An Exploration of the Appeal of the Cosmic Horror Series of Gamebooks for Call of Cthulhu TRPG

Abstract

This paper explores the appeal of the cosmic horror series of gamebooks "Alone Against the…" for the Call of Cthulhu TRPG by Chaosium. The purpose of this study was to collect and analyse actual responses to see how they aligned with the theoretical reasons found by reviewing the literature. The data were collected through a survey using Google Forms. The survey was shared in groups on Facebook and Discord specialising in cosmic horror role-playing. The results show that there is a strong negative correlation between age and wanting to learn the rules of Call of Cthulhu through the introductory gamebook Alone Against the Flames. Another major reason for playing these solo gamebooks was the difficulty in gathering a group to play traditional Call of Cthulhu. This problem seemed to affect older players more than younger ones. Overall, the findings reveal a diverse set of reasons why people have been playing the various gamebooks in the series.