Cthulhu Dark Ages

Details

Front Cover

Publisher: Chaosium

Product Code: 2398

Publishing Year: 2004

Pages: 176

Cover Price: $23.95

Author: Stéphane Gesbert

Layout: Charlie Krank and David Mitchell

Editorial: Lynn Willis, Charlie Krank, Hannes Kaiser, Frank Heller, and Brian Courtemanche

Based on the page design of: Pegasus Spiele

Cover painting: François Launet

Interior illustrations: Stéphane Gesbert, François Launet, Andy Hopp, David Grilla, and Meghan McLean

Maps: Stéphane Gesbert and Björn Lensig

Photographs: Gero Pappe

Handouts: Kostja Kleye

Additional spell text: Lynn Willis, Brian M. Sammons, and Charlie Krank

Setting: Dark Ages

Format: Softcover

ISBN: 1-56882-171-9

Contents

This book is the core rulebook and setting sourcebook for running Call of Cthulhu in the Dark Ages (primarily Dark Ages Europe). This material was first published in German by Pegasus Spiele under the title Cthulhu 1000AD.

The title of this volume is slightly misleading: although this represents the publication of a ruleset which is in it's third edition, it is their first (and to-date only) English publication. The previous two editions exist only in German.

The rules and setting are faithful to classic Call of Cthulhu, but are substantially modified to take into account the society and technology of the 11th Century, drawing on mechanics published for other BRP games with a fantasy flavour.

The world of Cthulhu Dark Ages can be described as "filled with life, death, and the pain of old age. Vengeful hordes wash across the world. Petty warlords fight among themselves like ravenous dogs. Disease runs rampant. Illiterate city-folk and simple farmers dread that which lurks in the dark. And in the greatest abbeys, a few know of forbidden books that speak of blasphemy and of those who would destroy the world of god-fearing men and women."

The book is organised into sections as follows:

• Introduction,
• The Game System,
• Utilities,
• The Cthulhu Mythos,
• The Old Grimoire
  • Spells
  • Limbo
  • Books of the Mythos
    • Al-Azif
    • Black Rites
    • Black Tome (see "The Black Tome of Alsophocus")
    • Cabala of Saboth
    • Confessions of the Mad Monk Clithanus
    • Cthäat Aquadingen
    • Daemonolorum
    • Hieron Aegypton
    • Liber Ivonis
    • Necronomicon
    • Pnakotica
    • Praesidia Finium
    • Rasul al-Albarin
    • Reflections of Ibn Shacabao
    • Sapientia Maglorum
    • Song of Yste
    • Testament of Carnamagos
    • The Three Codices
    • Tupsimati
    • Tuscan Rituals
    • Non-Mythos Occult Books:
      • Beatus Methodivo
      • Canon Episcopi
      • Kitab al-Kimya
      • Sibylline Books
      • Tabula Smaragdina
• Bestiary
  • Angel
  • Dagon (and Hydra)
  • Basilisk
  • Unicorn (use "white rhino" stats from rulebook)
  • Vampire
  • Dark One ("Dwarf")
  • Deep One
  • Dragon (see Dhole, Hunting Horror, Flying Polyp, Shantak, Lloigor, [[[Star-Spawn of Cthulhu]])
  • Dimensional Shambler
  • Ghoul
  • Giant (see Great Old One)
  • Halfling (see any hybrid creature, such as Ghoul, Deep One, etc.)
  • Leviathan (see Cthulhu)
  • Loki (see Nyarlathotep)
  • Goblin (see Gof’nn Hupadgh Shub-Niggurath, Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath)
  • Gug
  • Hounds of Tindalos
  • Mi-Go
  • Satan
  • Nameless Mist
  • Serpent People
  • Shoggoth
  • Star-Spawn of Cthulhu
  • Werewolf
  • Worms of the Earth
  • Spirits & Limbo Creatures:
    • Ghost
    • Nature Spirit
    • Tomb Herd
    • Doel
    • Old One (spirit)
  • Ancient Ones
    • Bugg-Shash
    • Lilith
    • Tawil at'Umr
• Scenario: The Tomb (Scenario),
• Investigator Sheet,
• Index.

Scenarios: The Tomb (Scenario)

Front Cover Text

No Additional Text.

Back Cover Text

The Dark Ages world is filled with life, death, and the pain of old age. Vengeful hordes wash across the world. Petty warlords fight among themselves like ravenous dogs. Disease runs rampant. Illiterate city-folk and simple farmers dread that which lurks in the dark. And in the greatest abbeys, a few know of forbidden books that speak of blasphemy and of those who would destroy the world of god-fearing men and women.

“The living close the eyes of the dead, but it is the dead that open the eyes of the living.” — Old Slavic saying

950 A.D.— The Byzantine Theodorus Philetas translates the al-Azif into Greek and renames it the Necronomicon. It will be more than a century before this blasphemous tome is finally condemned, and most copies destroyed.

During these hundred years, when manuscript copies of the Necronomicon covertly pass from hand to hand, mankind almost yields to the uncaring forces of the Cthulhu Mythos. The dark young of Shub-Niggurath infest the boundless forests, mi-go guard mountain passes, ghouls and miri-nigri haunt forgotten burial grounds, and deep ones plague coastal settlements.

In this world the last magi explore powers not meant for humans, and are lured to into the abode of Yog-Sothoth.

CTHULHU DARK AGES is a complete roleplaying game, using the intuitive and flexible Basic Roleplaying System used and developed by Chaosium for many years and is also used in our Call of Cthulhu game. If you know how to play one, you can play the other.

CTHULHU DARK AGES presents the era of the Dark Ages (c. 1000 A.D.) and the continuing threat posed by denizens of the Cthulhu Mythos as described by H. P. Lovecraft, the Lovecraft circle of writers, and the works of Chaosium Inc.

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