Cthulhu Dark Ages 3rd Edition

Just recently received the pdf of the new Cthulhu Dark Ages supplement for the Call of Cthulhu RPG for review. This is a vast improvement over the last edition. The new edition expands upon the content in the 2004 edition, plus adding rules for nastier combat, alternate Sanity mechanics, and adding period-relevant magic rules.

The 3rd edition of Cthulhu Dark Ages clocks in at 274 pages, almost a hundred pages longer than the previous edition. The Dark Ages historically cover an extensive amount of time, so Cthulhu Dark Ages focuses on the period of 950 to 1050 BCE, roughly the end of the Middle Ages transitioning into the first Crusades. This does not prevent you from playing Call of Cthulhu in any other period of the Dark Ages, it just keeps the supplement from being an overwhelming monstrosity that probably never would’ve gotten written anyway.

The first section of Cthulhu Dark Ages lays the world-building infrastructure. The supplement focuses on Anglo-Saxon England, limiting the initial scope geographically for many of the same reasons that only a specific slice of the era is worked with. It gives an excellent overview of life in England during the time, giving details on how settlements, monasteries, and villages worked. There’s also plenty of info on social class and its function, as well as explaining family units, married life, and other cultural underpinnings. Other factors such as money & taxes, entertainment, and religion ranging from Paganism to Christianity are covered as well.

Investigator generation for a Dark Ages game is covered as well. It’s probably no big surprise that there isn’t a huge occupational pool to draw from. Fortunately, it’s not like your two choices are beggar with leprosy and noble (Noble isn’t an option. Beggar is. You know how harsh this game is.) but there are only about 20 occupations. 

There’s a Life Events table relevant to the time period that can affect your stats. “Had the pox”, “family crops failed”, and “kicked by a mule when young” are all options, so strap in kids because you came here to party.

The Dark Ages-relevant changes to the mechanics of the game system are discussed as well. Bartering as a system of commerce is discussed. On the combat level shield usage, offensive poison, and mounted combat are all covered. There’s a major wounds table that I’m just going to call “nasty”. Actually, a lot of nasty stuff occurs in terms of mechanics. Can you get diseases or poisoned? Of course you can! It’s the Dark Ages. 

Sanity and Sanity loss in Cthulhu Dark Ages is also an incredibly interesting section. There are key differences between what sanity entailed between the Middle Ages and now. Psychoanalysis and conditions such as phobias and manias just didn’t exist. Cthulhu Dark Ages goes over how to reconcile sanity-shaking experiences in a Medieval mindset.  There are also alternative SAN rules that involve using Natural World and Religion skills instead of Sanity for checks. The fantastical and the “real world” were often merged, and a dragon or a Deep One could be reconciled. The alternative rules reflect this flexibility.

Cthulhu Dark Ages also goes over how to run a Call of Cthulhu game in a world from centuries ago.  How to make use of the oral tradition, a major communication mode in a pre-literate time, adds a rich vibrancy and authenticity to the game. Good tips on game play such as avoiding throwing too much history at the players and really good advice on not turning your Call of Cthulhu game into just another swords & sorcery RPG are touched upon as well.

The supplement of course goes over the Cthulhu Mythos themselves, but they’re discussed more in terms of different perceptions of current ones rather than Medieval new Mythos. Your average Anglo-Saxon peasant isn’t going to delve deep into the nuances between Nyarlathotep and Shub-Niggurath. They’re just going to point, say something to the effect of “God’s Bonnet, tis’ the wrath o’ Satan!” or the foul children of Lilith or something, and that’d be that. The Bestiary section gives a selection of monsters from folklore that can fit incredibly easily into a Call of Cthulhu campaign as well. This creates an interesting environment for horrors that may have once been familiar to players, but can have a new mystery set to them. 

Mythos cults of the time period are described for Keepers to use in campaigns, as well as Mythos-oriented locations and various grimoires to flesh out new games. The Naglitor are there for Keepers who want to delve into Scandinavian horrors while the People and the Teutates lurk closer to home in the Severn Valley. Cthulhu Dark Ages also includes the settlement of Totburh, a setting in the Severn Valley to start your campaign in.

To get you started off there are also three scenarios included in Cthulhu Dark Ages. “The Hunt”, “The Doom That Came to Wessex”, and “Eseweald” are all short scenarios designed to introduce players to Totburh and the Cthulhu Dark Ages world in general. 

I should mention that this is not a complete overview of what Cthulhu Dark Ages includes. The entire supplement is a clear indication of the passion the writing team had for the enormity of the project, and deserve serious applause and congratulations for it. It’s an excellent starting point for what can be a vibrant and dangerous new world for Call of Cthulhu players to go nuts and die in.

The PDF of Cthulhu Dark Ages is available for purchase directly through Chaosium with a hardcopy of the supplement set for a later date.