Review of Cthulhu 1000 A.D.

    Pegasus Press, the German publishers of Call of Cthulhu, have rightfully gained a reputation as creators of high-quality CoC products. They weren't merely content with translating older Chaosium products (and I hear they are planning to publish a revised and translated version of Delta Green as well), but printed new works, such as sourcebooks on Wales and Berlin, as well as many articles in their magazine Cthulhuide Welten. With Cthulhu 1000 AD, they have published a sourcebook on Europe in the Dark Ages - to be specific, the time period between 950 AD, when the monk Thedorus Philetas translated the dreaded Al Azif into Greek and named it the Necronomicon, and 1050 AD, when the patriarch of Constantinople banned this volume. It was a dark and violent period full of superstition - and it is thus a perfect time for some non-traditional Call of Cthulhu

adventures...

Art and Layout

    Before I start discussing what is in the book, let me tell you what it looks like.

    The cover is simply beautiful. To the left, you can see a lone, torch-bearing warrior stalked by a horrible gug. In the background, you can see a detailed magic circle overlaid by Latin words. The interior layout by Maik Krüger is gorgeous, and its quality is, in my opinion, easily comparable with games such as Nobilis. The interior art ranges from adequate to stunning, and includes a quite a few period pieces as well. The only down point are the page margins - the tentacles don't look quite as good in greyscale as they did in color.

Now on to the contents.

Einleitung (Introduction)

    "Und ich sah ein Tier aus dem Meer steigen, das hatte zehn Hörner und sieben Häupter und auf seinen Hörnern zehn Diademe und auf seinen Häuptern lästerliche Namen" - Offenbarung des Johannes, 13:1

    A short overview of this product. It also gives some advice on how to form a group of investigators - PCs of vastly different backgrounds are even less likely to form a coherent group in the year 1000 than in the year 1920, and thus some thought needs to be put into what kind of group the keeper wants to have...

Spielmechanismen (Game Rules)

    "So wie es sich für Schüler schickt, ihrem Meister zu gehorchen, so schickt es sich für den Meister, in allen Dingen mit Umsicht und Gerechtigkeit zu handeln. Mache deshalb die Regel zur Richtlinie in allen Angelegenheiten, und laß nicht zu, daß jemand vorschnell davon abweicht." - Die Regel des Heiligen Benedikt von Nursia (Grundlage des Benediktinerordens)

    This chapter provides all the information you need to create a CoC character suitable for Dark Ages Europe, including new skills (and a new look at old ones), new occupations, and a revision of the CoC combat system that deals with all kinds of medieval weapons and armors. A few notes about poisons, diseases, insanity and common modes of transporations round this chapter off.

Das Alte Grimoire (The Old Grimoire)

    "[Simon Magus] wurde in die Lüfte erhoben, und alle konnten mit anschauen, wie er hoch über Rom und seine Tempel und Hügel hinwegflog." - Apokryphen des Peter
    "Ein Wunder ereignet sich nicht im Widerspruch zur Natur, sondern bloß im Widerspruch zu dem, was uns von der Natur bekannt ist." - Heiliger Augustin

    This chapter descripes the forms of magic common in Dark Ages Europe, from saintly healers to dark practicioners of witchcraft. It has a fair selection of new spells, many of which are kept rather generic - but the keeper is encouraged to vary effects, names, descriptions, and even visual displays of the spells to suit his campaign - and keep magic mysterious. Also described is the "Limbo", a strage parralel dimension connected with Yog-Sothoth that features prominently in many spells and magics. A compilation of Mythos tomes available in the time period completes this chapter.

Bestiarium (Bestiary)

    "Dort wirst du Götter dienen [...] die weder sehen noch hören, weder essen noch riechen." - Deuteronium 4:28

    This chapter showcases various Mythos entities that investigators might run into - or flee from (for all the good it will do them...). This isn't merely a list of beasties - the chapter begins with a discussion of various beings from real-world myths and legends, from angels to unicorns, and makes suggestions about which Mythos beings could be the truth behind the tales. After which we can find a list of various beings, from minor ghosts to Outer Gods, which either have been copied from other sources and revised, or are original inventions.

Finstere Jahre: 950 - 1050 (Dark Years: 950 - 1050)

    "Wenn der Tag zur Nacht wird, wird die Zeit der Menschen enden, und sie werden zurückkehren, woher sie gekommen." - Necronomicon

    This is a gazetter on the Dark Ages, and gives a good overview over life and society in these times as well as the various nations that exist in Europe at the time. Most likely you will want to do some research on the period on your own in addition to reading this information, but it provides a good starting point. It certainly gives the players pretty much everything they need to know about the period - what kinds of people they might rub their shoulders with (or bow to), how everyday people live, and what kinds of realms they might have heard about. Two timelines are presented, one for "mundane" history, and one for natural disasters and supernatural events. A glossary of common terms and a short list of important NPCs close this chapter.

Die Gruft (The Tomb)

    "Die Lebenden schließen den Toten die Augen, aber es sind die Toten, die den Lebenden die Augen öffnen." - Altes slawisches Sprichwort

    This adventure serves as a good introduction to a Dark Ages Cthulhu campaign. The first part is pretty good - while some of the events are rather cliched for CoC scenarios, the novel surroundings keep the adventure from being stale. I especially liked how the Mythos entities were described - it is easy to mistake them for fey creatures instead of recognizing them as the aliens they are. And this is only fitting for the Dark Ages.
    The second part is something of a letdown in my eyes (did the ancient Celts really dig grave complexes that were that big?). Still, overall this adventure remains an enjoyable vacation to the Dark Ages, and a keeper and his or her players will most likely have fun with it.

Conclusion

    For anyone who has the slightest interest in either Call of Cthulhu or the European Dark Ages, and is able to read German, this supplement is an excellent buy and a steal at the price. And for anyone who is interested in these topics but isn't able to read German... well, consider this an opportunity to learn it. The excellent track record of Pegasus Press makes acquiring the Other Language (German) skill a good investment...