Fans of pulp sci-fi horror are probably aware of Cthulhu. The squid-faced eldritch horror first created by influential author H.P. Lovecraft that helped inspire the cosmic horror subgenre and has been the basis of many tabletop games. These include Fantasy Flight Games' Arkham Horror card game, the Call of Cthulhu TTRPG, and CMON Entertainment's Cthulhu: Death May Die. Then, there is Modiphius Entertainment, which is pushing the struggle against eldritch horrors all the way back to the Roman Empire with their newest announcement: Cohors Cthulhu.
In an official press release, Modiphius went into further details about Cohors Cthulhu. As the name implies, the RPG tells of a secret war on the northern border of the Roman Empire. This is a place where loyal Roman soldiers and the Germanic tribes fight within the dark forests of those lands. But eventually the two forces must work together as a sinister cult rises to prominence, and brings with it horrific things from beyond space and time. As players, you will take on the roles of daring gladiators and leaders as you defend yourselves from these eldritch horrors with steel, fire, and weapons of war.
But what especially stands out in the press release is that Cohors Cthulhu isn't just another TTRPG take on the Lovecraft mythos, it's the start of a shared universe by Modiphius. The TTRPG will use the studio's patented 2d20 system and already has a major line-up of talent from the tabletop industry. These include the works of Matt Goetz (Pathfinder), Nathan Dowdell (Dune: Adventures in the Imperium), and Bjorn Barends (John Carter). As for what other TTRPG setting will be part of this ancient battle against the great old ones, it is the 1900s set Achtung! Cthulhu.
In fact, the idea of this shared universe was seeded long before the release of Cohors Cthulhu. Modiphius' Co-Founder, Chris Birch explains:
Cohors Cthulhu is the next step in bringing that universe to life and opening up more possibilities for players to create and play in amazing stories that span human history. Working on this project has let us massively expand the universe and we’ve delved deep into the mystical ancient records of the Hyperboreans, the strange technologies of Atlantis and the road to the mighty Roman Empire! In the Shadows of Atlantis campaign for Achtung! Cthulhu we teased a connection to Atlantis, and in The Mountains of Madness, we promised an epic sequel that showed what would happen at the end of World War Two if the Nazis finally woke the sleeping gods. We have always planned to build this world out, and now we can.
This shared universe won't just be tied to TTRPGs either. Cohors Cthulhu will include a narrative wargame meant for both solo and co-op play, a complete line of miniatures, and even a novel and short story compilation featuring recurring characters. There is currently no release date for any of these projects at time of writing.
