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Chaosium has just served up another dose of two-fisted terror with Pulp Cthulhu: Clockwork & Claws, a new supplement that offers two full-length adventure scenarios featuring mad science, ancient legends and high-octane heroics. You can pick the book up now in PDF and hardcover format from your local game store, DriveThruRPG, Chaosium and Amazon.
So is this latest Pulp Cthulhu scenario collection worth getting your claws on? Below, we wind up all the details. (NOTE: While I have received Chaosium review materials in the past, this particular product was purchased in PDF format at my own expense).
What is the Pulp Cthulhu RPG?
Pulp Cthulhu is a standalone, spin-off tabletop RPG from Chaosium based on the Call of Cthulhu game. There are, however, a few noticeable differences: First, the setting moves from the 1920s to the 1930s, an era that’s slightly more modern and faster paced (although like the Call of Cthulhu game, much of the focus is still on fictional New England beset by cosmic monstrosities).
Second, the game leans more into action and two-fisted heroics than sanity-shattering horror. In this sense, it borrows heavily from the pulp magazines of the 1930s, which were filled with tales of weird science, bizarre monsters, moustache-twirling villains and larger-than-life characters who use both brains and brawn to solve problems.
Mechanically, the game uses the same rules as the current Call of Cthulhu 7th edition (which is itself based on the Basic Roleplaying Engine), but introduces a few mechanical tweaks that make characters far more resilient than the Investigators in Call of Cthulhu (who tend to end up either dead or insane when facing down foes).
In particular, Pulp Cthulhu features heroic Archetypes, psychic abilities, Weird Science talents and much larger health pools. It also adds a core mechanic called “Pulp Luck,” which lets characters cheat death, shrug off catastrophic wounds and perform logic-defying cinematic stunts that would be entirely out of place in an average Call of Cthulhu game.
Notably, the first edition of Pulp Cthulhu was first released in 2016 and developed by longtime Chaosium designer Mike Mason. It’s since had a number of supplements released for the system by Chaosium, including the 2017 campaign The Two-Headed Serpent and the 2019 campaign A Cold Fire Within.
What is Pulp Cthulhu: Clockwork & Claws about?
Pulp Cthulhu: Clockwork & Claws is a 132-page scenario anthology for Pulp Cthulhu written by Peter Bebergal, J. F. Martel, James Coquillat and David Naylor. The book is geared specifically towards Keepers and includes the following:
- An Introduction: That offers advice on how to use the book and includes a refresher on the rules and tone of Pulp Cthulhu. It also includes tips on how to tailor the adventures for the base Call of Cthulhu rule set, if you did want to make the scenarios more deadly and challenging.
- Two full-length scenarios: These adventures showcase two very different sides of pulp action. “Of Clockwork & Clay” centers on a museum heist and a rampaging mechanical man, while “Wolf Among the Flock” is a chaotic, sandbox-style horror mystery set inside an untamed private zoo.
- Detailed Maps and Handouts: The book features several maps and player handouts (which you can also download for free from the Chaosium website), plus six pre-generated characters.
Notably, you will need the base Pulp Cthulhu rulebook to run the adventures and to get the most bang for your buck, you’ll also need the Call of Cthulhu: Keeper Rulebook.
What are the scenarios like in Clockwork & Claws?
The book contains two standalone and unconnected adventure scenarios. It’s worth noting that these are definitely not one-shots, and you can likely expect each scenario to take at least 2-3 sessions to run.
*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***
Of Clockwork & Clay: This adventure kicks off with the heroes investigating a high-profile museum robbery at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, where ancient Hebrew relics have been stolen. The investigators discover that a hidden parchment script capable of activating a powerful Golem is up for grabs. Two rival factions are racing for it: one trying to protect humanity and an eccentric millionaire being tricked by a rogue offshoot of the Mi-Go into building a massive mechanical “Tick-Tock Man”. The Mi-Go plan to use the construct as a shell for an avatar of Nyarlathotep to destroy mankind.
It’s a solidly-written and smartly-paced adventure and does a great job of making use of two of the Cthulhu mythos’ most iconic (if not overused) monsters. While some of the sections feel a little weak (and may require a bit of tweaking on the part of Keepers), in general it does a great job of pulling in the general horror vibes of a good Lovecraftian scenario, while also leaning into the best tropes of the pulps.
Wolf Among the Flock: This is a sandbox adventure set within a private zoo located outside Boston. The heroes attend a memorial service for the zoo’s owners, who were supposedly killed in a tragic bear attack. In reality, they were murdered by their estranged daughter; a bitter sorceress who discovered an ancient, cosmic egg belonging to Shub-Niggurath. Having completely lost her mind, she is now raising the Dark Young and using a specialized spell to transfer her consciousness into any animal on the grounds. She uses the zoo animals to spy on and ambush the investigators, building towards an over-the-top, action-packed final confrontation.
This is easily the best of the two scenarios and manages to pack in a ton of material into a relatively short amount of space. The sandbox-style of play also means there’s a wide range of different ways players could approach the scenario, which means as a Keeper you’ll be able to get a fair bit of replayability out of it if you so choose.
*** END OF SPOILERS ***
How much is Pulp Cthulhu: Clockwork & Claws?
The hardcover version retails for $29.99 USD (not including shipping and handling), while the standalone PDF retails for $14.99 USD (with fulfillment handled via DriveThruRPG). Notably if you order the hardcover copy of the book directly from Chaosium, you’ll get the PDF thrown in for free.
When was Pulp Cthulhu: Clockwork & Claws released?
The book was released in both PDF and hardcover on May 27th, 2026, so it’s a relatively new release and the first new Pulp Cthulhu product we’ve seen in some time.
What is the art and design like in Clockwork & Claws?
From a production standpoint, the book is solid. The layout is clean, the player handouts are well-crafted and the index makes it incredibly easy for Keepers to reference NPCs, locations and monsters mid-session. The writing is also evocative without getting overly wordy, making it perfect for use at the table.
The artwork, however, is a bit of a mixed bag. While there are certainly some absolutely gorgeous pieces scattered throughout the pages, a fair number of the illustrations feel somewhat muted and underpowered for a pulp release. All in all, the images are serviceable, but definitely not mind-blowing and it would be good to see Chaosium up their game in terms of their art.
Is Cthulhu: Clockwork & Claws worth picking up?
Pros
- An standout sandbox adventure: Wolf Among the Flock is an absolutely amazing scenario, offering an incredibly unique setting and built-in mechanics that really pull the players into the action.
- Pulpy high heroics: The book features some fantastic cinematic set pieces, giving players the opportunity to take on the roles of larger-than-life heroes while also facing down plenty of cosmic horrors.
- Great system flexibility: While perfectly tailored for the action-heavy rules of Pulp Cthulhu, either scenario could be easily adjusted by Keepers to fit a standard, survival-focused Call of Cthulhu campaign.
Cons
- Inconsistent artwork: The illustrations are an uneven mix. Several pieces feel flat or uninspired, especially compared to some of the artwork we’ve seen in past Call of Cthulhu releases (this continues to be a bit of a challenge for Chaosium).
- Overused villains: If you’re a longtime Lovecraft or Call of Cthulhu fan, chances are you’ve seen some of the creatures featured in the book and it would have been nice to see the authors dig into some lesser-known lore.
- Light on scenarios: While the two scenarios are quite long (and could easily take 2-3 sessions to run), it would have been great to have a few more options, particularly given that there aren’t many Pulp Cthulhu products to choose from featuring standalone scenarios.
Final thoughts and review score
Clockwork & Claws is a solid addition to Chaosium’s Pulp Cthulhu lineup. And while the first adventure could use a few minor creative tweaks from the Keeper to reach its full potential, the sheer, chaotic brilliance of the second scenario is worth the price of admission. If your Call of Cthulhu players are up for a dose of cinematic action, weirdness and fisticuffs to go along with their cosmic horror, then Clockwork & Claws delivers in spades.
Final Review Score: 18 out of 20
You can pick up the PDF and hardcover versions of the book now from your local game store, DriveThruRPG, Chaosium and Amazon.