August marks the birth month of H.P. Lovecraft, whose peculiar vision has cast a long and often unsettling shadow over the realms of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. In recognition of this, I’ve decided to devote the coming month here at Grognardia to what I’m calling
The Shadow Over August, a series of posts exploring the life, legacy, and influence of the Old Gent from Providence.
As I mentioned earlier this week, Pulp Fantasy Library will be returning in August on a trial basis, in part to honor Lovecraft and his contributions to the weird tale. However, I’ve since come to feel that this alone isn’t enough. Lovecraft’s presence deserves to be felt more widely across the blog. In addition to literary retrospectives, I’ll be delving into Call of Cthulhu and other Lovecraft-inspired roleplaying games, considering both their origins and their enduring impact on the hobby. I’ll also be sharing thoughts on Lovecraft’s broader influence on gaming, fantasy, and science fiction, along with outlines for two Call of Cthulhu projects I began many years ago but never finished. With luck, they may yet prove useful (or at least thought-provoking) to others.
This isn’t intended as an exhaustive or scholarly treatment of Lovecraft’s work. Rather, The Shadow Over August is a personal exploration of the ways his idiosyncratic imagination continues to shape the creative pastimes so many of us enjoy, often in ways we scarcely notice. Whether you’re a long-time admirer of Lovecraft or simply curious about his lasting presence in the hobby, I hope you’ll join me in the weeks to come as I shine a light, however briefly, on this strange and enduring figure.
Sounds fun. I remember DMing a game where the PCS had their pineal gland stimulated and grow out their foreheads, allowing them to see the HORRIBLE ABOMINATIONS THAT HAD BEEN THERE THE WHOLE TIME. The players looked at me in shock for a second and then they had their PCs draw their daggers and remove their ability to see them. I was a little disappointed at how easy the fix was. But they still remember it happened.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that carving off a piece of their own brain was "easy". ;)
DeleteGood point. Maybe I should have made that a hard constitution check or something. Maybe I did and just don't remember. And if they moved, the Things noticed them. Not sure how I played that.
DeleteAmazing. Can’t wait.
ReplyDeleteI can’t recall the last rpg I’ve run where at least a little Lovecraft hasn’t found its way in.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Twilight 2000? But then again, it’s never too late to come upon a weird isolated village that has some strange traditions….
Looking forward to an unspeakably dreadful August!
ReplyDeletePlease cover (out-of-print?) STRANGE AEONS, an RPG-ish skirmish game :)
ReplyDeleteI recommend the Annotated HP Lovecraft (volume 1, volume 2 is much weaker. in fact, anything by Joshi is likely good) if you have not read it.
ReplyDeleteJim Hodges---
ReplyDeleteStrange how sometimes it's like the stars align, the universe opens up, and God decrees it is the time for something to happen. And so it was with me in the summer of 1991, when after years of hearing about Lovecraft and meaning to get around to reading his work, I finally did. I loved it, I read, I think, everything of his out there in three intense, awe-filled months, but it's also like those same celestial gates sometimes abruptly shut, because while I still respect the heck out of HPL and fondly recall him as part of that summer, (an otherwise not too great time, honestly) I have seldom opened the cover on anything of his since, and I'm not sure why.