Chaosium to release Folklorists, a new roleplaying game in mid-2027
Posted by Michael O'Brien on 31st Oct 2026
Gdańsk, Poland: October 30th, 2026. For Immediate Release.
Today at Chaosium Con EU in Gdańsk, Poland, renowned game publisher Chaosium announced the forthcoming release of a new tabletop roleplaying game themed about investigators in the 1860s discovering the dark truths behind folk tales and myths.
Folklorists was written by Ennie-winning game designer Pedro Ziviani, illustrated by Martyna Starczewska, edited by Steffie de Vaan, and layout done by Adam Szelążek. It has been in development at Chaosium for over a decade, and has been extensively playtested and demonstrated at conventions worldwide.
Gameplay consists of investigation in a sequence of scenes, uncovering clues, and determining the best means of dealing with the myth, all the while with a card-based countdown. Once the investigation is complete, the folklorists must confront the myth and determine if their theories are correct. If successful, the myth is defeated or neutralized, and if they are incorrect, they must suffer the consequences. From there, the folklorists must devise a new version of the folk story that serves as a cautionary tale to future generations.
Using a deck of common playing cards as a storytelling tool, sessions of Folklorists can be played within two hours with no preparation. It handles groups as small as 2 and as large as 6 players, and the only other things needed are note cards or paper, and a half-dozen tokens of any type. Though traditional play involves a gamemaster, it includes solo and gamemasterless rules as well.
Pedro describes the inception of Folklorists in his introduction:
“I ran an improvised game for my fellow folkloristics students in which we collaborated to create stories based on fairy tale motifs with cards drawn from a deck. It was a huge hit. Everyone enjoyed creating fairy tales together through play. It was then that I had the idea to create a roleplaying game that would make learning about authentic folklore from around the world fun while also allowing for a creative new retelling of myths to emerge through play. A few weeks later, I had completed the first draft of Folklorists.”
The book will go into general release in mid-2027 and be available for purchase at chaosium.com and gaming stores everywhere.
To stay up to date with Folklorist news and get sneak previews of this exciting new game, please join the mailing list at https://chaosium.link/flkjoinlist.
About Chaosium:
Founded by visionary game designer Greg Stafford in 1975, Chaosium has captivated gamers, readers, and mythic adventurers for more than 50 years. Its award-winning roleplaying games, board games, and fiction include RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon, and Basic Roleplaying, as well as classic board and card games such as White Bear & Red Moon, Arkham Horror, Credo, and Horror on the Orient Express The Board Game.