Four decks of reference cards that will enhance your Call of Cthulhu experience!
What's Inside
The Call of Cthulhu Keeper Decks are a set of four decks, each covering a different aspect of the game. Using these in conjunction with the Keeper Rulebook or Call of Cthulhu Starter Set will speed up play, and enhance your experience of eldritch horror.
The Phobia Deck
This deck of 46 cards details a selection of the phobias and manias found in the Keeper Rulebook. They can be used as quick-reference cards for your players when their investigators acquire a new affliction. Additionally, this deck includes summary cards for each of the Bouts of Madness—the stressful side effects of lost Sanity!
The Curious Characters Deck
Each card of this deck contains all the game and backstory elements for a unique Call of Cthulhu character. They can be used to generate NPCs on the fly, inspire scenarios, and at a pinch can be used as player characters. Each card also has a black and white portrait, entrenching them in the signature setting of the 1920s.
The Unfortunate Events Deck
The essential tool for Call of Cthulhu Keepers penning their own scenarios. The cards in the Unfortunate Events Deck are a series of moments, scenes, and plot points that can be introduced at random, given to players in secret at the table, and of course used to spark a brand new Call of Cthulhu story.
The Weapons and Artifacts Deck
Perfect for use with new players, The Weapons and Artifacts Deck contains the rules for a selection of traditional weapons and Mythos items found in the Keeper Rulebook. When players find items during the course of play, simply provide them with a copy of the card and they’ll have all the information at the ready without having to transcribe from a book.
Enhance Your Experience
Sold separately, the Malleus Monstrorum Keeper Deck provides over 60 monsters on handy tarot-sized cards for quick reference. Add more interest to your gaming table with gorgeously illustrated cards with all relevant information at your fingertips!
Learn more about the Malleus Monstrorum Keeper Deck here.
What The Critics Say
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I am a big fan of adding visuals in a game… having something to help the imagination and focus is warmly welcome.
— Antonios S., RPGNet Review - Call of Cthulhu Keeper Decks.
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PDF Product Name: [Call of Cthulhu Keeper Decks - PDF]
PDF Product Link: [/call-of-cthulhu-keeper-decks-pdf/]
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- Publisher:
- Chaosium
- Year Released:
- 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781568821634
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Nice Idea, not on par with 7E quality
I found the idea of having some visual aids on hand appealing especially when playing with new players so I bought the deck. I expected one or two illustrations to not be that great but I just went with what the reviews here made me believe. Looking at the PDFs though made me realize that the quality of the artworks is absolutely disappointing in many cases and makes me feel like I should have rather spent my money on something else. The best and most usable part is the "Curious Characters" deck. The photographs are nice (with 2 or 3 exceptions that are pretty obviously modern shots of people in costume/cosplay). Yes, this can be useful to quickly come up with an NPC and the quality is fine. This makes it a 2 star rating. The "Unfortunate Events" deck is okay-ish but some of the illustrations are pretty bad and some are clearly depicting modern day scenes and not something from the 1920s/30s. I also doubt the actual use since you can't really have the cards open on the table when some of the events should rather be played out than just openly presented to all players. You can't turn them over face down since both sides reveal the actual content. At best you can give the card to a player in secret. The "Weapons & Artifacts" deck is a wild mix of objects through the decades - depicted in sometimes quite action-led scenes that distract from the objects. Some of the illustrations are okay other look rather amateurish. Coming to the low point of the set: the "Phobia" deck. These illustrations look rather like fan art of an amateur or at best some concept sketches. Not just that: the deck has the same issues as the "Unfortunate Events" deck as most of these Phobias shouldn't be handed out openly, they should be played out. Overall the illustrations through the decks do not have a consistent style and I rather have the impression that it is a wild mix of available materials quickly put into a product. Considering the beautiful illustrations found in Sandy Petersen's "Field Guide To Lovecraftian Horrors" or the "Malleus Monstrorum" (which should have more illustrations but the ones that ARE in there are really amazing), considering the beautiful art works on the covers and inside of various 7E books, the quality of the Keeper Decks are extremely disappointing. We know it can be done better judging by those newer illustrations. What I would have loved to see (and probably would have spent quite a ridiculous sum on) are tokens and asset cards with illustrations that have the quality of the latest Cthulhu inspired Tarot deck that got funded on Kickstarter or maybe something of the quality of MTG cards. Illustrations with a consistent style, noch backsides revealing everything, maybe even stylized on beautiful black cards with some golden line art as a special edition? I basically agree with everything "Antonios S" wrote in his review - which got quoted here in a way that wildly misleads buyers who don't click on the actual review link. That mistake is on me. I hope others won't make my mistake and know exactly what they are buying so that they won't be as disappointed as I am now.
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Keeper Decks
These are great! You can give visual aids for weapons or phobias to the players. The "curious characters" deck contains a nice variety of choices for either NPCs or replacement PCs. The "unfortunate events" deck has numerous cool ways to mess with the investigators. The artwork in all the decks is fantastic.
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Nicely done, will prove useful when running campaign.
As stated above, the decks are nicely laid out and will be of great assistance with running campaign.
