Paolo Garelli
We begin this review by thanking Officina Meningi for throwing us into the terrifying lands of dreams with the Kadath gamebook.
Third gamebook of the Necronomicon Gamebook series, Kadath can be approached in two different ways. The first is as a replacement for the Dream Lands in the appendix to the Carcosa and Dagon gamebooks. The second one is the one we used, that is, as a stand-alone game book,
If you have always wanted to explore the dark Lands of Dreams, know that you can purchase Kadath on the Officina Meningi website at a cost of €10.
Entry into the lands of dreams is a privilege that is not granted to the impure souls of the waking world, but the balance between the two planes of existence has been broken by the great ancients and the final awakening looms. We, the outer gods, servants of Azathoth and guardians of the Eternal Rest, grant your mind to cross this threshold, just this once, that you may apply the dark gifts of your corrupt origin to the benefit of the universe
A First Look at Kadath
Born as a retelling of the story by H.P. Lovecraft The Search for the Unknown Kadath, this gamebook succeeds in its aim: transporting us into the dark Dreamlands in just a few paragraphs. We will be the tipping point, a desperate attempt to prevent Azathoth from awakening. Mere pawns in the hands of the external gods.
We are talking about a 166-paragraph gamebook, complete with a good number of valuable black and white illustrations drawn by Francesco Biagini and Jacopo Schiavo that show us in no uncertain terms the horrors that we are going to disturb. The cover then, designed by the skilled hands of Alberto dal Lago, immediately catches the eye. Thanks to the clear and compelling writing style, once you start reading it will be really difficult to stop.
Kadath Rulebook Review
This gamebook has a very simple regulation summarized in a few pages, which is based on the use of two characteristics that will be added to our dice rolls during the tests. Let’s look at the latter in detail:
- Vigor indicates the ability to resist physical tests and clashes.
- Willpower represents our tolerance for stress and the horrific sights we will encounter.
When creating the character we will have a score to divide between the two characteristics. The game system is based on the roll of a six-sided die, to which our ability score and any bonuses will be added or any penalties due to conditions or equipment will be subtracted. Added to this is a hit point and madness management system which, as you can imagine, will get worse very quickly.
Combat System
The fighting within Kadath is swift and deadly. The mechanics are based on The Vigor characteristic and follow the formula seen for resolving skill checks. However, the result must not be compared with a fixed value, but reported in a specific comparison table. Let’s say we roll a six-size die to which we add our Strength value and a bonus due to the knife we carry with us.
The final result, after subtracting the opponent’s strength characteristic, must be verified in the comparison table which will tell us how much damage we have inflicted and how much we have suffered. Our fate will be clear to us in just a few rounds.
Conclusions of the Kadath Review
Kadath is a gamebook that transports us to the stories of H. P. Lovecraft. The narrative is very smooth and throughout the gamebook the feeling of a total lack of certainty is maintained. It is a gamebook that succeeds in its mission to convey the doubts and anxieties of the protagonist.
I recommend Kadath to all those who love Lovecraft’s stories and are looking for a quick and compelling read, capable of leaving its mark on the vulnerable minds of every good cultist.
