In the mists of prehistory, alien gods and monsters fell to Earth and warred over our planet, unleashing cosmic science and inconceivable powers until continents sank and seas boiled. Exhausted or defeated, They fell into an aeons-long slumber, and the human race obliviously goes about its business over Their tombs. But there are those who want to seek out the fragments of the lore They left behind. Those who want to learn the secrets of the stars, and the true names of the dimensions to gain the dead gods’ powers. Those who want to wake Them up.
You are among the few brave souls who know the truth – about the mad gods at the center of the universe, about the Great Old Ones who will uncaringly obliterate the Earth, about the ancient legends of undying evil that are all coming true. You must make sure nobody ever finds out -- or the world will wake up screaming.
You have to keep the doors to the Outside from swinging open – no matter what the cost in life or sanity. You have to piece together clues from books bound in human skin, from eviscerated corpses covered in ichor, and from inscriptions carved on walls built before humanity evolved. You have to go wherever the answers are, and do what needs to be done.
Trail of Cthulhu is Pelgrane Press’s award-winning game of investigation and horror. You take on the roles of stalwart investigators - detectives, journalists, scientists, ordinary people - as they uncover clues and unravel cryptic mysteries that lead inexorably towards the terrifying cosmic horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos described in the works of writer H. P. Lovecraft and his disciples.
Your investigators will plunge into Stygian subways, infiltrate forbidden libraries, and explore frigid Antarctic labyrinths, and always get the clues they need to move ever onward. Onward … toward their fated confrontation with ancient truths too appalling for the mind to assimilate!
Trail of Cthulhu is built around the GUMSHOE system, a simple rule engine designed specifically for investigations. Trail 1st Edition was published in 2008; this revised second edition is totally compatible with the first, but incorporates the last two decades of play and design experience for the GUMSHOE system to make it even easier to run and play!
Acclaimed game designer and Lovecraft scholar Kenneth Hite remixes the Cthulhu Mythos, providing players with eldritch tomes to sift for blasphemous lore and spells, and with a horde of unnatural monstrosities to battle with such knowledge. Award-winning RPG adventure creator and best-selling fantasy novelist Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan adds a wealth of advice and tools for building your own mysteries and for exciting improvised play.
Download the free Trail of Cthulhu 2e Quickstart to get a taste of the game, including pregenerated investigators and a sample one-shot mystery - or make a pledge and get access to the 400-page draft manuscript, complete with two full scenarios!
The core idea of GUMSHOE is that it’s always more interesting for the players to get information - the challenge of a mystery isn’t in rolling to spot clues, it’s in correlating those clues to reveal the terrible truth! Your investigator has a range of Investigative Abilities that always work - assuming there’s relevant information to be found - as well as General Abilities that get rolled in scenes of action or peril. By making Investigative Abilities reliable, the players know they haven’t missed a vital clue through an unlucky roll, and the GM doesn’t need to provide redundant clues just so players find one vital lead. This allows for much more ambitious mysteries like the massive Eternal Lies campaign - or the groundbreaking improvised play of The Armitage Files.
Easier character creation: The occupations now use simple templates, like other GUMSHOE games such as Night’s Black Agents. Each occupation has a special ability, allowing the player to have their moment in the spotlight.
More contest options: Continuing challenges, quick challenges, and blind contests have been added based on later GUMSHOE system designs. From spends to tokens, everywhere in the rules the best of breed systems from later GUMSHOE games have been adapted to support Trail of Cthulhu play.
Better treatment of insanity: Stability breakdowns can now come from violence, terror, or the supernatural. The antagonistic meta-system for madness has been replaced by the Terrible Revelations of the Mythos. Using the Cthulhu Mythos ability now opens you up to the Outside before it destroys you utterly.
Streamlined magic: The magic system from the 1st Edition supplement Rough Magicks has been incorporated into the main rules. Characters gain magical ability after seeking out or awakening their potential, deepening roleplaying opportunities. The casting system has been clarified and simplified, with rituals now moving faster unless the group decides to focus the scenario on them. Spells have been re-organized by type. Communing with gods now offers potential rewards to the Magic or Cthulhu Mythos abilities—as well as horrific dangers to your mind and selfhood.
More gods and monsters: Bast, Hypnos, Nug and Yeb, and Nyogtha, among other gods, now appear in the corebook, presented with the acclaimed multiple-perspective approach we retain (and expand, in some cases) for the other gods and titans. Guidelines for combat spends, plus unified rules for monstrous grappling and psychic attacks, make monsters easier to run. Avatars, revenants, and the spawn and hybrid offspring of the gods have been added to the Mythos bestiary, along with new monsters such as Lovecraft’s black-winged ones and Machen’s tylwyth corachaidd. Expanded guidelines for monster creation help the GM delve even deeper.
More GM guidelines and advice: This game now incorporates and sets out best practices, helpful notes, and guidelines for GUMSHOE gamemasters and players taken from the last two decades of GUMSHOE system releases and actual play experience. To our traditional sample story spine, we add a vast collection of modular story elements—reliable building blocks from which you can create endless Mythos tales and scenarios.
New campaign frames: Two new campaign frames offer narrative structures to support fresh campaigns. In the Purist-flavored Under Unknown Skies, you play small-town folk from Bishop, Oklahoma, exposed to the Outside by the strange technologies of the new Crawford Electrical Company experimental station in the hills. In the Pulpier Shadows Under Chicago, you can play gangsters or G-men facing an Al Capone grown even more dangerous after his initiation into the cult of Yog-Sothoth!
New introductory adventures: Each play style has an associated starter adventure now. Stop the Nazis from reaching a primordial artifact in the Pulp-style adventure “The Hammer of the Gods,” and sift through the ashes of a suspicious séance in the Purist scenario “Afterlight.”
New art, new layout: We’re keeping the gorgeously spooky art of Jerome Huguenin and adding more pieces by other artists. The text’s changing (by popular demand) to a roomier two-column layout.
Backward compatibility: The wealth of award-winning scenarios and supplements for Trail of Cthulhu 1st Edition, like The Armitage Files, Bookhounds of London, Eternal Lies, and Dreamhounds of Paris, remain perfectly playable with 2E. The Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition change list provides a complete checklist of the differences, but the majority of changes either happen during character creation, enrich play within the old mechanics, or add robust options for the GM.
All backers get immediate access to our in-progress draft, so you can see all the updates for yourself!
For decades, player characters have been investigating things Man Was Not Meant To Know, glimpsing terrifying psychic squid monsters, and ending up in padded cells. Trail of Cthulhu streamlines that descent to gibbering terror. Our precepts:
Simple, evocative rules! The Trail rules are easy for players, while also assisting Gamemasters in building robust, immersive mysteries.
Start with Earth! Whether using our default setting of the 1930s, or any of the other times explored in the game, we build on historical research and a deep understanding of Lovecraft’s stories to create evocative adventures.
The many masks of the Mythos! All the Gods and Titans of the Mythos are presented through a fractal lens of variation and interpretation, to help Gamemasters present the Mythos as properly unknowable, contradictory, and horrific.
Two styles of play! Emphasize nihilistic despair and Lovecraftian storytelling through Purist play - or go for two-fisted action and adventure in Pulp-style play. Simple rules tweaks and GM advice tailor the game for your desired experience!
Multiple campaign frames! The Trail of Cthulhu 2e rulebook contains three campaign frames, giving reasons for your investigators to band together and plot hooks to get them investigating. Campaign frames help you get a game up and running quicker than ever - and keep the game going even after some of the investigators die or go insane!
Boundary of the Darkness is an 18th century campaign frame for Trail of Cthulhu by Phil Masters and Sarah Saltiel. when the new sciences of the age unsettle the minds of the nation and unleash dark forces, the governing classes may not handle it well. They are wedded to old ways and old lies. Investigators seeking to deal with terrible new discoveries and ancient insanities need a different sort of sponsor.
Meet the Lunar Society, a dining club of natural philosophers, industrialists, and radical intellectuals, the embodiment of the Enlightenment. They have wealth, knowledge, and principles. Simultaneously, members of the Bluestockings Society, a group largely composed of women, who meet to discuss art, literature, and politics, have—in their most secret meetings—formed Friends of Blue, a private organisation set up to protect the world from the devastating knowledge of the Mythos. When either group or their friends stumble across evils needing to be contained, who better to organise a response? Buckle on a brace of pistols, and make ready to carry Enlightenment to the very boundary of the darkness!
Clueless Pedestrian (£1): Access to the pledge manager. If you want to let us know you're excited about 2nd Edition, but haven't decided what you fancy yet, this is your reward! You can change your pledge level any time, or do it on our pledge manager after the campaign.
Zoog (£25): Get the quickstart rules and the final PDF of Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition when it's completed.
Nightgaunt (£40): Get the quickstart guide and the final PDFs of Boundary of the Darkness and Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition when they are completed, as well as any digital rewards unlocked during the campaign.
Ghoul (£50): RETAILER BUY-IN. As a verifiable brick-and-mortar retailer, you make a down-payment on a package of physical products and shipping you customize with us at the pledge manager stage. You also get the PDFs of the quickstart rules, Trail of Cthulhu 2e, and Boundary of the Darkness PDF.
Adolescent Deep One (£55): (Early Bird) Get the full-colour, hardback edition of Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition, as well as PDFs of the Second Edition and Boundary of the Darkness and The Kingsbury Horror. Shipping is not included in this pledge level, and will be added at the pledge manager stage.
Deep One (£60): Get the full-colour, hardback edition of Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition, as well as PDFs of the Second Edition, The Kingsbury Horror, Boundary of the Darkness, and all digital rewards unlocked during the campaign. Shipping is not included in this pledge level, and will be added at the pledge manager stage.
Emerging Colour out of Space (£95): (Early Bird) Get the three-panel GM screen, plus Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition and Boundary of the Darkness in glorious duotone hardback, as well as the print version of The Kingsbury Horror, the Syrinscape Trail of Cthulhu audioscape, and PDFs of The Kingsbury Horror, Boundary of the Darkness, and of course Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition, as well as any digital rewards unlocked during the campaign. This pledge does not include shipping, which will be added at the pledge manager stage.
Colour out of Space (£125): Get the three-panel GM screen, plus Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition and Boundary of the Darkness in glorious duotone hardback, as well as the print version of The Kingsbury Horror, the Syrinscape Trail of Cthulhu audioscape, and PDFs of The Kingsbury Horror, Boundary of the Darkness, and of course Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition, as well as any digital rewards unlocked during the campaign. This pledge does not include shipping, which will be added at the pledge manager stage.
The Great Race of Yith (£150): Get the three-panel GM screen, plus Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition and Boundary of the Darkness, the print version of The Kingsbury Horror, the Syrinscape Trail of Cthulhu audioscape, the GM subscription for The Black Book, a set of game dice (6+GM) in an attractive bag, a set of 4 x A3 maps, and PDFs of The Kingsbury Horror, Boundary of the Darkness, and Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition, as well as any digital rewards unlocked during the campaign. This pledge does not include shipping, which will be added at the pledge manager stage.
Elder Thing(£250 - Limited Number): Get the three-panel GM screen, plus the Limited Edition, faux-leatherbound Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition and Limited Edition faux-leatherbound Boundary of the Darkness in glorious hardback, as well as the print version of The Kingsbury Horror, the Syrinscape Trail of Cthulhu audioscape, the GM subscription for The Black Book, the set of four full-colour printed A3 (16.5" x 11.7") maps, a set of game dice (6+GM) in an attractive bag, and PDFs of The Kingsbury Horror, Boundary of the Darkness, and of course Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition, as well as any digital rewards unlocked during the campaign. This pledge does not include shipping, which will be added at the pledge manager stage.
Hunting Horror(£500 - Limited Number): See yourself - or a person of your choice - become an NPC in Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition! Plus, get everything at the £250 level.
Shoggoth(£750 - Limited Number): Get access to Kenneth Hite and Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan's extensive writing and design knowledge in a custom Zoom workshop. Send through questions or topics in advance, and discuss the answers live with the designers of Trail of Cthulhu 2e.
Cthulhu(£1,000 - Limited Number): Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan will work with you to design either a Pulp or Purist one-shot adventure, featuring all of your favorite people, places, and Mythos monsters, which he will then write up into a fully laid out one-shot with art.
ADD-ONS:
Boundary of the Darkness Hardback(£35): A hardback edition of Boundary of the Darkness
Trail of Cthulhu 2e Hardback(£45): A hardback copy of Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition
Boundary of the Darkness Limited Edition(£60): A faux-leatherbound copy of Boundary of the Darkness
Trail of Cthulhu 2e Limited Edition(£80): A limited edition, faux leatherbound copy of Trail of Cthulhu Second Edition.
The Black Book Player-Level Annual Subscription(£10): Get an annual subscription to the Trail of Cthulhu digital character generator, The Black Book, at a discount of 10% off the list price. You can add multiple years (up to three) by adding an additional £10/year.
The Black Book GM-Level Annual Subscription (£20): Get an annual subscription at the advanced GM level to the Trail of Cthulhu digital character generator, The Black Book, at a discount of 10% off the list price. You can add multiple years (up to three) by adding an additional £20/year.
The Kingsbury Horror Print Book(£6): Don't miss out on the original Trail of Cthulhu adventure, The Kingsbury Horror, by grabbing it in print format.
Custom d6(£3): Elevate your game with our exclusive custom d6, engraved with eldritch symbols to deepen your immersion into the cosmic horror of Trail of Cthulhu.
Syrinscape Campaign Frame-Themed Audio Landscapes(£10): We are excited to offer themed soundscapes for each of our three campaign frames, thanks to our friends at Syrinscape. Syrinscape is the revolutionary sound design app that brings evocative, immersive, background sound and a movie-like sound track to tabletop RPGs. The user interface has been specifically designed for Game Masters to help them keep their attention on the players, while keeping the attention of the players focused on the game. It does this by using powerful algorithms to distribute thousands of samples randomly in time and in the surround sound environment. Unlike a looped mp3 recording, Syrinscape will never repeat itself. Each element of the sound design is separately controlled by the app, automatically randomised and positioned, even things like the acoustic of the environment are dynamically applied.
Trail 2e 3-Panel GM Screen (£20)
4x A3 Map Set(£20): A set of four A3-sized (11" x 17") colour print maps, one each of: * The Armitage Inquiry trail * Bishop, OK * Chicago, IL * New England
£70,000: When we reach this goal, you'll unlock our form-fillable Trail of Cthulhu 2nd Edition character sheets—allowing you to digitally chronicle your investigator's descent into cosmic madness with the precision of a Miskatonic University scholar!
£90,000: When we reach this goal, we'll enrich your Trail of Cthulhu 2nd Edition tome with ribbon bookmarks—allowing you to navigate forbidden pages and eldritch lore with the ease of a seasoned Miskatonic University archivist!
£110,000: When we reach this goal, we'll unlock the Roll20 VTT adaptation of Trail of Cthulhu 2nd Edition—bringing the eldritch horror directly to your digital tabletop for seamless, spine-chilling adventures with friends afar! £130,000: When we reach this goal, we'll unveil the Foundry VTT adaptation of Trail of Cthulhu 2nd Edition—fully integrated for an immersive investigative horror experience that plunges you deeper into the cosmic unknown!
A roleplaying game designer and writer, Kenneth has written over a hundred RPG books and wrote the Lovecraft column for the Hugo Award-winning incarnation of Weird Tales magazine. Games to which he has contributed have won 17 gold and 15 silver ENnie awards, two Golden Geek Awards, and six Origins Awards, including the double-Origins-winning Fifth Edition of Vampire: the Masquerade, for which he was lead designer.
Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
Gareth is an author and game designer who has collaborated with Kenneth on celebrated campaigns including The Dracula Dossier and The Borellus Connection. He wrote Cthulhu City for the first edition of Trail of Cthulhu, and co-wrote the second editions of The Esoterrorists, Fear Itself, and Mutant City Blues RPGs. He has written a host of other books including Moria for the One Ring RPG and the Black Iron Legacy and Lands of the Firstborn fantasy novel series.
The first edition of Trail of Cthulhu has been hailed as “masterful” (Megan Robertson, RPGNow) and “a glorious space for interesting roleplaying” (Cynthia Hornbeck, Shut Up & Sit Down), and described as “a lean, beginner-friendly ruleset” (Matt Jarvis, Dicebreaker) and “simply a great RPG” (M.J. Harnish, Wired.com). It received two ENWorld Awards in 2008, for Best Rules and Best Writing, and the Lucca Games Festival in 2010 awarded it Best Roleplaying Game and gave it the Best of Show Award.
Don’t delay! The stars have come right, and the hour of Trail of Cthulhu 2nd Edition is at hand! Pledge and help fight back against the horrors of the Mythos!
