Convicts & Cthulhu
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Cosmic Horror. Fuelled by Human Cruelty and Depravity.
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The prison colonies of 18th and 19th Century Australia are justly feared throughout the British Empire as places of unparalleled suffering and torment. The refuse of the Empire are sent here to serve out prison terms in a land half a world away from "civilisation". A world that¸ to European eyes¸ seems thoroughly alien.
◊But¸ few among the white-skinned invaders know just how many secrets lurk within this ancient land. For countless generations the indigenous men and women have lived in perfect balance with the timeless forces that haunt Australia; but now¸ just a decade or so after the arrival of the British colonists¸ their ability to hold those powers in check is about to fail. And while horrors long-resident are poised to awaken¸ dark-hearted white men have also brought their own horrors to Australia in the form of terrifying cosmic gods and disgusting occult creatures.
◊Convicts & Cthulhu is a sourcebook designed to allow Call of Cthulhu Keepers and players to run scenarios and campaigns set in the penal colonies of early Australia. It particularly targets the historical period from 1795 to 1810¸ a time in which law and order played second-fiddle to greed and corruption. This was the depraved era which led ultimately to Australia's first (and only) military uprising: the Rum Rebellion!
◊Contained within this book are historical notes on the era¸ character templates for investigators from all walks of life (indigenous¸ convicts¸ military¸ free settlers)¸ weapons and equipment¸ and detailed gazetteers for Sydney¸ Parramatta and other settlements. Also included are details of cults & Mythos entities in the colonies¸ a full introductory scenario and a plentiful assortment of scenario seeds.
Convicts & Cthulhu is fully-compatible with Chaosium's 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu rules (but can easily be used with earlier editions with some simple arithmetical tweaking).
This detailed and lavishly illustrated 96-page sourcebook is the first all-original Call of Cthulhu title from Cthulhu Reborn¸ and the first new Lovecraftian material written for the Australian setting in almost two decades.
The PDF is provided as a multi-layer file¸ allowing for on-screen display using rich textures as well as a high-contrast printer-friendly display.
Call of Cthulhu is a registered trademark of Chaosium¸ Inc. and is used with permission.