Cthulhu Wars | Game the Game

Want a primer on the rules? Check out How to Play: • How to Play Cthulhu Wars
Capture cultists and summon Elder Gods in a fight for global dominance in the face of oblivion! In this week’s Game the Game, Becca Scott is joined by Mark Meer, Joseph Limbaugh and Margaret Dost as they battle it out to gain the most “Doom” and be the best cultist faction leader in Cthulhu Wars by Petersen Games.
Tabletop games are super fun, but learning the complicated directions and rules can be a challenge. Becca Scott is your game tutor, explaining the game mechanics in an easy to follow way, so you can get to playing the games faster.
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[@KMReviews]

1:05:47 he said he failed to desecrate Australia but he had a spell book which made desecration 1 cheaper so he actually shoulda succeeded and got an elder sign (he also forgot the elder sign a few minutes later when he did it again) Also every single time he desecrated he was forgetting to add more units to the board which arrive whether successful or not.

[@felipet.m.]

Joseph: I've been playing Call of Cthulhu since... the eighties Becca: I was not born!! So... he is an Old One

[@TheErnieforss]

Just wait 10 years. She'll be the Old One. Time is the worst.

[@felipet.m.]

@@TheErnieforss she'll still be cute

[@Larve12]

@@felipet.m. yea she is

[@JamesSamson487]

But is he Great? We have to ask the real questions here.

[@wtmk_bk]

@@TheErnieforss half way there

[@Roak199]

Man, Becca has the mind of a god. Being able to remember all these various board game rules so well is genuinely impressive.

[@coregoon]

It's not a very complex game, so it's really not that impressive, especially considering she keeps forgetting things.

[@bizdaretz8679]

Not to mention, there's reminder cards... most games have those these days.

[@JamesPattersonME]

I wish ya'll would do another play through with completely different factions to show off the crazy diversity

[@metalmoth6608]

Yup

[@chrisaaslid]

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age. Oh, and you forgot to link the tutorial in the description below." -HP Lovecraft

[@salfisher297]

chris aaslid one of my favorite lines said by hp is you forgot to put the tutorial video in the description

[@chrisaaslid]

@@salfisher297 hey, that's my line!

[@CrazyBunnyGuy]

This game would be the perfect way to continue a failed Eldritch or Arkham Horror session. So if you fail and the old one awakens, you simply switch tables and continue playing Cthulhu Wars :D There are no investigators, clues or mysteries, just some general devouring of the world. :D

[@Aerakade]

That's brilliant.

[@21doriangray]

That would work for pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu as well!

[@quintoncalvin1113]

you prolly dont give a shit but does anybody know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account..? I somehow lost my password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me

[@salvatoreluis5457]

@Quinton Calvin Instablaster ;)

[@quintoncalvin1113]

@Salvatore Luis I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm in the hacking process now. Takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@meenakshious]

First time I’ve seen Mark Meer not playing Chaz and my brain genuinely cannot recognize them as the same person.

[@kat_jacks]

He's so much more likeable without the English accent, it's a nice change, haha!

[@persefonerestinpeace7982]

The same here... You should see his Instagram... He is a fu... genious with so many characters... But I still see Chaz not Mark XD And the same happens with Becca XD I see Jasper`s ex girlfriend, not Becca XD

[@TheTrueThomayo]

I just see Shepherd

[@tomesofawesome8041]

Honestly, on both Colisto 6 AND his show, little plastic Men (I think it's called). His left eye looks fucked up and the wrong color. I haven't looked him up on social media before, so I legit thought Mark Meer's left eye was mutated IRL or whatever till I saw him here with glasses and "Normal" looking Irises! ROFLMAO !!!!!

[@Wobbiesan]

And he's such a genuinely good human. Ran into him in public and he was kind and generous with his time.

[@BrianAndrews73]

Thank you for making this show and the how to play show. I too have been playing Call of Cthulhu since the 80s and it was my love of that game that I backed the first Cthulhu Wars kickstarter. However I found the game really intimidating because of the a-symetrical system and so it has sat on top of my bookshelf for years. That was until I saw you guys playing it this week and I felt confident to give it a go with my brothers. We played it today and had a fun afternoon of summoning and scheming and eventual battles because who doesn't want to command Cthulhu to duff up the other gods? Thank you for being such good enablers.

[@tozmom615]

I love watching playthroughs where there’s a lot of chemistry between the players. This is a xenon/argon/radon/ helium reaction at its finest.

[@maggiedean5691]

My lovecraftian nerd inside me is happy to see this. Marks triva is great.

[@rodneykelly8768]

If the Cthulhu faction was molded in purple plastic, its great old one would be “Grape Cthulhu.”

[@TheErnieforss]

If one of this wings broke off his name will be called the "Taped Cthulhu"

[@SandyofCthulhu]

may a swift and rotting doom inflict upon you, villain.

[@rodneykelly8768]

@@SandyofCthulhu Please, it’s not like I suggested hastur was lemon flavored, (I think he’s more pineapple, anyway.)

[@SandyofCthulhu]

Rodney Kelly ARGH

[@rodneykelly8768]

@@SandyofCthulhu GOOD NEWS! I've run out of fruit puns!

[@CrisSelene]

Imagine the Great Old Ones just sitting around a table divvying the world like this

[@gustonzimasheen]

Reminds me of that joke: "Knock, knock" "Who's there?" "Cthul" "Cthul Who?!!"

[@Mothless42]

I really love Lovecraft’s influence on gaming these days

[@matthewnuckles5937]

Oh, so glad they switched to longer format so we can actually see a full game.

[@Warhuma]

Very very fun and nice playthrough to watch. All the references and all the talk around the table were very funny. Congratulation it was a pleasure to follow your game and the post prod (camera switch, quality audio and all the stuff) was TOP! Sadly one big thing was forgotten by the Yellow Sign player : After EVERY desecration, whatever it fails or succeed, he could have summoned a byakee or undead for free in the area!!! And he desecrated a LOT ;). Imagine how many monsters he would have at the end of the game and this change drastically the game for his benefits. Anyway, I didn't know you all and your channel but a great discovery! Keeps going! An happy French!

[@persefonerestinpeace7982]

I would love to see and hear Mark talking about Cthulu ♥ Becca I love your way of talking to us and the group ♥ Love you tooo much! ♥

[@carlosb.6851]

I have no idea what the game is, but you guys are so entertaining lol. Subscribed.

[@KMReviews]

He kept forgetting when he desecrates he gets a monster or cultist of power 2 or less each time.

[@LeoLewis]

I passed on buying this game for $80 yesterday and I super regret it.

[@94834472]

I think Yellow Sign was the true winner. He completely forgot to get an Elder Sign when desecreted Australia (at 1:07:40).

[@Max-cj8qn]

Correct !

[@saintmastema17]

@@Max-cj8qn its okay they didn't follow the rules correctly a few times lol

[@redpandai1]

also forgot to summon creatures whenever he desecrated

[@gidiyaniv82]

Awesome playthrough. Thanks!

[@filnn]

Damn, I love Mark! First I fell in love with his performance as Chaz... this man just keeps on impressing me!

[@stephen3049]

Becca: "I love a good clock" Me: Oh she said clock....

[@kaos1109]

Great! This is such a stream-lined game! It really feels like all the components go seamlessly with one another. Now I definetively want it on my collection. Too sad it's such a steep entry cost! :(

[@mrtheasley]

Very helpful to see this play-through! Thank you, Becca and all. My only gripe is that Becca did not play Cthulhu, what with her nail polish.

[@jigamac71]

Thank you for sharing!, Loved watching the game!, You all rock😈

[@storytellerscorner13]

So few battles, but still interesting. Thanks for good production

[@fernandomatsuri9170]

I Love so much this game!

[@williammyles]

Nice game thanks so much 😊

[@kevinsullivan3448]

In one CoC game I played, the group referred to Hastur as Hashbrowns.

[@HerrFinsternis]

Fun watch ☺️

[@mannys.9300]

Joseph was not adding a free figure to the area with a cost of 2 or less as a bonus gift that desecration rewards by default whether you succeed or fail at it.

[@mastachief16]

this was a lot more entertaining than it should have been

[@jaquelinelorn1906]

great cthulu looks like the love child of matt mercer and david tennant

[@baliusd]

Love the game well played. Keep in mind you need to focus on the spell books first. Fun to watch! Cthulhu Fhtagn.

[@VaughanCockell]

I'd love to see the team tackle Petersen Games' other epic game that uses a very similar system - Glorantha: The Gods War.

[@randomaccessfemale]

45:15 He forgot to put those undead on the board every time he desecrated. That's how the King gets his army. With Hastur in play, Yellow Sign looks really OP with free units and elder signs.

[@davidandersson7642]

Yeah, when Yellow Sign is in the game the other factions must agree to help beat him up. The way I describe it to people is that Yellow Sign is like playing Cthulhu Wars Pandemic, where one player gets to be the virus. I tend to avoid using Yellow Sign against new players for that reason, but in a game with experienced players they are fun.

[@randomaccessfemale]

@@davidandersson7642 The key to defeat Yellow Sign is to kill the King. Then he cannot desecrate.

[@davidandersson7642]

@@randomaccessfemale I agree, but to do that most factions must do their part. The King in Yellow will usually be able to run away from invading armies like Cthulhu or Nyarlathotep's before those factions unlock unlimited battle in the late game. By then a good Yellow Sign player will have amassed many Elder Signs and a decent zombie army to defend the King. It usually takes a few attacks to take him out.

[@randomaccessfemale]

@@davidandersson7642 And they have to careful with Hastur. He can be dangerous.

[@zinho73ninguemperguntou]

Most pacific CW game i have ever watched. But great fun to watch

[@Solaar_Punk]

Well played, great demonstration. I wish I could explain how to play board games to people that well, great skill.

[@jango5151]

The zombies are just chill and friendly with the deep ones

[@ignaciomartinsilva]

Joseph in his last successful desecration didn´t get the elder sign, also if i´m not wrong (i played the game last year), when you make a desecration with the king in yellow u get a zombie even if u doesnt succed it. That could change the final score. Anyhow GG.

[@KaiHouston-m6j]

Fun game. Though I think the players were too passive, as some big Kaiju battles can really swing things. :)

[@ReptileViking]

Now play it with EVERY expansion :D

[@coregoon]

Ye gods! Now that's crazytalk! 😱

[@zinho73ninguemperguntou]

including all the maps simultaneously!!!

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

You need the 9-11 player map for that, and they haven't shipped that yet. Nor the last two factions, Bastet and Daemon Sultan.

[@jebeddo08]

Did YS desecration got nerfed? Used to be able to get a free monster everytime he does a desecration.

[@warlord3560]

this is what i was thinking while watching.. but no he should be able to summon a monster after desecration whether he failed or succeeded

[@Thrythlind]

Heh, Nyarlthotep and Shub-Niggrath are gods. Hastur and Cthulhu are mere Great Old Ones

[@kenpatterson3086]

This looks a bit like Cthulhu meets Risk.

[@jchu463]

Mannn…that Nyarlathotep roll is such a oof moment. Having so many dice and not a kill…ouch! 😂

[@DutchHeathen]

Soo.. I haven't finished the whole video yet, but did the Hastur player just not pay the Desecration action cost on that turn where he did all the desecrating? 3 zombies spawned (3). 2 for 1st Desecrate (5). 1 to move to Arctic Ocean (6). 2 for 2nd Desecration (8). 1 to move to North America (9). 2 to Descrate (11). 1 for Zingaya (12). Still has 2 power left? I checked back and he started the round with 10 power. Like I said, don't know who wins yet, but if it's him, I call foul. :P

[@mizuki-mixore6705]

Ilya Merian Though he also managed to forget to summon an unit with cost 2 or less every time he execute Desecration (of course, it is still accidental cheating, but that is an okay enough thing in the name of casual playing)

[@brandt_gaming555]

@MIRAGE INPULZ3 I was wondering if anyone else noticed that

[@siropallius]

I think one of his spellbooks reduced the cost of desecrate by 1

[@johnjustjohn5866]

@@siropallius yep

[@ThePigKnight]

Mark Meer is American David Tennant.

[@Andre-rc9xc]

Didn't they make some mistakes in the game? For example: Yellow Sign moved the King In Yellow in one turn and just desecrated in the same turn. But desecration is an action and he has to wait for his NEXT turn to desecrate an area. Or did he use the speelbook "The Screaming Dead"? It's hard to keep track what spellbooks are taken by whom.

[@FistyClown]

I like have everyone tried to avoid saying "Shub-Niggurath."

[@fahsky]

Cthulhu Wars, a Sandy Peterson game! (shout out to Board Game Barrage podcast for igniting my interest in this game!)

[@GenrealGreed]

wheres the link for the rules?

[@persefonerestinpeace7982]

Search the video on this channel =) Becca explain all the rules =)

[@davidleonardflanagan]

I really want to paint these minis, guess I could leave the bases unpainted to denote teams easily if I get this game 😅

[@Lucas-rz3vl]

Or paint them using the colours of the players as the main theme!

[@kaelryder3565]

For some reason I thought Limbaugh was matt colville without a beard @____@ I was so scared... There's something very similar about their eyes...

[@creative_commander4973]

Hey people. This game seems fun

[@MorriganJade]

So Becca didn't introduce herself playing Nyarlathotep?

[@SilverEyedAngel]

Well damn it... There's another game I have to add to my list to buy.

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

You can read the rules as you recover from the operation selling a kidney to pay for it.

[@DaDunge]

Wait Becca Scott was born in the 90s? I didn't realize she was that young.

[@Dblaster02]

Nice game. Lots of fun between you. Nice music. It just make me want to play with you.

[@pedroabreu7809]

Mark Meer!

[@larryng]

Becca scott

[@ThatBlueWanderer]

Isn't the yellow faction supposed to summon a 2 or less cost thing every time it desecrates or something?

[@CorruptionofDawn]

Only on a failed desecration.

[@Pugthulhu]

On a success or fail he gains a monster or cultist

[@larryng]

Gowayvima gowayvima

[@kingplayer14]

This game looks kinda fun. I was disappointed that they only had combat, i think a total of only three times for the entire game. To me this can be a combat heavy game, but this play seemed lacking in that. I know it probably depends on your gaming style but, whatever. I was quite bored of summoning and movement. I am glad i watched it though. .

[@zinho73ninguemperguntou]

In my experience, the more you play, the more relentless it gets.

[@kingplayer14]

@@zinho73ninguemperguntou I would agree

[@reloadpsi]

May I just say that your Cthulhu player's fake English accent is fantastic?

[@florianbecke3076]

Hmmm... is Mark's voice really that mesmerizing or is it just the Cthulhu setting? o.O

[@rougeshot7395]

sheperd is going to renegade the earth over to the old ones.

[@TheReaper2380]

Remember TableTop?

[@gioelevisani9396]

Wow... A war game where no one really battled anyone

[@alexwillads4692]

Dreams has been nerfed since this game right? Im pretty sure it costs 3 now.

[@elaynepas7656]

Did anyone notice that Joseph Limbaugh cheated in the 3rd round? He had 10 power, spent 3 on undead, 6 on desecrating, 2 on movement and another 1 on eliminating an enemy cultist. That adds up to 12 power as far as my ability to calculate reckons.

[@coregoon]

His spellbook reduces the cost of Desecration from 2 to 1. He does keep forgetting to place a unit when he desecrates though.

[@larryng]

Naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis naiis

[@coregoon]

Kinda funny how Margaret keeps refering to Shubby as "The Goat" instead of her name; Shub-Niggurath.

[@stevejenkins7403]

I think some people are uncomfortable saying shubzies name because it sounds like they're flirting with racism.

[@coregoon]

@@stevejenkins7403 That sounds very... American. 😆 I can totally understand not mentioning Lovecraft's cat by name though. That's boy's an awkward one. 🤣

[@sprouting_lady]

@@coregoon Yeah...Lovecraft was unfortunately quite racist, even going by the standards of the era he lived in. Dude straight up supported Hitler during his rise and trafficked in anti-semitic conspiracy theories a la Henry Ford.

[@coregoon]

@@sprouting_lady There's no hiding that he was a racist, even for his time, but he didn't really support Hitler. As for the Nazi party as a whole, he seemed to have been cautiously optimistic at first, but later changed his opinion on them. In hindsight, this quote is a tad amusing tho. _"Whether Herr Adolf will do more permanent harm than good in the long run still remains to be seen. So far the outlook isn’t especially promising"_

[@McHobotheBobo]

*Turtle Gang*

[@rjd9194]

I loved watching you all play, but they game didn't seem to really grab me. THAT'S why we have Soooooo many games, some grab us and some don't. :D

[@TylerDeLisle]

I think the game is deceptively strategic and interesting. The more you learn each faction and it's strengths it becomes more of a game of chess. Multiple opening moves, multiple spell book strategies you can aim for and playstyles for each faction. Then there are 11 factions total you could jump between, not to mention the different map variants and neutral monsters. But yeah, it's certainly not for everyone. I have friends who won't touch it because they hate extreme asymmetry like this.

[@bigdream_dreambig]

Hm. Games like this that track points and then end when you hit a certain point value always seem so anticlimactic to me; I would much rather have a more meaningful goal as the ending condition.

[@Bokosuka-yl7eq]

A meaningful goal...such as????

[@bigdream_dreambig]

@@Bokosuka-yl7eq Anything: put out the fire, kill all the bad guys, solve the mystery, cure the pandemic, conquer all the territory, rescue the hostage, steal the McGuffin, etc., etc., etc.

[@Bokosuka-yl7eq]

@@bigdream_dreambig well. I suppose so. In the game they kinda push the, destroy the world sort of approach without getting all your spellbooks and making it to 30 doom. But maybe a bit more than that

[@bigdream_dreambig]

@@Bokosuka-yl7eq How it's implemented is important. I typically find it unsatisfying if the way you're achieving the goal has been so abstracted that it's happening through a slow accumulation of equivalent things (points, money, grains, whatever). There's nothing special or unique about those last points that put you over the edge versus the first ones that you earned. Why do you win at 100 points, for example? The game designers could have just as easily said you win at 98, or 103, or 57, or whatever. The whole game is just one long slog to an arbitrary number.

[@Bokosuka-yl7eq]

@@bigdream_dreambig what’s your favorite board game then? That implements these mechanics you wantv

[@smegid586]

Purr of Cathulhu

[@coregoon]

The cat faction isn't acctually out yet, but it's coming. 😺

[@chimera0213]

Does all the rambling at the end mean anything?

[@DarthRevan42]

Awesome game... too expensive for my poor blood

[@larryng]

Becascott

[@BoardGamesBel3araby]

@becca @geekandsundry can you make game the game for (resistance )

[@argeniosm]

Unlikely, Game the Game is a paid for marketing service. The Resistance is an older game, and not buying much advertising these days.

[@veganbanan]

They have one video with resistance already

[@Flo_-ox2qe]

Damn, Becca Scott is such a absolutely beautiful woman.

[@qwertyb18]

These people are insufferably annoying

[@MarvelOfRain]

Joseph should have gotten a free Cultist or any of his monsters (2 cost or less) out each time he desecrated a region. It is nice seeing he still won even though he severely nerfed his own faction.

[@PatheticApathetic]

Guys, you could just pronounce it “Shub-ni-goo-rath.” It’s a fictional word that humans probably shouldn’t be able to pronounce correctly anyway. That would be better than completely refraining from saying “Shub-Niggurath” at all during a Cthulhu game for a dumb reason

[@ilqrd.6608]

Redheads...damn

[@scttlewis02]

I miss Will Wheaton's table top games

[@Triplethreat-rx4fb]

Me too but this is really good too

[@alainarobinson2534]

They seem so stiff in their commentary

[@patrickfitzpatrick2945]

Those guys are awful comedians.

[@aaronschwartz6360]

They have no chemistry as players or actors.

[@PumpkinJack88]

He keeps looking at the camera. Stop.

[@ManFromTheFizz]

Boy Margaret and Becca come of as so insincere and loudmouthed no wonder this series isn’t getting any views XD

[@8999]

ดูมาเกือบหนึ่งชั่วโมง วิ่งหนีกันไป หนีกันมา เพื่อ?

[@tigrismorte4250]

Are you not ashamed that those minis are not painted?

[@macker1313]

200th

[@jeffgrey2161]

Scandinavia isn’t socialist

[@spicy6035]

Please replace Becca with someone sincere.....

[@rolfkraulein2903]

fhtagn