Yog-Sothoth: More than just an outer god

May 29, 6:18 AMRPG ExaminerMichael Tresca

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Yog-Sothoth is more than just the name of the Outer God of time and space in H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. It's also the premier community for the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game.

Courtesy Yog-Sothoth.

Yog-Sothoth was created by Paul Maclean (Paul of Cthulhu on Yog-Sothoth). An archaeologist by training, Paul always "knew his career was in ruins from the start." He lives in sunny Bradford, West Yorkshire, where he participates in the Bradford University Role-Playing Society.

Yog-Sothoth went through several iterations, beginning in 2001. The first generation of the site featured streaming audio recordings and the early versions of the Call of Cthulhu Bibliography, an exhaustive list of all Call of Cthulhu English-language role-playing game rules and supplements. The second generation released in the summer of 2001 had a cosmic Cthulhu-green color scheme and expanded to include interviews, downloads, and the dynamic, searchable Call of Cthulhu Product Database. The third generation, launched at the beginning of 2003, moved to the current version of the site, complete with a forum and searchable player directory. Since its launch, Yog-Sothoth has expanded relentless like its namesake, encompassing all forms of Lovecraftian-inspired games and materials.

I asked the Yog-Sothoth members to share what made the site so appealing and their response was immediate and heartfelt. One of Yog-Sothoth's more popular downloads is its audio, including the Yog Radio Podcast and the recording of the Bradford Players' game, captured in Lovecraftian Tales from the Table. The audio files are just one small piece of what Yog-Sothoth has to offer. The downloads section is immense, filled with free scenarios and useful props for any Call of Cthulhu role-playing game.

But the quality emphasized most in the responses to my inquiry emphasized Yog-Sothoth's sense of community. Overwhelmingly, all the site members mentioned that the site's community was mature, polite, and engaged in civil discourse, a rarity on the Internet these days. Yog-Sothoth's posting community also features a good mix of lurkers, and regular contributors. Some of these members aren't just fans of the game and Lovecraft’s fiction, but also writers and publishers.

"Some have lots of solid material to share: interpretations of stories, resources for further reading or gaming tips or whatnot, drawings, scenarios, their own writings, props, etc.," said Jabonko. "Others enjoy the camaraderie of an internet community devoted to their hobby and a favorite literary genre."

Simon J. Rogers posts about the status of Trail of Cthulhu, and even the creator of Call of Cthulhu role-playing game, Sandy Petersen, posts occasionally. Tom Lynch, Associate Editor & Webmaster of Miskatonic River Press (MRP), described the site as "mission critical." In fact, it was thanks to Yog-Sothoth that Tom, in conjunction with the late great Doc Herber, was able to launch their company. "Had this site not been here, MRP would certainly have closed down by now, since it was the avid, supportive fan base reaching out to me helping me keep the company going."

Yog-Sothoth is run and maintained by more than 15 Yog-Sothoth.com staff and contributors who all volunteer their own time and energies to help make the site a resource for people interested in Call of Cthulhu and H.P. Lovecraft. Today the site traffics gigabytes of data per day, has over 5,000 registered members and features more than 600 downloadable resources.

Perhaps the best way to describe the Yog-Sothoth site is summed up by WinstonP: "Much like Lovecraft himself; genteel, well-read, and with a fondness for the terrible (in the good sense)."