Horror Roleplaying Part 5: Cthulhu Mythos 1

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.

Thus begins “The Call of Cthulhu”, the story which gave the Mythos its name. The passage above aptly describes the philosophy underlying H.P. Lovecraft’s works. It is nihilistic, dark, bleak and, above all compelling. Why wouldn’t you want to play it?

Readers of this blog might already be aware that the Cthulhu Mythos is my all-time favourite genre for horror roleplaying. In fact, I am a Lovecraft devotee; literature, films and games – I just can’t get enough of it. And I’m far and away not the most devoted follower of the “Gentleman from Providence.” Not only have his works of fiction launched a wealth of other literary masters and influenced the modern horror genre beyond reckoning, but there is a flourishing academic interest in his life, his works and the philosophies exposed by these tales. In this first foray into Mythos gaming we are going to take a look at the basic theme underlying the sub-genre. Later posts will deal with specific facets and Keeper advice.

WARNING: This blog post might get a bit academic or philosophical! Those of an uninquiring mindset turn back now!

There are many facets to Lovecraft’s mythos; huge and/or horrifying monsters from a pre-human age, the loss of control over ones senses, and the terror of revealing a hideous genetic heritage. However, if we are to strip the horror down to its essence we are left with the following: Reality is not as it seems. The mental structures and basic beliefs about the nature of the universe and our position in it are falsehoods we have constructed, and eventually the immense force of the underlying reality will break through this brittle façade, exposing us to the overwhelming and horrifying truth. In a sense it is very Nietzschean. Friedrich Nietzsche (a German philosopher of the late 19^th century) contended that many things we take for granted are, in effect, falsehoods created to describe a truth we could otherwise not hope to fathom. Numbers, for example. They don’t really exist. They’re just a fabrication, a useful abstraction to describe reality. Strangely enough, this idea has grown in popularity over the years. Consider Terry Pratchett’s observation – “It’s difficult to talk about quantum with a language originally designed for telling other monkeys where the ripe fruit is.” This idea has been backed up recently by a claim that people might be structurally incapable of understanding the universe.

In fact, you might do a little experiment to prove the point. Consider the following statement.

This statement is not correct.

Now, try to resolve the conflict. If it is true that the above statement isn’t correct, then it’s correct – but then it’s just lied to us… Argh! My brain is leaking!

What’s going on? Some philosophers have tried to solve this problem by reducing it to a mathematical formula – 1 is not 1. The statement is obviously stupid, and should therefore be ignored. But to reduce the problem is to change the problem, and you’re therefore answering the wrong riddle. What’s more, you’re answering it by ignoring it – hardly a particularly professional approach. The simple fact is that the human mind is incapable of finding a logical solution to the problem – it is beyond our abilities. To rephrase what I’ve just said: the basic framework underlying our conception of reality is insufficient to solve the riddle posed.

So there – proof that Lovecraft’s vision of the world has a logical footing. And it is this which must be leveraged for a properly horrific – and properly Lovecraftian – campaign.

So where do the monsters come in? Quite a lot of people primarily associate the Mythos with horrendous, awful beasts – mostly of gigantic size, betentacled, or otherwise made hideous and nasty. But the essence of Lovecraftian horror is not in the presentation of an awful monster. It lies in the realisation that the way the universe is structured is beyond human understanding, and that we, in reality, are in a particularly fearful position. The presence of monsters is merely an allusion to that fact. In Lovecraft’s work, the appearance of monsters served a function: to point out that the ordinary conception of reality, as evinced by the protagonist, is incorrect. The apparition of the beast gives final proof of the hidden reality behind existence.

So how could one most effectively create this type of feeling in a campaign? Needless to say it requires a significant amount of thought and preparation. Once again, consider the target of your machinations: Not only should the characters slowly lose their grip on mundane “reality”, slowly being convinced of its relative poverty of truth, but this concept should be transported to your players as well. Verisimilitude is perhaps more important in Lovecraftian gaming than in any other horror sub-genre. Inviting your players to be convinced of the reality of your vision is paramount. Perhaps an example. Consider the film “Sleepwalkers”, released in 1992, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Now, the film itself is not a masterpiece. But the opening credits are an interesting study – they show images taken from archaeology and art. Without commentary, they show repeated representations of cat people throughout history, in positions of honour and power. By the time the film starts, the audience is already buying into the premise.

I suggest you do something similar in your Cthulhu game. The initial investigations carried out by the characters should provide real-world evidence of something odd that will back up your premise – or get creative and fake some evidence. Just make sure you do a good job of it. Make it believable, and watch the atmosphere grow.

Avoid making your campaign a “Spot the Monster” exercise. This might be difficult to do – it’s tempting to reach for the bestiary and base your evening around an encounter or two. But avoid this if at all possible. The revelation of a monster – if indeed this is your goal – should come as the crowning horror, the inevitable result of a series of investigations. The revelation of this transcendent “truth” should be the reward of your player’s efforts.

“Reward?” I hear you asking, “Surely the reward for a character in a Cthulhu campaign is increased skills and SAN score.” Well, there is that mechanic, to be sure. But these rewards really only prolong the inevitable. The Cthulhu campaign is about revealing the truth, about transgressing that boundary between constructed mental schema and stark, deadly reality. The reward for the player is to be allowed to explore beyond the boundary of the normal world in the comfort and safety of your own living room/basement/wherever. When a Cthulhu game reaches its highest potential it is a philosophical exploration, an awakening.

Okay – maybe we’ve taken it a bit too far, strayed past the sane, normal boundaries of a simple evening’s entertainment with a group of friends. But perhaps you can see how this sub-genre can create an obsession, or inspire a life-long passion.

For those of you who wish for more information, let me point out a couple of excellent sources:

• www.chaosium.com – the publishers of the Call of Cthulhu RPG.
• www.yog-sothoth.com – the pre-eminent Cthulhu gaming fan-site, and host of a number of podcasts, including the best actual-play Cthulhu games available online.
• www.hppodcraft.com – An excellent and well produced podcast, going through all of Lovecraft’s fiction in order of composition.
• www.cthulhulives.org/toc.html – A group of guys devoted to Cthulhu LARPing, films, props etc.
• www.thecthulhucult.com/lovecraftian-obsession-podcast/ – Someone more obsessed with Lovecraft than I am. Lots of good interviews.
• http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600031h.html – Lovecraft’s fiction on Project Gutenberg Australia.

• H.P. Lovecraft’s Commonplace Book
• Lovecraft’s Inspiration for At the Mountains of Madness: The Paintings of Nicholas Roerich
• Call of Cthulhu 30th Anniversary Edition – time running out to order
• “I, Cthulhu” by Neil Gaiman
• A post on setting the scene for a horror roleplaying game