They said there'd be trouble at the observatory, but you didn't believe them. Well, joke's on you. Now there's some kind of abomination sliding across the floor toward you, and it seems like all these creeps in red robes are getting ready to perform some kind of big ceremony to summon someone named Cthulhu... that doesn't sound good, does it?
Cthulhu: Death May Die has just been released by CMON after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Designed by board gaming legends Eric M. Lang (Dicemasters, Rising Sun) and Rob Daviau (Betrayal at House on the Hill, Pandemic Legacy) in their first major collaboration, the Lovecraftian game picks up the action right before a horrible Elder God is summoned. And it's up to the players, who can choose from ten different investigators each with their own plastic miniature and special abilities, to work collaboratively in an attempt to thwart the plans of the cultists and injure or destroy these terrible creatures.
The core game comes with six different "episode boxes," which represent six different scenarios, and two different "Elder One" boxes, one for Cthulhu, and one for Hastur. To play a scenario, players will choose an episode box and an Elder God box, and combine the components from both the create their game. This means there are, effectively, twelve unique play sessions included in the game.
The game is currently available for sale via CMON's store page, or you can find it at your friendly local game shop.
Quick Take
I've got to admit, this game checks all the boxes for me. Rob Daviau, Eric M. Lang, miniatures with special abilities running around a modular board, and big Lovecraftian monsters trying to turn my brains inside out? Sign me up. I'm especially curious to see how the two different design ethos of Lang and Daviau mesh with this came. While Daviau really shines for me when he's working with movement on the board and interlocking systems, Lang's work is second to none when it comes to pulling the very essence from an IP or theme, and distilling that into game mechanics. I'll be interested to see if I can spot any seams in the design, or if they've gelled their different approaches into one truly cohesive unit.
What do you think of Cthulhu: Death May Die? Are you going to take up the cause against the insurmountable power of the Elder Gods? Let us know in the comments below.
