What is the fascination with the Elder Gods? Lovecraft’s books are a little off the conventional beaten path, yet we’ve seen a trend of new games with his monsters and creations. If you are looking for some freaky and fun tabletop games to bring to your next game night, here are some of my favorites to darken the atmosphere and bring mystery and a fleeting hope of survival to your table.
Building an Elder God
Photo Credit: Building an Elder God (Signal Fire Studios)I recently picked up this game at San Diego Comic-Con from Signal Fire Studios. Building an Elder God is a tile placing game for 2-5 players, where players take on the role of cultists in order to build your eldritch tentacle monster while attacking other players’ monsters. It’s a fun, short game to start off the night, as it lasts just 30 minutes, even for newer players. Signal Fire Studios has an exciting video on their website which includes an overview of the game, which is also available for digital download to print and play right away. Do you have what it takes to build up your God?
Elder Sign
Photo Credit: Elder Sign (Fantasy Flight Games)Fantasy Flight Games has a solid selection of Cthulhu themed games, including Arkham Horror and Call of Cthulhu, but my favorite is Elder Sign. You and your friends play pulp investigators in a race against time. The Ancient Ones are awakening, and you need to collect the Elder Signs in order to send them back. Co-op dice games are always an entertaining time and this one utilizes some pretty neat mechanics, like collecting different kinds of dice to build your character up. The game is a good, fast paced play that keeps you engaged. There are multiple expansions to the game as well as the Elder Sign app.
Cthulhu Wars
Photo Credit: Cthulhu Wars (Sandy Peterson Games)I am a sucker for cool miniatures and enjoyed following this game through its successful Kickstarter campaign. In Cthulhu Wars, you lead team of cultists and monsters (portrayed wonderfully creepy 28mm eldritch themed miniatures) across the board to take over enemy territory and work to raise and strengthen your evil forces. There are some fantastic miniatures in each of the factions, and matching art to go along. If you enjoy games where you conquer the board while building up your armies of evil, this is a game for you. It looks awesome once the board is all laid out and really calls out to the mythos. (Pro tip: The miniatures in this game can be a great fit with other eldritch themed game as well!)
Cthulhu games are rising from the deep and I expect we will see even more soon. Let us know your favorite Lovecraftian board game in the comments below!