I first read H.P. Lovecraft's fiction over fifty years ago and first played the Call of Cthulhu RPG about twenty-five years ago. I have written and run CoC events at the Origins con most years since 2001 and have run (and played) CoC and ToC scenarios online for more than a decade. All that is to say that I am very conversant with and experienced in Mythos stories and games.
Stealing Cthulhu takes a very prescriptive turn on mining HPL's stories for game scenario purposes. It also goes into the scenario-writing process. The suggestions for scenario writing are very well organized and prompt a writer to think about what is needed to engage and maintain player involvement in a story. The side comments by other experienced content creators amplify and enhance the main author's points very effectively. I believe it can help anyone drawing from an established fictional world to fashion their own RPG take on it.
Stealing Cthulhu was a very worthwhile read. It made me think more deeply about what I do when creating Mythos stories and has already shaped the way I will do so in the future. I recommend it to anyone who crafts game materials for any title or genre.
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