Cthulhu Tech - Reception

Reception

CthulhuTech has received varying degrees of acknowledgment. The large RPG website and forum RPGNet has featured two reviews of the CthulhuTech Core Rulebook, which details most of the Framewerk system and the game setting. The reviews come with both praise and criticism. The first review refers to the game as "ambitious" and praises it for its creativity and the ease with which it explains and presents itself, though it also suggests that the game was perhaps overly-ambitious, including many different focuses that do not tie together completely and that are meant instead to be separate. Yet despite this, it applauds the game for its setting, referring to it as "Creative and interesting" and stating that "CthulhuTech is something that has been thought about and fleshed-out for quite some time, with all sorts of opportunities for different stories you can easily place within the world."

The second review is more critical. It concedes that CthulhuTech has a setting that is "varied and creative", but of Framewerk itself states that "The rules are boring, flawed, and fail to support the setting." One strong point that is given in favor of Cthulhutech are the game's mecha options, of which the review states, "This makes games of all mecha pilots very viable since players have enough options to select unique mecha and still not step on one another’s toes." However, of the Tagers, the reviewer cites "With only four types to choose from and no customization, groups composed solely of Tagers may find that there just aren’t enough options for them to feel unique."

Io9 featured a short review of Vade Mecum, the CthulhuTech companion book. The reviewer referred to the artwork as "amazing, really helping to evoke the gloomy, decadent world of CthulhuTech" and recommended the book for those who are looking for a dark RPG.

Hyperion, the largest Norwegian website for roleplaying and LARP, featured a review of Cthulhutech. The reviewer applauds CthulhuTech for its fresh setting and the wide variety of stories it can support, saying it might become a "cult symbol" among games. The reviewer also goes through Framewerk, finding it easy to pick up, especially for those with experience in the White Wolf Storyteller System. However, he also goes on to say that some of the skills are similar and might confuse beginners, and that it lacks information on the technology of the setting, requiring more supplements to make it whole.

CthulhuTech was a finalist for the 34th Origins Awards, an award for particular aspects of the traditional gaming industry. It was nominated in the "Roleplaying Game" category for 2008 and was selected as a silver award finalist, though it did not win the category. The winner was Aces & Eights . CthulhuTech was also a finalist for the 2009 ENnie awards for "Best Game", "Best Production Values", "Best Interior Art", "Best Supplement", and "Best Cover Art". For those categories it won Gold ENnie awards for "Best Cover Art" (Core Rule Book) and "Best Supplement" (Vade Mecum).

CthulhuTech was featured in Yog-Sothoth.com's semi-regular "Yog Radio" podcast. It was featured in Yog Radio #28, in an interview with the game's authors.

Translations of CthulhuTech into Italian, Spanish and French are in the works. The Spanish edition of CthulhuTech is being published by Edge Entertainment in Spain. The French edition of CthulhuTech is being published by La Bibliothèque Interdite in France.