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Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game
2016
Rules assistance for Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–6 players
- 45–120 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.6/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game is a board game released in 2016 for 1–6 players, 45–120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Philip Loyer and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Cooperative Game, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
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About the game
The Elder Gods greet and invite you to participate in trying to save your wretched existence. The stars are aligning soon and only those who have dared to piece together the clues from the mythos even know what's coming. Do you and your fellow investigators have what it takes to save everything? I think not... In Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game, you cooperatively work with fellow players (1-6 players) as Investigators to banish the Elder God and his minions by using Moxie (force of character, determination, or nerve) to reduce their health to zero. If you banish the Elder God before he reduces all of the Investigators health to zero you win the game. There are two phases of the game, a planning and combat phase. 1) In the planning phase, the Investigators activate cards in their hand, research new cards at the Miskatonic University and then ready themselves for final preparation. 2) In the combat phase, the Elder God and his minions attack the Investigators' health and sanity. Investigators may go crazy or die out right, however, they have a chance to fight back. The Investigators use Moxie to push back the waves of the occult and supernatural. Building your personal library by researching in the Miskatonic University makes you stronger and is your only hope against the Elders. Keep in mind, every bit of resource used to research is a bit not used against the Mythos. It is a balance you must solve to defeat the Elder Gods.
Designers
Publishers
- Wyvern Gaming
Questions and answers
Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game supports 1–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game is 45–120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game has a complexity rating of 2.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game belongs to these categories: Card Game and Horror. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Cooperative Game, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game are: Philip Loyer. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Cthulhu: A Deck Building Game as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.