24 January 2012

Clockwork and Cthulhu

Well this certainly looks cool:
From here:

Horror Roleplaying in the world of Clockwork & Chivalry

“Then she did confesse that she gained her powers from a Devill which did come to her out of the baye on moonless nights. And upon examination, we did find the markes of evill upon her, for she bore scales like unto a fish about her bodie. And so was she hanged as a witche, and upon the scaffolde she did crie out “Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!” and those who did witnesse this were sore afraide, but her Devill answered her not, and she did die in that place.”

Fear-the-Lord Grimshaw, Witch Finder, 1645

England has descended into civil war. The earth is tainted by alchemical magick. Giant clockwork war machines lumber across the land. In the remote countryside, witches terrorise entire villages, while in the hallowed halls of great universities, natural philosophers uncover the secrets of nature.

War, plague and religious division make people’s lives a constant misery. But even greater threats exist. Witches whisper of the old gods. Royalist alchemists pore over John Dee’s forbidden translation of the Necronomicon, dreaming of powers that will allow them to win the war. Parliamentarian engineers consult with creatures from beyond the crystal spheres and build blasphemous mechanisms, unholy monuments to their alien overlords. Vast inter-dimensional beings seek entry into the world, while their human servants, corrupted, crazed and enslaved, follow the eldritch agendas of their hidden masters.

Clockwork & Cthulhu brings the horror of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos to the 17th century alternate historical fantasy world of Clockwork & Chivalry. Inside you will find:

· Mythos creatures and gods, cults and secret societies for 17th century England.

· New rules for Mental Damage in the Renaissance system.

· Three complete scenarios which take the Adventurers into the rain-shrouded Coniston Fells, the shifting sands of Morecambe Bay, and the corridors of the Royalist court at Oxford.

I've been intrigued with Clockwork & Chivalry for well over a year now, as it was, in my opinion, the most novel setting produced for the (short-lived) RuneQuest 2. And my fondness for Call of Cthulhu is longstanding.

So once I get my hands on this book and the second edition of Clockwork & Chivalry (which employs the Renaissance system, which, in turn, is based upon OpenQuest), I plan to inflict some 1645 eldritch horror upon my players!

9 comments:

  1. That does look interesting.

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  2. I'm always glad to see Openquest getting some love.

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  3. Ok, I was sold when they released Clockwork & Chivalry, but this one I feel a right powerful urge to own. Now I just need to finally put my money where my mouth is.

    A question, if you will. Do you know if I need to own a RQ core book to use this one?

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  4. @ Harald: All you need is the 'Renaissance' SRD, which is free at RPGnow!

    Also, the 2nd edition of Clockwork & Chivalry will be a self-contained RPG (it uses the Renaissance SRD, and adds setting information and adventures).

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  5. OMG 2012 is gonna be an overkill.

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  6. Although it seems interesting, don't you think there are too many rpgs with some Cthulhu mythos?

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  7. @ Ynas Midgard: There is a surfeit of Cthulhu-based and Cthulhu-related RPGs, I agree.

    However, this is only a supplement for C&C, not the core focus of the RPG. Moreover, as a BRP/d100-based game, C&C is pretty close (and broadly compatible) with the Call of Cthuhlu RPG.

    In short, I'm happy with any d100-based product that draws on the Cthulhu Mythos (whether CoC, Laundry, or C&C). I'm not interested, personally, in non-d100 Cthulhu RPGs (viz. Trail of Cthulhu, the SW and T20 versions, etc.).

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    Replies
    1. (Obviously, I need to start using the new 'Reply' function instead of the now outmoded "@..." I just keep forgetting about it!)

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I'm a Canadian political philosopher who lives primarily in Toronto but teaches in Milwaukee (sometimes in person, sometimes online).