Classic indie storytelling card game Lovecraftesque is back, with a second edition of the game currently live with a crowdfunding campaign on Backerkit.

In true Lovecraftian fashion, Black Armada Games state that the game’s ‘ending will certainly be bleak, and the main character is likely to meet their doom.’

So with that particularly Lovecraftian element in mind, what exactly is Lovecraftesque?

Let’s go back to the beginning.

The original edition of Lovecraftesque was created by Josh Fox and Becky Annison of Black Armada Games, way back in 2015.

Back then, it was a tabletop RPG (or TTRPG), albeit one that didn’t require a Game Master (or GM). Either a solo or co-operative experience, it created an emergent mystery, with Lovecraft’s brand of cosmic horror coming together as players worked their way through the experience.

One of the major elephants in the room when it comes to Lovecraft is the writer’s unavoidable racism; though many contemporary creators ignore this or attempt to head it off with mission statements prior to allowing readers to immerse themselves in the mythos, Black Armada are keen to stress that Lovecraftesque ‘directly challenged HP Lovecraft’s racism and deconstructed negative ideas about mental health that had become synonymous with cosmic horror.’

This second edition now moves the mechanics away from being a GMless TTRPG style game; instead, it’s now a fully card driven experience.

Players share control of a main protagonist – The Witness – who gradually moves through the Lovecraftian character arc of investigation, fear and denial, then finally onto the horrifying realisation that there really are things out there beyond our understanding.

Players also take turns to embody The Narrator – this is the person who will describe the world and characters, creating a new clue for The Witness to uncover.

Finally, there are The Whisperers – who add atmosphere and detail to The Narrator’s scenes, as well as playing secondary characters.

Clues are revealed and added into the game by the clue cards; players then interpret their own understanding of the unfolding horror between scenes, using this to assist with their own contributions as the game progresses.

When all clues have been revealed, the endgame occurs – with the main character being plunged into darkness. It’s then time for The Final Horror; during this phase, one of the players will pull back the curtain to reveal what was happening all along – thus making one of their theories a reality within the game’s events.

The second edition of the game contains numerous decks of cards to represent different elements of the story (with six scenarios included), along with a rule book, an ‘extras’ book (featuring additional rules, examples of play and more), a game board and tokens.

Oh, and here’s one of the coolest elements of all: the several of the game’s components – including the board and rule book – contain hidden UV images, so a UV torch is also included.

This allows players to reveal cosmic horrors – cleverly and immediately immersing them in a Lovecraftian protagonist’s role!

The campaign’s various pledge levels allow you to pick up the game in either physical or digital form; play for the latter being supported by popular VTT platform, Roll20.

If you’re a fan of Lovecraft’s hugely influential cosmic horror stories, why not look to create your own – either alone or in a group – with the second edition of Lovecraftesque?

You can back Lovecraftesque – which was full funded in 4.5 hours – on Backerkit here.