UK Games Expo - Chaosium says Thanks!

A message from Mike Mason, Call of Cthulhu line editor and co-author of Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition - winner of Best RPG award at UK Games Expo 2016:

The UK Games Expo is over, and the Chaosium team would like to extend our thanks to the Expo organisers, our indefatigable booth team, the players and referees in the Cthulhu Masters event and all the other Call of Cthulhu games going on at the conventions, and the literally thousands of Chaosium fans who visited our booth over the course of the weekend.

Back in 2008, Paul Fricker and I began working on an updated rule set for Call of Cthulhu with the blessing of Chaosium. Little did we know that it would take eight years to see this project manifest into a reality. It has been a long and crazy road that eventually led me to accepting the award for Best Roleplaying Game at UK Games Expo 2016 last weekend. 

People often ask how I got my start in the games industry and my reply is usually a description of the various things I did to build experience, attract attention, and develop relationships. Sometimes I forget to say the most important contributing factor, which is… determination. 

Without determination, I would never have published a Call of Cthulhu fanzine, started the Kult of Keepers, organized the first UK Call of Cthulhu National Tournament, or (importantly) ran my first convention game. I would never have put myself forward to land the Black Industries Manager job at Games Workshop, helping to design Dark Heresy and release a very successful series of books. And, I would never have talked to Chaosium about designing a new edition of Call of Cthulhu. In short, without some determination, nothing gets done.

The ups and downs of bringing Call of Cthulhu 7th edition is part of the public record and so there’s no need to describe that all here, suffice to say that I think I can claim the prize for most hours worked on the project. Long evenings writing and editing, long hours commissioning art, and long days sat with Nick Nacario redesigning the layout. I couldn't begin to estimate how many times I’ve read through the manuscript but it must be in the hundreds. 

Along the way, I’ve always been encouraged by the people that matter most – the players. Whether old friends or new, many have helped to sculpt the game and their feedback was golden. You know who you are and there are simply too many of you to thank individually here. The end result is a collaboration of designers, artists, and writers, each bringing their own skills to the fore. This conflagration of talent is what makes publishing and designing games such a cool place to be. 

Of all the people who have touched Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, there are two who stand out. My co-writer and designer, Paul Fricker, whose insight is always refreshing and whose stubbornness is equal to my own; we shared a common vision and were fortunate enough to make that vision a reality. 

And then there’s a guy called Sandy Petersen. Without Sandy there would be no Call of Cthulhu and no 7th edition. Our debt to him is eternal. 

Being presented the award for Best Roleplaying Game is an honor and a vindication of the work that went into making 7th edition. Being a popular vote, the award is all the more special and my thanks go to everyone who voted. I always knew Call of Cthulhu was the best roleplaying game but it’s grand to have everyone else say that too. The game is now “in the wild” and in the hands of players around the world. It’s your game now. Go have fun.

Mike Mason

June 2016