Call of Cthulhu is bigger than D&D in Japan

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Originally published at: Call of Cthulhu is bigger than D&D in Japan | Boing Boing

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Call of Cthulhu is bigger than D&D in Japan

Of course it is, because: tentacles.

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tenor-5

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So are Cheap Trick, Spinal Tap, and Alphaville

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Were Big in Japan?

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Maybe don’t summon Cthulhu after all those things you’ve done to it’s cousins Japan…maybe don’t…

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I’d like to see a 1920’s Japan Source Book for CoC; lots of political shenanigans going on.

I wonder if Alphaville ever was actually big in Japan?

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The Godard movie? 60s French yeye pop style definitely had an oversized influence on Japanese pop culture. I’m thinking of both the look and sound of Shibuya kei back in the 90s 00s.

Anna Karina (RIP) in that movie would have fitted eight in if she was in Shibuya 40 years later!

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I think that both @KingGhidorah and I were referencing the band, Alphaville, and their deput single, “Big in Japan”. :wink:

I’ve got to say, I really enjoyed the Godard film; some great visuals, and that weird burp-talking voice-over added a strange, William Gibson vibe for me.

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And I was being facetious both times by pretending to think you were referring to the band “big in Japan”

And the movie they got the name from.

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More Japanese-language copies of Chaosium’s classic horror RPG, Call of Cthulhu , are sold in Japan than all other languages combined.

Should that be surprising?

I would certainly assume that the Japanese edition would be the biggest seller in Japan.

I feel like you meant to say something slightly different?

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:smiley: :smiley: :smiley: I was sure that I remembered a band by that name; but my memory, even for things that occurred in my own lifetime, is terrible :smiley: It wouldn’t be so bad, if I hadn’t been living in Liverpool during that period.

Edit: that Ane Brun cover is lovely. Thank you for sharing it.

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I read that as being that the Japanese version outsells all other version worldwide. :thinking:

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As a long time D&D player (pre-AD&D). I’ve often wondered if the exclusive use of imperial units limits its appeal. Granted, metric units don’t sound very medieval, but it’s not like most “Ye Olde” D&D worlds bear many real similarities to feudal Europe either.

Maybe ditch the historical baggage?

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I thought of including those but I figured it would get way too meta

and by meta, I’m of course talking about the band

as well as the album by Mathcore practictioners Car Bomb

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I haven’t played Call of Cthulhu since the late 80’s or early 90’s. Glad to hear it’s still chugging along like good old D&D.

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I wonder how Japanese pop-culture like the anime Nyaruko: Crawling With Love (Nyarlathotep is a cute school-girl) and Demonbane (the Necronomicon is a cute schoolgirl) and the manga The Elder Sister-like One (awesome big sister is actually Shub-Niggurath) fit into this trend.

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According to the article, CoC was able to overtake D&D thanks you a lapse in support by the latter after it was absorbed into Wizards of the Coast. Also helpful is the fact that CoC lends itself well to any setting or time period whereas D&D is medieval Europe. (My understanding is the less said said about the Asian-inspired expansion, the better.) Honestly, it all makes sense to me, the more I think about it.

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I expect that the Medieval Europe-esque setting is likely a problem for D&D not because of lack of appeal but because the top RPG in Japan is the locally developed Sword World which has a system somewhat similar to D&D and is set in a Medieval Europe-esque setting. The anime Record of Lodoss War was actually based on a Sword World campaign.

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Because it’s more brutal and depressing?