Cthulhu Wars is a strategy boardgame in which the players take the part of alien races and gods taken from the Cthulhu mythos created by H. P. Lovecraft. The game is physically large, and includes sixty-four figurines of the cultists, monsters, aliens, and Great Old Ones that range in height from approximately 20 mm to nearly 180 mm.
The game takes place on a map of Earth. Each player takes the part of one of four factions included in the base game. At the start of a turn, players Gather Power, then, during a series of Action Rounds, they spend this Power to accomplish various tasks, such as recruiting Cultists, moving units, engaging in battle, summoning monsters, building Gates, casting spells, and Awakening their Great Old One. When all players run out of Power, the Action phase ends and the next turn begins. Victory is determined by accumulating points on the Doom Track. The first player to 30 is the lone victor *if* he has unlocked all six of spell books.
Driving the strategy are a player's wish to expand his power base, and his need to accomplish six tasks to acquire his faction's spell books. Each faction has a unique set of monsters, spell books, and special abilities, and has different requirements to acquire its spell books. All factions have multiple strategies open to them.
The base game supports 2-4 players (the map supports 5 players), but with new factions and maps released as expansions it can support up to 8 players.
CTHULHU WARS - How to Play
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
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- One Night Ultimate Werewolf Daybreak is a stand-alone expansion to, you guessed it, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, my second-favorite board game of all time.
- Cthulhu Wars by Sandy Petersen of Sandy Petersen Games is my favorite board game of all time.
- Daybreak doesn’t change any of the rules from the base game, what it does do is add a complete set of new character roles.
- This game has GREAT replay value. You can play it over and over and over again without getting bored of it.
- So that's Daybreak! The game where you learn just how well you can lie to your friends.
References (from this video)
- cthulhu
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- this area control game is worth playing just for the really cool cube tower
- this game is both character driven and epic in scale an absolute masterclass in making a thematic war game
- loading up and shunting your ships through the panama canal is a genuinely fascinating puzzle to solve
- the wacky tower in the middle of the board is far more than just a novelty it's a clever part of the game
- really popular title but space based does it better
- great writing but a gameplay loop that can be punishingly unfair
- some games you get on a roll and do really well others you'll die every other turn
- a very generic area control game that doesn't do anything badly but it doesn't do anything that well
- a reasonably good sequel to the original descent with one major flaw it encourages the overlord player to kill the same player over and over and over again
- an excellent lightweight tower defense game with a really innovative way in how it's presented
- all players being hidden in a hidden movement game is a genius idea but anomaly gets old really quick
- the set collection game operates like a family tree and i think that's a genius idea
- a great game idea led down by some terrible writing
References (from this video)
- Really fun
- Really good
- Nice solid game
- Cool fun elements
- Simple and fun mechanics
- Expensive
- Ran into financial issues with Kickstarters
- Might be tricky to find
- Cthulhu/Lovecraftian gods trying to take over the world
- Earth
- Blood Rage
- Gods of the Old World
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — area control gods of the old world what the heck is the name of that the eric lang design this plays a lot like that game um where you have your different cthulhu type of gods or lovecraft gods trying to do area control take over the world
- Asymmetrical play — asymmetrical work replacement or area control game
- miniatures — the miniatures are just enormous and just massive
Video topics + discussion points
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- this one yeah this is in my top 10 games of all time
- it's just really really fun like a pure ameritrash fun lots of dice rolling lots of just crazy stuff that happens
- it was too much at once for legacy game and it was just like you can find this in the bargain bins i've seen it there
- i would recommend showers brimstone one million percent over this
- the miniatures are just enormous and just massive
- my group and i did not like it whatsoever it has a lot of random stuff in it and to me it was just like just over the line on the randomness
- it's like i feel like i wasted my time
References (from this video)
- Popular game with a strong theme (Cthulhu)
- Designed by Sandy Petersen, a prominent figure in Cthulhu-themed games
- Sells well in retail
- Significant fulfillment issues with Kickstarter campaigns
- Long delays in shipping, sometimes years
- Questionable communication and fulfillment practices
- Customers are being asked to pay additional shipping fees
- Some backers are very angry and feel 'livid'
- Cosmic Horror
- Cthulhu Mythos
- Star Realms
- Eternal Odyssey
- Planet Apocalypse
- Hyperspace
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- miniature-heavy — Described as 'a big giant box with a bunch of miniatures in it'.
Video topics + discussion points
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- the White House plumbers with uh Woody Harris it was about Watergate
- that looked good
- it was a pretty funny if all this [ __ ] is like even somewhat true that happened in the series it was pretty wild what the [ __ ] happened
- she's still working man
- she's got like three or four credits every year
- I can't think of a movie I've seen her in in forever and for a while there she was in a ton of stuff
- 99 was a big year
- 97 was a big year
References (from this video)
- Long delays in delivery
- Project completion uncertain
- High shipping costs out of China due to pandemic
- Inventory sitting in warehouses incurring fees
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- I never I still haven't gotten my shipment well so that's weird man
- the Catalyst games Peterson games like uh buyou like fell through and nobody knows exactly what happened it's just it's a big giant um C fuffle that
- the path to us for finally completing and delivering the gods War I is coming into view in the next few weeks we are going to have a major announcement on this thank you for your continued patience in t that we realize it's been a frustrating journey
- hyperspace is you know we'll get to it eventually
- I think I got my highest score ever on H Gaia project the other day 100 and something
- when people go silent like completely silent and they don't say anything for months it's because they have no interest zero interest zero interest of actually completing what they're doing
- I hate forgetting [ ] I hate it I hate you st lits you're getting old I know but I hate it
- you know they they say if you're afraid of homosexuals that means that deep down inside you're homosexual and that worries me because I'm afraid of dogs
- Growing up I never would have believed that one day i' need a computer just to masturbate
- he did that so he'd have something if you're one of those people that complains that their CVS receipts are too long oh man you're gonna [ ] hate books
- it's good it's a perfect movie
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- glad to have all the stuff
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- I think what we have a situation is is that at the at the peak moment and I and I still think that that that the interest in designer board games is still climbing and I say designer board games and non-mass Market I think the interest in designer board games is still climbing it just isn't it isn't climbing the exponential rate that it was
- space and uh uh time kind of like works against you as a board game player collector as you gain more and more stuff to add to your collection you run out of stuff for places for that stuff you end up renting a uh a storage unit like I do
- enough is enough they they they have their 200 300 400 plus games in their collection they're looking at the the the shelves and their wall they realize just how much is there
- Publishers are also recognizing the fact that those things exist and the the market for what we create is changing
- give me one box that has all the stuff that I need to play this game and yeah that box might be huge but it's one box and it's all contained of that one thing
- I think we're getting away from that and and and also expansions for games just don't really come out that often anymore
- do you think that uh back in the day if you will like when Arkham Horror second edition came out and then there' be another box like the exact same size as the base box that would come out you know like Dunwich or or uh have to all the name miskatonic was an expansion
- I find kind of find it interesting that's the way the hobby is going
References (from this video)
- Gigantic miniatures are visually impressive.
- Full art standees are a good alternative to unpainted miniatures.
- Components are excessively large and expensive.
- The high cost may not be worth it for many players.
- May have contributed to the company'*s financial instability.
- Cthulhu Mythos
- Cthulhu Wars Duel
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- Good components can't save a bad game though a mediocre or good game is almost always improved by having better components
- The BGG solo Community... they will solo anything you could give them a hamburger and they're like we made a solo game out of it
- I think that components go a long way in you know elevating the experience the the cute novelty
- I think that if someone's like I don't care at all about the theme or the components then they're they're to a degree lying because if that were the case you'd just be playing spreadsheets
- The most intimate thing to me certainly is starts with the visuals
- Every production of castles of burgundy has felt like it has been made a worse game because of the components
- I think that it's definitely a theme that I haven't seen really mentioned other than briefly in board games where it's like just a thing that kind of happens to you during a civilization game
References (from this video)
- Fun
- Gigantic miniatures
- Cthulhu and his buddies have returned to Earth to war among themselves
- post-apocalyptic Earth
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control/War Game — Simple war game feel with battles and factions.
- Take That — Dirty tricks are part of the gameplay.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- My number 10, Cthulhu Wars.
- My number nine is a game that I played recently.
- My number eight is based, of course, on Tolkien.
- My number seven is Conan.
- My number six is a game that I actually haven't played this one in a while.
- My number five is from the great author Frank Herbert.
- My number four, getting back to HP Lovecraft, this is Cthulhu: Death May Die.
- My number three, also an HP Lovecraft game.
- My number two, back to Frank Herbert.
- Okay, before I say my number one, I have a number of honorable mentions here.
- All right, let's go ahead and take a look at my number one game based on a book or story.
- Well, ladies and gentlemen, those are my favorite games based on books and stories, my favorite literary games.
- What do you think? What are your favorite games based on books and stories?
- Please like this video and subscribe to the channel if you haven't already.
References (from this video)
- Has name recognition
- Playable
- Minis can be repurposed
- Too much
- Takes too long
- Hard to store
- Requires 4-6 players
- Cthulhu Mythos
- HATE
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- miniatures — The game involves a large quantity of miniatures.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Can we have the 90s back, please? Can we like start can like rewind back to like 89 90? Like just start there and like I'll take 10 years of the 90s again.
- The songs that remind us of the best times. The songs that remind us of the bad times.
- I drink a whiskey drink. I drink a vodka. I drink a drink. I drink a drink.
- I want to get out of here.
- They're still going around.
- What a [ __ ] horrible song.
- It's so really terrible. Like, but it was so great. Like, at the time it was like everybody listened to it was like that's the song. So catchy though. So catchy. So good.
- Doesn't have to be good. It just has to sell.
- You're an idiot then.
- I mean, no, he's uh the John Spencer Blues Explosion uh album Orange uh was R was rated by I think it was I think it was Playboy rated it the number one album to have sex to.
- Everybody should listen to the Reverend Horton Heat.
- That's fair.
- And I am whenever nobody's like I've never even heard of the replacements. I was like, are they on someone's roof?
- Well, you [ __ ] suck.
References (from this video)
- Phenomenal gameplay
- Great production
- Fantastic
- Things can go south really quickly in a battle
- Wreaking havoc, completing spellbooks
- Post-apocalyptic Earth, Cthulhu monsters have made it
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control/majority — depending on kind of how the battles go and and how, you know, area majority and stuff like that go
- Combat — it's incredibly easy to inflict hits.
- Objective Completion — critically, you are trying to complete your spellbook.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I love Cthulhu games. I think they're so much fun. I love that world. I've read I think I believe I've read every one of Lovecraft's stories.
- But man, I love this game. It is so much fun. I love the dice, the way you use dice in this game and how you're leveling up, but it's also driving you insane.
- So, there's a lot of replayability with these interactions between these monster boxes and the episodes. Really love Cthulhu: Death May Die. Brilliant game.
- Um Arkham Horror the board game, the second edition, which I played, never really thrilled me. I liked it, I didn't love it.
- my number one Cthulhu Mythos game of all time, Mansions of Madness second edition.
- the second edition has an app. And the app is great cuz it manages all of that stuff.
- It's a really really fun and creepy game.
- great app integration, great minis, great story that comes out of these games, and just a lot of fun.
References (from this video)
- Asymmetric factions make each game feel different.
- Free-for-all nature encourages player interaction and scheming.
- Thematic integration of Lovecraftian horror with Elder God perspective.
- Unique goal-based progression through spellbooks.
- Mechanics like doom points and rituals create high stakes.
- The game is complex and requires careful attention to rules.
- Setup is large and requires significant table space.
- Elder Gods battling to destroy reality
- Lovecraftian universe
- Chaos in the Old World
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Controlling gates is crucial for gaining power and doom points, and for summoning monsters.
- Asymmetric Player Powers — Each faction has unique units, goals, spellbooks, and Great Old Ones.
- Dice rolling combat — Combat is resolved by rolling dice equal to combat strength, with outcomes determining hits or kills.
- Hand Management — Players manage a limited pool of 'power' to perform actions.
- Set Collection — Acquiring all six spellbooks is a win condition.
- Variable player powers — Each faction has unique goals and abilities.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The first thing you should know is that you'll have a limited amount of power this is not a post-scarcity world it's a post world world.
- Your ultimate goal in a truly daring design choice is to get more doom points than your opponent's dew points.
- The game comes with four factions but you can get three more as expansions if you pay the low low cost of your immortal soul no refunds.
- You need to acquire all six spell books to win the game and as a sweet bonus having all six spell books allows you to a battle in addition to another action in a single round Opie Cthulhu Oh P at Worlds.
References (from this video)
- massive impressive miniatures
- dominates table presence
- engaging gameplay despite complexity
- Cthulhu theme doesn't resonate with reviewer
- big and complicated
- wouldn't play again
- Cthulhu mythos
- cosmic horror
- area control
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control
- Complex rules
- miniature-heavy
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- these games have amazing table presence by which i mean people are going to glance across the room and go what is that person playing and i want to play all these games
- stacking games have table presence like nothing else
- looks beautiful it looks like a load of sweets on the board
- one of my favorite games of all time
- i don't like that sort of game i find that one of the most frustrating game mechanisms
- the central marble dispenser is your main draw in this game
- absolutely brilliant strategic game quite complex game
- it's actually my favorite of the mask trilogy
- i'm almost scared to say this but i don't really like azul very much
- biggest most overlooked game on this list
References (from this video)
- spectacular production and theme
- deep, tense play with constant pressure
- high cost and learning curve
- intense for casual players
- multiplayer confrontation with powerful monsters
- eldritch apocalypse
- grand, horror-meets-boardgame spectacle
- Blood Rage
- Chaos in the Old World
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — holding spaces relies on monster presence and control tokens
- area control via presence of monsters — holding spaces relies on monster presence and control tokens
- energy/round structure — energy economy drives actions and intensity
- extremely asymmetric play — factions have unique abilities and win conditions
- massive plastic minis — a centerpiece for the table with layered minis
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Diplomacy by email explicitly by email
- i don't want to sit at a table with you and play that game
- it's such a minimalistic game where the players themselves drive all of the fun and interaction of the game
- it's the first time in a game where i felt incentivized for certain strategies to die
- a box of cardboard chits that does everything that i want a game that is full of Twilight Imperium-esque plastic armies marching across the board
- there's room for betrayals, there's room for deal making
- the apex of like pure dudes on a map area control games
- my blood rage to me is where area control was starting to get played with
References (from this video)
- Strong thematic flavor and Lovecraftian mythos
- Fast, tense combat with clear rules
- Non-elimination design keeps players engaged
- Huge map and minis with strong visual impact
- Rich strategic depth and asymmetrical faction powers
- Rules can be complex and intimidating for new players
- Combat can slow the game during big battles
- Dependence on kickstarter components and future expansions
- Print-and-play map is a placeholder; minis and final components may alter experience
- Lovecraftian cosmic horror with elder gods, cults, gates, and dimensional monsters
- Global mythos world where Great Old Ones vie for dominion and ultimately the end of the world via gates, rituals, and armies
- epic, cinematic, heavily thematic with asymmetrical factions
- Chaos in the Old World
- Arkham Horror
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players vie for control of territories with cultists, monsters, and gates.
- Capture mechanic — Capturing enemy cultists to gain power; various restrictions based on monsters present.
- Dice-based combat — Simultaneous dice rolls determine outcomes in battles, with 'kill' and 'pain' results.
- Doom and Ritual tracks — Doom track leads to endgame; ritual track determines end conditions and scoring.
- Elder Sign tokens — Tokens used to advance on the Doom track and endgame; can be kept secret.
- Gate control — Gates can be opened and controlled to gain power and access new territories.
- Power economy — Power is generated from cultists, gates, captured cultists, and actions, and is spent to perform actions.
- Spell library — A six-slot spell library that grants special abilities; completing it unlocks battles for free.
- Summoning monsters — Monsters can be summoned by spending power in gates you control.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The Miniatures themselves look stupendous.
- the game is going to just be huge and epic and Beautiful on top of the fact that the game is just a blast to play.
- there's no player elimination in this game.
- I would really really like the human player... to fight not only one great old one but five.
- the combat is quick and it's simple and it's short and it's sweet.
- the first player token is going to have like a two-sided coin.
References (from this video)
- Fantastic
- Light war game
- Great combat
- Interesting gameplay
- Will never give away
- Huge minis
- Cosmic horror
- Apocalyptic Earth
- Cthulhu mythology
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Light war game where players move huge miniatures around board
- Spell book fulfillment — Players have spell books with objectives to fulfill
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I'd have to change my name.
- Wings for the Baron was an outstanding game.
- I was kicking myself.
- It's tremendous fun. This is really a good game.
- Forbidden Stars is a game that's out of print. For many, it's a grail game.
- I loved the artwork. I loved the the gameplay, the mechanics, those tokens.
- Churchill from GMT Games had one of the most interesting balancing systems I ever had.
- Cthulhu Wars is a fantastic fantastic kind of light war game area control game.
- The board game is super fun.
- I love love love Star Wars Armada. Love the theme. Love the game play.
- Armada was much more strategic and there was more things you could do.
References (from this video)
- impressive scale and minis
- strong asymmetry and faction identity
- deep Lovecraftian theming with emergent play
- high complexity and learning curve
- long setup and playtime
- heavy component management
- cosmic horror and grand strategic confrontation
- Lovecraftian eldritch cosmos; cults v. cults attempting to summon elder creatures
- mythic-epic, emergent faction storytelling
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — players compete for control of regions on a map to maximize point generation.
- asymmetric faction design — each faction has unique abilities and goals, creating distinct playstyles.
- combat resolution with powerful eldritch entities — conflicts involve powerful elder beings and cultist forces.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- you are going to be astounded and a little bit afraid of the enormous miniatures
- there is a fantastic game underneath you see in Cthulhu Wars
- this game takes a symmetry beyond anything that I have ever seen in a area control game of its kind
- the main social thrust of the game everyone is a little bit suspicious of one another because you are having to make selfish decisions even if you're a good guy in order to try and fill your own secret objective
- the game is packed full of Awesome emerging gameplay
- this is a fully cooperative game that means that enemies are controlled through an AI system
- demons from world war ii is not a new concept but it is not something that's really present in board games
- highly recommend this Halloween you check out Fireteam Zero