Cubicle 7 Entertainment is publishing a storytelling card game based on the mind-warping tales of H.P. Lovecraft called Cthulhu Tales, expected to release next summer.

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In Cthulhu Tales, the players are the involuntary guests of an early 20th Century sanatorium, trying to escape by proving to the staff that they aren’t actually insane.  This is accomplished through the use of the story-telling cards, which feature the nightmarish creatures of the Cthulhu mythos, and the eerie adventures common to Lovecraft’s work.  But it is more than just a cooperative storytelling exercise, as game mechanics, the symbols on the cards, and the use of dice influence the story and control the ability of the other players to intervene in the narrator’s tale.

The game was designed by the veteran team of Francesco Nepitello and Marco Maggi, whose credits range from heavy strategy boardgames (The War of the Ring, Battle of Five Armies) to literary-inspired role-playing games (The One Ring Roleplaying Game), as well as another storytelling card game, Hobbit Tales. 

Cthulhu Tales will include 115 large format cards, a game board, tokens, and a custom 12-sided die.  MSRP is $29.99.

This project was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign which includes a “Retailer Reserve” backing option that allows retail stores to pre-order a number of copies that will be shipped before the general release.  The released date for the trade has not been set, but the program’s backers are expected to receive delivery in July.