Show Notes
In this episode, Jon and Seth talk about our favorite grave-mold covered cannibals... ghouls!
Episode Sponsor: The Great American Dynasty We want to thank author Keller O'Leary and Space Cat Publishing for sponsoring this episode. Check out "The Great American Dynasty," a true-blue, red-blooded, modern-day Call of Cthulhu scenario! Investigators are tasked with retrieving old files hidden in the home of a fellow "society" member who passed away from (seemingly) natural causes. The scenario blends iconic American folklore together with Lovecraftian Mythos to weave a story with roots long predating the founding of the American colonies. Can your investigators survive a terror that's over 600 years in the making? The Great American Dynasty is a three-part mystery filled with abductions, body horror, mutilations, and violence. Also, be on the lookout for Space Cat Publishings next scenario, "The Curse of Punk," where you explore the terrifying underbelly of punk society in the 1980s. The Great American Dynasty: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/453708/the-great-american-dynasty-a-call-of-cthulhu-scenario?affiliate_id=51821
Ghoul Lore: Arabic - lurked in cemeteries and uninhabited places
male : ghoul female: ghoulla
Could take on a pleasing shape to lure people. Some could transform into hyenas. Canine features. Light causes pain. Could transform to last person they devoured. Some legend was born looking human, then transformed when older (changeling)
Edgar Allen Poe (one of Lovecraft's literary heroes) wrote of ghoul in his poems The Bells and Ulalume
Introduced to the west in 1700s when One Thousand & One Nights translate into french
Modern audiences associate them with undead - possibly to George Romero Night of the living dead calling them ghouls
Literary Sources: Pickman's Model, by H. P. Lovecraft (written 1926)
The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, by H. P. Lovecraft (written 1927)
The Dwellers Under the Tomb, by Robert E. Howard (first published in 1976, 30 years after his death, possible sequel to The Children of the Night (1931))
The Charnal God, by Clark Ashton Smith (first published in 1937)
Amina, by Edward Lucas White (first published in 1907)
Down in the Delta, by Adam Scott Glancy (posted to DriveThruRPG in 2018)
Down in the Delta: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/236934/delta-green-down-in-the-delta?affiliate_id=51821
Ghoul Combat in Call of Cthulhu: Bullets do half damage (rubbery skin?)
3 attacks (with Bonus die to multiple attacks on a target, this can become overwhelming)
Special Bite and Hold maneuver - (opposed STR (80 avg) or 1d4 per round)
Ghoul Game Hooks/Ideas: NPC is ghoul raised by humans
PC is a ghoul raised by humans
How to play a ghoul "fighting the urge" to feed
Ghoul Call of Cthulhu Scenarios: There are a ton of scenarios that feature ghouls. The Yog-Sothoth.com wiki is a living resource that really helped with today's topic. Some of the more notable scenarios include: Paper Chase
Pickman's Student
The Auction
The Lurker in the Crypt
The Madman
Thoth's Dagger
The Fog of War
Wail of the Witch
Crimson Letters
If you're interested in checking out the full list of ghoul scenarios, please join the Yog-Sothoth.com community so you too can check out their amazing wiki. I believe the list is primarily scenarios where ghouls have a major role, and not every scenario with a possible ghoul encounter. I did not see the Paris chapter of the Horror on the Orient Express campaign listed, or the introductory chapter of the Spawn of Azathoth campaign listed, or my Age of Cthulhu scenario, The Timeless Sands of India. So, a list of scenarios that include any instance of a ghoul is much-much larger. Sandy Petersen YouTube on Ghouls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVaJ7nca3lI
Special Thanks to Bret Kramer and the amazing resources available at Yog-Sothoth.com.
Miskatonic Repository Con: Don't miss the 5th Annual Miskatonic
More from Modern Mythos with Jon and Seth
Please consider supporting Modern Mythos by joining the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/modern_mythos Seth and Jon are joined by Poul Holmelund, author of The Horror, an amazing Call of Cthulhu scenario that utilizes the Kidthulhu rules originally published in the Halloween scenario, The Dare. The Horror is set on the Danish island of Bornholm. It's the 1980s, and the players are kids on a camping trip on the island, when a dark force, originally entombed by the Knights Templar, escapes! And only the kids are able to re-imprison or destroy it! All this and cake too, (seriously)!!! Purchase The Horror on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/578676/the-horror?ruleSystem=10103-call-of-cthulhu&format=1000031-digital?affiliate_id=51821
Seth and Jon meet in an undisclosed location to discuss games that emphasize keeping the Mythos secret. Can you keep a secret?
Innsmouth, Massachusetts -- a rotting, isolated, and semi-abandoned New England seaport. * * * Seth and Jon are joined by Mike Mason, Chaosium's Creative Director of Call of Cthulhu, as we tour the new Innsmouth sourcebook, available now! Call of Cthulhu: Innsmouth: https://www.chaosium.com/blogout-now-the-longawaited-call-of-cthulhu-innsmouth/ Modern Mythos Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/modern_mythos As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/ @darkestthickets.bsky.social
In this episode Seth and Jon take a closer look at The Year of the Goat, a massive anthology of twelve Call of Cthulhu scenarios in a variety of time periods. Today we're talking to Antonio Marchena, Matt "Doc" Tracy, and Evan Perlman. Antonio Marchena's very first published scenario is THE HOUSE OF FLESH, a modern scenario that emulates the kinds of horrors seen in movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The House of 1000 Corpses. Doc Tracy authored MOTHER, MAIDEN, CRONE, a scenario of difficult choices set in the 90's. Evan Perlman partnered with Heinrich Moore as a Project Manager on this amazing and ambitious project. THE YEAR OF THE GOAT: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/567850/the-year-of-the-goat ++++++++++++++++ As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/ @darkestthickets.bsky.social
Episode 59 Sponsor: Daniel Harila Carlsen! Thank you, Daniel, for sponsoring this episode. Daniel is an aspiring illustrator, RPG writer, and graphic designer based in Oslo, Norway. He's versatile in a variety of physical mediums and design technologies. He invites you to check out his portfolio and consider him for your next TTRPG project. Portfolio: https://danielharilacarlsen.myportfolio.com/ Daniel illustrated the Tiger Princess of Treacherous Tripura, currently on Backerkit. We'll include some music composed by Michael Sollien for that fantasy RPG campaign at the end of the show. Backerkit: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mudknight-media/the-tiger-princess-of-treacherous-tripura * * * Keris McDonald is the lead editor for the Cthulhu by Gaslight line for Chaosium. Her first project is Dust and Blood, a scenario book for Cthulhu by Gaslight. And she's shaping Gaslight's first major campaign, The Curse of Seven, into its final stage to prepare it for publication. Included in Dust and Blood are two scenarios, Ashes to Ashes, and Signs Writ in Scarlet. Ashes to Ashes: The investigators are assumed to be working-class employees at Lange's Dust Yard, a disposal center for the city's trash. All in the yard is not as it seems, and death looms cloaked in a cloud of dust. Signs Writ in Scarlet: Set in London's East End, the investigators are drawn to solve the mystery of a series of murders. The brutally murdered victims each bear a strange glyph etched into flesh. Dust and Blood: https://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu-by-gaslight-dust-and-blood-hardcover/?searchid=0&search_query=dust+and+blood * * * Both Mike and Keris also edit and guide Call of Cthulhu products so they are ready for publication, including the new Pulp Cthulhu scenario book, Clockworks and Claws. The scenarios included are Of Clockwork & Clay, and Wolf Among the Flock. Of Clockwork & Clay: Following a break-in at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, the heroes search for a stolen artifact, but the thief is no simple villain! A secret formula, a devilish device, and all manner of villains provide a mystery brimming with intrigue and mayhem. Nothing is what it seems in this race against time to stop a scientist's maniacal scheme. Wolf Among the Flock: The heroes are invited to the funeral of a revered naturalist couple, killed in a tragic accident with one of their own animals in the zoo they managed. But is the beast really to blame? Or, is there something else lurking in the zoo, waiting for its chance to run wild and kill again? [At the time of this episode's publication, the Chaosium site has not been updated to offer Clockworks and Claws.] * * * As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website, and please consider joining his Patreon account. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/ http://thickets.net/ @darkestthickets.bsky.social