Call of Chtuhlu Arkham is a supplement for the base game of Call of Chtuhlu Of Chaosium Inc. In this new adventure players will have the opportunity to delve into the iconic city of Arkham described in the books HP Lovecraft. For those who do not know this author, the narrative universe he created is a dark and dangerous place, where the foolish are those who take refuge in science and logic when the reality of the facts is very different, as esotericism centered on primordial beings or dark deities and the cruel norm to define the laws that characterize this place. This Call of Chtuhlu Arkham review will not specifically address content that is unsuitable for sensitive audiences, but may address some elements of it in subsequent paragraphs.
The city of myth
Call of Chtuhlu Arkham introduces a city made up of more than 300 places to visit And 80 characters to meetas well as one new reputation mechanics and themed skills about this city, like “Navigating Arkham“. Arkham is an American city located on the banks of the Miskatonic River in Essex County, Massachusetts, whose temporal location in this supplement falls onclassic age of Call of Chtuhluin 1922.
The manual includes descriptions of the neighborhoods, laws and local climate, exposed by rich illustrations, characterized by the dark paranormal style typical of Lovecraftian works. THE neighborhoods are further divided into key locations, which can be visited by players. Such places are accompanied by maps usable during the session, but also from the descriptions of the groups of people that you can find within them. These groups of people or societies (guilds) are described by their goals and desires, providing players with various opportunities, such as collecting clues, improving a skill, and creating bonds with the same members associated with them: the latter can in fact be called upon later as experts to help in resolving some situations encountered during an investigation.
The Arkham Detectives
Within Arkham, players will take on the role of investigators involved in cases that are anything but normal. The investigations will begin from gossip and rumours collected in the places visited daily, which will take on increasingly horrifying consequences (such as the disappearance of children from less visited streets, or strange bestial noises audible near the drains located at the edge of the river).
Unfortunately, the investigators will not be able to dedicate themselves only to the cases: being inhabitants of Arkham or travelers from other cities they will have to take part in the city life to make sure accommodation, supplies And contacts useful in their investigations. The skills gained throughout the detectives' career will help them find a Work and to secure an income method to manage expenses such as the rental of premisespay services such as taxis (to move between Arkham neighborhoods), or joining a company.
Some services, such as access to Theater or to Hunting Club, will be useful for deepening the skills of an investigator, who, between one case and another, will be able to dedicate himself to the study or to the activities of a group. Then, via a throw up educationearn an increase in the percentage of understanding of his chosen skill based on the time spent on it.
The new skills
Investigators will have the option to learn or specialize in four Arkham-related skillstwo completely new and two revisited.
The first, Navigate Arkhamis a reimagining of the skill navigationused in situations with limited time frames to reach the desired location within the city and the borders of the Miskatonic River, avoiding dangerous situations.
The second is Arkham Storya reimagining of the skill historylimited to Arkham and the borders of the Miskatonic River, which represents knowledge of the events and figures present in the city, physical and supernatural.
The third is Reassurea new skill based on Appearance (with an understanding value equal to one fifth of it), used to recover sanity points – not beyond your maximum limit.
The latest skill introduced is Religion: useful for carrying out sacred rites and identifying people, places of worship and possible deviations or heresies in their doctrines.
The value of an investigator
In Call of Chtuhlu Arkham, to define the relationships between an investigator and the groups within Arkham, a mechanics based on reputationwhich will make the outcome of conversations between characters tilt positively or negatively based on the actions and rumors attributed to the investigator.
Every investigator will start with a neutral reputationthat is to say “respectable“, however his actions may lead him to become “distinct” (positive minor state) or “shameful” (minor negative state) and then “celebrated“(positive general staff) or “notorious” (negative general staff). This can alter the outcomes of conversations: for example, a notorious investigator will have two dice disadvantage to convince an honest character, while the opposite will apply for a criminal. The transition from one reputation status to another must be discussed with the Caretaker (the session Master), as the action must have been seen and attributed to the investigator by the non-player characters. When an investigator takes an action that could alter her reputation the custodian can decide whether to request a roll on luck to define the outcome.
A city to live
Call of Chtuhlu Arkham it's excellent urban supplementcapable of transporting players inside a long-lived sandbox campaign in an iconic city in pure Lovecraftian myth, defined by well-characterized elements that can also be used in small incursions in the form of sessions one-shot. The manual immediately introduces players to the city by illustrating its history, its references to its geographical position and the air that can be breathed in its neighborhoods.
The characters and places encountered in Arkham are well thought out and complex, and at the same time the manual provides the basis for expanding and enriching the city context experienced by the players. There mechanics of the social statebuilt on reputationis very interesting, not only for defining a different type of approach to narration, but also as a guide to the construction of relationships between investigators and non-player characters, and with the possible creation of a moral compass within the groups of people present in Arkham. Overall Call of Chtuhlu Arkham proposes elements that can be appreciated by veterans of the genre and from regular players of Call of Chtuhlu.
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