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Before Cthulhu Wars was released, I recall many comments on forums expressing excitement over the game. But there was also caution that while the miniatures looked great, the gameplay might be mediocre. It was as if many believed there was some Karmic balance that needed to be justified, that if a game had great components and huge, gorgeous figures the developers would have naturally spent less effort making sure it was fun to play. When the game finally arrived, there were two new refrains repeated: that the figures look even better (and bigger) in person, and that the gameplay far surpassed even the excitement of the figures.
Several things surprised players about Cthulhu Wars. First, it deceptively appears like a titanic strategy game that takes hours to play. The reality is that setup takes mere minutes, and an entire game (with up to four players) can last under 90-minutes. You can literally start playing as soon as you open the box, and more to the point, you immediately begin making interesting decisions and interacting with other players.
While Cthulhu Wars is simple to learn, the strategy runs deep. This is partially due to the stunning asymmetry of each faction. Every player controls unique monsters and one or more Great Old Ones, but also a selection of powerful and influential abilities, no two of which are the same. Furthermore, abilities are gained in different ways for each player. You can vary from game to game the order in which you achieve each one, depending on your strategy.
This great reliance on special abilities and radical asymmetry ironically didn’t lead to a small amount of faction and expansion material. Cthulhu Wars boasts more than 20 expansions that include new factions, maps, mercenary units, and abilities. There’s a stunning diversity in these expansions, allowing even slightly different combinations to dramatically change the game experience. One of my favorite reviews of the game by Michael Langlois (designer of Fireteam Zero) had this to say: “You would think that [adding expansions] would quickly become a convoluted mess, but Sandy has managed to create a system that provides complexity without complication. The unspeakable horrors that you summon integrate neatly into any of the factions, providing the expected benefits that are common to all creatures, plus a specific power or two that work within the existing gameplay as you would expect. You get clear and usable options, rather than puzzle pieces that don’t fit.”
The fan response to the elegance of the rules has been overwhelming - the core rules almost invite your imagination to invent new units and abilities to experiment with. Since the game has been on the market - arriving in 2015, just over two years ago – there’s been well over one hundred fan-made units, unique abilities and entire playable expansions invented. These are posted on forums such as BoardGameGeek.com where ideas are shared to experiment with.
One feature not to leave unspoken is ‘theme’. Sandy Petersen, the designer, not only co-created Call of Cthulhu, the first game about Lovecraft’s Mythos, but also spent over three decades making games and incorporating aspects of the Cthulhu Mythos in all his games. He’s a master at intertwining theme and gameplay. Here’s an example from the early stages of development: Sandy noticed that Cthulhu’s faction needed to have a good defense against scavenger factions like Crawling Chaos. His solution was the Devolve ability which allowed Cthulhu’s non-combat cultist to transform into a Deep One (monster) as an instant effect between turns. This solved the balance issue between the factions, but it was also in line with the lore of the Deep Ones who, in the original story, began as humans, then devolved into monsters over time. Every faction, unit, and ability was carefully balanced to call out features of the Cthulhu Mythos while simultaneously serving the gameplay.
Cthulhu Wars’ underlying quality of playability is now (in)famous. Many players love to paint the amazing figures, and the high-quality art and other production values are more than solid — they’re top-notch! It’s not the least expensive game on the market, but it delivers on the price with incredible replay value. It’s never the same game twice. Dozens of reviews are available online, as well as many images, so it’s easy to find out for yourself. Happy gaming!
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