Last night Modiphius announced via a livestream their newest 2d20-powered game, Cohors Cthulhu. Cohors Cthulhu is Cthulhu in Ancient Rome--players take on the roles of heroes from across the Roman Empire (which includes Gaul, Britannia, Aegyptus, and so on) to fight dark horrors. You play gladiators, centurions, Germanic heroes, in hidden war on the fringes of the Empire. The game is set in the same universe as Modiphius' Achtung Cthulhu.
The 2d20 System is Modiphius' in-house system. It powers Dune, Star Trek, and a range of other tabletop RGPGs. The game will also be accompanied by a 28mm miniatures line and a fiction series.
COHORS CTHULHU is a setting for Lovecraftian horror set against the backdrop of epic heroism, intrigue and strife in the era of ancient Rome. COHORS CTHULHU will allow players to discover hidden truths behind pivotal historical events as well as the myths and legends of the peoples in this time. Magic exists, available through belief and prayer in capricious gods. And behind the clash of mortals is a greater conflict between vast and malevolent powers competing to either subjugate humanity or shape its civilizations to suit their own sinister agendas.
Amid a war-torn and fractious world of Roman legionaries bent on conquest pitted against barbarian warriors protecting their tribes, players take on the roles of diverse heroes from across the Empire, places such as Germania, Gaul, Britannia, Aegyptus, Assyria, Hispania and even eternal Rome herself. Arising from a wide array of backgrounds, they battle the darker horrors facing all of humanity. Whether the fight was forced on them, or they chose this path, it requires putting aside allegiances and prejudices, and to make friends with former enemies. They confront peril to gather remnants of forgotten magic, most often preserved by priests of jealous and competing gods.
Fickle as humanity’s gods may be, they are sometimes the only recourse against those from beyond the stars. Nyarlathotep, the God of a Thousand Forms, has unleashed myriad schemes to corrupt once sacred cults across Rome, Germania, and beyond. In the shadows lurk powerful corrupted survivors of Atlantis, their minds having been twisted by Sarthothus, the Shattered God, whose alien intellect has infected the Atlantean relics upon which their power relies.
Other entities prowl the shadows. Ancient godlike beings slumber beneath the oceans and in lost ruins, sending dreams to their cults, Deep Ones demand sacrifices from coastal villages and raid along the waterways. Mi-Go, dangerous visitors from other stars, have sent expeditions into the mountains to plunder Earth’s resources and perform horrific experiments on its people. Horrific creatures and ancient beings of incalculable power stalk the periphery of civilization seeking living things upon which to feast… or worse.
There is a reason humanity is coveted by entities that can swallow entire stars—their limitless potential threatens even the gods. It falls to your heroes to achieve that potential, by plundering forgotten ruins, seeking strange allies, entering into dubious pacts, exploring untamed forests where deranged cultists prowl, all to empower themselves against the Mythos. They may find weapons such as Atlantean relics, be transformed by Hyperborean armories, or earn the blessings of more benevolent gods. Ordinary mortals can aspire to rise as demigods and make a stand against the darkness. It remains to be seen if they can surmount the heights, or if they will instead fall to the malevolent forces seeking to corrupt their aspirations. There are many epic tales yet to be told, including yours...
The 2d20 System is Modiphius' in-house system. It powers Dune, Star Trek, and a range of other tabletop RGPGs. The game will also be accompanied by a 28mm miniatures line and a fiction series.
COHORS CTHULHU is a setting for Lovecraftian horror set against the backdrop of epic heroism, intrigue and strife in the era of ancient Rome. COHORS CTHULHU will allow players to discover hidden truths behind pivotal historical events as well as the myths and legends of the peoples in this time. Magic exists, available through belief and prayer in capricious gods. And behind the clash of mortals is a greater conflict between vast and malevolent powers competing to either subjugate humanity or shape its civilizations to suit their own sinister agendas.
Amid a war-torn and fractious world of Roman legionaries bent on conquest pitted against barbarian warriors protecting their tribes, players take on the roles of diverse heroes from across the Empire, places such as Germania, Gaul, Britannia, Aegyptus, Assyria, Hispania and even eternal Rome herself. Arising from a wide array of backgrounds, they battle the darker horrors facing all of humanity. Whether the fight was forced on them, or they chose this path, it requires putting aside allegiances and prejudices, and to make friends with former enemies. They confront peril to gather remnants of forgotten magic, most often preserved by priests of jealous and competing gods.
Fickle as humanity’s gods may be, they are sometimes the only recourse against those from beyond the stars. Nyarlathotep, the God of a Thousand Forms, has unleashed myriad schemes to corrupt once sacred cults across Rome, Germania, and beyond. In the shadows lurk powerful corrupted survivors of Atlantis, their minds having been twisted by Sarthothus, the Shattered God, whose alien intellect has infected the Atlantean relics upon which their power relies.
Other entities prowl the shadows. Ancient godlike beings slumber beneath the oceans and in lost ruins, sending dreams to their cults, Deep Ones demand sacrifices from coastal villages and raid along the waterways. Mi-Go, dangerous visitors from other stars, have sent expeditions into the mountains to plunder Earth’s resources and perform horrific experiments on its people. Horrific creatures and ancient beings of incalculable power stalk the periphery of civilization seeking living things upon which to feast… or worse.
There is a reason humanity is coveted by entities that can swallow entire stars—their limitless potential threatens even the gods. It falls to your heroes to achieve that potential, by plundering forgotten ruins, seeking strange allies, entering into dubious pacts, exploring untamed forests where deranged cultists prowl, all to empower themselves against the Mythos. They may find weapons such as Atlantean relics, be transformed by Hyperborean armories, or earn the blessings of more benevolent gods. Ordinary mortals can aspire to rise as demigods and make a stand against the darkness. It remains to be seen if they can surmount the heights, or if they will instead fall to the malevolent forces seeking to corrupt their aspirations. There are many epic tales yet to be told, including yours...
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