Unnatural Selections #96: 'the gold standard' – What critics and fans are saying about recent Call of Cthulhu releases

The 'Unnatural Selections' series is our regular round up of notable Chaosium reviews worth a look.

Reviewers and fans alike have described our recent new Call of Cthulhu releases with such terms as "industry-leading", "the gold standard" and "must-have". This warms the hearts of our small but dedicated (and exceptionally hard-working) Call of Cthulhu team. Thank you so much! 

Call of Cthulhu Arkham (released Feb 2024)

"This is the gold standard for what an RPG supplement should be... Simply put, a triumph... It perfectly captures that 1920s Americana small-town feel, while also letting all the wonderful Lovecraftian weirdness seep into every fissure and crack. This is a perfectly thought out, well-developed product that has clearly had so much love go into it. A triumph, there's no other way to put it. If you run games of Call of Cthulhu, you need this book." — TechRaptor, Call of Cthulhu: Arkham Review - Supplemental Strangeness.

"A truly impressive release for Call of Cthulhu." — Reviews from R'lyeh, Assessing Arkham.

"This may be Chaosium’s best product yet! An absolutely lovely book, fantastic artwork, plus two large paper maps and the Arkham Advertiser newspaper. So much detail of Arkham and its environs, it is a treasure house of material for Keepers to use in any campaign set in this part of America... this is a must-have. 5 STARS." — K.W., customer review.

The Order of the Stone (released Sep 2024)

"There are some key changes that Chaosium is making to their CoC scenario structures that are huge benefits to Keepers. I'm of the opinion that it is industry-leading.... Chaosium did a spectacular job." — RPG Imaginings, Exploring The Order of the Stone for Call of Cthulhu.

"Scratches all the itches that a campaign of this length could have for any Keeper. It sits in the perfect spot as an introduction campaign for new players and a mini-campaign to challenge veteran groups. 5 STARS." — Board Game Quest, Call of Cthulhu – Order of the Stone Review.

"A solid, well written Cthulhu campaign, especially for new gamemasters, since a lot of help is given to handle the scenario. 5 STARS." — D., customer review.

Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators' Guide (released Nov 2024)

“The new Gaslight supplement is a beautiful book, filled with exhaustive research that's fully applicable to playing Call of Cthulhu in this setting… I love how they've expanded the game to involve characters from all classes of society; games can be like Dickens novels! Good show, Chaosium, good show!” — Sean Branney, H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society.

“Masterful… a must have.” — Susurros desde la Oscuridad, Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigator's Guide.

"A great update of a true classic. As a guide to the Victorian it balances just the right side of a detailed historical guide, a useful resource for players and keepers, and an evocative source for playing games. The chapter on Pseudo science and the occult is particularly good, and worth the price of entry. 5 STARS." — John, customer review.

No Time to Scream (released Oct 2024)

“Recommended - This is a solid anthology of adventures. They have a lot of utility, whether you just want a night of gaming, a convention scenario, or even something to run to follow up your exploration of the Starter Set before you dive into the complete rules… I love how focused these scenarios are. While they still maintain the weirdness and danger of Mythos stories, they also avoid the feeling that “investigators are always doomed” that some people have about Call of Cthulhu.” — Gnome Stew, Call of Cthulhu – No Time to Scream Review.

“Chaosium pulled off quite the magic trick with the release of Gateways To Terror. The adventure collection contained three short adventures built to be run in an hour or two for new players, such as at a convention or a game store event. The company looks to pull off the trick again with No Time To Scream.” — EN World, Call of Cthulhu's Latest Features Three Short Sharp Shocks.

"It's the kind of product very game should have and is great for just about anyone. Losing your mind has never been so easy." — The British Fantasy Society, Call of Cthulhu No Time to Scream review.

Alone Against the Static (released Dec 2023) 

“Alone Against the Static is the best Call of Cthulhu solo adventure I’ve played… [It] creeps me out… The theme of static noise is elegantly revisited again and again, this uncertainty slowly seeps into your consciousness, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I don’t like it. This feeling becomes denser and lasts so long it’s a joy.” — Pen and Paper News, Call of Cthulhu: Alone Against the Static (review).

"A successful evolution in the line of solo adventures for Call of Cthulhu, featuring innovations... as well as a deep, twist-filled, dark, and terrifying story. In terms of technical aspects, the artwork is top-notch, evocative when necessary and clarifying when appropriate, in full color both in digital and print formats." — La Biblioteca Orne, Alone Against the Static review.

"Chaosium has always done a great job on the "Alone Against" series of solo adventures. This one raises the bar quite a bit as this series finally got the boost to not only hardcover but artwork and page treatment like any other quality Chaosium product (nobody better in the RPG industry!). Thanks for continuing the fantastic forward momentum of the Cthulhu line. 5 STARS" — J.D, customer review.