Terror Australis: Call of Cthulhu in the Land Down Under

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Terror Australis
Call of Cthulhu in the Land Down
CHA2319 Terror Australis Chaosium RPG supplement 1986 cover.jpg
1st edition cover by Tom Sullivan.
Designers
Publishers Chaosium
Publication
  • 1987 1st edition softback
  • 2004 1st edition PDF
  • 2019 2nd edition hardcover, softback, PDF
GenresHorror
Systems Basic Role-Playing
ISBN 978-1568824154

Terror Australis [1] 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.

Contents

Description

Terror Australis is a sourcebook for life in Australia in the 1920s. The book details geographical information, lifestyles of the time, transportation around the continent, aboriginal culture and myths, and a timeline of Australia. [2]

In the first edition, three adventures are included:

In the second edition, two adventures are included:

Publication history

The book's designers included Sandy Petersen (pictured in 2004). Sandy Petersen in May 2004.jpg
The book's designers included Sandy Petersen (pictured in 2004).

Chaosium published the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu in 1981, followed by several supplements and adventures, including Terror Australis: Call of Cthulhu in the Land Down Under (1987), a 136-page softcover book written by Penelope Love, Mark Morrison, Lynn Willis, Larry DiTillio, and Sandy Petersen, with interior cartography and art by Ron Leming, two full-color maps by Philip and Marion Andersen, and cover art by Tom Sullivan. [4]

A revised and expanded second edition was published in 2019 for the 7th edition Call of Cthulhu and Pulp Cthulhu, a 304-page PDF written by Penelope Love, Mark Morrison, Dean Engelhardt, Marion Anderson, Phil Anderson, Geoff Gillan, Richard Watts, Darren Watson, Vian Lawson, John Hughes, Tristan Goss, James Haughton, Sandy Petersen, Brian M. Sammons, with contributions by Mike Mason and Lynne Hardy, cartography by Matt Ryan, Kalin Kadiev, Andrew Law, and Nicholas Nacario, interior art by Corey Brickley, Caleb Cleveland, David Grilla, Eric Lofgren, Joel Chaim Holtzman, Jonathan Wyke, Lee Simpson, Linda Jones, Matthew Wright, Michelle Lockamy, Pat Laboyko, Victor Leza, and M. Wayne Miller, and cover art by Miller. [1]

2nd edition cover by M. Wayne Miller, 2019 CHA23155 Terror Australis Chaosium RPG supplement 2020 cover.jpg
2nd edition cover by M. Wayne Miller, 2019

Reception

Both the 1st and 2nd editions received good reviews from critics:

Awards

Other recognition

In 2020, the National Library of Australia added a copy of the second edition to their collection as a work "of national significance relating to Australia and the Australian people". [8] [9]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 Love, Penelope; Morrisson, Mark; Willis, Lynn; DiTillio, Larry; Petersen, Sandy (1987). Terror Australis : Cthulhu down under: background and adventures. cover by Tom Sullivan (1 ed.). Albany, Calif. USA: Chaosium Inc. ISBN   0-933635-40-0. CHA2319. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 Bambra, Jim (June 1987). "Open Box". White Dwarf . No. 90. Games Workshop. pp. 2–3.
  3. 1 2 Rolston, Ken (August 1997). "Role-playing reviews". Dragon . No. 124. TSR, Inc. p. 14.
  4. ↑ Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 245. ISBN   0-87975-653-5.
  5. ↑ Blayo, Frédéric (July–August 1987). "Tètes d'Affiches". Casus Belli (in French). No. 39. p. 26.
  6. ↑ StJohn Mackintosh, Paul. "Review of Terror Australis". rpg.net. Skotos. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "2019 nominees and winners". ENNIE Awards. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Walker, Alex (11 March 2019). "In His House At Australia's National Library, Dead Cthulhu Waits Dreaming". Kotaku. Pedestrian Group. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Terror Australis : call of Cthulhu in the Land Down Under. National Library of Australia. March 2019. ISBN   9781568824154 . Retrieved 16 November 2020.
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