Reign of Cthulhu

2016 · Novel-based

Reign of Cthulhu

Investigators race to find and seal portals before ancient cosmic beings, the Old Ones, return to the world. Players travel between classic New England towns, close portals, and dismantle cults while confronting monsters that spread chaos and push characters toward madness. Gameplay follows cooperative, role-driven mechanics: players use actions to move, close portals, fight monsters, and manage resources, while event and threat decks escalate the crisis and each Old One introduces unique powers. The group wins by sealing all portals or loses if too many portals open, investigators go insane, or an Old One awakens.

Players
2–4 best 4
Playing time
40 min
Age
14+
Complexity
2.2 / 5
7.4 on Ludoyafrom $43.99HorrorCooperative GamePoint to Point MovementAction Points

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
118
Plays logged
151
Players
57m 2s
Average play
81
In collections
7
On wishlists

7.4/10

from 34 Ludoya reviews

  • Jan Solo8.9

    Juego cooperativo en el que se deberán sellar 4 portales de cuatro localizaciones diferentes para evitar que Cthulhu se manifieste. En el camino tratarán de no perder la cordura y de contener a los sectarios que se propagan por todo el territorio.

  • Mestremuten8.0

    Rating: 4/5 Production value: 3/4 Is the game in my collection/Love to have?: 1/1

  • Benjamín Amorín8.0

    Beautiful and very thematic version of Pandemic. Cthulhu fans will enjoy it really hard!

Read the reviews and rate it

Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

How do I move — what's the difference between Walk, Take the Bus, and Use a Gate?

Walk moves you along connecting lines to an adjacent location; Take the Bus is done from a bus station by discarding Clue cards as specified to move within or between towns; Use a Gate moves you from one gate location to another (you cannot move to/from sealed gates) and any gate movement requires a Sanity roll after completing it (p.6).

Do I have to be in the same space to defeat cultists or seal a gate, and what do those actions cost?

Yes — you must be at the location: Defeat a Cultist is a 1-action to remove one cultist, Defeat a Shoggoth costs 3 actions (all on the same turn) and grants a Relic when defeated, and Seal a Gate is a special action where you discard five matching Clue cards to place the Seal token and remove one cultist from each location in that town (pp.6–7).

What happens if I draw an Evil Stirs card during my card draw?

When you draw an Evil Stirs, resolve it immediately by (1) rolling the Sanity die, (2) revealing the next Old One, (3) placing a Shoggoth using the bottom Summoning card, and (4) reshuffling the Summoning discard pile onto the top of the Summoning deck; Evil Stirs cards are removed from the game after resolution, and if you draw two you resolve these steps twice (p.7).

How does Summoning work and when do awakening rituals occur?

In the Summoning step flip as many Summoning cards as the current summoning rate and place a cultist on each named location; if a location already has three cultists (or a Shoggoth cannot be placed), an awakening ritual occurs and you reveal the next Old One (p.8).

When do I roll the Sanity die and what happens if I go insane?

You roll the Sanity die after using a gate, after resolving a Relic, when entering (or a Shoggoth enters) a location with a Shoggoth, and as the first step of an Evil Stirs card; die results cause sanity loss or add cultists, and if you lose all sanity you flip to your insane side (fewer actions and a changed ability) — sealing a gate or certain effects can return you to sane as described in the rules (p.9, p.12).

How do we win or lose the game?

You win immediately when all four gates are sealed; you lose if the last Old One (Cthulhu) awakens, there are not enough cultists or Shoggoths to place when required, you cannot draw two Player cards when instructed, or all players are insane (pp.3, 9).

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.