The basic premise of
Pokethulhu: The Adventure Game, if you haven’t figured it out by now, is simple: To combine horrible, slimy, Lovecraftian monsters like Cthulhu and Hastur the Unspeakable with lovable, furry, little Pokemon like Pikachu and Bulbasaur (resulting, by the way, in Pikathulhu and Hastursaur, respectively). So basically, to combine evil with
really evil.
This is executed by writer S. John Ross (best known for his work on Last Unicorn Games’ Star Trek RPG) and illustrator John Kovalic (best known for his work on the gaming comic Dork Tower, published, like Pokethulhu itself, by Dork Storm Press). Kovalic’s influence shows right away, as the book opens with a three-page “Introduction to Role-Playing,” featuring the cast of Dork Tower. And, just as I’ve come to expect from Dork Tower, it’s funny (not Knights of the Dinner Table funny, but funny), but only if you’re actually familiar with role-playing already. And as an aside, if you’re really looking, Kovalic’s odd sense of humor can be seen even earlier than this, on the inside front cover, which contains a map depicting such locations as “Muskratonic University”. Kovalic also provided all the interior art, which while by no means mind-blowing, fits the book quite well (I especially like the vampiric-looking Psyduck, myself).
The book then jumps into the game itself; it’s a fairly entertaining read, though it seems to me to be far more heavily influenced by Pokemon than by Lovecraft. It also assumes you’re familiar with the fictional Pokethulhu animated series, though this actually helps add to the humorous tone of the book. The basics are similar to what I gather Pokemon boils down to; The world more or less consists of fishing villages, and the wilderness between them is inhabited by cute, fuzzy, evil little creatures, whom the children train to wage war against one another in brutal, one-on-one battles – not unlike Tijuana cockfighting or those illegal dog-vs.-dog streetfights that generally end up getting one or more people brought up on animal cruelty charges. Except in this world, the adults have no problem with it, and even encourage it. And the little creatures in Pokethulhu are right up front about wanting to eat your soul, unlike those shifty Pokemon. “Pika-pika-pika,” indeed.
There are a few interesting parallels drawn between Pokemon and Lovecraft, the Pokenomicon being the most notable, but the explanation as to why only kids can train the evil little creatures is actually tied directly to the oft-ballyhooed Sanity system from Call of Cthulhu. A nice touch, I think.
The system is a fairly simple mechanic involving three twelve-sided dice. Yes, that’s right, I said twelve-siders. The poor, neglected D12’s are not only used, they’re the only dice used. Of course, they’re referred to throughout the entire book as “Shining Dodecahedrons,” which is cute at first, but gets old really fast. Kinda like Pokemon itself.
There’s a quick section on creating your cultist (ya gotta love a game that includes “Shoplifting” and “Trash Talking” attributes), as well as one on creating Pokethulhu (unfortunately, the book doesn’t include a comprehensive listing of the furry/slimy/fungoid little beasts, so you’ve got to make up your own – which can be a bit of a challenge if you’re not familiar with Pokemon or the works of Lovecraft), and one on training your ‘thulhu to improve its various stats. Again, basically what I gather Pokemon to be, with a slight Lovecraftian twist.
Of course, there’s also the section on Pokethulhu combat, which is actually the most detailed part of the book (naturally – what would a game based on evil, soul-eating monsters, and Cthulhu of course, be without extreme violence?). Overall, it’s still fairly simple, but involved enough that it can actually be fun and involve some strategic thinking – particularly with multiple ways to win (damage, being trapped, etc.).
For all intents and purposes, that’s it. There are sections on adventure seeds and one quick adventure already written up (which are actually the parts where the Call of Cthulhu influence really tends to show), plus the winners of an online ‘thulhu design contest, but none are by any means necessary to play.
The last couple of pages are surprisingly-useful Cultist Cards and Pokethulhu Cards (character sheets) and some paper stand-up ‘thulhu for you to photocopy and color (fun!), followed by ads for various Dork Storm Press products, and one that looks deceptively like a gaming comic, until you realize it’s just an ad (a gaming-related ad that also harkens back to the classic Marvel Comics/Hostess Fruit Pie ads from the seventies, but an ad nonetheless).
Overall, this is a game I could see playing once or twice when someone doesn’t show up for a session of D&D or whatever it is your group plays, but I’d personally rule out any ongoing Pokethulhu campaigns. Still, for six measly bucks, it’s at best a few afternoons’ worth of entertainment, and at worst an hour’s worth of entertaining reading that will result in only mild amounts of SAN loss.
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