The Thing in the Ice: A Horror Game Inspired by John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) | Spooky Season 2023 | Call of Cthulhu 7th edition

About the adventure

Isolated in a remote research base near the north pole, an American research team, along with their trusty crew of ice masters, maintenance workers, and pilots, must contend with an alien threat that intends to extinguish not only their team, but all life on earth! Players will assume a premade role as a member of the arctic research team, and from there they will play their part to assure that the alien threat does not get the better of them. Of the 12 people at the base, up to 5 players will try to sleuth and fight their way to safety alongside 7 NPCs played by the GM. But who can be trusted? All characters have their own motivations and any of them might become a... THING at any time! Watch your back and trust no one! This game will be run in Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, meaning that players will be decidedly fragile and, well, human. All Characters will be pre-generated by the GM, but naming, personalities, and RP will be left to player tastes. This may ultimately pit players against one another in the same way as games like Werewolf or Among Us. Despite the possibility for PVP elements, all players must remain civil and try first and foremost to have fun while allowing others to do so! This is a spooky game for (an early start to) Spooky Season! Join me in a spine-tingling adventure! (This game will, sadly, touch on almost nothing in the actual Cthulhu mythos and will not deal with any canon creatures, texts, or arcana associated with the Lovecraftian mythos. CoC7e is simply the backdrop for this stand-alone one shot. If that's disappointing to you, then please check my page for more CoC7e action in the future!)

Additional Details

How to prepare

Consider watching the excellent movie this game is based on! Or better yet, don't and watch it after! I will go over CoC7e rules and send out character sheet PDFs. Please just have Zoom, a PDF viewing software, and a browser for dice rolling and a potential VTT.

What I provide

I will have a single digital map (we won't need any more than that), character sheets, and helpful links for things like dice, quick rule consultations, and more. Please bring your own snacks. This is a remote game (;

Gameplay details

This game will take place over Zoom with the potential for another additional Virtual Table Top. Working microphone and webcam required. NO familiarity with Call of Cthulhu 7e or any RPG required. NO character building required. Players must be able to receive, open, and (optionally) edit PDF documents for character sheets. This game will incorporate horror elements, and will deal with themes of bodily violence and false identities. Players will be cooperating toward a common goal, but there is potential for characters to be pitted against one another in a number of ways. This MUST remain civil, and MUST be done in the interest of roleplay and narrative, NEVER as a personal attack on other players. As a GM, I generally keep a lighthearted, comedic tone, but this game may grow tense. We choose what mood to set :) X, N, and O cards will be handled via private or public Zoom chat.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

The GM will have 12 premade characters. This will be every character in the arctic base. Any one of these can be played by a player. I will give a brief overview of each and players may choose from the list, ask for one to be assigned to them based on a list of their criteria, or be assigned one at random.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.