Pyramid Review
The Pastores: A Malefic Cult (for Cthulhu Dark Ages)
Published by Chaosium, Inc.
Written & Illustrated by Thomas B. de Mayo
Cartography by Michael Patty
80-page tapebound b&w softcover; $18
So the question is, "What is going on with Cthulhu Dark Ages?" Even when in print, the much-vaunted, much-delayed translation and adaptation of the German supplement from Pegasus Spiele GmbH has yet to receive any proper support from Chaosium. This is something of a problem, because Cthulhu Dark Ages is far from perfect. At the very least it needs advice for the Keeper of Secrets, in particular on running the game in Call of Cthulhu's traditional campaign format. Single scenarios have appeared in magazines, but no campaign has yet appeared, except now in monograph format. Chaosium's monographs showcase items that the publisher believes to be of interest and note to the game's devotees, (and you have to be a devotee as Chaosium only makes them available from its website) usually from the Miskatonic University Library Association.
Monographs for Cthulhu Dark Ages differ in that they are released under the auspices of the "Order of the Sword of St. Jerome." Described in the earlier monograph The Abbey, this Order is dedicated to routing out and overcoming the darkness that threatens Christendom as the final years of the first millennium approach. The Order, based in the French Alps, is aware of one such threat in south central France, known as the Pastores. The second monograph released . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: October 28, 2005
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