These items always bring me joy to behold. The year was 1992, and it was my first step into the world of Call of Cthulhu. Up until that time, I had only played Dungeons & Dragons, but I was eager for something new.

I went into the shop Avalon in Oslo and asked for advice. Back in ’92, traveling to big cities was the only way for a kid like me to buy games. There was no Internet, and the UK and USA felt far out of reach (though I did manage to buy a Game Gear from the UK through an ad I found in a computer magazine at the time).

Anyway, the man at Avalon handed me Call of Cthulhu (5th edition). “This, son, will be something different from D&D.”

He also handed me a collection of Lovecraft’s stories and told me to read them at the same time as the rulebook. Following orders, I went home to my rural village and started reading. Like many nerdy kids my age, I learned English from playing games rather than from English classes at school.

I soon understood what the man had meant. This was entirely different from D&D. Gone were the simple stories of heroes slaying monsters and counting loot. Here, fragile humanity investigated dark mysteries, hoping to prevent greater disasters in an uncaring universe filled with cosmic dread. It scarred me. In a good way.

After reading the rules, I bought a jazz CD (our family had bought a CD player around 1990 to complement our LP collection) and began translating the adventure “The Dead Man Stomp” into Norwegian, along with parts of the rules. I did this to help work myself into the mindset of the game. Later on, I would just sketch ideas and notes directly in English.

Call of Cthulhu was an instant hit with my gaming group. It blew their minds just as it had blown mine, and it opened up a whole new way of looking at role-playing games. We kept playing CoC while also exploring many other games that were becoming easier to obtain and order.

At the same time, we never stopped playing D&D. We simply began playing it differently; introducing political intrigues, wars, and ethical dilemmas. To this day it remains the only RPG in which I have played every edition, with 3.5 still being my favorite.

Fast forward to today, and together with Even I’ve had the chance to create worlds of our own. When I look back at what we’ve produced, one theme runs through it all: Horror. And it all started in that small shop back in 1992. That is why Call of Cthulhu will always be a part of me.

- Jarle Haktorson, Co-founder 

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