Cthulhu Rising - latest news

Jovian Nightmares Preview Now Available

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:59:56 GMT

As promised, here is the preview of Jovian Nightmares: Download the Jovian Nightmare Preview PDF.

The preview contains the following pages:

1. Cover art mock-up
A mock-up of the monograph cover - it should be stressed that this is purely for the free preview, and not a final cover. It is produced by me and not by Chaosium.

2. Introduction
The introduction page from the monograph.

3. About Jovian Nightmares
A brief overview of what the monograph is, and what will be in it.

4. Io
As chosen by you in the website poll, an overview of the Galilean moon Io.

The preview is in colour, but the final print version will be in black and white as per usual for monographs. However I intend asking Chaosium whether they would accept a colour version for PDF download. For a full list of what is complete, what work is in progress, and what still needs doing, visit the Jovian Nightmares development thread.

Thanks for your patience and the support. Have a happy holiday season, and if you want to let me know what you think, contact me or post to the Jovian Nightmares section of the forum.

Jovian Nightmares News

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:17:53 GMT

I have started a dedicated forum thread where I can post Jovian Nightmares status updates, and maybe even sneak previews, as the project starts to head towards completion.

Here is a quick update:
I am still working on the monograph content, although some layout design ideas has also been done. I have recently produced completed maps for the 4x Galilean moons, plus an illustration of the inner Circum-Jove system (showing the orbits of the inner moons and Galilean moons). I am also working on the interior illustrations. Resident Cthulhu Rising artist Ben Thornley has confirmed he will be producing the cover art.

For a full list of what is complete, what work is in progress, and what still needs doing, visit the Jovian Nightmares development thread.

Thanks for your patience. I hope to release some sneak previews before Christmas, provided I get it together in time.

Law and Order

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:18:54 GMT

It's been a long time coming, but the Federal Law Enforcement Authority Sourcebook is finally available for free download. This book provides an introduction to the Federal Law Enforcement Authority, and features history, organisational structure, equipment, weapons and new investigator occupations. It contains all the information from the Colonial Security Service Sourcebook and therefore replaces that book.

Visit the Expanded Rules page in the downloads section to grab a copy.
:-)

Cthulhu Rising at Game 08

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:32:59 GMT

A quick reminder to say I will be at GameCon this weekend, running the Cthulhu Rising game Escape Velocity one last time before it gets inserted into Jovian Nightmares as one of two adventures I intend being included in the Monograph.

I will also be running a non-Cthulhu Rising game - Dead on Arrival is an adventure for All Flesh Must Be Eaten, set during a zombie outbreak in the UK in the near future. Quite fitting considering Charlie Brooker's zombie mini-series Dead Set is on tv this week.

For more details about the event, visit the GameCon website.

The Post Modernists

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:50:08 GMT

Now that Furnace has been and gone, it means I am happy and able to make The Post Modernists available for free download from the site. As mentioned in the previous post, I ran the adventure in the Saturday night slot, and everyone seemed to have fun, even if we did overrun our allotted time.

You can find the adventure and associated handouts/maps in the stand-alone adventures part of the Downloads section.

Escape Velocity remains unavailable, as it is going to be the lead adventure in Jovian Nightmares.

I will write a more detailed summary of how the game sessions went, and about the Furnace Con in general, at a later date (i.e. when I have more time). Needless to say I had a lot of fun, and will be back next year all being well.

Wish I had taken some pictures instead of doing my usual trick of taking my camera and leaving it in my bag.

Cthulhu Rising games at Furnace 2008

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:14:56 GMT

I'll be running a couple of Cthulhu Rising games at Furnace in October. Often called Continuum's little brother, Furnace is a tabletop roleplaying game convention in Sheffield UK, taking place on the weekend of 18th-19th October 2008 at The Garrison Hotel. For more information everything that is happening over the weekend at Furnace, go have a look at their website: Visit the Furnace website.

I ran Escape Velocity at Continuum, but The Post Modernists is brand-spanking new. WhileEscape Velocity will eventually turn up in Jovian Nightmares, The Post Modernists will probably end up as a free download...

The Post Modernists

No. of Players: 4 to 6
Requirements: None
Game Slot: To be confirmed
Teaser:
"Find out who murdered my daughter."

The last words spoken to you by Lucien Voltaire play over and over in your head on a loop, as your suborbital begins its landing approach to the crime scene.

Terra Nova. Playground for the rich, famous and powerful of Federation society. A planet inhabited by people with tastes far too expensive and exotic for your blood.

It was only supposed to be a short lay-over. A brief stay at one of the Orbitals while your transport refuelled for the final leg of the journey home. Lucien Voltaire quickly put paid to that. The ex-colonial administrator obviously still has political weight, because he has managed to get you assigned to a murder investigation, the victim being his youngest daughter, Adeline Voltaire.

The local police certainly aren’t calling it murder. Their verdict is accidental death, and before Lucien Voltaire started pulling strings they were ready to close the case.

A weather front has blown in unexpectedly from out at sea, causing your suborbital to make a bumpy landing at the beach-house of Adeline Voltaire. Rain starts to lash down in sheets as you gather your equipment and your thoughts, and prepare to meet your local police liaison...

Escape Velocity

No. of Players: 4 to 6
Requirements: None
Game Slot: To be confirmed
Teaser:

You awake with a dull throbbing pain in your head. The kind of headache a bout of mild oxygen starvation brings. You wince as you try to sit up. You’re in the brig of the orbital gas mining platform Jovian Discoverer IV for the third time in a month. It looks like Warden-Administrator O’Halloran has decided to lock you and the other trouble-makers up until you cool off, or until he can devise a worse punishment...

Some people are stupid. You could sense there was going to be trouble. What kind of spacenoob jamhead starts a fight during an EVA work detail? With suit systems slaved to Prospero, the station AI, it was no biggie for O’Halloran to change the trimix of your air supply. Knock out the trouble-makers and reel 'em back in on their safety lines. Standard procedure.

Penal Involuntary Servitude - it is what it is. 'Recruited' by Jupiter Holdings from a prison-contract auction on Mars 3 months ago. You and about a dozen others.

And now you wake up to this. Your cell door is unlocked. Good start. No sign of a warden. Even better. But as you get to unsteady feet you feel the rig making dark groaning noises. Then you hear an alarm klaxon somewhere in the distance. As you peer out into the entrance you see someone lying on the floor, their leg bent back at an odd angle. This is less good.

Continuum 2008 - Eye Witness

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:58:33 GMT

Well, Continuum has been and gone, and I am back at the ranch, feeling slightly burnt-out after running 4x Cthulhu Rising sessions, including one impromptu 2nd session of Vanishing Act for a group which featured members of the recently retired Kult of Keepers.

I'll post a more detailed report of how the individual adventures went in the forums at a later date, but I just wanted to say a really big thank-you to everyone who played in one of my games, and for all the kind words afterwards. Whether you were squished by Shoggoths, mutilated by Mi-Go or sucked-dry by Star Vampires. Whether you were infected, crushed, fried, devoured or dissected. Even if you managed to escape alive, sane or not. Whatever your fate - thanks for turning up, thanks for having fun, thanks for making it a really memorable experience.

In the meantime, if you played in one of my games and want to get in touch, contact me through the site contact form or via the forums.

Cthulhu Rising games at Continuum 2008

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:48:40 GMT

Here's the final line-up of what I intend running at Continuum this August...

Escape Velocity

System: Cthulhu Rising (Call of Cthulhu in the 23rd Century)
No. of Players: 4 to 6
Requirements: None
Game Slot: Slot 3 Saturday 10:00 to 13:00
Teaser:

Penal Involuntary Servitude - it is what it is. 'Recruited' by Jupiter Holdings from a prison-contract auction on Mars 3 months ago. You and about a dozen others.

Vanishing Act

System: Cthulhu Rising (Call of Cthulhu in the 23rd Century)
No. of Players: 4 to 6
Requirements: None
Game Slot: Slot 5 Saturday 19:30 to 23:30
Teaser:

You were on your way back to the Core Systems for some well-earned R&R when the call came in. The report was vague but disturbing: There have been a series of mysterious disappearances at one of the Company's agricultural colonies in the Outer Rim Territories. The local colony administrators are worried. This is exactly the kind of thing that could blow up into an 'incident'. The Company doesn't like 'incidents', which is why they have decided to send in a team.

That's where you come in.

Wolf Wiesner Krupp Internal Security. Dispatched to the colony to investigate and discover the truth behind the rumours - no matter how terrifying or startling that truth might eventually prove to be...

Fragmented Sanity

System: Cthulhu Rising (Call of Cthulhu in the 23rd Century)
No. of Players: 4 to 6
Requirements: None
Game Slot: Slot 7 Sunday 14:00 to 18:00
Teaser:

When Dr Maximillian Roe, a scientist employed by Cenargo Corporation, goes missing with his research findings on Mars, the corporation puts the subsequent investigation in the capable hands of Harlan Wexler - head of Cenargo R&D.

Assigned to the investigation by Wexler, you have arrived at Mars to piece together the last days before Roe's disappearance. Is this a case of industrial espionage, foul play, or something far, far worse...

Summer Madness

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:55:14 GMT

Summer is finally here. Can you not tell - it's raining! Over the coming months I will be knuckling down to concentrate on writing Jovian Nightmares and final preparations to the adventures I am taking to Continuum in August. In the meantime, here are a few updates to get your hands on...

You can now stay on top of any new activity at the Cthulhu Rising forums by subscribing to the forum RSS feed. For more information about this, and also how to subscribe to the main site news feed, visit the news feeds page.

Next up is a new campaign from the mind of the man who brought you Dark Harvest. Gary Cooper's Merchant Venturer campaign is a series of adventures based in the disputed region of space known as the Herculis Cluster. He is looking for writers to contribute one-shot adventures for this setting, so download the background info, and if inspired there is a Merchant Venturer forum thread here.

Finally, I have recently updated the Interstellar Colonial Marine Corps Sourcebook. The changes are mainly to layout, and it has a cool new cover too.

All of the above is free, so enjoy!
:-)

Cthulhu Rising 2.0 - Print Version Back in Stock

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:28:36 GMT

As promised, here is the news story informing you that the print version of Cthulhu Rising is back in stock on the Chaosium website.

So follow this link to buy the Cthulhu Rising MULA monograph from Chaosium in print format.

I have been informed that there may be a limited number available to purchase at Continuum this year, which means if you're coming to that little shindig, you can avoid the postage costs from the USA.
:-)

Cthulhu Rising 2.0

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:52:52 GMT

There is an updated version of the Cthulhu Rising monograph available from Chaosium. This new version is over 30 pages longer than last time, and features new cover art and a new layout, plus updated and expanded rules/background information, which brings the content in line with the information available on the website.

The PDF version is available right now, and the print version should be available by the end of the month.

So time for the shameless plug - CTHULHU RISING NEEDS YOU!

If you enjoy sci-fi horror roleplaying, I hope you'll support Cthulhu Rising and get a copy of the new monograph for your bookshelf. Both formats contribute to the sales figures equally.

Happy with a PDF copy? Buy the Cthulhu Rising MULA monograph from Chaosium now in PDF format

Prefer to wait until the new print version is out? Buy the Cthulhu Rising MULA monograph from Chaosium in print format at the end of the month. I will post a new story to the site when the print version is available.

:-)

Vanishing Act at Go Play Manchester

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:17:15 GMT

All things being well I will be running an exclusive playtest of Vanishing Act, at the June 15th meet of Go Play Manchester. Go Play Manchester is a monthly meetup for RPGers in central Manchester. For more information visit the Go Play Manchester section on the UK Roleplayers forums. Here you will be able to find out details about the event itself, including location and running times, plus details of other games being run.

Vanishing Act is an adventure I wrote last year, which will be getting an exclusive public airing when I take it to Continuum this August. I have already play-tested it with my own roleplaying group, so this is a pre-convention warm up to put it through its paces from a timing point of view.

Vanishing Act - Adventure Synopsis:
You were on your way back to the Core Systems for some well-earned R&R when the call came in. The report was vague but disturbing: There have been a series of mysterious disappearances at one of the Company's agricultural colonies in the Outer Rim Territories. The local colony administrators are worried. This is exactly the kind of thing that could blow up into an 'incident'. The Company doesn't like 'incidents', which is why they have decided to send in a team.

That's where you come in.

Cthulhu Rising Sells Out

Wed, 07 May 2008 09:16:49 GMT

Several people have contacted me recently to tell me that the product information page on the Chaosium website detailing the Cthulhu Rising MULA Monograph and how to buy it has disappeared. Instead of the usual info, they were greeted with a Product Not Found! message.

Don't panic: I have contacted Chaosim, and they tell me the reason is that they have completely sold out of the book, but will have more in at the end of the month. I assume the page will be restored then. Shame there is no interim out of stock message displayed.

So I guess the thing to do is sit tight and just check back at the end of the month, to see what's what.

:-)

Cthulhu Rising at Continuum 2008

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:36:29 GMT

It's official - I will be attending Continuum 2008 as part of the Go Play Manchester crew this summer. So far the short-list of adventures I intend running is as follows:

1. Fragmented Sanity - The Keepers Cut
An old favourite that has seen convention action at both Game 07 and Furnace 2007. Ted Sparver and co are back again for more Martian mayhem...

2. Escape Velocity
A new adventure that will be featuring in the Jovian Nightmares Monograph. It will be making a pre-convention warm-up appearance at Go Play Manchester very soon. Watch this space...

3. Vanishing Act
A Cthulhu Rising adventure written exclusively for Worlds of Cthulhu magazine, this will be its first airing since my own gaming group play-tested it last year. It will be appearing in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

For more details about all these adventures, have a look at the RPG games list on the Continuum website.

Hope to see some of you there.

Character Sheets 2.0

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:25:27 GMT

Forum contributor Host of Angels done some quite frankly excellent work on the Cthulhu Rising character sheets. He has created enhanced versions which can be filled in electronically like a web-form. These enhanced character sheets then auto-calculate your skill category modifiers, hit points and so on, based on your inputted characteristics. Please note though that if you only have the Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than the full version of Adobe Acrobat, you will not be able to save completed character sheets - you will just be able to fill them in and print them off.

Anyway, these enhanced character sheets are now available from the Character Sheets page in the website downloads section. For those of you who prefer filling your character sheets in by hand don't worry - the old ones are still available.

The original and classic style character sheets are going to be withdrawn and archived very soon, but will always be available if you still want them by contacting the website direct.

Jovian Nightmares as a MULA Monograph!

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:56:32 GMT

I am very happy to report that Chaosium are to publish Jovian Nightmares as a MULA Monograph - hopefully later this year. This is marvellous news, and obviously gives added impetus to getting the project completed. Getting it ready to submit to Chaosium has to be my primary focus at the moment. I will be firming up the final content over the coming weeks, but if you want to help discuss ideas, throw cool stuff into the mix, or just want to have a read of what I have so far, the Jovian Nightmares forum is still open.

I intend playtesting several Jovian Nightmares themed adventures at UK conventions this year, and will be including at least one of them in the Monograph.

Dungeons & Dragons Creator Gary Gygax Passes Away

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:11:12 GMT

As I am sure most of you have already read on one of the major RPG-related websites out there by now, Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons passed away yesterday (March 4th), aged 69.

Like so many others, my introduction to roleplaying was through Dungeons & Dragons. After D&D came AD&D, and from there my friends and I (some of whom I still roleplay with to this day) branched out into a myriad other systems. Yes I may have quickly moved on from playing Dungeons & Dragons, but I will forever have a soft spot in my heart for it. Without it, I doubt we would have the vast array of RPGs that we have today. Even online games such as WoW owe their creative origins to D&D.

A sad passing indeed. It somehow feels like our leader has just died.

Cthulhu Rising will be observing 1d4+1 minutes of silence today.

Jovian Nightmares

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:21:26 GMT

The Jovian Nightmares campaign setting now has its own discussion forum. This forum is intended to be a place where the Jovian Nightmares campaign setting can be discussed and developed. Visit the Jovian Nightmares discussion forum. I intend the campaign setting to be a collaborative affair, and so welcome input from anyone who wants to get involved. Over the next few weeks I will post the broad outline of the history of the Circum-Jove colonies, plus a few locations too. I am looking for writers to contribute to this setting, either by expanding the history, creating new or expanding upon existing locations, and writing adventures.

I hope to be playtesting the first of three short adventures for this setting at one of the upcoming Go Play Manchester meets, but more of that later...

Dark Harvest Part 4: Convergence

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:18:53 GMT

Convergence, the fourth episode in Gary Cooper's excellent Dark Harvest campaign for Cthulhu Rising is now available for download.

Synopsis:
The investigators are faced with a desperate plea from an unlikely source, and become involved in the twisted dreams of a madman. Also a vicious killer is roaming the crowded streets of Drakestown, and a ghost from the past has come back to haunt the present.

Please note that DH04 Convergence contains adult themes that may not be suitable for younger readers/players.

Cthulhu Rising at Go Play Manchester - March 08

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:25:12 GMT

I will be running a version of Ground Zero at the next Go Play Manchester meet on Sunday 9th March. Go Play Manchester is a monthly meetup for RPGers in central Manchester. For more information visit the Go Play Manchester section on the UK Roleplayers forums. Here you will be able to find out details about the event itself, including location and running times, plus details of other games being run.

Ground Zero - Adventure Synopsis:
The destruction of Test Facility 3188 has not gone unnoticed. Military Sciences Division (MiliSci) have been keeping their orbital electronic eyes on the site for some time. Motokatsu-Kyono have reluctantly had to accept their offer of help in neutralizing the extra-dimensional threat pouring from the second Matter Transmitter, located at a secret research facility on the dark side of the moon.

The players are members of Striketeam Charlie - a MiliSci commando team enroute to their insertion LZ. Their orders are to recover any technology from the MKC project labs before destroying the site with a tac-nuke. The question is - what exactly happened to striketeam Alpha and striketeam Bravo..?

Communications Upgrade

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:09:21 GMT

Some of you may have noticed that there is a new box at the bottom site home page titled Latest Forum Posts. It does exactly what it says on the tin - i.e. it displays the latest 5 posts in the Cthulhu Rising forums, and provides a link direct through to them.

I am experimenting with pushing other forum content up onto the site home page, such as stats, who is currently online, top ten posters etc. If you have any thoughts, please contact the site and let me know.

Feuilles De Personnage En Français

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:05:47 GMT

I am not going to attempt to write this news story in French. Suffice to say, as the title of the news story says, the new look character sheets are now available in French. Big thanks to Dom for doing the translation work on this.

You can get the French versions of the character sheets in the Game Rules/Background information section of downloads.

Hope these are of use.
:-)

Character Assassination

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:26:12 GMT

Happy New Year from Cthulhu Rising!

As part of the work being done to produce a full-colour PDF of the Cthulhu Rising rules, I have been working to create some new improved character sheets. You can see the results in the downloads section. Character sheets have now got their own subsection on the Game Rules/Background information download page. You can now choose from the new improved full-colour version, the original version, or the classic Call of Cthulhu style.

More variants to come, including a MiliSci Commando Division variant, and corporate branded variants too.

Hope they are of use.
;-)

He Knows When You're Awake

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:52:09 GMT

Is that the Christmas Star I see in the sky, or the baleful glare of an ULTIMATE COSMIC EVIL? Who knows - just don't stare at it too long, lest it send your brain all wibbly... ;-)

Well, 2007 is almost over, and it's been an interesting and exciting year. I didn't get as much writing done as I had hoped to, but since becoming a dad, my adventure writing has slowed to a glacial pace. Real life huh? I promise that given time I will address this in the new year, and hope to give the next installments of Spaced Marines and Mythos Busters) more attention. I also took Cthulhu Rising out on the road, and managed to get to a couple of conventions (Game 07 and Furnace 2007) where I met and gamed with some excellent people.

So, what does 2008 hold in store for Cthulhu Rising? I'll go into more details in the New Year, but projects currently on the go include:

Secrets of Mars - campaign booklet/sourcebook
Jovian Nightmares - campaign booklet/sourcebook
The Federal Law Enforcement Authority (FLEA) Sourcebook
The Paradise Club - adventure for use with the FLEA sourcebook
Mythos Busters Part 5 - adventure
Spaced Marines Part 6 - adventure
The Final Frontier - update of spaceship rules

I'll post more information when there is more to tell, including which conventions I intend attending. In the meantime, however you celebrate, have an excellent Holiday Season, and see you on the other side in 2008, End Times permitting. :-)

ps - thanks to the people who played Test Facility 3188 at Go Play Manchester last Sunday. I had a great time and hope to be back with more wibbly horror in space at the February meet.

Cthulhu Rising at Go Play Manchester

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:03:36 GMT

I will be running a revamped version of Test Facility 3188 at the next Go Play Manchester meet on Sunday 16th December. Go Play Manchester is a monthly meetup for RPGers in central Manchester. For more information visit the Go Play Manchester section on the UK Roleplayers forums. Here you will be able to find out details about the event itself, including location and running times, plus details of other games being run.

Test Facility 3188 redux - Adventure Synopsis:
Something has gone wrong at the Motokatsu-Kyono Combine special project facility known as Test Facility 3188. There has been a serious accident in the top secret labs on sub-level 9, where Doctor Yosano and his team have been conducting research into a ground breaking discovery in interdimensional physics.

The players take on the roles of a group of survivors who have almost made it to the surface and to freedom. Trouble is, whatever the accident was, it has spread what appears to be some kind of biological contagion, which has infected most of the other personnel at Test Facility 3188...

Furnace 2007 - Report

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:37:02 GMT

It is already almost two weeks since Furnace 2007, so I thought it was high time I wrote up that report I promised about how things went.

I ran a session of Fragmented Sanity - The Keeper's Cut, on the Saturday. I'll let you read about how it went for yourselves. I have posted the report on the forums so that anyone who was there can post their own experiences too. Although I am not sure how many are forum members. Cthulhu Rising at Furnace 2007 - the report.

For more information about Furnace 2007, and to keep updated on the planned Furnace 2008, you can go have a look at their website.

The Sutton Institute

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:25:01 GMT

An introduction to the organisation known as The Sutton Institute is now available for download from the game rules/backgrounds page of the downloads section. It is only intended as an introduction to the Institute, and will hopefully be expanded in due course. Ideas and suggestions welcome.

Writing and running a Cthulhu Rising campaign with investigators based primarily in England, I conceived of the Sutton Institute to act rather like a British version of Miskatonic University. Its first appearance in my campaign is in Sins of the Flesh, though it is mentioned in adventures prior to this. With a little work from individual Keepers the Institute can easily be introduced to any Cthulhu Rising campaign.

Dependant on your campaign and the capabilities and resources of your Investigator group, the Sutton Institute can function as both a valuable source of information and help in certain matters involving the Mythos, and a possible patron for your own adventures.
:-)

Cthulhu Rising at Furnace 2007

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:13:43 GMT

Cthulhu Rising is making an appearance at Furnace 2007.

Furnace is a tabletop roleplaying game convention in Sheffield UK, taking place on the weekend of 20th-21st October 2007 at The Garrison Hotel. We will be running a modified version of the adventure Fragmented Sanity, on the Saturday between 10.30am-1.30pm. I hope we have enough time to complete it - if not it will at least provide players with a taster of the game.

For more information about our game and everything else that is happening over the weekend at Furnace 2007, go have a look at their website: Visit the Furnace 2007 website.

A full report will appear on the website after the event - who knows, there might even be pictures!
:-)