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Cthulhu: Dark Providence box art

Base game

Cthulhu: Dark Providence

Replay index

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Published
2025
Players
1–5
Play time
90–120 min
Reach
Niche
Evaluations
0
Themes:
Horror
Mechanics:
Area controlDeck / bag buildingHand managementHidden roles & bluffingDrafting

How it plays

No rules summary yet for this game.

Main mechanics explained

  • Area control: Presence on the map decides who scores.
  • Deck / bag building: You shape your own deck or bag of resources as you play.
  • Hand management: Timing which card to spend is the core puzzle.
  • Hidden roles & bluffing: Somebody at the table is not who they claim to be.
Full publisher description

Set in the Cthulhu: Death May Die , Dark Providence is a competitive game in which players take on secret roles of Investigators, Cultists Or Dissidents from the most influential cities of the United States during the Great Depression. While the Cultists explore the nation's vulnerability seeking to remake it into a twisted version of itself by consorting with unspeakable beings from nightmarish dimensions, Investigators take the opposite side, standing against this dark providence. Meanwhile Dissidents are no longer part of either side. Dissidents score points for assassinating Agents and for sealing and protecting Gates. As enemies of both sides of the struggle, concealing their identity is paramount. Each player's secret alignment determines how they ll score points at the end of the game, however, this is not a cooperative game. During the game players use Influence cubes to bid for the right to claim Asset cards, take control of cities, and gather Mythos cards. Each new Asset card acquired improves the players deck and therefore the resources and actions they can perform during a turn. At the center of Dark Providence s deck building mechanics lie the Asset cards. All players start the game with the same 10 initial cards. Regardless of their strategy, acquiring new Asset cards is fundamental to improve their decks. Trying to keep their identity secret and avoid insanity, players perform a multitude of actions, swaying Hired Agents to their side of the battle, assassinating other players Agents, gathering additional help from Mythos cards, blocking other players from claiming cards, and sealing or protecting Gates, among others to gain Victory Points. At the end, only the player with the most Victory Points of the dominant side of the battle will win the game! Dark Providence also has a brand new solo version in which a single player comes face-to-face with an Elder One attempting to corrupt the nation. The player takes the side of Investigators and plays against 1 of 6 Elder Ones, each with unique features and goals. description from the publisher

What players say

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