This may sound like a silly question, but...

[answer_is_42]

...what the devil is 'Call of Cthulhu'? I've been wandering around this board for some time, but I can't seem to work out what on earth is going on. Something to do with fish?

[Driscoles]

Call Of Cthulhu is a mythos based on the books of H. P. Lovecraft.
An early 20th century writer of horror stories who influenced the whole genre !
Björn

[answer_is_42]

Call Of Cthulhu is a mythos based on the books of H. P. Lovecraft.
An early 20th century writer of horror stories who influenced the whole genre !
Björn

Hmm. Never heard of him. To Wikipedia, away!

[Plynkes]

Never heard of H.P. Lovecraft?

Get thee gone, and never darken our doors again!


Just kidding. Lovecraft was a writer in the 20s and 30s. He wrote about bizarre creatures, cosmic monsters and strange 'dead' alien gods and the activities of their cults on earth. Pulp horror, really. His weird view of the universe struck a bit of a chord and many other writers were inspired to add to his 'mythos' including such types as Robert Bloch and Robert E. Howard (the Conan guy).

The mythos is still a big deal with gamers probably partly because of the role-playing game that came out in the 80s keeping it alive. This game was called "Call of Cthulhu", and was named after one of Lovecraft's short stories. Cthulhu himself is the giant slimy chap with a squid for a face. He is one of the 'gods' and sleeps in a sunken city somewhere under the Pacific Ocean. His dreams have the power to reach out and influence people, possibly bringing them under his sway.

The role-playing game is the first one I ever played, and still one of my favourites. Very atmospheric, and you can really terrify your players if you get it right.

[answer_is_42]

Never heard of H.P. Lovecraft?

Get thee gone, and never darken our doors again!


Just kidding. Lovecraft was a writer in the 20s and 30s. He wrote about bizarre creatures, cosmic monsters and strange 'dead' alien gods and the activities of their cults on earth. Pulp horror, really. His weird view of the universe struck a bit of a chord and many other writers were inspired to add to his 'mythos' including such types as Robert Bloch and Robert E. Howard (the Conan guy).

The mythos is still a big deal with gamers probably partly because of the role-playing game that came out in the 80s keeping it alive. This game was called "Call of Cthulhu", and was named after one of Lovecraft's short stories. Cthulhu himself is the giant slimy chap with a squid for a face. He is one of the 'gods' and sleeps in a sunken city somewhere under the Pacific Ocean. His dreams have the power to reach out and influence people, possibly bringing them under his sway.

The role-playing game is the first one I ever played, and still one of my favourites. Very atmospheric, and you can really terrify your players if you get it right.

I see. Well, that explains the fish part. How many books/stories are there then?

[itchy]

Hi if you want to get the most important ones buy this collection "Necronomicon,the best wierd tales of HP Lovecraft " but there are full lists of his work on the net just puit in HP Lovecraft you will get loads of lists. Background stuff on the chaosiam website they do the great RPG.

[Bako]

Hmm. Never heard of him. To Wikipedia, away!

[Cory]

Hmm. Never heard of him. To Wikipedia, away!

Lose 2d6 SAN

[answer_is_42]

Sorry all, I'll try harder, I promise...

[Westfalia Chris]

Hmm. Never heard of him. To Wikipedia, away!

Lose 2d6 SAN

For checking on the Mythos or for using Wikipedia? In the latter case, 2d6 is far too player-friendly and not severe enough to do the horror justice.

[archangel1]

If you want a quick look at HPL's work, check out the following link.  It's an online library of most of his works.  One of my favourites is the quite short 'The Statement of Randolph Carter'.  It's only about 8 pages, but it'll give you an idea of the subtle undercurrents that you'll find in his longer stories.  Lovecraft wrote the kind of tales that often appear rather benign on the surface but the more you read, the more you'll get the impression that something is hiding in your subconscious, scratching at the locked door.  Once in a while, it gets out and gives you a nasty shock, before slithering into the shadows again to bide its time.  Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot' did the same thing to me when I first read it and I still get the creeps every time I reread it.

http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

His stuff is out of copyright I think, so you can find most of his stuff online for free.

I recently listened to some great audio recordings of the mountains of madness and others. So scary!

Lovecraft is great, the story Call of Cthulu is fantastic(its just a short story). Yeah, go to it my man!

[Alxbates]

How many books/stories are there then?

Tens of thousands, literally, that can be considered "canon" or nearly so, and many many more that are inspired by or influenced by Lovecraft.  Brian Lumley's Necroscope series wouldn't exist without Lovecraft, and F Paul Wilson's books would be very different.  Hellboy might not exist, certainly not in the current form, either (to pull some current references out).

There's even an excyclopedia that you can buy that lists nearly everything, it's called the "Mythos Concordance and Bibliography", or something like that.

-Alex

[Wolf 359]

Call Of Cthulhu is a mythos based on the books of H. P. Lovecraft.
An early 20th century writer of horror stories who influenced the whole genre !
Björn

Hmm. Never heard of him. To Wikipedia, away!

  You're young, and this is your first exposure to Cthulhu. I was about your age when I discovered Lovecraft - recommended by an English teacher in high school - and if the stories interest you, then you're on a great literary adventure. All I can say is - I envy you, finding this author, and his contemporaries, for the first time! The stories are really great, and I hope you enjoy them. Then work your way into the gaming, if you're so inclined.
  Good luck!

[itchy]

http://www.hplovecraft.com/