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Call of Cthulhu Starter Set

£23.16
SKU:
CHA23178-X
Weight:
2.10 LBS
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Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star (18 reviews) Write a Review

Horror, Mystery and Investigation In A Box!

The Call of Cthulhu Starter Set contains everything you need to play the world’s best roleplaying game of horror, mystery and investigation!

Updated for the 40th Anniversary of Call of Cthulhu

Chaosium Unveiled: Inside The Call of Cthulhu Starter Set

Watch the unveiling video to see the book for yourself. Remember that you get the PDF when getting the physical copy.

What is Roleplaying?

In a roleplaying game, everyone works together in a team, each playing an investigator character. One player runs the game—the Keeper of Arcane Lore—who referees the game and presents the story and adventure plots to the other players.

Dice and the rules of the game determine the success or failure for your character’s actions—all while you are propelled into dramatic and nerve-tingling situations! The emphasis is on having fun.

Promotional image of the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set

What's Inside

The Call of Cthulhu Starter Set contains books, dice, premade character sheets, maps, and enough content to keep a group busy for several roleplaying sessions.

This updated Starter Set also includes:

  • New box art by Lin Hsiang
  • Updated interior book cover designs
  • All errata and corrections
  • 40th Anniversary Investigator Sheets

Rules & Dice

Investigator

Three softcover manuals broken into rules and scenarios to guide you in playing Call of Cthulhu. The box also includes all the dice you need to play the game: a D4, D6, D8, D20, Percentile D10, and an extra D10 in a different color for use as a bonus/penalty die.

Rules Example of using luck

Solo Scenario

Emberhead

Learn to play in the best way possible—by playing! The special introduction “Alone Against The Flames”, a solo Call of Cthulhu scenario, teaches you the basic rules of the game and character creation as you find yourself in the rural New England town of Emberhead—but can you escape?

The end of the first entry in Alone Against the Flames

Scenarios

Three scenarios designed for 3, 4 and up to 5 players.

Breaking in

In Paper Chase, the search for a missing professor leads to a grizzly discovery.

Farmhouse

Edge of Darkness sees a group of investigators fulfill the wish of a dying friend, and attempt to undo the mistakes of the past.

The Funeral Procession

Finally, in Dead Man Stomp, Harlem and jazz music serve as a backdrop to the nefarious schemes of an alien god.

Maps & Handouts

Brutal Murder

Player aids are an essential component to Call of Cthulhu gameplay. Each scenario has its own collection of maps, notes and player handouts. Each presented in full color, these play aids will enhance your gameplay, and help your players immerse themselves in each of the investigations.

Sample Character Sheet

What's Next?

Once you’ve devoured everything the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set has to offer, you’ll want to expand your horror experience with these! Just click on the images to get more information on each product.

Cover of the Keeper Rulebook

Keeper Rulebook: Everything you need for Call of Cthulhu at your fingertips, and will enhance all of your games.

Cover of the Investigator Handbook

Investigator Handbook: Expanded rules for creating players characters, a wealth of over 100 occupations and skill descriptions, as well as guidance on getting the most from the game.

Cover of Gateways to Terror

Gateways to Terror: Three short-play scenarios for the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game, ideal for beginning and experienced players and Keepers alike.

Cover of Doors to Darkness

Doors to Darkness: Five scenarios written especially for beginning Keepers and players of Call of Cthulhu.

Downloads for this Product

 
Handouts
 
Pre-Generated Characters
 
Pre-Generated Characters (Auto-Calc)

Play online with our Licensed Partners

Do you play on a Virtual Tabletop? Our partners offer products for playing this scenario online.

What The Critics Say

Call of Cthulhu Starter Set Reviews

Publisher:
Chaosium
Year Released:
2018, 2022
Ruleset:
7th Edition Call of Cthulhu
Format:
Color Boxed Set
ISBN:
978-1-56882-463-5
Page Count:
154 pages in 3 books with characters sheets and 7 polyhedral dice (please note the dice depicted on the back cover of the box are different to those supplied in the Starter Set)
Author(s):
Mike Mason, Paul Fricker, Lynne Hardy, Sandy Petersen, Lynn Willis
Authors - Adventures:
Gavin Inglis, John Sullivan, Keith Herber, Dan Kramer, Mark Morrison, Chris Spivey
Box Art:
Lin Hsiang
Cover Artist:
Josu Hernaiz
Interior Artist:
Gavin Inglis, Marcelo Gallegos, Rachel Khan, Victor Leza, Wayne Miller, Caleb Cleveland, Eric Lofgren
Cartography:
Gavin Inglis, Vandel J. Arden, Olivier Sanphilippo
Character Sheet:
Matt Ryan
Development and Editing:
Mike Mason
  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    Best Starter Set I've Bought

    Posted by Ben Z. on 1st Nov 2024

    I've only delved into 2/3 of the content of this starter set, but it is already an incredible value. The solo adventure was a great way to learn the rules and spend an afternoon, and I ran a great game of Edge of Darkness for my friends. So very easy to use and with great handouts and advice for Game Masters. I recommend for anyone new to roleplaying or Call of Cthulhu.

  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    Amazing Start

    Posted by Blu on 20th Dec 2023

    You get dice, a solo adventure to learn the system, a great abbreviation of the full rules, premade characters, and some great adventures! The hand outs are great although it's best to print them from the PDF instead of using the pre printed versions. The scenarios are great introductions to different skills, rules, and the mythos. Even if you are already experienced with the game they are great to plug into an existing campaign or as one/two-shots. Also the art is awesome! The only real issue is the size of the box. It is a bit too tall for certain shelves but if you have larger shelves, have it on top or just lay it flat it's fine.

  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    Uncannily good starter set

    Posted by Wanderer on 18th Nov 2023

    First off, this is a top-notch set. The streamlined rules included here are enough to get you started with the system and to play the three excellent scenarios included. My experience with skills focused games is pretty minimal. The rules were clearly explained, so that my level/class focused gaming mind could easily adjust to this different style of game. I love the included solo adventure, the really gets you in the head space for the atmosphere and style of game. The three adventure scenarios are well written and give a great sampling of the types of horror you can delve into. Each one builds upon the next, giving the new Keeper and players room to grow with the experiences. The handouts, pre-generated characters and dice are all welcome additions. And even if I didn’t use the pregens right away, they make great NPCs or back up characters if things go wrong. This is one of the best starter sets I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. It really captured the essence of the game, made it inviting to play and created a great springboard into diving in the larger aspects of the game. Well worth picking up if you are curious about the game, and want to dive into horror flavored investigation games.

  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    Best Intro to ANY TTRPG

    Posted by Fernando Lares on 2nd Apr 2023

    It comes with EVERYTHING you would need to start playing immediately INCLUDING rules that will help you understand the core rules of the game. Some other "Starter Sets" come with just the scenario and dice, but this allows you to play a scene and run them.

  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    Absolutely worth it

    Posted by Brian Sandall on 17th Oct 2022

    This is the best starter set I've ever seen, hands down. It includes all the rules you need to play, a choose-your-own-adventure style solo adventure plus 3 great introductory scenarios. Well worth the $25 asking price.

  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    Very helpful

    Posted by Shane Weideman on 26th Sep 2022

    Was fun to run and worked well to explain how to be a keeper (DM/GM).

  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    A great introduction

    Posted by Frederik Van Bogaert on 11th Sep 2022

    As a beginning GM and Dungeon Master, I purchased this starter set for a campaign of CoC I plan to run around Halloween (what better time for horror, after all :-) ) I have been pleasantly surprised at how good this starter set is at familiarizing me with the CoC system. It starts off slowly, with an engaging solo adventure, which allows you to gradually become familiar with some of the rules as you go. The bundled adventures are likewise designed to guide both beginning GMs (sorry, 'Keepers of Lore') and victims (sorry, 'Investigators') to have a great time right off the bat, with minimal set-up and reading required. The stories seem engaging and will be sure to entertain my vict-- players for quite a while! The bundled 'Introductory' rules, despite the name, seem quite complete and usable, and at just 23 pages, are quite manageable. Overall, I think that CoC is one of the easiest systems out there to get started with - a lot easier than D&D, in my opinion - and this starter set is a large part of the reason why.

  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    Loving it!

    Posted by Tyler on 24th Mar 2022

    So far, I'm really loving this starter set! I think it's perfect for a beginner like me. I love that it includes a solo adventure for you to get a feel for the game. The dice included are a little plain, but I'm a little dice goblin. You don't need pretty dice if your getting started anyways.

  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    Great introduction, now I don't want to stop!

    Posted by Christopher Roberts on 19th Aug 2021

    I have wanted to get into horror role playing for a while, but haven't had any idea of where to begin. I have some friends to play D&D, but that wasn't what I wanted to get into. I wanted horror. One of my friends told me about this product and I couldn't help but try it out. I ran Paper Chase for my kids and they had a blast. I then ran Edge of Darkness with a slightly larger group and everyone had fun. Now I'm preparing for Dead Man Stomp sometime soon. I've never really been a role player, but I love telling stories, so the Keeper role fits me. Eventually I plan to invest in the official rule book, but the starter rules are fantastic and have helped me learn how to play. The scenarios included feel easy to prepare for, but allow room for expansion should anyone already know what they're doing and just want more scenarios to add to their collection. It's been a fun journey and I look forward to continuing on in this great world of horror role-playing so lovingly devoted to the world of H.P. Lovecraft! I highly recommend this product to anyone wanting to test the waters for themselves.

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