Happy 136th Birthday, HP Lovecraft!!!

On the 136st anniversary of the birth of masterful cosmic horror fiction writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft, it should come as no surprise for me to tell you that, as ever, my mind has been wandering Mythos-ward.

From the moment I discovered the writing of Lovecraft - just before the first edition of Call of Cthulhu made its way to our shores - I've been inspired by his genre-defining and game-changing take on horror and mythology.

Over the decades I've been a dabbler in books associated with Lovecraftian horror, as well as the history of the 1920s (and the more Indiana Jones spin on the 1930s), and while books have come and gone from my collection, I still retain a fair few - and continue to add to my Lovecraftian library as well.

Lovecraftian horror has touched everything from my taste in movies, the periods of history I dig into to, right up to my world-building for roleplaying games, and yet I've never really explored the game so intimately connected with his writings.

Until the other year, I'd only actually played two, brief, sessions of Chaosium's evergreen Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game.

But then, in mid-2024, when I flunked out of running some game or other for the Tuesday Knights, Mark stepped in with He Who Must Not Be Named, a self-penned Call of Cthulhu scenario.

And, boy, was it enjoyably scary! Real, getting-under-your-skin, rural horror fun and festivities.

In the game's aftermath, I was inspired to once again browse my ever-growing Call of Cthulhu and Lovecraft library.

While I could never see myself running Call of Cthulhu per se, especially in the shadow of Mark's incredible little campaign, I am determined to still have the Mythos represented in whatever game I do end up running for our group. It is a core part of my being after all.