Harlem Unbound designer working on sci-fi RPG for Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest studio

The creator of acclaimed Lovecraftian roleplaying adventure Harlem Unbound has announced his next project.

Chris Spivey is working on a sci-fi RPG for Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest publisher Chaosium.

The founder of Darker Hue Studios, Spivey has written for games such as Cthulhu Confidential, 7th Sea and Out of the Woods, but earned particular plaudits for Harlem Unbound, his celebrated reversal of the portrayal of minorities in 1920s fiction by writers such as Lovecraft that unflinchingly confronts and analyses the discussion surrounding racism. The Kickstarted Call of Cthulhu and GUMSHOE supplement earned a nomination for this year’s Diana Jones award.

Despite Spivey’s past work with the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian heritage of Chaosium, there’s no suggestion yet that the new setting he is working on will have ties to the horror universe.

Spivey has said that the sci-fi universe “only previously existed in my own mind”, while Basic Roleplaying line editor Jason Durall described the setting as reflecting Spivey’s “unique sensibility and passion”.

The untitled project will be built on the Basic Roleplaying gameplay that serves as the foundation of both Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest, using a skill-based percentile system to resolve actions and combat.

Spivey is said to currently be recruiting RPG writers to join him on the project, which will launch at an undisclosed point in the future with a core rulebook, GM set and adventure anthology. Future details are scheduled for reveal at Gen Con this August.