edition of the game! Remember, our strategy for delivery of this Kickstarter has three key phases: ONE - Within 1-2 weeks of this campaign ending we will distribute to backers all of their PDFs. ALL of them. They're already done. For Digital only backers this Kickstarter will be done and delivered. TWO - Within a month of this Kickstarter ending all of the print files will go to our print partner for printing, collation, and then shipment to our warehouses. We will also make last calls for address updates. THREE - Once the boxed sets are in our 5 fulfillment warehouses (USA, UK, EU, AUS, CAN) we will ship out everyone's boxed set(s) in a very timely fashion.

That is one of the main reasons why we commissioned it, to show how easy it is to play these classic scenarios using the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition rules! Already got 20,000 views – Grateful thanks to Good Time Society, Investigators Erika Ishii, Xander Jeanneret, B Dave Walters, Josephine McAdam, and their Keeper Becca Scott for helping us celebrate going back to our eldritch roots! https://www.chaosium.com/blogover-20k-views-of-becca-scott-and-an-allstar-cast-playing-call-of-cthulhu-classics-the-auction

A MESSAGE DELIVERED With Cornspot's shout of encouragement still ringing in his ears, Melo Yelo lowered the faceplate of his magic helmet. Twin beams of light shot forth from the eyes, illuminating deep into the tunnel. The baboon didn't understand the message Lord Belvani tasked him with delivering to Daystar, or what the Light Captain was doing consorting with the strange light priest. But Belvani put his trust in him: he was a Light Sun of the Sun Dome, after all, so Melo Yelo resolved to diligently carry out his mission. What the baboon tried to put out of his mind was what would happen to himself afterwards though? Belvani didn't say. But Melo Yelo trusted in Yelmalio. He knew his calling. It was deep, deep in mines that Melo Yelo found Daystar again. This time, in an open cavern full of pillars and bulbs and domes of salt. Everything was streaked and stained from the smoke of braziers and lamps burning the substance known locally as black gold, but the ceiling was illuminated by some sort of light spell, giving the whole space a sickly yellowish glow. This is where the wretched Dark detail had their camp. It was cold down here, and Melo Yelo could see them dotted about the space, huddled around their small stoves. There were errant Sun Domers, outcaste Praxians, downcast adventurer types, and by herself away from the others, a young woman in rags stacking human skulls into a small pyramid. She eyed him for a moment and then looked away with disinterest. The middle of the chamber there rose into a mound. Sitting cross-legged atop it on a beautiful silken rug was Daystar, the old man he and Belvani had met in the tunnels before. The priest was smoking a long-handled hookah pipe, sending gouts of yellowish smoke up to the faintly glowing roof of the chamber. Standing with crossed arms behind him, as motionless as a statue but for the gently swaying tip of its tail, was the monstrous dragonewt. By them, a pair of naked trollkin with ears cropped and noses slit operated the winch of a crudely built-well. A bucket of water came up, and Daystar gestured towards one of the braziers. Someone detached themselves from the group and approached the priest. Melo Yelo thought he looked like one of those jeering Storm Bullies from the Bison Tribe who'd teased and tormented him in times past. But when he got to the mound he bowed low and then prostrated fully, literally propelling himself the last part of the way on his belly. After liberally kissing Daystar's feet he was allowed to fill up a large waterskin and return to his group. The trollkin released the rope again and the bucket clattered down the shaft until there was a distant splash. They began the process of slowly winding the rope up again. The baboon came to the mound. He was uncertain if he was supposed to get on his knees - was this how you approached a Light Priest? He did not have to find an answer because when Daystar noticed him he threw down his pipe and sprung up, almost running down the slope to him. "And so what does your master say?" Daystar asked eagerly, with a hungry gleam in his eye. Melo Yelo hesitated. He wanted to say the word right. He'd gone over and over it in his head, ever since Belvani quickly told him, seated on the wyrm's back. "Well? Well?," urged the priest. "Ourobor," said Melo Yelo hesitantly. Yes, that was the word, Ourobor. He said it again: "Ourobor -" "- Oossssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss," hissed the Dragonewt from top of the mound. Daystar smiled, revealing yellowing mottled teeth. He licked his lips. The baboon noticed that the end of his tongue was split.

As Phil Frances wrote in White Dwarf #75, "Chaosium’s companion packs should be pretty familiar by now, and the company’s intention to publish bits of lore too odd to fit in elsewhere is essentially an admirable one. The latest collection of oddities is the Second Cthulhu Companion, also known as Fragments of Fear…" Fragments of Fear was first published in 1985, and one of the five supplements we're reprinting in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter, currently underway. The cover art is by Tom Sullivan. Here's what reviewers have said about Fragments of Fear over the years: Fragments of Fear (the Second Cthulhu Companion) (1985) "All in all, worth every penny I spent on it. I strongly recommend it for the additional scenarios if nothing else, and it easily earns 5 stars from me." — Jeffrey V., DriveThruRPG. "In the question and answer chapter (Sandy) Petersen explains reading Mythos tomes takes months because the authors badly handwrite obscure words, making occult and literary references unknown without further research. He answers the questions, “How do I learn a language in Cthulhu?” “Why must my character lose multiple SAN for seeing multiple monsters? and “Why can’t my character get used to seeing common Mythos monsters?” His answer to the last question changed the way my group plays, and my change your ways as well." — Guy Hail, Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer #79. "The best part of Fragments of Fear is the fold out size comparison chart, which displays the relative sizes of most of the monsters and gods in the game... the weirdest thing is a selection of quotes of historical ritual curses compiled by Sandy Petersen." — Vintage RPG. "Best known for its foldout size comparison of various Mythos gods and entities." — Reviews from R'lyeh. nb if we hit our next Stretch Goal that Size Comparison chart will be included as a poster! Fragments of Fear is available in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter. Have you backed it? The boxed sets and PDFs on offer are not only packed-full of nostalgia from the birth of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game in 1981, but are also fully compatible with the 7th Edition of the game!

DOME ABOVE, BROTHER Melo Yelo was unchained, and with a mild kick from an overseer, scampered expectantly over the golden Light Son perched on the back of the wyrm. Had the Sun Folk realised their mistake? Was he now to be forgiven? They spoke for a short while, and then Lord Belvani pointed back at the coffle of prisoners. With a look of resignation, the baboon slunk back to the line. "I'm in great haste", Belvani told the guards. "This prisoner has been singled out for Dark detail punishment but is under my protection – see to it he is delivered to the mines the moment you arrive at Pent Ridge. Believe me, there are geases you can't even imagine if you fail me in this". With that the great wyrm rose into the air and headed back towards the setting sun. When Melo Yelo returned to the chain-gang Cornspot next to him whistled, drawing in breath. "Dark detail means once you go in, you never come out, not until your time is done... If you live that long." Looking side-to-side, he pulled out something hidden in his beard and passed it surreptitiously to Melo Yelo. It was a small package, wrapped in leaves. "Daystar rules inside the tunnels, I've heard nothing goes on without his say-so. Give him this choice dummy as an offering and maybe you'll get on his good side. No take it, I insist," Cornspot said. "I know what you did for us all at Angle Fort even if those Goldbirds at the Sun Dome don't seem to appreciate it." The rest of the way Melo Yelo heard more about this Daystar. Cornspot said years ago, back when he was a kid, Daystar was a high-up in the temple hierarchy, official custodian of the Old Sun Dome, a light priest. "Great buddies with the old count too – everyone sure loved the dummy back then, though folks won't talk about that these days. Anyway, when the new count came in Daystar was on the outs, and got sent here. Things were pretty wild in the Summer of Love, but he apparently got up to some real hinky stuff. Who knows why Solanthos didn't just poke out his eyes and stick him in a tower?" Such fear the overseers had for Lord Belvani's wrath that Melo Yelo was not even given a chance to take a drink when they arrived at Pent Ridge, shortly after sundown. "Dome Above, Brother!", called out Cornspot, giving a hopeful sign of encouragement as the baboon was deposited at the yawning mouth of the mine and roughly prodded in with the butt of a spear. But this was the first time a Sun Domer had called him "brother", and although very frightened, Melo Yelo was also as happy as he'd ever been.

The Cthulhu Companion was first published in 1983, and one of the five supplements we're reprinting in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter, currently underway. It features a compilation of articles from a wide variety of writers, including additional skills for the game, details on prison systems of the 1930s world, an expansion of the Sanity condition, a selection of gods and monsters, and three ready-to-play scenarios. And, as the H.P.Lovecraft Wiki notes, even some poetry by HPL himself! The cover art is by Chris Marrinan. Here's what reviewers have said about The Cthulhu Companion over the years: The Cthulhu Companion (1983) "5 STARS - This supplement contains two "scholarly" essays that are well enough written that I used them as player handouts in my original game when my player group was researching the nature of the "threat" during some "downtime" between adventures! In addition there are four new scenarios, one of which, "The Secret of Castronegro," was a particular hit with my group and became the stuff of legends as time went by." — Jeffrey V, DTRPG. "7/10 – The scenarios are quite good" — Jon Sutherland, White Dwarf #51. "Its only failure is that it is merely a good solid work instead of the brilliance I was expecting." — Steve Marsh, Different Worlds #36. "...it is to be hoped that future supplements will maintain the very impressive standard of the Cthulhu Companion. The value for money is excellent, and no Call of Cthulhu referee can afford to be without it." — Graeme Davis, Imagine Magazine. "To my knowledge... the Mesoamerica essay has never been reprinted, which is a shame. Written by Richard L. Tierney, a mainstay of American Weird Fiction best known for his series of Red Sonja novels and his Simon of Gitta stories, the essay is a fascinating exercise in comparative religion, revealing the secret truth of the Cthulhu Mythos lurking in the hearts of human faiths." — Vintage RPG The Cthulhu Companion is available in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter. Have you backed it? The boxed sets and PDFs on offer are not only packed-full of nostalgia from the birth of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game in 1981, but are also fully compatible with the 7th Edition of the game!

We are using BackerKit as our pledge manager and you will be able to do so there.

"BEG THE COUNT TO PLUCK OUT YOUR EYES RATHER THAN SEND YOU TO PENT RIDGE." - SUN DOMER ADAGE Still not comprehending what had befallen him at the Sun Dome Meeting House, Melo Yelo had been joined to a chained coffle of prisoners and marched away. The baboon later learned from one of the other prisoners – a dour farmer from Cornspot who'd been illegally growing dummy* until his neighbours ratted him out – that they were headed to that terrible place of stinging salt and punishment out in Vulture's Country, Pent Ridge. That was the dark place Lord Belvani took him to before, where he'd been unnerved by the strange old light priest and frightened by his monstrous dragonewt. What had he done to so disappoint the rune masters of the Sun Dome? Cornspot said he was lucky – through his contacts in the dummy trade he'd called in a favour, and he'd been promised his time out there would be served in the Dawn detail; a cushy assignment working on the surface, maybe in the cookhouse. He'd never have to go into the mines. But Melo Yelo? Cornspot simply shook his head and sighed. Having picked up more convicts in a winding route through the Sun Dome breadbasket, a week later the chain gang was trudging through the arid badlands of Vulture's Country. Now they were but a few hours from Pent Ridge. Prisoners and guards alike were parched, but they shuffled on with the promise of mugs of water – barely drinkable for the overseers, almost brackish for the criminals – and bowls of steaming date mush if they got to the prison by nightfall. With Yelm low in the sky, Cornspot next to Melo Yelo gave a dry croak of alarm and pointed to the direction they'd come from. Framed by the setting sun, flying low towards them was a great winged wyrm! Melo Yelo's spirits rose when he saw the Light Captain Lord Belvani was on its back. With a mighty flap of its wings, Windwhistler landed before the column. Without dismounting Belvani gestured to the startled guards that he wanted to talk the condemned criminal Melo Yelo. *hazia

The Grognardia blog writes about the strange serendipity between the bibliographies of 1978's RuneQuest and 1979's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide. Both bibliographies are the fourteenth appendix in their respective volumes ("N"). "RuneQuest's Appendix N offers a fascinating contrast to Gygax's own... Reading them side by side, one is immediately struck by the different cultures that produced each game – as anyone who has played them can attest. It's precisely those differences that enabled them to exist side by side, appealing as they did to different tastes, sensibilities, and interests." —Grognardia. http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-first-appendix-n.html You can check out the original Appendix N here: https://www.chaosium.com/runequest-1st-edition-softcover-pod

It doesn't have the Free RPG Day logo on it, otherwise the same.

Lynne Hardy's Scritch Scratch is a modern-day Call of Cthulhu scenario for two to six players. It is now available from Chaosium.com in three formats: Softcover (US, UK, EU, AUS, CAN), price includes PDF - USD$9.99 POD fulfilled by Lulu, price includes PDF - USD $9.99 PDF - USD$4.99 Set in the modern-day, in a quiet valley somewhere in the north of England, this adventure concerns the demise of an age-old tradition in the quaint village of Muscoby—and the consequences of forgetting the Old Ways. Muscoby has never not had a rat catcher. Old Gurteen has been carrying on the tradition in the village, but recently he was involved in an accident and is now hospitalized. With Old Gurteen away, who will ensure the rat population is kept in check? For two to six players, Scritch Scratch and can be played in one or two sessions. Six pre-generated investigators are provided for use with this scenario, which is a great introduction to Call of Cthulhu while also being a suitably mysterious and horrific evening of fun for more experienced players. What the critics say "Scritch Scratch asks the question, “What Terror Lurks Within the Gloomy Woodlands Surrounding a Sleepy English Village?”... A pleasingly low key one-shot of bucolic mystery and horror." — Reviews from R'lyeh Lynne Hardy is also the author of our newest Call of Cthulhu campaign, the critically acclaimed The Children of Fear.

Having passed $400,000 in our Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter it's on to the next Stretch Goal: $450,000 Stretch Goal - 34" x 11" Size Comparison Poster Today is shaping up to be an historic and epic day. Not only did we achieve another stretch goal "out of the shadows", but we are about to set a new record for the number of backers on a single one of our projects, 3698. That surpasses the number we had for our Miskatonic University: The Restricted Collection campaign in 2018. It's an honor to have so many of you join us for this campaign to bring back into print some of the "Great Old Ones". (update: we're now at 3740 backers!) As for the stretch goal we just achieved, we will be adding a free printed page of new Silhouettes into each printed box set. All $20 backer levels and higher will get a free PDF of the new Silhouettes created by Simon Bray. Of course, that also means it is time for another stretch goal, and this one stretches out into a long poster... THE SIZE COMPARISON CHART, IN MONSTROUS SIZE

A revelation in the vaults As the storm clouds of conflict gathered over Prax, the Sun Dome leadership made their preparations for the uncertain times ahead. Still wrapped in his golden cloak, Count Invictus oversaw the muster of the Templars. With Lord Bakchos in disgrace at Pent Ridge, he would personally lead the First Square. Lord Belvani persuaded the Count that he should go to the Paps for a last-ditch attempt to come to terms with the nomads. The Light Captain promised that, come what may, he would see Invictus and the Templars at Moonbroth oasis. But rather than head to the Paps on foot or zebra, Belvani quietly went first to the Old Sun Dome. He had a swifter means of travel in mind, and a detour to make. As Guardian of Sun County, Vega Goldbreath was in charge of the local defenses. After despatching her deputy and protege the Light Lady Yolanda to the eastern borders, she went to confer with the Guardians of the Four Directions. These are the great spirits who defend the Sun Dome Temple itself, and in times of mortal threat their role is scare away the sendings of nomad shamans or other discorporate entities. Mere mortals though could commune with them via the hexomino in the temple vaults*, and Vega wanted to be assured that the Sun Dome's magical defenses were solid. The martial spirits said with pride they were ready to face all threats, and solicitously asked the Light Lady if they should be released to scour the temple boundaries again? This was curious – rarely if ever would all four Guardians be sent away from the temple building at the same time. But Vega learned from the spirits that this had happened not once but twice of late, most recently on the very morning Count Invictus had returned hale and well again. "Who ordered this?" she asked, and was disquieted to learn it was the count himself. Vega went straight to the treasury. There, back sitting in its rightful place among Duke Raus's other valuables was the Wand of the Seven Phases! It was once said, perhaps uncharitably, that the late Count Solanthos loved the correct forms of legality almost as much as he despised the concept of justice. No so with Lady Vega Goldbreath. As a woman making her way in a cult of men, for her Truth was always paramount, and form must always be backed by substance. Why did Invictus say nothing of this while she condemned the baboon as a thief? Had an injustice been done, and even worse, at her hands? She did not want to be responsible for a judgement displeasing to Yelmalio. When the current crisis was over, Vega Goldbreath resolved to get the bottom of this. *this cube-shaped artefact, a gift of Ernalda to her husband-protector, is made of multiple intersecting parts. It is so-called because it has six-sides. Few remember that, in an interesting mythological parallel with Umath's Camp of Orlanthi legend, the Sun Dome Temple too originally had Six Spirit Gurdians. The hexomino sits directly below the high altar and helps power and coordinate the temple's magical defenses. One of the few treasures that survive in the new temple from the Old Sun Dome, it was rescued from the desecrated site in pieces but no one knew how to reassemble it until Feshoaar, Soul of Light, came down from heaven to give the Sun People guidance. Even then it is apparent not all of the hexomino's powers were able to be restored properly. Cult Secret: the hexomino has six faces but seven parts.

Late last week as part of our Call of Cthulhu 40th anniversary Becca Scott and friends played the scenario "The Auction". This adventure is part of the 1983 Call of Cthulhu release The Asylum & Other Tales, one of the five supplements we're reprinting in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter, currently underway. If you watch Becca and her investigators in action you can see just how easy it is to play these classic scenarios with the current 7th edition rules! Here's what reviewers have said about The Asylum & Other Tales over the years: The Asylum & Other Tales (1983) "Considering its early release date (1983), The Asylum & Other Tales is quite a remarkable product, filled with lots of modular material for use by a harried Keeper. I learned a great deal about crafting good – and not so good – Call of Cthulhu adventures from it. In fact, thinking back on the book and its scenarios makes me wish I were refereeing a Call of Cthulhu campaign right now." — Grognardia. "The Asylum is a collection of cases designed to make your characters feel cursed." — Vintage RPG. "The title scenario and 'The Auction' are strong. Only 'Black Devil Mountain' really stinks (I suppose this scenario was written in 1983, and scenario writers hadn't quite got the hang of the whole "not D&D" thing yet). All the others are good, solid Cthulhu scenarios. All in all, a good package." — James Holloway review, RPGNet. "9 out of 10: Asylum is a neat collection providing short interesting adventures... Quality-wise it compares very favourably with Shadows [of Yog-Sothoth]." — Jon Sutherland review, White Dwarf #47. “Overall, this is a fine collection of Lovecraftian adventures will worth the attention of enthusiastic keepers and completist fans of H.P. Lovecraft.” — Anders Swenson review, Different Worlds #35. "A worthy addition to the Cthulhu Mythos and should be snatched up hand and tentacle by all CoC Keepers.” — William A. Barton review, Fantasy Gamer #5. "All together the seven scenarios in The Asylum & Other Tales present a snapshot of Call of Cthulhu writing as it was in 1983, just as the writers were laying down many of the ideas that authors have since revisited again and again. They feel rough and ready, but no less playable and whilst it it might one of the worst scenarios ever published for Call of Cthulhu, it is fortunate that all of the other scenarios more than make up for ‘Black Devil Mountain’... ‘The Auction’ is still a classic and undoubtedly the star of the anthology." — Reviews from R'lyeh. The Asylum & Other Tales is available in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter. Have you backed it? The boxed sets and PDFs on offer are not only packed-full of nostalgia from the birth of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game in 1981, but are also fully compatible with the 7th Edition of the game!

"This one small scenario has done more to draw role-players to Call of Cthulhu than anything ever published for CoC, and I had the desire to exploit the concept to the max." In a 2007 essay for Electronic Book Review,Trail of Tsathogghua author the late Keith Herber talks about his scenario in that book "The Haunted House", and how it builds on Sandy Petersen's original 'Haunted House' mini-adventure that came in the Call of Cthulhu core rules. "I wanted a scenario that threatened to drive investigators mad, rather than simply tearing them to pieces. I also wanted to see if I could create a scenario so difficult to unravel that most investigating parties would eventually give up and leave without solving the mystery, without destroying the haunt that inhabited the house. I wanted an adventure that would leave players with stories to tell. Best of all, it utilized the moral ambiguity inherent to Lovecraft and CoC. The haunt isn't really bothering anyone - save the rich man who inherited the house. The investigators - who generally assume themselves to be "good" - are actually there to evict the supernatural tenant and will be paid money for destroying a creature who is actually bothering almost no one." Here's what reviewers have said about this influential Call of Cthulhu work over the years: Trail of Tsathogghua (1984) "Man, Trail of Tsathogghua (1984) has the best cover art of early Call of Cthulhu books, hands down. Eisner award winning creator Steve Purcell is the culprit and I quite like his interiors too. The standalone [scenario] “The Haunted House,” is a damn classic... the twist at its heart is so good. It is also maybe the Call of Cthulhu investigation with the most difficult to unearth solution. I expect a good number of players have given up without solving it. And it is in this scenario you can see Keith Herber’s future brilliance the clearest." — Vintage RPG. "Best Call of Cthulhu adventure? 'The Haunted House' from Trail of Tsathogghua. Talking about it is a spoiler, but it's a brilliant premise." — Abject Questioner, RPGNet. "One of the best covers of the Call of Cthulhu RPG." — The Outer Topic. "If you've been happily devouring Chaosium's Cthulhu releases, rest assured that Trail of Tsathogghua is another top-notch effort. This is roleplaying at its finest, and I'm ready for the next one. And who knows . . . maybe it'll even have a title I can pronounce." — Rick Swan review, The Space Gamer #75. "I think Keith Herber's scenario "The Haunted House" is one of the best scenarios ever published for CoC. So glad it's coming back into print." — Sean Branney, H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. Trail of Tsathogghua is available in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter. Have you backed it? The boxed sets and PDFs on offer are not only packed-full of nostalgia from the birth of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game in 1981, but are also fully compatible with the 7th Edition of the game!

RuneQuest fans, did you know the Arkham map from Call of Cthulhu first ed (1981) has a #Glorantha easter egg? The poster version of the map was unlocked in our last stretch goal in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chaosium/call-of-cthulhu-classic

Now on Youtube:

The Call of Cthulhu release Does Love Forgive? is now available on the Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop! Does Love Forgive? for Fantasy Grounds Does Love Forgive? is a collection of two special scenarios for Call of Cthulhu for one Keeper and one player. Both adventures are perfect for a fun evening of gaming for two people. Each scenario can be played over the course of one to two sessions, and is suitable for Keepers of all experience levels. "The compilation you need in order to gently lure people into horror roleplaying, one victim at a time." — Antonios S, RPGNet Review. Note: use requires an active subscription or a one time purchase of a Fantasy Grounds Full or Ultimate license and a one time purchase of the Call of Cthulhu 7E ruleset.

A Call to Arms With the Light Guide now safely immured in a tower and Melo Yelo – the only witness to the events at Stableford – despatched in chains to Pent Ridge, Invictus called the people forth. Keeping his baboon arm wrapped and hidden in a magnificent gold cloak, from Summons Hill the count made great show of reversing several of the more contentious concessions he’d given to the Lunars during his affliction. A messenger was sent to Pavis to inform the governor of this new state of affairs. A week later the messenger returned, with a Lunar tribune in tow. It was now late Earth season 1624. Frictions among the nomads were at a boiling point as they jostled to occupy the prime places of Prax since returning after the Great Winter. Governor Halcyon resolved to march out in support of Inire the Red and the Sables. The tribune brought a command requiring the Sun Dome Templars to join the Lunar forces assembling at the Oasis at Moonbroth. He curtly said the governor rejected what Invictus had said in his letter, but that this "insolence" could be dealt with later. The governor’s message was more like an order to a conquered vassal than a request to a loyal ally. This enraged Vega Goldbreath. Her view was that the Sables owed them nothing, and urged an armed neutrality in any coming clash. The Light Captain Lord Belvani went further, and for the first time intimated that he knew the nomads were far stronger and better organized than the governor suspected. Before the Lunar peace in Prax was shattered forever he advised coming to terms with the nomads’ new leader, the enigmatic foreigner known as Argrath White Bull. Seeking divine guidance, Gaumata the Seer was confused and troubled by what he saw: a great dragon rising from the mountains in the west. Although Yelm remained at its zenith throughout the vision, the dragon’s wings obscured the Red Moon. Count Invictus was inclined to Vega’s view, but didn’t count on the Red Witch’s wiles. The tribune brought with him a special gift – the magic stopper for the brass jar, tied in a red ribbon. It was a subtle reminder that Marusa could yet tell all about their illicit affair. With some reluctance, Invictus gave the order to make preparations for Sun Dome Templars to depart in force for Moonbroth Oasis. The governor commanded them to be there by the first full moon of Storm season.