H.P. Lovecraft’s Kingsport Festival

“That flaming column was spouting volcanically. The combustion does not lay warmth, but only the clamminess of death and corruption.”– The Festival, H.P. Lovecraft, 1923

In the unimaginable darkness of Kingsport, silent wanderers are called to a profane celebration. Their goal: to invoke unthinkable horrors! A dread terror that is not of this world or any other but rather from the spaces between the stars demands your submission. Meanwhile, unwary investigators vainly attempt to halt this appalling chapter in the dark history of Arkham.

As the high priest of one of these shadowy cults, you must dominate the city. You will invoke cosmic creatures and unholy gods to receive their “gifts”, but you must take care to preserve your sanity and thwart the investigators who seek to stop you.

Kingsport Festival, a game of bizarre cults set in the terrifying world of Howard Philips Lovecraft, lasts twelve rounds, with each divided into six phases. All Cultists roll their dice, then starting with whoever has the lowest sum, then take turns invoking an Elder God by using one or more of their dice that sum to the value of that God. Once all the dice are placed or players have passed, in ascending order, the Elder Gods give their gifts to the Cultists who invoked them, possibly causing a loss of Sanity points in the process. After Cultists have retrieved their dice, in turn order each can place his disk on one building that’s connected to another one he has already marked (starting from the house). To do so, he must pay the domain resources required.

For turns marked with a blue marker on the calendar, a raid then takes place, with an event and investigator cards being revealed. Each Cultist then calculates his strength by summing modifiers from spells, buildings, and other game effects. If his strength is greater, the Cultist receives rewards; if lesser, he’s punished.

After six turns, the Cultists compare their works to see who’s best promoted the horrors of old.