GMorts Chaotica: Chaosium Inc.

Thursday 5 July 2018

Chaosium Inc. - Newsletter

The latest Call of Cthulhu news from Chaosium...
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#77 the straight scoop from the well of chaos...

The wait is over! Masks of Nyarlathotep has been released!

Widely acclaimed as one of the greatest campaigns of all time and a classic of the RPG genre, the MASSIVE pdf package contains the following electronic items—it truly is the Holy Grail of Horror:

—666-page Masks PDF Omnibus of both volumes
—96-page Handout Booklet PDF, including Maps
—85-page Keeper Reference Booklet PDF
—12-page NPC Portraits PDF (105 portraits!)
—6-page Keeper Screen PDF
—High-res images of the covers
—10 x Pre-gen Character Sheets and backgrounds

What are you waiting for? Go Save the World!

Purchase at Chaosium.com

On purchasing the PDF from Chaosium.com you will receive a coupon for the full cost of the PDF off the price of the slipcase version when it is released later this year.*

*HOW THE COUPON WORKS*
The two volume full color Masks hardback slipcase edition will retail for USD$129.99. With the coupon from your Chaosium.com PDF purchase you will only pay $70.00 ($129.99 - $59.99 coupon = $70.00) when buying the slipcase direct from Chaosium.

Also available from DriveThruRPG!

Purchase at DriveThruRPG

Please note, the slipcase coupon offer is for Chaosium.compurchases only.

The retail release of the Masks slipcase edition is scheduled for September. We will set a release date once printing and shipping schedules are confirmed.

What some early reviewers have said...

"The Greatest Roleplaying Campaign Ever?... If Masks of Nyarlathotep is the campaign by which all other Call of Cthulhu campaigns are measured, then Masks of Nyarlathotep: Dark Schemes Herald the End of the World just raised the bar."—Reviews from R'lyeh.

"...this new edition of Masks will set the bar for roleplaying campaigns for some time to come... the new Masks of Nyarlathotep is everything that fans of Call of Cthulhu would want from an update of one of the most compelling RPG campaigns ever written. For players it will be a defining experience of what an RPG can be, offering an immersive, multi-faceted adventure into the heart of both cosmic and human darkness. For Keepers, the book is meticulously researched and provides all the resources and tips for running this holy grail of campaigns."—Another great review from Games Vs Play.

"For something which had already established itself early on as an rpg classic, Chaosium have gone and ratcheted-up this one to 11."—Whispers from the Ghooric Zone.

"The long and short of it is this: the new version of Masks of Nyarlathotep is an extraordinarily well produced product in every way that you look at it. Not only is it gorgeously laid out and illustrated, but the content is going to make for some truly epic campaigns... However, beneath the bling is a solid and epic campaign clawing and writhing to escape into your players brains. It is full of fantastic stories and despite its at times, almost comically complicated webs of clues, I think it will be a delight to run. So much thought has gone into making sure the GM's job is as easy as possible."—Marty Jopson takes a comprehensive look for Yog-Sothoth.com.

If you're still on the fence contemplating buying Masks, take a minute to read this - the final paragraph of Andrew Logan Montgomery's comprehensive review!

"The fifth edition design team of Mike Mason, Lynne Hardy, Paul Fricker, and Scott Dorward has managed to the unexpected; they have released an edition of Masks of Nyarlathotep that actually improves upon the original.

This is the same thrilling--and often terrifying--Masks that you know and love, but in every measurable way it surpasses any iteration before it. It looks better, reads better, and with massive amounts of support for the Keeper, runs better.

If you play Call of Cthulhu, you need to own it. If you don't play Call of Cthulhu, now is the time to start. Masks of Nyarlathotep once again sets the standard for what a complex, lengthy RPG campaign should look like, and with products like these Chaosium reminds us exactly why it is as storied an institution as it is.

Masks is a classic car rebuilt from the ground up with modern parts and the original's soul."

—Andrew Logan Montgomery, Exploring the Otherworlds of Fiction, Magic, and Gaming.

Women in Tabletop Gaming Month at Chaosium - all the Interviews

Women in Tabletop Gaming Month is over and we featured a series of interviews of the some of the wonderful women who’ve helped to support Chaosium’s endeavors over the years: women creators who have worked with Chaosium in the past, continue to work with us now, and those who are just joining the Chaosium family.

Lynne Hardy who conducted the interviews says "I would also personally like to thank each of our contributors for sharing their stories and insights with us—it has been both an honor and a privilege to have them along for the ride. I hope you agree that it was fascinating to learn all about the diverse backgrounds and experiences that brought them to gaming and into the industry—one which is all the richer for their presence. Long may they, and Chaosium, continue!"

Here is a full list of our interviews!

What is Ab Chaos?
(...from Ab Chaos #7, May 31 1992)

Ab - Latin "from"
Chaos - (1) Any condition or place of total disorder (modern vernacular); (2) the disordered state of unformed matter which preceded creation (since Milton, Paradise Lost); (3) the dark, empty space which preceded creation (Greek Mythology); (4) the [formerly] Californian roleplaying game company.

Ab Chaos is an informal newsletter for Chaosium fans. Through our history we have tried to serve the players and gamemasters through craft and art as well as (and sometimes at the expense of) marketing and moneymaking. We appreciate your loyalty, and offer this communication to those who are curious about us, beyond the mere "product".

It is planned to be informal and irregular. We are, after all, not the Orderium.

GMorts Chaotica