Masks of Nyarlathotep - PDF

"When Masks first came out [in 1984], it was the best. In the years since, rivals to the throne appeared. The new edition vanquishes them. Masks of the Nyarlathotep is the best. Full stop."

— Vintage RPG, Masks of the Nyarlathotep - Vol 2 Review.

"For something which had already established itself early on as an rpg classic, Chaosium have gone and ratcheted-up this one to 11."

— Whispers from the Ghooric Zone, The Lovecraftian Thing a Day (2018) No.182: The Masks of Nyarlathotep.

"...this new edition of Masks will set the bar for roleplaying campaigns for some time to come... the new Masks of Nyarlathotep is everything that fans of Call of Cthulhu would want from an update of one of the most compelling RPG campaigns ever written. For players it will be a defining experience of what an RPG can be, offering an immersive, multi-faceted adventure into the heart of both cosmic and human darkness. For Keepers, the book is meticulously researched and provides all the resources and tips for running this holy grail of campaigns."

— Games vs Play, First look review – Masks of Nyarlathotep 5th Edition.

"The Greatest Roleplaying Campaign Ever? If Masks of Nyarlathotep is the campaign by which all other Call of Cthulhu campaigns are measured, then Masks of Nyarlathotep: Dark Schemes Herald the End of the World just raised the bar."

— Reviews from R'lyeh, The Greatest Roleplaying Campaign Ever?.

"Should you get Masks?... This will be an adventure you and your RPG friends will be talking about 20-30 years after the event. If you played Masks years ago and want to play it again, yes. The best commercially available RPG scenario has got better."

— The British Fantasy Society, Masks of Nyarlathotep: Call of Cthulhu. RPG review.

"The fifth edition design team of Mike Mason, Lynne Hardy, Paul Fricker, and Scott Dorward has managed to the unexpected; they have released an edition of Masks of Nyarlathotep that actually improves upon the original. This is the same thrilling--and often terrifying--Masks that you know and love, but in every measurable way it surpasses any iteration before it. It looks better, reads better, and with massive amounts of support for the Keeper, runs better. If you play Call of Cthulhu, you need to own it. If you don't play Call of Cthulhu, now is the time to start. Masks of Nyarlathotep once again sets the standard for what a complex, lengthy RPG campaign should look like, and with products like these Chaosium reminds us exactly why it is as storied an institution as it is. Masks is a classic car rebuilt from the ground up with modern parts and the original's soul."

— Andrew Logan Montgomery, Exploring the Otherworlds of Fiction, Magic, and Gaming, Masks of Nyarlathotep Review.

"HOLY COW! You took the time and made this thing amazing… The 7th edition Masks of Nyarlathotep is an phenomenal product."

— Throat Punch Games, Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Masks of Nyarlathotep.

"…a grand campaign that spans the globe as players go searching for the lost Carlyle Expedition by chasing down clues in newspaper clippings, photographs, and other resources. The campaign lets the players determine their direction and while it has a deadly reputation, it’s one that most fans of Call of Cthulhu remember fondly as they talk about how they died or went insane."

— Geek & Sundry, 6 Monster-hunting RPGS that kick undead butt.

"...blends the globetrotting pulp momentum of an Indiana Jones movie with the dark cults and uncaring gods of the Cthulhu Mythos… It’s good to see a fan favorite campaign back after all these years."

— Geek & Sundry, The Best of 2018's Tabletop Roleplaying Games.

"Everyone should play Masks of Nyarlathotep. It's one of the best roleplaying campaigns ever written - and now it's easier than ever to play."

— The Vintage Podcast, Masks of Nyarlathotep (Again).

"A touchstone campaign for Call of Cthulhu, much as the original Ravenloft adventure is for Dungeons & Dragons."

— Refereeing & Reflection, The Greater Festival of Masks.

"No - This Is A Rite Of Passage... Those who make it to the end of the campaign will look back with a mixture of trepidation, disbelief, and pride. In-game, the world will never learn of the investigator’s sacrifices. Round the table, the rose-tinted esprit de corps will linger for an age. 5 Stars"

— Zatu Games, Masks of Nyarlathotep Slipcase Review.

“Masks of Nyarlathotep remains one of the greatest RPG supplements of all time.”

— Grimdark Magazine, Review: Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: Masks of Nyarlathotep.

"...a milestone for Call of Cthulhu and for RPG campaigns. It expanded our ideas of what roleplaying game adventures could be and raised the standards for the industry and the RPG art form."

— The New York Review of Science Fiction, Lisa Padol., Masks of Nyarlathotep Review.

"...the holy grail of horror, and in my opinion the best, most frightening, atmospheric, awesomely realized campaign for any game."

— Dennis Detwiller, Tips on running Masks of Nyarlathtep.

"Considered by many the War and Peace of roleplaying, Masks of Nyarlathotep changed the way in which roleplaying campaign were designed. It coupled a complex, non-linear plot with such an incredible amount of historical detail and invention that made the experience of playing it an absolute delight and, in many ways, a life-changing experience."

— AuthorsDB.com, Featured Author: Larry DiTillio.

"...widely considered one of the best RPG adventures ever made"

— Gizmodo, Call Of Cthulhu Was The First Role-Playing Game To Drive People Insane.

"So shockingly revolutionary in its design and ahead of its time in 1984, that forty years later most of the industry is still incapable of replicating its success... to exaggerate only slightly: Before Masks of Nyarlathotep, you could either design a dungeon or you could design a plot. After Masks, RPGs had taken their first step into a wider world."

— Justin Alexander, Scroll for Initiative, From the experts: the greatest RPG adventures of all time.

“What really sets Masks… aside is its sheer scale. The Investigators are up against the machinations of the Dark God in a globe-spanning campaign where the future of the world itself is at stake. If being involved in that doesn’t give you a feeling of importance there’s something wrong with you. Chaosium made a real statement of intent about its future releases here showing that they are prepared to push the envelope of production quality, regardless of price, to give their customers something of the best possibly quality and value. Masks of Nyarlathotep is the exemplar.”

— chaosiana, MASKS OF NYARLATHOTEP review.

“Some of the best tabletop fun I've ever had. A lot of work, to be sure, but also a better education about storytelling than any creative writing class I'd taken.”

— J.M. Cooper, What Cthulhu Taught me about Plotting.

“The Gold Standard of Investigative Horror. No campaign looms larger over investigative horror than Masks of Nyarlathotep (1984). Set across multiple continents, it offered non-linear storytelling, time pressure, and consequences that rippled from one chapter to the next. Its massive legacy shapes everything from The Enemy Within to Eternal Lies. And yes, it’s still devastatingly lethal. But in the best way.”

— Quest Portal blog, Ten TTRPG Adventures That Changed the World.