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[Smiorgan]

I'v got Cthulhu Invictus -- the book. I already had the monograph.
It's been expanded and polished. There is decent art. Still, it's a very lighweight book. It counts 168 pages, but with a VERY spacious layout.

The paper is flimsy. It has a very nice (if flimsy) poster map of the Empire, precariously glued on the inside of the back cover. I applaud Chaosium for providing once again that kind of props.

I have decided to use it as a supplement for BRP Rome. As such I like it.

How does it compare or add up to Rome BRP?
The author and others have said on various fora that it does not add up at all since it covers a different historical period (First century AD Imperial Rome vs. Republican Rome).
This is in part untrue. Most of the setting material from Rome BRP concerns the Late Republic (First century BC) and sometimes also uses early imperial sources. So there is quite a large overlap as concern many setting details (society, family, housing, augury, theater, chariot races, gladiators, food, calendar).
Generally speaking, if you have Rome BRP you have much more information and a few gameable cruchy bits (chariot rules, riot rules).
Some information, however, is specific to imperial times, like law enforcement in Rome: pretorians, vigiles and cohortes urbanae patrolling the Eternaly City were all unheard of in republican times.

Moreover, Invictus has some information about the world beyond Rome. A little Gazeteer of the Roman world. The various utility chapters also have some bits that are not in BRP Rome.

There are obviously ideas for secret societies and cults, a grimoire of Cthuloid spells, a lot of monsters. Much of it seems oriended towards a sword and sandal fantasy campaign, rather than proper Cthuloid horror.

I like the monsters very much. It's a great chapter. They include classical Greco-Roman monsters, Celtic ones, Middle Eastern (Jinn!), and even Russian (which are rebranded as Scythian), as well as plain mythos weirdness. They are very flavorful. The overlap with the monster chapter of BRP Rome is minimal. Again they're more sword and sorcery than horror. I mean: 'Scorpion Men'. No less. It feels more 'Monster Coliseum' than Pnakotic manuscripts and cosmic horror!

This is confirmed by the scenario, which is new (the scenarios in the monograph are gone). And it is really more a combat heavy (very deadly) escapade in a Stormbringer-like style rather than a cerebral investigation. The basic idea, the scenario setting and hook are excellent, very evocative. The plot however has so many holes that I can use it as a colapasta to prepare my spaghetti. (How do you say colapasta in English...is not colander I don't think so.)

SCENARIO SPOILERS SPOILERS BERWARE!

Basically the desert city of Palmyra is afflicted by all sort of mysterious illnesses. There is not much to investigate: the source is a cult of Scorpion Men and humans worshiping Mot the lord of Decay. They want to infect everybody, just because they're mad cultists. There are no political intrigues, no musty tomes to read or puzzles to solve. At a certain moment you bump into scorpion men and fight them, here and there, then you bump into everybody (cultists and scorpionmen) just in time to stop their summoning, with a huge fight at the bathouse. The bath water isn't properly clean.

END SPOILERS



Told like that it seems silly (and to some extent it is), but I would'nt throw the baby with the bathwater. The ambiance of the desert city and the paranoia and malaise of the Roman colonists on that dangerous Parthian border in the middle of the desert is well done. If I ever get to run Rome BRP, I'm probably reworking the scenario and resetting it at the time of Crassus' disastrous Parthian campaign (53 BC). In that way you can easily link it to the VENI VIDI VICI mini campaign.

All in all a pretty decent CoC supplement, with a particularly good moster section and a scenario that has potential but needs work. It is not its fault that it pales compared with the sheer awesomeness of BRP Rome. In fact, it can even add something to your BRP Rome campaign in the sword & sorcery department.

A final note. The Lovecraft Mythos do not really add much to the book. It's really dark fantasy Rome, and would work fine without the old cephalopod. I feel wearier and wearier of the innumerous transpositions of the Cthulhu tropes. They've been done to death.

Classic 1920s CoC in New England can still feel fresh and authentic to me. Otherwise I think Plush Chtulhu, a poor exhausted pop-culture meme.
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Smiorgan
Balding Count of Menii & BRP grognard

[dr_mitch]

Interesting- I have the Cthulhu Invictus monograph, and found it a strange mixture of good and bad.

For example, I liked the secret of Athens, and the take on the Vestal Virgins was brilliant.

But I wasn't too keen on the monsters- too Greek rather than Roman, and no link to the mythos or dreamlands. Similarly, the take on the Olympians was- for want of a better way to put it- boring. Both scenarios were full of holes.

Perhaps my tastes are different to yours- I wanted things more closely linked to the Mythos rather than less (as things stand with it, the Mythos is not well integrated with the book). Anyway, after what you've said (which was very helpful), I'll skip the expanded version.

As for BRP Rome- it's on order, and something I'm very much looking forward to.
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Paul Mitchener

Maths Sensei

Author: Blood of the Gods (Wild Talents in Ancient Greece), Drowned Lands (in Adventures in Wordplay), Dragon City (in the OpenQuester).

[Smiorgan]

[Pete]

Thanks for the comparison Smiorgan!

I never bothered getting the original Invictus since I had a similar opinion as dr_mitch. But your idea that it might be used as a S&S supplement for BRP Rome may change my mind.

[dr_mitch]

So it works better as a general Swords and Sorcery/Dark Fantasy game set in the Roman World rather than as Call of Cthulhu in Rome? I'll have to have another read of the monograph taking that point of view, and see if it grows on me. Or maybe I'll just wait until I've got BRP Rome.

Anyway, Smiorgan, thanks for your offer for a list of new cults and secret societies. I'll take you up on that if it's not too much trouble.
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Paul Mitchener

Maths Sensei

Author: Blood of the Gods (Wild Talents in Ancient Greece), Drowned Lands (in Adventures in Wordplay), Dragon City (in the OpenQuester).

[christopher1]

[Guvnor]

Sounds like Invictus is more RE Howard than HP Lovecraft..

Of course the Empire wasn't wholly Roman at all, in fact it was in Asia Minor very Hellenistic (which is in itself far more than Greek).

Sound like they can co-exist well, like Val du Loup and Merrie England.
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neither god nor master