The internationally renowned Edinburgh Fringe festival will play host to cosmic horror this August, as a Call of Cthulhu RPG actual play show takes over the National Library of Scotland. But there’s bad news if you don’t yet have tickets – both sessions of ‘Call of Cthulhu – Live in the Library’ are already sold out.
Call of Cthulhu RPG creative director Mike Mason will be the Keeper of Arcane lore – equivalent to a DnD dungeon master – who runs the session for the cast of players. So far, the only cast member revealed is French-Scottish actor Josephine McAdam who appeared in the Call of Cthulhu actual play series Graveyards of Arkham, which you can watch below:
The game will be set in Edinburgh’s historic Garrick Theatre during the 1920s. Founded in 1897, the Garrick was a popular venue until it burnt to the ground in 1921…
Live in the Library will run on August 24 and 25 from 2pm-5pm, but according to RPG publisher Chaosium’s VP Michael O’Brien, the show “sold out in less than 24 hours”. He adds: “we were amazed by the response”.
If you’re an RPG fan who isn’t aware of the Edinburgh Fringe, it’s one of the world’s largest festivals of live theatre, comedy, music, and everything in between. From August 2 – 26, every street, venue, basement, and backroom in Edinburgh city centre will be packed out with live shows from dawn ‘til dusk. There are literally thousands of shows, and millions of visitors.
The fringe is a really great fit for an actual play RPG. While actual play may feel like a very modern invention, popularized by Acquisitions Incorporated, Critical Role, and Dimension 20, it’s got loads in common with improv theatre, albeit with additional, strangely shaped dice.
If you fancy having your own mind-shattering expeditions into the Cthulhu Mythos, check out our guides recommending Cthulhu board games and horror RPG games.