So, to explain the title, I love pretty much anything FFG. Descent, anything Star Wars, Blood Bowl Manager, etc, etc ad nauseum.

I also quite enjoy reading Lovecraft. I have been looking at Eldritch Horrors for a while and I think my daughter and wife might enjoy it, (along with my regular gaming group, but, we have been on an Imperial Assault kick lately, so...).

My question is thus. Neither my wife nor daughter have read Lovecraft. I know it will diminish the fun of the game for them, but, do you think it would be a complete bore fest for them, not knowing Lovecraft or things Cthulu?

Title content asynchronicity Exhibit A.

Title content asynchronicity Exhibit A.

Really? :le sigh:

It is not asychronicity. Yes it is a bit busy, but, it lays out the levity in the title, gives a quick rundown of my situation and asks the question. Hence three paragraphs Three different points. Unless of course you were using the word in a programming or accounting vernacular, in which case, I have no clue.

I actually dislike the whole "Cthulhu Mythos" thing and find it generally not scary or interesting at all. However, I do like this game as it's more of a globetrotting adventure (similar to the old 90s Mummy movies) than trying to actually be frightening.

The only downside to not being familiar with the source material is not knowing how to pronounce some of the things and not actually knowing what things are supposed to look like. But quite a few of the baddies are generic (vampires, cultists, etc).

Hey hey,

Interesting question. My initial reaction is no, they don't need to know Lovecraft. Part of the setting of the game (and most Lovecraft-inspired games) is of a world in which average people begin to discover the true nature of what surrounds them... And how that unhinges them. I've played EH with people before and only sketched lightly what it is we're up against and as the game's gone on, their knowledge has grown. After all, it's not like the investigators have a manual saying "this is how you stop the daemon sultan you might not even believe exists"...

Only thing I'd check, really, is if the setting and theme will even tickle your family. My own partner hates the idea of mental disintegration & a world in which the forces at work are cruel and capricious. She's played EH but didn't enjoy it as a result. But if your family like horror / creeping dread / a few weaklings against the void.... Then they'll love EH.

Hope this helps!

Zooeyglass makes a good point about the setting itself being more important. My girlfriend hates EH because she needs to be constantly rewarded in a game, not constantly abused

For myself, I've only read a relatively small amount of literature on the Lovecraft mythos and that was a long time ago. It never hindered me in any way, though prior knowledge of certain things would help enrich the experience. The game itself is a great introduction to learning a lot about the mythos and the old ones.

In fact, on a side note, the game has made me want to start reading more Lovecraftian stuff. I've recently bought and read Alan Moore's Neonomicon (which, I should say, is definitely NOT for kids or the overly sensitive) and am currently reading its prequel/sequel Providence, which is examining and deconstructing everything Lovecraftian in incredible detail and I'm loving it.

Wow. Thanks guys. That helps a bunch.

To those of you who have NOT read Lovecraft, my advice? Don't. They are slow difficult reads. That said, he has some AMAZING ideas that are so off the wall you can almost feel your sanity leaving as you read them. However, His style of writing drags. Much like reading Tolkien. King is a much better writer and his ideas are almost as good and almost as mind bending.

At Hedgehobbit, I have read a LOT of Lovecraft and I still have no clue on the PROPER pronunciation of many things he talks about.

And my advice is to ignore his advice. Recommending King while decrying Lovecraft and Tolkien? unbelievable.

Not saying Lovecraft and Tolkien weren't brilliant. They were. They wrote AMAZING epics. The problem is the style of writing, which isn't their fault, it was the style of the times. They write epics, which, unfortunately read like epics, (might also be a bit jaded by the Silmarillion, which was partly written by his son, which didn't help). I love them both, just saying they are not teh easy reads people are accustomed to today. Some of Kings older stuff, (It and earlier), is comparable to Lovecraft. For fantasy, JK Rowlings is an amazing author who has good ideas, yet, can set a scene quickly without too many words.

As a side note, I have read, and own, a LOT of Lovecraft and everything in the Lord of the Rings epic, (I think... excluding his letters).

To those of you who have NOT read Lovecraft, my advice? Absolutely DO! Call of Cthulhu, The shadow over Innsmouth, The thing on the doorstep and The Dunwich horror are all cracking reads IMO, and worthy of anyone's time. They are short stories and easy to get through and make a splendid introduction/overview of the topics covered in the Eldritch Horror boardgame.

There are also numerous Audio Dramas productions and readings found on Youtube and elsewhere. I can heartily recommend a visit to The Drabblecast too - for tales of the strange and weird.

For those who'd prefer to listen than read some great Lovecraft stories I present these links to begin the task of discovery:

https://cthulhuwho1.com/2013/09/07/the-worlds-largest-h-p-lovecraft-audio-links-gateway/

I first let them listen to some HP lovecraft, color from outer space, Herbert West reanimator, and curse of yig, were ones she enjoyed. Her most hated though was The Mound (collab). We would listen to them when driving on long trips, I also threw in old Horror radio shows and Ravenloft audiobooks.

Shadow Over Innsmouth is what got my girl hooked on Lovecraft. The story is interesting and eerie up to Zaddock, where it becomes a conspiracy. Then all of crazy stuff gets realized at the Gilman House in an epic escape sequence of action that is very rare in Lovecraft. We listened to it voiced by Wayne June, and we both had the same feeling of nervousness and an increased heart rate you'd expect when running for your life.

It's a lot of people's favorite, just so. i do love Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath, and i do not find it as hard to read as some people say. You may want to suggest the HP Lovecraft Historical Society, as well as HPPodcraft.com, for some simply amazing content. Also, the HPLHS does radio theater plays "Dark Adventure Presents" of a lot of the stories that set great ambiance and tone,

ok, I officially recant my previously stated opinion, (I blame the media, I was misquoted). His short stories are amazing and they are fair easy to read. It also just occured to me that all of his short stories that I own are in anthology format. Plowing through a dozen of his short stories in a row can also be... tiresome.

Before anyone trolls me, remember, I did say I love his work. I just feel his style of writing is... cumbersome(?)

I can't believe anyone could read the Colour Out of Space and not have their mind blown. That story is absolutely unbelieveable. Whisperer in the Darkness is a close second for me. While I enjoy Stephen King quite a lot, even he would admit his ideas aren't close to those of Lovecraft, mostly because a lot of his best ideas are directly ripped off from Lovecraft. Without Lovecraft who knows what King would be like.

N, Revivial, Pet Sematary, and many others owe a HUGE debt to Lovecraft.

As for not reading Lovecraft and playing EH, my gf never read any Lovecraft, but she loves the game, it's her absolute favorite and the game itself has very little to do with the actual books. There's LOTS of references to them, but also to Robert E. Howard and many other weird fiction authors.

The game has nothing to do with Lovecraft besides the names. None of the storylines are in the game. (The Color out of Space is a monster in Tunguska for instance).

:le sigh: Once again, I am not knocking Lovecraft's ideas, it is his style of writing. His ideas are mind blowing, (the coke habit in the cemetery MAY have something to do with that). And yes King does attribute much of his material to Lovecraft, (heck, some of it is a direct rip off, he admits as much).

It is the still of writing that can really drag at times and make longer novels hard to read. Lovecraft, Tolkien, Martin, they all do it, (I Can't blame Lovecraft or Tolkien tho, it was the way you did it back then). Read a King novel then a Lovecraft novel. Or something by Rowling then Lord of the Rings. The latter may have some MUCH better mythos and such, but, the prior is a much faster, easier read that tends not to get bogged down. In my mind, these things make them "better". More enjoyable for me, in the very least.

Actually, I suggest this. Read the Princess Bride, (Abridged Edition), by William Goldman. He actually spoofs and explains this in teh chapter about hats

p.s. there is no Princess Bride, (Unabridged Edition).

@Zeromage, thank you for the advice, tho

edited, cuz I got all defensive and crap

Well not everyone needs their literature/art spoon fed to them.

For people who I've gotten into this game but have never read Lovecraft I tell them to think of this game as being basically like Ghostbusters set in the 1920's. They get the idea real quick.

You could try and start with the ffg novels set in the eldritch/arkham setting.

They feature some of the same characters and don't require any previous knowledge of cthulhu.

Lots of horror writers were inspired by lovecraft and some write in the same setting, you could find a writer whose style you like that writes about the mythos. My local FLGS owner does this (cheap plug) and one of his stores "winter falls" was available to download from Amazon for free.