History TabletopGame / EldritchSkies

In the year 2030, humanity has not only become aware of the Franchise/CthulhuMythos but also started taking tentative steps to make use of its secrets to better itself. Treaties and trade agreements have been established with the Mi-oo and the Deep Ones. Shortcuts through the space between spaces have opened ways to the stars and allowed various countries to establish extra-solar colonies. While Great Old One cults and bizarre sorcery still exist in the shadows, an officially licensed [[UnitedNationsIsASuperpower UN]] agency exists to keep them all at bay.

* BrokenMasquerade: In parts. The public knows about the Mi-go, the Deep Ones, the past Elder Thing civilization, psychic powers, techno-sorcery and similar aspects of the Mythos that have been deemed unlikely to cause widespread panic or encourage dangerous behavior. The authorities are still hiding the existence of such things as the Yithians (time-travelers from the past who can take over your body at any time), the ghouls (predatory creatures who live underneath your cities) and "normal" sorcery (which allows anyone with access to the right books to summon bullet-proof tentacled monstrosities).

* CreativeSterility: Every species begins to suffer from this sooner or later, as they learn everything about the universe that they are biologically capable of understanding. At that point, their only way to continue advancing as a species is to start making use of (to them) [[BlackBox incomprehensible alien theories and technologies by rote.]] The mi-go and the Yithians are both in this position, which is why they're so interested in elder one artifacts.

* TimeyWimeyBall: According to the Yithians, there are not only infinite possible futures but also any number of possible ''pasts.''

* UnitedNationsIsASuperpower: The UN has gained a great deal of importance from the discovery of aliens since it created the need for a single human institution capable of making deals on behalf of the entire species.

* BrokenMasquerade: In parts. The public knows about the Mi-go, the deep ones, the past elder one civilization, psychic powers, techno-sorcery and similar aspects of the Mythos that have been deemed unlikely to cause widespread panic or encourage dangerous behavior. The authorities are still hiding the existence of such things as the Yithians (time-travelers from the past who can take over your body at any time), the ghouls (predatory creatures who live underneath your cities) and "normal" sorcery (which allows anyone with access to the right books to summon bullet-proof tentacled monstrosities).

In the year 2030, humanity has not only become aware of the Franchise/CthulhuMythos, but also started taking tentative steps to make use of its secrets to better itself. Treaties and trade agreements have been established with the mi-go and the deep ones. Shortcuts through the space between spaces have opened ways to the stars and allowed various countries to establish extra-solar colonies. While Great Old One cults and bizarre sorcery still exists in the shadows, an officially licenced [[UnitedNationsIsASuperpower UN]] agency exists to keep them all at bay.

However, while humanity is not doomed, nor is it promised a bright future. The galaxy is littered with the ruins of earlier civilisations that reached this point and then fell to invaders, natural disaster or their own runaway technology. Hyperspace is filled with god-like creatures hungry for the psychic energy of material lifeforms. And if alien life is not inherently hostile, nor does it have any concern for humankind except as a means to further its own ends.

* ApocalypseHow: Planet-wide disasters and a resulting immediate or eventual extinction of the resident intelligent life form turns out to be disturbingly common. For instance, Mars had a thriving civilisation until they somehow managed to ''rip out half their atmosphere'' with malfunctioning hyperspatial technology.

* BrokenMasquerade: In parts. The public knows about the mi-go, the deep ones, the past elder one civilisation, psychic powers, techno-sorcery and similar aspects of the Mythos that have been deemed unlikely to cause widespread panic or encourage dangerous behaviour. The authorities are still hiding the existence of such things as the yithians (time-travelers from the past who can take over your body at any time), the ghouls (predatory creatures who live underneath your cities) and "normal" sorcery (which allows anyone with access to the right books to summon bullet-proof tentacled monstrosities).

* CreativeSterility: Every species begins to suffer from this sooner or later, as they learn everything about the universe that they are biologically capable of understanding. At that point, their only way to continue advancing as a species is to start making use of (to them) [[BlackBox incomprehensible alien theories and technologies by rote.]] The mi-go and the yithians are both in this position, which is why they're so interested in elder one artifacts.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: A theme of the game. A number of species have gotten to where we are and then been destroyed. There are no guarantees that that won't happen to us. A number of other species have gotten to where we are and gone on to either have prosperous interstellar civilisations spanning millions of years or even AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence. There's nothing that says we can't become one of ''those,'' either.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Subverted. Apparently it wasn't knowledge of the Mythos that drove so many Lovecraftian protagonists batty, they were just suffering from ''hyperspatial exposure,'' which messes up your thought process a bit and makes you vulnerable to influence by sorcerers and Great Old Ones but which is perfectly possible to recover from.

* {{Precursors}}: The elder ones, who had an extensive interstellar civilisation, seeded uncountable planets with life, left behind a great number of ruins and artifacts, but are now all but extinct.

* TimeyWimeyBall: According to the yithians, there are not only infinite possible futures but also any number of possible ''pasts.''
* UnitedNationsIsASuperpower: The UN has gained a great deal of importance from the discovery of aliens, since it created the need for a single human institution capable of making deals on behalf of the entire species.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: A theme of the game. A number of species have gotten to where we are and then been destroyed. There are no guarantees that that won't happen to us. A number of other species have gotten to where we are and gone on to either have prosperous interstallar civilisations spanning millions of years or even AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence. There's nothing that says we can't become one of ''those,'' either.

In the year 2030, humanity has not only become aware of the Franchise/CthulhuMythos, but also started taking tentative steps to make use of its secrets to better itself. Treaties and trade agreements have been established with the mi-go and the deep ones. Shortcuts through the space between spaces have opened ways to the stars and allowed various countries to establish extra-solar colonies. While Great Old One cults and bizarre sorcery still exists in the shadows, an officially licenced UN agency exists to keep them all at bay.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Subverted for a lot of species that were this in the source material. The deep ones and ghouls are alien and unpleasant, but they can at least be reasoned with and co-existed with. However, half-ascended species like the cthulhoids and the flying polyps are ''always'' bad news, since they rely on consuming the life-energy of material beings to remain active (and also, being half-ascended gives them one hell of a superiority complex).

* TimeyWimeyBall: According to the Yithians, there are not only infinite possible futures but also any number of possible ''pasts.''

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: The "happy ending" for any species is to find a way to do this.
* BrokenMasquerade: In parts. The public knows about the mi-go, the deep ones, the past elder one civilisation, psychic powers, techno-sorcery and similar aspects of the Mythos that have been deemed unlikely to cause widespread panic or encourage dangerous behaviour. The authorities are still hiding the existence of such things as the Great Race (time-travelers from the past who can take over your body at any time), the ghouls (predatory creatures who live underneath your cities) and "normal" sorcery (which allows anyone with access to the right books to summon bullet-proof tentacled monstrosities).
* LovecraftLite: By design. The universe is dangerous, but humanity isn't inherently less capable of surviving in it than any other species.