Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones Origins
Command an asymmetric Great Old One, secretly program influence across a fractured cosmos, summon armies, break enemy seals and fight for dominion in Samuel W. Bailey’s reworking of Forbidden Stars.
Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones Origins is a competitive 2–4 player strategy game from Chaosium designed by Samuel W. Bailey. It is an enhanced reimplementation of Forbidden Stars, replacing the Warhammer 40,000 setting with a cosmic conflict among Great Old Ones at the dawn of reality.
Players secretly place Influence tokens to program actions, then reveal and resolve those plans while summoning forces, gathering resources, upgrading faction powers and attacking rival seals. The live Gamefound campaign was fully funded in 19 minutes and currently offers Standard, Deluxe and Eldritch pledge levels.
Why it stands out
Old Ones Origins is not simply using the Forbidden Stars name as inspiration. It comes from one of that game’s original designers and retains the appeal of hidden planning, asymmetric factions and territorial warfare while expanding the system around shifting cosmic geography, Eldritch Schemes and Mythos-specific powers.
Why this has strong search potential
The game combines three audiences: players searching for a modern successor to Forbidden Stars, Call of Cthulhu/Mythos fans, and crowdfunding buyers comparing pledge levels and expansions.
The campaign is also live now, which creates time-sensitive searches around Standard vs Deluxe, the new Nyarlathotep faction, Gamefound exclusives, stretch goals and the January 2028 delivery estimate.
Game at a Glance
Program Influence
Secretly place Influence tokens on the map to plan actions before opponents know exactly what you intend.
Wage Cosmic War
Summon faction-specific armies, invade regions and exploit conflicts across a changing map.
Break Seals
Destroy rival seals to gain victory points and alter the strategic value of contested regions.
Master Your Old One
Cthulhu, Hastur, Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Gorath approach the same victory goal in very different ways.
How Old Ones Origins works
Old Ones Origins is a long-form competitive strategy game built around hidden planning and asymmetric warfare. Each player controls a Great Old One faction with its own units, abilities, upgrades and conflict cards.
At the beginning of a round, players secretly place Influence tokens on locations around the map. Those tokens are later revealed and resolved one at a time, allowing players to gather resources, upgrade powers, summon units or launch invasions.
The important tension is that your plan is committed before every opposing action is known. A move that looked efficient during planning can become risky after another player changes the state of the region.
How the Influence system works
Influence is the action-programming system at the center of the game. Rather than selecting an action only when your turn arrives, you place Influence in advance and reveal the plan later.
Published campaign material describes four types of Influence that correspond to different actions. This creates both tactical uncertainty and bluffing: rivals can see that activity is developing around a part of the map without necessarily knowing the full sequence of what will happen there.
Editorial strategy principle: the value of an Influence placement depends on both its intended action and how vulnerable that action is to disruption before it resolves.
Seals, victory points and the main objective
The central objective is to break enemy seals. Each broken seal awards victory points and also unlocks a resource location on the map.
That second effect matters because scoring progress can change the economy for everyone. Breaking a seal may move you toward victory while simultaneously creating a resource opportunity that another faction can exploit.
The exact number of points required to win depends on player count and the chosen game-length setup.
How combat works
Combat combines faction units, dice and conflict cards rather than relying on a single deterministic strength comparison.
Different factions derive power from different parts of the system. Some are stronger through sheer numbers or battlefield presence; others gain more of their combat leverage through cards, supernatural effects or positioning.
The game can also create conflicts between opposing armies without the active player necessarily committing their own forces, opening opportunities to weaken rivals indirectly.
A fractured and changing cosmos
The setting is the universe before humanity, with regions divided by unstable cosmic structures rather than ordinary geography.
Designer material describes rifts that can change connections between areas of the map. This makes movement and access dynamic rather than permanently fixed.
That is particularly important for Yog-Sothoth, whose faction identity is built around breaking normal spatial rules and exploiting connections that other factions cannot use as freely.
The four core factions
The core game contains four asymmetric Great Old Ones:
- Cthulhu — direct power, destruction and aggressive battlefield pressure.
- Hastur — manipulation, exhaustion and effects that interfere with opposing units and resources.
- Yog-Sothoth — rule-breaking movement, spatial manipulation and strong magical/conflict-card play.
- Shub-Gorath — overwhelming numbers, mass spawning and bonuses for controlling larger forces.
The factions pursue the same overall victory framework but approach positioning, conflict and resource pressure differently.
How Cthulhu plays
Cthulhu is positioned as a more direct destructive faction. Its theme centers on raw battlefield presence and the destructive pressure associated with the Great Old One at full power.
This does not mean the faction is mechanically simple. Old Ones Origins still expects players to coordinate Influence programming, positioning, upgrades and conflict-card timing rather than merely moving the strongest army forward.
How Hastur plays
Hastur focuses heavily on exhaustion. Exhausted units become more vulnerable, and Hastur can create situations where enemies are forced to exhaust valuable pieces or where both sides receive resources in exchange for giving up readiness.
This makes the faction especially disruptive: its best move may be to alter the condition of opposing armies before a later conflict rather than attack immediately.
How Yog-Sothoth plays
Yog-Sothoth is built around manipulating the normal rules of space and conflict. Designer examples include units capable of exploiting rifts that block ordinary movement.
The faction also leans more heavily on supernatural cards and effects than straightforward unit strength, giving it tools to influence battles or appear in places opponents considered secure.
How Shub-Gorath plays
Shub-Gorath emphasizes quantity. Its Spawn can enter the map in large numbers and may begin individually weak, but faction effects can make those masses strategically dangerous.
Several effects reward having more units than an opponent, turning sheer presence into both tactical pressure and card synergy.
Nyarlathotep and the Dweller in the Darkness expansion
Chaosium revealed Nyarlathotep as a fifth playable faction during the campaign. It appears in the Dweller in the Darkness expansion.
The expansion contains the faction in both standee and miniature form so it can be used with either core edition.
Deluxe backers can obtain it through the new Eldritch Pledge. Standard backers can add the expansion separately; the current Gamefound add-on price is $50.
Old Ones Origins vs Forbidden Stars
Old Ones Origins is explicitly described by Chaosium and BoardGameGeek as an enhanced reimplementation of Forbidden Stars.
The connection matters because Samuel W. Bailey was one of the original Forbidden Stars designers and has said he spent years reworking the underlying ideas.
| Feature | Old Ones Origins | Forbidden Stars |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Cthulhu Mythos at the dawn of reality | Warhammer 40,000 |
| Players | 2–4 | 2–4 |
| Planning | Hidden Influence programming | Hidden order programming |
| Factions | Great Old Ones with strong asymmetry | Warhammer factions with asymmetry |
| Map | Cosmic regions with shifting rifts | Modular star-system regions |
| Status | New crowdfunded game | 2015 release, long out of print |
Players should therefore expect recognizable strategic DNA, but not a one-for-one reskin. Old Ones Origins changes systems, setting and faction design rather than simply replacing names and artwork.
Old Ones Origins pledge levels
| Pledge | Current campaign price | Main difference |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $94 | Core game with 88 unit standees |
| Deluxe | $157 | Replaces the 88 unit standees with detailed miniatures |
| Eldritch | $207 | Deluxe pledge plus Dweller in the Darkness / Nyarlathotep content |
Gamefound currently displays these as live campaign prices. Shipping, taxes and final pledge-manager costs can vary by destination.
Standard vs Deluxe: is the gameplay different?
Chaosium stated before launch that the core gameplay difference between Standard and Deluxe is how the armies are represented.
Standard uses 88 cardboard unit standees; Deluxe replaces those with 88 detailed miniatures. Both versions still include four large Avatar miniatures and 24 building miniatures.
For players interested primarily in the rules rather than a full miniature army, the Standard pledge preserves the core game while reducing the campaign price substantially.
What does the Eldritch Pledge add?
The Eldritch Pledge was added after Chaosium revealed the fifth faction expansion.
It is designed for buyers who want the Deluxe miniature version plus Dweller in the Darkness, bringing Nyarlathotep into the game.
Standard buyers are not excluded from that gameplay: the same expansion is available separately and includes the components needed to work with the standee edition.
What is Chaotic Conjunctions?
Chaotic Conjunctions is a Gamefound-exclusive expansion included with campaign pledges.
It adds 30 event cards for conflicts fought in Nexus areas. The purpose is to make those battles less predictable by introducing additional events during conflict resolution.
Because it is being marketed as Gamefound exclusive, buyers who wait for retail should not automatically assume it will be included in a standard retail box.
Current stretch goals and campaign additions
As of October 7, the campaign shows seven of nine listed stretch goals unlocked. Revealed additions include:
- Chaotic Conjunctions expansion.
- Infinite Incarnations expansion.
- Additional Conflict cards.
- Dweller in the Darkness / Nyarlathotep faction expansion.
- A longer-game mode with 20 new Eldritch Scheme cards.
- A Gamefound-exclusive dice set.
- Premium UV coating on Seal and Influence tokens at the $250,000 milestone.
Campaign content can still change before crowdfunding closes, so this section should be treated as a dated snapshot rather than a permanent component list.
Can Old Ones Origins be played solo?
There is no official solo mode currently announced for the core game. Chaosium and BoardGameGeek list the supported player count as 2–4.
Do not treat community player-count polls or fan-made variants as confirmation of official one-player support.
How long does Old Ones Origins take?
BoardGameGeek currently lists a playing time of approximately 120–240 minutes.
The campaign has also unlocked a longer-game option, so session length can vary meaningfully by setup and player count. Until the final retail rules are available, those times should be read as current pre-release guidance.
Old Ones Origins release and delivery date
The Gamefound campaign launched on September 28, 2026 and is scheduled to run through October 14, 2026.
Current campaign information estimates January 2028 delivery for the English edition. Other language editions may arrive later.
This is a crowdfunding estimate, not a guaranteed retail release date. Manufacturing, freight, localization or fulfillment changes can move the timetable.
How successful is the Gamefound campaign?
Chaosium says the project reached its funding goal in just 19 minutes on launch day.
By October 7, Gamefound was already showing the campaign well beyond the $250,000 stretch milestone and approaching the next $500,000 goal.
That supports the case for strong current interest, but crowdfunding totals should not be treated as evidence that the final game will necessarily be good.
Who may like Old Ones Origins?
The clearest audience is players who wanted a modern, available successor to Forbidden Stars. It may also appeal to heavy strategy groups that enjoy hidden programming, asymmetric factions and direct territorial conflict.
Call of Cthulhu fans should note that this is not an investigative horror game. Players control the cosmic entities themselves rather than investigators trying to survive them.
It may be less suitable if your group dislikes long sessions, direct attacks, highly asymmetric factions or crowdfunding timelines measured in more than a year.
Six things to check before backing
- Standard is not a mechanically cut-down core game. Its major difference is standees instead of the Deluxe unit miniatures.
- Eldritch is not required for the four core factions. Its key addition is the Nyarlathotep expansion on top of Deluxe.
- There is no official solo mode announced. The supported player count is 2–4.
- This is not a Call of Cthulhu investigation game. It is a competitive cosmic wargame.
- January 2028 is an estimate. Crowdfunding delivery schedules can change.
- Campaign price is not the complete landed cost. Shipping and taxes can add to the final total.
Old Ones Origins FAQ
Is Old Ones Origins a remake of Forbidden Stars?
It is officially described as an enhanced reimplementation of Forbidden Stars from one of that game’s original designers, Samuel W. Bailey.
How many players?
2–4 players.
How long does it take?
BoardGameGeek currently lists 120–240 minutes.
Can it be played solo?
No official solo mode is currently announced.
What factions are in the base game?
Cthulhu, Hastur, Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Gorath.
Is Nyarlathotep in the base game?
No. Nyarlathotep is the fifth faction in the Dweller in the Darkness expansion.
What is the difference between Standard and Deluxe?
Standard uses 88 unit standees; Deluxe replaces them with 88 detailed miniatures. Both retain the core game.
How much is the Standard pledge?
Gamefound currently lists it at $94.
How much is Deluxe?
The current campaign price is $157.
What is the Eldritch Pledge?
A $207 campaign tier combining Deluxe with the Dweller in the Darkness/Nyarlathotep expansion.
When is delivery expected?
The current English-edition estimate is January 2028.
Sources and scope
- Chaosium: launch announcement, designer, player count and Forbidden Stars connection
- Official Gamefound campaign: pledge prices, stretch goals and live campaign state
- Chaosium/Gamefound: Standard vs Deluxe edition explanation
- Chaosium/Gamefound: Nyarlathotep and Dweller in the Darkness expansion
- BoardGameGeek: 2–4 players, 120–240 minutes and 2028 listing
- Samuel W. Bailey designer diary: asymmetry and development from Forbidden Stars
Checked October 7, 2026. Old Ones Origins is an unreleased live crowdfunding project. Prices, stretch goals, expansion availability and delivery estimates can change. Gameplay explanations rely on current publisher and designer material rather than a final retail copy. Strategic interpretations and buying guidance are original editorial analysis; no firsthand review or playtest is claimed. Editorial policy and corrections.