A general stream of news about Just Crunch and Paul Baldowski
Usable as either a set of screen inserts or reference sheets, the Cthulhu Hack Gamemaster’s Screen features the essential tables and notes you need in one place for handy reference.
Using the same clear typeface as the Core Book, it works (eyesight permitting!) even when reduced to A6 size for the Hammerdog Games Mini-screen:
As a Doctor Who fan and a freelance tabletop RPG writer, I always find my worlds colliding. Indeed, even as I watched the first episode of the new series, I was taking notes to add stats for the Stenza!
To start with, I’ve created a simple tabletop roleplaying game called Renegade, just a few hundred words for quick, on-the-fly adventures.
And to help spawn those adventures, try Brace for Impact PLUS From Unformed Realms — combine them for a Chibnall-esque time-travelling role-playing experience.
Consult Appendix Z: Brace for Impact provides 20-pages of random encounters and a time-travelling twist, with the core rules for Renegade tucked away at the end. If you have already picked up CAZ:BFI, you now have extra content – as I added the infinity table (for time-travel shenanigans) and the Renegade rules as an update.
From Unformed Realms adds an essential non-Euclidean touch to your monsters, some more unsettling than others; then again, based on the evidence of one episode that seems the Chibnall way (I remember Day One).
You can pick it all up as a sub-$5 bundle from DriveThruRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/254727/Strange-Encounters-BUNDLE
In a thoroughly belated celebration of success, as Winner of the UK Games Expo Awards 2018 People’s Choice Award for Best Roleplay Game Adventure, you can find Three Faces of the Wendigo available for 20% off the normal PDF price at RPGNow and DriveThruRPG.
It was a pleasure to receive the support of gamers across the long weekend of the Expo and I appreciate every support offered – whether you’re picking up the latest supplement in PDF, grabbing a boxed set at an event, or running a game using The Cthulhu Hack at a convention.
If you have picked up a copy in PDF, I would appreciate reviews posted on RPGNow and DriveThruRPG, so gamers interested in the product can hear a bit more about what you thought. I appreciate the chance to talk with gamers at events about their experiences and sharing ideas on the Google+ community. If you leave a review (click on the product link on the right of the page, log in at the site, and then leave your review on the page), I hope we can expand the reach of the game even further.
Right now, I’m marshalling the creative forces behind the next trilogy of investigations, their focus on the cult of Shub-Niggurath, as first hinted at within the pages of The Dark Brood. Three great writers, new to the pages of The Cthulhu Hack, presently slave over the drafts of three fine adventures – and I’m getting the cold shivers already. Fear not, the horrors of the Wendigo might well pale in the face of what is to come…
In celebration of what would be Lovecraft’s 128th birthday on 20 August, RPGNow / DriveThru has 20% off everything Mythos.
For you, that means 20% off on the whole range of The Cthulhu Hack, from the Core Book to the most recent release The Dark Brood – and everything in between.
For just over a week, you can get the whole lot for around $25, offering you a total of six adventures, three adventure seeds, 20 Mythos entities (and a book of tables to obfuscate and customise them) – and the tools to use the game’s simple rules to run all the other Mythos adventures you have around with minimal effort.
As I found on my recent trip to the Tierra de Nadie game convention, in Spain, gamers use these simple rules for their kids – and I had some enthusiastic converts coming back day-after-day for a chance to play the game (which landed me with eight players for a session, which worked out in the end, despite the slightly uncomfortable temperature!).
Not only can you use The Cthulhu Hack to run Mythos adventures, it works well for straight horror and investigation games (drop the sanity wrecking to shock for an easier ride). And, being based on the core of The Black Hack, you have an easy road to yet more customisation by crossing the system or just mashing the system with any number of other Hacks.
And there will be more to come, not least of which will be another set of three adventures coming by the end of this year.
Take a dip – the Core Book will set you back less than a fancy coffee – and celebrate simple gaming in the midst of Lovecraft’s cosmic nightmare.
Merry Summer time, everybody!
Perhaps the exciting of Christmas got the better of me – but today I realised that I hadn’t posted about Christmas in July over on RPGNow and DriveThruRPG.
If you haven’t been already, this is your chance to stock up on Summer time game reads and fill that tablet/Kindle with all the PDFs the plastic shell will contain. I daresay it might be creaking a little already, but I’m certain you can eke out an extra dimension or two for more room, right?
Christmas in July features the whole range from Just Crunch Games, both The Cthulhu Hack and wider releases. Right now, getting 25% off everything makes it a deal better than the normal bundle offers – so, don’t delay. You have until the end of July to fill up your shopping cart with bargains.
July sees the inaugural meeting of the #RPGBookClub on Twitter and after a vote earlier last month the first book up for discussion is The Cthulhu Hack.
If you have the PDF lying in your computer Downloads or nestled in your smartphone cloud account of choice, or perhaps you picked it up at a convention, and you haven’t taken the time to read it – this could be the moment, as you won’t be reading it alone.
All you have to do is follow along with the hashtag #RPGBookClub and contribute to the chat.
If you haven’t picked up a copy, you can grab a PDF of The Cthulhu Hack from RPGNow or a physical copy from either Lulu or All Rolled Up.
The Cthulhu Hack had a 2nd birthday last month and the line continues to grow. At the core, we have the three core books, along with two books of adventures, and other books filled with campaign materials, like The Dark Brood and Convicts & Cthulhu. Good moment for an update.
It seemed like as good a time as any to put together a separate site – using the cthulhuhack.com domain – to showcase the books and link to the sources from which you can buy them. That means I can focus the content here on development articles, news, event updates and other such posts.
Right now, the site has the main six books, but I’ll be adding the other materials soon. Each item has a short summary on the content and then buttons to take you off to where you can get hold of PDF or physical copies.
If you would like to see any other information on this site or want to see the books available through other channels, drop me a note through the Enquiries link.
With The Dark Brood released in time for UK Games Expo, my mind turns to the close of the year when I plan another physical book release. I think a further PDF only product might be possible along the way, but fully expect the next book-in-hand supplement to arrive by late October, in time for Spiel.
At the moment, I have more than one product jockeying for position. I would ideally like the October release to be another set of investigations like the award-winning Three Faces of the Wendigo. However, I also have a supplement in progress about more non-Lovecraftian campaigns, steeped in pulp and magic, and a revision of the historical Australian setting book Convicts & Cthulhu.
I’m also open to suggestions – and even offers of writing talent! – from any interested parties. If you have an idea and want to pitch it for consideration, drop me a note through the Enquiries link.
At this point L’Affaire Deluze by Les XII Singes doesn’t really need me to promote it, as the crowd-funding for the French edition of The Cthulhu Hack and associated campaign materials and adventure stormed through the basic target in about a day and now closes in on the 30,000 € stretch goal of a global map for the campaign.
If you’re up on your French and would like this sumptuous package of goodies, including maps, play aids, art book and more, head on over to Game On Tabletop to check out the details.
On a side note, the heart of The Cthulhu Hack arose from the core mechanics of The Black Hack. More than two years down the road, David Black and Peter Regan of SquareHex have the Kickstarter for the Second Edition up and running – and you might want to drop over to see what they have to offer.
The Cthulhu Hack has found a route of its own in the meantime, so don’t expect a sudden and massive change to the mechanics in the current edition when the new Black Hack comes out. Paths have forked, but obviously once the game lies in your hands you can mix and match whatever elements work best for you.
Heck, I’ve been eyeing up giving The Mecha Hack a read to see whether I can cleanly and simply merge with TCH for some giant robot versus the Great Old Ones world-wrecking action…
I’m over-joyed to report that Three Faces of the Wendigo won Popular Choice Award for Best Role-playing Adventure at UK Games Expo this past weekend.
I have had a tiring but exciting time, meeting hundreds of gamers from amongst tens of thousands of attendees to the event in Birmingham, UK.
The biggest gaming event in the UK, the Expo has become a genuine high point for the tabletop year and I had a great time. Winning the award for Wendigo was definitely the cherry on the cake… or the generous scoop of ice-cream of the Cthuloid green jelly.
Thanks for my co-writers John Almack and Richard August, Sleyf for one of the interior pieces and Mike Walton for the fantastic, eye-catching cover.
For those attending the big event (in less than a fortnight’s time), I will have all The Cthulhu Hack books with plenty of ‘new’ and new stuff. There’ll be:
I’ll have white and black slim boxes (£25, three core books + character cards) and black or opaque deep boxes (£45, all the books books). I’ll also have Cthulhu themed All Rolled Up, dice trays, Insanity Dice (an updated design), and Cthulhoid dry-wipe counters. Probably other things that I have forgotten… all at booth 1-J26.
Who would have imagined that this spin-off from The Black Hack would be here to start a third year of publication?!
Hope to see many of you there.
That yellow block is where I am, with the main entrance into the hall at the bottom of that wide, white block in the middle. The red circle is the glorious Inked Adventures – and I’m on the other side of that yellow block, bottom right.
I’m pleased to tell you that The Dark Brood has been expanded, upgraded and uploading – now 20-pages with a tweak to the cover image.
The Dark Brood offers a selection of content bringing the fecundity of Shub-Niggurath front and centre to your game and loosing her mindless progeny upon the world. The supplement has been expanded from the original release (and in preparation for printing, which will be available through the All Rolled Up web store) and includes:
Written for use with The Cthulhu Hack, the simplicity of the system and light mechanics mean that ideas and content can easily be adapted to other investigation horror systems – or even rolled back for use in The Black Hack and its multitude of progeny!
And right now, as part of the May D&D Sale, this OSR compatible supplement has a reduced price tag until the end of the month, along with most of the rest of The Cthulhu Hack line.
The Cthulhu Hack: Three Faces of the Wendigo has been nominated in the Best Role-Playing Adventure category at this years UK Games Expo Awards to be awarded at the event that runs from 1st – 3rd June 2018.
The adventure supplement takes the Wendigo myth – filled with supernatural horror, the wilderness, unfettered hunger and the darkness within – and presents three investigations written by three different authors with their own personal spin.
As The Cthulhu Hack runs fast and light, these adventures can all be run in a single (or maybe two) sessions, offering a ready dose of unsettling horror.
The unsettling horror for me would be that I’m shortlisted against two Chaosium adventures for Call of Cthulhu!
As a self-published game designer entering the third year of publishing The Cthulhu Hack I am thrilled to have been shortlisted for this nomination and I ask for your support. As an attendee at the event, you hold the key to the success of everyone shortlisted and I hope you will support Just Crunch Games (and my publishing parent All Rolled Up).
What can you expect from Three Faces of the Wendigo?
John Almack goes down a traditional route, setting hunters against the myth laid down by Algernon Blackwood. In the depths of the wilderness, who is the hunter and who the prey?
Richard August sets off into the mountains, setting the primal urge to protect against the darkness that taints the human soul. You have the means to bring justice but do you have what it takes?
While my own investigation finds a modern village on the edge of the wilds, seeking balance in the face of hard times. When you’re stranded in the back of beyond, who would turn down warmth and hospitality from a proud but hard-bitten community?
You will find physical copies of the book available from the All Rolled Up/Just Crunch Games stall at UK Games Expo orw you can order it from the All Rolled Up web store.
Alternatively, you can grab the PDF of Three Faces of the Wendigo from RPGNow and benefit from their current May D&D Sale – as The Cthulhu Hack runs off a familiar Old School base system!
The lurking progeny of the Great Mother, the Eternal Womb, the Black Goat… they lurk in wait. I have work to do to complete the text of The Dark Brood and I have my fingers crossed that I can complete the task in the scant time that remains. However, for the moment, there’s a cover image ready and prepared for sending on to the printer. Once all the work has been completed, the PDF will also get an update on the OneBookShelf sites.
Hang in there with me. I appreciate your patience and your support. Remember that almost all the core books and adventures, as well as the bundles, are on sale and have a discount on them through the month of May at RPGNow and DriveThruRPG. And, as with the Core Book, incremental upgrades and expansions of books you have already purchased will come free once I’ve completed them.
Those who picked up the Core Book in May 2015 have just had the revised v1.6.6 version dropped in their Library for download. Until I do a complete revamp and expansion, I’m right there supporting your gaming, with a developing system that remains true to the desire for fast and simple horror investigations in Lovecraft’s universe.
I have launched the new version of The Cthulhu Hack core rules through RPGNow and DriveThruRPG. This is not a major revision in terms of content, but has undergone a completely fresh layout and a typeface refresh.
The book has undergone a brisk tweaking around the edge and I have done my damnedest to bring the PDF into the the late 20th century. The electronic version now includes:
By all means tell me if I have missed something or if you have trouble using any of these features.
In addition to the linking, the edition includes:
I hope that you enjoy the updated version and get use out of the bookmarking. I have submitted the updated files to my printer and await the electronic proofs to confirm readiness to go – having these in time for UK Games Expo.
If you already have the Core Book PDF in your online library, download the update. Otherwise, OneBookShelf currently have a May Sale that means you can pick up the Core at a discount. So, head over to DriveThru now before month end.
I have run out of copies of The Cthulhu Hack core book, which means it’s time to get in touch with the printer to order more.
However, I’m aware that the current version of the core that I have doesn’t contain the expanded and tweaked version of the Hit Dice as Resource rules. And I have been meaning to reset the whole book since I invested in a version of PagePlus, intent upon avoiding the nightmares that Word has provided over the last couple of years.
Therefore, I have spent the last day or so tinkering with the book, adding the missing content, cleaning up anything else that I chance across, and getting the tables sorted.
If you can think of something that the book could really do with, tell me now; if you read it for the first time and thought “Huh?”, then I need to know about it.
I’m not looking at a root and branch re-write here; I’m talking about tightening anything that you didn’t get the first time. If I can tweak the text to benefit future readers, all the better. And if you suggest something that I use, then you can get your name in the first page credits as a Thank You for your continued support and gracious assistance.
I have had some request recently for copies of the physical The Cthulhu Hack: Convicts & Cthulhu book. At this point in time, no more copies exist. They had a limited run and now, aside from a personal copy, they’re all gone.
As to the PDF version, this will remain available through DriveThru and RPGNow as a Pay What You Want download. I have slated this book for a complete revisit/rewrite in the future. This will essentially take it right down to the base framework and work it back up from there, taking especial note of the changes that have appeared with the release of v1.5 of the Core Rules last year.
This will also mean that I will no longer connect the product to the excellent Convicts & Cthulhu from Cthulhu Reborn. I will rename the book and release as a complete alternate setting, both as a PDF and a physical book. I appreciate the permission to use the Convicts & Cthulhu setting material as a backdrop for my own book. However, it has meant that I couldn’t charge for the PDF and only ever charged at cost – or Pay What You Want – for the book version.
The PDF sales, to date, amount to 865 downloads and, to be open about the figures, after OneBookShelf deductions that has generated sales of $90.96, or just over 10 cents per PDF. I hope you can see why it makes more sense to me to re-write and relaunch as a full version of comparable sale value as the other books in the range.
On the same subject, if you would be interested in writing an adventure set in early 19th century Australia, I’m open to short pitches!
