What do you think?
Rate this book
Chaosium Inc. Call of Cthulhu: Masks of Nyarlathotep
Slipcase set including two hardcover books and handouts pack. A dire plan has been enacted. If allowed to come to fruition, it threatens to destroy humanity was we know it. But all is not lost. If a few brave souls can uncover and piece together certain information, they might stand against the darkness and prevent the unspeakable from happening. Facing dark cults, strange lore, hideous monsters, and a host of implacable foes, the investigators embark on a journey of discovery to face the ultimate horror. This is their story and yours to tell. Award Winning Long considered to be one of the finest and most engaging roleplaying campaigns ever written, Masks of Nyarlathotep won Best Roleplaying Adventure by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. This Call of Cthulhu roleplaying classic is a series of linked adventures forming one unforgettable campaign. Beginning in Peru in 1921, an exciting prologue to the campaign introduces the investigators to Jackson Elias, the charming author whose research uncovers a sinister plot. Ultimately, the investigations follow the trail of the mysterious Carlyle Expedition, picking up clues in New York City in 1925 and then moving overseas to England, Egypt, Kenya, Western Australia, and China. With enemies at every turn, the path is fraught with danger. The Stars Are Right! Masks of Nyarlathotep has been comprehensively revised and updated for use with Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, but may also be run with the Pulp Cthulhu supplement.
673 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2018
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 10, 2019
Without a doubt, by my estimation, the best campaign book ever written for a role playing game. If you are interested in Call of Cthulhu and looking for something to do in game you can't do better than Masks of Nyarlathotep.
That said, diving into this one is not for beginning game masters. The complexity, even when you can see it all laid out before you, is astounding and getting it right will require a great deal of attention and finesse. A lot of experience with Call of Cthulhu may not be mandatory, but lots running games definitely is. If that's you, and you're looking to put your players in more peril than they will know what to do with, then this one's for you. Your gaming group will be talking about this one for, well, forever.
Highly, highly recommended.
That said, diving into this one is not for beginning game masters. The complexity, even when you can see it all laid out before you, is astounding and getting it right will require a great deal of attention and finesse. A lot of experience with Call of Cthulhu may not be mandatory, but lots running games definitely is. If that's you, and you're looking to put your players in more peril than they will know what to do with, then this one's for you. Your gaming group will be talking about this one for, well, forever.
Highly, highly recommended.
September 26, 2022
Maestosa campagna per salvare il mondo. Epica, complessa e mortale come deve essere.
Anche solo la lettura ne vale il prezzo.
Anche solo la lettura ne vale il prezzo.
February 12, 2021
This is arguably THE classic RPG campaign, not just for Call of Cthulhu but for ANY system!
I've read and loved every incarnation of this campaign, but this version, now revised for the 7E rules, is SUPERB.
The level of care and dedication is obvious, and they certainly didn't scrimp on the art and production values!
Addiotionally, they've filled in some missing holes in this edition that people asked for (Most notably an exiting prelude to invest players in the macguffin that starts the campaign).
As the years pass and more of my gaming goes online (especially now with Vivid running rampant!) I'm becoming more digital, but this is a book that I'm happy to have on my shelves, in a spot of honor.
***
Update 02-12-21: I've now completed running my current group thru the NY chapter, and can confirm that this edition really pulls the strings together much better than previoys editions. With the introduction of Hilton Adams as a thru-line, it really invested the players in finding out the truth, even more than Jackson Elias. (Elias main link is to the Carlyle Expedition, not to the specific cult/ events in New York.)
As an aside, we made great use of the "Harlem Unbound" supplement. Not only a fascinating read, but a great reference/ source of inspiration for the NY chapter of Masks.
I've read and loved every incarnation of this campaign, but this version, now revised for the 7E rules, is SUPERB.
The level of care and dedication is obvious, and they certainly didn't scrimp on the art and production values!
Addiotionally, they've filled in some missing holes in this edition that people asked for (Most notably an exiting prelude to invest players in the macguffin that starts the campaign).
As the years pass and more of my gaming goes online (especially now with Vivid running rampant!) I'm becoming more digital, but this is a book that I'm happy to have on my shelves, in a spot of honor.
***
Update 02-12-21: I've now completed running my current group thru the NY chapter, and can confirm that this edition really pulls the strings together much better than previoys editions. With the introduction of Hilton Adams as a thru-line, it really invested the players in finding out the truth, even more than Jackson Elias. (Elias main link is to the Carlyle Expedition, not to the specific cult/ events in New York.)
As an aside, we made great use of the "Harlem Unbound" supplement. Not only a fascinating read, but a great reference/ source of inspiration for the NY chapter of Masks.
February 12, 2023
MASKS OF NYARLATHOTEP is a massive game module that is best really reviewed in two parts with a review of the first version of it, published in 1984 and the revised version published in 2018. It's widely considered to be the greatest adventure module of all time and with good reason because it provided a globe-trotting Indiana Jones-esque epic to save the world from the many faces of Nyarlathotep's cults. I'm actually someone who listened to and enjoyed the audio drama adaptation published by the HP Lovecraft Historical Society.
The premise is basically there's an English/American band of adventurers, sort of Anti-Investigators, who have made a deal with Nyarlathotep to bring about the end of the world by summoning his avatars and doing generic Mythos things to awaken the Great Old Ones. Nyarlathotep has cheated all but one of them, though, because he's a dick. The PCs are thus required to try to thwart all of Nyarlathotep's various schemes in hopes of preventing his bringing about the apocalypse.
The game is functional enough but actually suffers from the fact that what made it so broadly appealing is also what makes it a tougher Call of Cthulhu adventure. A bunch of doddering old academics and spiritualists are not going to be able to do this module. No, this needs Doc Savage, Indiana Jones, and Brendon Fraiser's character from THE MUMMY to pull this off as you will be going through a lot of cultists who just want to shoot you.
There's also the fact that the original module didn't necessarily age well as there's a great deal of "sinister foreigner and their evil gods" going on, which the people at Chaosium seem to have agreed with as the revised version going into a much deeper analysis of the cultures the PCs visit as well as touch on themes of imperialism. It's mostly, though, "Yeah, the local Egyptians and African folk hate the cults of Nyarlathotep too" but that isn't nothing.
Mostly, it's a little too lethal for my tastes but is probably perfect for Pulp Cthulhu rules.
The premise is basically there's an English/American band of adventurers, sort of Anti-Investigators, who have made a deal with Nyarlathotep to bring about the end of the world by summoning his avatars and doing generic Mythos things to awaken the Great Old Ones. Nyarlathotep has cheated all but one of them, though, because he's a dick. The PCs are thus required to try to thwart all of Nyarlathotep's various schemes in hopes of preventing his bringing about the apocalypse.
The game is functional enough but actually suffers from the fact that what made it so broadly appealing is also what makes it a tougher Call of Cthulhu adventure. A bunch of doddering old academics and spiritualists are not going to be able to do this module. No, this needs Doc Savage, Indiana Jones, and Brendon Fraiser's character from THE MUMMY to pull this off as you will be going through a lot of cultists who just want to shoot you.
There's also the fact that the original module didn't necessarily age well as there's a great deal of "sinister foreigner and their evil gods" going on, which the people at Chaosium seem to have agreed with as the revised version going into a much deeper analysis of the cultures the PCs visit as well as touch on themes of imperialism. It's mostly, though, "Yeah, the local Egyptians and African folk hate the cults of Nyarlathotep too" but that isn't nothing.
Mostly, it's a little too lethal for my tastes but is probably perfect for Pulp Cthulhu rules.
February 23, 2024
This thing is a beast! Can't wait to run it.
December 12, 2019
One of the Greatest RPG Adventures ever made.
July 14, 2020
This isn't really the place for reviews of RPG campaigns, but this book is a phenomenal achievement and exceptionally well put together.
September 23, 2024
Having read and played through the original, this update to a classic campaign is just fantastic. The story is still 100% as it was with minor and welcome changes. Handouts are great. the slipcase set is really high quality. If you are a Call of Cthulhu fan and have never played this, then I highly recommend it.
February 11, 2024
I played the 1st Edition of Masks in the 80s. I ran the 3rd Edition in the 90s and early 2000s. Just finished reading the new, 5th edition. And it keeps getting more and more awesome. Best RPG adventure/ campaign Ever!
January 7, 2023
Still pulpier than I am happy with, but a good effort is made to update this one. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
July 20, 2024
2 1/2 years
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews