A new guidebook is coming to Call of Cthulhu. Chaosium's cosmic horror TTRPG, currently on its seventh edition, will bring players back to one of the most iconic towns in horror fiction with Call of Cthulhu: Arkham.
The Call of Cthulhu: Arkham announcement
According to an official press release, Call of Cthulhu: Arkham will be the definitive guide to the signature setting.
The titular Arkham, Massachusetts is a major part of Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. It is home to Miskatonic University, an institution dedicated to studying the occult.
Said institution has played a role in many classic stories including The Color Out of Space, The Silver Key, The Dunwich Horror, and The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
As for the town itself, there are sinister things beneath its quiet exterior. Criminals, speakeasies, and a history of witch trials as well as potential witchcraft.
Call of Cthulhu: Arkham is a guidebook that will encompass all of these elements. The 272-page fully colored book will contain the following:
- A sandbox campaign for Call of Cthulhu
- The history of Arkham and Miskatonic University
- Details of 9 Neighborhoods, with over 290 locations described
- New rules and skills for Arkham investigators
- More than 80 fully-fleshed out NPCs
- Gossip and rumors to use as potential story hooks
- Street and neighborhood maps, as well as floorplans of key locations
- Two Arkham city maps. One for players, and one for the Keeper
- A poster-sized copy of pages of the Arkham Advertiser newspaper prop
Call of Cthulhu is one of the oldest horror TTRPGs on the market. Not only did it help codify a "Sanity" system for cosmic horror RPGs, but it has received plenty of supplements and expansions over the years, including the recent Nameless Horrors supplement.
In addition, it is a TTRPG that has inspired many Lovecraftian tales like the official Call of Cthulhu videogame by Cyanide Studios and Frogwares' open-world detective game, The Sinking City.
Call of Cthulhu: Arkham is set to release in early 2024. It will be available in PDF format, physical hardcover, and in a collector's edition leatherette sold exclusively by Chaosium.
