Dire Documents, subtitled "Diabolical Dossiers of Doom", is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1993 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.

Dire Documents
Incriminating Evidence, Lawyerly Letters, and Lunatic Forms.
PublishersChaosium
Publication1993;
31 years ago
 (1993)
GenresHorror
SystemsBasic Role-Playing
ISBN978-1568820033

Contents

edit

Chaosium first published the Lovecraftian horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu in 1981, and subsequently produced a number of editions, including the 5th edition in 1992. The following year, Chaosium produced two supplemental products for use with the 5th edition under the subtitle "Diabolical Dossiers of Doom": Investigator Sheets, a set of blank character sheets; and Dire Documents, a pack of nine blank two-color forms, including:

  • a certificate from the mayor for Meritorious Service
  • an in-patient admission form for Arkham Sanitorium
  • several letterheads of various firms, including an import-export company, an exotic-sounding society, Miskatonic University, the chief of staff of Arkham Sanitorium, and a legal firm
  • a blank invitation to a formal reception
  • a tongue-in-cheek award certificate for the Superlative Death of a player character[1]

Each of these can be used by the gamemaster as player handouts in a role-playing game.[2]

Reception

edit

In the October 1993 edition of Dragon (#198), Rick Swan called these "indispensable for Keepers who like to make their own clues or bewilder their friends." However, Swan questioned why Chaosium did not include a folder or envelope for storage.[2]

Reviews

edit

Other recognition

edit

A copy of Dire Documents is held in the "Edwin and Terry Murray Collection of Role-Playing Games, 1972-2017" at Duke University.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Dire Documents". rpg.net. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  2. ^ a b Swan, Rick (October 1993). "Roleplaying Reviews". Dragon. No. 198. TSR, Inc. p. 54.
  3. ^ "Australian Realms Magazine - Complete Collection". June 1988.
  4. ^ "Edwin and Terry Murray Collection of Role-Playing Games, 1972-2017: Call of Cthulhu". Duke University Archives & Manuscripts. Retrieved 2021-05-01.