What do you think?
Rate this book
Trail of Cthulhu RPG
Trail of Cthulhu
Trail of Cthulhu is a new standalone GUMSHOE system game under license to Chaosium, set in the 1930s. It supports both Pulp (for Indiana Jones, Robert E. Howard, thrilling locations sorts of games) and Purist styles of play(for intellectual horror and cosmic dread). HP Lovecrafts work combined both, sometimes in the same story. It includes a new take on the creatures, cults and gods of the Lovecrafts literature, and addresses their use in gaming. It adds new player backgrounds, and bulk out the GUMSHOE system to give intensive support for sanity, incorporating into the rule set the PCs desire to explore at the risk of going mad. Trail of Cthulhu won two Ennie awards for Best Rules and Best Writing, as well as receiving an honourable mention for Product of the Year.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
14 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Hite
128 books114 followersKenneth Hite (born September 15, 1965) is a writer and role-playing game designer. Author of Trail of Cthulhu and Night's Black Agents role-playing games, Hite has been announced as the lead designer of the upcoming 5th edition of Vampire: the Masquerade.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 7, 2025
No le pongo 6 estrellas porque no me deja.
Está tan bien escrito que voy a usar las palabras del propio autor. Si La Llamada de Cthulhu es El Rey Lear, El Rastro de Cthulhu es Ran de Kurosawa. Son dos juegos que tratan sobre lo mismo desde dos ópticas de diseño muy diferentes. T es una obra maestra.
Donde La Llamada de Cthulhu trata de emular cómo sería el mundo si las historias de Lovecraft fueran reales, El Rastro trata de emular cómo sería el mundo de Lovecraft en una serie de televisión, en un medio dramático. Es una obra enormemente respetuosa con el material original y con el juego original - no en balde Kenneth Hite, el autor del Rastro, cree que La Llamada de Cthulhu es el mejor juego de rol de todos los tiempos - al mismo tiempo que aporta un montón de ideas frescas.
Tanto si te gusta mucho La Llamada como si no, este juego enriquecerá tus partidas enormemente, y está plagado de buenas y brillantes ideas sobre los Mitos. Imprescindible.
Está tan bien escrito que voy a usar las palabras del propio autor. Si La Llamada de Cthulhu es El Rey Lear, El Rastro de Cthulhu es Ran de Kurosawa. Son dos juegos que tratan sobre lo mismo desde dos ópticas de diseño muy diferentes. T es una obra maestra.
Donde La Llamada de Cthulhu trata de emular cómo sería el mundo si las historias de Lovecraft fueran reales, El Rastro trata de emular cómo sería el mundo de Lovecraft en una serie de televisión, en un medio dramático. Es una obra enormemente respetuosa con el material original y con el juego original - no en balde Kenneth Hite, el autor del Rastro, cree que La Llamada de Cthulhu es el mejor juego de rol de todos los tiempos - al mismo tiempo que aporta un montón de ideas frescas.
Tanto si te gusta mucho La Llamada como si no, este juego enriquecerá tus partidas enormemente, y está plagado de buenas y brillantes ideas sobre los Mitos. Imprescindible.
September 3, 2013
I must admit I didn't pay a lot of attention to this game when it came out. Only after a friend asked me if I intended to run a few scenarios (I am a huge Lovecraft and Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu fan) did I read it from cover to cover. Consider it an alternative to Call of Cthulhu rpg (CoC). I suggest you take Trail of Cthulhu for a spin before you ditch it entirely. It has a different emphasis than the Chaosium game. Its focus is on investigation and the gathering of clues. Whereas CoC still straddles the line between pure Lovecraft and a more pulpish approach with some action scenes and physical confrontation, Trail of Cthulhu can be turned entirely into Purist mode (pure Lovecraft with a slow but inevitable descent into madness) or into a more Pulp mode (the heroes fight back, they don't walk into combat knowing they are going to loose and there is a slight chance to recover from madness) or anything in between by mix and matching certain rules in the system.
Even if you don't use the system, the Mythos section is worth the price alone. It presents not one but several versions of each Great Old One to use or drop to your liking. You can even use different conflicting versions because, you know, the Human mind can never comprehend these unknowable beings so these versions are just the ways the human mind is trying to cope with the awful reality.
The game historical period is also different. Whereas CoC was originally set in the 1920s, a more upbeat era, Trail of Cthulhu changes into the 1930s with the Great Depression and the rise of fascism around the world. It's a more bleak period with famine, death and madness waiting to be explored by evil cults and beings from beyond.
As always, the author (Ken Hite) writes in an accessible, yet engrossing, style and his knowledge of the Mythos is excellent. To summarize, read it if you want a good Lovecraftian roleplaying game. Even if you don't want to try it, buy it and use it as a companion to Call of Cthulhu.
Even if you don't use the system, the Mythos section is worth the price alone. It presents not one but several versions of each Great Old One to use or drop to your liking. You can even use different conflicting versions because, you know, the Human mind can never comprehend these unknowable beings so these versions are just the ways the human mind is trying to cope with the awful reality.
The game historical period is also different. Whereas CoC was originally set in the 1920s, a more upbeat era, Trail of Cthulhu changes into the 1930s with the Great Depression and the rise of fascism around the world. It's a more bleak period with famine, death and madness waiting to be explored by evil cults and beings from beyond.
As always, the author (Ken Hite) writes in an accessible, yet engrossing, style and his knowledge of the Mythos is excellent. To summarize, read it if you want a good Lovecraftian roleplaying game. Even if you don't want to try it, buy it and use it as a companion to Call of Cthulhu.
June 24, 2016
Kenneth Hite y Robin D. Laws son dos excelentes diseñadores de juegos de rol, y unen fuerzas para adaptar el universo de H.P. Lovecraft y su círculo de amigos y herederos al sistema de reglas GUMSHOE. Este sistema está orientado a reflejar el ritmo y las mecánicas de las series de televisión centradas en la investigación y los misterios, como CSI o Supernatural, y busca resolver uno de los tradicionales problemas del juego clásico de Chaosium: las malas tiradas que hacen que los jugadores se queden sin pistas cruciales o dejen sin explorar ramas enteras de la trama.
El resultado es un juego dinámico, con opciones para que el juego sea más "purista" y cercano al espíritu de los relatos clásicos, o más pulp, con aventureros curtidos que entran en las guaridas de los sectarios disparando un .45 en cada mano. La ambientación se traslada a los años 30, favoreciendo este segundo estilo, y buscando quizá diferenciarse un poco de la gigantesca referencia de la versión BRP de Chaosium.
Hay momentos y conceptos brillantes, como la descripción de los primigenios en términos de conspiraciones contradictorias, algo en lo que Hite es un maestro, mientras que otras secciones se quedan a mi juicio demasiado cortas. En particular, creo que el Rastro se apoya demasiado en la noción de un guardián que conoce bien los conceptos lovecraftianos, y la caja de conceptos y herramientas que proporciona para contar historias en esta ambientación no es tan completa ni está tan bien explicada como la que Tynes incluyó en Cthulhu D20. El cambio de enfoque tampoco es tan revolucionario ni está tan bien justificado como los de la edición clásica y nueva de Delta Green, o el del juego BRP de The Laundry.
Deja mucho trabajo en manos del guardián para definir la campaña y la ambientación. Todo está en Internet, sí, pero señalar la dirección correcta con más detalle hubiera sido de agradecer para guiar a los guardianes más novatos. Los marcos de campaña son interesantes, pero el de cazadores de libros en particular apenas está esbozado y requiere bastante trabajo para poderse usar.
La aventura introductoria es una excelente historia que vincula los asesinatos "Torso" de Cleveland de los años 30 con sucesos sobrenaturales que funciona muy bien para transmitir las virtudes del sistema de reglas y ayudar al guardián a foguearse, pero tiene un par de defectos como introducción al mundo de juego: no tiene una temática lovecraftiana clara, y es el guardián quien debe definir cómo entronca la amenaza con los mitos, y la secuencia de pistas lleva a la confrontación final, sí, pero apenas brinda oportunidad a los jugadores de encontrar una manera de deducir la naturaleza de la amenaza y preparar de antemano medidas para combatirla. Por añadidura, realmente sólo encaja bien con uno de los tres marcos de campaña presentados.
El sistema funciona estupendamente para mantener la acción en movimiento, está lleno de buenas ideas, hay conceptos muy interesantes, pero requiere un guardián experimentado para sacarle todo el jugo.
Una nota final es que la edición española del libro tiene una cantidad de erratas lo suficientemente elevada para ser molesta. Una pena, porque se trata de un juego interesantísimo y digno de probarse.
El resultado es un juego dinámico, con opciones para que el juego sea más "purista" y cercano al espíritu de los relatos clásicos, o más pulp, con aventureros curtidos que entran en las guaridas de los sectarios disparando un .45 en cada mano. La ambientación se traslada a los años 30, favoreciendo este segundo estilo, y buscando quizá diferenciarse un poco de la gigantesca referencia de la versión BRP de Chaosium.
Hay momentos y conceptos brillantes, como la descripción de los primigenios en términos de conspiraciones contradictorias, algo en lo que Hite es un maestro, mientras que otras secciones se quedan a mi juicio demasiado cortas. En particular, creo que el Rastro se apoya demasiado en la noción de un guardián que conoce bien los conceptos lovecraftianos, y la caja de conceptos y herramientas que proporciona para contar historias en esta ambientación no es tan completa ni está tan bien explicada como la que Tynes incluyó en Cthulhu D20. El cambio de enfoque tampoco es tan revolucionario ni está tan bien justificado como los de la edición clásica y nueva de Delta Green, o el del juego BRP de The Laundry.
Deja mucho trabajo en manos del guardián para definir la campaña y la ambientación. Todo está en Internet, sí, pero señalar la dirección correcta con más detalle hubiera sido de agradecer para guiar a los guardianes más novatos. Los marcos de campaña son interesantes, pero el de cazadores de libros en particular apenas está esbozado y requiere bastante trabajo para poderse usar.
La aventura introductoria es una excelente historia que vincula los asesinatos "Torso" de Cleveland de los años 30 con sucesos sobrenaturales que funciona muy bien para transmitir las virtudes del sistema de reglas y ayudar al guardián a foguearse, pero tiene un par de defectos como introducción al mundo de juego: no tiene una temática lovecraftiana clara, y es el guardián quien debe definir cómo entronca la amenaza con los mitos, y la secuencia de pistas lleva a la confrontación final, sí, pero apenas brinda oportunidad a los jugadores de encontrar una manera de deducir la naturaleza de la amenaza y preparar de antemano medidas para combatirla. Por añadidura, realmente sólo encaja bien con uno de los tres marcos de campaña presentados.
El sistema funciona estupendamente para mantener la acción en movimiento, está lleno de buenas ideas, hay conceptos muy interesantes, pero requiere un guardián experimentado para sacarle todo el jugo.
Una nota final es que la edición española del libro tiene una cantidad de erratas lo suficientemente elevada para ser molesta. Una pena, porque se trata de un juego interesantísimo y digno de probarse.
January 13, 2016
Ken Hite's tasty iteration of GUMSHOE has for me eclipsed Chasoium's Call of Cthulhu as the premier RPG take on Lovecraft. The system works well and the quality of supplements is extremely high, particularly Graham Walmsley's efforts. Trail of Cthulhu really excels in two areas. Firstly, the presentation is just gorgeous and reflects perfectly the modern indie RPG trend of producing coffee table books of remarkable beauty, thanks in no small part to the exquisite, evocative art of Jerome Huguenin. Second, and more importantly, Ken Hite's writing style and his take on the Mythos are both refreshing and exciting. The depictions of the Mythos presences, and proffered discussions around various ways to utilise them in-game, are really inspiring. So much so that my Malleus Monstrorum is pretty much redundant as a result.
March 27, 2017
A very different take on tabletop role playing in the universe of H.P. Lovecraft's Mythos, this game owes a lot of the classic "Call of Cthulhu," but does its own thing. It's well written, and is clearly from the heart. Kenneth Hite, dissatisfied by elements of "Call of Cthulhu" has crafted, with the help of Robin D. Laws's "Gumshoe" system, a game based much more clearly on investigation, and on moving the story along. There are some interesting mechanics around clues, including putting more storytelling power into the player's hand, as opposed to the game master's. Overall, I think it's well presented, with plenty of mood, and plenty of options for a more pulpy, or more traditional style of Mythos story. I don't know that I would rush right out and try to run "Trail of Cthulhu" for new players, but I know I'll be using ideas from it in my next "Call of Cthulhu" game.
October 26, 2017
In addition to delivering the instalment of The GUMSHOE System into the Cthulhu Mythos RPG the Trail of Cthulhu is important general work of Game Mastering.
Granted that pretty much all RPG core books give somekinda brief overview of game mastering techniques but ToC really delivers.
It is partly required due the "unorthodox" aspects of the GUMSHOE engine but the points also apply in general.
It is a book that I could recommend to every GM. Not just Cthulhu players and masters.
Especially if you are interested in smooth storytelling with toning down of the mechanics and decentalizing the "storytelling responsibility" from the GM to rest of the group.
RPG vise The Trail of Cthulhu is the system that the Cthulhu Mythios deserves.
Granted that pretty much all RPG core books give somekinda brief overview of game mastering techniques but ToC really delivers.
It is partly required due the "unorthodox" aspects of the GUMSHOE engine but the points also apply in general.
It is a book that I could recommend to every GM. Not just Cthulhu players and masters.
Especially if you are interested in smooth storytelling with toning down of the mechanics and decentalizing the "storytelling responsibility" from the GM to rest of the group.
RPG vise The Trail of Cthulhu is the system that the Cthulhu Mythios deserves.
February 26, 2018
My favourite investigation system for a Horror RPG.
December 2, 2022
Decent re-imagination of Call of Cthulhu, but to a certain extent the Gumshoe system is a philosophically muddled over-correction which tries to use a rules-design solution to solve a scenario-design-and-running problem. Alright, but don't mistake it for being a universal solution for running investigative RPGs - it's got a very specific view of what is and is not fun in investigative games, and what it embraces might not be the aspects of investigative gaming which appeal to you and what it rejects might be precisely the sort of thing you find fun. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
February 6, 2017
This book reads exactly like I imagined it would, after listening to Ken and Robin Talk about Stuff for a couple months. The historical knowledge of Kenneth Hite is astounding. Unsurprisingly, my favorite chapters were not the Gumshoe rules but the ones about the setting in the 30s, with the famines and desperation oozing from every line. The rules aren't very clear to me yet, but I think one would need to see it in action. The included scenario, The Kingsbury Horror, is a great introduction, and I am looking forward to running it as a one-shot game sometime later this year.
September 26, 2009
Love the GUMSHOE system for investigative RPGs. Never again grind the game to a screching halt because someone blew a "spot" check.
November 29, 2015
Best competitor for Call Of Cthulhu RPG. Someways superior for classic game.
October 19, 2017
A very simple and practical RPG system, and a very good book. Hope to start using what I've learned soon.
September 11, 2020
Ring Side Report-RPG Review of Trail of Cthulhu
Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!
Product- Trail of Cthulhu
System- Gumshoe
Producer- Pelgrane Press
Price- $24.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/55567/Trail-of-Cthulhu?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR- Do you think Call of Cthulhu has too much Crunch? 88%
Basics- Should the story stop when the players just suck at rolling? Trail of Cthulhu believes that story trumps mechanics as story should drive the game. Let’s look at the pieces.
Overview-Trail of Cthulhu is a skill system like Call of Cthulhu, but unlike Call of Cthulhu you have two types of skills: investigative and general. General covers any contested rolls and investigative covers learning the horrors of the mystery. Let’s break that down.
Investigative Skills- You enter a room, ask to search the library for secret books, and you find all secret books. If you have ranks in the appropriate skills, you find all the books. That’s it. If you couldn't find the books, the story might stop. Trail of Cthulhu focuses more on you learning the mystery and less on you flubbing rolls to learn the mystery. You build these skills with points like ranks, but those points are spent to learn more, not just enough. Characters with even one rank would find all the books, then can spend points to learn more, like find the right places in the hidden books to skip something horrible or learn more secrets beyond the base mystery.
General Skills- Punch a guy, out run a monster, and hide from the cultists are all opposed rolls where the story isn’t the issue, so they become general skills. This system uses ONE d6. That’s it. You want to to a thing? Roll a d6 and aim for a 4. Before you roll, you can spend points from the pool to add to the roll. Some skills give you more damage or more hit points or sanity, but for the most part opposed rolls happen with skills or trying to do a thing that isn’t dependent on the story happening at all.
Honestly, that's it. There is sanity and HP, but for the most part the two types of rolls define the system. Let’s see my thoughts.
Mechanics or Crunch-I like crunch (heck I build point based Shadowrun characters for fun!), but for the most part, this is a quick, light system. My more roll-happy friends freak out when we play as they NEED to roll to search, but the option to make story happen as the goal is a good one. If you just want a game that happens fast without a ton of hassle because you didn’t spec into the right build at level 4 to cast the one spell to put the deepone to sleep, but you will want a horror game then this is the crunch for you. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff- This game is put out by the premier Lovecraft people in the industry. They know their stuff. It feels right, but it also feels like Indiana Jones as they build Pulp and straight Lovecraft versions of the rules into it. If you want to punch the ghoul, then this can be your game, or if you want to go mad at the sight of a corpse, then this can also be your game. The book builds out a full world in a quick way to help new GMs get running right away. 5/5
Execution- PDF? YEP! Hyperlinked? YES! I have the two big things I want, but why am I not happy? Well… RPG books can be built one of two ways: mechanics first or theme first. This goes character build first. I don’t know what ANY of the math means until WAY far into this book. When I googled it it made perfect sense, and then 20 pages later I saw the explanation. That is not good. I like the world that is built with the book, but it's a pain to read; a three column design isn’t great. This book is modern, but some of the design decisions are just a bit off. 3.75/5
Summary- Slick and simple. This game is a fun one regardless of the book design. I like the game this makes. The solid focus on story first is nice. I would like a bit more crunch, but simple is fun sometimes. The story and theme of the book are top notch. The execution isn't. If you want a game that starts quick and plays quick but still has great Lovecraftian horror, then Trail of Cthulhu is worth checking out. 88%
Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!
Product- Trail of Cthulhu
System- Gumshoe
Producer- Pelgrane Press
Price- $24.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/55567/Trail-of-Cthulhu?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR- Do you think Call of Cthulhu has too much Crunch? 88%
Basics- Should the story stop when the players just suck at rolling? Trail of Cthulhu believes that story trumps mechanics as story should drive the game. Let’s look at the pieces.
Overview-Trail of Cthulhu is a skill system like Call of Cthulhu, but unlike Call of Cthulhu you have two types of skills: investigative and general. General covers any contested rolls and investigative covers learning the horrors of the mystery. Let’s break that down.
Investigative Skills- You enter a room, ask to search the library for secret books, and you find all secret books. If you have ranks in the appropriate skills, you find all the books. That’s it. If you couldn't find the books, the story might stop. Trail of Cthulhu focuses more on you learning the mystery and less on you flubbing rolls to learn the mystery. You build these skills with points like ranks, but those points are spent to learn more, not just enough. Characters with even one rank would find all the books, then can spend points to learn more, like find the right places in the hidden books to skip something horrible or learn more secrets beyond the base mystery.
General Skills- Punch a guy, out run a monster, and hide from the cultists are all opposed rolls where the story isn’t the issue, so they become general skills. This system uses ONE d6. That’s it. You want to to a thing? Roll a d6 and aim for a 4. Before you roll, you can spend points from the pool to add to the roll. Some skills give you more damage or more hit points or sanity, but for the most part opposed rolls happen with skills or trying to do a thing that isn’t dependent on the story happening at all.
Honestly, that's it. There is sanity and HP, but for the most part the two types of rolls define the system. Let’s see my thoughts.
Mechanics or Crunch-I like crunch (heck I build point based Shadowrun characters for fun!), but for the most part, this is a quick, light system. My more roll-happy friends freak out when we play as they NEED to roll to search, but the option to make story happen as the goal is a good one. If you just want a game that happens fast without a ton of hassle because you didn’t spec into the right build at level 4 to cast the one spell to put the deepone to sleep, but you will want a horror game then this is the crunch for you. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff- This game is put out by the premier Lovecraft people in the industry. They know their stuff. It feels right, but it also feels like Indiana Jones as they build Pulp and straight Lovecraft versions of the rules into it. If you want to punch the ghoul, then this can be your game, or if you want to go mad at the sight of a corpse, then this can also be your game. The book builds out a full world in a quick way to help new GMs get running right away. 5/5
Execution- PDF? YEP! Hyperlinked? YES! I have the two big things I want, but why am I not happy? Well… RPG books can be built one of two ways: mechanics first or theme first. This goes character build first. I don’t know what ANY of the math means until WAY far into this book. When I googled it it made perfect sense, and then 20 pages later I saw the explanation. That is not good. I like the world that is built with the book, but it's a pain to read; a three column design isn’t great. This book is modern, but some of the design decisions are just a bit off. 3.75/5
Summary- Slick and simple. This game is a fun one regardless of the book design. I like the game this makes. The solid focus on story first is nice. I would like a bit more crunch, but simple is fun sometimes. The story and theme of the book are top notch. The execution isn't. If you want a game that starts quick and plays quick but still has great Lovecraftian horror, then Trail of Cthulhu is worth checking out. 88%
May 13, 2018
Have not used the system yet, so this is only based on the reading of the book.
Trail of Cthulhu is in a way a GUMSHOE version of Call of Cthulhu, and that means that one of the main problems with CoC has been removed. The possibility to fail checks that are critical to move the story forward. This is mostly no real problem in CoC, you can work your way around that as a Keeper. But it can be a bit irritaiting if your players have a "bad day" at rolling dice or if you play with small groups of players. So instead we have a pool building system in GS and I am really interested in trying it out. It could at the very least be a interesting change from CoC. And I will have to play Eternal lies, one of the best campaings I have ever read.
I also like quite a few ideas about the mythos that Hite put in the book. Ways to look at the Old Ones in a new way. That the system is built to be possible to play both a purist and a pulp version is good as well. And it ends with what seems to be a "nice" little adventure.
Lastly, an extra big plus for the art in the book. It is some of the best art I have seen in a RPG book. But then again I have also read that some people hate it, so I guess its up to taste.
Trail of Cthulhu is in a way a GUMSHOE version of Call of Cthulhu, and that means that one of the main problems with CoC has been removed. The possibility to fail checks that are critical to move the story forward. This is mostly no real problem in CoC, you can work your way around that as a Keeper. But it can be a bit irritaiting if your players have a "bad day" at rolling dice or if you play with small groups of players. So instead we have a pool building system in GS and I am really interested in trying it out. It could at the very least be a interesting change from CoC. And I will have to play Eternal lies, one of the best campaings I have ever read.
I also like quite a few ideas about the mythos that Hite put in the book. Ways to look at the Old Ones in a new way. That the system is built to be possible to play both a purist and a pulp version is good as well. And it ends with what seems to be a "nice" little adventure.
Lastly, an extra big plus for the art in the book. It is some of the best art I have seen in a RPG book. But then again I have also read that some people hate it, so I guess its up to taste.
June 20, 2023
Call of Cthulhu is the bedrock of my roleplaying history at this point. I've played 60+ roleplaying systems, but Call of Cthulhu is what my group comes back to time and again. Roleplaying adventures which combine horror, mystery, and adventure against a backdrop of a hostile, alien, and mindrending universe are my jam. Trail of Cthulhu delivers that, so it's 5 stars.
If you haven't tried a Cthulhu roleplaying game, you can stop now. Try this one, or one of the others. I don't know which would be best for you, but it doesn't matter. Just go play a Cthulhu game.
On the other side of the spectrum, if you're a roleplaying nut like me I think this is worth a try. Personally, I don't think I'll play it again after finishing my first campaign, but I will steal its ideas. I'm glad I tried it and anything I can take with me into Call of Cthulhu campaigns to come is worth a lot.
If you haven't tried a Cthulhu roleplaying game, you can stop now. Try this one, or one of the others. I don't know which would be best for you, but it doesn't matter. Just go play a Cthulhu game.
On the other side of the spectrum, if you're a roleplaying nut like me I think this is worth a try. Personally, I don't think I'll play it again after finishing my first campaign, but I will steal its ideas. I'm glad I tried it and anything I can take with me into Call of Cthulhu campaigns to come is worth a lot.
April 16, 2019
Haven't played yet, but the system looks rather promising. I especially like the de-emphasis on rolls for clues that are required to make progress (while point spends might result in clues that clarify something sooner, or give an advantage in a later scene). The Sanity/Stability division makes intuitive sense. There are a lot of fun character options, and creating scenarios is about crafting slow-reveal mysteries (generally with a mind-damaging Lovecraftian component somewhere in the reveal).
Might update after running a few adventures.
Might update after running a few adventures.
May 30, 2021
Finally caught up with this Gumshoe System flagship and having read and played a variety of other titles I remain a big fan.
The argument can still be made for going the "classic" route when it comes to playing Cthulhu but I do feel that "Trail" lends itself better to the occasional one shot and is a very beginner friendly game.
The argument can still be made for going the "classic" route when it comes to playing Cthulhu but I do feel that "Trail" lends itself better to the occasional one shot and is a very beginner friendly game.
June 8, 2019
Un nuevo enfoque, aporta mucho para aquellos cansados del BRP y que buscan investigaciones más realistas.
November 4, 2022
The text is a bit confusing and sometimes ambiguos. But the game is very exciting itself.
December 26, 2024
Si querés jugar horror lovecraftiano e investigación, jugá a esto en vez del llamada original.
February 26, 2025
It's a very good, balanced and investigative system. I found it very intriguing and I want to play it with my friends.
It's worth it if you like RPGs outside of the Dungeons and Dragons sphere.
It's worth it if you like RPGs outside of the Dungeons and Dragons sphere.
September 28, 2025
We played this at the community center and had so much fun. Great module.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews