Trail of Cthulhu - GUMSHOE Investigative Horror RPG Core Rulebook

"That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons, even death may die."
- The Necronomicon

Who This Appeals To

Perfect for game masters and players who crave investigative horror where uncovering the truth matters more than combat prowess. Ideal for fans of H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror who want a system that guarantees clue discovery while tracking the psychological toll of confronting the unknowable. Whether you prefer academic investigators piecing together forbidden knowledge or two-fisted pulp heroes battling cultists, Trail of Cthulhu delivers focused investigative gameplay in the atmospheric 1930s.

Features

• Complete GUMSHOE investigative roleplaying system designed for clue-based mysteries
• Dual Sanity and Stability mechanics tracking both cosmic knowledge and mental health
• Investigative abilities including Cop Talk, Interrogation, and Occult for finding clues
• Character Drives like In the Blood and Arrogance that compel investigation
• General skills such as Sense Trouble, Filch, and Scuffling for survival
• Tunable rules supporting Purist cosmic despair or lurid two-gun Pulp playstyles
• Three campaign frames: tweedy academics, jut-jawed G-men, or grimy occult traffickers
• "The Kingsbury Horror" complete introductory adventure included
• Comprehensive adventure creation support and improvisation guidance
• Expanded Mythos lore: gods, tomes, magic, alien races, and forensic clues
• Authentic 1930s setting amid depression, looming war, and totalitarianism

What You'll Experience

Walk the mean streets of Chicago or hack through South Pacific jungles as you uncover mysteries in dusty libraries and bloody crime scenes. Battle vile cults worshipping alien enormities while your Sanity measures your blissful ignorance of reality's true nature and your Stability defines your mental resilience. The revolutionary GUMSHOE system ensures you find the clues you need—the question is whether you can survive what they reveal. Follow the trail wherever it leads, whatever the cost in life or sanity, as you confront Cthulhoid lore never before revealed in any game.

Related Lovecraftian & Horror RPGs

Explore more cosmic horror: Tiny Cthulhu - Lovecraftian Horror TinyD6 RPG, Arkham Horror RPG Corebook, Vaesen: Nordic Horror RPG, Call of Cthulhu: Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors, or Cthulhu Gloom.