Cthulhu Dark Ages is a world lit only by fire. The ancient empires collapsed centuries ago, taking their culture and learning with them. It’s a dark world and people are right to be afraid of the dark. Apart from the Viking raiders, witches, and outlaws, there are the unquiet dead, ancient horrors, and other malevolent beings stalking the countryside. Dark entities, beyond good and evil, wait hidden in the recesses of time and the angles of space. A few brave souls try their best to resist the horrors and push them back from whence they came.

Will you be one of them?

Chaosium Unveiled: Cthulhu Dark Ages - 3rd Edition

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

With the 3rd Edition, Cthulhu Dark Ages has been updated for Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, completely revised and includes a wealth of new setting material. Inside you will find a player’s guide to the Dark Ages, an optional Sanity mechanic for mirroring the medieval mindset, rules for the oral tradition of storytelling and mounted combat, a grimoire of Dark Age spells plus optional rules for Folk Magic, a bestiary of monsters, as well as a fully detailed setting—the Anglo-Saxon community of Totburh in England’s Severn Valley, full of interesting characters, dwelling descriptions, and a multitude of plot hooks for Keepers to use and develop.

This new 3rd edition comes in hardback and full color, with additional material concerning poetry and kennings, the written word, using the Oral Tradition in games, amulets, further use of Sanity in the setting, Paganism, and Norse Paganism.

Chapters

Introduction and Foreword

Anglo-Saxon England

A to Z of the Dark Ages

Dark Age Investigators

Game System

Investigative Horror in the Dark Ages

The Cthulhu Mythos in the Dark Ages

Bestiary

The Community of Totburh

Scenarios

Appendices

Three ready-to-play scenarios introduce players to the world of Cthulhu Dark Ages, building on the tensions, characters, and horrors lurking in Toburh and the lands surrounding the community.

The Hunt —wherein a terrifying wolf is troubling the community of Totburh and must be dealt with. This short adventure provides the perfect introduction to the Dark Ages setting.

—wherein a terrifying wolf is troubling the community of Totburh and must be dealt with. This short adventure provides the perfect introduction to the Dark Ages setting. The Doom That Came to Wessex —all is not well at the Monastery of S. Swithun, with an attack leaving some of the monks dead or injured. Something foul is afoot threatening the very sanctity of the monastery.

—all is not well at the Monastery of S. Swithun, with an attack leaving some of the monks dead or injured. Something foul is afoot threatening the very sanctity of the monastery. Eseweald—Oswyn, the thegn of Totburh, is concerned about the disappearance of his son, sent on a diplomatic mission to calm tension with a neighboring community, who seems to have vanished without a trace in the dark foreboding Eseweald forest

The book is rounded out with comprehensive appendices containing a Dark Ages Glossary of historical terms, a Timeline covering 950–1054 CE, a Who’s Who of notable historical people, kings, and popes, and a bibliography of texts and sources of inspiration.

Throughout, advice and guidance on running adventures and presenting the world of the Dark Ages is provided.

With nothing but candle light and your wits, your journey into the Dark Ages begins...

This supplement is best used with the CALL OF CTHULHU (7th Edition) roleplaying game and optionally PULP CTHULHU, available separately.

Downloads for this Product PreGens and Handouts View Download Dark Ages Character Sheet View Download

What The Critics Say Hide Full Reviews Read Full Reviews "Cthulhu Dark Ages is a brilliant addition to the line, a book anyone who loves the game needs on their shelf... It has everything the previous edition has and more... a major revision packed with all sorts of new material that the devious cultists operating the Chaosium know you will not be able to resist." — Andrew Logan Montgomery, Exploring the Otherworlds of Fiction, Magic, and Gaming.

"A wonderful tool for spicing up your more conventional Lovecraftian games… Come for the chance to stab abominations with pointy sticks, stay for the loving guide to dark ages England." — Tabletop Gaming (UK).

"An excellent starting point for what can be a vibrant and dangerous new world for Call of Cthulhu players to go nuts and die in... the entire supplement is a clear indication of the passion the writing team had for the enormity of the project, and deserve serious applause and congratulations for it." — Never Read the Latin.

"Cthulhu Dark Ages is, in my opinion, one of the best Call of Cthulhu books to come out, from any edition… After reading the book, I was filled with ideas for a Cthulhu Dark Ages campaign. It screamed “don’t just read me, play me” in a way that only the best gaming books do." — Rolling Boxcars.

"The third iteration of Cthulhu Dark Ages is a hell of a book. It is vastly superior to its first edition, to the point that I wonder whether it was necessary to keep the same title. The research that has been put into it is outstanding, its focus is spot-on, while the interconnection between rules and theme is what every RPG should aspire to... Between Berlin - The Wicked City and this, Chaosium has simultaneously produced the best sourcebook and the best setting guide on the market irrespective of RPG." — Antonios S. RPGNet review.