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Call of Cthulhu RPG
Cathulhu: Velvet Paws on Cthulhu's Trail
Welcome to Cathulhu, the Call of Cthulhu alternative setting where feline sleuths investigate the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Cats are mysterious, self-contained creatures. Both wild and domestic in nature, they are silent observers of all that goes on around them.
In Cathulhu, discover the secret life of the cat as a Dreamlands warrior and a Waking World sleuth. Cats are the secret allies of humanity in the fight against cosmic horror; confronting overlooked machinations orchestrated from the sewers, tracking down sorcerers and cultists in the Waking World, and taking the fight to Nyarlathotep’s minions in the Dreamlands with the Cat Armies.
Cathulhu contains full character generation information for creating feline characters, feline abilities, background information on the cult of Bast, a short bestiary of feline opponents and an introductory adventure, ‘The Black Cat’.
Cathulhu is intended as an interlude to mainstream Call of Cthulhu games, and provides a different POV to the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos. It can be played light-heartedly or seriously. The opponents of the feline investigators can range from dastardly rat-kings or mutant sewer lizards, to lone mad sorcerers, or all the way to a full-blown confrontation with the Cthulhu Mythos.
History
Cathulhu is the English-language version of Katzulhu, which first appeared in the German-language Cthuloide Welten magazine, #1 and #2, in 2001/2002. The Katzulhu rules were reprinted in 2009 to accompany the release of Pegasus spiele’s Dreamlands sourcebook. The Katzulhu rules are currently available for download from this site (search for Katzulhu).
Cathulhu was developed by Ingo Ahrens, Adam Crossingham and Daniel Harms from Ingo’s original Katzulhu, and was published in Worlds of Cthulhu magazine #4 in 2006. This edition is revised from the Worlds of Cthulhu version and includes additional information about Sabbat cats, and the cult of Bast through the ages.
Cats are mysterious, self-contained creatures. Both wild and domestic in nature, they are silent observers of all that goes on around them.
In Cathulhu, discover the secret life of the cat as a Dreamlands warrior and a Waking World sleuth. Cats are the secret allies of humanity in the fight against cosmic horror; confronting overlooked machinations orchestrated from the sewers, tracking down sorcerers and cultists in the Waking World, and taking the fight to Nyarlathotep’s minions in the Dreamlands with the Cat Armies.
Cathulhu contains full character generation information for creating feline characters, feline abilities, background information on the cult of Bast, a short bestiary of feline opponents and an introductory adventure, ‘The Black Cat’.
Cathulhu is intended as an interlude to mainstream Call of Cthulhu games, and provides a different POV to the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos. It can be played light-heartedly or seriously. The opponents of the feline investigators can range from dastardly rat-kings or mutant sewer lizards, to lone mad sorcerers, or all the way to a full-blown confrontation with the Cthulhu Mythos.
History
Cathulhu is the English-language version of Katzulhu, which first appeared in the German-language Cthuloide Welten magazine, #1 and #2, in 2001/2002. The Katzulhu rules were reprinted in 2009 to accompany the release of Pegasus spiele’s Dreamlands sourcebook. The Katzulhu rules are currently available for download from this site (search for Katzulhu).
Cathulhu was developed by Ingo Ahrens, Adam Crossingham and Daniel Harms from Ingo’s original Katzulhu, and was published in Worlds of Cthulhu magazine #4 in 2006. This edition is revised from the Worlds of Cthulhu version and includes additional information about Sabbat cats, and the cult of Bast through the ages.
- GenresRole Playing Games
68 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2014
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 10, 2025
[Read, not played yet]
Great!
These are not my first rules for playing cats in the Call of Cthulhu / Basic / d100 system, but they seems the best I’ve found.
Rules seems good and coherent with various fun addiction to the ones of the 7th edition (catnip as drug, Sentience instead of Sanity, Nine Lives, etc). It offers different kinds of cats to play thanks to breeds, tricks, spells and special bonuses from their goddess Bast.
The “lore” is very good, too. A lot of focus is about the cult of Bast but there are also interesting ideas about the dark and mad Sabbat Cats and other creatures.
Another excellent part is the pre-written scenario, The Black Cat. It’s a classic investigation with horrors, crimes and different approaches. Not totally sandbox but considerably less linear than a lot of Chaosium scenarios I’ve read. It also show how to use this supplement for dark scenario just like the classic ones.
Some rules can be easily used for funny and light adventures in the Dreamlands or in the Waking World but it’s totally possible play serious and dark ones. Cats are cute and funny, but this supplement is more similar to RPGs like The Very Good Dogs of Chernobyl and Bunnies & Burrows than the Italian ArmaKitten.
Not 4/5 because some sections could be expanded.
For example, I found the “Leap to the Moon” one too short and generic considering how it can be a game-breaking ability for the game. It’s the cats’ ability to easily jump from the Earth to the Moon (both in their Dreamlands’ version) and vice versa. It can be used to quick travel also by entire armies of cats but there are almost no suggestions about how to use it in the adventures.
At the end of the supplement there is an advertisement with other supplements for Call of Cthulhu by the same publisher. Among them these is also the coming soon The Cat Army of Ulthar. Maybe it will have the extra rules and ideas that I want.
Funny images. Excellent quotes about cats from Lovecraft.
Great!
These are not my first rules for playing cats in the Call of Cthulhu / Basic / d100 system, but they seems the best I’ve found.
Rules seems good and coherent with various fun addiction to the ones of the 7th edition (catnip as drug, Sentience instead of Sanity, Nine Lives, etc). It offers different kinds of cats to play thanks to breeds, tricks, spells and special bonuses from their goddess Bast.
The “lore” is very good, too. A lot of focus is about the cult of Bast but there are also interesting ideas about the dark and mad Sabbat Cats and other creatures.
Another excellent part is the pre-written scenario, The Black Cat. It’s a classic investigation with horrors, crimes and different approaches. Not totally sandbox but considerably less linear than a lot of Chaosium scenarios I’ve read. It also show how to use this supplement for dark scenario just like the classic ones.
Some rules can be easily used for funny and light adventures in the Dreamlands or in the Waking World but it’s totally possible play serious and dark ones. Cats are cute and funny, but this supplement is more similar to RPGs like The Very Good Dogs of Chernobyl and Bunnies & Burrows than the Italian ArmaKitten.
Not 4/5 because some sections could be expanded.
For example, I found the “Leap to the Moon” one too short and generic considering how it can be a game-breaking ability for the game. It’s the cats’ ability to easily jump from the Earth to the Moon (both in their Dreamlands’ version) and vice versa. It can be used to quick travel also by entire armies of cats but there are almost no suggestions about how to use it in the adventures.
At the end of the supplement there is an advertisement with other supplements for Call of Cthulhu by the same publisher. Among them these is also the coming soon The Cat Army of Ulthar. Maybe it will have the extra rules and ideas that I want.
Funny images. Excellent quotes about cats from Lovecraft.
December 31, 2024
A great supplement; I’d intended to use it for a fun one-shot for our game group before more the “serious” CoC campaign restarted, but they enjoyed it so much I’ve kept it going. The only downside is there aren5 may pre-written scenarios for it! So pick it up, let’s increase the demand get this campaign setting really cranking!
October 9, 2020
A must for TTRPGers who also enjoy Lovecraft!
December 6, 2022
Amusing alternate way of playing CoC as adorable kitties. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
July 29, 2016
Una deliciosa sorpresa, y mucho más en serio de lo que parece. Un suplemento que, en muy poco espacio, presenta una manera innovadora de jugar a La Llamada de Cthulhu. Para no perdérselo.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews