Call of Cthulhu, the utterly non-collectible card game: the rules,
version 1.0.

Andrew Shultz 5/97

contributions by Marcus Sarofim, Jay Muchnij, Grant Gould, and others.

Call of Cthulhu is a card game based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu
Mythos.  Each player, from 2 to many, takes the part of a sorcerer
attempting to destroy the minds of her opponents.  The last sorcerer
with any sanity is the winner of the game.  The game is non-collectible
because really, what sane person would put Cthulhu in their deck?


Setup:

Each player should draw five cards from the deck into their hand, and
then draw seven cards sight unseen into any desired pattern in front
of them.  Mystic signs are recommended.  Then the player takes 35 (5 *
7) counters and places them in a pile, this is the sanity (SAN).  The
knowledge (KNOW) starts out empty.  Remaining counters are left in a
pool next to the deck.

Definitions:

	Attack: to send your beings at another player in order
	to cause them mental trauma.

	CONCEAL: to turn a card from face up to face down.
	CONCEALING a card has no effect aside from the one
	specified on the card.

	Concealed: a card which is face down is concealed.

	Controller: you are the controller of cards which are
	revealed or concealed in front of you, as well as of cards
	in your hand.

	Creature: a creature is a type of being more powerful
	than a human, but less than a unique.

	Dead Pile: the discard pile.  Anyone may look through it
	at any time.

	Deck: the central deck of cards from which hands are drawn.

	DESTROY: to place a card into the dead pile.
	
	Event: an event card may be played from the hand by paying
	the KNOW cost and then the SAN cost.  Events are DESTROYED
	once used.

	Gain: when you gain SAN or KNOW, it comes from the pool.

	Gods/Great Old Ones: the most powerful beings, and always unique.

	Human: the most weak and powerless type of being.

	Item: a card representing a thing.

	KNOW: knowledge.  When knowledge is lost, it goes into 
	the pool of counters.

	OPPOSE: beings which are OPPOSED encounter each other.
	This CONCEALS beings of equal power, and in the case of
	a mismatch in power, the greater is CONCEALED, the lesser
	DESTROYED.

	REVEAL: to turn a card from face down to face up.
	REVEALING a card causes its controller to take the SAN
	loss indicated on the card if it is an item, ritual,
	or being.  If it is an event or spell, controller either pays
	first the KNOW and then the SAN loss or, if either is impossible,
	pays nothing.  If both prices are paid, the event or spell 
	takes place, otherwise it is DESTROYED with no effect.

	Revealed: a card with text visible is revealed.

	Ritual: a card representing a permanent magical effect.
	Played as a cross between an item and a spell.

	SAN: sanity.  When sanity is lost, it moves to KNOW on
	a one point for one point basis.
	
	Spell: a spell card may be played from the hand by paying
	the KNOW cost and then the SAN cost.  Spells are DESTROYED 
	once used.

	SUMMON: to bring a being, ritual, or item card from the hand
	to a revealed state.  The controller must pay the KNOW cost on 
	the card.  This counts as REVEALING the card with regards to 
	special card effects, but no SAN loss is taken because the 
	summoning was expected and therefore not startling.
	Exception: SAN loss must be paid for rituals.

	Unique: Only one copy of a unique may be revealed at any time, so
	when a new version is REVEALED, the previous is automatically
	CONCEALED with no effect and no response possible.  Beings and
	items may be unique.

Turn Order:

	PRICE PHASE: pay any costs and incur any benefits marked as occurring
	during this phase.  Order is up to the person whose turn it
	is.

	DRAW CARD: draw a card from the deck into your hand.

	REVEAL CARD: REVEAL a card you control.

	SUMMON/SPELL: Summon any desired creatures and cast any desired spells.

	ATTACK: Make one attack at any set of opponents in the following manner.
	Choose which beings attack which opponent.  Each opponent may
	then choose to place some of their beings in the way, OPPOSING one if their
	beings with one of the attacking beings.  Resolve all oppositions and
	and FAST ACTIONS that take place.  Each remaining creature causes its 
	SAN loss to the appropriate opponent, as well as any specified effects.
	All special oppositions and special effects take place in order specified
	by the attacker if it really matters.

	SUMMON/SPELL: Summon any desired creatures and cast any
desired spells.

Out of Turn/Anytime actions (FAST ACTIONS):

	These may occur at any time except during the DRAW and REVEAL stages
	of a turn.  That is to say, between turns, before or after the attack,
	during the price phase, whenever.  These actions may come in response
	to other such actions or in response to a slow action or an insult or
	whatever.  In the case of multiple FAST ACTIONS, they are resolved in
	LIFO order.


	FAST ACTIONS: 

		Play any event.

		Use any CONCEAL ability.

		Use any DESTROY ability.

Other Rules:

	Arrangement: Cards may not be rearranged for any reason other
	than a card effect.  New cards, whether SUMMONED or otherwise
	generated, may be placed in any desired arrangement.  Since part
	of the game is remembering which face down card is what, 
	organizing the cards midway through the game is not permitted.

	DESTROY and CONCEAL effects: if a card has a DESTROY or conceal
	effect, say perhaps "CONCEAL to win the game", that effect does
	not occur if someone else uses an event or effect or whatever to
	cause the card to become CONCEALED.  However, it is likely that 
	if someone says "I use this effect to CONCEAL that card," that you
	will say "I respond by CONCEALING it.  In this case, the effect
	happens because, in LIFO order, you CONCEAL the card, and then
	their effect CONCEALS it (but it is already concealed --- their
	effect still occurs if it had any other parts).  Thus, you may choose
	to have a CONCEAL or DESTROY effect occur, but you do not have to.
	The exception to this is if another copy of a unique turns up, your
	copy is immediately CONCEALED, with no response possible and no
	other effect --- what has just happened is you didn't have the
	being you thought you did, so you certainly can't use its powers.

	Note that if you DESTROY a concealed card, no effect at all is possible
	for that card --- although everyone may look at it on the discard 
	pile to see what was just destroyed.

	Insanities: Insanities have been taken out of this version,
	because they were either too strong or not terribly useful.
	
	Multiple REVEALS: When multiple cards are revealed, they are
	all considered to be simultaneous as far as resulting KNOW/SAN 
	loss is determined.  Once losses have been completely
	calculated, effects of the cards may occur.  Events have first priority
	if SAN or KNOW is limited, followed by Spells.

	Places: Places have been taken out of this version.  They just
	weren't very interesting.

	Range of effects: unless otherwise specified, a card may use its powers
	to effect any card in play (not in someone's hand) that fits the
	description.  For instance, a card which says "CONCEAL to CONCEAL a card"
	may effect any face up card controlled by any player.