The Call of Cthulhu Card Game
The Call of Cthulhu Card Game is a “living card game” published by Fantasy Flight Games. This means it offers a fixed card system that allows all players to compete with the same cards and customize decks to their taste. This is in contrast to the collectible card game model, in which players buy booster packs without knowing what cards they‘ll end up with.
Fantasy Flight Games is the same company that publishes Arkham Horror, Elder Sign, and Mansions of Madness, the Call of Cthulhu Card Game is a two-player game. All the heroes and monsters are part of the Cthulhu Mythos, a disturbing horror setting created by author H.P. Lovecraft in the 1920s.
This page details the products available for the Call of Cthulhu Card Game, as well as provide details for online gaming and in-game factions. For more information and up-to-date product listings and prices, visit the official Fantasy Flight Games website.
Call of Cthulhu Card Game Products
An incredible number of Call of Cthulhu Card Game products are
available. These can be purchased directly from the Fantasy Flight Games
website, or you can find them at your local hobby shop. There are various
types of CoC Card Game expansions, so this entry is broken up into a
number of sub-sections.
Call of Cthulhu Core Set
The basic Call of Cthulhu Card Game set is required before you can play any version currently available. A game board is included, as well as 24 story markers, rulebook, Cthulhu domain markers, 10 story cards, and 155 customizable deck cards. The cards include seven different factions, and future releases present fixed sets for various factions that allow players to further customize their decks.
Call of Cthulhu Deluxe Expansions
These large expansions for the Call of Cthulhu Card Game allow greater deckbuilding opportunities for players. Two deluxe expansions have been released to date, and they include:
Secrets of Arkham Deluxe Expansion - Includes a 10-card story deck, plus two copies of 50 different cards such as the Necronomicon and Azathoth.
The Order of the Silver Twilight Deluxe Expansion - The Order of the Silver Twilight is introduced as an 8th faction, and the 55 new cards include Yog-Sothoth, Cthulhu, Miskatonic University, and many more.
Call of Cthulhu: Summons of the Deep
The first Asylum Packs to be offered for the Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game, Summons of the Deep features a total of 60 cards, with three copies each of 20 cards. This allows players to further customize their decks and create unique strategies. The following are currently available or have been announced as forthcoming:
The Spawn of the Sleeper - The cards in this deck place a higher importance on the Terror struggle.
The Horror Beneath the Surface - These cards place an elevated importance on the Investigation struggle.
The Antediluvian Dreams - Combat struggles are emphasized in this Asylum Pack of 60 cards.
The Terror of the Tides - Players can augment their decks while focusing on the Arcane struggle.
The Thing from the Shore - Skill checks are at the center of this expansion pack.
The Path to Y’ha-nthlei - The works of H.P. Lovecraft are filled with bizarre transformations, and this Asylum Deck explores some of the many possibilities.
Call of Cthulhu: Dreamlands
Dreamlands represents the second series of Asylum Packs for the Call of Cthulhu Card Game. The Dreamlands are introduced as a setting, and a new game mechanic known as Day/Night is also unveiled. Six products are currently available, each with a total of 60 cards.
Twilight Horror - Twenty new cards are introduced, including gugs and ghouls. The powerful dreamer Twila-Katherine Price makes an appearance, and the Day/Night mechanic is explained for the first time.
In Memory of Day - Players find themselves pulled deeper into the Dreamlands, as the tale of Twila-Katherine Price continues to unfold.
In the Dread of Night - More horrors from the Dreamlands are introduced in this set of 20 original cards (60 in all).
Search for the Silver Key - The search for Twila-Katherine Price continues, with the investigators discovering an artifact that’s tied to the Dreamlands.
Sleep of the Dead - The long and dangerous quest to find Twila-Katherine Price nears its conclusion in this 60-card expansion.
Journey to Unknown Kadath - The players finally reach the end of their journey, but what they find isn’t exactly what was expected. The final fate of Twila-Katherine Price is revealed, and 20 all-new cards are included.
Call of Cthulhu: The Yuggoth Contract
The third Asylum Pack to be released, The Yuggoth Contract once again features 60-card decks, with three sets of 20 original cards in each pack. Six products are available for this Call of Cthulhu expansion, and they include the following: Whispers in the Dark, Murmurs of Evil, The Spoken Covenant, The Wailer Below, Screams from Within, and The Cacophony.
Call of Cthulhu: The Rituals of the Order
The fourth series of Asylum Packs, they once again offer packs of 60 cards with three copies each of 20 original cards. Titles in this set include: The Twilight Beckons, Perilous Trials, Initiations of the Favored, Aspiration of Ascension, The Gleaming Spiral, and That Which Consumes.
Call of Cthulhu: Forgotten Lore
These standalone sets offer 60 cards with 3 copies each of 20. Includes previous cards that have been updated and revised. Forgotten Lore includes the following sets: Mountains of Madness, Ancient Horrors, Spawn of Madness, Kingsport Dreams, Conspiracies of Chaos, and Dunwich Denizens.
Call of Cthulhu: Ancient Relics
The fifth set of Asylum Packs, once again offering 20 original cards in each release, and a total of 60 cards in each pack. They include: The Shifting Sands, Curse of the Jade Emperor, The Breathing Jungle, Never Night, Into Tartarus, and Shadow of the Monolith.
Call of Cthulhu: Revelations
The sixth series of Asylum Packs for the Call of Cthulhu Card Game. Only three were available as of this writing, but it’s likely that a total of six will be released. Since it features an ongoing storyline, you’ll need to buy the packs in sequential order to play. The current expansion packs include: Written and Bound, Words of Power, and Ebla Restored.
Call of Cthulhu Card Game Rules
Players construct their decks with cards related to the game’s factions. While decks are usually comprised of cards from two factions, eight factions are available in all. Players then compete to win story cards, with the first to obtain three story cards being declared the game’s winner. In order to win story cards, players must struggle in a number of areas (Terror, Arcane, Combat and Investigation). Winning a struggle grants a benefit or advantage, while losing players may find their characters dying or going insane.
Cards function as characters, conspiracies, support, or events, but they can also be tapped as resources. Any card in the deck can be used as a resource, which is an improvement over other card games that sometimes force players to endure long stretches without the proper resource. To tap a card as a resource, just turn it upside down with the faction symbol visible at the top.
Call of Cthulhu Card Game Factions
There are a total of eight factions in the Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game (4 human factions and 4 monster factions), each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The variety of the factions allow players to pick the ones that best suit their style of play. They include:
The Order of the Silver Twilight - A secret organization that hopes to achieve world dominance by tapping into otherworldly forces.
Miskatonic University - Made up of learned men and women who pursue the occult from an academic perspective.
The Agency - A detective agency that specializes in hunting down and destroying the supernatural.
The Syndicate - Comprised of criminals and underworld figures.
Hastur - This faction is built to control, and it appeals to players who play a measured, defensive game.
Cthulhu - Terror is the chief weapon of this faction, although they are sometimes prone to turn on each other.
Shub-Niggurath - Their strong suit is being able to introduce numerous monsters for combat purposes.
Yog-Sothoth - Specializes in searching through the deck for specific cards, as well as returning cards from the discard pile.
Call of Cthulhu Card Game Online
If you’re looking to play an online version of the Call of Cthulhu Card Game, your best bet is to visit the Online Card and Tabletop Gaming Network (commonly known as OCTGN). It uses fan-created software to mimic a number of popular card games, and it’s free to join up and play. Up to four players can compete against one another at OCTGN, and the game feature full graphics and rich gameplay opportunities. If you’re searching for someone to play CoC with, there’s also a chat room where you can find potential opponents.
Call of Cthulhu Card Game Review
If you’re looking for a card game that doesn’t require you to spend endless amounts of money in search of a specific rare card, then you may be interested in the Call of Cthulhu Card Game. Each expansion pack includes copies of the same cards, which means you and your friends will be able to save money. This places a premium on strategy, as each player will need to build their decks to suit their individual style of play. Expansion sets are released at regular intervals, and new players will discover a wealth of supplements already available. Additional Call of Cthulhu Card Game reviews can be found online, although you’ll find the same thing repeated over and over: the Call of Cthulhu Card Game is affordable, fun, and well worth the effort.