Ithaqua: Cthulhu Death May Die: Essentials:
- No. of players: 1-5
- Playing time: 90 minutes
- Age: 14+
Ithaqua: Cthulhu Death May Die: - Rules of Play says:
Ithaqua, the son of Hastur and Lord of the Winds is a powerful Great Old One in his own right; a horrifying giant that stalks the frozen wastes and slays whoever he comes across in pursuit of his goal to free the other Great Old Ones. His is the power to gather and control blizzards and violent snowstorms, and it is no different in Death May Die, for whenever Ithaqua is the chosen Elder One, a blizzard token is placed on the board, forcing any investigator who enters it to fully max out stress and be unable to heal it. Worst yet, every time Ithaqua advances, the blizzard moves toward the investigators, summoning a Shantak from amidst the storm. From there on, things only get rougher for the investigators. As Ithaqua edges near our realm, the blizzard grows more intense, moving more frequently around the board, causing more stress, damage, and preventing movement. Of course, as the Lord of the Winds, all of his cultists are completely immune to the freezing weather, and roam free to attack the investigators. Ithaqua brings with him his devastating weather effects to the board, offering a whole-new experience in fighting the Old Ones.
Shantaks are enormous avian monsters with horse-like heads that attend the Old Ones. These creatures are incredibly tough, and their resilience makes it hard for investigators to eliminate them quickly. With their long affiliation with Ithaqua, Shantaks have learned ways to utilize the Great One's violent blizzards to enter our realm, and worse yet, as long as they're near a blizzard, they are at their more frightening form, forcing investigators to take stress before they attack or are attacked. Thus, Shantaks are constantly ticking down the investigators' stress, hampering their ability to manipulate dice rolls. The faster you get rid of these monsters, the better - which would be a lot easier if not for their aforementioned resilience...