H.P. Lovecraft is the father of Eldritch horror. His work has inspired the horror and fantasy genre for decades in almost any medium you can think of. His most famous piece of work is something that you have undoubtedly heard of, the tentacle-face ancient god known as Cthulhu. From books, to D&D campaigns, to video games, Lovecraft's work terrify audiences even today.

Tabletop games too have taken a lot of inspirations from the Cthulhu Mythos. Whether it's stopping the destruction of the planet, interrupting a world-ending ritual, or keeping an ancient god from waking up, players will have to fight all sorts of monstrosities while trying to solve riddles that might drive them insane.

Updated on July 23, 2024, by Vaspaan Dastoor: It's hard to quantify the impact of H.P. Lovecraft's work on the horror genre. It has gone beyond mere books and movies, and has permeated into mainstream media in many ways. However, tabletop games are still at the forefront when it comes to championing his work. With that in mind we've added a few more Lovecraft inspired games to this list.

If you're not up for a full-fledged TTRPG, Arkham Horror : The Card Game adapts the formula into a card game. Players must choose and upgrade characters based on their play style and, hopefully, save the world from the wrath of a soon-to-be awakened ancient god.

You're going to need all the help you can get to stop a ritual to bring Cthulhu into this plane of existence. Players will have to collect clues and solve riddles in order to deduce the location of the ritual. Beware though, a new terror will try and stop you with every playthrough, keeping the gameplay fresh and terrifying.

It seems ancient gods have no respect for your budget, as Eldritch Horror tasks you with travelling the world by land and sea to solve mysteries. As you'd expect, these mysteries lead to something darker and more terrifying than your mere mortal mind can comprehend.

Remember all those annoying characters stopping you from waking up in all those other gamesꦫ? Well, The Doom That Came To Atlantic City lets you finally unleash your power when you wake up. You take on the role of ancient gods in a Monopoly-styled race to destroy Atlantic City.

Cthulhu Mythos games usually have you working together to stop the ancient evils, but Gates of Delirium has you competing for the most amount of points. There's no stopping the final monstrosity, your only hope is to work up the most number of points by the time it arrives.

Ancient gods might be a td bit worse than fatal diseases, and so, Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu uses the classic formula with an aim to close all the portals on the board. Players must traverse th board and seal all the portals in order to ensure that Cthulhu remains asleep. By now you know he's not a morning ancient god.

The original line of TTRPGs based on Lovecraft's work, Call of Cthulhu features various editions, putting players in scenarios that they wouldn't have imagined, even in their worst nightmares. Regardless of which edition you play, you'll have to work together to stop the ancient evil from destroying the planet.

Mansions of Madness makes one person ther Keeper, who uses ancient horrors to keep the other plꦑayers from solving a mystery. There are many ways to control and use these horrors, so in the hands of a skilled player, the r💮ole might make you feel like Cthulhu himself.

In Elder Sign, skill has very little to do with your progress. You can try and game the dice, but it's going to be more difficult than you anticipate. It's also a race against time, raising the stakes of the game even more. It's also a great board game for those of you who are fans of the Night at the Museum movie series.

Cthulhu Fluxx has a relatively simple ruleset - follow the instructions on the card. However, keeping track of these rules and changes is the challenging part. If you really want to make things intere🅷sting, you can pair it with other spooky decks, making for a great horror-th🔥emed card game.

When it comes to advanced-level tabletop games inspired by Lovecraft, t🎃here are few that can top Cthulhu: Death May Die. While it featurees a similar setting as many of the games above, it includes complex mechanics and rules that are only meant for high-level players.

Bloodborne's Lovecraft-inspired aesthetic gets more evident once you progress into the game, but the same can't be said for the board game. The horrors are evident right from the start, and it's going to take a team of Hunters to save Yharnam from this threat.

Cthulhu Wars flips the script and makes you a loyal servant of the ancient god. You'll have to compete with other such factions to carve up the largest chunk of the world for your Elder One. With a large number of tokens and miniatures, this one will take some patience and strategy.

As an ancient god, you are the object of everyone's fear and torment. However, there are some things that even an immortal, all-powerful being would be wary of - Munchkins. An insanity-inducing edition of the popular card game series, Munchkin Cthulhu takes on all sorts of horrors from the mind of H.P. Lovecraft.

Apocthulhꦍu adds survival horror to Lovecraftian horror to give us a terrifying TTRPG. Set in a time where the world has fallen to one of the ancient gods, players will have to do all they can to not only su𒊎rvive, but to face the unimaginable horrors brought into the world.

FAQ

Who is the strongest Lovecraftian Horror?

Contrary to popular belief, Cthulhu is not the strong♚est Lovecraftian Horror. That title belongs to Azathoth, a formless being at the center of the universe. It is kept unconscious thanks to thousands of other horrors playing flutes and drums.

What H.P. Lovecraft book should I read first?

Cthulhu Mythos is Lovecraft's best and most popular work. It is best to start from there.