Blues & Cthulhus

It’s 1978, and the mean streets of rural Gloucestershire are somehow even meaner than yesterday—which is impressive, given the sheep-to-person ratio. Every rookie knows that dodgy blags and new moons go together like flares and fondue, so the guv wants everyone on shift sharper than a highly-polished truncheon. He wants results this time—by hook or by crook, ideally by hook because it looks better in the paperwork. Not that anyone reads the paperwork. Honestly, no one’s ever watching…

Event Overview

Date: March 20-22 2026

Wilderness Drive, Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire. GL17 0HA

Player Price: £175 (inc indoor accommodation, food)

Crew: Limited crew places available

Blues and Cthulhus is a one-shot game of investigation, eldritch intrigue, and shameless 1970s cop tropes of fluid geographical origin. Set in the late ’70s, you’ll step into the shoes of a member of the British police force and dial the ham all the way up. Think Life on Mars, Police Squad, A Touch of Cloth, Hot Fuzz, or The Sweeney—big moustaches, bold fashion choices, and that unmistakable retro charm.

This is a Cthulhu style horror LARP with a light-hearted feel, by the end of the event, you should expect to either die or go insane with high probability, so this is about enjoying the inevitable downward spiral… but if you pull a blinder, maybe you can make it out alive and sane!

We’re welcoming a wide range of character types: patrol officers, detectives, undercover agents, psychologists, forensic specialists, riot squad members, and more. In general, your character’s police career will lean into one of three strengths—physical, mental, or social— giving you plenty of room to craft someone unique and fun to play.

Themes

The game features themes common to the genre, including crimefighting, corruption, framing, violence, good-cop/bad-cop dynamics, personal trauma, bereavement, alcoholism, addiction, smoking, narcotics, organised crime, and a variety of criminal acts such as murder and theft.

While Blues and Cthulhus embraces the fashions, clichés, and dramatic flair of the era, it does not include the prejudices associated with it. Racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, or any form of sexual coercion have no place in the game.

Fake cigarettes, fake narcotics, and fake booze will be provided (with in-game effect) but please note that real smoking or vaping indoors is not permitted. Your are free to consume your own alcohol at the event though crew reserve the right to remove or suspend you from the game if your behaviour becomes inappropriate

Registration of Interest & Booking

Registration of interest is now closed for players. For enquiries regarding reserve spaces or crew spaces please contact crunchtimelrp@gmail.com.

Players and crew that have been allocated a space will be contacted shortly with invitations to book and instructions on how to complete character generation.

A deposit will be required upon booking and full payment up to two weeks before to the event date. Payment by installment prior to this is welcomed.

Character Roles

Characters will fit into one of four broad classes outlined below. Most characters will be either Officers, Detectives or Analysts, though a limited number of additional roles are available as part of the force's outreach program. Each class leans towards a different style of gameplay and has a number of archetypes to choose from that refine the character's class and skills further.

Characters will gain all of the skills associated with their class and chosen archetype. A prop particular to your class will also be provided to assist in your endeavours.

Costuming is anticipated to be plain-clothes 1970s attire that suits your character, but if you happen to have a period-style uniform and want to bring it along, we’re happy to work it into the game.

Of course, every classic bobby has some terrible trauma behind them - the loss of a partner, a botched case, crippling addiction, depression, a loved one who thinks you’re more married to the force than to them - and some terrible coping mechanism to deal with that. It might be your last day before retirement, or you might be a brand new rookie. Whatever it is, you can expect to be paired with someone else wildly unsuited to your character’s temperament.

Officer

Health: 4

Sanity: 2

Class Abilities

Combat training

Push on through

In the slammer

Patrol Officer

First aid

Seen it all

Vice

For testing purposes

Skimming

Pep-talk

Riot Police

Firearms training

Kettling

Police brutality

Officers will be provided LARP safe Truncheons

Playstyle: Physical policing, confronting criminals, putting the arm in the long arm of the law

Detective

Health: 3

Sanity: 3

Class Abilities

Combat training

Good cop / bad cop

CSI: Gloucester

CID

Fine-tooth comb

Reconstruction

Flying Squad

Lock and key

Insider information

Witness protection

Undercover

Disguise

Informants

Detectives will be provided with flashlights

Playstyle: Social interactions, stake outs, tough interviews with clearly guilty perps

Analyst

Health: 2

Sanity: 4

Class Abilities

Combat training

Let me look at that

Check the records

Forensics

Boffins down the lab

Tampering

Pathologist

Topsy

First aid

Speculative biology

Psychologist

Profiling

Pep-talk

Eldritch insight

Analysts will be provided with Magnifying glasses (UV enabled for uncovering extra clues/info)

Playstyle: Mental analytics, forensics, codes, examination of records & evidence.

Outreach

Interpol Secondee

Health: by arrangement

Sanity: by arrangement

Inspiration

That’s not how we do it

Pep-talk

Combat training

Work Experience

Health: 1

Sanity: 5

Inspiration

Quick learner

Rational explanation

An NVQ qualification

A flavourful prop appropriate to background will be provided

Playstyle: Characterful perspectives, personal growth, comically out of depth

Abilities in detail

Officer Abilities

Combat training

Can use melee weapons in combat

Firearms training

Can load and shoot firearms in combat

Kettling

Can use a riot shield, provided by game team

Push on through

Lose a point of sanity but regain two lost hit points (temporarily).

Police brutality

(limited use) Consume BOOZE to allow you to continue to run or fight or use abilities for a short time, even whilst WOUNDED, DYING or STRESSED.

In the slammer

You control access to those in the cells, and may authorise the detention or release of a suspect, or protective custody for a witness.

Skimming

(limited use) Gain some NARCOTICS or BOOZE that have been confiscated from naer-do-wells.

For testing purposes

May sample NARCOTICS or BOOZE to learn about them.

Seen it all

Don’t lose sanity from mundane horrors

First aid

Prevents WOUNDED people from dying.

Pep-talk

Restores the use of a single ability to a STRESSED character, and some protection from INSANITY.

Detective Abilities

Combat training

Can use melee weapons in combat

CSI: Gloucester

When gathering evidence, you may be provided with (or may ask for) information and items that you can use to gather evidence, e.g. using plaster of Paris to take footprint casts.

Good cop / bad cop

(limited use) You may team up with another character with this ability during an interrogation. After intimidation by the bad cop, the good cop may use up a CIGARETTE by offering it to the target, who may then become more willing to co-operate.

Fine-tooth comb

(limited use) Extra clues when gathering evidence.

Disguise

You will be provided with (or may ask for) clothing and items to use to disguise yourself for the purposes of infiltrating criminal enterprises or avoiding notice.

Lock and key

(limited use) gain access to the evidence locker to remove or plant something.

Insider information

(limited use) use of your connections within the force to discover secret information about a particular topic.

Witness protection

(limited use) arrange for someone to enter witness protection, or be given a false identity and a new life, or enquire about an existing person involved with either scheme.

Reconstruction

You can use a photofit kit to attempt to build a picture of the faces of some of the people involved in an event or scene.

Informants

(limited use) Ask your extensive network of informers, narcs, and canaries what the criminal underworld knows about a particular topic.

Analyst Abilities

Combat training

Can use melee weapons in combat

Let me look at that

Use your special magnifying glass to find clues/hints/marks written in invisible ink. Characters without this ability should ignore such marks.

Boffins down the lab

(limited use) Send a sample off to the lab for further analysis, e.g. to enhance a grainy photograph or check a fingerprint.

Check the records

(limited use) Query the police databases, e.g. to get someone’s criminal record, or look up a car’s owner, query a driving licence, or get hold of a personnel file. It’s the 70’s, so this may be a slow process.

Topsy

Perform a biopsy or autopsy on a victim to learn how they were injured or killed.

Profiling

(limited use) When interviewing someone, you may attempt to construct a psychological profile of them.

Tampering

(limited use) You can falsify evidence or fabricate documents or samples.

Eldritch insight

(limited use) You are not a practitioner of the occult, but your understanding of the psyche grants deep insight into how humanity would be affected by and affect dark cosmic horrors.

Speculative biology

(limited use) You can speculate on the matters of extreme biology, such as weaknesses of a monster or the optimal way to perform a sacrifice.

First aid

Prevents WOUNDED people from dying.

Pep-talk

Restores the use of a single ability to a STRESSED character, and some protection from INSANITY.

Outreach Abilities

Combat training

Can use melee weapons in combat

Pep-talk

Restores the use of a single ability to a STRESSED character, and some protection from INSANITY.

Rational explanation

Don’t lose sanity from eldritch horrors

That’s not how we do it

(restricted) As an Interpol secondee, your policework just doesn't quite fit properly. You can gain abilities by going through a suitable montage of failure and petty recrimination…. learn to overcome your continental habits!

Quick learner

(restricted) As a work experience kid, you’re fresh out of college and green around the ears. You can be taught abilities by going through a suitable montage of failure and teaching… you’ll get the hang of it eventually!

Inspiration

(limited use) Your utter lack of experience, or your ability to bring a new and different perspective, will allow you to pull off something amazing, or make a significant breakthrough, towards the denouement of the game.

Game Rules

The game will use light touch rules including physical LARP safe combat and other abilities tailored to character occupations.

Every sort of police role will have opportunities to use their tailored abilities in a relatively hands-on and immersive way (think chase scenes, arrests, identity parades, taking plaster casts of footprints, etc.). Activities will be hard skilled as much as possible, but you abilities will give hints or make you more efficient at certain tasks, or give you some control over access to certain things.

The system will aim for a minimum of game team intervention in common activities.

Health

Characters have a small number of global hits, based on class. Being struck or shot anywhere removes one hit , unless parried by a weapon or shield.

Reduction to zero hits will render the character WOUNDED.

Whilst WOUNDED you are in an incapacitated state and may not use abilities, can barely move, or focus on anything beyond your impending demise. You should roleplay being unconscious, writhing in pain, or similar.

If you are WOUNDED, you can receive "first aid" to stabilise you. You remain on zero hits, unable to use abilities, but will not start DYING. You can just about stagger back to the station.

If you are WOUNDED and do not receive “first aid” intervention within the next five minutes, then you will start DYING. You will also begin DYING if you are touched, struck, or shot by an NPC who hams up a vocal aimed at you that includes the word “DIE” (or a referee informs you).

When DYING your character will expire shortly. This cannot be prevented by any means and you will enter an incapacitated state if you weren't already. You last as long as it takes to roleplay a suitably tropey death scene, for example, whispering over a picture of your dead wife, passing on some words of wisdom to a rookie partner, revealing a shocking secret, etc.

If WOUNDED, you may choose to use make a “last stand”. You start DYING but you may ignore the restriction that prevents you using your active abilities. You may not make a last stand if already DYING.

You can visit the duty medic back at the station to get your lost hit-points restored - but you will gain a permanent physical AFFLICTION each time.

Some game items such as BOOZE might restore lost hit-points.

The “push on through” ability sacrifices sanity for hit-points on a temporary basis: you become active and able to use abilities for the rest of the scene.

Sanity

Characters will have a number of sanity determined by their class. Mental stress, exposure to the occult and circumstances dictated by refs will remove sanity.

Reduction to zero sanity will make the character STRESSED.

Whilst STRESSED you are suffering a mental break. You can't use your abilities and should roleplay a bout of insanity in a manner personal to your character, as specified by you at character creation.

A character with the "pep talk" ability can restore the use of a single ability to a STRESSED character and grant them protection from INSANITY for the rest of the scene.

If you are STRESSED and do not receive a “pep talk” or "therapy" within the five minutes of the end of the scene, then you become permanently INSANE. You will also become permanently INSANE if indicated by a member of the crew or game team at any point, or if you incur further loss of sanity whilst STRESSED.

When INSANE your character will be entirely pre-occupied with insanity rooted either in your choices at character creation or as developed within game, player choice. This cannot be prevented by any means. You can no longer use skills unless directed to do so by event crew who may at any point direct you towards certain behaviours or actions appropriate to the storyline

You can visit the duty psychiatrist back at the station to get some of your lost sanity points restored, and to restore the use of all your abilities - but you will gain a permanent mental AFFLICTION each time.

Some game items such as NARCOTICS might restore lost sanity points.

There will be personalised mechanics that build on the above rules detailed in your character pack.

There will be mechanics for certain other props and effects as well, in particular BOOZE, NARCOTICS, and CIGARETTES.

LARP safe weapons will be provided to characters as appropriate - no need to bring any. If you have a LARP safe weapon or prop that you wish to use as part of your character's background let us know upon booking.

Further Information

For further information join the Crunchtime LRP discord server or email us at crunchtimelrp@gmail.com

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