Create Characters
Books & Bullets
Players Guide
Introduction
You belong to a cell of paranormal
investigators. You have glimpsed
unspeakable things that live in the
darkness beyond the light of human
understanding, and yet you still dare to
seek them out – to warn others and
perhaps contain or banish them if it is
within your capabilities.
Walter Blackthorne, leader of the Esoteric
Order of Nameless Sensitives (EONS), has
just been found dead – in a locked room
and ravaged as if by a wild beast!
You and your fellow EONS are stunned,
and wondering who may be next!
Character Record:
_________________________________
Name
_________________________________
Style & Calling:
_________________________________
Portrait Your Number
___________
< for Books
 To begin the mystery, the Mythos Master
> for Bullets
 (MM) will ask you some questions and
= Insight
Roll the Dice Insight
Choose a style. No two players may
choose the same style, “draft” them in
When you do something risky, determine
whether the action is governed by Books
Each die you roll ON your number, gives
you an Insight; you may ask the MM one
table order. or Bullets. Then roll 1d6 to find out how it
goes. Roll +1d6 if you are an expert. Roll
of the following questions and you will
get an honest answer.
Devious Coarse Ambitious
 +1d6 if you are prepared.
Jaded Jovial Flamboyant
 ‣ What is really going on here?
Menacing Naïve Relentless
 Expert: You get this bonus die when the ‣ What happened here recently?
Proper Seductive Skeptical
 thing you are attempting is directly
‣ What is about to happen?
Strict Suave Sympathetic related to your calling: something you ‣ What should I be on the lookout for?
trained to handle.
Choose a calling. No two players may ‣ What here is of use or value to me?
choose the same calling, “draft” them in Prepared: You have taken time to ‣ Who's really in control here?
reverse table order. carefully set up your action in the fiction. ‣ What here isn't what it appears to be?
Examples: you study a specific subject
Academic Artist Author 
 before setting out. You take time to aim After hearing the answer, you may
Athlete Collector Clergyman
 before shooting or prepare an ambush. change your action, then roll again. (Yes,
Detective Doctor Dilettante
 You watch a person to learn their habits you can use this to get out of a bad roll!
Journalist Lawyer Psychologist
 and personality before trying to persuade But you must change your action to re-
Policeman Scientist Drifter them to do something for you. roll the dice.)
Choose a number from 2 to 5. 
 The MM has final say on how many dice
A high number means you are better at to roll, and whether Books or Bullets
matters of the intellect (Books). A low governs the action, based on the
number means you are a person of action character and situation.
(Bullets).
After rolling. Compare each die result to
Books: reason/logic, knowledge, study, your number and count successes.
investigation, culture, persuasion
For Books you count the dice UNDER
Bullets: action, fighting, athletics, guns, your number. For Bullets count the dice
stamina, passion, intimidation OVER your number.
Characterize Your Cell 0 = It goes wrong. The MM says how Mythos Checks
Choose an edge. (As a group.) things get worse.
Regardless of the dice outcome, the MM
Stylish Wealthy Allies
 1 = You barely manage. The MM adds a may reveal something of the Mythos to
Archives Informants Diverse complication, harm, or cost. you – a Lovecraftian supernatural truth –
even/especially in response to an Insight
Choose a weakness. (As a group.) 2 = You do it well.
question. When this happens, you
Exposed Indebted Hunted
 3 = A critical success! You do it superbly; immediately roll 1-5d6 (dictated by the
Cursed Haunted Unpopular the MM may add a bonus effect. MM and based on how mind-shattering
Introduce your character. Briefly tell Dice ON your number have a special the knowledge is). If any die result is ON
others about your look, reputation, or your number, your sanity is rocked and
effect called Insight. 
 you choose two options from fight, flight,
quirks. (No long backstories!) Specify
your calling if it's broad in nature. E.g. or freeze. The MM selects which one of
Academic (Archaeologist, Linquist…), the two actually happens.
Artist (Painter, Musician, Sculptor, Helping & Hindering
Dancer, Actor …).
You can take an action to try to help or
hinder another's action. Say how you do
it and roll to see if you succeed. If you do,
frame the first scene. add a die to that character's next roll or
take one away – except a player never
rolls less than one die! Also, helps and
hinders never stack (1 of each per roll.)

Books & Bullets a Cthulhu adventure game by Ray Otus, Ver. 1.0 text - CC-BY-NC-SA 2019

Books & Bullets
MM’s Guide
Your Agenda
As you follow the character's
investigations, keep the following
maxims in your mind.
Ask questions and build on the answers.
Always address the questions to the
characters. “Have any of you ever
encountered the Society of Deep
Drinkers before? What happened?” Or,
“Your company is Indebted; what do you
owe and to whom?” Their answers are
true and now part of the story!
Foreshadow threats. Always show signs
of something bad that is about to happen
before it affects the characters. Then ask
the characters what they do. Example:
“When you pick up the strange artifact
there is a squirming sensation in your
brain and the hairs on your neck stand
up. What do you do?”
Call for a roll when things are risky.
Risky means that not only is failure
possible, but that failure would be
interesting and impactful. The situation
always changes after a roll, for good or ill.
There are no “second tries” until
something changes.
Play to find out what happens. Don't
pre-plan outcomes. Be a fan of the
characters when they succeed! Consider
letting the player describe their own
success. When they fail, add something
“weird” that makes the characters' lives
more interesting and dangerous. New
mysteries will often develop from these
complications, even/especially the ones
you think up on the fly. Keep track and try
to “connect the dots” behind the scenes
when you can.
Insanity & Death
Characters go insane or die only when
their players choose to. Trust the players
to know when it's time. Discuss it with
them when you feel it's likely. If they
aren't ready, ask them how they survive/
stay sane, or plan to.
There are no cumulative/insanity effects
in these rules beyond the fight, flight, or
freeze reaction. Those should prove
“awful” enough. A panic reaction can lead
to a character being knocked out (or
passing out) and finding themselves
alone and lost hours later.
Physically, the MM can push the
characters to the limit. Inflict
complications, harms, or costs when they
fail: dazed, limping, bleeding, starving,
chilled to the bone, etc. These all “tags”
that matter in the fiction. If you are
Bleeding, for instance, you will be easier
to track! Write them on a post it note and
put it near the player if you think you (or
they) might forget.
How Many Mythos Dice?
1d6: an unexplainable incident,
apparition, elder sign scratched on a wall.

2d6: an encounter with inhuman
minions, glancing at an occult tome.
 the EONS and (try to) wipe them out.
3d6: seeing minor mythos creatures,
studying a tome, casting a spell,
glimpsing a strange or alien landscape

4d6: visiting a strange or alien land.
 To create your own Mystery, either tie
5d6: Seeing a greater mythos creature.
Magic
Characters can cast spells (or use a
magic item) if they find a formula and
follow it. Dabbling with magic always
evokes a Mythos check and a risk roll! (No
character should be an “expert” at it. They
can be “prepared” through rituals.)
Failure usually means some pretty awful
backlash. 

Books & Bullets a Cthulhu adventure game by Ray Otus, Ver. 1.0 text - CC-BY-NC-SA
Getting Started
Ask the characters questions about their
headquarters. This gives the players a
chance to ground themselves in the
setting. Example: “Where is the
headquarters of EONS located?” “Is it
hidden? If so, how?” “Name a room, what
does it look like?” “Who is the most
unusual member and why?” “Which
member do you often quarrel with?”
Set a scene around a key to a Mystery. 

Mysteries are a list of keys followed by a
startling outcome. Keys help the
investigators understand what is going
on; the characters will discover/
experience them as they investigate. Keys
can be facts, ominous signs, events,
encounters, etc. Keys in the past are
uncovered through research. Some may
never be uncovered. Their order is often
malleable.
For the first session, use the example
Mystery (right): What Happens to Walter
Blackthorne? You can use these to get
started (begin with the key in bold-face
type), but be sure to drop in some weird
things as you play that aren't listed –
things inspired by the fiction that you
invent on the fly or the provided Extra
Keys. These will become the keys of a
new Mystery. It's helpful to always be
brewing another Mystery while the
characters are investigating an
established one. At the very least, you can
seed the next mystery with a key like “Dr.
Strong turns into a column of smoke and
vanishes.” (Just when they had the bad
guy cornered, right?)
together random keys with an outcome,
or start with an outcome (e.g. “The EONS
are all transformed into mushroom
people by an infectious spore”) then
make a list of keys to support it. 
 □ Athestrange patch of mold that glows in
What Happened to Walter
Blackthorne?
□ Avisited
professor of linguistics, Dr. Strong,
Walter Blackthorne. (It's in his
appointment book.)
□ They had tea at B's house. The maid
saw Strong leave. When she went to
collect the tea service, she discovered
B sleeping in his chair.
□ AB'scolleague noticed that the back of
hair has a missing chunk.
□ S.using
summoned an invisible stalker
a lock of B's hair.
□ B's savaged body is discovered.
□ News of the discovery reaches the
EONS at their club. Ask, questions
like “What were you all doing when
the news arrived? How did the news
arrive; who brought it?”
□ S,thrown
having gotten B out of the way and
the EONS into disarray, raids
B's office and steals a curious clock.
The characters may know some things
about this clock. Ask them and use their
answers.
□ S uses the clock to slip into the
Dreamlands and recruit a group of
ghouls. Is there any way a character
would know it is being used?
□ The ghouls, led by S discover a way
into the hidden (?) headquarters of
Extra Keys
dark is found in the corner of B's
bedroom.
□ Athemute, phantom double of one of
characters is seen in the
clubhouse reading a particular book.
□ An unexpected meteor shower lights
up the night. Few see it.
 D66 Helpful Words D66 Names D66 Equipment
Books & Bullets Count across (die 1), then down (die 2). Count across (die 1), then down (die 2). Substitute era-appropriate equivalents
as needed.
Adjectives First Names (Male)
Resources Profane Bloated Festering Aaron Benjamin Clark Weapons (1-3), Gear (4-6)
Odious Withered Repulsive Daneil Edgar Franklin Fists Knife Brass Knucks
Technologies by Era Noxious Spectral Mutilated Gary Harry Isaac Club Garrote Broken Bottle
1890s: The Gaslight Era Diseased Infected Inhuman Jack Kirby Luther Pistol Rifle Machine Gun
Depraved Ghastly Amorphous Maxwell Nathaniel Oliver Axe Grenade Elephant Gun
‣ Transportation: train (coal powered), Unclean Obscene Liquefied Patrick Quinn Randolph Blowgun Poison Sword-cane
steamship, horse and buggy, Spear Special* Bolas/Sling
‣ Communication: telegraph, letters, Gelatinous Fiendish Moldering Stuart Theodore Vernon
courier Putrid Mutilated Hideous Willis Xavier Zane Lantern Bicycle Boat
Vast Leprous Malignant Erasmaus Alexander Barnaby Rope Shovel Mirror
‣ Research: public/private libraries, Pick Axe Lock Picks Goggles
expert consultation, museums, Bloated Cyclopean Congealed Caleb Miles Spencer
personal laboratories Squamous Perverse Degenerate Lance Jesse Preston Car Truck Radio
Fibrous Leprous Deformed Adam Barry Clive Chalk Matches Field Guide
1920s: The Roaring 20s Dog Poncho Climbing Gear
‣ Transportation: diesel train, diesel ship, Places First Names (Female)
private automobile, bus, prop plane
 Altar Island Tunnel Audrey Barbara Caroline * A hard-to-find item, like a flame-thrower,
Communication: telegraph, letters, Iron Door Swamp Cemetery Delia Elizabeth Faith gas-bomb, or weaponized germ.
telephone and short wave radio, Garrett Canyon Catacomb Hannah Isabel Judith
courier Basement Cave Church Lucilia Margaret Nancy
‣ Research: public/private libraries, Mound Tundra Pyramid Olivia Phoebe Rosalind
expert consultation, museums, Beach Desert Hotel/Lodge Samantha Tabitha Virginia
personal/private laboratories
1950s: The Cold-War Era Grotto Forest Mausoleum Alice Dorothy Lilly
Quarry Mountain Obelisk Molly Nancy Polly
‣ Transportation: diesel train, gas Pier Jungle Palace Rachel Catherine Pamela
turbine ship, private plane, jet airlines, Labyrinth Ocean Temple Ellenor Constance Deborah
private automobile, bus Shrine Lake/River Statue Emilia Josephine Mabel
‣ Communication: telephone, radio, Well Volcano Train Station Melanie Agnes Zenobia
letters, telegram Sources of Inspiration
People & Objects Surnames
‣ Research: public/private libraries, Hunter Gibson Jackson ‣ Lasers & Feelings by John Harper (core)
expert consultation, museums, private Amulet Bone Alchemist
Tome Crystal Ball Astrologer Justice Osborne O'Grady ‣ Lady Blackbird by John Harper (idea for
laboratories, microfilm archives (1938) a fixed starting scenario)
Casket Pentagram Astronomer Morris Hopkins Nichols
Present Day: The Modern Era Coin/Gem Casket Coroner Pierce Reynolds Frazer ‣ Teachers & Tentacles by Vincent Howard
et al. (resource lists)
‣ Transportation: private auto, taxi, bus, Circlet Crown Cultist Godfrey Carter Armstrong
jet airliner Instrument Clock Ghoul Brooks Marlowe Brown ‣ Dungeon World by Sage LaTorra & Adam
Koebel (insight questions)
‣ Communication: cell phone, email, Chambers Baldwin Goodwin ‣ The Everyone Everywhere List by Erik
snail mail Figurine Dagger Mortician James Olsrud (names)
Trunk Necklace Psychic/Seer Hammer Overstreet Rockford ‣ Maze Rats by Ben Milton (d66 table
‣ Research: Internet, public library, Portrait Sigil/Rune Secret Society Stone Wheeler Crutchfield structure)
special /private collections, expert Vermin Tablet Shaman Woods Young Robbins
consultation, private consultation ‣ Unknown Armies by Greg Stolze (fight,
Ring Tarot/Cards Skeleton Peabody Prince Morgan flight, freeze reactions)
firms, public/private laboratories Statue Staff/Rod Zombie
 Ripley Rogers McClintock
 ‣ Art © William McAusland, by perm.
‣ Find more games by Ray Otus at
www.jellysaw.com.
Books & Bullets a Cthulhu adventure game by Ray Otus, Ver. 1.0 text - CC-BY-NC-SA