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Out now: the Call of Cthulhu 40th Anniversary Keeper Rulebook


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A Chaosium.com Exclusive

Call of Cthulhu 40th Keeper Rulebook

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Call of Cthulhu. To mark this special milestone in tabletop RPGs we've produced a Special Limited Edition Keeper Rulebook.

This limited edition features a magnificent new leatherette cover and dust jacket design. Additional material inside includes personal accounts by some of the early creators and contributors to the game, new endpapers, and the re-inclusion of the 'The Haunting', the classic scenario that had been in all editions of the game up to 7th edition and has been something of a rite of passage for untold thousands of Call of Cthulhu fans.

Available now from only from Chaosium.com!

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The Stars are Right

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Call of Cthulhu with this limited edition, red and black leatherette hardcover.

What's Inside?

The 40th Anniversary edition of the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook contains the core rules, background, guidance, spells, and monsters of the game. It is everything you need for Call of Cthulhu at your fingertips.

One-of-a-kind Design

The 40th Anniversary edition of the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook is presented in a pristine black leatherette cover, with red embossed sigils and designs. This is a limited edition of a premium collector’s item, suitable for the centerpiece of any library!

40th Anniversary Essays

A never-before-printed collection of essays, forwards, and musings from a wealth of Call of Cthulhu writers including Penelope Love, Lynne Hardy, Mike Mason, Mark Morrison, Paul Fricker, and more.

Return to the Corbitt House

In addition to the scenarios Amidst the Ancient Trees and Crimson Letters, this 40th Anniversary Edition includes the scenario The Haunting, in which the players are recruited to investigate a supposedly haunted house in 1920s Boston.

Edited by MOB
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2 hours ago, TrippyHippy said:

Good cover, although you might want to check the interior previews. They seem to still be showing the standard book (going on the table of contents really).

The Haunting appears (in the PDF) after the Index - starting pg 435 and doesn't appear in the tale of contents (but does appear listed in the preface)

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So Chaosium I asked this on Twitter but I’ll ask again here.

What similarities/differences from the standard book can we expect with this 40th anniversary edition? 
 

I understand there are new essays from Cthulhu contributors, and the inclusion of the Haunting adventure, but are there any layout changes, or any errata included in this new special 40th anniversary edition? 
 

 

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3 hours ago, Paid a bod yn dwp said:

So Chaosium I asked this on Twitter but I’ll ask again here.

What similarities/differences from the standard book can we expect with this 40th anniversary edition? 
 

I understand there are new essays from Cthulhu contributors, and the inclusion of the Haunting adventure, but are there any layout changes, or any errata included in this new special 40th anniversary edition? 
 

 

No. The original Keeper Rulebook is exactly as originally presented in terms of layout. The Preface was added in front. The Haunting is at the back. I think perhaps maybe errata is included? I haven’t checked. Will investigate further when I have time.

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1767473263_Forewordwriters40th.png.3d22ebd002b75cb63098d7ba8d879453.png

For the special Call of Cthulhu 40th anniversary Keeper Rulebook we've included a new preface section, along with the classic scenario, The Haunting, which can be found at the end of the book. 

Contributing to the preface section are Call of Cthulhu creative director Mike Mason; founder of the Cult of Chaos and stalwart Chaosium team member Dustin Wright; Call of Cthulhu associate editor Lynne Hardy; Call of Cthulhu 7th-edition co-author Paul Fricker; long-standing Call of Cthulhu writers Mark Morrison and Penelope Love; Stephen R. Marsh, one of the initial playtesters of the game, and friend of Sandy Petersen who had encouraged him to contact Chaosium about writing for us in the first place; Fred Malmberg, another of the early playtesters, who then went on to found the Swedish RPG industry; and the original creator of the game himself, the Great Old One Sandy Petersen.

All these introductions have never been published before. Here are some choice snippets:

"Call of Cthulhu became a huge hit among other game companies. In the mid-1980s, I was told by the employees of TSR that it was the only roleplaying game they played there. TSR was, of course, the then publisher of D&D, so in a sense, I’d gone full circle. I got my start in roleplaying with D&D and now, the company that made D&D was playing my game." — Sandy Petersen.

"I think I had never experienced game sessions like the playtests for Call of Cthulhu. I recall they were held in the lower floor of the house, which was cozy and cramped, and filled with gaming paraphernalia. When Sandy would go into Lovecraftian descriptions at particular moments, it was clear that this was not any regular D&D session. You rolled up a character only to wait for them to go insane, which was groundbreaking at the time, but quite enjoyable." — Fred Malmberg

"Looking back, I am not surprised that forty years later the game is still popular and using rules pretty much compatible with that first edition." — Stephen R. Marsh.

"That classic Gene Day painting on the box of Call of Cthulhu seized our imaginations, even before we two had met each other. This wasn’t Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Who were those people, what was that word (Cth-huh?) and, good god, what was in that house? ...Forty years. We’re sad we cannot celebrate with Greg, Keith, or Lynn as they have already gone before us, but their vision lives on wherever friends gather around a guttering candle to scare the living crap out of each other. Death may die but stories are forever." — Mark Morrison and Penelope Love.

"The appeal of Call of Cthulhu, for me, lies in the mystery. I don’t mean the string of clues that the investigators might follow, step by step, in the game. I don’t mean a mystery that you can solve. I’m talking about the mystery that provokes a sense of wonder. That sense of mystery was there in “Pickman’s Model,” and it was there in “Paper Chase” too. It appears to me, that we humans want there to be more than what there seems to be in this earthly life. We crave mysteries that science can’t fathom. As long as people have existed, they have sought comfort in the belief that there is something beyond what we can see. Some people find that sense of wonder in a belief, or a church, or up on the silver screen. But I found it in my school canteen. I found it in this game and in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft." — Paul Fricker.

"The Cthulhu Mythos is an immense collaborative world, which adds to its appeal for me and, I suspect, others. In keeping with that spirit of collaboration, the game has brought me many great friends, given me the opportunity to visit some wonderful places, both as a convention attendee and guest, and allowed me to work with some phenomenally talented people—writers, artists, and everyone else who works hard to produce our books. As well as Keepers and players from all over the world. As the latest in what will hopefully be a long line of Lynn(e)s working on the game, here’s to the next 40 years!" — Lynne Hardy.

"So, what can I, a simple fool, say about Call of Cthulhu here to mark its 40th anniversary? I think, perhaps, what I’d like to do is express my gratitude. To all of those who predated me to build the company I would come to devote my life to—thank you! To all those I worked alongside in Oakland during the Mythos boom and bust, I miss you— thank you! To those that joined the company in 2015 and finally righted the ship so we could keep the core rulebooks in print for the first time in 15 years, pay our contributors, and produce enough new books a year to finally maintain forward momentum—thank you! We proved Call of Cthulhu was far bigger than most people realized." — Dustin Wright.

"Call of Cthulhu has always been my favorite game. Nothing else comes close to the wonder and terror to be had. As I said, it’s all about the stories. So, if you too have been on this ride for all or even just part of its forty years, raise a celebratory glass with me to this game we know and love. I hope Call of Cthulhu gives you as much pleasure and fun as it has for me. Cthulhu Fhtagn!" — Mike Mason.

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Ok, so as this was released with the old layout, I guess there is not much of a chance for a new Keeper Rulebook with an updated layout any time soon. I'm not a fan of leatherette versions, but what about a normal release with this errata? With or without the new content. Any chance for that?

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On 10/24/2021 at 4:12 AM, stadi said:

Ok, so as this was released with the old layout, I guess there is not much of a chance for a new Keeper Rulebook with an updated layout any time soon. I'm not a fan of leatherette versions, but what about a normal release with this errata? With or without the new content. Any chance for that?

Every time we do reprint we ensure the files sent to the printer are updated for all corrections previously noted.

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8 hours ago, MOB said:

Every time we do reprint we ensure the files sent to the printer are updated for all corrections previously noted.

Unfortunately, this is not visible in the webshop. It says: Year Released: 2016, Version: 7th Edition.

Would be great to see this information somehow. I might be interested to buy the latest printing because of the errata, but this way the chance to do it (to be aware of it) is quite slim, unless I proactively ask about it.

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1 hour ago, carnage_lee said:

Go on Joe ... you know you want to.

Cool. I was waiting for the prompt from the voice in my head. Thankfully it works across all platforms 🙂

Ordered!

I just need to explain who Cthulhu is to my wife, which shouldn’t be too hard what with the giant gains in Cthulhu Mythos skill I’m inevitably going to be gifted from such a gorgeous book. 

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2 hours ago, Paid a bod yn dwp said:

I just need to explain who Cthulhu is to my wife, which shouldn’t be too hard what with the giant gains in Cthulhu Mythos skill I’m inevitably going to be gifted from such a gorgeous book. 

I showed my spouse my 40th Rulebook excitedly and she looked like this:

Friends Rachel GIF - Friends Rachel Jennifer Aniston GIFs
 

 

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On 10/24/2021 at 3:12 AM, stadi said:

Ok, so as this was released with the old layout, I guess there is not much of a chance for a new Keeper Rulebook with an updated layout any time soon. I'm not a fan of leatherette versions, but what about a normal release with this errata? With or without the new content. Any chance for that?

I am pretty much the same. I actually dislike dust jackets and I've never been attracted by leatherette editions. This one looks really, really good mind you and if one could have won my over, it would have been this one! Since I already have two Keeper's book on my shelves, what would have tipped the balance is an updated layout and some weaker pieces of art replaced. 

Having said that, from a business perspective, I appreciate it doesn't make a lot of sense. I can only imagine it would have been a lot more work for very little return. This release looks fantastic and will no doubt sell really, really well... 

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  • 4 weeks later...
1 hour ago, Sir Pom-Pom said:

Chaosium must up their game. Spanish Edge edition is considerably better. They replaced the weaker pieces of art (and there are a lot) and layout is tight and slick (1:00 in video is a blatant example of unprofessional layout). A 40th anniversary edition deserved much more care and style. Certainly, they could learn a thing or two from them about these aspects.

Spanish edition: http://thetapaderavineyard.blogspot.com/2019/06/resena-de-la-llamada-de-cthulhu-7.html

Wow, now this, I would buy instantly. This is how a 40th anniversary edition should look like.

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19 minutes ago, Sir Pom-Pom said:

And this is the Edge supplement "La broma macabra". Art and layout is on a whole other level.

More pictures:

https://www.susurrosdesdelaoscuridad.com/2021/04/la-broma-macabra.html

This looks incredible! Unfortunately I don't speak spanish, I hope this gets released in English. German CoC releases don't look like this 🙂
Great graphics, great layout, and if I've seen correctly, pockets in the book for the maps. I think Chaosium's CoC products with the new layout are one of the best looking RPG releases, but this is another level.

I haven't seen EDGE releases yet, but I know some interesting things are coming from them (non CoC related, English) now I'm even more interested in those.

By the way, is CoC big in Spain? The only thing I know of is 30 Coins (30 monedas), the CoC inspired HBO show. I really liked that.

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Edge also released an absolutely stunning Mask of Nyarlathotep (in Spanish for 6E). Darn, this book is beautiful.

Having said that, while I would have loved the Keeper's book to be upgraded, I believe Chaosium has already improved on already high quality products. If you look at the first wave of products (Keeper's, Pulp, Dark Ages, etc) the quality in layout, art, production is very high but I can't help but noticed it has even gotten better with the latest releases (Berlin, Mansions, Children of Fear, Cults, etc.)

I would posit that they have stepped up and continue to do so. 

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58 minutes ago, Sir Pom-Pom said:

As I said before, I agree with that: Artwork and layout are better now (the old Chaosium was an absolute mess!), but they still have a lot of work ahead of them.

In any case, the 40th anniversary CoC should have been no exception. I can't see any improvement at all. Quite the opposite. The preface and Corbitt layout is not only dull, is unprofessional.

Same here, I've seen no reason to buy it. The leatherette part is actually a disadvantage for me (I dislike those) and the layout / art is still the inferior one. A shame, I was hoping for something better. I guess I'll have to wait for 8e or the 50th anniversary 🙂

By the way (after reading the articles with Google Translate) I realized that "La broma macabra" was written by Álex de la Iglesia who is actually the 30 Coins /30 monedas director, so now I'm even more excited. I might even order it somewhere (although I won't be able to read it 🙂 ).

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