History TabletopGame / CthulhuTech

* SexTropes: As a part of a process that legalized a lot of illegal stuff (like drugs) in order to keep the general population sane, sexual morality became a lot loose (average age when someones loses virginity is 12, prostitution is legalized and resembles modern-day Dutch practices, the porn industry rivals modern Hollywood and major porn-stars are minor mainstream celebrities, and the sex in mainstream media is borderline softcore). Of course, Death Shadows and various other cults are trying to take this into squick territory.
** There are indications that the cults are the ones who set it up this way, and simply want to make it worse.

* PoweredArmor: Smaller mechs, such as the Crusader and Centurion.

* EvolutionPowerUp: The Tagers can went through ''metamorphosis'', become even more powerful form.
* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: As a part of a process that legalized a lot of illegal stuff (like drugs) in order to keep the general population sane, sexual morality became a lot loose (average age when someones loses virginity is 12, prostitution is legalized and resembles modern-day Dutch practices, the porn industry rivals modern Hollywood and major porn-stars are minor mainstream celebrities, and the sex in mainstream media is borderline softcore). Of course, Death Shadows and various other cults are trying to take this into {{Squick}} territory. There are indications that the cults set it up this way, and want to make it worse.

* FreeLoveFuture: Casual sex is seen as perfectly normal in the 2080's, although most people use it as a way to eventually meet someone with which they want to have a monogamous relationship - and, y'know, because sex feels good.

* {{Masquerade}}: The NEG with its Ministry of Infromation tries really hard to hide how utterly screwed humanity is.

* EmpathicWeapon: The Engels, which the core rulebook admits are essentially [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelions]].

[[caption-width-right:335: {{Evangelion}} [[XMeetsY +]] HPLovecraft [[XMeetsY +]] {{Macross}} (Robotech version) [[XMeetsY +]] {{Guyver}} [[XMeetsY +]] {{Akira}} [[RebusBubble =]] [[{{Troperiffic}} this]].]]

* MultipleEndings: Right now, none of them look very good. Likely endings include [[KillEmAll human extinction]] and [[YouAreTheDemons surviving to become a Mythos race]]. The best possible one may very well be getting the hell away from Earth through whatever means necessary -- and it would still imply only a fraction could escape.

[[caption-width-right:335: {{Evangelion}} [[XMeetsY +]] HPLovecraft [[XMeetsY +]] {{Macross}} (Robotech version) [[XMeetsY +]] {{Guyver}} [[XMeetsY +]] {{Akira}} [[RebusBubble =]] [[{{Troperiffic}} this]].]]]]

->''Aeon War Syndrome isn't losing your mind. It's losing your friends. It's losing your family. [[DespairEventHorizon It's losing whatever hope you might have had left.]] They say WarIsHell. I've seen hell. This is worse.''

[[caption-width-right:335: [[{{Troperiffic}} Evangelion + H.P. Lovecraft + Macross (Robotech version) + Guyver + Akira.]]]]

Rather than ally with the NEG to combat this obviously greater threat, the Migou decide to war against them ''both'', tracking down and killing the servants of the {{Cosmic Horror}}s while at the same time still trying to wipe the NEG off the map.

* CaptainErsatz: The Engels are alive, they go berserk when the wrong person gets in them or when the right person is knocked out, they're the only proper defense Earth has against unstoppable {{Cosmic Horror}}s, and their pilots tend to be a little bit nuts. [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Sound familiar to anyone else?]]

** Fifth, and finally, there is Deep One PoweredArmor, which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Pretty much what would happen if you gave a CosmicHorror [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Spartan battle gear]]. Generally don't get much bigger than [[MiniMecha 15 feet or so,]] [[PintsizedPowerhouse but they don't need the extra size.]] There's also Deep One shaped mechs for the human members of the Esoteric Order, though they're not particularly good outside the water.

The story begins when a scientist by the name of Teresa Ashcroft makes the discovery of a TomeOfEldritchLore, ''The Mysteries Within'', which outlines how to create {{Magitek}}. Although she was [[HPLovecraft unsurprisingly]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation driven insane]], she remained coherent enough to help her apprentice Simon Yi, who designs the [[BlackBox Dimensional Engine]] from it, basically an infinite-energy device that draws its power from another dimension. He [[GoMadFromTheRevelation goes insane]] before he can test it. The first working D-Engine is finally constructed and tested by the team led by Golvash Czeny, Simon's colleague, and it successfully draws power from another dimension. It *usually* doesn't bring anything other than energy through from the other side...

Needless to say, the NEG, realizing it was less than equipped to fight not one, but ''two'' {{Bug War}}s, they decide to develop a super-mecha that can stand up to both threats. The result? The [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelion]]-ish Engels, alien {{Empathic Weapon}}s with a lot of firepower and a chip on their shoulder, finally making it seem as if the NEG might be able to win -- or at least, hold off their enemies long enough to get the hell off the planet.

* CaptainErsatz: The Engels are alive, they go berserk when the wrong person gets in them or when the right person is knocked out, they're the only proper defense Earth has against unstoppable {{Cosmic Horror}}s, and their pilots tend to be a little bit nuts. [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Sound familiar to anyone else?]]

* CrapsackWorld: The phrase "NeonGenesisEvangelion [[XMeetsY meets]] HPLovecraft" should tell you how bleak it is. Thankfully for the NEG, there actually ''is'' some hope for humanity. (Or at least for whatever humanity [[HumanoidAbomination evolves into]].)
* CrossoverCosmology: The setting is a fusion of ''{{Macross}}'' (Nazzadi=Zentradi), ''{{Guyver}}'' (Tagers v. Dhohanoids = Guyvers v. Zoanoids), and of course ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'', all with a healthy dose of the [[HPLovecraft Mythos]] added. The players' guide even adds ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' into the mix!

* EmpathicWeapon: The Engels, which the core rulebook admits are essentially [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelions]].

** Second, we have the Engels, [[SuperRobot Super Robots]] of the [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelion]] style, being partially organic based. They require advanced, speciallized training to pilot correctly, but are far stronger than individual Swords.

** Fifth, and finally, there is Deep One PoweredArmor, which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Pretty much what would happen if you gave a CosmicHorror [[{{Halo}} Spartan battle gear]]. Generally don't get much bigger than [[MiniMecha 15 feet or so,]] [[PintsizedPowerhouse but they don't need the extra size.]] There's also Deep One shaped mechs for the human members of the Esoteric Order, though they're not particularly good outside the water.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: ''Heavily'' averted, every NEG government person working with sorcery, arcanotech, or the sanity-straining bond with the inhuman Engels gets regular psychiatric care from well trained therapists to keep them sane. Well, sort of sane. Functional at the very least, so they won't (hopefully) have a breakdown in the middle of an attack and [[NeonGenesisEvangelion be unable to pilot]].

* PoliceState: The NEG, which is understandable given the amount of threats they face from internal enemies and the Migou's MindControl. Though the New Earth Government can also be seen as a more dystopian example of TheFederation, which has to follow policies more suited for the [[{{Warhammer40000}} Imperium of Man]] in order to survive.

* TranshumanAliens: Humanity is in the process to doing this to itself. Dhohanoids are examples of this. Tagers are examples of this. Engels (which use human and Nazzadi DNA in their template) are examples of this. Deep One Hybrids are an example of this. Even the fact that humanity is acclimatising to the unnatural, that it can do things that would have driven earlier humans mad, is an example. The thing is, it's this or extinction.

** the Deep Ones have istances of this.

* TranshumanAliens: Humanity is in the process to doing this to itself. Dhohanoids are examples of this. Tagers are examples of this. Engels (which use human and Nazzadi DNA in their template) are examples of this. Deep One Hybrids are an example of this. Even the fact that humanity is acclimatising to the unnatural, that it can do things that would have driven earlier humans mad, is an example of this.
** And the thing is, it's a choice between this and extinction.

* BlessedWithSuck: Congrats, you've survived a brush with the Zone, and now have incredible PsychicPowers. Now all you have to deal with is constant [[PowerIncontinence Burn]], being slightly insane (ranking up to moderately and severely after a few days), and being a WeirdnessMagnet. Oh, and did we mention that you're unable to control your powers (always on) *and* pretty much every group wants to kill or experiment on you? You know, screw it, being a Zoner is a perfectly good reason for saying IJustWantToBeNormal.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The Chrysalis Corporation takes it to a whole new level, insofar as their Director is actually ''Nyarlathotep''. Don't think anyone else is gonna be toppin' ''that'' one any time soon.

* CrossoverCosmology: The setting is a fusion of ''{{Macross}}'' (Nazzadi=Zentradi), ''{{Guyver}}'' (Tagers v. Dhohanoids = Guyvers v. Zoanoids), and of course ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'', all with a healthy dose of the [[HPLovecraft Mythos]] added. And the players' guide adds ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' into the mix...!
* [[CuteMonsterGirl Cute Monster People]]: SUBVERTED with the Horned Ones: they appear as this, but they are brainbending rape machines living to breed the armies of Shub-Niggurath.

* [[PetTheDog Pet the Blank]]: Migou turn humans into 'blank' slaves by [[Understatement invasive]] brainwashing...on the other hand, blanks retain their memory and identity, are allowed to have a vaguely normal life, and are treated very well by their masters.

* [[SexTropes A lot of Sex Tropes]]: As a part of a process that legalized a lot of illegal stuff (like drugs) in order to keep the general population sane, sexual morality became a lot loose (average age when someones loses virginity is 12, prostitution is legalized and resembles modern-day Dutch practices, the porn industry rivals modern Hollywood and major porn-stars are minor mainstream celebrities, and the sex in mainstream media is borderline softcore). Of course, Death Shadows and various other cults are trying to take this into squick territory.

->''Aeon War Syndrome isn't losing your mind. It's losing your friends. It's losing your family. [[DespairEventHorizon It's losing whatever hope you might have had left.]] They say [[WarIsHell war is hell.]] I've seen hell. This is worse.''

This leaves you in the midst of a brave new world. Earth's managed to pull through the war, a bunch of new allies have joined the fight, and the NEG is a government of limitless potential -- trying desperately to cover up the fact that the Great Old Ones are walking again, there are mad cultists trying to call forth Cthulhu everywhere, and the Migou may be coming back for another sweep. You quickly find yourself on the frontlines, with either a sorcerer's license, an empathic mecha, or your own illegal psychic powers as the only barrier between you and the eldritch things beyond reality. Good luck.

* CaptainErsatz: The Engels are alive, they go berserk when the wrong person gets in them or when the right person is knocked out, they're the only proper defense Earth has against unstoppable {{Cosmic Horror}}s, and their pilots tend to be a little bit nuts. [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Sound familiar to anyone else?]]

* CloningBlues: The Nazzadi have mostly gotten over theirs, although the game mentions they still get sore when something reminds them of it.

* CrossoverCosmology: The setting is a fusion of ''{{Macross}}'' (Nazzadi=Zentradi), ''{{Guyver}}'' (Tagers v. Dhohanoids = Guyvers v. Zoanoids), and of course ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'', all with a healthy dose of the [[HPLovecraft Mythos]] added. And the players' guide adds ''{{Akira}}'' into the mix...!

* LuckManipulationMechanic: Drama Points. Spending them adds to your dice pool or subtracts from your opponent's dice pool.

* PhysicalGod:

* StateSec: The Office of Internal Security. They're ''supposed'' to just be the police for FunctionalMagic-related crimes, but ''in practice'', they seem a lot more like a more democratic [[{{NineteenEightyFour}} Ministry of Love]], which is probably a good thing considering what kind of enemies they have.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: ''Heavily'' averted, every NEG government person working with sorcery, arcanotech, or the sanity-straining bond with the inhuman Engels gets regular psychiatric care from well trained therapists to keep them sane. Well, sort of sane. Functional at the very least, so they won't (hopefully) have a breakdown in the middle of an attack and [[NeonGenesisEvangelion be unable to pilot]].

** And the thing is, it's a choice between this and extinction.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Eldritch Society's Tagers are as horrifying as Dhohanoids, their GoodCounterpart. You can also play a sorcerer, who indulges in what one would probably consider BlackMagic in any other setting, albeit at a significant cost to their sanity. Then again, [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity everyone else is paying that cost too]].

** not to mention that the Migou themselves see the Aeon War as this, since for them ''humans'' are bugs to squash.

* CosmicHorrorStory

* DarkIsNotEvil: Eldritch Society's Tagers are as horrify as Dhohanoids, they're GoodCounterpart. You can also play a sorcerer, who indulges in what one would probably consider BlackMagic in any other setting, albeit at a significant cost to their sanity. Then again, [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity everyone else is paying that cost too]].

* HopelessWar

* ItGotWorse: In the first story book, The Rapine Storm overruns China Completely, the Deep Ones find something, and the summoning of an Outer God is barely averted. There are five books remaining.
** And the big reveal at the end of the book? [[spoiler:There's another Migou Hive Ship on the way to Earth. The presence of ONE has driven mankind nearly to extinction. Yeah. It's about to get much, ''much'' worse.]]
*** The book Mortal Remains has some interesting information, but the opportunity it opens up is so minute as to be nonexistent. [[spoiler:The two hive ships hold the ENTIRETY of the Migou in our solar system. Pluto, their [[strike:homeworld]] Mining colony, is going to have a skeleton crew once the second ship launches. Some may question the rationality of leaving Pluto defenseless, but according to Migou intel, there are no threats to it since nobody is capable of getting there (And the Earth is locked down by the first Hive ship)]].

* YouHaveFailedMe: the Migou consider the Nazzadi as failed experiments, and mercilessly kill them at sight.

* FridgeBrilliance: Why is it called the ''Aeon War''? Eh? Eh?
-->"''That is not dead which can eternal lie''
-->''And with strange aeons even death may die''"

** The Vade Mecum book adds ghouls, who, while they are certainly TheGrotesque and have some [[ImAHumanitarian disgusting nutritional requirements]], are no better or worse then the mortal races -- heck, [[TheVirus some of them may have]] ''[[TheVirus been]]'' [[TheVirus mortal once]].
** if you ignore the 'brainwash humans\kill nazzadi' thing, the Migou are more like WellIntentionedExtremist.

* DarkIsNotEvil: The Eldritch Society, despite happily worshiping {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, is pretty much the only thing keeping the Chrysalis Corporation from corrupting the NEG from within. You can also play a sorcerer, who indulges in what one would probably consider BlackMagic in any other setting, albeit at a significant cost to their sanity. Then again, [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity everyone else is paying that cost too]].

-->''Aeon War Syndrome isn't losing your mind. It's losing your friends. It's losing your family. [[DespairEventHorizon It's losing whatever hope you might have had left.]] They say [[WarIsHell war is hell.]] I've seen hell. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel This is worse.]]''

* PettingZooPeople: The Horned Ones are a [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel rather disturbing]] kind of this.
* PhysicalGod: Hastur's avatar, the Ragged King.

* PoweredByAForsakenChild: [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel QBatteries]]. Gotta love the Chrysalis Corporation!

* [[WhiteHairedPrettyBoy White-Haired]] [[WhiteHairedPrettyGirl Pretty People]]: The Whites, a rare type of xenomix known as Sidoci. They all start with the [[TheBeautifulPeople Alluring]] asset, and are [[CaptainObvious white head to toe]], meaning skin, hair and even eyes are white. They also are para-psychics since birth.