''Cthulhu 500'' is a

motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...

-themed

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card g ...

Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, to identify ...

. The game was released by

Atlas Games Atlas Games is a company which publishes role-playing games, board games and card games. Its founder and current president is John Nephew. History When Atlas Games did not have the finances to publish '' On the Edge'' (1994), they partnered with J ...

Gen Con Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...

2004.

Object of the game

Players compete by racing Cthulhoid vehicles (such as the Sports Cthutility Vehicle or the Car of Cthulhu) and take turns either upgrading the vehicle or

pit crew In motorsports, a pit stop is a pause for refuelling, new tyres, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, as a penalty, or any combination of the above. These stops occur in an area called the pits, most commonly accessed via a pit lan ...

, or attempting to overtake the car in front. Once a player reaches the front of the pack, that player may attempt to overtake the rearmost vehicle and thereby gain a lap. The player with the most laps when the

checkered flag Racing flags are traditionally used in auto racing and similar motorsports to indicate track condition and to communicate important messages to drivers. Typically, the starter, sometimes the grand marshal of a race, waves the flags atop a flag s ...

card is drawn wins; in case of a tie, the front-most of the tying vehicles wins. The last-place finisher is the loser.

Reception

The reviewer from the online second volume of ''

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrila ...

'' stated that "Attention, racing fans. Roll down your tailgates, break out the Space Mead, and get ready for high-speed thrills. Atlas Games is waving the green flag -- at least, it looks like a flag -- and the ''Cthulhu 500'' is underway." The game won the

Origins Award The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 a ...

s for ''Best Traditional Card Game of 2004'' and ''Gamers' Choice 2004''.

References

External links

''Cthulhu 500'' official page
at Atlas Games * {{bgg, 12627
Game review
at

RPGnet RPGnet is a role-playing game website. It includes sections on wargames, tabletop games and video games, as well as columns on gaming topics. RPGnet was founded in 1996 by Emma and Sandy Antunes, Shawn Althouse ( etrigan) and Brian David Phillips ...

Card games introduced in 2004 Dedicated deck card games Cthulhu Mythos card games Fantasy parodies Origins Award winners Atlas Games games