Wild West Roleplaying For BRP From Chaosium

Chaosium brings you Devil’s Gulch, an old west setting for the Basic Roleplaying system…

Devil’s Gulch is a typical town of the American Old West from 1870 through 1885. It is a collection of buildings set along a single dirt road with side streets where private residences are found. It features saloons, a bank, a general store, and a church. Most buildings are made of wood, though some boast of a brick addition or a stone foundation). Hitching rails are found in front of most buildings, and water troughs are set sporadically along the main street. Train tracks form one of the town’s borders. On the outskirts of Devil’s Gulch are mines, ranches, and box canyons perfect for hiding desperadoes.

The cast of characters includes gamblers, gunfighters, a preacher, a blacksmith, and a nymph du prairie (that’s a prostitute to those in the know). If you make Devil’s Gulch a base of operations for your Wild or Weird West campaign, the players may be interested in taking on the roles already filled by NPCs. There are many players who would jump at the opportunity to play the town sheriff or even the established gambler.

The basic layout of Devil’s Gulch is suitable for an historical campaign set in the American Old West, but there are many suggestions included for placing the town in the Weird West. You can modify the setting even beyond the author’s suggestions: Devil’s Gulch could be easily transferred to a steam-punk setting in which the town is an outpost of the new British Colony on Mars; perhaps it is populated with humans and grays, and the real trouble comes from tribes of xenomorphs roaming the Martian landscape; or maybe Devil’s Gulch is an immersive amusement park created by an evil gunslinger with superpowers, just waiting to test his skills against your heroes!

The town is a tool to use and transform as needed. Also included is a fold-out town illustration and diagram with major establishments identified. On the other side we offer a broadsheet touting Dr. Farnam’s Astounding Medicine Show.

Set to release in October 2010, you can find out more by visiting Chaosium’s website.

More Cthulhu Fiction From Chaosium – ‘Cthulhu’s Dark Cults’

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing new Cthulhu stories appearing on the horizon. Chaosium is doing us a great service by not only publishing an awesome role playing game, but keeping us filled with enough fictional creepy goodness to keep us satiated between game sessions. Their newest collection is now available to order on their site and here’s a breakdown of what to expect:

Ten Tales Of Dark And Secretive Orders:

Lovecraft envisioned a world in which humanity is ignorant of cosmic realities. When the bleak truth is revealed, it terrifies us, for it offers no hope of our salvation. Cultists are the gatekeepers to this knowledge. Their aim is to keep secret the existence of their gods by any means possible, and to free their gods from their slumbering prisons — thus bringing about humanity’s final downfall. Cthulhu’s Dark Cults provides keyhole-glimpses into these secret orders, all irredeemable and hell-bent for humanity’s demise.

Edited by David Conyers. Cover by Stephen Gilberts. 256 pages. Trade Paperback, perfect bound.

The Stories Included: Read more

Cthulhu Fiction: Mysteries Of The Worm, 3rd Ed By Robert Bloch

This just in from Chaosium:

Mysteries of the Worm
New Edition to Release August 2009.

The book is printed and should arrive at our warehouse next week.
Mysteries of the Worm
20 Early Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos by Robert Bloch
Third Edition

$15.95
CHA 6037
ISBN 1-56882-176-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-56882-176-4
288 pages
Trade Paper Back
Horror Anthology
Introduction by Robert M. Price
Cover Art by Steve Gilberts

“H.P. Lovecraft – like his creation, Cthulhu – never truly died. He and his influence live on, in the work of so many of us who were his friends and acolytes. Today we have reason for rejoicing in the widespread revival of his canon… If a volume such as this has any justification for it’s existence, it’s because Lovecraft’s readers continue to search out stories which reflect his contribution to the field of fantasy [the tales in this book] represent a lifelong homage to HPL… I hope you’ll accept them for what they were and are – a labor of love.”
– Robert Bloch

This third edition now includes the Robert Bloch short stories The Opener of the Way, The Eyes of the Mummy, Black Bargain, and Philtre Tip.

This book is one in an expanding collection of Cthulhu Mythos horror fiction. Call of Cthulhu(R) fiction focuses on single entities, related topics, and authors significant to readers and fans of H. P. Lovecraft.

Introduction by Robert M. Price
The Secret in the Tomb
The Suicide in the Study
The Shambler from the Stars
The Faceless God
The Grinning Ghoul
The Opener of the Way*
The Dark Demon
The Mannikin
The Brood of Bubastis
The Creeper in the Crypt
The Secret of Sebek
Fane of the Black Pharaoh
The Eyes of the Mummy*
The Sorcerer’s Jewel
Black Bargain*
The Unspeakable Betrothal
The Shadow from the Steeple
Notebook Found in a Deserted House
Terror in Cut-throat Cove
Philtre Tip*

Afterword, by Robert Bloch

Demon-Dreaded Lore, an appreciation by Lin Carter

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