ForewordWhat has risen may sink, and what is sunk may rise… Cthulhu still lives.

—H. P. Lovecra�

My own introduction to H. P. Lovecra� was as a child, when I found a tattered book of stories, printed long before I was born. I read that book in bed that night, and became entranced forever. If you, too, love Lovecra� ’s stories, you can now experience the Cthulhu Mythos in a whole new way.

I’ve been a game designer more than 30 years, and a Lovecra� fan far longer. I’ve been an author, a college professor, and even executive producer on a movie. You’ve probably heard of some of the games I helped to create, and might even have played them. In the video game � eld, I’m probably best known for the strategy games I worked on. But I am most proud of how I helped create the horror roleplaying genre, as original author/developer of the Call of Cthulhu game way back in 1980.

My other ventures have, at times, been successful. Some of the computer games I helped to develop sold millions of copies. But when I am invited to a game convention as a guest, or when a fan o� ers to buy me a drink, or asks for an autograph, or any of the perks that my modest fame has accumulated, it is always for Call of Cthulhu, never one of my other games. Call of Cthulhu is beloved in a way nothing else has been—and this is of course due mostly to the power of Lovecra� ’s world, and Chaosium’s dedication in bringing it forth to you, my friends.

Chaosium, through Call of Cthulhu, popularized the terrifying universe of H. P. Lovecra� in gaming and made Cthulhu a household word. Now, Chaosium has put together a team of experienced game professionals with decades of experience. In this 7th edition, Chaosium has managed once again a successful combination of roleplaying adventure with Lovecra� ian horror, both of which are dear to my heart. � ey are, and were, the right team for this topic.

Hardcore fans will be thrilled to hear that the new edition has lost nothing in the transition, and teems with terror, horror, and ways to introduce you and your friends to the dread world that H. P. Lovecra� and his friends constructed.

Sandy Petersen 2014

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Chapter Seven: Chases ..............130Establishing the Chase .......................................132� e Chase Round ...............................................133

Chapter Eight: Sanity .................. 152Sanity Points and SAN Rolls .............................154Insanity ................................................................155Sample Phobias ...................................................160Samples Manias ..................................................161Treatment and Recovery from Insanity ...........164Getting Used to the Awfulness .........................169

Chapter Nine: Magic .................... 170Mythos Tomes .....................................................173Using Magic.........................................................176Learning a Spell ..................................................176Becoming a Believer ...........................................179

Chapter Ten: Playing the Game .........................182New Keepers .......................................................184Non-Player Characters ......................................189Rolling Dice .........................................................194� e Idea Roll .......................................................199Perception Rolls ..................................................201Using the Rules ...................................................204Presenting the Terrors of the Mythos ..............207Creating Scenarios ..............................................213

Chapter Eleven:Tomes of Eldritch Lore ............. 222Using Mythos Tomes..........................................224� e Necronomicon .............................................231Mythos Tomes .....................................................237

Chapter One: Introduction ............ 10An Overview of the Game ...................................12Example of Play ....................................................13What You Need to Play ........................................17

Chapter Two: Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos ............... 20Howard Philips Lovecra� ....................................22� e Cthulhu Mythos ............................................25

Chapter Three: Creating Investigators .................28Quick Reference: Investigator Generation ........34What the Numbers Mean ....................................37Creating Harvey Walters .....................................38Sample Occupations .............................................40Quick Reference Chart for Half and Fi� h Values ...........................................49

Chapter Four: Skills ..................... 52Skill List .................................................................56

Chapter Five: Game System ......80Skill Rolls ...............................................................82Bonus and Penalty Dice .......................................91Investigator Development Phase ........................94

Chapter Six: Combat ...................100� e Combat Round ............................................102Using Weapons in a Fight ..................................104Fighting Maneuvers ...........................................105Armor ..................................................................108Firearms ...............................................................112Wounds and Healing..........................................119Sample Poisons ...................................................129

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Chapter Twelve: Grimoire ........240Spells.....................................................................242Deeper Magic ......................................................242� e Grimoire .......................................................246

Chapter Thirteen: Artifacts and Alien Devices ..... 266

Chapter Fourteen: Monsters, Beasts, and Alien Gods ..............276Chaosium Pronunciations of Mythos Names ...280Mythos Monsters ................................................282Deities of the Mythos .........................................310Traditional Horrors ............................................332Beasts....................................................................335

Chapter Fifteen: Scenarios ......344Amidst the Ancient Trees ..................................346Crimson Letters ..................................................364

Chapter Sixteen: Appendices .. 384Glossary ...............................................................386Converting to 7th Edition Rules .......................390Equipment - 1920s .............................................396Equipment - Modern Era ..................................399Weapons Table ....................................................401Rules Summaries ................................................407Investigator Sheet - 1920s ..................................430Investigator Sheet - Modern Era ......................432

Index ..............................................422

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Chapter OneIntroduction

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid

island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infi nity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or fl ee from the

light into the peace and safety of a new dark age...—H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

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Call of Cthulhu

Welcome toCall of Cthulhu!

all of Cthulhu is a game full of secrets, mysteries and horror. Playing the role of a steadfast investigator, you will travel to strange and dangerous places, uncover foul plots and stand against the terrors of the night. You will

encounter sanity-blasting entities, monsters and insane cultists. Within strange and forgotten tomes of lore you will � nd secrets that man was not meant to know.

You and your companions may very well decide the fate of the world.

Call of Cthulhu is a horror-themed roleplaying game based on the writings of Howard Phillips Lovecra� . Lovecra� penned a tremendous body of work during the 1920s and 1930s, concerning both horrors from beyond and from with-in. Following his death in 1937, Lovecra� ’s stories of cosmic horror have grown in reputation and stature, and today he is recognized as a major American horror story writer of the twentieth century, in� uencing numerous authors and � lm directors, and amassing a huge following of devoted fans. In-deed, Lovecra� himself could now be considered a cult � gure in his own right. Lovecra� ’s � ction ranges from science � ction to gothic horror and into nihilistic cosmic terror—perfect material on which to base a roleplaying game.

Lovecra� ’s most famous invention has become known as the Cthulhu Mythos, a series of stories sharing common plot elements, such as certain mythical books of arcane lore and alien godlike entities. � e Cthulhu Mythos � red the imagination of other authors, mostly protégés and friends of Lovecra� , and soon they were adding to this complex mythology, further advancing its concepts and constituent parts. Today, “Cthulhu” stories are still being written (and � lmed) by the heirs to Lovecra� ’s literary legacy.

An Overview of the Game� e aim of playing Call of Cthulhu is to have fun with your friends as you explore and create a Lovecra� ian story. One player takes the role of game moderator, known as the Keeper of Arcane Lore (“Keeper” for short), and his or her role within the rules is to run the game for the rest of the players. � e rest of the players take the part of intrepid Investigators of the Unknown (“investigators”), attempting to seek out, understand and eventually confront the horrors, mysteries and secrets of the Cthulhu Mythos.

� e Keeper picks a story to run. � ese stories are known as “scenarios”, and you will � nd two at the back of this book. A scenario provides the Keeper with the structure of a story for him or her to present to the players. � e Keeper’s role is a little like that of a director making a � lm in which the actors don’t know how the story will develop. To extend that analogy, the players are like actors who have the freedom to improvise their own scripts.

� e investigators need not be anything at all like the people who play them. Indeed, it is o� en more rewarding and enjoyable for players to create characters entirely unlike themselves: tough private eyes, rude taxi drivers, or sinisterly genteel occultists.

Most of the play is a verbal exchange. � e Keeper sets the scene, describing the environment, the individuals, and encounters to the players. � e players tell the Keeper what they intend their investigators to do. � e Keeper then tells them whether they can do it and, if not, what happens instead. In play the game takes the form of a group conversation with many twists and turns and fun on the way.

� e game rules use dice to determine if an action succeeds or fails when a dramatic “con� ict” presents itself; for example, whether your investigators are able to leap out of the way of a giant statue that is about to crash down upon their heads! � e rules describe how to decide the outcome of such con� icts.

In Call of Cthulhu, the Keeper has the responsibility of preparing scenarios and running the game without bias. It is the Keeper’s duty to make the investigators’ opposition smart and mean.

Cooperation & CompetitionGaming is a social pastime. If you want to use your imagination alone, you could simply read a book. However, be warned! When a number of people get together cooperatively, they build a communal fantasy far more interesting and imaginative than a single person can—and the joint e� ort results in an extremely fun and satisfying experience for all involved. Together you create and develop a story in which each of your investigators plays a leading role.

Whether or not investigators cooperate, the players should. Investigators may be played as nice people, as devious brutes, or however the players wish. Most of the entertainment of the game can be found in the ingenuity of players’ roleplaying and in-character conversations, as well as the unforeseeably scary or amusing directions the story will take.

Working cooperatively together, the players and Keeper build an enjoyable and understandable “world” in which to play. � e rewards of cooperation are great. Remember, the object of all of this is to have fun!

Winners and LosersIn Call of Cthulhu, there are no winners and losers in the standard competitive sense. Play is usually cooperative. � e participants work together to attain a common goal—usually to discover and foil some nefarious plot being perpetrated by the minions of some dark cult or secret society. � e opposition that the investigators face will o� en be an alien or hostile situation—controlled by an impartial Keeper, not another player.

Winning in such a situation depends on whether the investigators succeed in their goal. Losing is what happens if they fail to achieve their goal (they may be able to try again

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later). During the game investigators may become injured, su� er sanity-shattering experiences, or even die! However, someone has to make a stand against the cosmic horrors of the universe and the death of a single investigator matters little if it means repulsing Cthulhu’s master plan to enslave the Earth!

Investigators who survive will gain power from arcane volumes of forgotten lore, knowledge of horrendous monsters, and advancement in their skills as they become more experienced. � us the players’ investigators will continue to progress, until their demise or retirement—whichever comes � rst.

Example of PlayIf you’ve never played a roleplaying game before, you might still be wondering just how it all works. � e following example of play provides an illustration of a typical gaming session. Don’t worry about some of the terms used, as you’ll become better acquainted with them as you read the rest of this book (there’s also a useful Glossary on page 386).

� is example game uses the classic 1920s setting. � e investigators are trying to � nd out why Boss Morgan, a notorious gangland � gure, has vanished.

Paula, Joe, Cathy and Arnold are the players, each of them controlling an investigator. Garrie is in the role of Keeper and is running the game (leading the story and controlling the non-player characters and monsters in the game). Notice that while the players have di� erent ways of referring to their characters, Garrie the Keeper easily sorts out their statements and feels no need for consistency.We join the game in mid-session…

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Well, guys, what’s your plan?

PAULA: Let’s sneak around Boss Morgan’s house, looking for clues.

All the investigators agree to Paula’s plan.

JOE: Let’s go! I’ll drive us over in my Hupmobile. Is there anyone on the street? We’re leaving at midnight.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: As you arrive at Morgan’s house, you see the street is pretty dark as two of the streetlights aren’t working. It all looks deserted. Nobody is in sight.

CATHY: My private eye Jake can pick the lock on the back door.

� e players agree to the plan.

PAULA: I’ll keep watch from the street

ARNOLD: I’ll stay in the car for now and keep watch—my investigator is still very nervous.

JOE: I’ll go with Cathy.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Cathy and Joe, make Listen rolls.

CATHY: (rolls percentage dice) I succeeded!

JOE: I failed the roll. So, Cathy, what did you hear?

(GARRIE) KEEPER: You hear a creak of wood; sounds like the house’s front door quietly opening. Don’t forget to tick your Listen skill, as you got a success.

CATHY: Right. (She makes a check mark on her sheet). I’m grabbing Joe and attempting to hide behind the garbage cans.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: I’ll need you both to make a Stealth roll.

JOE and CATHY: Yeah! We both rolled successes (both tick their Stealth skills). We’re well hidden behind the garbage.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Great. Since it’s night and there are no working street lamps near, you can’t see much. � e form of a hulking � gure leaves the house and creeps towards the street. When it reaches the middle of the street, it pulls up a manhole cover and drops down inside. You hear a splash. (Garrie makes a dubious liquid-sound…)

CATHY: Did he lock the door behind him?

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Not only is it not locked, it’s wide open.

CATHY: I’ll sneak back and tell the others.

Investigators enter an abandoned mansion.

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(GARRIE) KEEPER: � e rest of you, Cathy told you that the front door is open.

JOE and PAULA together: Let’s go inside.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: What do you do, Arnold?

ARNOLD: Are you kidding? My professor go in there? No way.

CATHY: He can stand guard while the rest of us go inside.

ARNOLD: All alone? No way! He’s coming inside!

(GARRIE) KEEPER: It’s very dark and quiet inside.

PAULA: Joe, let me use your � ashlight. I’ll take the lead. Everyone else keep their lights doused—we don’t want to be seen from the street.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: You are in a hallway. You can go le� through an arch into the living room or right, through an open door into what looks like a study. In front of you is a stairway leading up. Beneath the stairs is a closed door. Ahead your beam picks out some wet patches on the � oor, possibly footprints. � e water in the patches is dirty and stinking.

PAULA: Where do the footsteps come from and where are they going?

(GARRIE) KEEPER: You can’t tell. Everyone try a Spot Hid-den roll. (All fail to see droplets of water on the underside of the banister). What do you do?

PAULA: I’m going into the study, and I in-tend to search it.

JOE: I’ll search the living room.

ARNOLD: � e professor checks out the hall closet.

CATHY: Jake goes upstairs.

(GARRIE) KEEPER (Since the group has split up, the Keeper now deals individually with each player): Paula, there are bookshelves in the study, but strangely only a few books. � ere are two unlocked � ling cabinets, a locked desk, a chair for the desk and three big leather easy chairs.

PAULA: I’ll open the desk � rst.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: It’s locked. If you want to pick the lock make your Locksmith roll.

PAULA: I rolled a 23—that’s under my Lock-smith skill of 34—I succeed! (Paula ticks the skill).

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Fine. Now, inside the desk you � nd two things of interest: a sealed envelope marked “Last Will and Testament” and a small ledger which is titled “Inns-mouth Shipping Co.” Do you want to look at them now? (Paula wants to very much but, to maintain tension and pace, the Keeper now turns his attention to Cathy). Cathy, as Jake climbs to the top of the stairs, he can feel beads of water underneath the wooden banister, as though water accumulated here a� er something wet touched the railing.

Never Played a Roleplaying Game Before?

If you’ve never played a roleplaying game before, you may be wondering what this is all about. To dispel some misconceptions and set you on the right track, it may be useful to describe an average session of play (a full, blow-by-blow description of a game can be found nearby).

John, his partner, and two friends meet up at John’s house on Friday evening at around seven o’clock. After catching up on the week’s news and organizing some drinks and snacks, they sit down in John’s lounge and John hands out some paper and pencils, then talks them through creating their investigators. People compare ideas for characters as they roll dice and � ll out their investigator sheets. It’s now about eight o’clock.

John kicks off the game by describing the opening scene, telling how the investigators � nd themselves talking with a man who wants them to check out an old property that he owns; rumor has it that it might be haunted! One of the players immediately responds to this, putting on the voice of her investigator to say that such things are, “Complete hogwash”. As the story unfolds everyone becomes involved, describing what their characters are doing or saying. Dramatic con� icts arise and dice are rolled to determine the outcome. Sometimes the players get their way; other times events appear to conspire against them. It is all played out simply by talking and rolling some dice to determine the outcome of certain situations; people aren’t getting out of their chairs to act it out, neither are they donning costumes or using props.

John and his players cease play at around ten-thirty then chat for a while before calling it a night at around eleven o’clock. Everyone is looking forward to meeting up again next week to � nd out how the story develops.

Of course that’s just an example. The number of players and the duration of a session of play will vary from group to group. Sam

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CATHY: Uh-oh. Jake proceeds cautiously.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: � ere are two bedrooms and a bath-room on this � oor. � e door to the right-hand bedroom is open. � ere’s a musty, almost sweet smell here.

CATHY: I peep in through the open door.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: As you enter the bedroom, the smell grows stronger and you see blood and gore everywhere. � e fully clothed corpse of Boss Morgan is draped over the bed. � e top of his head has been torn o� and the insides crudely scooped out. You can see all this because a faint green phos-phorescence has been traipsed over most of the room. Please make a Sanity roll for Jake.

CATHY: Oops, I failed.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Okay, Jake loses 1D6 Sanity. (Garrie rolls a 4 on a 1D6). Jake loses 4 Sanity points—he turns green, utters a scream and then throws up at the gruesome sight. � e rest of you hear Jake scream from upstairs.

ALL: We rush to aid him.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: OK. Each of you make a Sanity roll as you enter the room and see the terrible scene. (� ey do, with various results).

CATHY: A� er Jake has regained control of himself, he � nds a bathroom and wipes o� his trench coat.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: What are the rest of you going to do?

JOE: I want to inspect the body closely, but without touching it. Also, I’m warning the others not to step in the blood.

PAULA: I’m searching the other rooms up here.

ARNOLD: � e professor comes with you.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Joe, you can see more of the � lthy water splashed over the corpse. Some of it is even inside his brainpan. � ere are some abrasions on what is le� of his face. Try a Spot Hidden roll.

JOE: I succeeded. Now what?

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Seven feet up the wall is a bloody, watery handprint. Claw marks are visible, and the print is at least eight inches across the palm, though the � ngers are quite stubby. It’s not smeared at all and you can make out the lines of the palm in the print.

JOE: Wow! I’m hissing for Paula, Jake and the professor to get in here. Does he have his camera with him, Arnold?

ARNOLD: Dang it! I knew the professor forgot something! Uh, he presses a sheet of paper from a notebook against the print for a copy.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: He gets the print. Arnold, your profes-sor also notices strange symbols on the opposite wall. As he studies them, they seem to move, swirling hypnotically.

ARNOLD: Uh-oh! He wants a closer look.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: He doesn’t have the time. Everyone, try Listen rolls for your investigators (Joe, Arnold, and Cathy fail. Paula succeeds). Paula, you hear a clanging noise from the street outside. � e rest of you hear nothing.

PAULA: I wonder what that could be? I hope it’s not the manhole cover banging down!

(GARRIE) KEEPER: � e front door suddenly slams closed and you can hear someone stomping in and up the stairs! (� e Keeper stomps on the � oor and hunches his shoulders for e� ect).

ARNOLD: My professor is waiting by the window—ready to jump out!

PAULA: I’m shining my light out the bedroom door, trying to see what’s coming.

CATHY: Jake pulls out his .38 snub-nose revolver and looks over Paula’s shoulder.

JOE: I’m cowering behind Jake and Paula but I’m getting out my trench knife, just in case.

"Uh-oh. Jake proceeds cautiously."

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(GARRIE) KEEPER: Shu� ing into the room is a ghastly parody of a man. It stands almost eight feet tall, with de-formed, twisted extremities. Its face is a mass of wrinkles. No features are visible. Its sickly brown-green skin is loose and strips of decaying � esh � ap from its limbs. It drips the same � lthy brown water you’ve seen earlier. You must all make Sanity rolls. If you succeed you lose 1 point, if you fail it’s going to be 1D10 points!

JOE: I made my roll successfully.

ARNOLD: Hooray! I made mine too.

CATHY: I blew it. (Garrie rolls the Sanity loss, getting 3) Jake lost 3 Sanity points!

(GARRIE) KEEPER: (Paula also fails the roll. Garrie rolls Sanity loss for Paula’s investigator, getting 9.) Paula, your investigator is really shocked by the horror in front of him. Lose 9 points of Sanity.

PAULA: Uh-oh! I’m really scared!

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Let’s see (He examines her investiga-tor’s sheet). Paula, your investigator could be temporarily insane, since you’ve lost over 5 Sanity points. Unless you roll higher than his Intelligence on 1D100, it’s all going to be too much for him to take and he’ll faint (Paula rolls a 04 and her investigator faints).

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Since Paula’s investigator was hold-ing the � ashlight; it’s now rolling on the � oor, � ashing wildly about the room. Arnold’s professor has realized that the windows are barred with iron gratings. � e only way outside seems to be past the � ing.

ALL (in confusion): I’m trying to pound open the bars with a chair! Where’s my � ashlight? Does anyone know what this thing is? I’m shooting at its face. Help! Help!

Do the grills on the windows unlock and swing back? What do the symbols on the wall represent? Does the monster attack? Did Paula’s investigator remember to take the ledger and legal documents he found? Does Jake’s .38 revolver a� ect the monster?

Read Me—How to Use this Book

This book contains everything that you need to play Call of Cthulhu—except for dice, pencils, notepaper, and some friends. A wealth of support material for this game exists, including short, quick-play scenarios, world-encompassing campaigns played across many gaming sessions, setting books, online forums, and so on.

Before you run this game for the � rst time, you should become familiar with the rules and concepts of Call of Cthulhu. This rulebook is divided into a number of key sections.

The Rules Sectionn (Chapters 3-9)—everything that you need to know to play the game, including creating investigators, the game’s rules and tips on how to get the most from Call of Cthulhu.

Keeper’s Reference Section (Chapters 10-16)—this is only for those who intend to run games of Call of Cthulhu (i.e. the Keeper). Call of Cthulhu is a game about mysteries and secrets, and reading these pages of reference may spoil your enjoyment if you’re not planning on being the Keeper of Arcane Lore.

If you are new to Call of Cthulhu we recommend you read this Introduction all the way through (especially the Example of Play on pages 13—16). Next, read through the rules. In addition to this, if you plan to run the game yourself, you should also read Chapter 10: Playing the Game and familiarize yourself with the rest of the Keeper’s Reference Section (pages 182—344). Finally, choose one of the scenarios from the back of this book (Amidst the Ancient Trees is a good choice). You will then be ready to run your � rst game!

However, if you are already familiar with H.P. Lovecraft and previous versions of the Call of Cthulhu game, you will probably want to jump straight into Chapter 3: Creating Investigators and become familiar with the rules of this new edition.Sam

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What This Game CoversLikewise are there dread survivals of things older and

more potent than man; things that have blasphemously straggled down through the aeons to ages never meant for them; monstrous entities that have lain sleeping endlessly in incredible crypts and remote caverns, outside the laws of reason and causation, and ready to be waked by such

blasphemers as shall know their dark forbidden signs and furtive passwords.

—H.P. Lovecra� and William Lumley, � e Diary of Alonzo Typer

� e Cthulhu Mythos as originated by Lovecra� de� nes this game; however, certain interesting concepts and creations by some of Lovecra� ’s contemporaries and beyond have also been used to ensure that the full horrors of the Mythos can be utilized.

Many Call of Cthulhu scenarios are set in the United States in the 1920s—called the Classic Era—in which most of Lovecra� ’s tales were set. To Lovecra� the 1920s were modern-day, and so this book uses both the Classic Era and our own Modern-day as period settings. Many supplements and published scenarios exist for di� erent eras, including Gaslight Victorian and the Dark Ages. Set your games when you wish. If so desired, a Keeper may change the period to a more modern date or a more ancient one. � e Cthulhu Mythos transcends all time and space, and the unfathomable machinations of the Old Ones could spill into any conceivable setting or historical period.

This New EditionCall of Cthulhu was originally published in 1981 and has been consistently available and supported by Chaosium since then. � is book, the seventh edition, has been fully revised and sees some signi� cant changes, while remaining compatible with previous editions. Advice for using previously published material is provided in the section Converting to 7th Edition on page 390.

Notice to KeepersIt is recommended that anyone hoping to run a game of Call of Cthulhu becomes familiar with the works of H.P. Lovecra� . By reading Lovecra� ’s stories, you will not only learn a lot about the Cthulhu Mythos, but you will also begin to understand some of the key horror themes that are used in this game. You can read anything written by him, but the following works are the heart of the Mythos and will make a good start:

T � e Lurking Fear

T � e Horror at Red Hook

T � e Colour Out of Space

T � e Dunwich Horror

T � e Shadow Over Innsmouth

T � e Dreams in the Witch-House

T � e Haunter of the Dark

T � e Shunned House

T � e Call of Cthulhu

T � e Case of Charles Dexter Ward

T � e Whisperer in Darkness

T At the Mountains of Madness

T � e Shadow Out of Time

A Keeper who reads at least half of the above works, which are mostly novelettes, will be in good shape to run this game. Potential players of the game are encouraged to read at least one story before trying to investigate any of the mysteries of the Mythos.

What You Need to PlayWhen you are ready to begin playing Call of Cthulhu, you only need a few things to start:

G � is rulebook.

G Roleplaying dice.

G Paper.

G Pencils and an eraser.

G Two or more people to game with.

G A quiet place (the kitchen table is a good place to start).

G � ree or four hours in which to play the game.

Roleplaying DiceAs mentioned, to play this game the Keeper and players will need a set of roleplaying dice, including percentile dice (D100), a four-sided die (D4), a six-sided die (D6), an eight-sided die (D8), and a twenty-sided die (D20). Ideally, to keep things moving along, players and Keeper should each have their own set of dice.

People new to roleplaying may never have seen dice with more than six sides. A variety of them can be found at most hobby game stores and online—probably including the place where you bought this book.

� e letter D stands for the word “die” or “dice”. � e number a� er the D stands for the range of random numbers sought: D8 generates the random numbers 1 through 8, for instance, while D100 generates the numbers 1–100.

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