Cthulhu Wars

FACTIONS
Each player takes on the role of Great Cthulhu (green), the Crawling Chaos (blue), Black Goat (red), or
the Yellow Sign (yellow). Each faction has 15-18 figures, 6 spellbooks, and a faction card that includes
his unique data, plus a cool picture of his Great Old One. All factions have Cultists, 2-3 types of
Monsters, and at least one Great Old One.
The only unit shared between factions are the Cultists. All Monsters and Great Old Ones are unique to
each faction. Thus, only the Cthulhu faction has access to Shoggoths. In addition, each faction has a
unique ability and set of 6 unique spellbooks, which are, in turn, earned by performing a set of unique
achievements.

TURN STRUCTURE
1) Gather Power
2) Determine First Player
3) Action Rounds
4) Cleanup

Gather Power
The players scan the map and determine how much Power they will have for the upcoming turn.
Players earn Power for Cultists and controlled Gates. There are a few other ways to gain Power, but
Cultists + Gates are the lion's share.

Determine First Player

Whoever has the most Power is First Player.

Action Rounds
Each player can take one (1) Action during each Action round. Each action has a cost, often 1, but
ranging from 0 up to 10 or more. For instance, recruiting a new cultist costs 1 Power. Awakening Shub-
Niggurath costs 8. Players continue performing Actions, and spending Power until all players are down
to zero Power. You are not allowed to "pass" during the Action phase - you MUST take an Action.
SPELLBOOKS
One of the main driving forces of the game are the spellbooks. On a players faction card are six spaces
with requirements listed. For instance, For instance, Cthulhu gains a spellbook the first time he kills an
enemy unit in Combat. Black Goat gains a spellbook for sacrificing two of her own cultists.
When a player fulfills one of these requirements, he immediately earns one of his 6 spellbooks, and
now has access to that spellbook for the rest of the game. The spellbooks can be taken in any order, and
a players decision as to which spellbooks he wants first is a major part of game strategy.
Each spellbook gives the player a unique benefit. Some spellbooks create ongoing effects. For instance,
Black Goat's Frenzy spellbook grants her Cultists a Combat value. Some spellbooks give the player a
new Action only he can perform. Some spellbooks are critical to a faction's future activities. Others are
merely nice perks.

COMBAT
Combat is not particularly lethal. Both sides roll dice equal to their units collective Combat total, then
check the dice for how many Kills and Pains are generated. The defender (as in Axis & Allies) picks
which units receive which results. Kills are removed from the board. Pained units must retreat into a
neighboring Area. One of the main functions of Battle is to clear out an area of enemy units so you can
take over a Gate they have built there.

VICTORY
The game features a Doom track, like a lot of other Lovecraft-themed games. However, in CTHULHU
WARS, you are trying to increase the Doom track, not thwart it. Each player has a token on the track,
and all are striving to reach the end of the track the first person to do so wins. Advancement on the
Doom track is done by performing the Ritual of Annihilation and gathering (confiscating?) Elder Signs.
GAME COMPLEXITY
The rules are not complex, but all the different abilities, monsters, and spellbooks give a lot of breadth.
The game's depth comes from the complex interactions of different factions. Knowing what enemy
factions can do, and mastering your own faction's possibilities is the path to victory.

GAME LENGTH
Depending on the number of players, and their experience with the game, a typical round takes about
90-120 minutes. Playing the final version of the game at CthulhuCon in early May, with completely
new players, we played the game to completion 5 times in about 9 hours.