# Reign of Cthulhu

Reign of Cthulhu is a board game for 2–4 players. It plays in 40 minutes and is meant for ages 14 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 7.4 out of 10 by 34 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $43.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 40 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 14+
- **Complexity:** 2.2 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2016
- **Categories:** Novel-based, Horror
- **Mechanics:** Hand Management, Variable Player Powers, Action Points, Cooperative Game, Point to Point Movement, Set Collection, Trading
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.4 out of 10, from 34 reviews
- **Owned by:** 83 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 118
- **Unique players:** 151

**Designers:** Matt Leacock, Chuck D. Yager

**Artists:** Fred Jordan, Paul Kluka, Atha Kanaani, Chris Quilliams, Philippe Guérin

**Publishers:** Z-Man Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Miniature Market | 43.99 $ | https://www.miniaturemarket.com/zmg71140.html |
| Atomic Empire | 43.99 $ | https://www.atomicempire.com/Item/194185 |
| Cardhaus Games | 43.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu/ |
| Element Games | 44.99 £ | https://elementgames.co.uk/board-games/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu |
| Spelexperten | 452 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu.html |
| Philibert | 45.95 € | https://philibertnet.com/fr/zman-games/44049-pandemic-le-regne-de-cthulhu-8435407620131.html |
| Alphaspel | 539 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/60787-pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu |
| Zatu Games | 41.19 £ | https://zatu.com/products/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu |
| Travelling Man | 42.99 £ | https://travellingman.com/products/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu |
| Spilforsyningen | 399.95 kr | https://spilforsyningen.dk/products/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu |
| Game Ninja | 599 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu/ |
| Midgard Games | 599 kr | https://midgardgames.no/products/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu |
| Fantasiapelit | 58.7 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_168704 |
| Nexus | 9995 kr | https://nexus.is/vara/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu/ |

## Similar games

- [Cthulhu: Death May Die – Fear of the Unknown](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cthulhu-death-may-die-fear-of-the-unknown)
- [World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King](https://www.ludoya.com/games/world-of-warcraft-wrath-of-the-lich-king)
- [Cthulhu: Death May Die](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cthulhu-death-may-die)
- [Unmatched: Battle of Legends, Volume Two](https://www.ludoya.com/games/unmatched-battle-of-legends-volume-two)
- [Horrified: American Monsters](https://www.ludoya.com/games/horrified-american-monsters)
- [Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons](https://www.ludoya.com/games/horrified-dungeons-and-dragons)
- [Horrified](https://www.ludoya.com/games/horrified)
- [Horrified: Greek Monsters](https://www.ludoya.com/games/horrified-greek-monsters)
- [Horrified: World of Monsters](https://www.ludoya.com/games/horrified-world-of-monsters)
- [Kings of Israel](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kings-of-israel)
- [Stranger Things: Upside Down](https://www.ludoya.com/games/stranger-things-upside-down)
- [Monster Slaughter](https://www.ludoya.com/games/monster-slaughter)

## Rules questions

### How do I move — what's the difference between Walk, Take the Bus, and Use a Gate?

Walk moves you along connecting lines to an adjacent location; Take the Bus is done from a bus station by discarding Clue cards as specified to move within or between towns; Use a Gate moves you from one gate location to another (you cannot move to/from sealed gates) and any gate movement requires a Sanity roll after completing it (p.6).

### Do I have to be in the same space to defeat cultists or seal a gate, and what do those actions cost?

Yes — you must be at the location: Defeat a Cultist is a 1-action to remove one cultist, Defeat a Shoggoth costs 3 actions (all on the same turn) and grants a Relic when defeated, and Seal a Gate is a special action where you discard five matching Clue cards to place the Seal token and remove one cultist from each location in that town (pp.6–7).

### What happens if I draw an Evil Stirs card during my card draw?

When you draw an Evil Stirs, resolve it immediately by (1) rolling the Sanity die, (2) revealing the next Old One, (3) placing a Shoggoth using the bottom Summoning card, and (4) reshuffling the Summoning discard pile onto the top of the Summoning deck; Evil Stirs cards are removed from the game after resolution, and if you draw two you resolve these steps twice (p.7).

### How does Summoning work and when do awakening rituals occur?

In the Summoning step flip as many Summoning cards as the current summoning rate and place a cultist on each named location; if a location already has three cultists (or a Shoggoth cannot be placed), an awakening ritual occurs and you reveal the next Old One (p.8).

### When do I roll the Sanity die and what happens if I go insane?

You roll the Sanity die after using a gate, after resolving a Relic, when entering (or a Shoggoth enters) a location with a Shoggoth, and as the first step of an Evil Stirs card; die results cause sanity loss or add cultists, and if you lose all sanity you flip to your insane side (fewer actions and a changed ability) — sealing a gate or certain effects can return you to sane as described in the rules (p.9, p.12).

### How do we win or lose the game?

You win immediately when all four gates are sealed; you lose if the last Old One (Cthulhu) awakens, there are not enough cultists or Shoggoths to place when required, you cannot draw two Player cards when instructed, or all players are insane (pp.3, 9).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu)
- [Reign of Cthulhu in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/pandemic-reign-of-cthulhu)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/192153)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-24. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._