| Ghastly Adventures & Erudite Lore | |
|---|---|
 Cover art by Chris Marrinan | |
| Designers |
|
| Publishers | Chaosium |
| Publication | 1983 |
| Genres | Horror |
| Systems | Basic Role-Playing |
| ISBN | 978-0933635067 |
Cthulhu Companion is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1983 for Call of Cthulhu .
Cthulhu Companion is a supplement with information on prisons, insanity, Mythos creatures, and the Necronomicon, and also contains poetry from H.P. Lovecraft, and three short adventure scenarios. [1]
Cthulhu Companion is a collection of essays written by Sandy Petersen, Glenn Rahman, Lynn Willis, Morgan Conrad, Alan K. Crandall, Gene Day, William Hamblin, Keith Herber, Chris Marrinan, John Sullivan, Tom Sullivan, and Richard L. Tierney, and edited by Sandy Petersen and Yurek Chodak. It was published by Chaosium in 1983 as a 64-page book, with cover art by Chris Marrinan, and interior art by Gene Day, Tom Sullivan, and Lisa A. Free. [1] It was republished in 2022 as part of the Call of Cthulhu classic boxed set Kickstarter. [2] [3]
Jon Sutherland reviewed Cthulhu Companion for White Dwarf #51, giving it an overall rating of 7 out of 10, and stated that "In conclusion, this tome is really of use only to the Keepers of Arcane Knowledge and given that this does not set out to fundamentally change any of the basic rules themselves, again this will limit appeal. The scenarios are quite good and altogether, this represents a predictable package and is reasonable value for money." [4]
Graeme Davis reviewed Cthulhu Companion for Imagine magazine, and stated that "there is nothing which is not immediately useful to any campaign, and it is to be hoped that future supplements will maintain the very impressive standard of the Cthulhu Companion. The value for money is excellent, and no Call of Cthulhu referee can afford to be without it." [5]
In the September–October 1984 edition of Different Worlds (Issue #36), Steve Marsh was slightly disappointed about this product, commenting that some of the material was very good, but some essays were of more questionable utility. He concluded, "Its only failure is that it is merely a good solid work instead of the brilliance I was expecting." [6]
James Maliszewski for Black Gate in 2014 said "Whereas the original 1981 rulebook depicted Call of Cthulhu investigators as reporters and academics, the Companion gave the impression of their being more like Indiana Jones: bold explorers venturing into forgotten tombs in search of treasure and knowledge. Combined with the lengthy article by Richard L. Tierney (yes, that Richard L. Tierney) on 'The Cthulhu Mythos in Mesoamerican Religion' and you have the recipe for a very different take on Lovecraftian horror." [7]
Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos. The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium; it was first released in 1981 and is in its seventh edition, with licensed foreign language editions available as well. Its game system is based on Chaosium's Basic Role-Playing (BRP) with additions for the horror genre. These include special rules for sanity and luck.
Superworld is a superhero-themed role-playing game published by Chaosium in 1983 that uses the generic Basic Role-Playing rules system. The game began as just one part of the Worlds of Wonder product before being published as a stand-alone game. In competition against other well-established and popular superhero games, Superworld never found an audience, and was discontinued after only three supplements were published for it.
Lynn Willis was a wargame and role-playing game designer, best known for his work with Metagaming Concepts, Game Designers' Workshop (GDW), and Chaosium.
Shadows of Yog-Sothoth is a series of adventures published by Chaosium in 1982 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
The Arkham Evil is a 1983 role-playing game adventure for Call of Cthulhu published by Theatre of the Mind Enterprises.
Death in Dunwich is an adventure published by Theatre of the Mind Enterprises in 1983 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
Curse of the Chthonians is a 1984 role-playing game adventure for Call of Cthulhu published by Chaosium.
Fragments of Fear: The Second Cthulhu Companion is a 1985 role-playing game supplement for Call of Cthulhu, published by Chaosium.
Griffin Island is a boxed tabletop role-playing game supplement for RuneQuest. Originally published by Chaosium in 1981 as Griffin Mountain, a set of adventures set in the world of Glorantha, this edition was published in 1986 by The Avalon Hill Game Company as part of its third edition RuneQuest rules set. It was written by Rudy Kraft, Jennell Jaquays, Greg Stafford, and Sandy Petersen. Griffin Island contained role-playing material to help gamemasters design adventures in the setting. It received positive reviews in game periodicals including Casus Belli, White Dwarf, Dragon, Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer, The Games Machine, and Games International.
Cthulhu Now is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1987 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
Miskatonic U. Graduate Kit is an accessory published in 1987 by Chaosium for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
S. Petersen's Field Guide to Cthulhu Monsters is a sourcebook published by Chaosium in 1988 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
Terror Australis is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1987 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, itself based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft. It was written by Penelope Love, Mark Morrison, Lynn Willis, Larry DiTillio, and Sandy Petersen, and is intended to be used as a sourcebook for adventures in Australia in the 1920s. It received positive reviews in game periodicals including White Dwarf, Casus Belli, and Dragon. A revised and expanded second edition was published in 2019, which won two ENnie Awards.
RuneQuest Companion is a tabletop role-playing game supplement for RuneQuest. Originally published by Chaosium in 1983, it consisted of reprints of Wyrm's Footnotes magazine articles as well as new material to expand the game rules and setting. It received positive reviews in game periodicals including Dragon, White Dwarf, Fantasy Gamer, and Different Worlds. It was republished in 2019 in PDF format as part of Chaosium's RuneQuest: Classic Edition Kickstarter.
The Asylum & Other Tales is an anthology of seven adventures published by Chaosium in 1983 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
Pursuit to Kadath is an adventure published in 1983 under license by Theatre of the Mind Enterprises (T.O.M.E.) for Chaosium's horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
Spawn of Azathoth, subtitled Herald of the End of Time, is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1986 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu. A second edition was published in 2005.
The Fungi from Yuggoth is a set of eight adventures published by Chaosium in 1984 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, itself based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.