Unseen Masters

Last updated
Unseen Masters
Modern Struggles against Hidden Powers
CHA2384 Unseen Masters Second Printing RPG supplement cover 2008.jpg
Second printing cover by Matt Harpold.
Designers Bruce Ballon
Publishers Chaosium
Publication2001;23 years ago (2001)
Genres Horror
Systems Basic Role-Playing

Unseen Masters, Modern Struggles against Hidden Powers is a 2001 Horror fiction tabletop role-playing game adventure, written by Bruce Ballon, with a cover by Matt Harpold, and published by Chaosium for Call of Cthulhu . [1]

Contents

Contents

Unseen Masters is a supplement containing three short campaigns intended for use in the modern era: "The Wild Hunt", "The Truth Shall Set You Free", and "Coming of Age". [2]

Reception

The reviewer from the online second volume of Pyramid stated that "In comparison with the classic period of the 1920s, the modern day has seen relatively scant coverage from Chaosium for their venerable RPG, Call of Cthulhu. This is not to belittle their releases for the modern day such as Utatti Asfet, The Stars Are Right, or The Resection of Time, but many feel that none have come close to Pagan Publishing's Delta Green setting and books in terms of tone and feel. Yet now Chaosium have published a contemporary set campaign that can justifiably said to come very close." [3]

Unseen Masters won the Origins Award for Best Role-Playing Game Adventure of 2001. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Basic Role-Playing</i> Tabletop role-playing game system

Basic Role-Playing (BRP) is a tabletop role-playing game which originated in the RuneQuest fantasy role-playing game. Chaosium released the BRP standalone booklet in 1980 in the boxed set release of the second edition of RuneQuest. Greg Stafford and Lynn Willis are credited as the authors. Chaosium used the percentile skill-based system as the basis for most of their games, including Call of Cthulhu, Stormbringer, and Elfquest.

<i>Call of Cthulhu</i> (role-playing game) Tabletop horror role-playing game

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.

A generic or universalrole-playing game system is a role-playing game system designed to be independent of setting and genre. Its rules should, in theory, work the same way for any setting, world, environment or genre in which one would want to play.

<i>Pendragon</i> (role-playing game) Historical fantasy tabletop role-playing game

Pendragon, or King Arthur Pendragon, is a Tabletop role-playing game (RPG) in which players take the role of knights performing chivalric deeds in the tradition of Arthurian legend. It was originally written by Greg Stafford and published by Chaosium, then was acquired by Green Knight Publishing, who in turn passed on the rights to White Wolf Publishing in 2004. White Wolf sold the game to Stewart Wieck in 2009. Wieck formed Nocturnal Media, who updated and reissued the 5th edition originally published by White Wolf. In 2018, it returned to Chaosium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Stafford</span> American game designer (1948–2018)

Francis Gregory Stafford, usually known as Greg Stafford, was an American game designer, publisher, and practitioner of shamanism.

<i>Justice, Inc.</i> (role-playing game)

Justice, Inc. is a role-playing game published by Hero Games in 1984 that simulates adventure stories that appeared in the pulp magazines of the 1930s.

James Daniel Lowder is an American author, anthologist, and editor, working regularly within the fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror genres, and on tabletop role-playing games and critical works exploring popular culture.

<i>Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil is an adventure module written by Monte Cook for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting. It was originally published by American game company Wizards of the Coast in 2001 as a sequel to the 1985 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) module, The Temple of Elemental Evil.

Lynn Willis was a wargame and role-playing game designer, best known for his work with Metagaming Concepts, Game Designers' Workshop (GDW), and Chaosium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus L. Rowland</span> English role-playing game designer (born 1953)

Marcus L. Rowland is an English retired laboratory technician and a notable author in the field of role-playing games, particularly games with Victorian era content.

<i>Mythos</i> (card game) Collectible card game

Mythos is an out-of-print collectible card game published by Chaosium. It is based on the Cthulhu Mythos stories of the horror author H. P. Lovecraft, as well as on Chaosium's own Call of Cthulhu role-playing game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cubicle 7</span> Publisher of tabletop role-playing games

Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd is an Irish games company that creates and publishes tabletop games. Best known for its Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings games, Cubicle 7 offers titles covering a range of licensed and self-developed properties.

<i>Trail of Cthulhu</i>

Trail of Cthulhu is an investigative horror role-playing game published by Pelgrane Press in 2008 in which the players' characters investigate mysterious events related to the Cthulhu Mythos. The game is a licensed product based on the horror role playing game Call of Cthulhu published by Chaosium, which is itself based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft.

<i>Masks of Nyarlathotep</i> Horror tabletop role-playing game campaign

Masks of Nyarlathotep, subtitled Perilous Adventures to Thwart the Dark God, is an adventure campaign first published by Chaosium in 1984 for the second edition of the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu. A number of revised editions have subsequently been published. Masks of Nyarlathotep is a series of several sequential adventures set in the 1920s that take the player characters from New York, to London, Cairo, Nairobi, and Shanghai as they deal with the threat of the god Nyarlathotep. Screenwriter Larry DiTillio wrote the adventure with game designer Lynn Willis during a writer's strike. It received positive reviews in game periodicals including Casus Belli, The Space Gamer, White Dwarf, Different Worlds, and Dragon, and is considered to be one of the best roleplaying adventures of all time.

<i>Cthulhu by Gaslight</i> Horror tabletop role-playing game supplement

Cthulhu by Gaslight is a horror tabletop role-playing supplement, written by William A. Barton, with art by Kevin Ramos, and first published by Chaosium in 1986. This supplement provides information on role-playing in an alternate setting of Victorian England of the 1890s for Call of Cthulhu. An expanded second edition was published in 1988, and a third edition was published in 2012. It won an Origins Award and received positive reviews in game periodicals including White Dwarf, Casus Belli, Different Worlds, Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer, The Games Machine, Games International, and Dragon.

<i>The Complete Masks of Nyarlathotep</i> Tabletop horror role-playing game campaign

The Complete Masks of Nyarlathotep is an adventure campaign published by Chaosium in 1996 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu; it is the third edition of the adventure campaign Masks of Nyarlathotep originally published in 1984. It is a series of several sequential adventures set in the 1920s that take the player characters from New York, to London, Cairo, Nairobi, and Shanghai as they deal with the threat of the god Nyarlathotep. The Complete Masks of Nyarlathotep is a revised and expanded version of the original adventure scenario with additional material by new authors. It won an Origins Award and received positive reviews in game periodicals including Arcane and Dragon.

<i>Encyclopedia Cthulhiana</i> Horror fiction reference work

Encyclopedia Cthulhiana is a reference guide to the invented places, beings, and concepts from the Cthulhu Mythos developed by H. P. Lovecraft and others. It was published by Chaosium in 1994.

<i>Death in Freeport</i> 2000 role-playing adventure published by Green Ronin Publishing

Death in Freeport is a 2000 role-playing game adventure published by Green Ronin Publishing.

<i>The Fungi from Yuggoth</i> Call of Cthulhu adventure

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.

<i>No Mans Land</i> (Call of Cthulhu) Tabletop horror role-playing game supplement

No Man's Land is a 1998 role-playing game adventure for Call of Cthulhu published by Chaosium.

References

  1. Ballon, Bruce (2008). Unseen masters : modern struggles against hidden powers (2 ed.). Oakland, CA, USA: Chaosium. ISBN   978-1-56882-120-7. CHA2384.
  2. "Unseen Masters". RPGnet RPG Game Index.
  3. "Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Unseen Masters (for Call of Cthulhu)". sjgames.com. 2001-03-02.
  4. "Origins Award Winners (2001)". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Archived from the original on 2008-02-02. Retrieved 2007-11-01.